Goshen will have the assistance of Niall Houlihan when he defends his Coral Hurdle title at Ascot on Saturday.
Gary Moore’s seven-year-old has won two of his four starts over timber at the Berkshire track, including when landing this Grade Two event in supreme style 12 months ago.
He benefitted from the rerouting of Constitution Hill on that occasion and his handler is expecting a sterner examination of his stable stalwart this time around.
“Anywhere right-handed he seems to run well, particularly Ascot,” said Moore.
“He’s in good form with himself, but it’s going to be a little bit tougher than it was last year as you have horses on the up and he’s got a penalty this time.
“He’s been ready to run for a while now and hopefully he will be all right.”
Goshen has been partnered in all of his outings under National Hunt rules by the trainer’s son Jamie Moore. But with the 38-year-old on the sidelines with a bad injury suffered earlier this week, steering duties have been passed on to Houlihan.
A key member of the team at Moore’s Lower Beeding operation, the 23-year-old claimed Grade One glory aboard the stable’s Editeur Du Gite in the rearranged Clarence House Chase earlier in the year and now gets another golden opportunity.
“He’s got a different jockey to contend with,” Moore added. “But Niall has ridden him out a lot at home, especially in his younger days when he used to ride him out all the time, so it is only right he gets a go on him.”
Goshen finished just ahead of Nicky Henderson’s Theatre Glory when they clashed at Sandown at the end of last season, but the Canter Banter Racing team who own the six-year-old hope for a different outcome this time, rematching on a sounder surface.
“We’re very excited and she’s in great form,” said Katie Croft, co-founder of Canter Banter Racing alongside David Fehily.
“It is sort of a similar race to what she ran in at the end of last season (at Sandown). I think the ground was a bit soft for her in that last run at Sandown and it just slowed her down a bit.
“She was only beaten a length behind Goshen and I think the tables will turn this time hopefully on a bit better ground.
“I never say she is ground dependent, but I agree her best form is on quicker ground and she thrives flicking off that and we’re going there hopeful.”
Alan King got his hands on this prize with Yanworth in 2016 and will saddle evergreen 11-year-old Sceau Royal, while Paul Nicholls’ sole victory in this race came via Silviniaco Conti in 2010 and he could have an improving youngster on his hands this time in the form of Blueking D’Oroux.
The four-year-old was a winner at the track before going close in a competitive handicap at Aintree in the spring and seemed to take a huge leap forward with a commanding reappearance victory in Cheltenham’s Masterson Holdings Hurdle last month.
“He is highly progressive, a different horse since we gave him a wind op last season,” Nicholls told Betfair.
“I loved the way he won at Cheltenham last month and he will relish the step up in trip to two miles and three furlongs. While he has a bit to find on official ratings I’m expecting a big run from him.”
The field is completed by Ollie Murphy’s Strong Leader, who was a runner-up to Inthepocket in an Aintree Grade One last term, but bitterly disappointed when sent off favourite for the Welsh Champion Hurdle on his return.
George Russell finished fastest in opening practice for the concluding round of the Formula One season in Abu Dhabi.
Triple world champion Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton sat out the first running with 10 rookie drivers blooded at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Three Britons were among them with Zak O’Sullivan, 18, and Jake Dennis, 28, making their Formula One weekend debuts for Williams and Red Bull respectively.
Ollie Bearman, 18, who in Mexico made history by becoming the youngest British debutant at a Grand Prix, was handed his second practice appearance by Haas.
Dennis, in a Red Bull machine which Hamilton has described as the fastest ever seen in Formula One, finished 16th of the 20 runners, 1.1 seconds off the pace.
O’Sullivan was 18th – seven tenths behind Williams’ Logan Sargeant – with Bearman 20th and last, albeit only a tenth slower than Kevin Magnussen in the other Haas.
Mercedes are facing up to ending the season without a single victory – the first time that has happened in 12 years.
But the troubled Silver Arrows will take some confidence from ending the opening running at the top of the order.
Russell finished 0.288 sec clear of Aston Martin stand-in Felipe Drugovich – who finished highest of the substitute drivers – with Daniel Ricciardo third for AlphaTauri.
Valtteri Bottas was fourth in his Alfa Romeo, ahead of Lance Stroll and Oscar Piastri.
The day’s concluding session – which will see the return of Verstappen, Hamilton and McLaren’s Lando Norris – gets under way at 5pm local time (1pm GMT).
Dak Prescott threw for four touchdown passes as the Dallas Cowboys eased to a 45-10 Thanksgiving victory over the Washington Commanders.
Tony Pollard added a seven-yard touchdown run while DaRon Bland rounded things off with a 63-yard interception return for a score – his fifth of the season to set an NFL record.
The win lifts the Cowboys to 9-3 and stretched their home-winning run to 13 matches.
For the Commanders, who have lost eight of their last 10 matches, Sam Howell threw for 300 yards and ran for a touchdown.
The Green Bay Packers beat NFC North leaders the Detroit Lions 29-22.
Jordan Love connected with Christian Watson from 53 yards on the first play of the game and ended with three touchdown passes.
Opposite number Jared Goff struggled against the Packers defence, fumbling three times – one of which was returned for a touchdown by Jonathan Owens.
Novak Djokovic told rowdy British fans to “shut up” after leading Serbia to a 2-0 victory in the Davis Cup quarter-finals in Malaga.
The world number one showed his annoyance with a section of the 5,000-strong British support by cupping his ear and blowing ironic kisses at the end of the first set of his 6-4 6-4 victory over Cameron Norrie.
When the same group of fans began drumming during Djokovic’s on-court interview, the Serbian responded: “Learn how to respect players, learn how to behave yourself,” before adding, “no, you shut up, you be quiet”.
It was a sour end to what was a disappointing evening for Britain, with the writing on the wall once Jack Draper fell to a 7-6 (2) 7-6 (6) defeat by Miomir Kecmanovic in a opening rubber that was a must-win.
On his spat with the supporters, Djokovic said: “In the Davis Cup, it’s normal that sometimes fans step over the line but, in the heat of the moment, you react too, and you show that you don’t allow this kind of behaviour.
“They can do whatever they want, but I’m going to respond to that. I was trying to talk and they were purposely starting to play the drums so that I don’t talk and they were trying to annoy me the entire match. So we had a little bit of a chat in the end.”
Britain’s dramatic success against France in Manchester in September had sent them through to the final eight event for the first time in the revamped format.
The tie did not get under way until 6.10pm, more than two hours later than billed, because of the over-running first match of the day between Italy and the Netherlands.
The near-capacity crowd, which also included a sizeable number of Serbian supporters, gave the event the sort of authentic Davis Cup feel that has so often been missing since the switch from the home-and-away format.
Among those sat in the stands at the Palacio de Deportes Martin Carpena was Dan Evans, who had hoped to build on his brilliant performances in Manchester before a calf injury prematurely ended his season.
But even the British number two would have had his work cut out against an inspired Kecmanovic, who was chosen ahead of the higher-ranked Laslo Djere and fully justified the decision.
Draper had the better form coming in having reached his first ATP Tour final this month and had beaten Kecmanovic – ranked five places higher at 55 – earlier this year, but the Serbian was dominant on serve and edged two tie-breaks.
It was only the 21-year-old’s second Davis Cup rubber and he admitted knowing Djokovic was looming added to the nerves he felt.
“That’s seemingly a must-win match for me,” said Draper. “It’s definitely a tough challenge to go out there knowing that there is a lot more pressure on me to win the match.
“That’s the kind of pressure that, if I want to be a top player, I have to cope with and have to perform under. It’s tough not to get the win today. I gave it all I had mentally. I didn’t do a few things as well as I wanted to, but he played a great match.”
Djokovic had lost only six of his 61 previous matches this season, with just one defeat since the Wimbledon final, while his Davis Cup record is utterly formidable.
It is 12 years since he lost a singles match in the competition, and even that was by retirement, with now 21 straight wins and only four sets dropped.
Norrie had managed only a single set in three previous meetings and has endured a miserable run since the clay-court swing back in the spring, but he was captain Leon Smith’s only option once Andy Murray pulled out with a minor shoulder injury.
He did not put in a bad performance by any means, but was fire-fighting from the moment he was broken at 2-2 in the opening set and won only eight points on Djokovic’s serve during the contest.
While Serbia are a step closer to the trophy, Britain must start again in February in the qualifiers – barring an unlikely wild card through to September’s group stage.
Novak Djokovic ended Great Britain’s hopes of winning another Davis Cup title as he led Serbia to a 2-0 quarter-final victory in Malaga.
Britain’s dramatic success against France in Manchester in September had sent them through to the final eight event for the first time in the revamped format.
But they fell at the first hurdle, with Miomir Kecmanovic defeating Jack Draper 7-6 (2) 7-6 (6) before Djokovic comfortably saw off Cameron Norrie 6-4 6-4 to send a jubilant Serbia through to a semi-final against Italy on Saturday.
Given the presence of Djokovic, who cemented his position at the top of the sport by winning a seventh ATP Finals title on Sunday, Britain’s hopes depended on Draper winning the first rubber.
The tie did not get under way until 6.10pm, more than two hours later than billed, because of the over-running first match of the day between Italy and the Netherlands.
There were around 5,000 British fans in a near-capacity crowd, giving the event the sort of authentic Davis Cup feel that has so often been missing since the switch from the home-and-away format.
Among those sat in the stands at the Palacio de Deportes Martin Carpena was Dan Evans, who had hoped to build on his brilliant performances in Manchester before a calf injury prematurely ended his season.
But even the British number two would have had his work cut out against an inspired Kecmanovic, who was chosen ahead of the higher-ranked Laslo Djere and fully justified the decision.
Draper had the better form coming in having reached his first ATP Tour final this month and had beaten Kecmanovic – ranked five places higher at 55 – earlier this year, but the Serbian was dominant on serve and edged two tie-breaks.
Draper hung on during the first set, saving two break points at 3-4 and then two set points at 4-5 with some gutsy play only to double fault twice in the tie-break.
His chance came when he recovered from 2-5 to level at 5-5 in the second tie-break but, despite saving a match point, he could not force a decider.
It was only the 21-year-old’s second Davis Cup rubber and he admitted knowing Djokovic was looming added to the nerves he felt.
“That’s seemingly a must-win match for me,” said Draper. “It’s definitely a tough challenge to go out there knowing that there is a lot more pressure on me to win the match.
“That’s the kind of pressure that, if I want to be a top player, I have to cope with and have to perform under. It’s tough not to get the win today. I gave it all I had mentally. I didn’t do a few things as well as I wanted to, but he played a great match.”
Djokovic had lost only six of his 61 previous matches this season, with just one defeat since the Wimbledon final, while his Davis Cup record is utterly formidable.
It is 12 years since he lost a singles match in the competition, and even that was by retirement, with now 21 straight wins and only four sets dropped.
Norrie had managed only a single set in three previous meetings and has endured a miserable run since the clay-court swing back in the spring, but he was captain Leon Smith’s only option once Andy Murray pulled out with a minor shoulder injury.
He did not put in a bad performance by any means, but was fire-fighting from the moment he was broken at 2-2 in the opening set, throwing everything he had at Djokovic to fight back from 0-40 in his next service game.
The Serbian lost just three points on serve in the first set – and only eight in the match – and blew kisses towards a vocal British fan who had been warned by the umpire after clinching it to love.
Norrie promptly dropped serve to start the second set before again hanging on grimly, this time saving five break points at 1-3, but Djokovic was able to stay in his comfort zone through to the finish line.
While Serbia are a step closer to the trophy, Britain must start again in February in the qualifiers – barring an unlikely wild card through to September’s group stage.
Great Britain’s hopes of reaching the Davis Cup semi-finals were hanging by a thread after Jack Draper lost the opening rubber to Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic in Malaga.
Draper’s 7-6 (2) 7-6 (6) defeat left Cameron Norrie needing to hand Novak Djokovic just his seventh loss of the season to send the tie to a deciding doubles.
Serbia sprang a surprise by picking Kecmanovic, ranked five places above Draper at 55 in the world, ahead of their number two Laslo Djere, but the 24-year-old fully justified the decision with an impressive display.
Twenty-one-year-old Draper was unable to impose his big game on the match and came out on the wrong end of two tie-breaks in a contest lasting two hours and two minutes.
The tie did not get under way until 6.10pm, more than two hours later than billed, because of the over-running first match of the day between Italy and the Netherlands.
Around 5,000 British fans, including Dan Evans, who was forced out of the event through injury after playing the leading role in qualification, made up the majority of a virtually full crowd at the Palacio de Deportes Martin Carpena.
The International Tennis Federation’s decision to move away from the traditional home-and-away format and to a World Cup-style event has been unpopular with players and fans, but this was the sort of occasion they would have envisaged.
It was a huge moment for Draper, who only played his first match in the competition in September in Manchester and now found British hopes depending on him given the presence of Djokovic in the second rubber.
He could draw on better recent form than Kecmanovic, having reached his first ATP Tour final in Sofia earlier this month while the Serbian had lost his last four matches, and also won their only previous meeting on clay in May.
But Kecmanovic is a quality player who was ranked in the top 30 at the start of the year and, despite three aces in his first service game from Draper, it was the Serbian who was the more impressive in the early stages.
Draper had to dig deep to save two break points in a long eighth game and then found himself facing two set points at 4-5, which he again fought off in gutsy fashion.
But two double faults cost him dearly in the tie-break and left him with a lot of work to do to turn the match around.
Neither man faced a break point in the second set, but again it was Kecmanovic who looked the more convincing on serve.
After losing five points in a row from 2-0 up in the tie-break, Draper did well to level at 5-5 and then save a match point with a volley that just caught the line, but a wayward forehand gave Kecmanovic a second chance and this time the British youngster netted a return.
Ben Curry’s greatest ambition in rugby is to play alongside twin brother Tom in England’s back row.
Ben, Sale’s captain for their home Gallagher Premiership clash with Bath on Friday night, has won five caps but each of them have come when Tom has been on British and Irish Lions duty or injured.
The World Cup and its programme of warm-up fixtures could have seen his dream realised only for hamstring surgery to rule him out of the tournament in France.
“The day I can’t play for England with Tom I would seriously consider my options because that’s one of the biggest things that motivates me,” Ben said.
“I’ve done it myself, by myself, but I want to do it with Tom. You talk about what are your goals for your career and that’s something that’s a goal of mine.”
The likelihood of Ben adding to his five caps in the Six Nations has increased after Tom was earlier this week ruled out for the rest of the season by hip surgery.
The identical twins live together near the AJ Bell Stadium and Tom’s setback will result in changes at home – once help has been sought from Sale fly-half George Ford.
“When I had my injury, Fordy knew someone who put me up in a hotel for two nights. I was in the night before and then the night after (the operation),” Ben said.
“So the first thing I told Tom was to text Fordy and get a hotel for two nights! You’ve just had surgery and you are lying in a hotel room with everyone doing stuff for you.
“On the back of that we are going to have to change rooms. We still live together, and he’s on the top floor and I’m on the second floor, so we might have to change rooms.
“I’m probably going to have to do a bit of stuff to help out, unfortunately!
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“The only bit of advice I’d give to him is to take the first few weeks to recover, not just physically but mentally.
“Take it for what it is, take your time away from the game so that when you come back, you properly go after it.
“It’s a good opportunity to get better, bigger, stronger, faster – all of those cliches.
“You’ve got five months at it, so it can make a difference to how he plays and also his longevity as well if he gets it right.”
A trip to Newbury on Saturday week is a possibility for Dysart Enos having delighted Fergal O’Brien at Huntingdon earlier this month.
Unbeaten in three starts in bumpers, including when blitzing the field to claim Grade Two honours at Aintree in the spring, she enhanced her perfect record on her hurdles debut with a thoroughly impressive display in the hands of Paddy Brennan.
She scorched seven and a half lengths clear of her rivals on that occasion and her handler is now considering a shot at Listed glory in the Play Coral “Racing-Super-Series” For Free Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle on December 2, with the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival remaining the five-year-old’s ultimate aim.
O’Brien said: “She will be entered for Newbury and we’ll have a look and see what’s about. We are just trying to pick our way to try to get her to Cheltenham.
“She’s in great form and has come out of the race at Huntingdon well and we keep our fingers crossed.
“There was a lot to like about it, she was a bit keen and a bit novicey at some of her jumps, but at the important part of the race she quickened up nicely.”
Olly Murphy had a double on the card at Market Rasen as Itchy Feet returned to winning ways in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle.
The nine-year-old is a seasoned campaigner for the yard, with his seven victories including the Grade One Scilly Isles Chase in 2020.
He started out last term over fences but reverted to hurdling to qualify for Pertemps Final at Cheltenham, where he finished 11th of 23 after coming home second at Grade Two level in the Rendlesham at Haydock.
Pulled up on his seasonal reappearance at Newton Abbot last month, this time the gelding started at 7-2 and ran a pleasing race to come home three and a half-lengths ahead of Giovanni Change with Dan Skelton’s Le Milos back in third.
“It was nice to get Itchy Feet’s head back in front,” said Murphy.
“At the age he is now, it’s nice to see him be as resolute as he still is, he’s a credit to everyone at home.
“It’s nice to win a good pot with him, they’re hard to win with when they’re at that end of the handicap and it was great to see him win again.”
Murphy’s second winner on the card was The Same, a debutant over fences who made success look easy in the Pertemps Network Novices’ Handicap Chase when jumping well and winning by nine and a half lengths as the 7-4 favourite.
“He was good, he jumped really well. He’s a horse who will appreciate a big track and three miles in time,” Murphy said.
“He was lightly raced over hurdles and he appreciated a fence, hopefully he’s going to be a nice staying chaser for his owners.
“With the size of him he was crying out for a fence, I thought he jumped immaculately for a novice. Hopefully that’ll stand him in good stead when he goes up in grade.”
Stumptown will bid to provide trainer Gavin Cromwell with another big-race victory on British soil in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury on Saturday week.
The County Meath handler has his string firing on all cylinders at present, highlighted by four winners across meetings at Navan and Cheltenham last weekend.
Cromwell also enjoyed a treble at Cheltenham’s October meeting and is eyeing further riches in the UK with Stumptown, who struck gold at Sandown in February before being narrowly beaten by Angels Dawn in the Kim Muir at the Cheltenham Festival.
The eight-year-old was subsequently pulled up in the Irish Grand National and has failed to trouble the judge in two outings so far this term at Galway and Listowel – but Cromwell is hopeful he can show his true colours in Berkshire granted suitable conditions.
He said: “His target is to go to Newbury. I hope the ground remains on the nicer side as he certainly doesn’t want it too deep.
“I think the English fences suit as he’s inclined to get in deep to a fence, as he did in Listowel and made a mistake. He seems to be able to get away with it a bit easier in the UK.
“I’m hoping Ahoy Senor stays in as we’d have a lovely weight (10st 2lb).”
The in-form trainer is also poised to send exciting bumper winner Only By Night over hurdles having secured Listed honours at Navan.
It was initially thought the mare would stay competing in bumpers, but given she is already a five-year-old, Cromwell has had a change of heart and indicated her next outing is likely to be over obstacles.
“She is a lovely mare, she’s five and looks a chaser in the making,” he said.
“I think we will go hurdling with her. I was very undecided at the weekend and then Derek O’Connor got off her and said he doesn’t know anything that would beat her in bumpers for the rest for the year.
“That seemed a bold statement and you don’t know what Willie (Mullins) could come up with, but I think we will go hurdling with her because she’s five rising six and if you go hurdling next year, you are six rising seven and then seven rising eight when you are going chasing.”
Katie Taylor is ready to shut out the noise and deep dig to gain revenge over Chantelle Cameron in Dublin on Saturday night.
Taylor suffered the first defeat of her professional career in her Irish homecoming at the 3Arena in May but gets another shot at the unbeaten English boxer this weekend at the same venue.
While Cameron scored an against-all-odds majority decision victory to retain her WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO light-welterweight belts six months ago, this time around the Northampton fighter has been installed as the favourite.
But Taylor told a press conference on Thursday: “I am very, very grateful for this opportunity again. I have a second chance here and I just can’t wait to fight.
“Whether I am seen as the underdog or favourite, whether I walk to the ring first or second, all that stuff is irrelevant. I am just excited and hungry for the rematch.
“I don’t really take too much notice of what people are saying to be honest. I am very much single-minded and the only people I really listen to are my team, my family and the people that I trust.
“I understand this is a huge fight, I understand this is a must-win fight for me and I can’t wait to step in there now at this stage.
“I know I will perform to the best of my ability on Saturday and it will be a completely different fight to last time. I am just excited to showcase that.”
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Taylor was pulled in every direction during the build-up to the May 20 bout, which marked a historic return to Ireland for the 2012 Olympic champion.
The Bray-born boxer has tried to keep her profile more low-key on this occasion and maintained a steely focus when sitting alongside her rival.
“There is nothing else to say really. I am just ready to fight,” Taylor insisted.
“I hate all the talk, I hate all these press conferences. There is nothing to say. I am just ready to fight at this stage. I am excited and very grateful to have this opportunity.
“I am ready for whatever comes my way. I am ready to dig deep when I have to. That is why I put my body through the trenches week in, week out throughout training camps to be ready for these situations.”
Cameron, sporting gold earrings, also remained respectful behind enemy lines, but warned Taylor would face an even better version of herself this weekend.
She added: “I am not complacent whatsoever. That is why I have put the work in, trained harder than ever and it is the best camp I’ve had because I knew I would be up against a Katie seeking revenge.
“I couldn’t take anything into my stride and think it would be a walk in the park, so I am the fittest I have ever been.”
The 32-year-old, who lost to her Irish foe in the amateur ranks, had originally wanted this rematch to be at 135lbs to enable her the chance to take Taylor’s lightweight titles but was happy to go again at 140lbs and has enjoyed the scrutiny this time.
“I do feel really comfortable,” she admitted. “I am just embracing the week, enjoying it for once. Usually I hate all this, but I am taking it all in my stride.”
Defending champion Teahupoo will lead a strong Gordon Elliott squad into battle for the Bar One Racing Hatton’s Grace Hurdle next month.
The six-year-old became the first horse to lower the colours of Honeysuckle when landing the Fairyhouse Grade One 12 months ago and went on to run a mighty race in the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
He had to settle for third on that occasion behind stablemate Sire Du Berlais, but Elliott predicts further improvement this term which could make him one of the leading players in the staying hurdling division.
He said: “He’s in great form, he’s doing really well. He will be in the Hatton’s Grace and Leopardstown (at Christmas) as well.
“If he improved five or six pounds from last year, which with age you would like to think he would have, he would have to be in the mix with all those stayers.
“Even last year he was in the mix and was unlucky in the Stayers’ Hurdle, he ran a great race.”
Elliott holds seven entries for the December 3 event and poised to make his return is stable stalwart and reigning Stayers’ Hurdle champion Sire Du Berlais.
The evergreen 11-year-old got his hands on his third Cheltenham Festival victory when edging out Dashel Drasher for a shock 33-1 success in March and proved that was no fluke when repeating the dose with further Grade One glory at Aintree the following month.
“He’s the horse of a lifetime,” said Elliott. “He’s so unimpressive at home, even to look at, he doesn’t do a stroke.
“He’s not getting any younger, but he’s a great horse and we’re lucky to have him.
“It’s hard to get him fit, it takes a couple of runs to get him fit, he’s so laid back.”
Also in line for an appearance in the two-and-a-half-mile contest is Irish Point, who was a Grade One scorer at the distance at Aintree in the spring.
He made a winning return in the Bottlegreen Hurdle at Down Royal recently and Elliott believes he has the potential to campaign over a variety of distances.
“He’s probably a hard horse to place,” continued Elliott. “He’s in the Hatton’s Grace and I wouldn’t be shocked if I went there with him.
“He could (go over three miles), but I just don’t know if I want to go three miles with him at the moment.
“He’s a good horse, but might just be stuck between a rock and a hard place. He might not have the pace for the really good two-mile races and I think he will stay three miles, but it’s whether I want to be doing it at this stage of his career or not, he’s only a young horse.”
Meanwhile, the Cullentra House handler is already looking ahead to March with Gigginstown’s Brighterdaysahead, who made it two from two over timber when claiming a Grade Three at Down Royal and will be pointed at the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
“If you asked me now, I would say it will be one more run then Cheltenham,” said Elliott.
“She’s had two runs now. She’s got a big engine and she’s looked good.
“She’s not keen, she’s just green. If you look at her in Down Royal, it was like her first run – Thurles was no race. But I was happy with her and how she hit the line.”
He also has high hopes for the owners’ Croke Park who having won the Grade Three Monksfield Novice Hurdle at Navan on Sunday, could be given the chance to enhance his fine recent record in the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle early in the new year.
Elliott added: “He was good, he’s a big horse. He had a few niggly problems last year and I would imagine I would go to Naas now for the Lawlor’s.
“He’s a three-mile chaser (in the making) and when he got there he wasn’t doing anything, he was a bit babyish.”
Lewis Hamilton has denied seeking a blockbuster move to Red Bull – and claimed it was instead Christian Horner who approached him.
Hamilton accused Horner of being “lonely” and “stirring” the pot, following the Red Bull team principal’s claim ahead of this weekend’s season finale in Abu Dhabi that the British driver’s camp inquired about a seat alongside Max Verstappen at the grid’s all-conquering team.
A front-footed Hamilton, who signed a two-year contract extension to remain at Mercedes until the end of 2025 in August, also said Verstappen would not want him as a team-mate.
Asked if he approached Red Bull about joining them, Hamilton, 38, replied: “No. I did not.
“I have checked with everyone in my team and nobody has spoken to them. However, he (Horner) did reach out to me earlier on in the year about meeting up.
“I picked up my old phone which I found at home. It has my old number. I switched it on, and hundreds of messages came through, and one was from Christian to get together and have a catch-up at the end of the season.
“He didn’t say (it was about driving for them). He just said about having a catch-up.
“I replied to him (Horner) on my new phone. It was quite late on that I found his message. It was from earlier on in the year, and it was months later (that I replied).
“I just said, ‘congratulations on the amazing season and I hope we are able to compete with you soon’, and he replied repeating the same thing.
“If you really think about it, there are a lot of people here that like to drop my name in conversations because they know it will make waves and if you are a little bit lonely, and are not getting much attention, that is the perfect thing to do, just to mention my name. He is stirring things.”
Hamilton is set to bring the curtain down on a second winless season. Verstappen has won the last three world championships and heads into the final round with a remarkable 18 wins from 21. Hamilton has described the Dutchman’s machine as the fastest ever seen in Formula One.
“I would be more than happy to race against Max in the same car,” added Hamilton. “That would be wonderful. But I don’t think he wants me to be his team-mate.”
Hamilton has been with Mercedes since 2013, and has said on numerous occasions that he could not envisage being at another team.
He continued: “I have so much respect for (team principal) Toto (Wolff).
“We have a great relationship. And I spoke to him when the story broke. I wanted my team to know because if people think those things (about leaving) it is never positive. Hopefully signing with them has shown my commitment to the team.
“Let’s be realistic, every single driver here dreams of being in a winning car. In my younger days, when I had not had a lot of success, joining Red Bull would have been more attractive to me.
“We have had two really difficult years, and if we were able to beat that Red Bull, that would be a way better feeling than just stepping into the best car.
“That wouldn’t do much for me – stepping into a car that has been the most dominant of all time – but working with my team to beat them. That would be better for my legacy.”
Jack Jones is dreaming of Fred Winter glory at the Cheltenham Festival with An Bradan Feasa after the three-year-old performed with real credit behind impressive scorer Burdett Road at the November Meeting.
Saddling what was his first runner at National Hunt’s flagship venue, the three-year-old – who was purchased out of Joseph O’Brien’s yard by owners Christopher and Mary-Ann Middleton – put up a fine display for the Newmarket handler, still holding the advantage when turning for home and approaching the last before ultimately having no answer to the blistering acceleration of the current Triumph Hurdle favourite.
An Bradan Feasa stuck on bravely to pick up a silver medal and although initially trying to convince himself there were options away from the Festival, Jones soon began to eye up a return to Prestbury Park in March for the son of Camelot.
“We will be working back from the Fred Winter,” said Jones.
“It makes sense and we have looked at lots of different angles. I did throw in the comment that Cheltenham isn’t the be all and end all, and then the next sentence we kind of agreed we have got to work back from Cheltenham.
“It was so special for me there on Saturday, I’ve been going to Cheltenham since I was a small boy, it is my local track from home and where my racing dream originates from.”
He went on: “Unless he takes a massive step forward, which he could do and he’s only had the two runs, then realistically we will let Burdett Road go and win the Triumph and on all known form we shouldn’t be beating that. There’s nothing we can do about that.
“They gave us 127 and I thought the winner would get 140 and we would get 128, so I wasn’t a million miles off and from having a scroll through the last few years that looks a nice rating for the Fred Winter.
“He’s got course form, touch wood he jumps impeccably and to have runners at Cheltenham, let alone the Cheltenham Festival, is a huge dream of mine. He’s exciting and the good day was topped off by Star Mind winning at Wolverhampton that evening.”
Jones is still to finalise An Bradan Feasa’s route to the Festival but is not short of options and is tinkering with a two-race plan that includes a possible trip north of the border before arriving at Cheltenham in the spring.
He added: “As easy as it is to get excited about races in between, I have to be mindful he is still only a baby and that was only his second ever run. He did have the Flat run, but that was a non-event and Joseph ran him over hurdles only 13 days after his Flat debut.
“So I have to be careful just to mind him and I don’t know where, but I think two runs between now and Cheltenham will be sensible and then we can go to Cheltenham fresh and well.
“We’ve got options and I haven’t looked in-depth. There is a Listed race at Aintree in a couple of weeks or he could just go and try and win a midweek juvenile hurdle with a penalty. My vet and Christopher have both mentioned the Musselburgh Triumph Hurdle Trial as well, so that could be a nice option and it might suit him round there.
“We’ve got a lot of exciting options, but maybe a midweek juvenile, Musselburgh, then the Fred Winter would be the potential route.”
Although predominantly associated with training runners on the Flat, Jones has a strong National Hunt grounding having ridden out for Nicky Henderson during his university days as well as serving as pupil assistant to Kim Bailey and Paul Nicholls before attentions turned to Newmarket and the faster thoroughbreds.
Having thrived with the Middleton’s Our Scholar over obstacles throughout the summer months, the young handler is now relishing the prospect of having a top operator to run over obstacles during the winter.
“He’s only been with me around six weeks and we took him for a racecourse gallop two weeks before Cheltenham. We actually took him with a nice horse called Pleasant Man who ran a week later and he finished fourth in the November Handicap.
“For my first runner at Cheltenham it was some thrill to have him still in front turning in. He jumped impeccably, travelled well and Tom (Bellamy) gave him a good ride. He was jumping himself to the front and he’s got a lovely, gorgeous big stride and Tom did the right thing by letting him use himself.
“I was getting very excited between the second last and the last but we were beaten by a good one and Christopher and Mary-Ann were over the moon. He looks a fun horse not only for this year, but you would hope he would be around for a good few years.”
Jamie Moore will be out of action until the new year following injuries suffered in a nasty fall from Mi Sueno at Lingfield on Tuesday.
The 38-year-old was about to mount a serious challenge aboard Paddy Butler’s four-year-old in the two-mile Favourite Goes 7 Days A Week Handicap Hurdle when taking a heavy fall at the second last, which left Moore with a fractured vertebra as well as broken ribs and a broken nose.
With his recovery involving six weeks in a neck brace, the rider will be sidelined during the busy Christmas period, while in the immediate future, his father Gary Moore has had to find a replacement for stable stalwart Goshen ahead of the defence of his Coral Ascot Hurdle title.
“He’s doing well and hopefully will be coming out of hospital today,” said Gary Moore.
“I went to see him last night and he was in good spirits with himself.
“Obviously he has a neck brace on and that’s on for six weeks, so he won’t be doing much for the next six weeks. He’s as good as could be expected.”
Jamie is not the only member of the Moore family in the wars with his brother and leading Flat jockey Ryan Moore forced to give up his ride on defending champion Vela Azul in Sunday’s Japan Cup.
The 40-year-old was stood down after hurting his back in a fall at Kyoto last Sunday and has been replaced on Kunihiko Watanabe’s six-year-old by Hollie Doyle.
Klassical Dream made a faultless start to his career over fences in the Download The BetVictor App Irish EBF Beginners Chase at Thurles.
The Willie Mullins-trained nine-year-old has an impressive seven Grade One successes over hurdles on his CV, including three back-to-back wins in the Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown.
His chasing debut came over two miles and six furlongs at Thurles, where he was the 1-4 favourite under Paul Townend in a field of 11.
Making the running from the start, the gelding was foot perfect at every fence and made incredibly light work of the race to canter home nine and a half lengths ahead of his nearest rival with the rest of the field strung out behind him.
“We’d have been disappointed if we were beaten, but he was foot perfect everywhere. He was quick getting from A to B and behaved himself relatively well as well, so maybe he has grown up,” Townend said.
“I never had to interfere as he was lining up his fences from 10 strides away and I only had to encourage him and not fall off. He was good and clever and was able to sort himself out at fences as well, which was a nice thing to take from it.
“He achieved a lot over hurdles and was a high-class horse to be going chasing. He had done plenty schooling and has taken to it really well.
“He hasn’t a million miles on the clock either and has loads of fire in his belly.”
Klassical Dream’s ante-post odds for a range of chasing targets have now been trimmed with Betfair, who make him 10-1 from 20s for the National Hunt Chase, 14s from 25-1 for the Turners Novices’ Chase and 14-1 for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.
Gregg Popovich said San Antonio Spurs fans should not "poke the bear" after his team lost to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Spurs coach Popovich walked over to the scorer's table late in the second quarter when Clippers star and former Spurs player Kawhi Leonard was being jeered by the San Antonio faithful as he prepared for a free throw.
"Excuse me for a second," Popovich said to the crowd. "Can we stop all the booing and let these guys play? Have a little class. That's not who we are. Knock off the booing."
Leonard went on to finish with 26 points, four rebounds and four assists as the Clippers triumphed 109-102, their third straight NBA win.
Asked why he took hold of the mic to speak to the crowd during his side's 10th consecutive loss, Popovich simply told reporters: "I think anybody that knows anything about sports, you don't poke the bear."
Leonard, for his part, shrugged off the jeers.
"If I don't have a Spurs jersey on, they're probably going to boo me the rest of my career," Leonard, who won the first of his two NBA titles in San Antonio, said.
"But I mean it is what it is. Like I said, they're one of the best fans in the league and they're very competitive.
"Once I step out on this basketball court out here, they show that they're going for the other side.
"When I'm on the streets or going into restaurants, they show love. So it is what it is."
James Harden finished with 16 points to move 24th on the all-time NBA list, while Paul George had 24 points and eight rebounds for the Clippers (6-7).
Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 22 points and 15 rebounds, but his team fell to 3-12, the worst record in the Western Conference.
Evan Williams classes the Coral Challow Hurdle as the obvious next port of call for Minella Missile but is keen to see what others have in the locker before firming up plans for his exciting Cheltenham winner.
An impressive scorer at Chepstow on his rules debut, he immediately took the step into Grade Two company at Prestbury Park during the November Meeting, where he kept on gamely to claim the scalp of Paul Nicholls’ highly-touted Persian War winner Captain Teague.
Having shown he handles undulating tracks, the Welsh handler is refusing to rule out a return to Cheltenham for the talented five-year-old, with Sandown’s Betfair Winter Novices’ Hurdle (December 8) another enticing option.
However, if Minella Missile is to avoid the burden of a penalty, then a move up to Grade One level is in order, which brings Newbury at the end of December into the reckoning.
Williams said: “Going forward, we will be guided by the horse really. It will be very interesting to see how he comes out of that race and we will be guided by him on where we will go from there really.
“The obvious thing, and it’s not as easy as that, but the obvious thing is to avoid carrying a penalty – and the only way to avoid carrying a penalty is in the Newbury race.
“Against that, he does go well around Cheltenham and Chepstow, which are undulating tracks and completely different to Newbury.”
The trainer went on: “Cheltenham has so many of those trials, there is an Albert Bartlett trial at the December meeting, or you could go to Sandown for the Winter Novices’ Hurdle, which is two-and-a-half miles and a Grade Two.
“So, I don’t want to be fixated on going to Newbury, but the Newbury race would seem the obvious next target if we had a target.
“The coming weeks will tell us. We are where we are now, but there will be plenty of others that will come out in the next weeks which will be of a very high quality – plenty of stables are yet to run their good novice hurdlers.
“I guess that is part of the fun of it and part of the jigsaw, and we’ll watch what comes out closely and then we can take a view and go from there.”
Minella Missile could become one of the leading players for Williams this season, as he searches for candidates to fill the position of stable star vacated by the now retired Coole Cody.
The strapping bay has already provided his handler with one memorable day, supplying loyal owner Janet Davies with her 100th winner when successful at Cheltenham.
Williams added: “He improved a lot in a very quick time after Chepstow, we were caught out a little bit by him and we were very lucky there was that race at Cheltenham, because the race at Chepstow brought him on significantly.
“It was lovely and it was lovely to get the 100th winner up for Mrs Davies in such a good race
“It’s fantastic; a lot of our nice horses have finished, for whatever reason, and we were a bit light on having a very nice horse, but as is often the case in this old game, things can surprise you in both a positive and a negative way.”
Jaylen Brown had 26 points and eight assists as the Boston Celtics cooled off Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks with a 119-116 victory on Wednesday in a clash between two of the Eastern Conference's top teams.
Jayson Tatum added 23 points and Kristaps Porzingis had 21 as Boston bounced back from Monday's overtime loss to the Charlotte Hornets that snapped its six-game winning streak.
The Celtics also ended Milwaukee's run of five straight wins while preventing Antetokounmpo from reaching the 40-point mark for a third consecutive game.
Boston held Antetokounmpo to 21 points on 7-of-20 shooting two nights after the two-time NBA MVP went 20-of-23 from the field in a 42-point performance Monday against the Washington Wizards.
The Celtics never trailed in improving to 6-0 at home this season, as they opened the game with a 10-0 run and built a 29-17 lead after one quarter before extending the margin to 67-53 at halftime.
Milwaukee got a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit down to four in the final minute, but the Celtics hit 5 of 6 free throws late to seal the win.
Brook Lopez led the Bucks with 28 points on 12-of-18 shooting, while Damian Lillard finished with 27 points and five assists.
Streaking Magic survive Jokic’s triple-double
The Orlando Magic won their fifth straight game, as Franz Wagner scored 24 of his 27 points in the second half in a 124-119 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Paolo Banchero had 23 points, including a 3-pointer with 1:49 left to put Orlando ahead for good.
Goga Bitadze, Jalen Suggs and Wagner clinched the win with six straight free throws in the final 14 seconds.
Jokic had 30 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for his sixth triple-double of the season and 111th of his career, the fourth-most in NBA history.
Gilgeous-Alexander leads red-hot Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 40 points and 12 assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to their sixth consecutive win, 116-102 over the Chicago Bulls.
Chet Holmgren tallied 18 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks and Isaiah Joe added 20 points for the Thunder, who are on their longest winning streak since the 2018-19 season.
DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points for the Bulls after making just one basket in the first half.
Chicago played without leading scorer Zach LaVine, who sat with a sore right foot.
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