Denis O’Regan, who recently completed the full set of riding a winner at all UK and Irish National Hunt tracks, announced his retirement at Navan on Saturday.
A multiple Grade One-winning rider, he perhaps will be best remembered for his successful if relatively brief link-up with trainer Howard Johnson and owner Graham Wylie in the north of England.
During their association, O’Regan won the 2008 World (now Stayers’) Hurdle on Inglis Drever and in the same week landed the Arkle on Tidal Bay.
He won a Becher Chase at Aintree on the Dessie Hughes-trained Black Apalachi, who went on to be second to Don’t Push It in the 2010 Grand National won by Tony McCoy.
Cape Tribulation won at both the Cheltenham and Aintree Festivals in 2012 for O’Regan and Malcolm Jefferson, and a year later the same horse won the Cotswold Chase at Cheltenham.
O’Regan also won a Fighting Fifth on Countrywide Flame, a Finale Hurdle on Ruacana and a Galway Hurdle on Quick Jack.
Having learned the ropes at Noel Meade’s yard as understudy to Paul Carberry, it is no surprise O’Regan was renowned for his quiet style in the saddle and in recent years had been used by Gordon Elliott.
His recent victory at Hereford, the only course to have previously eluded him, came for trainer Cian Collins on Fiveonefive, so it was fitting he brought the curtain down on his career on Collins’ Solly Attwell, who finished unplaced.
O’Regan said: “I’m delighted with the decision. It was a huge effort to get back for Hereford after such a long stint off and I’m 41 and have had a fair few falls.
“It was not simple now to come to the decision but I went to Gowran last Saturday and I knew then after that. I knew going home that was it and I had to stop now.
“You need goals and when Hereford was done, it’s hard to find another one – unless you’ve got a good horse, and I don’t have six or seven Grade One horses, so I thought it was a good time.
“It’s the local track for me here, I’ve been very lucky here, my wife and my kids are here, there’s a lot of support and I wanted to go out on one of Cian’s. It didn’t have to be a winner and I’m delighted with that.”
Andy Murray has been ruled out of the Great Britain team for next week’s Davis Cup finals in Malaga.
The 36-year-old former Wimbledon and US Open champion is sidelined due to a minor shoulder injury, the Lawn Tennis Association confirmed.
Britain play quarter-final opponents Serbia on November 23.
“I’ve picked up a minor shoulder injury which means I won’t be able to take part in the Davis Cup,” Murray said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I’m gutted not to be part of the squad, but my focus is now on rehab and getting ready for the new season.”
Englishman Matt Wallace shot a stunning 60 for his third round at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
The 33-year-old registered 12 birdies in the 12-under-par round, including one on each of his last nine holes, as he moved to the top of the leaderboard.
He had been on for a 59 before completing his final hole in four.
Put to him that he had equalled DP World Tour records for the most birdies made in one round and the most consecutive birdies, Wallace told Sky Sports: “Equalled? Didn’t get it!
“What a day, amazing day. I just tried my hardest to get myself back into the tournament, so I’m really happy I’ve been able to do that and played great.
“At the end there, I didn’t even think it was for a 59, honestly. I think it helped me a little bit.
“I just played really nice coming down the stretch. Just wanted to keep getting one more if I could and I managed to do that.”
Regarding the potential 59, he added: “Yeah, kind of gutted now actually a little bit! Great opportunity to do it.
“I’ve done it at Moorpark on the West Course which is only a par 68, but to do it out there would have been really special today. Ball in hand helps. I had a couple good lies for up-and-down, but it was fantastic and a good effort.”
At the point that he finished, Wallace – 16 under overall – was two shots clear of nearest rival Nicolai Hojgaard of Denmark.
Max Verstappen compared Formula One’s £500million Las Vegas Grand Prix to the fifth tier of English football – and suggested the sport’s new generation of fans are only interested in partying.
Verstappen will start from second place for Saturday’s 50-lap race on the strip after Charles Leclerc put his Ferrari on pole position with a dazzling lap under the Las Vegas lights.
F1 has sold the sport’s Sin City comeback after four decades away as the greatest show on Earth, but fans witnessed just eight minutes of practice on Thursday after a drain cover broke free and tore a hole into the underbelly of Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.
A delayed second practice – which concluded at 4am on Friday local time – took place in front of empty grandstands after angry spectators were turfed out to comply with local employment laws.
An estimated crowd of 70,000 watched qualifying on Friday night while organisers had been expecting 100,000 attendees each day.
Earlier this week, Verstappen criticised F1’s maiden street race on the strip as “99 per cent show, and one per cent sport”. And in the moments after qualifying, he took another swipe at the event.
“Monaco is Champions League and this is National League,” he said.
“I feel like the show is important, but I like emotion. When I was a little kid it was all about the emotion of the sport that I fell in love with and not the show. As a real racer the show shouldn’t matter.
“An F1 car does not come alive on a street circuit. It is not that exciting. It is about proper race tracks. And when you go to Monza and Spa, these kinds of places have a lot of emotion and passion, and for me seeing the fans there is incredible. When I jump in the car, I am fired up. I love driving at these kind of places.
“I understand fans need things to do around the track, but it is more important that they understand what we do as a sport. Most of them just come to have a party, drink, see a DJ, or a performance act.
“I can do that all over the world. I can go to Ibiza and get completely s***-faced and have a good time. People come here, but they become a fan of what? They want to see maybe their favourite artist and have a few drinks with their mates, and then go out and have a crazy night.
“But they don’t understand what we are doing, and they don’t understand what we are putting on the line to perform.”
John Legend and Kylie Minogue were among a number of high-profile artists to perform in a dazzling 30-minute Superbowl-style show here on Wednesday, designed to kick-start the penultimate round of the season in style.
Verstappen and his fellow drivers were introduced to the crowd via an elevating platform. Verstappen, who secured his third world title in Qatar last month, later said he felt like a “clown”.
In the early hours of Saturday morning, he continued: “As a little kid I grew up wanting to become a world champion. More time should be invested into the actual sport, and what we are trying to achieve.
“The sport should explain what the team has done throughout the season, and what they are working for. That’s way more important than having these random shows all over the place. I am not passionate about that. I like passion and emotion.
“I love Vegas, but not to drive an F1 car. I love to go out, have a few drinks, throw everything on red and be crazy, but emotion and passion is not there compared to the old-school tracks.”
Despite starting behind Leclerc when the lights go out at 10pm local time here on Saturday (6am Sunday GMT), Verstappen will be favourite to take his 18th win of the season. George Russell will line up from third but Lewis Hamilton will start only 10th.
Hamilton, who finished half-a-second behind team-mate Russell, said: “I was lacking confidence and grip. I struggled.
“Yesterday, the car felt better and I was more competitive and I made changes overnight and it didn’t feel great today. I have got a lot of work to do.”
Charles Leclerc danced his way to pole position with an emphatic performance for Ferrari under the Las Vegas lights.
At just after 1am local time – the latest conclusion to a qualifying session in Formula One history – Leclerc finished just 0.044 seconds clear of team-mate Carlos Sainz.
However, Sainz will start down in 12th after a loose drain cover destroyed his Ferrari in practice and triggered a 10-place grid penalty.
Triple world champion Max Verstappen, a winner in 17 of the 20 rounds so far, took third spot for Red Bull, but will move up to second following Sainz’s demotion. Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q2, leaving him only 10th on the grid.
Hamilton finished half-a-second behind team-mate George Russell, who hauled his Mercedes into Q3 before taking advantage of Sainz’s penalty to secure third on the grid for Saturday’s 50-lap race.
Following the shambolic start to F1’s Sin City comeback here on Thursday night, qualifying passed off without significant incident – much to the relief of the sport’s under-fire bosses.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali stopped short of issuing an apology to the furious spectators, who saw just eight minutes of practice before they were ejected from the stands.
However, in the early hours of Saturday morning, the estimated 90,000 fans who filled the 3.8-mile street venue – 30,000 down on capacity – were treated to an uninterrupted session which saw Leclerc romp to top spot in his scarlet machine.
“I am happy,” said Leclerc. “To have first place in Las Vegas is great.
“I was a bit disappointed because my lap was not great but it was all we needed. In the race we usually lack pace but hopefully we can put it all together in the race.”
Against the backdrop of Caesars Palace, the MGM Grand and Bellagio hotels, Ferrari delivered, but it was another underwhelming showing for Hamilton.
A fortnight after the seven-time world champion finished eighth in Brazil – 63 seconds behind winner Verstappen – he struggled for pace in his underperforming Mercedes.
“Couldn’t go faster, mate,” said Hamilton following his elimination. Behind Hamilton, Sergio Perez qualified one place back.
Lando Norris arrived in Nevada as the grid’s in-form driver after scoring more points across the last three rounds than anyone else.
But the British driver failed to make it out of Q2 with his McLaren machinery not suited to the three long straights here coupled with slow corners.
He qualified only 16th, three places ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri who also fell at the first hurdle.
“Very disappointed,” said McLaren CEO Zak Brown. “We thought we’d struggle this weekend but I didn’t think either car would be out in Q1.
“Not a good start to the weekend and now all we can do is focus on the race tomorrow.”
De’Aaron Fox scored 16 of his season-high 43 points in the fourth quarter and the Sacramento Kings won their fifth straight, 129-120 over the San Antonio Spurs to remain perfect in the In-Season Tournament on Friday.
Domantas Sabonis had 28 points and Malik Monk added 20 as the Kings won their fourth in a row in San Antonio and moved to 2-0 in the West Group C standings of the tournament.
Victor Wembanyama had 27 points on 12-of-26 shooting and nine rebounds after scoring a season-low eight points in Tuesday’s loss at Oklahoma City.
Zach Collins scored 28 points and Keldon Johnson contributed 20, but the Spurs lost their seventh straight and dropped to 0-3 in the in-season tournament.
Durant stars as Suns beat Jazz
Kevin Durant scored 38 points and came up just shy of a triple-double and Devin Booker had 24 points and 15 assists to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 131-128 victory over the Utah Jazz.
Durant had nine rebounds and nine assists and scored at least 25 points for the 11th straight game, the longest active streak in the NBA.
Durant’s 3-pointer gave Phoenix a 124-115 lead before Utah rallied to get within one in the final minute. He struck again with his sixth 3 of the game with 18 seconds to play.
Jordan Clarkson had a season-high 37 points for Utah and Lauri Markkanen added 21.
Harden hits key 3-pointer as Clippers snap skid
James Harden drilled a tiebreaking 3-pointer while getting fouled with six seconds remaining and the Los Angeles Clippers ended a six-game losing streak with a 106-100 win over the Houston Rockets.
Harden sank a 26-footer from atop the key and completed the rare four-point play to seal his first win since joining the Clippers, who had lost their last five games since acquiring the superstar.
Kawhi Leonard added two free throws in the final second and finished with 26 points, while Harden added 24 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
Alperen Sengun scored 23 points for the Rockets, whose six-game win streak was stopped after allowing Los Angeles to close the game on a 12-1 run.
John Tavares set up two goals and scored one of his own with 5:33 remaining to complete the Toronto Maple Leafs’ comeback in a 3-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday at the NHL’s Global Series in Sweden.
Toronto entered the third period down 2-0 but Tyler Bertuzzi scored at 3:50 and William Nylander netted the equalizer with 6:57 left before Tavares’ seventh goal of the season 1:24 later gave the Maple Leafs their first lead of the game.
Nylander also had a goal and two assists to extend his franchise-record season-opening point streak to 16 games.
Ilya Samsonov made 27 saves as Toronto won its third straight and fourth in five games.
Daniel Sprong scored on a penalty shot and Lucas Raymond had the other goal for Detroit, which dropped to 1-2-2 in its last five.
The game was the second of four over five days at Avicii Arena in Stockholm. Ottawa beat Detroit on Thursday, and Minnesota will play the Senators on Saturday and the Maple Leafs on Sunday in the first four-team series outside North America.
Perfetti scores again as Jets win
Cole Perfetti scored in a fifth straight game and the Winnipeg Jets held off the Buffalo Sabres, 3-2.
Mason Appleton and Nikolaj Ehlers had the other goals and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 25 shots as Winnipeg notched its fifth win in six games.
Alex Tuch and JJ Peterka scored for the Sabres, who have lost three in a row.
Eric Comrie made 15 saves in his first action since suffering a lower-body injury on Oct. 27.
Stolarz the difference in Panthers’ win
Anthony Stolarz stopped 33 shots to make two first-period goals hold up as the Florida Panthers held on for a 2-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
Stolarz allowed only Frank Vatrano’s power-play goal in the second period before turning away all 16 Anaheim shots in the third period.
Jakob Silfverberg thought he scored the tying goal midway through the third period, but there was no conclusive evidence to show that the puck crossed the goal line.
Anton Lundell set up goals by Eetu Luostarinen and Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the first period as Florida rebounded from Thursday’s loss to Los Angeles and won for the sixth time in seven games.
Former British number one Elena Baltacha announced her retirement from tennis on this day in 2013.
Baltacha was Britain’s top-ranked player for 132 weeks between 2009 and 2012 and reached a career-high ranking of 49 in 2010, but subsequently struggled with injury.
The Kyiv-born Scot died of liver cancer in May 2014 at the age of 30.
A Fed Cup stalwart, Baltacha’s CV also contained wins over top-10 players Li Na and Francesca Schiavone, while her best grand slam performances saw her reach the third round at the Australian Open in 2005 and 2010 and at Wimbledon in 2002.
“It just feels it’s the right time,” Baltacha said when announcing her retirement.
“My body has taken such a bruising over the last 16 years and that’s finally taken its toll.
“I have had some amazing experiences through playing tennis – some incredible highs and some very low lows – and I wouldn’t change any of them, but now my mind and my body are telling me it’s time to move on to a new phase of my life.
“I still absolutely love tennis and I want to take that passion and put it into learning to be the best coach I can be so that I can take all my experiences as a player and use that to help develop the next generation of British tennis players.”
Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali has refused to apologise for the farcical opening to this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.
After months of hype leading up to the £500million race, opening practice was abandoned with just eight minutes on the clock on Thursday night.
The second running was delayed by two-and-a-half hours, and then took place in front of vacant grandstands after furious fans were ejected to comply with local employment laws. Practice finished at 4am on Friday morning.
But in a 650-word joint statement by Domenicali, and CEO of the Las Vegas race, Renee Wilm, the sport’s red-faced bosses stopped short of saying sorry.
“We have all been to events, like concerts, games and even other Formula One races, that have been cancelled because of factors like weather or technical issues,” they said.
“It happens, and we hope people will understand.”
Fans who held a 200 US dollar (£160) general admission ticket for Thursday’s two practice sessions have been offered a voucher for the same amount to be redeemed on merchandise.
But those in attendance on a three-day pass – the cheapest of which is 500 US dollars (£400) – will not receive any compensation.
The statement continued: “We know this was disappointing. We hope our fans will understand that we had to balance many interests, including the safety and security of all participants and the fan experience over the whole race weekend.
“So how will we address this tonight?
“We have worked overnight to adjust our staffing plans across security, transportation and hospitality to ensure that we can function and serve fans with the best possible experience in the event of an extended race schedule.
“We are excited about the racing today and thank our entire team and our fans for their support. We know this is going to be a great event. With that, let’s get back to racing.”
Qualifying for Saturday’s 50-lap race will take place at midnight local time (8am GMT on Saturday).
The Cincinnati Bengals will be without Joe Burrow for the rest of the season after the star quarterback tore a ligament in his right wrist during Thursday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Head coach Zac Taylor made the announcement Friday, less than 24 hours after Burrow departed Cincinnati's 34-20 loss in the second quarter, and added that the 2022 Pro Bowl selection will likely undergo surgery.
Burrow grabbed his right wrist while in noticeable pain immediately after throwing a four-yard touchdown pass to Joe Mixon with 5:49 remaining in the second quarter. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick attempted to throw while on the sideline shortly after but was unable to grip the ball, then went into the locker room with the Bengals' training staff before being ruled out of the game after half-time.
"On the touchdown pass I just felt a pop in the middle of the throw," Burrow told reporters Friday. "I tried to give it a go, but I just couldn't get it done. Then I obviously got the news today, so not great."
Burrow's injury is potentially a major blow to a Cincinnati team currently outside the AFC playoff picture at 5-5, though the Bengals had recovered from a 1-3 start to win four straight prior to last week's loss to the Houston Texans.
The 26-year-old led the Bengals to the AFC Championship game in each of the last two years, as well as an appearance in the Super Bowl during the 2021 season.
"You work so hard for seasons and moments like these, so whenever you get hurt and it ends early, it's tough to handle," Burrow said. "But that's part of the game. I've been through it before, so you've just to go grind it out."
Taylor said Jake Browning will make his first NFL start in place of Burrow when the Bengals host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 26.
An undrafted free agent who spent 2022 on Cincinnati's practice squad before making the active roster this season, Browning completed 8 of 14 passes for 68 yards and a touchdown after replacing Burrow on Thursday.
"Jake's worked for this opportunity his entire life," Taylor said. "He's prepared the right way. He's in the building as much as anybody on this team waiting for moments like this - obviously not [wanting] the way it happened to Joe.
"Really proud of the way he went in there with a calm attitude and was able to execute the plan, and give us a chance to move the ball and score some points."
This is the second major injury Burrow has encountered during his four-year NFL career, as a torn ACL ended his 2020 rookie season after 10 games. He returned to throw for over 4,400 yards in each of the last two seasons with a combined 69 touchdown passes to help the Bengals emerge as one of the AFC's top teams.
Burrow also played through a strained right calf he sustained in training camp this summer, though he did not miss a game. He finishes the season with 2,309 passing yards, 15 touchdown passes and six interceptions in 10 starts.
The NFL is expected to investigate the circumstances behind this latest injury, according to The Associated Press. Though Burrow was not listed on the Bengals' injury report for Thursday's game, the Bengals had posted a video of the quarterback getting off the team bus with his right hand appearing to be in a cast as he made his way to the stadium.
The Bengals later deleted the video.
The Phoenix Suns announced Friday that All-Star guard Bradley Beal will remain sidelined due to a lower back strain that has limited him to just three games this season.
Beal will be re-evaluated in three weeks, the club said in a statement, and this new timeline “was determined following further evaluation and consultation on his injury.”
Brought to Phoenix by a blockbuster offseason trade, Beal missed the Suns’ first seven games before making his debut on Nov. 8.
He averaged 17.3 points per game on 39.1-percent shooting in three games, then was a late scratch before the Suns’ win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday.
Phoenix still has not had its All-Star trio of Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker all available for the same game.
Booker has also only played three games this season while dealing with toe and calf injuries, but he returned Wednesday to score 31 points on 12-of-22 shooting.
The rash of early injuries has left the Suns with a 5-6 record to start the season as players like Eric Gordon and Grayson Allen have been thrust into larger roles.
After serving 14 years as President of the Aquatic Sports Association of Jamaica (ASAJ), Martin Lyn has opted not to seek re-election, citing the need to refresh and reinvigorate the organisation with new leadership.
Lyn, whose time at the helm was spread across seven two-year terms, believes he has left the association in good standing with a solid platform on which the next president can build to drive the country’s aquatic sports product forward.
The new president will be selected at the ASAJ’s Annual General Meeting scheduled for December 5.
Georgia Sinclair and Lance Rochester, who served as vice presidents with responsibility for swimming and water polo respectively, under Lyn’s leadership, are said to be frontrunners in the race to take the reins.
“Sometimes you have to know when to step aside and let someone else take over. My accomplishments and achievements speak for themselves, and nobody can dispute the fact that I have done a significant amount of good during my time in charge. I also think it’s time for me to focus on other things as well and also allow the association to grow in a different direction,” Lyn told SportsMax.TV.
“For the first time in a while, there are people vying for the presidency and it is good that people’s ambitions towards leadership is stimulated. So, I am stepping down to allow the association to grow even bigger and better with fresh ideas because I have left a strong foundation on which the next president can build,” he added.
According to Lyn, his time at the helm boast outstanding contribution and great personal sacrifice, though his credibility, integrity and, by extension, leadership qualities, have been called into question on a number of occasions.
“The presidency is not an easy job in any federation. It wasn’t always easy to beg and beseech the minister (of sports) and Sports Development Foundation for funding or even to secure sponsorship, and of course, you and others don’t always see eye-to-eye for various reasons. But we have upgraded the system and most importantly we are in one of the best financial positions that we have been in, in years,” Lyn argued.
“The day-to-day running of the federation was up and down but the administration performed very well including the disciplinary committee. For the first time in a long time, we don’t have any disciplinary matters pending,” he noted.
Though celebrating some infrastructure development, as well as the recognition of five Jamaican officials on the World Aquatics list among his achievements, Lyn pointed out that he also had some regrets.
“Two regrets I have, and one is the fact that I have tried unsuccessfully to change the constitution of the ASAJ so that there are not so many gray areas because in the current constitution, there are a lot of loopholes. But the feedback was that we couldn’t just meet and discuss the constitution, so maybe I was a little premature in my approach, but it is something that I will encourage for the new administration to look at,” Lyn shared without going into details about his other regret, which had to do with how swim meets were conducted.
That said, Lyn left words of encouragement for the new administration which will boast familiar faces, as treasurer Florence Grizzle-Williams will battle incumbent Shauna Jackson for the post of Honorary Secretary.
Robyn-Ann Chin-Sang will be running unopposed for Vice-president in charge of artistic swimming, while Marlon McIntyre is the only candidate for the vice-president in charge of water polo.
Meanwhile, Hilary Brown-Nixon seems set to take the post of vice-president in charge of swimming.
“The first word of encouragement is to keep the train rolling, because we are on a very good path for success. I have dedicated a lot of time out of my life to do what I did, so which ever candidate takes over, they must be willing to invest the time and effort into moving the sport forward because it is to the benefits of the athletes and more so the country,” he ended.
Minella Missile dented some lofty reputations in the Trustatrader Novices’ Hurdle for Evan Williams at Cheltenham.
The point-to-point winner had caused a 20-1 shock when scoring on his hurdling debut from a Paul Nicholls-trained favourite at Chepstow and he repeated the feat here – but this time at Grade Two level at an even bigger price.
Sent off a 22-1 chance the five-year-old looked up against with Nicholls’ Captain Teague and several Irish-trained runners appearing to hold stronger claims. However, Adam Wedge moved within his comfort zone for much of the race, despite sitting well off the pace.
Harry Cobden had Captain Teague close to Kinbara up front, but did put in a couple of noticeably novicey leaps.
He was still in the box seat turning for home, but The Big Doyen had tracked him while Wedge charted the inside route on Minella Missile.
All three had a chance on jumping the last, and it was the Williams runner who found most to win by a length and a half from the 4-6 favourite with The Big Doyen a further half-length away.
“He’s just one of them you know, he quickens and is very laid back,” said Williams
“You can drop him in and I love a horse you can drop in and then quickens. There’s not many of them that get there in two strides and he can do that.
“It’s the trainer why he is the price he is, nothing to do with the horse. It’s the trainer, not the horse.
“Talk is talk and it’s November. The men in March don’t talk they just turn up don’t they. We’re under no illusions and he has won his good race. He’s a brother to a horse who I think is a good horse in Monbeg Genius and his future will be over fences somewhere down the line.
“I just think in these novice hurdles, a step up in trip wouldn’t be a problem and he quickens.”
Minella Missile provided a poignant 100th winner for owner Janet Davies, who has endured a difficult time following the death of her husband, Peter, and the winning trainer was thrilled to give his loyal owner with a day to remember.
“That’s racing, it pulls in the emotions of life which are important to the very trivial pursuit of going faster than another horse round a grassy field,” continued Williams.
“It is her 100th winner and she has been very successful, had a lot of winners and some very nice horses. But, as often happens with racing, it sometimes just gives back that little bit of a fairytale.
“I’m blessed with the owners I train for. I’m a dinosaur and I train for some very old-fashioned owners and it makes my life very easy. But sometimes that cross-over between real life and racing is fantastic. Isn’t it crazy how the cards fall sometimes.”
On future plans, he went on: “He handles this place which is an undulating track and sometimes you can get dragged into doing things for the sake of doing things.
“Lets be brutal about it, the second horse carried a penalty and we have only won a length and a half. So we have a bit to find to go and win a Grade One.
“He’s the type of horse who might be able to step up to that, but as far as I’m concerned, in his life as a novice hurdler he has won a good race and what happens now as a novice hurdler is almost irrelevant.
“Today is Janet’s day and that’s what makes it special to me. It’s a special day for Janet.”
Davies said: “How amazing was that. We won last (here) with Court Minstrel and I never thought we would have another like that.
“Evan said when he won at Chepstow, ‘you have a nice horse’. But I didn’t think he would be that nice.
“I was trying to keep my cool, as this time last year I lost my husband suddenly in his sleep. It’s been a difficult year, but that was amazing.”
Mouse Morris made another successful raid to Britain as Foxy Jacks claimed the Glenfarclas Cross Country Handicap Chase at Cheltenham on Friday.
Morris has already struck on British shores this term with Gentlemansgame in the Charlie Hall, and his nine-year-old produced a superb round of jumping in the hands of Gavin Brouder to hold off Dan Skelton’s Latenightpass in a thrilling finish.
The trainer is of course no stranger to success at Prestbury Park, but was delighted with his charge who provided him with his first winner at the track since First Lieutenant struck at the Festival in 2011.
“It was very tenacious, he’s not simple but got a great ride, he jumped super,” said Morris of the 9-1 scorer.
“I thought he was in great shape coming here, but there are 30 fences to jump and jumping is not what he is noted for. These sort of races change his mind a little.
“It was his first time over the banks and I couldn’t be happier. There are a lot of days he hasn’t delivered which makes these days good.
“He has been running well this year, he won the Midlands National and was third in the Kerry National, so something has happened to him.
“I don’t think weight matters to this fella, it is just getting him on his day. He belongs to great people who love the craic and we will go where we can have some fun.”
Gordon Elliott’s pair of Delta Work and Galvin fought out the finish of the cross country at the Cheltenham Festival in the spring but finished down the field in their return to action.
Both have a return in March on the agenda, but Elliott is keen to see how Delta Work (sixth) comes out of the contest having failed to sparkle in the second half of the contest.
“Keith (Donoghue) actually said for the second half of the race he never jumped which he usually does and he was a bit sore pulling up. So we will have to see how he is,” said Elliott.
“Cheltenham is the plan in March, but once he’s OK in the morning that is all that matters. You can see in the second half of the race he never jumped like he can.
“In fairness we were happy with the run, if we got beat today we wouldn’t have been disappointed but he never jumped for the second half of the race, he just wasn’t right.
“Galvin (eighth) ran very well, he just hated the ground and we’re very happy. March is the plan and it will probably be one run over hurdles and that is it.”
Carlos Alcaraz defeated Daniil Medvedev to set up a tasty ATP Finals clash with Novak Djokovic.
Having lost his opening match to Alexander Zverev, Alcaraz knew only victory over previously unbeaten Medvedev would be enough to qualify for the semi-finals.
He achieved the feat in style, wrapping up a 6-4 6-4 victory to join the Russian in the last four on his debut in Turin.
Alcaraz’s superior sets record means he tops the group and will face Djokovic in a rematch of their unforgettable Wimbledon final, while Medvedev meets fourth seed Jannik Sinner, the only player yet to lose a match.
Medvedev had already qualified for the last four but there was still plenty on the line in terms of prize money and ranking points, and ultimately he could not match the all-round quality of Alcaraz, who roared with delight when he clinched victory.
“The most important thing that I did today is to stay strong mentally,” he told Amazon Prime Video.
“There were a few games with my serve that I was struggling a little bit, his return game is amazing and he puts so much pressure on you. I think to stay calm, to stay strong mentally in those moments was the key.”
This will be a fourth meeting of the season between Alcaraz and Djokovic, with the young Spaniard claiming the Wimbledon crown but losing out at the French Open and in Cincinnati in August.
“It’s one of the most difficult challenges that I’m going to face, facing Novak in this tournament that he has won six times,” said Alcaraz.
“Obviously Novak is Novak, he’s the best player in the world right now. I’m going to put my best tennis (out there) and I’m going to enjoy it. I’m excited.”
The Injured Jockeys Fund has provided a further update on Graham Lee, in which he is described as having made “positive progress”.
The Grand National and Ascot Gold Cup-winning rider remains in Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital in Newcastle after a serious fall last week, when unseated from Ben Macdui at the start of an all-weather handicap on Friday.
He suffered an unstable cervical fracture causing damage to his spinal cord and has undergone two procedures to stabilise the fractures and further protect his spinal cord.
The IJF update, circulated on Friday afternoon, read: “Graham has made positive progress in the last 24 hours and has been able to talk normally with his family for short periods when his ventilator is turned down.
“He has been reviewed by his spinal consultant and when a bed becomes available in the ITU at James Cook Hospital, Middlesborough, he will be transferred closer to home.
“Graham and his family want to thank everyone for their continued and overwhelming support.”
Two Cheltenham Festival winners and a host of placed horses from the big meeting in March make this year’s Paddy Power Gold Cup one not to be missed.
Stage Star and The Real Whacker took the Turners Novices’ Chase and Brown Advisory respectively at the showpiece fixture, and both have featured heavily in the ante-post market on this historic handicap.
The former disappointed when last of five at Aintree after Cheltenham, but Paul Nicholls is not losing sleep over that ahead of the weekend.
“You can put a line through his last start at Aintree, which was one race too many after a busy campaign,” the champion trainer told Betfair.
“The Paddy Power has been the target for him since the summer and there are plenty of positives, as he is brilliant fresh, having won first time out for the last three seasons.
“He also likes racing left-handed, will not mind how soft the ground gets and we know he handles Cheltenham.
“Yes, he does have a lot of weight because he is rated on what he achieved last year but it helps that the top one (The Real Whacker) runs, which means Stage Star is on a nice racing weight of 11st 7lb.”
Trained by Patrick Neville, The Real Whacker is a perfect three from three over fences – with all of those runs coming at Cheltenham.
Unsurprisingly, the Gold Cup is his big target and it is also not a shock connections have opted to start his season here, even with his welter burden of 12st.
“Two and a half (miles) is a lovely starting point for him. He won over two and a half in January in the Dipper,” said North Yorkshire-based Neville.
“We’ll just go our own gallop and if anything wants to take him on or go a cutthroat gallop, then we’ll let them on, as he doesn’t have to make the running.
“When he ran in Doncaster, we dropped him out stone last, so if something else wanted to make the running, it might even help carry him into it a bit, but we’ll see.
“Hopefully, he’ll run his race and come back sound and we’ll move on to the next day.”
Dan Skelton saddles Unexpected Party – fifth in the Turners and a Listed winner on his return at Chepstow last month, form subsequently boosted by runner-up Knappers Hill.
Skelton said: “Unexpected Party beat Knappers Hill, who came out and won easy at Wincanton, which he was entitled to do, being honest. I expected Knappers Hill to win that, so I don’t think it improves our chance.
“What it did do was offer comfort that I was as confident with Unexpected Party on Friday night as I was on Saturday night. He’s got the right profile for the race, but we thought that before seeing what Knappers Hill came out and did.
“He ran in the Turners at the Cheltenham Festival and he has turned up on some big days. The preliminaries before the race won’t get to him and that is a big part of it.
“He is a good traveller and a slick jumper, and I don’t want to put the mockers on him with a comment like that, but that is what he is good at, and that is what you need for a race like this.”
Another runner for Nicholls is last year’s fourth Il Ridoto, who also has winning form at the Prestbury Park circuit.
The Ditcheat handler said: “He ran a series of solid races last season carrying big weights and finally got his reward with a fluent victory at this track in January, then didn’t take to the National fences at Aintree (in the Topham).
“He is 6lb higher now so it’s a bonus that Freddie Gingell’s claim takes off a handy 5lb. Il Ridoto is a year older, more mature and should be knocking on the door again.”
Sam Thomas has enjoyed a good start to the new season and he sends out Angels Breath, who showed his well-being with a solid second over hurdles here last month.
“We were thrilled with him last time and it is sort of now or never really. He’s a nine-year-old in good form, so we thought we would take our chance,” Thomas said.
“It’s a very competitive race, but we’re lucky to have such a lovely horse and fingers crossed he puts in a good performance and comes back safe and sound.”
Also prominent in the market is the Lauran Morgan-trained Notlongtillmay, second only to Stage Star in the Turners in March.
“This was the aim, we’re 3lb better off with Stage Star and Stage Star isn’t going to get an easy lead like he did in the Turners – there’s going to be a lot of pace in this on Saturday,” Morgan said.
“With The Real Whacker running, our lad goes in there with a nice racing weight (11st 4lb) and he’ll go through the (soft) ground, that wouldn’t worry me at all.”
Like Nicholls, Morgan has a second-string to her bow in the shape of Whistleinthedark.
She added: “I’m not too fussed about not getting a run in, as he’s done a lot of work at home. We’ve got a two-mile grass gallop and he’s fairly ready without having had that run to sharpen him – he’s not far away.”
Homme Public ensured Henry Brooke could celebrate his first ever victory at Cheltenham in the SSS Super Alloys Arkle Challenge Trophy Trial Novices’ Chase but he was fortunate to do so.
The favourite JPR One looked to have done everything right the whole way round as Brendan Powell set a scorching gallop.
Coming down the hill before the turn for home, it possibly looked like he had gone too fast as the three other runners all closed up, including Homme Public.
However, Powell had saved plenty on Joe Tizzard’s six-year-old and no sooner had he given the others a sniff had he shot clear again and seemingly put the race to bed.
He cleared the second last in style and with just one fence left to negotiate, it appeared the UK had a rock-solid contender for Arkle glory but, as many before him have found, the last at Cheltenham takes some jumping and he landed too steeply, giving Powell no chance.
Suddenly Homme Public, having looked booked for second, was left in front and while Petit Tonnerre gave him a fright, he won by two lengths.
Homme Public is trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, who have made a fantastic start to the season and won the Grand Sefton last weekend with Gesskille.
There was a fitting start to Cheltenham’s November Meeting when David Pipe’s American Sniper landed the opening Lycetts Insurance Brokers Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.
The Pipes have been synonymous with success at this meeting down the years and although Pond House may be lacking the stars of old, they showed they can still land a punch on the big occasion as American Sniper (16-1) led home a one-three for the Somerset team, with stablemate Paricolor picking up the bronze medal.
It was Pipe’s fourth win in the race since 2014 and first at the track since the spring of 2022 with a first-time tongue-tie working the oracle on his winning five-year-old, who was never involved over three miles at the track last month.
“We probably haven’t got as many as we used to, but we fancied both of them and they finished first and third,” said Pipe.
“On their best bits of form they had chances. We’ll enjoy today.
“We put a tongue-tie on him for the first time which probably helped and he likes a bit better ground, so obviously first race of the meeting it obviously helped.”
Brendan Powell delivered Triple Trade (100-30 favourite) with perfection as Joe Tizzard’s seven-year-old hunted down Dan Skelton’s Calico late in the day to go one better than his running on second here in October.
“I thought it was a lovely race for him today and Brendan gave him a peach,” said the winning trainer.
“He was always going to play him late-ish and he didn’t get into him until the last and won nicely. It was a proper performance.
“The horse deserved to win off his last form and he’s improving all the time. He’s been sharper since that last run, a lot of my horses were needing the run three weeks ago and I expected a big performance and it came off.
“He’s one of the cheapest horses we’ve ever bought, he cost £12,000 I think it was, so he was cheap and three good lads own him. Dad said he was a Gold Cup horse when he bought him but couldn’t get him on the track for 18 months.”
Triple Trade could now be tasked with replicating Amarillo Sky’s Newbury victory in the Coral Get Closer To The Action Handicap Chase on December 2.
“I would be half-tempted to take him to Newbury at the end of the month,” added Tizzard.
“There is that nice handicap at the end of the Saturday that we won with Amarillo Sky.
“We will see how he comes out of it, but I’m tempted by that and it is in the back of my mind. These two milers, you can run them a bit more frequent.
“We were never dreaming he was an Amarillo Sky, but he’s heading in the right direction isn’t he and I’m really tempted to take him to Newbury if it is nice and soft in a couple of weeks’ time and keep having a lot of fun.”
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
