El Fabiolo kicked off the new campaign as he finished the last with a predictably dominant display in the Bar One Racing Hilly Way Chase at Cork.

The Willie Mullins-trained six-year-old was flawless as a novice over fences last season, winning each of his four starts, including a brilliant triumph over Jonbon in the Arkle at Cheltenham.

With Jonbon having advertised his Queen Mother Champion Chase claims with victory in the Tingle Creek at Sandown on Saturday, it was over to El Fabiolo 24 hours later and he did not disappoint.

Mullins had saddled nine of the last 10 winners of the Hilly Way, with Un De Sceaux, Chacun Pour Soi and the currently sidelined dual Champion Chase hero Energumene among those on the roll of honour.

El Fabiolo was a 1-5 shot to add his name to the list and after travelling well on the heels of the pacesetters for much of the extended two-mile contest, Paul Townend allowed him to take over before four fences from the finish and he quickly took control.

Fil Dor did his best to keep tabs on the leader in the home straight, but despite a peck on landing after jumping the final obstacle, El Fabiolo never looked like coming to grief and was driven out on the run-in to prevail by four and three-quarter lengths.

Paddy Power left the winner unchanged at 10-11 for the Champion Chase at Cheltenham in March, with old rival Jonbon rated his biggest threat at 5-2.

Silent Approach provided her trainer, owner and breeder Con O’Keeffe with the biggest success of his career as she registered a shock victory in the O’Flynn Group Irish EBF Mares Novice Chase at Cork.

Although a winner on her chasing debut at Galway last month, the five-year-old faced a huge rise in class for this Grade Two contest and was priced up accordingly at 33-1.

For much of the extended two-mile contest, things appeared to be going to script, with 6-5 favourite Harmonya Maker setting out to make all the running and provide jockey Jack Kennedy with a fourth successive victory on the card.

However, she hung left approaching the first fence on the second circuit and halfway down the back straight Silent Approach was given her head and allowed to stride on in front by Danny Mullins.

To her credit, Harmonya Maker managed to stay in the fight until the approach to the final fence, after which Silent Approach stamped her authority and pulled three and a quarter lengths clear.

“It is a great win and I must dedicate it to my wife Claire, who lost her mother Peggy last week. She was always the first one to ring me after we won a race, so this is great for Claire and my family,” said O’Keeffe.

“We have been jumping hurdles all year, but the lads have been saying to jump fences and she is a fantastic jumper who is improving all the time. We were hopeful, as she was in great form and Danny gave her a fantastic ride.

“We have had the family for three generations and you could write what I know about training horses on a postage stamp, as breeding is our game. I’m delighted for Tadhg (O’Sullivan, co-owner), who has been with me with our horses from the beginning.”

Options remain fluid for Elixir De Nutz and Eldorado Allen following their fine displays at Newbury.

Both rising 10 in the new year, the Joe Tizzard-trained duo seem to be in rude health as they approach the veteran stage of their careers.

Elixir De Nutz was a Grade One winner over hurdles in his novice days, but has formed a great association with the trainer’s nephew Freddie Gingell this term, with the pairing following up their Haldon Gold Cup triumph by defying a career-high rating in the Jim Joel Memorial Trophy at Newbury.

Now rated 156, there is little wiggle room left in the handicap ranks, with a return to Graded company a possibility in 2024.

“It was a strong performance (at Newbury) and he seems to be in the form of his life,” said Tizzard.

“He was a really exciting horse as a youngster and then injuries plagued him and he has gradually built himself back up over the last few years.

“If you saw him (the morning after), he was loving life, he was fresh as paint and he’s really going in the right direction.

“Fred seems to get a real good tune out of him and he has done since the first day he schooled him – and it’s lovely to have an older horse like him doing what he’s doing.

“He’s nearly going to have his hand forced and I guess we’ll cross that bridge later. I was thinking of going Desert Orchid with him, but he’s obviously going to have a lot of weight in that and the door might just be open for different things.

“I’m quite keen to keep him in smaller-field races, he seems to like that – and if that forces us into Graded company, then it does.”

Meanwhile, Tizzard was delighted with another profitable run from Eldorado Allen following his fourth-placed finish in the Coral Gold Cup.

His most recent victory, and arguably his finest hour, came when winning the Denman Chase in 2022 and since then he has consistently run in some of the biggest races on the calendar.

However, with his rating beginning to fall, there are plenty of options open for the Venn Farm inmate moving forward and Tizzard believes he deserves a return to the scoresheet in the near future.

“I was really, really pleased with him and the handicapper has certainly given him a chance to be competitive in these big races,” continued Tizzard.

“Where we go is tricky, especially with all this rain that has come. He is still in the Welsh National and that will be open for discussion, but I’ll probably enter him in the Grand National as well, so he could be putting himself in that picture.

“He’s not the easiest horse to place where we think he can win, but he’s ultra-consistent, places in all these big races and doesn’t owe us a lot.

“He’s picked up a lot of prize-money along the way and at the turn of the year, he’s a veteran as well and that would open up another window – especially off his mark now.

“There’s a lot to think about and it would be really nice to get his head in front again, as the horse deserves it. Although he’s picking up lots of prize-money, he deserves to win one, so we will pick and choose a bit.”

LeBron James has previously talked up the prospect of bringing an NBA franchise to Las Vegas when he retires, and he reiterated that desire after Saturday's in-season tournament final in Sin City.

James had 24 points in support of team-mate Anthony Davis, who finished with a season-high 41 as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in the Vegas showpiece to become the first winners of the tournament.

The four-time NBA MVP is into his 21st season in the league and has previously opened up on his desire to own a franchise when he calls time on his glittering career. 

James – who already owns stakes in Premier League outfit Liverpool and MLB team Boston Red Sox – said last year that he would "love" to take a franchise to Las Vegas. 

NBA commissioner Adam Silver joked about those hopes as he presented James with the tournament's MVP trophy after Saturday's game, prompting laughter from James as he said: "This doesn't come with a franchise".

However, the 38-year-old is deadly serious about his ownership ambitions, saying: "My enthusiasm about being here post-career and bringing a team here has not changed. 

"The fans are amazing here. They have everything already, a WNBA team, they have a baseball team [the relocating Oakland Athletics] coming in soon, an NFL team, hockey team, Formula One was just here. 

"This is a place that loves great attractions, and I think the NBA will be another great addition to this city."

Fighting Fifth hero Not So Sleepy could head straight to the Champion Hurdle after trainer Hughie Morrison ruled out a Christmas clash with Constitution Hill.

While testing conditions led to the withdrawal of National Hunt racing’s headline act, as well as his stablemate Shishkin, nothing should be taken away from Morrison’s durable veteran, who was winning the Grade One contest for a second time, having dead-heated with Epatante two years ago.

The 11-year-old proved himself as good as ever in accounting for a pair of Cheltenham Festival-winning mares in Love Envoi and You Wear It Well, and is reported to have taken his exertions in his stride.

“To be honest, he’s taken it so well I’m embarrassed,” Morrison said on Sunday morning.

“He really has taken it well, I don’t think he had a hard race yesterday.

“I think the critical thing is he’s as good as anything on heavy ground, or very soft. If you take a proper line on the form book, he’s run to over 160, which is extraordinary for an 11-year-old.

“Obviously some people won’t take that as read, but if you take a line through You Wear It Well, who had form on the ground and everything else, I have no doubt we’d have frightened Constitution Hill.”

Nicky Henderson’s superstar will now make his belated seasonal debut in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day, but Not So Sleepy will not be among his rivals.

Morrison added: “He hates Kempton. I took him there in February for a gallop with Quickthorn before he went to Dubai and while he didn’t mind going left-handed, when I sent him right-handed he pulled himself up, so he won’t go anywhere near Kempton.

“We’ll keep all options open on the basis we could put him in the Champion Hurdle and one day it might be heavy, as long as he trains well.

“He was fifth in the Champion Hurdle last season when I didn’t feel I had him there as well I would have liked him, but as we saw when he won on the Flat at Newbury (in September) and again yesterday, he’s back to his best if not better.”

With Not So Sleepy clearly still loving the game, thoughts of retirement are not on Morrison’s mind.

“We’re always very mindful of it, we have been for the last four years,” he said.

“Three weeks ago he schooled the best he’s ever schooled. Having not seen anything since the Champion Hurdle, he went over some mini fences and really attacked them.

“He loves running fresh. He didn’t hardly blow at all yesterday – considering he’d run and won on that ground, he had an abnormally light blow.

“If we went for the Champion Hurdle, he wouldn’t have another run, and then later on next year you might think of giving him one run in September somewhere and going for a third Fighting Fifth again at Newcastle, or wherever it is.”

Tyrese Haliburton acknowledged the Los Angeles Lakers deserved Saturday's in-season tournament final victory as he vowed the Indiana Pacers will bounce back with a playoff push.

Haliburton has emerged as one of the breakout stars of the inaugural in-season tournament, but he was unable to help the Pacers triumph in Las Vegas as they fell to a 123-109 defeat to the Lakers.

Haliburton finished with 20 points and 11 assists but was upstaged by Anthony Davis, who had 41 points and 20 rebounds for Los Angeles, while LeBron James added 24.

Speaking after the Pacers' defeat, Haliburton accepted the Lakers had brought a playoff-level performance and deserved to go home with the trophy.

"Yeah, we're sick, frustrated," Haliburton said. "We just got outplayed tonight from the start of the game to the end of the game. 

"We just didn't do the job on loose balls, didn't rebound, didn't get enough stops when needed. They just outplayed us, and it's frustrating.

"Every team doesn't have Anthony Davis and a bunch of 6-8, 6-9 wings, so there's that, as well. It's just about understanding how different looks are going to come. 

"This doesn't have a regular-season feel at all. I'm used to playing LeBron whatever he plays, 30, 35 minutes. It felt like him and AD never came off the floor. It was like a playoff-type deal."

There are still plenty of reasons for positivity in Indiana, though, with the team fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 12-8 record after winning their last three regular-season games.

Haliburton is determined to help the Pacers end their three-season playoff exile in order to enjoy more of the games that matter, adding: "Getting accustomed to that was good for me and makes me want to play some more games that have some meaning to them.

"So we have to handle the season the right way so I can get to the playoffs and feel that."

Cheltenham’s Paddy Power Cotswold Chase is the likely next stop for Datsalrightgino following his Coral Gold Cup heroics at Newbury.

Racing over a staying trip for the first time, the seven-year-old produced a brilliant performance in the hands of Gavin Sheehan to take advantage of his unexposed handicap rating and provide Lambourn-based handler Jamie Snowden with a famous local victory.

However, the handicapper has now had his say with an 11lb rise, leaving Snowden seeing a trip to Prestbury Park on Festival Trials Day (January 27) as the logical next step on the gelding’s journey.

The trainer said: “He came out of Newbury really well. He was a bit tired on Sunday and after he went out for a bit of a leg stretch, he went back to bed and had a bit of a pyjama day.

“He was quite tired afterwards but is enjoying the adulation from everyone and has been down through the village to the stream and had a bit of a splash around and then a gentle canter back, so he’s in good order.

“He’s up 11lb, which isn’t ideal, but he was fairly unexposed at that trip and the handicapper has probably had his say accordingly.

“He’s up to 159, which makes life a little bit trickier and kind of forces us into Graded company, so I would say we will end up in the Cotswold Chase, which is the obvious race to go for from here. But we will see how he is and make a plan accordingly.”

Snowden has made a bright start to what is shaping up to be a fruitful season and could have more firepower to look forward to in the new year following the arrival at Folly House of Reach For The Moon.

The one-time Derby favourite spent some time honing his craft with Henrietta Knight upon leaving John and Thady Gosden, but has recently arrived at Snowden’s base in preparation for the next stage of his career.

He added: “It’s really early days, but I’m looking forward to learning a bit more about him.”

Bob Olinger could be seen at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day, with the Dornan Engineering Relkeel Hurdle one of two possible festive options for the dual-Festival hero.

Henry de Bromhead’s eight-year-old includes Prestbury Park victories in the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle and Turners Novices’ Chase among his eight career triumphs but endured a winless campaign when switched back to hurdles last term.

However, to the delight of his handler, he rediscovered his best form on last month’s seasonal reappearance, travelling with his usual zest in the hands of regular pilot Rachael Blackmore before picking up well to see off the match-fit Zanahiyr at Navan.

Bob Olinger now has the option of dropping back to two miles for the Matheson Hurdle at Leopardstown during the Dublin track’s Christmas Festival, but is also poised to receive an entry for a New Year’s raiding mission, with Cheltenham’s Group Two contest currently at the forefront of De Bromhead’s mind.

“He’s in good form and we’ve been very happy since, it was brilliant to get him back,” said De Bromhead.

“We’re aiming towards Christmas time and he’s in at Leopardstown over two miles, but he will also have an entry in the Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day.

“I would be happy (dropping back to two miles), he has a lot of pace, loads of pace, he’s never lacked in that.

“I’m not saying we will, they are our options and I’m probably leaning towards the race at Cheltenham, but we will see how it all pans out.”

LeBron James made more NBA history as the Los Angeles Lakers became the first winners of the in-season tournament on Saturday, before declaring: "Nobody can ever top that".

The Lakers beat the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in Las Vegas to become the first team to lift the trophy, with James named the first-ever tournament MVP.

James was upstaged in the final by team-mate Anthony Davis, who recorded season highs of 41 points and 20 rebounds, though the four-time NBA MVP also played his part with 24 points and 11 rebounds.

As he continues to push the limits in his 21st season in the league, James took particular pleasure in helping the Lakers become the tournament's first winners, something which cannot be replicated.

"I don't think it's even about the MVP, it's about us coming together to win this thing," James told ESPN during the trophy presentation. 

"This is the [first] in-season tournament. Records will be broken, but one thing that will never be broken is to be the first to do something. 

"We're the first champions of the in-season tournament, and nobody can ever top that, and it's great to do it with a historic franchise and just a great cast of funny, engaged, competitive men."

Despite his own remarkable longevity, James hyped Davis up as the "face of the franchise" in preseason, and he ran with that tag on Saturday as the Pacers were unable to live with his monster performance.

The James-Davis partnership is now into its fifth season, and James believes the duo push each other to reach greater heights, saying: "I know who I am, he knows who he is.

"So, there's no friction. We're not trying to compete with one another on the court or on a lifestyle basis. He knows who he is, I know who I am.

"The only thing we're trying to do is hold each other accountable when we get to work and try to be the best we can be for each other, and when one is not going well, try to pick each other up. 

"There's no jealousy. There's not a jealous bone in our bodies. We're never jealous of one another. Ever."

Today’s meeting at Huntingdon has been abandoned following flooding of the course last night.

The Peterborough Chase card survived inspections on Thursday and Friday but the Cambridgeshire track could not cope with further rain.

This afternoon’s fixture at Kelso was called off yesterday due to excess rainfall and areas of false ground.

That leaves Britain without a Sunday National Hunt meeting, although there will be Flat racing on Wolverhampton’s all-weather circuit.

Over in Ireland, Cork will stage a high-class jumps card featuring three Graded races, including the reappearance of El Fabiolo in the Bar One Racing Hilly Way Chase.

Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored just 13 seconds into overtime and the New York Islanders rallied for a 3-2 victory over the Kings on Saturday, ending Los Angeles’ NHL-record season-opening 11-game road winning streak.

The Kings led 2-0 entering the third period but Islanders captain Anders Lee scored twice, including the equaliser with 4:11 left in regulation.

Pageau beat Cam Talbot on a breakaway for his first goal in 14 home games this season.

Ilya Sorokin made 34 saves, with his best coming when he denied Adrian Kempe on a breakaway late in the third period.

New York improved to 4-0-1 in its last five games and has recorded a point in 11 of its last 12 games (7-1-4).

Kempe and Vladislav Gavrikov scored for Los Angeles, which had won three straight and eight of nine overall.

Red Wings captain Larkin injured in loss

Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin was injured on a hit from behind in the first period in a 5-1 loss to the Ottawa Senators.

Larkin was face-down and motionless for about a minute after being cross-checked in the back of the head and neck by Ottawa’s Mathieu Joseph. He was eventually able to stand and was hunched over as he was assisted to the locker room.

The team released a statement during the game that Larkin was being evaluated by the medical staff.

Claude Giroux and Vladimir Tarasenko each had a goal and an assist for the Senators, who have won three of four following a three-game skid.

Patrick Kane scored his first goal with the Red Wings in his second game since joining Detroit.

Capitals spoil Laviolette’s return

Charlie Lindgren turned aside 31 shots and the Washington Capitals scored three second-period goals I a 4-0 win over the New York Rangers to spoil former coach Peter Laviolette’s return.

Sonny Milano scored in the first period and Anthony Mantha, Tom Wilson and Nicolas Aube-Kubel tallied in the second as Washington snapped a three-game skid.

Laviolette spent three seasons with the Capitals before parting ways with the team in April and joining the Rangers two months later.

New York has lost two straight for the first time this season.

The Los Angeles Lakers are the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament champions after a 41-point effort from Anthony Davis propelled the side to a 123-109 victory over the Indiana Pacers in the final in Las Vegas.

Davis also had 20 rebounds, while LeBron James posted 24 points and 11 rebounds to help the Lakers become the first team to lift the NBA Cup.

James, now in his 21st year in the league, added to his extensive trophy cabinet by being named In-Season Tournament MVP.

Los Angeles led for most of the game, but Indiana responded to almost every Lakers run with one of their own to keep themselves within striking distance.

That all shifted late in the fourth quarter when the Lakers turned a four-point advantage into a 16-point lead and held on from there.

Indiana’s Tyrese Haliburton, who had been the central figure in the Pacers’ run to the final, was targeted by the Lakers’ defence from the jump.

He was restricted to 20 points but managed to add 11 assists, while Bennedict Mathurin had 20 points off the bench.