Paul Townend is relishing the prospect of being reunited with Galopin Des Champs this weekend, when the Cheltenham Gold Cup hero bids for back-to-back victories in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.

The Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old kicked off a tremendous campaign with victory in the two-and-a-half-mile Grade One last season before going on to lift the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown and the blue riband at Prestbury Park in March.

He suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Martin Brassil’s Fastorslow on his final start of the campaign in the Punchestown Gold Cup – and the pair are set to renew rivalry in the feature event on day two of the new-look Winter Festival in County Kildare.

“I’m looking forward to Galopin Des Champs, every day you get to get up on a Gold Cup winner is a brilliant day and they’re the type of horses we wall want,” said Townend.

“He takes on Fastorslow, which won’t be an easy task. He beat us here at the Festival, so we’ll have to try to get our own back on him.”

Galopin Des Champs and Fastorslow are two of nine horses in contention for the John Durkan, with Mullins also responsible for Appreciate It, Asterion Forlonge, Blue Lord and Stattler.

Gordon Elliott’s pair of Conflated and Farouk D’alene, and French Dynamite from Mouse Morris’ yard, complete the potential field.

Mullins and Elliott are the only two trainers represented in Saturday’s main event, the Unibet Morgiana Hurdle.

State Man provided Mullins with a ninth win in the last 10 years when successful 12 months ago and is in the mix once again alongside stablemates Impaire Et Passe, Ashroe Diamond and Echoes In Rain.

Townend, who will presumably be on the stable’s first string, added: “It’s the most exciting time of year – none of them have been beaten yet (this season)!

“It’s a joy to go into Willie’s and look at the board and see the names. There’s a lot of big names from last year and a lot of new horses there – we’re trying to find the next superstar at this time of year.”

The Elliott trio of Fils D’oudairies, Irish Point and Pied Piper are the other Morgiana hopefuls.

He is likely to run at least two of the three, and said: “Pied Piper will go for the Morgiana. He’s hard to place but we’ll have a go. He’s in good form and he’s had his good run on the Flat the last day.

“I’ll probably run Fils D’oudairies as well. On ratings he has a lot to find, but it could be only a three- or four-runner race.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers fired offensive coordinator Matt Canada on Tuesday following another dismal performance in Week 11 against the Cleveland Browns.

“Matt Canada has been relieved of his duties as offensive coordinator,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said in a statement.

“I appreciate Matt’s hard work and dedication, and I wish him the best moving forward in his career.”

The Steelers were held to 10 points or less for the fourth time in 10 games this season in a 13-10 loss at Cleveland on Sunday that dropped Pittsburgh to 6-4.

The Baltimore Ravens (8-3) are in first place in the tightly contested AFC North, with Cleveland (7-3) sitting in second and the Cincinnati Bengals (5-5) right behind the Steelers.

Canada was hired as Pittsburgh’s quarterbacks coach in January 2020 and then promoted to offensive coordinator after the 2020 season.

In 44 games since, the Steelers are 28th in the NFL in both yards per game (310.1) and points per game (18.6).

Pittsburgh also ranks 28th this season in yards (280.1) and points (16.6).

In Sunday’s crucial visit to Cleveland, the Steelers totalled 249 net yards – including only 77 net passing.

Kenny Pickett, the 20th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, has passed for just 465 yards and one touchdown in Pittsburgh’s last four games.

Pickett’s 75.3 passer rating over that four-week stretch is the fifth worst in the NFL among qualifying quarterbacks.

Quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan and running backs coach Eddie Faulkner reportedly will share duties as Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator when the Steelers visit the Bengals this Sunday.

While it may be stressful training the best National Hunt horse around, Constitution Hill himself continues to astound Nicky Henderson with just how relaxed he is.

Henderson has repeatedly stated that one of the major weapons in his armoury is his laid-back nature, and he certainly wastes no energy at Seven Barrows.

Just like the perfect racehorse, though, he comes alive on the track and although it can be hard to gauge just where he is at on the gallops, so far Henderson has got it right.

He has enjoyed two blemish-free seasons, with three wins as a novice and four last year which started out in Newcastle’s Betmgm Fighting Fifth Hurdle – and he will go down the same route this season starting on Saturday week.

“Constitution Hill is fine. He’s asleep in his box. He’s all set for Newcastle,” said Henderson at Newbury on Tuesday morning.

But Henderson did have less positive news on Champ, who had been aimed at Newbury’s Long Distance Hurdle next week.

He unfortunately will have to miss that engagement due to a setback.

“One who is on hold is Champ who has a trapped epiglottis and won’t be ready for Newbury,” said Henderson.

Paul Townend is relishing the prospect of being reunited with Galopin Des Champs this weekend, when the Cheltenham Gold Cup hero bids for back-to-back victories in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.

The Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old kicked off a tremendous campaign with victory in the two-and-a-half-mile Grade One last season before going on to lift the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown and the blue riband at Prestbury Park in March.

He suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Martin Brassil’s Fastorslow on his final start of the campaign in the Punchestown Gold Cup – and the pair are set to renew rivalry in the feature event on day two of the new-look Winter Festival in County Kildare.

“I’m looking forward to Galopin Des Champs, every day you get to get up on a Gold Cup winner is a brilliant day and they’re the type of horses we wall want,” said Townend.

“He takes on Fastorslow, which won’t be an easy task. He beat us here at the Festival, so we’ll have to try to get our own back on him.”

Galopin Des Champs and Fastorslow are two of nine horses in contention for the John Durkan, with Mullins also responsible for Appreciate It, Asterion Forlonge, Blue Lord and Stattler.

Gordon Elliott’s pair of Conflated and Farouk D’alene, and French Dynamite from Mouse Morris’ yard, complete the potential field.

Mullins and Elliott are the only two trainers represented in Saturday’s main event, the Unibet Morgiana Hurdle.

State Man provided Mullins with a ninth win in the last 10 years when successful 12 months ago and is in the mix once again alongside stablemates Impaire Et Passe, Ashroe Diamond and Echoes In Rain.

Townend, who will presumably be on the stable’s first string, added: “It’s the most exciting time of year – none of them have been beaten yet (this season)!

“It’s a joy to go into Willie’s and look at the board and see the names. There’s a lot of big names from last year and a lot of new horses there – we’re trying to find the next superstar at this time of year.”

The Elliott trio of Fils D’oudairies, Irish Point and Pied Piper are the other Morgiana hopefuls.

He is likely to run at least two of the three, and said: “Pied Piper will go for the Morgiana. He’s hard to place but we’ll have a go. He’s in good form and he’s had his good run on the Flat the last day.

“I’ll probably run Fils D’oudairies as well. On ratings he has a lot to find, but it could be only a three- or four-runner race.”

Patrick Neville remains keen on a crack at the King George VI Chase with The Real Whacker after his stable star finished lame on his seasonal reappearance at Cheltenham on Saturday.

Having completed a hat-trick at Prestbury Park when narrowly outpointing Gerri Colombe in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Festival in March, the seven-year-old returned to the Cotswolds for the Paddy Power Gold Cup and was among the leading fancies, despite carrying top-weight of 12st.

But after matching strides with the eventual winner Stage Star for much of the two-and-a-half-mile-journey, The Real Whacker weakened out of contention before the home turn and was eventually pulled up by Sam Twiston-Davies, after which his injury was discovered.

“He got a dirty overreach – he’s OK, but he was a small bit lame after it,” said Neville.

“Sam said he was travelling fierce well and then he realised something was amiss so he stopped and pulled up and looked after him.

“The vet checked him over yesterday morning, he’s fine and was on the water treadmill this morning, so we’ll roll on now for the King George.”

The Real Whacker is a 33-1 shot for Kempton’s Boxing Day highlight, but Neville is confident he can put his comeback run behind him and be back to his best for his festive outing.

He added: “It could have been a lot worse, we knew something was amiss and Sam minded him.

“We’ve got a run into him now and we knew whatever happened he’d improve for the run. We’ve got that over and done with, so we’ll move on and get him ready for Christmas.

“He’ll be big price I’m sure, but I don’t mind.”

Ben Earl will be available for the start of England’s Six Nations campaign after Saracens received a positive update on his knee problem.

Earl sustained the injury to his right leg during the warm-up for Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership victory over Harlequins and left The Stoop on crutches, raising concerns that he might be facing a lengthy spell out.

But a scan has revealed medial meniscus damage which has now been repaired and England’s star of the recent World Cup should be back in action for Saracens in January.

“Ben had a minor knee procedure this morning. We anticipate he’ll be out for between four to six weeks. Overall I think that would be a good result,” director of rugby Mark McCall said.

Michael Malone quipped that Nikola Jokic was purely out to defend him after the Denver Nuggets pair were ejected from Monday's game against the Detroit Pistons.

Two-time NBA MVP Jokic and Nuggets head coach Malone were both ejected in the first quarter of Denver's 107-103 win over the struggling Pistons, who have now lost 12 straight games.

Jokic was called for a technical foul for arguing with the officials, before he was tossed for arguing another call in the final two minutes of the quarter.

Malone, meanwhile, was ejected because he went onto the court to dispute a decision.

"I think Nikola was worried about my welfare," Malone joked.

"It is tough to watch a game on TV – we were hugging on good plays and I was cursing in Serbian on the bad ones."

Denver are second in the Western Conference with a 10-4 record for the season.

John McConnell’s Mahler Mission will aim to become just the second winner of the Coral Gold Cup trained in Ireland since 1980 when he lines up at Newbury on Saturday week.

When Michael O’Brien’s Bright Highway took the spoils that year it would have been long odds on it taking so long before another from the Emerald Isle was successful.

Willie Mullins’ Be My Royal did cross the line first in 2002 but was subsequently disqualified for testing positive for a banned substance before Mullins eventually won the contest with Total Recall in 2017.

Mahler Mission still held every chance at Cheltenham in the National Hunt Chase when coming down two out and made a pleasing comeback at Carlisle over a distance shy of his best.

“He put in an exhibition of jumping at Carlisle over a trip that was too short for him. He’s a very good jumper and was getting tired when he fell at Cheltenham,” said McConnell.

“Ben (Harvey) will be on him. He knows him and gets on with him. We’re looking forward to going for the Coral with a live chance.

“Ben has grown up with me he started when he was 15. He did so well as a conditional. He has a good clock in his head.

“He’s a big horse with a lovely racing weight (10st 10lb). We were always going to go for one of the big handicap chases. This one is a valuable pot run at a lovely track which offers a fair playing field. Physically he looks as good as he’s ever looked. He’s not pretty, but he’s starting to fill out into his frame now.”

Also at the head of the market is Paul Nicholls’ Complete Unknown who teed himself up for a crack at this when beating Might I at Newton Abbot in October having chased home Gerri Colombe at Aintree in a Grade One last spring.

“Complete Unknown has had a good prep and will be our only runner in the Coral,” said the champion trainer, on hand at Newbury to watch several of his horses go through their paces.

“He’s been trained for the race and the big galloping track will suit him. He’s had a breathing operation which has helped him, and the softer it is the better.”

Nicholls also had an update on one of his big hopes for the season, Hermes Allen, who is going novice chasing.

He said: “Hermes Allen had a setback with a stone bruise and missed three weeks. This day out will have tightened him up a bit and he could possibly run in the John Francome next week.”

Jonjo O’Neill won the race three years ago with Cloth Cap and appears to have another live contender in Monbeg Genuis based on his Cheltenham run.

He finished third behind subsequent Grand National winner Corach Rambler and Punchestown Gold Cup hero Fastorslow but he pulled up at Ascot on his comeback.

“I’m very happy with Monbeg Genius. The plan is to come here and he looks the right type for the race. He’s a good stayer and a strong galloper and everything looks right. If he puts in the performance he did in the Ultima he’s in with every chance,” said O’Neill.

Harry Cobden is looking to Ascot and Pic D’Orhy to provide him with the perfect consolation for having to miss out on Bravemansgame in the Betfair Chase.

Cobden is the stable jockey for Paul Nicholls and has ridden Bravemansgame in all of his starts under rules, but with a full book of rides awaiting him at Ascot it is Daryl Jacob who will get the leg-up at Haydock.

The main draw at Ascot is Pic D’Orhy, a Grade One winner at Aintree last time out who is entered in the Grade Two 1965 Chase alongside Nicky Henderson’s Shishkin.

“Obviously I’m disappointed not to be riding the best horse in the yard in Bravemansgame, but you’ve got to do what is right for the yard and the owners,” said the jockey, speaking in his blog for Planet Sport Bet.

“I’m sure he’ll run really well on Saturday and while I’d love to be on him, I’ve got some great rides at Ascot too. Pic D’Orhy is a class horse in his own right and I can’t wait to ride him.

“He won the Melling Chase at Aintree last season, so we know he’s top class. It looks like Shishkin is going to take us on and he’s obviously a very good horse in his own right.

“It’s a bit of rematch as he got the better of us in the race last year, but I do know Paul has been getting lots of work into Pic D’Orhy and he’ll be ready to rock and roll on Saturday.

“Of course it will be a tough race, and we’ll need to put in a career best to beat him, but it’s definitely possible and we’re looking forward to it. It should be a great race.

Nicholls was at the Newbury gallops morning on Tuesday and reiterated the decision was simply a result of the clash in meetings and nothing more significant.

“Harry is going to Ascot to ride Pic D’Orhy who had such a good season last year from which I hope he’s improved further,” he said.

“The bottom line is that Harry can’t be in two places at the same time.

“When there is more than one big meeting on a Saturday you have to plan but you also need someone to be first reserve and Daryl has been riding out for us.

“I see it’s a small field for the Betfair and we are better off running then being stuck in our stable.”

It is 10 years since Triolo D’Alene provided Nicky Henderson with his third victory in what is now the Coral Gold Cup – but in Dusart the Seven Barrows handler believes he has another live contender.

Triolo D’Alene was a second success in as many years for Henderson, following on from subsequent Gold Cup winner Bobs Worth, with Trabolgan in 2005 being his first winner.

Dusart has always been highly regarded and won three of his first four outings over fences, but he only ran three times last season, without success. He was one of four stablemates galloping at Newbury on Tuesday.

“Dusart did it well enough this morning and has had a nice away day like Jonbon, who came here the other day, he walked round the paddock and went home,” said Henderson.

“He’s been here before and is a good horse. The Coral has always been the plan and he would benefit from some decent ground.

“He had all sorts go wrong last season and was travelling beautifully when being brought down in the Scottish National.”

It is a fixture Henderson always targets and it is likely to see Under Control reappear, the four-year-old filly beating stablemate and Greatwood Hurdle winner Iberico Lord at Sandown when last seen. Marie’s Rock is another due to be in action.

“Under Control will run in the Gerry Feilden here on Saturday week. She needed to do something and is marginally straighter than Marie’s Rock,” said Henderson.

“She’s not something that hits you as being gorgeous, but she’s an absolute poppet. She’s talented and her form is strong.

“Marie’s Rock runs here in the three-miler (Long Distance Hurdle) and she will go in anything. It will be nice though to get some nice ground. It was pretty soft under the rail this morning. Nico (de Boinville) is very pleased with her.”

One horse from the yard who is garnering plenty of talk is new recruit Jeriko Du Reponet and he is another likely runner at the meeting, along with Willmount, a winner at Newbury first time out for Henderson having looked smart in bumpers with Neil Mulholland.

“Jeriko Du Reponet won a point in Northern Ireland. He’s never done anything before today,” said Henderson.

“Last night I needed a fourth horse to bring and he fell into place. He’d never had an away day, but I wanted to see if he might be ready for Newbury.

“Willmount is an exciting one who won well here and could come back. He’s quite exciting.”

Multiple Grade One winner Thyme Hill has died after suffering a fatal injury on the gallops.

The nine-year-old won three times at the highest level for Philip Hobbs – landing the 2019 Challow Hurdle, the 2021 Aintree Hurdle and the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton last Christmas.

Having finished fourth on his seasonal reappearance at Wetherby earlier this month, Thyme Hill was being readied for the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury on Friday week – a race in which he beat Paisley Park three years ago – but his connections are now mourning the loss of a stable stalwart.

Johnson White, who joined Hobbs on the training licence earlier this year, said: “It’s very sad for the whole yard. He’s been phenomenal for some lovely owners and has taken them on a fantastic journey. We’ve been very lucky to have him.

“His run at Wetherby was OK the other day and he would have gone to Newbury on December 1. He was just doing a routine piece of work this morning and what happened happened, sadly.

“I feel very sorry for the whole yard as he’s been our flagbearer for a number of years now. Hopefully we have some nice young horses to reach his heights, but they take some replacing.”

Shishkin is “almost certain” to line up in Ascot’s 1965 Chase on Saturday in preference to the Grade One Betfair Chase at Haydock.

Nicky Henderson raised the possibility of Shishkin heading to Merseyside earlier in the autumn for a mouthwatering clash with last year’s winner Protektorat and the King George hero of last season, Bravemansgame.

Henderson had considered the Betfair Chase as a suitable stepping-stone towards the King George at Kempton over Christmas, but the prospect of testing ground has prompted a change of heart.

“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out that two-miles-five around Ascot is going to suit him better than three miles in the soft at Haydock,” said the Seven Barrows handler.

“The ground at Ascot will be preferable and he’s almost certain to go there. He’s won a two-mile-five race there and we know he likes it (the track).”

Now a nine-year-old, Shishkin won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Arkle over two miles at successive Cheltenham Festivals.

However, he was pulled up in the Champion Chase of 2022 and after being beaten into third behind Edwardstone in last season’s Tingle Creek, Henderson stepped his charge up in trip.

The move proved successful, with a 16-length win in the Ascot Chase in February over Pic D’Orhy, who he will meet again on Saturday, preceding a running-on second to Envoi Allen in the Ryanair Chase.

He then tackled three miles for the first time at Aintree, when he reeled in Ahoy Senor after the last fence to lift the Bowl, and Henderson hopes to see him return to the longer distance on Boxing Day.

He added: “This is a prep race for the King George and we want to win it.

“He didn’t travel as well as he might in his races last season and I think we might put some cheek pieces on him. We’ve schooled him in them and they help keep his mind on it.”