Paul Townend will have an enviable book of rides at the Dublin Racing Festival as he seeks to find the top novice prospects to partner alongside proven stars.
The two-day meeting was created in 2018 and has quickly become a real highlight of the National Hunt calendar, with eight Grade One races across the weekend including the Irish Gold Cup and Irish Champion Hurdle.
Willie Mullins is guaranteed to field a powerful team of horses and as stable jockey, Townend has the pick of the bunch when it comes to selecting his rides.
In the novice ranks, where horses are yet to assert themselves in a clear hierarchy, this leaves the rider with a few tricky choices to make as the meeting, run on February 3 and 4, approaches.
“I’m trying to sit on as many as I can and see what’s going well,” he said.
“Especially the novices, because they can step forward so much, like the two-mile novice hurdle that was run at Christmas as an example (Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle).
“We’re still in the dark about what probably is our best. Daddy Long Legs didn’t turn up on the day. He could win at Leopardstown in February and he didn’t show up at all at Christmas. I thought I’d know a bit more coming out of Christmas, and I don’t.”
Another example the rider offers is El Fabiolo, a 10-length winner of the Goffs Irish Arkle last season when Townend had opted to ride the third-placed Appreciate It instead.
He said: “Then there’s the novice chasers. Last year, El Fabiolo showed up, I chose the wrong one. Novices can progress at different rates.”
Though there is this element of the unknown with less experienced horses, Townend generally views it as a positive rather than a negative as runners can improve significantly and sometimes unexpectedly as they progress.
“When they do something you’re not expecting it’s fantastic,” he said.
“The other side is the disappointment of the one you think is going to build and keep building throughout the year and it just peters out.
“At the very start of my career, as an 18-year-old, I had Hurricane Fly winning my first Grade One in the Royal Bond. So I probably always loved what might happen with the novices.”
While there will be decisions to be made regarding his novice rides, there is no question Townend will partner proven top horses like State Man and Galopin Des Champs.
State Man, a favourite of Townend’s, is odds-on for the Chanelle Pharma Irish Champion Hurdle, a race he won by nearly five lengths from Honeysuckle last season.
“He just turns up every time. You can rely on him,” he said.
“You can make the running if nothing else will or you can sit in behind. He just shows up and runs his race most of the time.
“He jumps, he gallops and he tries hard for you. I just get a great kick out of winning on him, I must say, and doing it for the Donnellys (owners) adds to that.”
Galopin Des Champs returned to winning ways in the Savills Chase after two beaten runs behind Fastorslow previously, and Townend is confident the reigning Cheltenham Gold Cup winner can hold his own to retain his Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup title.
“He’s doing well and everything has gone well since the Savills Chase at Leopardstown at Christmas,” he said.
“He probably had a little bit to prove that day after losing twice, although we never lost faith in him and he was showing us all the same things at home. But that performance was as good as anything he had ever done before and if he were to repeat that every day, that would be good enough for me!
“It will be a strong race for definite and Fastorslow is obviously a big danger again but there hasn’t been all that much between them in the Punchestown Gold Cup and the John Durkan. I’d be confident if Galopin is firing, he would take all the beating.”
Topsy Ojo believes now is the right time for Steve Borthwick to freshen up his England squad with one eye looking ahead to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
On Wednesday, Borthwick named seven uncapped players in the 35-man training camp ahead of next month’s Guinness Six Nations.
Broadcaster Ojo, who won two England caps in 2008, admitted the likes of Billy Vunipola and Kyle Sinckler will be disappointed at missing out on selection, but the introduction of young talent will strengthen their World Cup bid in three years’ time.
He said: “Now is the time to have something new and do something fresh and if you look at the guys he’s (Steve Borthwick) picked, they’re all there on merit and have played incredibly well.
“It’s an exciting squad. There’s a continuity of leadership and emerging young talent.
“Sinckler and Vunipola will be disappointed and you know they’ll go away and fight tooth and nail to get their shirts back.
“It’s the start of a new cycle. Who will benefit from being exposed now? Out of the uncapped players, we need to think who will be playing in Australia in 2027 with 30 caps under their belts and are battle-ready and experienced in international rugby. There’s that long-term vision ahead and it starts now.”
Borthwick, who replaced Eddie Jones in December 2022, had a rocky start to his tenure as England head coach but finished 2023 with a third-placed finish at the World Cup.
Ojo believes the 44-year-old is still the right man to take the side forward.
“Yes, 100 per cent,” Ojo said. “It was a difficult time for him to come in because a lot of the other teams were settled in their processes.
“He’s been through some painful experiences, but ultimately he’s taken this team to a World Cup semi and a bronze-place finish.
“If you look at the squad he’s picked now, he has the talent at his disposal to make England a success.
“Will there be some teething problems early on? Yes. That’s the nature of sport, but it’s a challenge he’ll look forward to and embrace. So is he the man to do it. Absolutely.”
Exeter wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who was born in Cardiff and eligible to play for Wales, is among the new additions and Ojo talked up the 21-year-old.
He said: “I’m happy to see Feyi-Waboso in there. He’s electric and I’m happy to see him exposed at the next level. He’s not played that many senior games but he’s shown enough.”
Rory McIlroy was left to rue a poor finish to his opening round in the defence of his Hero Dubai Desert Classic title.
Seeking a record fourth victory in the event at Emirates Golf Club, McIlroy made an excellent start with four birdies in the first nine holes and bounced back from a bogey on the first – his 10th hole – with a birdie on the second.
However, the world number two then three-putted the sixth, duffed a chip on the seventh to drop another shot and also bogeyed the eighth to card a disappointing one-under-par 71.
That left the four-time major winner four shots off the lead shared by 2018 winner Li Haotong, England’s Andy Sullivan, American Cameron Young and Denmark’s Rasmus Hojgaard.
Li missed the cut or withdrew from his last 16 events in 2023 but finished 14th in last week’s Dubai Invitational and carried on where he left off with seven birdies and two bogeys in his 67.
“I think I played just as solid as last week,” the three-time DP World Tour winner said.
“I’ve been working on a lot of stuff during the wintertime and (am starting to) see some results like this. I can’t believe it’s six years since my win here.
“It’s a lot of great memories and hopefully I can continue to do some magic here.”
Sullivan’s form also came as something of a welcome surprise, the former Ryder Cup player carding a bogey-free 67 on his debut appearance in 2024.
“First event of the year for me so you’re always a bit anxious,” Sullivan said.
“You never know quite how you’ve done in practice. Could be playing brilliantly, and then you never know until you put it into tournament rounds.
“I felt like I grew into the round well. I didn’t feel like I started great, but then sort of got around the turn and felt like I was swinging it a lot better and felt like I could go at a few more flags and the putter got hot. Massively satisfied.”
Young looked unlikely to enjoy a share of the lead when he bogeyed the ninth to reach the turn in one over par, but the world number 25 birdied the 10th, 13th, 16th and 17th before holing from 50 feet for an eagle on the last.
“I played really well,” Young said. “The front-nine scoring was a little bit hard to come by.
“I played better than that so I was really happy with the back nine, happy just that I stayed patient throughout the front nine and kind of let it come to me late. To make those birdies and eagle on the last was tremendous.”
England’s Richard Mansell was part of a seven-strong group on four under par, with former world number one Adam Scott and Dubai Invitational winner Tommy Fleetwood another stroke back.
Ronnie O’Sullivan has once again questioned his snooker future after squeezing into the quarter-finals of the World Grand Prix in Leicester with a 4-3 win over Zhou Yuelong.
Just four days after his controversial eighth Masters triumph over Ali Carter, O’Sullivan said he was getting no enjoyment from continuing to move through tournaments with comparative ease.
O’Sullivan told ITV4: “I’ve got to really consider whether I can carry on feeling how I’m feeling out there – I just don’t get any enjoyment from the way I’m hitting the ball.
“I feel like it’s just hard work, I haven’t a clue where the balls are going, and a lot of it’s just guess-work.
“The worst thing is you’re winning bloody tournaments as well. If I was getting pumped every round playing like that it would be an easy decision to make.”
O’Sullivan had eased into a two-frame lead with breaks of 67 and 107 and looked set to extend that advantage before he missed a red to the top pocket to run aground on a break of 50 in the next.
Yet to beat O’Sullivan in their five previous encounters, Zhou responded in style with a 76 to narrow the deficit, then a nerveless 102 to level the match and confirm the change in momentum.
Zhou, who had recovered from a three-frame deficit to push O’Sullivan to a final frame decider in their most recent meeting at the UK Championship in December, responded to falling behind again with breaks of 65 and 66 to force the decider.
The Chinese player got in first and potted a red and black, but missed his chance to the middle and O’Sullivan swept up with aplomb with a nerveless 90 to seal another seemingly unsatisfactory win.
“It’s been happening like this for 25 or 30 years, so it’s nothing new,” O’Sullivan added.
“It’s the only thing I’ve known and it’s hard not to do this because it’s my job, it’s all I know, so I’ve struggled through it.
“But I can’t accept bad cueing, I’d rather cue well and lose than cue awful and win tournaments. I get no satisfaction out of it, I really don’t.”
O’Sullivan will face Gary Wilson in the last eight after the reigning Northern Ireland Open champion saw off Tom Ford 4-2.
A Dream To Share is set to bid for back-to-back victories in the Goffs Future Stars INH Flat Race at next month’s Dublin Racing Festival, after connections put a pause on plans to go hurdling this season.
The JP McManus-owned six-year-old is five from five in bumpers for veteran trainer John Kiely, also landing the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham and a Grade One at Punchestown.
He was due to embark on a hurdling career this term and was at the head of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle market, but a setback meant he missed his intended jumping debut at Punchestown in October and he was later ruled out until the new year.
And while A Dream To Share is reported to be back in good form, McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry has confirmed he will instead revert to the bumper route in Leopardstown’s Grade Two finale on February 3.
He said: “All being well, he’ll go for the bumper (at the Dublin Racing Festival).
“Basically he’s missed a few schooling days and a few things and with the setback it just didn’t give us a lot of time to get him jumping.
“He’s eligible for the bumper in Leopardstown and that’s the route he’s going to take, so let’s see how we get on doing this.
“He’s coming along nicely, John is happy with him. We’ll learn a bit more at the Dublin Racing Festival and see where we go from there.”
Joe Joyce admits it would be a crazy decision to retire now as he targets a return to winning ways in “thriving” heavyweight division against Kash Ali.
Frank Warren announced the first “Magnificent Seven” boxing card of 2024 on Thursday, including Joyce and Nathan Heaney, will take place in Birmingham on March 16.
Joyce will look to bounce back from two defeats to China’s Zhilei Zhang in 2023 and try to return to world title fight contention.
“It’s good to be back and get back into camp and to start the year with a bang,” Joyce said at a press conference at Birmingham’s Resorts World Arena.
“I’m still here. I’m not retiring and I have plenty of fights to be in. It’s an exciting time to be in. Why retire now? I’d be crazy to.
“I want to get back to winning ways again with a nice victory and then there are plenty of fights on the horizon. The heavyweight division is thriving at the moment especially with the opportunities in Saudi Arabia.
“Styles make fights and he’s a hard hitting durable southpaw (Zhang). I learnt from the first fight but I didn’t get the result (in the second). He got the beating of me and I’ll see what he’ll do next.”
Following his victory over Denzel Bentley in November, the undefeated Heaney will headline the event when he defends his British middleweight title against Brad Pauls.
The Stoke fighter said: “I’ve got the British title and the next title after that is the English title (which Pauls holds) so he is no easy pick at all.
“It was something I’ve always dreamt about (winning British title). That motivation is there for everyone. He’s better than people think, he has got a good jab and it sets up for a good fight.”
Birmingham’s Solomon Dacres features on the card, Eithan James fights Owen Cooper for the English welterweight title and Zach Parker faces Germany’s Tyron Zeuge.
Dennis McCann will also return to the ring after August’s technical draw with Ionut Baluta when he goes head-to-head with Liverpool’s Brad Strand while Erik Robles fights Liam Davies for the IBO world super bantamweight title.
The news comes soon after the announcement of Anthony Joshua’s next bout against MMA star Francis Ngannou in Saudi Arabia on March 8.
Queensbury promoter Warren said: “We have so many quality fights, great for those buying tickets.
“We have top talent with youngsters coming through. It’s a competitive fight for everyone on the card. We have revived the format, we will do this a few times this year.”
Jamaican professional racing driver Fraser McConnell expressed gratitude at being nominated for the RJR Gleaner National Sportsman of the Year award for a second time.
“Getting nominated for sportsman of the year again is a huge honor,” said the 25-year-old.
McConnell had a successful debut season in Extreme E as his X44 Vida Carbon Racing team secured the fourth position in the Extreme E Championship finale in December.
Owned by Sir Lewis Hamilton, the X44 Vida Carbon Racing team achieved a third-place podium finish in the final two rounds at the Copper X Prix in Antofagasta, Chile, earning 121 points to secure the fourth spot overall.
In Round 5 and final, despite a major setback due to a collision in the switch zone, X44 finished the race eight minutes slower than Veloce Racing, the eventual winner. This victory placed Veloce in third place in the final standings with 155 points, while Sainz XE took second place with 177 points. Rosberg X Racing (RXR) was crowned champions with 182 points.
“To be able to represent Jamaica on the international stage doing what I love and being up there with the other best athletes in the country is a big honor and big motivation for me to keep going,” he said.
“Regardless of the decision the judges make, it’s still such a great success and achievement. Just going to keep my head down, keep focused and keep going and flying the flag everywhere I go,” added McConnell.
The favorite for the award would have to be trailblazing Jamaican sprinter Antonio Watson who made history as the first Jamaican man in 40 years to clinch the gold medal in the World Championships 400m.
The list of male nominees also features World Championships 110m hurdles silver medalist and Diamond League champion Hansle Parchment, along with standout long jumpers Wayne Pinnock, Tajay Gayle, the silver and bronze medalists from Budapest as well as Pan American 400m hurdles champion Jaheel Hyde.
Sandor Clegane will look to get off the mark over fences when he heads to Navan on Saturday.
The Paul Nolan-trained seven-year-old was a good quality hurdler who finished a close third in the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham last season and then went on to win the valuable Irish EBF Auction Hurdle Series Final at Punchestown.
He made his chasing debut at Fairyhouse in early November and finished fourth whilst gaining experience around an insufficient trip of two miles and a half a furlong.
At Punchestown later the same month the gelding was stepped up in both trip and level to contest the Florida Pearl Novice Chase, a Grade Two run over three miles for which he was a 7-2 chance.
Gordon Elliott’s Favori De Champdou was an easy 14-length winner of that race as Sandor Clegane finished second with Flooring Porter, Affordale Fury and Quilixios behind him.
Navan will be the next port of call for the bay, who holds an entry for the Jack Kiernans Celebrating 55 Years In Business Beginners Chase over three miles on Saturday.
“He’s in good form, we were a bit disappointed by how far he was beaten the last day but hopefully we have our reasons,” said Nolan.
“Hopefully he’ll jump well and run a nice race, we’ll know a lot more after Saturday.”
Reflecting on the Punchestown run, the form from which is varied as Favori De Champdou was well beaten next time out yet Quilixios won comfortably, Nolan added: “There were a couple of fences that he was perhaps a little bit scratchy at, but I thought he was far better the last day than he was the first day and he looked like he enjoyed himself far more.
“We were way happier with his jumping than the first day so it was definitely a step forward, but when you’re beaten a long way you always start asking questions.
“That can happen at times, horses can perform out of their skin on certain days and that might be totally reversed the next day.
“You can’t read too much into other horses, you have to concentrate on what you have yourself.
“He’s the best we have so we’ll concentrate on him and find the race we think is most suitable for him.
“That’s what we’re doing, we’ll creep before we walk and see where it will take us.”
Kerry Lee’s Nemean Lion has a whole host of options open to him after coming home the runner-up in the Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle.
The seven-year-old began his season by winning the Welsh Champion Hurdle, a length-and-a-half success that then led him to Greatwood at Cheltenham where he was fifth under the burden of 12st.
In the Lanzarote only one of his 18 rivals shouldered more weight than him and under Richard Patrick he produced another fine run to go down by a length and a quarter to Dan Skelton’s Jay Jay Reilly.
The run was a step up to two miles and five furlongs for the gelding and provided ample proof that the extended trip was to his liking, leaving an array of hurdle races open to him as the season progresses.
“I was absolutely delighted with him, these big handicaps are a lottery and he was giving away a lot of weight,” said Lee.
“I think he’s run incredibly well, I’m very proud of him.
“He’s given us a lot more options after that, we can really shop around for which way to go now.”
Nemean Lion was a well-regarded performer on the Flat before joining Lee, finishing second in the Group Two Prix Chaudenay on his final start for Andre Fabre in 2020.
Over two years off the track followed due to injury and while soft ground is not mandatory, Lee is naturally mindful of preserving the horse’s soundness after waiting so long to campaign him under the National Hunt code.
“I think he’s proven that he doesn’t need soft ground, it’s just that he is so fragile,” she said.
“When a horse has had two years off the track, you’ve got to respect that they’ve had an injury that could recur if you run them on the wrong ground.
“I’m very careful with him, I thought the ground at Kempton was absolutely beautiful and I walk the track every time before running him – or not as the case may be.”
Nemean Lion, who is by Golden Horn, holds entries in a host of races including the two key hurdle events at the Cheltenham Festival, though the Stayers’ is now more likely than the Champion Hurdle after his performance at Kempton.
“We’ve got to look at all our options, literally every single one of them, and get our heads together based on how the horse comes out of the race,” said Lee.
“We’ll look at everything, he has a cheeky entry in the Stayers’ and I think that would be a more likely option now than the Champion Hurdle – exciting times.”
An emotional Iga Swiatek survived a major scare to reach the third round of the Australian Open but Elena Rybakina was beaten by Anna Blinkova in a record-breaking encounter.
Swiatek lost to Danielle Collins in the semi-finals in Melbourne two years ago and it appeared history was about to repeat itself when the American took a 4-1 lead over the world number one in the deciding set under the roof on Rod Laver Arena.
But Swiatek responded with five games in a row to claim a 6-4 3-6 6-4 victory and set up a clash with Czech teenager Linda Noskova.
The Pole sobbed into her towel at the end of the match and she said with a relieved smile: “I was at the airport already.
“I wanted to fight until the end. She played perfectly so I knew it would be hard for anybody to maintain that level. I waited for the mistakes to come. I’m really proud of myself because it wasn’t easy.”
Rybakina, the third seed and last year’s beaten finalist, also appeared like she might escape after saving two match points to force a tie-break against 57th-ranked Blinkova.
But, more than half an hour later, Blinkova finally clinched a 6-4 4-6 7-6 (22/20) victory on her 10th match point, with Rybakina having seen six opportunities go begging.
It was the longest tie-break in a singles match in grand slam history.
For Blinkova, it is also the biggest win of her career, and she said: “I don’t know what to say. It was super tough. I just tried to stay focused on every point.
“I had so many match points. I tried to be aggressive at these moments but my hand was shaking and my legs too. I tried to be calm as hard as I could and I’m super happy to win in the end.
“This day I will remember for the rest of my life. Especially on this court, with this crowd. I will never forget it. It’s the best day of my life so far.”
After her defeat by Swiatek, Collins walked straight off court into the press room, where she revealed this will be her final season.
“I don’t really know exactly when (I will stop) but this will be my last season and I’m really looking forward to that,” said the 30-year-old, who also made the semi-finals in Melbourne in 2019 and reached a career-high ranking of seven.
“I have other things that I’d like to accomplish in my life outside of tennis and would like to be able to have the time to be able to do that. Obviously having kids is a big priority for me.”
Swiatek edged a tight first set disrupted by a brief rain break but the aggression of Collins was troubling the top seed and the American, who also made the semi-finals here in 2019, won five games in a row to take a 5-1 lead in the second set.
She showed nerves, hitting four double faults as she failed to serve it out at the first time of asking, but she was rock solid on her second opportunity.
Swiatek found returns drilled back at her feet and she was staring at the exit door when Collins broke serve twice in succession to lead 4-1 in the deciding set.
However, the American tightened up with the finish line in sight and Swiatek came roaring back, clinching victory on her third match point with a backhand into the corner.
Swiatek applied strapping under her left knee at the start of the third set, but she played down concerns, saying: “I’ve been struggling a little bit with my knee since (the WTA Finals in) Cancun. I have ups and downs but it’s not like it affects my game. You don’t have to be worried.”
On a day of high drama at Melbourne Park, fifth seed Jessica Pegula was also ousted, going down 6-4 6-2 to France’s Clara Burel, while former finalist Sloane Stephens beat 14th seed Daria Kasatkina 4-6 6-3 6-3.
Emma Raducanu struggled with a stomach bug during a marathon second-round loss to Wang Yafan at the Australian Open.
The former US Open champion, playing only her fourth match since returning from eight months out and three surgeries, had battled back strongly from a set and a break down to force a decider.
But Raducanu then began to show a lot of discomfort, clutching at her chest and abdomen before calling the trainer two games in.
She had her blood pressure checked and took some pills before resuming, and she battled hard to try to turn the match around but Wang held firm to win 6-4 4-6 6-4 after two hours and 55 minutes.
It appeared Raducanu was struggling with her breathing but she revealed in her press conference that she was feeling sick having gone into the contest under the weather.
“I think I just had a bit of a stomach bug beforehand,” she said. “Now I feel a little bit better. I had some time.
“During the match, third set I was 30-0 up serving. Then all of a sudden I just felt so sick, just really weak and nauseous. Throughout the third set I think everyone could see it was a bit of a battle.
“Like physically, body-wise, I felt fine. It was more I was throwing up in my mouth. Then after the match, it came out. Now I’m OK. I’ll get over it. It just sucks with the timing.
“I was actually feeling good about my tennis. Mentally, I don’t know why, I just felt really composed the entire time. Even in the first set when I was making a ton of errors with the wind, I kind of always had this feeling that I was coming back, just tidy up the errors. I felt pretty composed throughout.”
Raducanu is no stranger to medical time-outs and retirements but she was determined to keep going this time.
“I’ve been in that situation before in matches, whether it was with illness or injury, and retired a few times,” she said.
“With what I went through last year, you feel awful right now, at some points I couldn’t really see the ball very well, but I think it’s made me so much tougher. There was no way I was going to pull out. She was going to have to beat me, and she did. She served it out.”
Raducanu’s exit followed those of Katie Boulter and Jack Draper and means Cameron Norrie, who battled from two sets down earlier to beat Giulio Zeppieri, is the only British player through to the third round.
Raducanu comfortably won her first-round match against Shelby Rogers, but the American looked very rusty after a long break herself which made it difficult to gauge the 21-year-old’s true level.
This was a much bigger test, with Wang a former top-50 player now ranked 94 who is still working her way back up the game after choosing not to travel amid China’s restrictive Covid policies.
The 29-year-old’s game initially held up better than Raducanu’s in the breezy conditions and she looked in control at one set and 2-0 up, at which point the British player cut down her errors and fought her way back into the contest.
She broke to lead 5-3 with a sizzling cross-court winner but tentativeness crept in as she tried to serve out the set, with two chances going begging.
Raducanu did not let the disappointment affect her, though, and refused to be hesitant when more chances arrived on Wang’s serve, drilling a backhand winner to clinch a mammoth 65-minute set.
At that stage it appeared Raducanu was the favourite but her physical issues quickly became apparent and she was unable to turn the match back around in her favour.
She leaves Australia greatly encouraged for what is to come, though, saying: “There were doubts whether I would be able to make the Australian Open trip.
“I think that to be here is a bonus, a good starting point I would say, because I started putting good practice sessions together with (coach) Nick (Cavaday), we’re doing good work off the court.
“I’m feeling very positive. I really just want to play a full season. The encouraging thing is, even though I played two back-to-back three-setters in Auckland, a three-setter today, body-wise, strength-wise, I didn’t come up with any random niggles.
“It was just me throwing up. That’s fine. That’s not normal, but it’s like a one-off.”
Jack Draper and Katie Boulter have set their sights on being seeded for Wimbledon after losing in the second round of the Australian Open.
Both found themselves up against highly-ranked opponents and were unable to cause upsets, with Draper losing 6-2 3-6 6-3 7-5 to 14th seed Tommy Paul, while Boulter was beaten 6-3 6-3 by 12th seed Zheng Qinwen.
Draper was particularly frustrated having beaten American Paul in both their previous meetings, including last week in Adelaide.
But, although he pulled up well physically from his dramatic first-round match, which he ended vomiting into a bin, the 22-year-old was unable to find his best tennis.
“He definitely came out playing really well,” said Draper. “I think he knew what he was up against. I think I won all four sets against him that I played.
“I definitely feel like I haven’t really got used to conditions this week at all. I just have been struggling to find my level. Obviously when you are playing a top player like that, if they’re playing well, there are very small margins in it. He was the better player today. He deserved to win.”
Draper is impatient to get to the sort of ranking he knows his talent merits, and it appears physically he is becoming more durable.
Being among the seeds at slams means guaranteeing avoiding higher-ranked players in the first two rounds and, having missed much of last season through injury, Draper now has a big opportunity to climb quickly.
He said: “I feel fit. I’m ready to keep going. I’m very motivated to keep getting better.
“So hopefully, by grass, if I keep my form up, if I stay fit, keep giving myself the opportunities to compete, then I’m going to be hopefully seeded for Wimbledon. And that’s kind of my goal now.”
It is the same for Boulter, who was disappointed to lose to Zheng but showed again that she can mix it with the top players.
The 21-year-old Chinese player is one of the game’s up-and-coming stars but the contest was closer than the score suggested.
Boulter will leave Australia with the best win of her career under her belt against Jessica Pegula at the United Cup earlier this month and a lot of belief in her prospects for the rest of the season.
“This trip has been great,” she said. “For me it’s about week in, week out playing these girls, trying to get big wins against the best players in the world. I gave myself opportunities to do that this week. I found myself winning a couple of matches a few weeks ago as well.
“For me, it is a massive step in the right direction. I’m going to keep working very, very hard. I know my game is there. Today it just wasn’t quite there.
“I would much rather play (her) in the third round, the fourth round to get myself into the tournament more and more and be playing on the bigger courts, which ultimately is more about the tennis than the conditions.
“So my next step for me is to challenge myself to get to 32 and push on from there.”
Banbridge could head straight for the Ryanair Chase at the Cheltenham Festival following his successful reappearance at Kempton.
Joseph O’Brien’s charge proved his worth at the highest level as a novice over fences last term, placing in the Drinmore at Fairyhouse and the Irish Arkle at Leopardstown before enjoying his day in the sun in the Manifesto Novices’ Chase at Aintree in the spring.
Banbridge made his first competitive appearance in nine months in last weekend’s Silviniaco Conti Chase, and O’Brien believes his defeat of the race-fit Pic D’Orhy is clear evidence the eight-year-old has improved since last season.
He said: “It was a lovely ride from J J (Slevin) and a lovely performance from the horse. It was a career-best on figures and we’re looking forward to the spring with him.
“You’re always hoping they might put up a nice performance on their reappearance and he has been delayed a couple of times so he was a little bit rusty, particularly in the straight jumping the second- and third-last, but he got a good jump at the last and went and won nicely.
“It’s one thing being a Grade One novice, but it’s another jump up to hold your own in open company. It looks as though he might be able to do that in the spring.”
Banbridge is a 5-1 shot with Paddy Power for the Ryanair Chase, and while he will be aimed for Cheltenham, O’Brien hinted he could look elsewhere should testing conditions prevail in the Cotswolds, adding: “The programme will map itself out and the Ryanair is the obvious next spot for him, but we’ll be watching the weather.”
Cameron Norrie was pleased to show his mental fortitude in a gritty comeback victory over Giulio Zeppieri in the second round of the Australian Open.
A strong wind and two rain breaks, coupled with an inspired opponent, made life extremely difficult for the 19th seed but he battled to a 3-6 6-7 (4) 6-2 6-4 6-4 victory to set up a clash with 11th seed Casper Ruud.
Norrie took a medical timeout early in the match for treatment to his right knee and was also shaking out the troublesome left wrist that prompted his withdrawal from a tournament in Auckland last week.
The British number one is confident the issues will not hinder his chances, and took heart from being able to play through the discomfort.
He said: “I feel great right now. I think it will be interesting to see how I pull up. The legs feel great. Hopefully the wrist is good, as well. I think it’s just a good lesson to learn that I can play with a few distractions going on.
“I don’t think the knee was anything. I think it just was a bit more precautionary. Actually it loosened up. I think it was probably just being very tense from the match.
“I think I have to make sure I warm up really well. Once the wrist is warm, then I’m not feeling it. So I think it’s just trying to stay warm and play and not think about it. I was able to prove that in the first couple matches.
“I think I was making it a bigger deal than it probably was in the beginning of the match. I was addressing it too much. Once I switched my focus and my energy towards how to win and how to play and how to win points, I think that was key. I think it was a good match mentally for me.”
It is the third time Norrie has recovered from two sets down to win after his Davis Cup debut against Roberto Bautista Agut in 2018 and a first-round win over Diego Schwartzman at the US Open four years ago.
For the best part of two sets Norrie was unable to cope with the power of Zeppieri, ranked 133 but in form after coming through qualifying, who bullied the British number one with his serve and forehand.
In cool, windy conditions, Norrie did not get into the contest until late in the second set, when he gave himself the chance to level proceedings only to lose the tie-break.
The third set was affected by two rain delays but Norrie had changed the momentum and he hung tough through a close deciding set before gaining the crucial break of serve at 5-5.
“He came out firing and basically took the racket out of my hand for the first hour and a half,” said Norrie.
“I was really flat. I was just kind of complaining to myself about little things. Wasn’t moving. Wasn’t playing clear. I wasn’t thinking clearly.
“I just managed to rise the energy a little bit. He dropped slightly. I think, when the first rain delay came, I just felt a little bit more calmer coming out to court. I got a chance to chat with my coach and change the game plan a little bit, to play a little bit more to the backhand side.
“But I was really pleased more mentally how I managed to switch it around. I was not feeling good on the court. It was not great, but I managed to finish the match. I managed my serve so well from the start of the third.”
Norrie finds himself in the now familiar position of being the only British singles player left, and he will try to claim a first win over Ruud to reach the fourth round for the first time.
Gavin Cromwell is leaning towards running his dual Stayers’ Hurdle hero Flooring Porter in the National Hunt Chase at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.
The nine-year-old dominated from the front to lift the Stayers’ crown in 2021 and 2022, but having had to make do with fourth place when bidding for the hat-trick last season, he has this term embarked on a career over fences.
He made a successful start at Cheltenham in October, but has since had his limitations exposed in Grade Two and Grade One company at Punchestown and Leopardstown respectively.
With Cromwell deciding against entering his stable star for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase, he faces a straight choice between the three-mile-six-furlong National Hunt Chase or switching back to the smaller obstacles for the Stayers’ Hurdle, with the former currently his preferred option.
“It (National Hunt Chase) is probably more likely anyway, but we’re keeping an open mind and seeing how things go with everyone else and what way the races are closer to the time,” he said.
“He’s very versatile, so there’s no reason why he couldn’t switch back to the Stayers’ Hurdle.”
Keith Donoghue has taken over in the saddle from Danny Mullins this season, but neither will be eligible to ride in the National Hunt Chase, which is of course confined to amateur jockeys.
Asked whether he had considered who might take the mount if Flooring Porter does line up over fences, Cromwell added: “That is obviously a bit of a dilemma, but we’ll work on that.”
A Plus Tard, winner of the 2022 Cheltenham Gold Cup, has been retired from racing.
Owned by Cheveley Park Stud and trained by Henry de Bromhead, A Plus Tard gave jockey Rachael Blackmore a historic victory in the Prestbury Park feature as she became the first woman to ride the winner of jump racing’s blue riband.
The 10-year-old rocketed to a 15-length success that day, supplementing three previous Grade One wins, including a 22-length verdict in the 2021 Betfair Chase.
However, A Plus Tard has struggled to make his mark since that Gold Cup win, pulling up on two occasions and finishing third at Aintree in April before bowing out when unplaced in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown last month.
Richard Thompson, director of Cheveley Park Stud, paid tribute to the gelding who realised the dream of his late father, David, when winning at Cheltenham.
He said in a statement: “My father and I sat down in early 2018 and agreed a plan to buy some National Hunt horses to be trained in Ireland with the aim of winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
“Just over four years later, we achieved this objective when Rachael Blackmore rode A Plus Tard to victory in front of 70,000 people at the first Cheltenham Festival post Covid.
“My father watched A Plus Tard win the Savills Chase in a thrilling finish on television on December 28, 2020. He died the very next day. It was the last horse race he ever watched.
“A Plus Tard was also the first Cheltenham winner in the red, white and blue Cheveley Park Stud colours and also Rachael Blackmore’s first winner at Cheltenham in the 2019 Listed Close Brothers Novices’ Chase. Rachael rode him to five of his six victories and Darragh O’Keeffe rode him in the other one.
“For all of the above reasons, A Plus Tard will always be a very special horse in the history of my parents’ ownership of Cheveley Park Stud.
“A special thank you to Henry de Bromhead and all the team at Knockeen and to Rachael too. To win the Cheltenham Gold Cup is the Holy Grail of National Hunt racing and we will never forget March 18, 2022.”
A Plus Tard will remain at De Bromhead’s Knockeen yard in the immediate future before returning to Cheveley Park in Newmarket to enjoy his retirement.
De Bromhead added: “A Plus Tard was our first horse to train for Cheveley Park Stud and the Thompson Family. He was bought from France by Alex Elliot and gave us many memorable days, culminating in the 2022 Gold Cup.
“He was sublime that day, not only visually impressive, but also one of the highest rated winners of the Gold Cup in the last 30 years, as well as being one of the best horses we have ever had in our yard.
“We were delighted when this very special horse won Cheveley Park Stud their first Gold Cup.”
A Plus Tard bows out the winner of eight of his 23 career starts, with over £957,000 in prize money.
Exeter boss Rob Baxter has backed “calm character” Immanuel Feyi-Waboso to make the most of his opportunity with England.
The 21-year-old Exeter wing was born in Cardiff and spoke with Wales defence coach Mike Forshaw ahead of this season’s Guinness Six Nations Championship.
But Feyi-Waboso also qualified for England, and he has taken that route, being named among seven uncapped players in Steve Borthwick’s squad for the tournament.
The Exeter University medical student has excelled in Chiefs colours this season, scoring some memorable tries and consistently proving a handful for opposition defences.
Feyi-Waboso will potentially be up against the likes of Elliot Daly and Tommy Freeman for a starting place against England’s opening Six Nations opponents Italy on February 3.
And Baxter believes he will thrive in the England environment, having impressed him at every turn this term.
“He has maintained decent form on the field, hence his call-up, and he is a calm character on the whole. I would like to think he will take it in his stride,” Baxter said.
“At the same time, you get relatively short time in the England camps to prove a point, so he is going to have to step in there and get on with things and drive his own opportunity.
“I think he is just the kind of guy who might well do that. I don’t have any fears for him.
“I think he is a guy with a very bright future in the game, and this is just one of those steps for him.
“One of his dreams is playing international rugby, winning trophies and playing Premiership rugby, but another big part of his dream is qualifying to be a doctor. It is not just always about rugby.
“He is settled at Exeter University and is happy the way the course is going, and with us. Once he goes to play for Wales, that is it, there is no get-out for him.
“If he wants to keep playing internationally, he has to go back to Wales, there is no leeway there for him.
“These are things people have to take into account when they wonder what he is doing. He has got big decisions to make, and it is not all one country over another.
“He has got himself up and running in his medical career. From what I can gather, England were in contact with him earlier than Wales, so there are a few factors.”
Feyi-Waboso will report for England duty next week alongside his Exeter colleagues Ethan Roots and Henry Slade, with Slade being recalled after missing out on the World Cup in France.
Baxter added: “The biggest thing I will say before they leave us after this weekend will be to make sure they are confident being themselves, and the qualities they have shown are the reason they got selected.
“If someone wants to pick you because of the way you play in club rugby, those are the attributes you have to show when you play.
“I always look at 100-cap international players, and nine times out of 10 when you watch them play they play pretty much the same when they play in a club game.
“They have that confidence in the way they play at club level, and if they do that well it transposes well into the international game.
“Henry getting back into the England set-up is a celebration for him, but it is a celebration for the team as well, and I really hope the team feel like that.
“He has almost, not reinvented himself, because he hasn’t had to because he is a very, very good player, but he has certainly reinvigorated himself.
“He is certainly playing with a pace, energy, enthusiasm and drive that is very evident.”
Emma Raducanu suffered more physical difficulties in a second-round Australian Open exit to China’s Wang Yafan.
The former US Open champion, playing only her fourth match since returning from eight months out and three surgeries, had battled back strongly from a set and a break down to force a deciding set.
But Raducanu then appeared to struggle with breathing difficulties, clutching at her chest and abdomen before calling the trainer after two games.
She had her blood pressure checked and took some pills before resuming, and she battled hard to try to turn the match around but Wang held firm to win 6-4 4-6 6-4 after two hours and 55 minutes.
Raducanu’s exit followed those of Katie Boulter and Jack Draper and means Cameron Norrie, who battled from two sets down earlier to beat Giulio Zeppieri, is the only British player through to the third round.
Raducanu comfortably won her first-round match against Shelby Rogers, but the American looked very rusty after a long break herself which made it difficult to gauge the 21-year-old’s true level.
This was a much bigger test, with Wang a former top-50 player now ranked 94 who is still working her way back up the game after choosing not to travel amid China’s restrictive Covid policies.
The 29-year-old’s game initially held up better than Raducanu’s in the breezy conditions and she opened a 5-2 lead in the first set.
The match was again being played on the relatively small 1573 Arena, and queues stretched from each entrance with fans eager to watch the contest.
Raducanu had the majority of the support, and she sparked hopes of a comeback by winning consecutive games to make it 5-4, but Wang served it out at the second time of asking.
There were too many errors off the racket of the British player, and she dropped serve again at the start of the second set.
But Raducanu dug in and gradually began to find her range, finally taking her fifth break point in a long fourth game to draw level.
The 21-year-old is determined to stick to an aggressive game plan following her comeback and her forehand was now looking the dominant shot.
She broke to lead 5-3 with a sizzling cross-court winner but tentativeness crept in as she tried to serve out the set, with two chances going begging.
Raducanu did not let the disappointment affect her, though, and refused to be hesitant when more chances arrived on Wang’s serve, drilling a backhand winner to clinch a mammoth 65-minute set.
Both players took a bathroom break but that did not alleviate the discomfort Raducanu was feeling, and there was doubt over whether she would be able to continue.
She improved physically again as the match went on and will feel she could have turned the set around but a final backhand into the net signalled her demise.
Saturday’s BetMGM Clarence House Chase fixture at Ascot is already in major doubt after an inspection was called for 4pm this afternoon.
The Berkshire circuit is due to host a seven-race card, with the Grade One feature set to stage a mouthwatering rematch between old foes El Fabiolo and Jonbon after the top-class pair were both declared as part of a four-runner field on Thursday morning.
However, it appears increasingly unlikely the clash will take place this weekend after temperatures dipped even lower than forecast on Wednesday night.
“We were expecting to get down to minus 4C last night, but we actually got down to minus 6C,” said clerk of the course Chris Stickels.
“It’s still colder than minus 2C now here and the forecast for tonight is for temperatures to get down to minus 4C.
“The course is frozen under the covers and with the forecast we’ve got, I would imagine we’re going to be unable to race. There’s nothing at this stage that gives me confidence.”
An inspection has also been called ahead of Saturday’s meeting at Haydock, with officials set to check on conditions at 8am on Friday.
Clerk of the course Kirkland Tellwright admits it is a “long shot” the card, which features the Sky Bet Peter Marsh Chase, will take place, but given a rise in temperatures is forecast on Friday, he will wait a little longer before making a final decision.
He said: “It’s a long shot but we have got one eye on this thaw.
“We will probably fail to race, but we think it’s worth running with it a little bit longer in case that thaw comes a bit earlier than expected.
“We got to minus 7C last night so the majority of the track is frozen, including some areas under the covers, so we have a steep gradient to climb.”
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