Owner Robert Waley-Cohen has hailed the genius of Emmet Mullins after his Grand National hero Noble Yeats forced his way into the Stayers’ Hurdle mix when claiming a thrilling Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Making just his third appearance over the smaller obstacles, the nine-year-old was the recipient of significant support in the week leading up to the Grade Two event and was sent off the 3-1 second-favourite behind the evergreen market leader Paisley Park.
It was the two main betting protagonists that would ultimately fight out a brilliant conclusion to a contest that saw six of the seven involved in with a shout jumping the last, before Noble Yeats and Paisley Park’s staying power saw them come to the fore with the post approaching.
Only a head separated the two warriors at the finish, as Mullins pulled off another successful raid on one of the calendar’s big races.
“Emmet, as we all know, is unorthodox, but with brilliance, and what could be more thrilling than Saturday,” said Waley-Cohen.
“It was an unbelievable race and it was literally down to the last stride. You could have taken quite a big bet turning into the home straight that the three in front wouldn’t finish in the first three. I was sorry we spoiled Paisley Park’s party, but not very.
“It was only his third ever hurdle race and he wouldn’t be as quick and slick as some of those pros. However, he ran vigorously up the hill and I don’t think he quickened as much as Paisley Park, but interestingly, if you look at after the finish, he goes right away from Paisley Park.
“I don’t think he saw Paisley Park on the far side of the course. I think he thought he had the horses near him beaten and didn’t see the others because as soon as he crossed the line and they came close together he went on again.”
He went on: “He was getting 6lb on the day from Paisley Park and that perhaps made all the difference, but that’s where Emmet’s genius lies because traditionally you would go hurdles, regulation steeplechase fences and then occasionally the best go to the Grand National.
“No one does it the other way round. He’s won a Grand National, so then going for a Grade Two hurdle is not normal.”
Noble Yeats was campaigned aggressively following his Grand National triumph in 2022, treading a path that saw his Aintree defence sandwiched by tilts at both the Cheltenham Gold Cup and Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris last season.
Connections have plumped for a more considered route to Merseyside this time around and having been kept under wraps until running at Limerick over the Christmas period, he will continue to ply his trade over timber with a crack at the Stayers’ Hurdle set to tee-up this year’s Grand National bid.
“It was a great thrill (to win the Cleeve) and he had a very hard season last year,” continued Waley-Cohen.
“He won a Listed race at Wexford, won the Many Clouds Chase, came third in the Cotswold Chase, fourth in the Gold Cup, fourth in the Grand National and picked up money in the Grand Steeple. That is one hell of a year and he needed a properly good break afterwards.
“He came back to my place in Warwickshire and had a proper break and lots of TLC and we decided we needed a much more conservative plan this year and not run him at all until after Christmas.
“The race at Limerick didn’t suit him at all and he didn’t like the ground or the course, but Saturday just played into his hands.
“He’s entitled to take his chance (in the Stayers’), but whatever the outcome it will be great step to the National. It’s a better step for him than anything else and it sounds a bit bizarre to say a Grade One race is a prep, but it looks the suitable race.”
Noble Yeats is as short as 8-1 for the Stayers’ Hurdle and although he produced a performance that warrants his place in the Festival’s day three main event, Waley-Cohen has considerable respect for the Gordon Elliott-trained duo that are currently heading the ante-post betting.
He added: “I suspect when we are back at level weights there will be a few young horses from Ireland coming over and you don’t have to be a genius to fathom out that Teahupoo and Irish Point are really nice horses on the upgrade.
“One great thing Harry (Cobden) did riding him on Saturday, was ride him into hurdles with absolute confidence and the horse absolutely revelled in coming up that hill, so who knows, we dream, we always do.
“But in terms of getting to the National in first-class order, it’s a very good option and the National is really the target.
“Many would just go to something like the Bobbyjo (Chase) which is a recognised route to the National, but being the man he is, Emmet thinks this is the better route – he is definitely unorthodox.”
Three-time winner Craig Simpson and four-time female winner Aliana McMaster finished tops at the Driftwood Gun Club Shoot at the 17-station Murphy Hill Course in St Ann recently.
Both competitors shot 95 out of 100 targets and dominated the packed field, which included a total of 157 of the best gunners on the island, such as nine-time national shotgun champion and president of the Jamaica Skeet Club Ian Banks; six-time national shotgun champion and defending champion Shaun Barnes; four-time and reigning national shotgun champion Christian Sasso; Chad Ziadie, the 2022 national shotgun champion; as well as five-time national female shotgun champion Wendy McMaster.
The young McMaster already created history by being the first female to make it to the A Class late last year and her score of 95 again etched her name in the history books, as it is the highest by any female locally. When her score was posted most people thought it very possible that she won, which would make her the first female to win any sporting clay event in Jamaica, but Simpson roared back with his high-scoring 95 to set up a tense shoot-off between them.
In the end, Simpson took down six of the eight targets, while McMaster struck only four.
“Winning is always an amazing feeling, it’s what keeps us going. I tell everybody that I don’t think I leave my house if I was not coming here to win. I am hungry for the win. Always hungry for the win. I am always excited about the competitive field, and as the years go by with the juniors emerging, the field only becomes more competitive, and it's an internal challenge to stay relevant. I have been able to do that over the years and I plan to continue to be there for as long as I can, but they are coming," Simpson said.
McMaster, on the other hand, was also happy with her performance.
“It’s honestly an amazing feeling. After you have a reputation or expectation from the people coming to the shoot it can get to you and really mess up your head. I feel it can play a big part in how that day goes, but I just had to approach it like any other shoot and just do my best, and frankly, winning four times in a row is honestly such a great feeling and I am absolutely grateful for it," she noted.
Meanwhile, the top three in the various classes were A Class: Christian Sasso (92) by way of shoot-off with William Zager (92) and Alex Cunningham (91); B Class: Gordon Bucknor (86), Robin Rickhi (84), and Zachary Harris (81); C Class: Brandon Laing (90), Adam Harris (85), and Wendy McMaster (85); D Class: Lori-Ann Harris (85) and Noah Vaughn (84); E Class: Seymour Essor (69), David Campbell (67), and Anthony Ayoub (67); Ladies: Aliana McMaster (95), Lori-Ann Harris (85), and Wendy McMaster (85); Hunters or Beginners: Philip Burgess (77), Cameron Lee (69), and Che Rowe (68); Juniors Aliana McMaster (95), David Wong (87), and Lori-Ann Harris (85); and Sub Juniors: Craig Powell Jr (55) and Levi Clarke (48).
A tilt at the JCB Triumph Hurdle remains on Burdett Road’s agenda despite his defeat at Cheltenham on Saturday.
A winner at Royal Ascot in the summer for Michael Bell and the Gredley family, the four-year-old confirmed himself a top-class jumping recruit in winning his first two starts over hurdles at Huntingdon.
The son of Muhaarar was a marginal favourite to complete his hat-trick in Saturday’s Grade Two Triumph Hurdle Trial, but on the day he proved no match for Nicky Henderson’s Sir Gino, who rocketed 10 lengths clear and is now as short as evens for the juvenile championship at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Trainer James Owen acknowledges Burdett Road will have his work cut out in his bid to turn the tables on Sir Gino, but he is nevertheless happy to roll the dice.
“We bumped into a very good horse and the positive we can take from it is that we jumped better and he’s come out of it fine,” said the Newmarket handler.
“I think drier ground will help us. We’ve got to improve to bridge that gap, but he’ll have an easy week and he’ll be trained for the Triumph Hurdle – all systems go, basically.”
Owen is optimistic his charge can make more of a race of it in March, adding: “We were pleased in quite a few ways on Saturday as he jumped better and settled better, albeit he got keen at the top of the hill when they seemed to slow the race down.
“He was there at the right time to win the race and we were outclassed on the day, but he’s been beaten before on the Flat, he’s a hardy horse and he would have learnt more again.
“Drier ground, a bit of spring weather, I’m hoping a few things will help us bridge the gap. There were no excuses on our behalf though, we were beaten by a very good horse.
“I’m happy with my horse and not disappointed. There was a lot of hype and press about him before Saturday, which was great, but the pressure is off me a bit now and hopefully we can get a trouble-free run and get to Cheltenham in good health and hopefully he’ll run very well.”
Anthony Edwards scored 27 points and helped spark a late run that propelled the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 107-101 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday in a clash of teams that had been tied for the Western Conference lead.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and 10 rebounds and Rudy Gobert amassed 12 points and 18 rebounds as the Timberwolves bounced back from Saturday's one-point loss at Sacramento and dropped the Thunder to third place in the tightly bunched conference standings.
The Denver Nuggets moved a half-game ahead of Oklahoma City and remained a half-game behind Minnesota with Monday's win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Oklahoma City had erased a 10-point third-quarter deficit to take a 97-96 lead on two Shai Gilgeous-Alexander free throws with 2:43 left, but Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels hit a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to start a pivotal 9-0 spurt.
The Thunder would miss their next four shots as the Timberwolves began pulling away. Edwards followed McDaniels' trey with a running dunk and McDaniels scored on a tip-in before Towns capped the run with two free throws that put Minnesota up 105-97 with 15.5 seconds to go.
Minnesota owned a 62-52 advantage nearing the midway mark of the third quarter before the Thunder seized momentum with an 11-0 run. Gilgeous-Alexander had six points and Jalen Williams scored the last five of the flurry, which gave Oklahoma City a 63-62 edge with five minutes left in the period.
The Thunder, who were coming off a stunning 120-104 loss to the NBA-worst Detroit Pistons on Sunday, received 37 points and eight assists from Gilgeous-Alexander and 20 points from Williams.
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City's third-leading scorer at 17 points per game, was held to just four points on 2-of-9 shooting, however, as the Timberwolves finished with a 46-34 point advantage in the paint.
Jokic has another triple-double as Nuggets spoil Rivers' debut with Bucks
Jamal Murray scored 35 points and Nikola Jokić posted his 14th triple-double of the season to power the Denver Nuggets to a 113-107 win over Milwaukee in Doc Rivers' first game as the Bucks' head coach.
Jokic compiled 25 points, 16 rebounds and 12 assists to add to his league-leading triple-double count and help the defending NBA champions keep pace with first-place Minnesota in the West. The Nuggets have now won five of their last six games.
Rivers, who coached the Boston Celtics to an NBA title during the 2007-08 season, was hired shortly after the Bucks dismissed Adrian Griffin on Jan. 23 despite sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 30-13 record. Assistant Joe Prunty coached Milwaukee's last three games and went 2-1.
The veteran coach's tenure started off strong as the Bucks jumped out to a 24-11 lead midway through the first quarter, though the Nuggets ended the period on a 12-0 run to cut their deficit to 26-25 entering the second.
Denver gradually asserted control and owned an 84-75 advantage early in the fourth quarter, but the Bucks hit three straight 3-pointers during a 13-2 spurt that put them back ahead with under nine minutes to play.
The game remained tight until the Nuggets pulled away with an 8-0 run, which Murray capped with a jumper that gave Denver a 106-97 lead with 3:17 to go.
Giannis Antetokounmpo paced Milwaukee with 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting along with 12 rebounds, while Brook Lopez had 19 points and Damian Lillard finished with 18 in the loss.
Suns bounce back by handing Heat seventh straight loss
The Phoenix Suns kept rolling behind a balanced attack and strong defence that resulted in a 118-105 victory over the reeling Miami Heat, the seventh consecutive loss for the defending Eastern Conference champions.
Eric Gordon scored 23 points off the bench to lead six Phoenix players in double figures in a game the Suns led by as much as 28 points en route to stopping a two-game losing streak.
The Suns also got 22 points from Devin Booker and 20 from Kevin Durant, with both stars finishing with eight rebounds and seven assists each.
Miami went 14 of 36 from 3-point range but was stonewalled from inside the arc, shooting a subpar 39.6 per cent on 2-point attempts in this latest defeat. The Heat have lost seven straight for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
Jimmy Butler led Miami with 26 points and recent acquisition Terry Rozier had 21 in his fourth game with the Heat.
Miami shot just 35.4 per cent in the first half as the Suns built a 62-49 lead at the break, and its shooting woes continued as Phoenix extended the margin in the third quarter.
Booker had 12 points and the Suns shot over 68 per cent for the period to open up a commanding 100-74 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
Claude Giroux's goal with 1:24 remaining in overtime completed a furious rally as the Ottawa Senators overcame a three-goal deficit to earn a 4-3 win over the Nashville Predators in Monday's lone game of the NHL schedule.
Ottawa trailed 3-0 after one period before goals from Drake Batherson, Tim Stuetzle and Brady Tkachuk in the second tied the game, and the Senators received a superb relief effort from goaltender Joonas Korpisalo to help spur the comeback.
Korpisalo stopped all 17 shots he faced after taking over for Mads Sogaard, who was pulled after one period after allowing three goals on 11 shots.
After the Predators failed on a 2-on-1 attempt late in overtime, the Senators countered with an odd-man rush of their own. Stuetzle worked a give-and-go with Giroux, who blasted his teammate's pass over Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros for the game-winner.
Ottawa, tied for last in the Eastern Conference with 40 points, had lost two in a row coming in but improved to 4-1-2 over its last seven games.
The Predators lost for the fourth time in five games despite a solid performance from Saros, who made 14 saves in the third period to force overtime and finished with 31.
Michael McCarron staked Nashville to an early lead when he rocketed a loose puck past Sogaard 8:26 in. Philip Tomasino and Yakov Trenin then scored 2:30 apart before the end of the first period to give the Predators a seemingly comfortable 3-0 advantage.
England fly-half Marcus Smith is awaiting scan results on a leg injury sustained in training just five days before the Guinness Six Nations’ opener against Italy.
Steve Borthwick’s squad are on a training camp in Girona and the England head coach is scheduled to announce his starting line-up on Thursday.
England’s Six Nations’ hopes would be given a huge blow if Smith is ruled out as fellow fly-half Owen Farrell is ineligible for selection following his move from Saracens to French side Racing 92 last week.
Farrell had already made himself unavailable for this season’s Six Nations in order to focus on his mental well-being and Smith was a leading contender to fill his boots.
Smith left England’s training camp on crutches and headed for a scan after his session had been cut short.
England attack coach Richard Wigglesworth told several national media outlets: “Hopefully it’s very precautionary, but if he is not (available) it would definitely be a blow for us.
“It wasn’t a big incident. He was just jogging, but he pulled up and happened to be right next to a physio by the sideline, so they walked off after that. All the usual stuff (medical assessments) will happen.”
Andy Murray remains winless in 2024 after losing in three sets to France’s Benoit Paire in the first round of the Open Sud de France.
Murray, who exited both the Brisbane International and the Australian Open after his opening match, let slip a one-set lead against Paire, currently ranked 112, to lose 6-2 6-7 (5) 3-6 in just short of two and three-quarter hours.
Former world number one Murray raced into a 3-0 lead in the opening set after breaking Paire’s first service game and broke the Frenchman for a second time in the eighth game to wrap it up 6-2 in 38 minutes.
Paire, who reached a career-high ranking of 18 in 2016, responded by breaking Murray in the opening game of the second set and after the Briton broke back to level it up at 4-4, it headed for a tie-break.
Murray won three successive points from 5-1 down and saved a set point to claw it back to 6-5, but lost the next point on his serve and Paire clinched the tie-break 7-5 to level the match.
After both players had lost their serve early in the decider, Paire made the decisive break when 4-3 ahead and served it out to seal an impressive win.
Murray, who has said this year could be his last on tour if he is “not enjoying it”, lost in the opening round to Grigor Dimitrov in Brisbane and fell to Tomas Martin Etcheverry in straight sets at the Australian Open.
The British Horseracing Authority has said it is looking into how leading Randox Grand National contender Monbeg Genius may be affected by a freezing order placed on the assets of owners Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman.
Assets linked to the couple have been frozen, as a National Crime Agency investigation into PPE firm Medpro continues.
According to the Financial Times, about £75million of assets, including a townhouse in Belgravia and an estate on the Isle of Man, have either been frozen or restrained following an application by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Purchased for £80,000 via a Goffs sale in November 2020, Monbeg Genius is trained by Jonjo O’Neill and was third in the Ultima Handicap at last year’s Cheltenham Festival when coming home behind subsequent National hero Corach Rambler and multiple Grade One winner Fastorslow, who is now among the favourites for the Gold Cup.
He was most recently seen finishing third again in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury in early December, but a setback meant he missed potential outings in the Welsh Grand National at Chepstow and the Classic Chase at Warwick.
A spokesperson for racing’s governing body said: “The BHA is aware of reports regarding a court order in relation to the assets of Michelle Mone and Doug Barrowman.
“We are in contact with the relevant individuals to understand what implication, if any, there are for their involvement with racing.”
Speaking earlier this month, O’Neill said he hoped Monbeg Genius would come right in time for Aintree, but that he would need a run beforehand in order to make the cut for the race, which this year will have a reduced field of 34 runners, adding that should he not make the National then races like the Scottish National and Midlands National will be considered. His ante-post price for the National on April 13 ranges from 14-1 to 20-1.
In a statement last week, a spokesman for the couple said: “Doug and Michelle did not contest the application (by the CPS) and were happy to offer up these assets, which means they can begin the task of proving their innocence more quickly.”
New York Knicks forward Julius Randle reportedly avoided a serious injury but will still be out for several weeks.
There was a fear that a dislocated right shoulder could've sidelined him multiple months, but Shams Charania of The Athletic reported on Monday he'll likely only miss a few weeks.
Despite the positive news, he'll likely still be sidelined through the All-Star Game on February 18.
The Knicks' first game after the break is against the Philadelphia 76ers on February 22.
Randle dislocated his shoulder in Saturday's 125-109 win over the Miami Heat. He exited with 4:27 to play after appearing to land hard on his right shoulder after colliding with the Heat's Jaime Jaquez Jr.
Saturday's win marked the sixth straight victory for the Knicks, who improved to 12-2 this month.
Randle has been instrumental to New York's success, averaging 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.
The 10-year veteran has yet to miss a game, recording 18 double-doubles and 10 30-point games.
His play has helped the Knicks climb into fourth place in the Eastern Conference, and he was likely on his way to earning a third All-Star Game selection.
Willie Mullins and Paul Townend continued their sensational run of form with a Monday double at Punchestown.
Even by his own high standards, the Closutton handler has been firing on all cylinders since the turn of the year, with his latest brace meaning he has now trained 39 winners in January.
Stable jockey Townend is enjoy a similar hot streak, with his last 20 rides yielding 14 victories.
It did not take the formidable partnership long to find the target, with Anotherway bolting up in the opening Get Best Odds Guaranteed At Bet Victor Maiden Hurdle.
The five-year-old was the 8-15 favourite despite finishing down the field on his Irish debut at Leopardstown over Christmas and justified his cramped odds with a comfortable 12-length success.
Coral cut Anotherway to 33-1 from 100-1 for the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, but Mullins indicated he could well step up in distance if he does make the trip to the Cotswolds.
“He stayed well and galloped well the whole way to the line, but his jumping left a lot to be desired and he has to improve on that,” said the champion trainer.
“Maybe it was the heavy ground today because he jumped much better in Leopardstown the last day. I’m disappointed with his jumping but at least he did what he was showing us at home today.
“Looking at that performance he might be more of a Ballymore (Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle) horse.”
Mullins and Townend doubled up in the Group Ticket Deal At Festival 2024 (C & G) Maiden Hurdle with the similarly promising Billericay Dickie (8-11 favourite).
Another recruit from the French Flat scene, the five-year-old cruised to the front under a motionless Townend before kicking 11 lengths clear.
Mullins added: “I was delighted with that. I didn’t think he’d go on that ground, but Paul said he handled it well.
“For a maiden I thought he jumped very well and he could go wherever he wants.
“We’ll look at a novice hurdle somewhere and we’ll see if Paul thinks he’s good enough for a race across the water (at Cheltenham). I’d like to get another run into him before we go there, if we go there.
“That was two and a half, he’s by New Bay and his dam won on the Flat over a mile and a quarter. I wouldn’t be going three miles with him, but he could stick around that trip or two-six.
“I might get another novice in him and then decide if he’s good enough to go.”
Bioluminescence was another winning odds-on favourite in the Download The Bet Victor App Mares Maiden Hurdle, landing odds of 4-7 for trainer Gavin Cromwell, jockey Mark Walsh and owner JP McManus.
Cromwell said: “She’s a three-mile chaser in the making, she ploughed through that ground and it’s nice to get her head in front.”
Martin Brassil’s Built By Ballymore (11-4) was hard at work a long way from home in the Punchestown Members Club From 215 Rated Novice Hurdle, but stuck to his guns to stay in contention and in the end pulled 12 lengths ahead of the chasing pack under JJ Slevin.
“He just handles the muck. He mightn’t quicken up but he just keeps going in it,” said Brassil.
“I felt he might have been put in high enough, but in those conditions he handles it better than most.”
British success stories at the Dublin Racing Festival are few and far between – and virtually non-existent when it comes to Grade One contests. But in 2019 La Bague Au Roi broke the mould, as she lifted the roof off the Leopardstown grandstand.
Many had questioned the sanity of trainer Warren Greatrex when fresh from holding off the likes of Topofthegame and Santini in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase, he suggested heading into the backyard of the Irish rather than trotting down the typical pathway of the Cheltenham Festival.
However, the Lambourn handler had a plan and whereas the undulations of Prestbury Park were never going to be La Bague Au Roi’s ideal cup of tea, the parkland on the outskirts of the Irish capital were seen as the ideal ballpark for the star mare to double her Grade One tally.
“She won the Kauto Star and it was just thinking outside the box really,” said Greatrex.
“We knew historically the ground wasn’t always too bad there and she never really coped with bottomless ground, so it was just the case of a little plan hatched after Kempton and the owners were very sporting and willing to give it a go.
“There was a lot of pressure and a lot of people were thinking I was mad to take an English mare over to a Grade One in Ireland. But I thought the track and ground would suit and Richard Johnson had won the Irish Gold Cup on Florida Pearl so he knew the track inside out.
“I never thought Cheltenham would be her gig, she was fancied the year after and ended up unseating Richard Johnson in the Plate when I thought she would have taken some beating.
“Sometimes thinking outside the box pays off and it pays off to be a little bit braver, which is what sport is all about I think.”
Crossing the Irish Sea unbeaten in three over fences, La Bague Au Roi had every right to be among the favourites for the Flogas Novice Chase.
And when top Irish novice Delta Work was pulled out of the contest by trainer Gordon Elliott, she became the odds-on 10-11 favourite for an away game, leaving her trainer with some last-minute jitters to contend with,
“Delta Work was pulled out in the morning which meant she was a very short-priced favourite. As a trainer you like to see that, but obviously the pressure is then even bigger,” said Greatrex.
“To go over there, which is pretty unusual for the English to go over with a fancied horse, you are sort of panicking. You believe in the horse, but you are panicking and thinking ‘Is this the right thing to do?’.”
If the nerves were beginning to get to Greatrex, then no one informed big-race pilot Johnson, who bounced La Bague Au Roi out in customary fashion and began to put the best of Ireland’s novice chasers to the sword.
Having dictated terms throughout the time came to stamp her authority when challenged by 33-1 outsider Kaiser Black after the last and she displayed toughness in abundance to repel her only danger close home.
It remains the only British triumph in a Grade One at the Dublin Racing Festival and for all the big-race victories Greatrex has won in his training career, it is a day that will live long in the memory.
“There’s a picture I have of her at the last and Richard asked her from miles away and she delivered,” continued Greatrex.
“When you see the picture it’s fairly scary how far she was standing off it and she was all heart and never gave up.
“The Leopardstown win was big. I believed in her and I have to say – and I’ve trained a few Grade Ones – that was one I really enjoyed because to go to Ireland and beat them at their own back door is pretty cool. That win was a big feather in our cap, I think”
La Bague Au Roi would return to Leopardstown the following year to finish a battling fifth in the Irish Gold Cup, but no one can ever take that glorious afternoon from 12 months previous away from her.
It was the final triumph in a 28-race career that yielded 14 victories across the space of six seasons and she is now under the watch of former Premier League and Ireland international footballer Kevin Doyle at his family’s Slaney River Stud in County Wexford.
Always keen to hear about one of his star pupils, Greatrex keeps in contact with those in Ireland who report she shows the same character in retirement as she did when one of the leading lights on the racecourse.
Greatrex added: “I’ve been told that in the paddock she is the boss and she was very much like that here. Everyone knew when she was about as she would walk around Lambourn like she owned it.
“She was an amazing mare and won two Grade Ones and I hope somewhere down the line I can train one of her offspring.
“She was just so straightforward, she never missed a day and you could read her like a book. The more annoying she became, you knew you were having her ready.
“She just went through the grades and was phenomenal. She was like a model to look at, she was tall and leggy, never carried too much condition, but she was just very easy to train and just a brilliant horse to train.
He went on: “You would never look at her at home and think she was exceptional, she went through the motions and wasn’t very fast, but she had a big heart.
“Even when she ran in the Kauto Star, the way she fended them off, she was as tough as a boy and will live long in the memory. They only come around once every so often and she was a one-off I think.”
David Christie classes Ferns Lock as the best horse he will send to the Cheltenham Festival as he eyes up the St. James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase.
Christie saw Winged Leader edged out by Billaway in 2022, while last year he saddled 9-4 favourite Vaucelet to finish seventh in the amateurs’ contest.
However, the exciting Ferns Lock has always looked a class above his contemporaries and having claimed Thurles’ Carey Glass Hunters Chase at a canter for the second year running, he is now poised to be unleashed at Prestbury Park on the final day of the Festival.
“It looks like Cheltenham is the way to go,” said Christie.
“I would probably be in agreement with Ruby Walsh and a few other people in that Aintree would maybe be more his cup of tea because he has so much class and speed, but saying that, you can’t really not go to Cheltenham.
“We’ve been patient and we may as well give it a go and see what it brings us.
“He’s a really exciting horse and has lots of pace. If you were to run him in handicaps or even Graded races then you would be wanting to run him over two and a half miles or even shorter. He’s exciting and his half-brother won a bumper for Ben Pauling at Newbury, so the family have that speed and class about them.”
Ferns Lock was high-up in the ante-post betting 12 months ago when Christie decided to take a patient approach with his young and inexperienced charge.
He swerved the Festival in favour of assignments closer to home then and although set to get his passport stamped this time around and as short as 5-2 with Sky Bet, his handler still has slight concerns about his maturity for a task as mammoth as National Hunt’s showpiece meeting.
“He’s a big horse, but he’s a very immature horse in his head and we probably in an ideal world would like to get another race into him before Cheltenham,” added Christie.
“We are wary with younger and immature horses that no matter how easy he won (at Thurles), he still has to run three miles and carry 12st on his back over fences on soft enough ground. So I’ll have to just leave it and train him for Cheltenham now but the worry is his immaturity a little bit.”
There is little doubt where Ferns Lock stands in Christie’s pecking order though, with the County Fermanagh trainer describing the seven-year-old as “just a better horse” than those he has travelled to Cheltenham in the past.
He said: “Winged Leader was just beaten there and Vaucelet loves really good ground and has won plenty of hunter chases. He was actually sick at Cheltenham and we didn’t realise until we got back home. He was beaten 10 lengths but he was sick and we didn’t know and then the travelling and that brought these things out.
“But even when you take that into account, this is still a better horse than Winged Leader and Vaucelet. He’s just a better horse. If you asked me to put them 1-2-3, then he would be the best.”
Preparing his string this winter in the west of Ireland has proved tricky for Christie, but if an upturn in the weather can revitalise Vaucelet, he could be handed a second bite of the Festival cherry, with former Willie Mullins inmate Ramillies another on track for the Cotswolds.
“It’s been such a horrendous year in terms of ground and weather and for someone like me who trains in one of the most westerly spots in Ireland, you can’t underestimate how difficult a year that makes it,” explained Christie.
“Vaucelet is a spring horse and as the days get longer and everything else, if there is a bit of a spark between now and Cheltenham, then I would definitely consider him.
“The other horse who will run, all being well, is the ex-Willie Mullins horse, Ramillies. He’s just turned nine and I’m basically keeping him fit point-to-pointing and doing very little with him at home – that is his work.
“He’s getting his confidence in the point-to-points and we will aim for Naas on February 10 and if all goes well there, then we will go to Cheltenham.”
He went on: “You can go with a couple of nice horses, but it is difficult to win at Cheltenham and you need so many things to go your way.
“There’s plenty of us in Ireland who have good horses, but you have to have plenty of respect for the likes of Will Biddick and Bradley Gibbs, who won it last year, because they are just good at what they do and they deserve what they get. It’s OK me saying I have a nice horse, but they do too and they know how to train as well.”
Galopin Des Champs remains on course to spearhead what is sure to be a formidable team for Willie Mullins into battle at this weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival.
The reigning Cheltenham Gold Cup hero bounced back to his best with a scintillating performance in Leopardstown’s Savills Chase over Christmas period and will be short odds to follow up with a successful defence of the Irish Gold Cup at the Foxrock circuit on Saturday.
Following six winners across three meetings in Britain and Ireland on Saturday, a Sunday treble at Naas and two more victories at Punchestown on Monday, the champion trainer is firing on all cylinders ahead of a high-profile meeting he traditionally dominates.
And with Galopin Des Champs set to be joined by the likes of State Man, El Fabiolo and a whole host of promising novices, another Mullins bonanza could be in store.
“Everything is going well and at the moment everything is on song, unless something works bad during the week,” he said.
“He (Galopin Des Champs) is all set for it and he’s going to work tomorrow or the next day.
“We’re happy, there is no reason that we’re not happy at the moment – we’re very happy with him.
“They are getting enough rain up there. I think they got plenty today and there is more forecast, it was probably needed.”
Steve Borthwick insists England’s battle-hardened players are ready for the Guinness Six Nations as a result of facing greater club demands than any of their rivals.
Borthwick’s 36-man squad have comfortably racked up the highest number of minutes played since the World Cup due to their Gallagher Premiership and European commitments.
But while they will enter the Six Nations depleted by a greater workload – they have accumulated over two hours of game time more per player than next highest France – Borthwick believes they have benefited from the competitiveness of English clubs.
Six Premiership teams have reached the knockout phase of the Investec Champions Cup while the domestic league itself is more compelling that ever following its reduction in teams.
“The players are match-hardened, so that’s a great benefit. Generally I will try to look at the positive side and I have a group of players that are match-hardened. They are ready to go,” Borthwick said.
“The other thing is the nature of the Premiership. All of the games are counting so the leverage of all these games is huge.
“And there have been teams fighting in Europe to get qualification, fighting to find a way to win which, again, is a real positive.
“Everything we’re getting is saying all the clubs are running more than they were 12 months ago, so that’s a real positive.”
England may enter Saturday’s opener against Italy in a fitter state than they were at the equivalent stage in 2023, but Premiership duty will not have equipped them for breakdown and contact area demands of a Six Nations.
And Borthwick has also told his players that there is a minimum requirement every time they pull on a Red Rose jersey.
“The Six Nations is a real contest. It’s breakdown contest game so we need to ensure that we’ve got that running right as well as the level of repeatability around the contact area,” Borthwick said.
“We are going to improve as a rugby team. We will get tactically and technically better, and we will get fitter.
“The supporters also need to see that this team fights all the time, is competitive all the time and plays at the intensity required in an England team.
“That is the base standard and if you have that, you can add the technical and tactical elements that will then follow.”
Argentinian coach Gonzalo Quesada took charge of Italy after the World Cup, replacing Kieran Crowley, and Borthwick insists England will have to think on their feet to contain a repurposed Azzurri.
“Under Kieran Crowley Italy played a phased attack game,” he said.
“They beat Australia, pushed South Africa, beat Wales in Cardiff and in the first game of the Championship last year they went very close to beating France. This is a very dangerous team.
“Quesada played a very different style to that at the Jaguares and at Stade Francais, much more of a blend of forward dominance with competitive kicking, lower phase count.
“They are two contrasting styles so the interesting question for Italy is what can they put together in that first game? We’ll have to be ready to recognise what style they are bringing very early in the game.”
Baaeed has sired his first foal with a new arrival at Haras de la Perelle in Normandy.
The Shadwell-owned superstar was trained to six successive Group One victories by William Haggas, landing the Lockinge, Queen Anne, Sussex Stakes and Juddmonte International in his four-year-old season before meeting with the only defeat of his career in the Champion Stakes.
He subsequently retired to Beech House Stud in Newmarket, having earned over £2.5million in prize-money and stands there for a current fee of £80,000.
His first foal is a bay filly out of Mejthaam, a well-related Exceed And Excel mare who is a half sister to Alflaila – also owned by Shadwell and trained by Owen Burrows to three Group-race successes so far.
William Rimaud, manager of Haras de la Perelle, said of the new arrival: “We are delighted with her.
“She is a strong, good-sized foal, full of energy and has a great temperament.
“She is doing everything right. It is very exciting to have had the first foal of the brilliant champion Baaeed.”
Harry Fry will not shirk a Cheltenham Festival rematch with Lossiemouth despite seeing his own star mare Love Envoi come off clear second best in their clash in Saturday’s Unibet Hurdle.
The latter is already a Festival winner having claimed the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle in 2022 and last season gave the retiring Honeysuckle a real run for her money in the Mares’ Hurdle itself.
Fry admitted to being disappointed with Love Envoi’s performance when filling the runner-up spot in the rescheduled Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Sandown last month, but was much more encouraged by her display on Cheltenham Trials day, albeit she was no match for the impressive Lossiemouth.
“Obviously the winner was in a different league, but we were pleased with the run,” he said.
“She travelled and jumped with her usual fluency and it was good to see that she was much sharper for her reappearance.
“The Mares’ Hurdle has always been the plan, we were runner-up in the race last year and we’ve got six weeks to look forward to going back there.
“Obviously Lossiemouth is going to be very hard to beat on the form she showed on Saturday, but it’s a horse race at the end of the day and you’ve got to be in it to win it.”
Love Envoi is a general 14-1 shot for the Mares’ Hurdle, with the Willie Mullins-trained Lossiemouth odds-on to record her second Festival win following last year’s Triumph Hurdle success.
Such was the impression she made on her comeback, plenty have suggested Lossiemouth should be heading for the Champion Hurdle, a notion Fry is unsurprisingly fully behind.
He quipped: “I don’t know what they’re thinking, I think it’s a no-brainer to go for the Champion Hurdle. If anything is going to give Constitution Hill a race it must be her, surely!
“I can understand where they’re coming from (going for the Mares’ Hurdle), but they’ve all got to get there and in six weeks anything can happen.
“We know the trip on Saturday is short of our best and we prefer slower ground as well. Hopefully we get conditions in our favour and the more testing it is the better, basically.”
Glasgow wing Kyle Rowe has declared himself ready to step into the Scotland starting line-up in the absence of the injured Darcy Graham for Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations opener away to Wales.
The 25-year-old has scored seven tries so far in his first season since returning to Warriors following the demise of previous club London Irish last summer, including three in his last two outings before meeting up with Gregor Townsend’s squad.
Edinburgh wing Graham will miss at least the first two matches of the championship, in Cardiff and at home to France, with a quad issue.
Townsend must decide whether to replace Scotland’s joint second-highest try-scorer of all time with Rowe, who has one injury-stunted cap to his name, his Glasgow team-mate Kyle Steyn, who has just returned after three months out, or the uncapped Sale flyer Arron Reed.
“You never want to see anyone getting injured, but Darcy’s injury has given me an opportunity to potentially get a starting spot,” said Rowe. “If not, I’m just looking to get better as a player and person over this period. My main goal is to try and get as many games in the Six Nations as possible.
“Glasgow and Scotland are pretty similar in terms of attack and defence so it’s a pretty seamless transition from one set-up to another.
“I feel like what I’ve done over the course of the first half of the season has put me in good stead for potential selection.
“It’s about taking the confidence I’ve got in my game at the minute and bringing it to Scotland.”
The Scotland squad are currently training in Spain before travelling to Wales on Thursday, and Rowe acknowledges he faces a stiff challenge in the days ahead as he bids to prove he deserves the chance to add to his solitary cap.
“The back three is such a competitive area, even with Darcy being out,” he said. “We’ve got Duhan (van der Merwe), Blair (Kinghorn), Kyle, myself, Arron and Ross McCann, who are all capable of playing at the top level.
“All of the players in the back-line can score tries, so we’re pretty dangerous. We all go into training looking to prove to the coaches we can train and play at this level, so we’ll see what happens.”
Rowe’s Scotland debut away to Argentina in July 2022 lasted just 10 minutes after he damaged his ACL and part of his MCL, sidelining him for the entirety of last season.
“It was one of the worst injuries I could get,” he said. “It was very mixed emotions for me that day. It was a very proud moment for myself and my family and then to basically have that all taken away from me was pretty devastating.
“Not everybody does their ACL but you get those big injuries from time to time and it was devastating that my big injury had to come during my first cap for Scotland.”
After recovering from injury, Rowe was included in Scotland’s pre-World Cup training squad last summer before being cut from the final 33 for the showpiece in France.
“If I had come back a little bit quicker, I might have had an outside chance. but during the summer when I was coming into training I knew in my heart and my head that it was only a slim chance and it was a long shot that I was going to go to the World Cup,” he said.
“I didn’t hold any grudges or anything about not getting selected, I knew it was a long shot.
“I’m back in the squad now which is really good so I’m just looking to build on what I’ve done in the first part of the season and get a game for Scotland.”
Mick Appleby has delivered a positive winter bulletin on star sprinter Big Evs, as connections prepare to map out the three-year-old campaign for the Breeders’ Cup hero.
The speedy son of Blue Point was one of the standout sprinting juveniles of the 2023 season, winning four of his six starts and ending the year with success at Santa Anita in November.
That big-race verdict had connections dreaming of what the colt could achieve this year and having strengthened up during his time off, he is now reported to be in rude health as he begins building up to peak fitness ahead of the new term.
Appleby has his eye on a May return, but suitable ground appears to be crucial with the Oakham handler hesitant to start his stable standard bearer off in testing conditions.
“He’s doing well and back in training now. He’s wintered well and grown and filled out more – he looks a bit stronger now,” said Appleby.
“I’m going to have a sit down with his owner soon and map out a campaign for him. We would probably look at getting out May time I think, it’s just working out what there is for him early season really.
“It will all depend on what the ground will be like really more than anything – we don’t want it too soft, even though he handled it at Glorious Goodwood when he won on bottomless ground.
“We will play it by ear with him and he’s getting fitter, so we’ll crack on with him and see when he’s ready.”
Appleby is also preparing high-class operators Roberto Escobarr and Annaf for international duty in Saudi Arabia next month, where both will seek valuable prizes at the Saudi Cup meeting.
A three-time winner when trained by William Haggas, Roberto Escobarr claimed the Italian St Leger on stable debut for his new handler in November and after a tune-up run at Newcastle on New Year’s Day is now hoping for a bit of luck to ensure he makes the line-up for the $2.5million Red Sea Turf Handicap.
“Roberto Escobarr ran well at Newcastle and he’s possibly going out to Saudi for the Red Sea Handicap,” added Appleby.
“He needs three to come out at the moment, so hopefully he gets in and we’ve got Annaf going out there as well for the turf sprint. He’s in the dirt race as well but he’ll run on the turf.
“There’s a bit to look forward to with two nice horses and it’ll break the winter up a bit.”
Monty Williams believes the Detroit Pistons proved they care for the team after a morale-boosting win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Pistons have endured a dismal campaign, only snapping a 28-game losing streak at the end of December.
Detroit have since won a further three games, with their most recent victory coming on Sunday, in a 120-104 defeat of the Western Conference-leading Thunder, who were on a five-game winning spin.
Jalen Duren starred with 22 points and a career-best 21 rebounds for the Pistons, and while they remain rooted to the bottom of the Eastern Conference with the league's worst record (6-40), Detroit are showing they care, says Williams.
"I just think our guys care," he said. "We had every reason to make excuses, a back-to-back against the best team in the West, and our guys just competed."
Making the Pistons' win even more impressive was the fact that Cade Cunningham, their leading scorer, was out due to a lingering knee issue.
Cunningham played in a defeat to the Washington Wizards on Saturday, but Williams did not want to risk his star player.
"We felt like, on a back-to-back, if there was any level of concern, we didn't feel good putting him out there," Williams said.
Thunder coach Mark Daigneault, meanwhile, reflected on a poor all-round showing from his team.
"I thought it was an energy thing in both directions," Daigneault said.
"They played with great energy, beat us to balls, played with intensity, and as the game wore on, we couldn't drum up that same energy. They obviously deserved to win today."
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