Linus Ullmark turned away 27 shots and the NHL-leading Boston Bruins defeated the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Wednesday in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
John Beecher and Jake DeBrusk scored in a 3:05 span of the second period and Charlie Coyle also scored for the Bruins, who are 14-1-3 this season.
Boston’s 31 points after 18 games ties the fifth-most in league history.
Last season, the Bruins finished with an NHL-record 135 points but lost to Florida in seven games in the opening round of the playoffs.
Anton Lundell scored for Florida, which had a six-game home winning streak stopped.
Quick perfect in Rangers’ win
Jonathan Quick stopped 32 shots for the 60th shutout of his career and Alexis Lafreniere scored early in the first period as the New York Rangers stayed hot with a 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.
Quick became the 20th goalie in NHL history to reach 60 shutouts, ranking second among active netminders behind Minnesota’s Marc-Andre Fleury (73).
Quick is 5-0-1 with two shutouts and only 11 goals allowed in six starts.
Lafreniere’s eighth goal was all the offense the Rangers needed to improve to 11-1-1 in their past 13 games.
Pittsburgh went 0 for 5 on the power play and lost for the third time in four games.
Strome lifts surging Capitals in overtime
Dylan Strome scored with 8 seconds left in overtime and the Washington Capitals extended their winning streak to five games with a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
Alex Alexeyev, T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson also scored to help Washington improve to 6-0-1 in its past seven games.
Buffalo took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals by J.J. Peterka and Zach Benson and Dylan Cozens had the other goal as the Sabres lost for the fourth time in five games.
The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired third baseman Eugenio Suarez from the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday in an attempt to bolster a position that lacked power during the team’s run to the World Series last season.
Arizona finished tied for 28th in Major League Baseball in 2023 with only 10 total home runs by its third baseman. Suarez, meanwhile, hit 22 homers of his own for Seattle.
“It adds a little bit of stability at that spot,” Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said. “He’s a guy we’ve liked for a long time.”
Suarez, 32, was a 2018 All-Star for the Cincinnati Reds, who traded him to the Mariners in March 2022.
He’s hit .248 with 246 home runs and 730 RBIs in 1,313 career games for Detroit, Cincinnati and Seattle.
The Mariners acquired reliever Carlos Vargas and catcher Seby Zavala from Arizona, which lost in five games to the Texas Rangers in the World Series after going 84-78 during the regular season.
Naggo Head Primary registered the biggest win as the Institute of Sports’ All-Island Primary Schools netball competition got going beating Southborough Primary 25-0.
Lewis Hamilton contacted Red Bull about driving alongside Max Verstappen for the grid’s all-conquering team, Christian Horner has claimed.
The 38-year-old signed a new two-year contract – understood to be worth £50million a year – in August to extend his stay in Formula One beyond his 40th birthday.
It came amid a season of struggle for Mercedes as Verstappen eased to a third consecutive world title in a dominant Red Bull car.
There was speculation over Hamilton’s future for much of the season and Red Bull team principal Horner has now claimed they received an approach from his representatives before he committed to Mercedes.
Horner also said the seven-time world champion was in dialogue with Ferrari chairman John Elkann.
“We have had several conversations over the years about Lewis joining,” Horner told the Daily Mail.
“They have reached out a few times. Most recently, earlier in the year, there was an inquiry about whether there would be any interest.
“He met John Elkann (Ferrari chairman), too. I think there were serious talks.
“But I can’t see Max and Lewis working out together. The dynamic wouldn’t be right. We are 100 per cent happy with what we have.”
The 2023 F1 season concludes this weekend in Abu Dhabi, where Hamilton was controversially beaten to the drivers’ championship by Verstappen in the final race in 2021.
Hamilton has not won a race in two seasons and will finish third in the standings this year, while the Dutchman is bidding for his 19th win of a record-breaking campaign.
“We want to get back to the top, and back to fighting for world championships. We are in this together,” Hamilton said when his new deal was announced in August.
“We have a lot of work to do, but there is nowhere else I would rather be. You are all stuck with me for a little bit longer.”
Jamaica Squash Association president Karen Anderson says her tenure as regional vice president of the Caribbean for the Federation of Pan-American Squash board, will be used to forge new partnerships, as well as to strengthen to federation's governance structure to drive growth and improve the region's competitiveness in the sport.
Anderson, who is currently serving a second term at the helm of the Jamaica Squash Association, was recently appointed second in command of the Caribbean for the Federation of Pan-American Squash board during an election in Santiago, Chile. Her four-year term began earlier this November.
She welcomes the new position and is ready to stamp her ideas on the association for the betterment of the sport locally and regionally.
"It is a true honour to serve the Caribbean on the Federation of Pan-American Squash board. We shall be directing policy for squash in the region over the next four years which is a great opportunity and great time as Olympics is in that five-year window, so it really will shape and determine the policy for squash in the region," Anderson said.
Anderson is an accomplished squash player, who represented Jamaica up until recently. As a professional player she attained a career high world ranking of number 94 in 2005. She joined the Women's Squash Players Association in the same year. She is a squash coach locally and has guided many players to national and regional representation.
She is currently leading the charge for the Jamaica Squash Association to attain full charitable status and be known as Jamaica Squash, along with an aggressive governance transformation with the expectation of a more robust organization financially and competitively in the region and beyond, to include qualifying players for the 2028 Olympics where squash will feature as a new sport on the schedule.
"It will factor and feature in a number of things such as referring (and) coaching, so we are very excited and looking forward to see how we can forge some partnerships with our other counterparts in the region to really grow and strengthen our governance structure and our competitiveness in the region but on an international scale as well. I am really looking forward to the next four years as regional VP for the Caribbean on the Federation of Pan-American Squash board," Anderson noted.
The only other Jamaican to serve on the Federation of Pan-American Squash board is Douglas Beckford.
Owen Farrell has returned from the World Cup with the hunger to prolong his career for as long as possible.
Farrell led England to a third-place finish in France following an agonising semi-final defeat by South Africa but, unlike a number of his international peer group, the 32-year-old has no intention of looking towards the finishing line.
Ben Youngs, Courtney Lawes and Jonny May played their final Tests at the World Cup, while Dan Cole, Joe Marler, Danny Care and Manu Tuilagi are also close to signing off at the highest level.
But Farrell has raised the possibility that he could still be present for Australia 2027 as England enter a period of rebuilding.
“I love what I do, I’m passionate about it and I don’t see that slowing down any time soon,” the Saracens captain said at the season launch of the Investec Champions Cup at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“I’m unbelievably lucky to do something that I’m really passionate about and I want to play as long as it can if I’m still excited about what I am doing.
“The two go hand in hand because if you’re not excited then you won’t do what you want to do anyway, you won’t play for the teams that you want to play for and you won’t play to the standard that you want to.
“I wouldn’t sit down and set targets. But I also wouldn’t say they are not in the back of my head, quietly.
“I wouldn’t be one to say ‘I have written this down, this down and this down, this is what I want to achieve and this is what I am working for every day’. But they are there in the background.
“The exciting bit is what’s in front of us. Where you can take what you’ve been doing and how to get the best out of yourself. Hopefully there’s loads more of that.”
Farrell’s immediate aim is to help Saracens challenge for silverware on two fronts with the Gallagher Premiership already under way and their Champions Cup opening against the Bulls on December 9.
Saracens have won three European titles, their most recent coming in 2019, and the competition retains a special place in Farrell’s heart.
“When I was still at school and watching the rugby I couldn’t wait for the then Heineken Cup, now the Champions Cup,” the fly-half said.
“You’d sit there on a Friday night, then all day Saturday, all day Sunday, sometimes you didn’t move because there was just big game after big game.
“There is something about European games that make them bigger. These are games that teams look forward to and therefore end up putting their best out there on the field.
“There are a lot more big games, they sell out and the atmosphere changes a bit. I can’t quite put my finger on why but there are some European nights you’ve played in that are memorable.”
A nomination to star colt Paddington is set to be auctioned off at Tattersalls early next month to raise funds for injured jockey Graham Lee.
The Grand National and Ascot Gold Cup-winning rider remains in Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital in Newcastle after suffering serious neck and spinal injuries in a fall on the all-weather two weeks ago.
A JustGiving page set up by Lee’s daughter Amy for the Injured Jockeys Fund recently passed the £150,000 mark – and the Coolmore team are keen to add their support by auctioning a nomination in their top-class three-year-old Paddington before the first ‘Sceptre’ lot at Tattersalls on December 4.
“Our partners Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, George Von Opel and Peter Brant along with everyone here at Coolmore and Ballydoyle wish Graham and his family all the very best,” said Coolmore’s MV Magnier.
Paddington rattled off four straight Group One victories in the space of 68 days earlier this year, landing the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown and the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.
The recently-retired son of Siyouni will stand his first season at Coolmore next year with a stallion fee of €55,000.
Changes to the rules on declaring horses as non-runners could be introduced in 2024, with year’s Epsom Dash used as an example of where stewards could have more discretion.
Four runners in the richly-endowed five-furlong sprint were impeded as their stalls opened fractionally later than the rest of the field, including that of the 6-1 favourite Live In The Moment.
The raceday stewards allowed the result to stand after concluding the four horses’ chances were not “materially impacted” by the issue, but the British Horseracing Authority has subsequently reassessed how non-runners are determined in such circumstances, as well as consulting with various parties.
On a BHA briefing call on Wednesday, director of integrity and regulatory operations Brant Dunshea explained: “We are working through a process of drafting some amendments to the rules that would enable the stewards slightly broader powers to declare a non-runner.
“In the event of the Dash for example, it would empower the stewards under those circumstances to declare the four horses that were unable to start on equal terms with the other runners as non-runners and ensure those who had bet on those runners could receive a refund.
“There is no perfect solution to this, nobody is happy with every decision all of the time, but on balance, shifting closer to the way the international model is framed is the best way of trying to deal with what are complex issues.
“What we are looking to include in the draft amendments are ensuring that where a horse is prevented from starting on equal terms with all other runners, the stewards have the powers to declare such a horse a non-runner and whilst not limiting it to only a very narrow, specific set of circumstances, we wish to include reference in the rule to where a horse’s chances are materially affected.
“We are in the drafting phase, we will write back to all those we engage with and seek their views on where we are heading and look to present any potentials changes to the rules to the BHA rules committee in the early part of next year with a view to implementing any reforms in the summer Flat season.”
The BHA also announced an imminent fourth survey for trainers and stable staff to give their views on improving recruitment, skills and retention of staff, following previous consultation in 2016, 2018 and 2021.
Commissioned by the newly-formed Industry People Board, the survey aims to provides robust data to measure progress of initiatives and identify new issues for employees and employers working on training yards, with the results playing a part in defining the strategy of the newly-formed group, which is leading the development of racing’s long-term plan for its workforce.
Neil Hayward is chairman of the IPB and he underlined ongoing work in relation to Dr Eleanor Boden’s 2021 Racing Foundation conference talk entitled ‘Where did all the girls go?’, which detailed what it said were incidences of unacceptable behaviour towards women in the sport.
A code of conduct was introduced by the BHA in September 2022, but Hayward is anticipating further developments in that area.
He said: “It was the sort of report that once seen could not be unseen and the conclusion I reached was that it needed a really firm steer from the Industry People Board and action.
“I took that report with Eleanor to the BHA board in the summer and since then Lucy (Attwood of the IPB) and team and Greg (Swift, BHA’s director of communications and public affairs) and team have been working on the launch of an industry-wide commitment and action plan and I’m expecting that to be discussed and agreed and launched sometime very soon, if not at the December 13 IPB it will be around or just after Christmas.
“I can only reassure you that actually I see this as being at the heart of one of the things we have to do to improve how our sport actually is at the grassroots level.
“We want people to be good employers, we want to provide them with support on being the best employers they can be and we want this to be a safe place to work for young people and all people in our sport.
“I know there’s a lot of work going on in the safeguarding space that is wrapped up into this too to create an integrated, joined up BHA-wide approach.”
Keith Donoghue will maintain the partnership with Flooring Porter when he heads to Punchestown for the Liam & Valerie Brennan Florida Pearl Novice Chase on Saturday.
Gavin Cromwell’s dual Stayers’ Hurdle hero made the perfect switch to fences at Cheltenham last month, readily beating Broadway Boy who gave the form a really strong boost when scoring at Prestbury Park last weekend.
He is now being prepared to go right-handed for the first time in over two years when he makes a long-awaited return to Punchestown for Grade Two action over three miles and the chance to confirm himself as a leading player in the staying novice chase division.
“He’s in great shape and we’re looking forward to getting him out,” said Cromwell.
“It is obviously his first time going right-handed since he ran in Punchestown in the Stayers’ Hurdle the year he won his first Stayers’ at Cheltenham.
“He’s a lot more mature now and hopefully an easier ride. It’s on the chase track at Punchestown and we know it’s a true track.
“If we’re ever going to try it, I think we should try it now. We can still go to Leopardstown at Christmas and it looks an obvious race.”
Flooring Porter was masterfully ridden in his two Cheltenham Festival victories by Danny Mullins, but steering duties for his chasing bow back in Gloucestershire belonged to Donoghue who, as a key part of the Cromwell operation, will retain the ride on the handler’s stable star.
“Keith will ride him and has done all the schooling on him,” continued Cromwell.
“Danny has had a great association with the horse, but Keith is in almost all the time. It was a difficult phone call to make to Danny and touch wood nothing happens to Keith.”
Katie Taylor is looking forward to “rectifying things” ahead of her highly-anticipated rematch with Chantelle Cameron in Dublin on Saturday night.
The Bray fighter was handed her first-ever professional defeat back in May by a majority decision as Cameron successfully defended her undisputed light-welterweight belts.
The build-up to Saturday’s showdown at the 3Arena saw both fighters take part in a public workout at the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre on Wednesday, where Taylor admitted preparations have felt “very different” ahead of a “must-win fight”.
She told Matchroom: “I didn’t get things going my way the last time and this is a must-win fight for me, it’s all business this week for me. It’s certainly very different this week than it was the last time, so I’m just excited to step in there.
“I just didn’t feel myself (during the first fight with Cameron), I think everybody who’s watched the fight knew I wasn’t myself on the night. It’s just a bit of a flat performance really, just one of those nights.
“No other fight made sense for me, after that last fight straight away we said we wanted a rematch and thank God I had this opportunity for a rematch now, not every fighter has this opportunity.
“I’m so grateful and have a chance to rectify things on Saturday night, I can’t wait.
“I think when I’m at my best nobody can beat me, that’s it.”
May’s defeat ended Taylor’s perfect record of 22 consecutive victories in the ring as Cameron went the distance across 10 rounds to retain her WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO light-welterweight titles.
The Northampton fighter had expressed a desire to move down to 135lbs and challenge Taylor’s status as undisputed world lightweight champion, but the rematch will stay at 140lbs.
Victory against Taylor moved Cameron to a 18-0 record and she believes she is in a “good place” ahead of Saturday’s bout.
“I’m feeling full of confidence, obviously been there done that in May and now I’m coming back here having had a taste of what it’s all about,” Cameron said.
“I know I’ve put all the work in, done everything that’s been asked of me and I feel I’m stronger than I’ve ever been. I’m in a good place and no matter what happens Saturday night I know I’ve got no excuses, I’m the best version I can be.
“All that changes is Katie’s going to come in desperate to get that revenge and I’m coming in knowing that I can beat her and I beat her not on my best night either.
“I’m coming in there full of confidence knowing it’s going to be a more convincing win for me. The blueprint is there but I’m going to make sure it’s better this time, I didn’t box at my best.”
Love Envoi could make her seasonal debut against Constitution Hill, as the BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle is considered by connections.
Harry Fry’s mare is an eight-time winner who landed the 2022 Dawn Run at the Cheltenham Festival at the height of an unbeaten run that lasted until the final start of her novice season.
Last term she stepped into open company and held her own, winning a handicap and then a Listed event at Sandown before going down by a length and a half when beaten by Honeysuckle in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle at the Festival this year.
Her final run was an uncharacteristic beaten effort in the Mares Champion Hurdle at Punchestown, but an injury later proved to be the cause of that disappointment – which was the first time she had been out of the top two in her life.
The issue has left her a little late in her preparation for this season but she is faring well at home and if Fry is content she will return to action at the highest level in a race that is also the likely destination of Nicky Henderson’s superstar.
“Harry’s very happy with her, the plan was always to look at the Fighting Fifth,” said Noel Fehily of owners Noel Fehily Racing Syndicates.
“She’s not guaranteed to go there, depending on how she’s training up to the time of the race, but if Harry’s happy with her she’ll go.
“If not she probably won’t start under after Christmas because there’s not a lot else for her. We will be looking at the Fighting Fifth closely until the last minute and we will see how she’s working.”
On the possibility of facing the unbeaten Constitution Hill, he added: “With the mares’ allowance she’d be the next best thing I suppose, it’d be a lovely place to go and start but she did have a hold up.
“She was late coming into training but if Harry feels she’s ready to go then she’ll go.”
Fehily’s syndicate could have another good hurdler ready to climb the ranks this season in Insurrection, trained by Paul Nicholls to an easy eight-and-a-half-length novice hurdle victory when seen for the first time this season at Exeter recently.
The Formby Novices’ Hurdle, previously known at the Tolworth, could possibly beckon at Aintree on Boxing Day.
“He’s a lovely horse, we were really happy with him at Exeter the other day,” Fehily said.
“He’ll go for another novice hurdle somewhere, I spoke to Paul the other day and he hadn’t made up his mind on where’ll we’ll go with him but we will be running in a novice hurdle in the next couple of weeks.”
Of heading for Aintree, Fehily said: “Quite possibly, whether Paul goes straight for a race like that or whether he goes at a lower level under a penalty, I’m not sure yet.
“He’s a lovely horse, a chaser in the making, we loved him when we bought him and I’m glad he’s living up to expectations.”
Letsbeclearaboutit and Encanto Bruno are being readied to bid for Grade One honours at the Bar One Fairyhouse Winter Festival.
Formerly a high-class performer in bumpers and novice hurdles, Letsbeclearaboutit has enjoyed a flying start to his career over fences – impressing on his chasing debut at Gowran Park before dominating his rivals in Grade Three company at Cork.
Gavin Cromwell’s charge will step up to the highest level for the hat-trick bid, with the Bar One Racing Drinmore Novice Chase on December 3 next in his sights.
“He came out of Cork great, it was a good run and he jumped very well, so touch wood we get him to Fairyhouse,” Cromwell said at a press morning at his County Meath base on Wednesday morning.
“He looks like a chaser and I suppose maybe with hindsight we should have gone chasing with him last year, but it is what it is.
“He missed a season with injury after his bumper year and there’s not that many miles on the clock. Hopefully there’s still plenty of good races to be had.
“He’s taken to fences so well you’d have to be optimistic.”
Letsbeclearaboutit could be joined in the Drinmore line-up by his stablemate Perceval Legallois.
The JP McManus-owned gelding made a successful fencing bow at Galway before falling three from home when still a threat to Letsbeclearaboutit at Cork.
Cromwell added: “He could run in the Drinmore as well. Obviously I will have a chat with connections, with Frank (Berry) and JP, but he could run.
“He was running a big race in Cork, it was too far out to call, but he wasn’t finished with.”
Encanto Bruno is the stable’s big hope in the Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle on the same card.
Formerly trained by John McConnell, the five-year-old made an impressive debut for Cromwell at Cheltenham last month and connections are looking forward to raising his sights on home soil.
“He will run in the Royal Bond, all being well. I hope the ground doesn’t get too soft, but so long as it doesn’t get bottomless heavy we’ll give it a go,” said Cromwell.
“He’s very quick over his hurdles in Cheltenham, which I couldn’t believe, as he doesn’t show that type of speed at home.
“He obviously stays well, having won over two-and-a-half, and he has a bit of experience.”
Cromwell also has previous Fairyhouse scorer Redstone in the Royal Bond, but he is unlikely to line up.
“It might just be a step too far. He’s a big horse I like him and if I give him a chance he could be a good horse, but I don’t want to overface him yet,” Cromwell added.
Michael Bell has paid tribute to Hayley Turner after she hit a milestone tally of 1,000 career winners at Chelmsford on Tuesday night.
Turner rode David Simcock’s Tradesman to victory to tip the count to 1,000, fittingly sporting the Khalifa Dasmal silks she wore when she landed her first Group One success aboard Dream Ahead in the July Cup in 2011.
Simcock has championed her throughout her career and so too has fellow Newmarket trainer Bell, with Turner apprenticed at his yard as a teenager before sharing the 2005 champion apprentice title with Saleem Golam.
He said of her milestone victory: “It’s a huge personal achievement, she’s a credit to her profession and in many ways has been a role model and pathfinder for all female jockeys. She set the standards they aspire to.
“She came to me aged 18 or 19 having ridden one winner and it was pretty obvious looking at her ride that she had some natural ability.
“At that stage I had to work quite hard to get owners to use her, but very soon her talent shone through and my job became pretty easy after she was riding bucketfuls of winners for us.”
Turner enjoyed a notable association with Bell’s top sprint filly Margot Did, with the duo contesting valuable five-furlong contests and landing the Nunthorpe at York together, just a month on from Dream Ahead’s July Cup win.
“She rode her in all her races, she’d already won the July Cup by that stage so that was two Group Ones in the space of a month. I think she then won a Group One in America the next autumn for David Simcock so she was on an absolute roll by then,” Bell added.
Bell also noted that Turner has shown plenty of resilience to go with her talent as her career has recovered from two major injuries, one of which caused a decision to retire in 2015 that was later rescinded.
He said: “Don’t forget Hayley also had a sabbatical, or a retirement, and a couple of injuries that would have finished most people off. A head injury back in the day when she missed a year, and also that awful injury in the Park Hill, she then subsequently retired for another year.
“She probably missed at least two years riding through injury and it’s testament to her strength of character and fitness level that she’s lasted so long and been so successful.”
Connections are confident that both Inthepocket and Fact To File have a bright future over fences following their respective chasing bows at Navan over the weekend.
Both novices are owned by JP McManus and rate as exciting prospects for the season ahead having advertised high-class potential last term.
Stepping out over the larger obstacles for the first time Inthepocket faced an old foe from his novice hurdling days, with Facile Vega proving too hot to handle, while Fact To File bumped into a rejuvenated American Mike having skipped timber and sent straight over fences following a year in bumpers.
“We were very happy with both horses and both will learn a little bit for their outing,” said McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry.
“They were both beaten by two very good horses and you would have to be very happy with the way they jumped and hopefully they will learn a bit from it.”
The duo will remain in the calm waters as they search a first victory over fences, with Berry indicating there is always plenty of depth in the Irish novice chasing ranks, and there will be ample opportunities to raise sights later in the campaign.
He continued: “We were very pleased with them both and we’ll see where they go in a couple of weeks. We have no plans, they have both come out of their races OK, will have a couple of weeks and wherever there is a beginners chase, they will probably go there.
“I would have thought that would be the natural thing to do with them.
“The novice and beginners chases here are always hot and there are always three or four good horses in them. It was the same at the weekend, they are good races and you hope the horses learn a bit from the experience.”
The Henry de Bromhead-trained Inthepocket began his chasing career at the two-mile distance he tasted Grade One success over at Aintree in the spring and although he has a Grade Two victory over further to his name, the McManus team seem in little rush to step up in trip just yet.
Berry said: “We will probably stick to two miles for the time being, it will depend on where the races crop up. He can definitely go two-and-a-half, but I would say if the races are there he will stick to the two miles.
Meanwhile, Fact To File fell just short in providing his trainer Willie Mullins with yet another Champion Bumper victory at Prestbury Park in the spring and was sent off at odds-on to make a successful chasing debut over two-and-a-half miles.
It is a distance he thrived over at Leopardstown during his bumper season, but Berry suggested there would be no qualms about dropping back in trip if required.
“I would say he is happy at that trip, but if he had to come back to two miles that wouldn’t be a problem,” he added.
“It’s where we can find the races for them here, there are so many good races around, I would say he will either stick to two-and-a-half or two.”
With ground conditions drying out ahead of Saturday’s 1965 Chase, Dashel Drasher looks set to sidestep the Ascot feature and instead head to Newbury next weekend.
Jeremy Scott’s stable star won the Grade One Ascot Chase two years ago and is a four-time winner from six starts at the Berkshire circuit overall.
Following a satisfactory comeback run when third over hurdles at Wetherby earlier in the month, Scott was keen to send his charge back over the larger obstacles on Saturday – but unsuitable ground, coupled with the likely presence of the brilliant Shishkin, has led to the trainer having a change of heart.
He said: “We’ll have to see what the ground does, but it doesn’t look like there’s much rain around. I think running him over fences, I’d rather be running on the slow side of good and not end up on good ground. That would be our thinking at the moment.
“It’s been so wet and now there’s no rain around. My concern is we end up with a month or six weeks of dry weather, which we’re kind of due, and it will mess all our plans up – but there we are, we can’t do anything about the weather, can we?”
Considering alternative plans, Scott added: “We have Newbury next weekend, where we could run in the hurdle (Long Distance Hurdle). The other thing is it’s actually only three weeks since he ran, so it wouldn’t hurt if we waited another week anyway.
“I was desperately keen to run over fences, but the ground has got to be right, and it’s not helped by Shishkin running either.
“All of these things come into it, but I was keen to run over fences because I think he’s got more to give over fences. The trouble is, after this race on Saturday, you’ve got nothing else other than handicaps until after Christmas.”
Kelly Oubre Jr will soon be back in contention for the Philadelphia 76ers, Nick Nurse has said.
Oubre was struck by a car earlier in November, suffering a fractured rib.
However, he returned to practice earlier this week, and before the Sixers' loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday, Nurse said there is a chance Oubre might return as early as next week.
"Yeah, there might be a chance," Nurse said.
"I think we're still at a stage where we're not sure how he's going to handle the contact part of it.
"He was in good spirits on Monday. He was pretty energetic.
"I think that's going to determine it. Like if he handles that, kind of first time out OK, I think we're close to that week timeline. If he doesn't, then we're going to be pushing some more days on that. Hopefully days, and not weeks on that."
Joel Embiid scored 32 points and Tyrese Maxey chipped in with 30 for the Sixers in the loss to Cleveland, with Philadelphia having lost three of their last five games.
"We raised our level of play in the second half and gave ourselves a chance," said Nurse. "It just didn't work out."
Anthony Honeyball could target a familiar race for the yard as he plots the next move for Badger Beer Chase winner Blackjack Magic.
The eight-year-old made his seasonal debut in the Wincanton contest, returning to action after winning twice from four runs last term.
Under Rex Dingle he was a 5-1 chance and ran a fluent race, gaining ground at every obstacle and pulling away to defeat Paul Nicholls’ Threeunderthrufive by three lengths.
Either Cheltenham or Ascot could be the scene of his next run, with Honeyball particularly keen on the Howden Silver Cup – a race twice won by his now-retired stable stalwart Regal Encore.
He said: “There are a few options running up to Christmas, we want to give him plenty of time after that run, so we’re looking at December 16 at Cheltenham.
“There’s a three-mile-two (furlong) £100,000 handicap chase, I think it’s a new race actually.
“Probably the race I favour the most is the race Regal Encore won for us twice, which is on December 23 at Ascot and is another £100,000 chase.
“I’m not sure how important it is for him to go right-handed but it is right-handed, Ascot takes a lot of jumping and his jumping seemed to be what was really winning him the race at Wincanton.
“He travelled well and jumped well and I think you’d have to do that around Ascot, especially when they start down at the three-mile start.
“It’s a race we’ve watched plenty of times with Regal Encore and we think it might suit him.
“It deserves a big field but from our point of view we hope it’ll cut up a bit and we can go there, we might have a look at Cheltenham along the way but the temptation would be to wait for Ascot on the 23rd.”
Honeyball will have to be a little more patient when it comes to the next outing for runaway bumper winner Crest Of Glory, who has sustained an injury that will see him miss the season.
The four-year-old made a highly impressive start to his life as a racehorse when winning the Goffs UK Spring Sale Bumper by 15 lengths at Newbury in March.
A tendon strain halted his progress as he was being prepared to make a seasonal debut, but the gelding is sound and will be given ample time to recover.
“He won’t be back until next season. He was all schooled up and we were making a decision as to whether to go for a Cheltenham Listed bumper or the maiden hurdle route, we were at a little bit of a crossroads with him and then he got a tendon strain,” Honeyball said.
“He’s fine now, he’s a sound as a pound, he must be wondering why the hell he isn’t galloping but he’s still got a little bit of shape to his tendon.
“We’re doing everything we can to treat it and I’d say he’d be back cantering this time next year, he’ll be running in a maiden hurdle in December or January.
“We hope that he develops into an Albert Bartlett horse for the Festival, I don’t think that’s crazy talk. He annihilated them and he didn’t really come out of third gear.
“He’s a galloper and very much an Albert Bartlett-type horse, but this season he wouldn’t have been strong enough to do that. I’m not going to call it a blessing in disguise – it’s still very disappointing – but this season he was always going to be a boy and next season he will really be a man.
“We need to get it right, take it on the chin and give him all the time he needs.”
Darvin Ham celebrated a "great step in the right direction" for the Los Angeles Lakers as they secured their place in the quarterfinals of the NBA's in-season tournament.
Anthony Davis had a double-double of 26 points and 16 rebounds, while LeBron James contributed 17 points to tick over 39,000 for his career, in Tuesday's 131-99 win over the Utah Jazz.
That victory moved the Lakers to 4-0 for the in-season tournament, as they sealed their progression from the group having defeated the Jazz, the Phoenix Suns, the Memphis Grizzlies and the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Lakers are now guaranteed a home quarterfinal on either December 4 or 5.
"A great, great step in the right direction in us not only securing anything for the in-season tournament but just us coming together and constantly trying to get better at being together and playing the right way," said coach Ham.
There is plenty on the line in the latter stages of the tournament. Each player who makes it to the semi-final stage is guaranteed $100,000. The players on the team that finishes runner-up will get $200,000 each, while the winning team will be entitled to $500,000 per player.
"It's not a run-of-the-mill regular-season game," Ham added.
"They're well aware. That purse is pretty attractive. Guys like money. Not like it, they love it. That incentive right there, it's huge."
For Davis, a home tie is the biggest bonus first and foremost.
"Being home and able to sleep in our beds, not having to travel, that's always good when you play well at home," he said.
"Kind of a rocky start on the road so this helps us out, having our fans behind us. But it feels good. One step closer to winning the cup."
The Indiana Pacers also booked their place in the last eight, with Tyrese Haliburton scoring 37 points and providing 16 assists in a 157-152 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
"It is exciting," Haliburton said of advancing to the quarterfinals. "We are the first team to clinch, and we are ready to go.
"We have a few more games before the quarterfinals, so we want to take care of what is in front of us first, but we want to win the championship, of course. It would be awesome."
Ronnie O’Sullivan has warned he will quit snooker if he is restricted from playing in China.
Exhibition events in the Far East are becoming increasingly lucrative, but often clash with World Snooker Tour events. O’Sullivan and other UK-based players are contracted to play in WST tournaments and could face sanctions if they miss events to play overseas.
The seven-time world champion says the sport is at a “crossroads”.
O’Sullivan said in an interview with the BBC to promote his new documentary: “If I can’t go and do what I need to do, which is play a lot in China, I won’t ever play again. So, we’re at a kind of crossroads now.
“If that gets to the point where I’m not able to do that, I’m not allowed to do that, I probably won’t play. I’ll probably go and play Chinese 8-Ball because I still want to play snooker, I still want a cue in my hand.
“There’s just not enough here in the UK for me to justify the effort that I put in.
“If someone’s going to respect me and value me more, why would I not go there? It’s like being in an unhealthy relationship with someone, why would you be in that?
“I’d love to be able to just keep playing snooker for the next five, six, seven, eight years, but if I’m going to be forced into a situation where that’s not possible, then I’m not going to just accept whatever 132 players do, which is to go and play tournament after tournament, week in, week out.”
O’Sullivan has famously derided the standard on the WST in the past, suggesting he would need to lose a limb to drop down the rankings.
He still adopts that stance, claiming he is “revolted” by mediocrity.
“I don’t think it’s very hard to be a top-16 snooker player. I could probably get away with playing once a week for two or three hours a day,” O’Sullivan, 47, added.
“I find it hard to put myself in their shoes because I was in their shoes and I didn’t accept top 50 as OK.
“I’m not a great lover for mediocrity… I find it quite revolting in some ways, when I see people accepting that. That’s why I don’t hang around snooker people at venues because I just don’t like seeing it.
“I don’t think there’s enough good matches. I think there’s a lot of players that people don’t know, that don’t play the game in the right way.”
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