In an awe-inspiring triumph, Trinidad-born, Jamaica-based fitness athlete Avernell Modest clinched her Pro Card after dominating the stage and securing the overall Bikini title at the Ben Weider Natural Pro/Am Competition in Washington DC this Saturday. Just about three weeks’ prior, Modest had claimed a bronze medal in the F Class at the Ms. Olympia Amateur Competition in Orlando, Florida on October 30, setting her sights on the coveted Pro Card – a goal she swiftly accomplished.
Reflecting on her recent success, Modest shared insights with SportsMax.TV, shedding light on the valuable lessons she gleaned from her Ms. Olympia Amateur experience that undoubtedly contributed to her triumph in Washington.
"It’s an amazing feeling, I wish everyone can feel this at least once in their life," Modest exclaimed. "My coach and I went straight to work. We tweaked our front pose a bit and pushed conditioning a bit further. And we used my first experience from my last show into this show."
Understanding the competitive nature of the Bikini division, Modest emphasized the significance of first impressions. "Bikini division is always stacked, so I knew that the moment I stepped on stage, I had to give it my all," she shared.
Modest astutely observed the common backstage entrance strategy used by fellow competitors and seized the opportunity to set herself apart. "I noticed all the competitors went straight into the box from backstage, which is a side entrance. I took that as an opportunity to change my entrance by walking in-line with the box, then making my way into the box; I learned that from my last show also. I thought it was standard, but it wasn’t. The key was presenting well while fitting my category criteria."
To secure her Pro Card, Modest not only had to triumph in her height class (Class D) but also emerge victorious in the overall competition, competing against winners from all height classes (Class A-F). Undoubtedly, her strategic insights and commitment to perfection played a pivotal role in her remarkable achievement.
Now a Pro, Modest eagerly awaits her coach's debrief, eager to identify areas for further improvement. She is also anticipating feedback from the judges to refine her approach even more.
Expressing gratitude, Modest took a moment to acknowledge her sponsors, stating, "I’d love to mention my sponsors - Sweet Energy Fitness, Fitness Junkie-JA, and an honorable mention to Miss Audrey Allwood, the owner of FitFarm Fitness Club, where it all started."
Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg continued to enjoy a sensational start to his professional career with a first PGA Tour victory in the RSM Classic.
Aberg carded back-to-back rounds of 61 over the weekend at Sea Island to finish 29 under par, four shots clear of Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes.
The 24-year-old only joined the paid ranks in June, but won the final Ryder Cup qualifying event in Switzerland at the start of September and was hailed as a “generational talent” when given a wild card by Europe captain Luke Donald.
Aberg partnered Viktor Hovland to victory in the opening foursomes session in Rome and the same pair also thrashed world number one Scottie Scheffler and five-time major winner Brooks Koepka 9&7 on day two, a record margin for an 18-hole Ryder Cup match.
“I’m super happy. It’s kind of beyond my dreams,” Aberg told NBC after rounding off the win with three birdies in the last four holes.
“It’s really cool. To first off play on the PGA Tour, I have a lot of people to thank for that. It’s been so much fun, six months that I’ll never forget.
“This is what you dream of as a kid. This is the sport that I love and the sport that I’m going to love for a very long time. Watching these events from a very young age is what I’ve done so to see myself win is really cool.
“It validates my skillset and my capabilities. If you told me (I’d achieve) this a couple of months ago I would not have believed you. To be in this position I need to pinch myself in the arm.
“It’s really awesome and I’m so happy for me and my team and all the people that are close to me.”
The victory will take Aberg into the world’s top 50 and secure an invitation to next year’s Masters at Augusta National, his first appearance in a major championship.
Hayley Matthews’ run-a-ball 39 was in vain on Sunday when the Melbourne Renegades fell to yet another defeat in the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia.
Matthews was only one of two Renegades batters in double figures as the bottom-of-the-table franchise lost by eight wickets to Hobart Hurricanes Women at Melbourne. Josephine Dooley was not out on 16 as the Renegades Women slumped to 101-9 from their 20 overs.
Heather Graham was the primary destroyer taking 3-12 from her four overs while Molly Strano (2-14) and Nicola Carey (2-24) shared in the destruction of the Renegades batting order.
Matthews took 1-17 but was only one of two wicket takers as the Hurricanes cruised to victory on the back of an unbeaten 46 from Elyise Villani and Carey who was 25 not out at the end.
Georgia Wareham with 1-20 was the other wicket-taker for Melbourne who were losing the 10th of their 12 matches this season.
Luke Humphries continued his rise to the top of the darting scene by winning the Grand Slam of Darts and proving himself the most in-form player in the world.
Just six weeks after winning a maiden major title at the World Grand Prix, the 28-year-old followed it up with a second after he steamrollered Rob Cross in Wolverhampton, cruising to a 16-8 victory.
‘Cool Hand’ made waves on the European Tour last season but has transitioned that form to the PDC Tour this year and is now a real contender for World Championship glory at the end-of-year pinnacle, which begins next month.
Cross, who was gunning for his biggest title since 2021, will look back and think he did not do a lot wrong other than being unable to match Humphries’ unbelievable standard.
At one point ‘Voltage’ was averaging more than when he beat Phil Taylor to win the World Championship in 2018, and finished with an average of 103.61, but that was bettered by Humphries.
He averaged 104.69, threw eight 180s and operated with a 59 per cent success rate on doubles, which meant he lifted the Eric Bristow Trophy.
Humphries, who earlier beat James Wade in the semi-finals, was happy to prove a few people wrong and says he can get even better.
“It feels just as good, obviously the first one, nothing can ever beat that, the second one does feel good, especially with the way I was playing there,” he said.
“It was a really tough, tough game, it is a long gruelling slog today. We both played really well, it was a contrast from the semi-final to the final, I played much, much, better.
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“I was just happy to make a second final, so to pick up a second is fantastic. The European Tour is where I get all of my success, apparently I can’t do it on the big stage, but I can I promise.
“I feel like a new player, people have been telling me I have got no personality apparently but I don’t care, as long as I keep picking up trophies.
“I am a lucky boy, I have always dreamed of being up on this stage and winning. I am very blessed and lucky to be a two-time major champion, I just can’t believe it.
“I have been on a journey, it has not been easy. I have lost a lot of weight, battled a lot of things in my head to get these moments, these are the things that make me believe. I think I can get a lot, lot better.”
Cross would have been feeling confident after he landed the big fish in the third leg, with a majestic 170 finish, but Humphries kicked into gear and reeled off five successive legs, sealing a 7-2 lead with a 144 checkout.
Another three legs in a row soon gave him a 10-3 advantage as the triple-20 took a battering and Cross could do nothing but smirk at his predicament.
The lead was extended to 14-5 and there was no way back for Cross and Humphries wrapped it up.
Cross added: “The best man won on the night, he was quality. The best man won, no doubt about that. I’ve had a good week, I enjoyed it and we go again.
“To lose is a little bit hurtful but he was excellent, the best man won and that is all I can say about it.”
Gareth Southgate says “performance is the priority” in North Macedonia as already-qualified England look to make up for winning with a whimper against minnows Malta.
The Euro 2020 runners-up sealed their place at next summer’s edition with two matches to spare and were below par in Friday’s qualifier.
England disappointed a packed Wembley crowd by limping to a 2-0 victory over Malta, leading the manager to suggest his players had subconsciously taken their foot off the gas.
Southgate did not castigate those that have done so well for him over the years, but he is demanding a vastly-improved display in North Macedonia as they bring the curtain down on 2023.
“Performance is the priority,” Southgate said.
“We’ve set a standard. We didn’t reach that standard on Friday. We have to get back to what we’re good at. There’s always a chance within that to have a look at a couple of things that we’d like to see as well.
“But the biggest thing is making sure we hit the level of performance that we’ve set ourselves.”
England’s final match of the year is also set to be their last on foreign soil until the Euros get under way in Germany.
A sold-out Tose Proeski Arena awaits despite the Macedonians’ qualification hopes already having gone up in smoke, with revenge the main focus on Monday.
Few saw June’s 7-0 Old Trafford annihilation at Old Trafford coming and Blagoja Milevski’s men are looking to get a famous result having drawn at home to reigning European champions Italy since then.
“We weren’t at the level of performance that we want on Friday, so all focus on tomorrow’s game,” said Southgate, whose side have so far gone unbeaten this year.
“We play a team who, although they can’t qualify, have tremendous pride and they’ll be wounded by what happened in Manchester.
“We have to be ready for a really good atmosphere. Full crowd, full stadium. We’ve had a calendar year where we’ve been very good, so we want to finish well.”
England’s final camp of the year has been disrupted by absentees.
Five players withdrew from the original squad through injury and two more departed the squad before they flew out to the Balkans.
The Football Association announced Kieran Trippier had gone home due to a personal issue, while injury meant Jarrod Bowen left the camp on Sunday.
“Unfortunately, Jarrod picked up an injury,” Southgate said. “I think he felt it a little bit yesterday and then again at the end of training today.
“We didn’t really have enough time to assess it fully and make a really accurate decision before the game, so we felt better to leave him in England so that he can get it properly assessed.
“I don’t think it’s got to be anything serious, but we just didn’t have enough time and we wouldn’t take a risk in that situation.”
Bowen was in line for a substantial role for rotated England on Monday, so too Trippier.
The versatile Newcastle full-back’s withdrawal underlines the dearth of options at left-back in the absence of injured Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell.
“We need to adapt,” Southgate said. “We’ve got a couple of different options and we’re comfortable with it. We can find a good solution to the issue.
“We haven’t got somebody that is playing there regularly, but we’ve adapted to lots of situations over the last few years and we’re comfortable with doing that again tomorrow.”
Asked about the options and formation switch, he added: “We probably have done it a little bit on personnel going back a few years.
“So, yeah, that is an option. We’ve obviously got players that have played as wing-backs. We can adjust. We’ve got Fik (Fikayo Tomori), of course, who did it the other day, Rico Lewis, Marc Guehi can play across there.
“He’s done that for us in a game before so it’s just making sure that everybody’s aware of their job. It changes the way maybe you build up patterns and those sorts of things, but we’re comfortable with the situation we’ve got.”
Declan Rice has called on England to end an unbeaten 2023 with a “bang” by winning their final Euro 2024 qualifier away to North Macedonia.
England have not suffered defeat since their World Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of France last December and sealed their spot at next summer’s finals with two games to spare.
Rice’s Arsenal team-mate Bukayo Saka hit a hat-trick in a 7-0 thrashing of North Macedonia in the reverse fixture at Old Trafford in June.
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After a drab 2-0 win over Malta on Friday, Rice is keen for England to put in a better showing to bring the curtain down on a strong calendar year.
“I think especially the other night after Malta there is just a bit of pride in ourselves that we need to raise our level,” the Arsenal midfielder said.
“We need to put out a statement and it would be a good way to end the year. We are currently unbeaten since the World Cup so it is down to us to go out tomorrow night, put on a performance.
“You need to be mentally prepared, have the right mentality and be ready for a hostile environment and make sure we go out of this year with a bang. We will be ready for whatever they throw at us.”
Rice will collect his 48th cap in Monday’s game and the former West Ham captain admits he was “gutted” that a controversial VAR call cost him a fourth England goal in the Malta win.
Just moments after Harry Kane had doubled the lead, Rice charged forward and drove home a fine finish that was ultimately ruled out for offside against Kane.
“To be honest with you, going back to the other night I was gutted,” he said.
“When I picked the ball up and drove through and bent one into the far corner, I was buzzing because I don’t really score goals like that often.
“When it was chalked off I was gutted, but it was one of those where I didn’t want to get into something with the ref, get a silly yellow card. The game was won at 2-0 so it is one of those you have to take on the chin.
“Hopefully I can score one of those again, maybe tomorrow night, so we will have to wait and see.”
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has landed a Football Association charge for his stinging criticism of VAR following the recent Premier League defeat at Newcastle – labelling the decision to allow Anthony Gordon’s winning goal to stand as both “embarrassing” and a “disgrace”.
“It is one of those things, you are going to get decisions that go your way and those that don’t go your way,” Rice said on VAR.
“At the minute it is a bit up in the air because some decisions being made are the wrong decisions, some are right, but we are just there to play football and it is down to the authorities to decide – the people at Stockley Park and the referees.”
Novak Djokovic emphatically gained revenge over Jannik Sinner to win a record-breaking seventh ATP Finals crown in Turin.
Five days after losing to Sinner in the group stage, Djokovic was in ruthless form from the outset as he lost just two points on serve in winning the opening set 6-3 in 38 minutes.
The world number then raced into a 2-0 lead in the second before Sinner saved three break points in the third game to bring the contest to life.
Roared on by the partisan crowd, Sinner finally got to grips with the Djokovic serve and forged two break points in the sixth game, only for the Serbian to save both and maintain his advantage.
Sinner held serve in a marathon seventh game but, after Djokovic did likewise to lead 5-3, the match ended on an anticlimactic note with a Sinner double fault.
“It’s very special,” Djokovic, who had shared the record of six titles with Roger Federer, said on Amazon Prime. “One of the best seasons I’ve had in my life no doubt.
“To crown it with a win against the hometown hero Jannik, who’s played amazing tennis this week, it’s phenomenal.
“I’m very proud of the performances these last two days against (Carlos) Alcaraz and Sinner, probably the best two players in the world next to me and (Daniil) Medvedev at the moment.
“The way they have been playing I had to step it up, I had to win the matches and not wait for them to hand me the victory and that’s what I’ve done.
“I played tactically different today than in the group stages against Jannik and just overall a phenomenal week.”
Earlier on Sunday, Britain’s Joe Salisbury and American partner Rajeev Ram had successfully defended their doubles title with victory over Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.
Salisbury and Ram won 6-3 6-4 in 69 minutes to extend their winning streak in Turin to 10 matches.
“I think we’ve got better throughout the week,” Salisbury said. “I think that was our best match, maybe along with the semi-final yesterday.
“I think we’ve served well and not got broken many times. We did that really well and managed to take the few chances we had today. I think we got a little bit of luck as well, but it seems like we get it in this place.”
Starting pitcher Aaron Nola has agreed to a seven-year contract to remain with the Philadelphia Phillies, multiple media outlets reported Sunday.
The deal is worth a reported $172million, as the Phillies keep a cornerstone piece in their rotation.
Nola, 30, is the first major free agent to come off the board in a class that is headlined by two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and includes fellow hurlers Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery.
Nola has spent his entire MLB career in Philadelphia and has finished in the top five of Cy Young award voting twice.
The right-hander saw his numbers slip a bit in 2023 with a 4.46 ERA but rebounded in the post-season with three quality starts and an ERA of 2.35 over 23 innings.
Nola and Zack Wheeler make up one of the best and most reliable rotation duos in baseball.
Since 2018, Nola has thrown 1,065 1/3 innings, the second most in the majors over that span. Wheeler is fourth on that list with 1,007 innings pitched.
Nola is one of five pitchers with at least 200 strikeouts in each of the last three seasons.
Nola was the priority in a vital offseason for the Phillies after making it to the World Series in 2022 and the NLCS last season but falling short of a title.
In 235 career starts, Nola has a 3.72 ERA and has 1,582 strikeouts in 1,422 innings pitched.
West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen has joined Kieran Trippier in withdrawing from the England squad ahead of their Euro 2024 qualifier in North Macedonia.
Bowen suffered a knee injury in training and remained in England when the rest of the squad flew to Macedonia on Sunday.
England boss Gareth Southgate told a press conference: “Unfortunately Jarrod picked up an injury, I think he felt it a little bit yesterday and again at the end of training today.
“We didn’t really have enough time to assess it fully and make a really accurate decision before the game so we felt better to leave him in England so that he can get it properly assessed.
“I don’t think it’s going to be anything serious but we just didn’t have enough time and we wouldn’t take a risk in that situation.”
Bowen’s departure follows that of defender Trippier, who left the England camp earlier on Sunday due to a personal matter.
England end their Euro 2024 qualification campaign and 2023 fixture calendar in Skopje on Monday night, when they will be unable to call upon Newcastle full-back Trippier.
The England account on X, formerly known as Twitter, said: “@trippier2 has departed the #ThreeLions camp, owing to a personal matter and will not travel to North Macedonia.”
Southgate’s side secured progress to next summer’s finals with two games to spare and Friday’s forgettable 2-0 win against Malta all but assured their spot among the top seeds in the December 2 draw.
Former England international Ugo Monye was left “so fed up” after being subjected to the “most blatant racism” he has heard from a supporter as he left Sunday’s match between Exeter and Gloucester.
The 40-year-old ex-Harlequins player, now a pundit, said the incident occurred as he was leaving Sandy Park on Sunday afternoon following the Chiefs’ 25-24 Gallagher Premiership victory.
Monye wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that as he was leaving the stadium, one supporter running through crowd repeatedly shouted a racist insult. He added: “Disgraceful. Not a single person said a word, challenged or even reported it.
“He walks off after a mild scuffle and fans are now telling me ‘We’re with you’ B******S you’re with me. You weren’t with me when you saw and heard the most blatant racism I’ve seen from a supporter at a live game. So fed up.”
Exeter swiftly issued a statement vowing to investigate the matter and apologising to Monye.
It read: “In light of recent accusations regarding an incident of racist abuse at Sandy Park following the conclusion of our victory over Gloucester in the Gallagher Premiership, Exeter will be launching a full investigation.
“This behaviour will not be tolerated at our rugby club, and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.
“Our team will begin to review CCTV footage from the stadium immediately in an attempt to identify the individual in question and we would like to extend our sincerest apologies to Ugo Monye, a member of the rugby community that is highly respected by everyone at our club.
“If anyone has any information regarding this incident we would ask you to get in touch with the Chiefs as soon as you can.”
Premiership Rugby also offered support to Monye and urged anyone with information to come forward.
Its statement read: “Premiership Rugby is aware of the accusations of racist abuse suffered by Ugo Monye at Sandy Park following the Exeter match against Gloucester.
“Premiership Rugby offers our full support to Ugo Monye and we stand united with our clubs and players in the fight against racism. Racism has absolutely no place in our game or society.
“Exeter have launched a full investigation and we urge anyone with any information to come forward.”
Nicolai Hojgaard produced a brilliant final round of 64 to claim his first Rolex Series title in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.
The 22-year-old Dane recorded nine birdies and a solitary bogey to finish two shots clear of Ryder Cup team-mates Viktor Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood, and overnight leader Matt Wallace.
Hojgaard’s chances suffered a major blow when he dropped a shot on the 12th to briefly fall three behind Fleetwood, but he responded superbly with a run of five straight birdies before surprisingly missing from inside four feet for another on the 18th.
That left Hojgaard on 21 under par, but none of his rivals were able to find an eagle on the last to force a play-off, Fleetwood having crucially three-putted the 17th.
“It means a lot, it’s the sweetest one,” Hojgaard told Sky Sports after claiming the third DP World Tour title of his career.
“So much hard work has been put in over the past couple years – it feels amazing, this is for family and everything they put in over the years. So much hard work going into this, for it to happen like this is unbelievable.
“We know there are a lot of birdies but we have to hit the shots and hole the putts, anything can happen we were just focused on the job today, to walk up 18 knowing there’s a good chance feels good.
“I played some really good golf. I have to say this is the best golf I’ve played in a tournament and the strongest field in my three wins. My game feels good, I felt good before going out and to finish it like this feels good.
“This is the sweetest way to finish the year, I can’t believe we finished on such a high note, I’m definitely going to enjoy this.”
Hojgaard’s joy was tempered by the news that his twin brother Rasmus had narrowly missed out on one of the 10 PGA Tour cards for 2024 on offer to the highest finishers in the Race to Dubai, who were not otherwise exempt.
Rasmus finished 11th on the list, less than 27 points behind Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune, who joined Adrian Meronk, Ryan Fox, Victor Perez, Thorbjorn Olesen, Alexander Bjork, Sami Valimaki, Robert MacIntyre, Matthieu Pavon and Jorge Campillo in earning playing privileges on the US circuit.
“I really wanted him to get that card. He was in a great position,” Nicolai said.
“It came down to a crazy scenario, I think, in the end. I feel sorry for Ras, but he’s going to bounce back. He always does. He’s one of the best golfers I know and he’s going to come back stronger afterwards.”
Defending champion Jon Rahm carded a closing 66 to finish in a tie for fifth on 17 under, with Race to Dubai winner Rory McIlroy another seven strokes back after a 70.
McIlroy had been assured of a fifth money list title before arriving in Dubai and now has his sights set on the six of Seve Ballesteros and Colin Montgomeier’s record tally of eight.
“It’s great,” McIlroy said. “I think over the last 10 years I’ve won eight season-long titles between America and here, so it just shows my level of consistency.
“It’s just about trying to be a little more clinical when I get to those weeks where I have chances to win. I’ve still got a little bit left in the tank. I think I’ve still got a good eight to 10 years left in me where I can play at the top, top level.
“I’d like to think that I’m going to challenge, at least try to get past Seve and then try to get past Monty as well. But it’s certainly a goal of minute for the rest of my career to do something like that. It would mean a lot to me.”
Northern Ireland wrap up their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign when Denmark visit Windsor Park on Monday night.
Here the PA news agency looks at the key talking points ahead of the game.
It’s (almost) over
The good news is that this is the last of Northern Ireland’s Group H fixtures. A campaign which began with such optimism unravelled quickly in the first few games and has never recovered, with seven defeats in nine causing Northern Ireland’s world ranking to drop from 59th to 75th.
Michael O’Neill was clear ahead of the game that it was not as simple as drawing a line and moving on because lessons must be learned, but it will still be welcome to change the narrative of a campaign in which any realistic hope of reaching next year’s finals was gone in by the summer.
Can they end on a high note?
O’Neill said in Finland last week that he and his players would need to look at themselves if they could not take something from at least one of their fixtures against someone other than San Marino, but a 4-0 hiding in Helsinki leaves this match as the final opportunity.
Playing a side ranked 19th in the world and the top seeds in the group is hardly ideal in those circumstances, but Northern Ireland were a tight offside decision away from scoring a late equaliser when they lost 1-0 in Copenhagen in June, so they will take some confidence from that.
Reinforcements
Shea Charles returns from suspension and Paul Smyth is back in the squad following the hamstring injury which prevented him from travelling to Finland.
O’Neill indicated the absence of both players in Helsinki had limited his options not only in terms of personnel but also the shape of his team so their return will be welcome.
O’Neill admitted he needed to consider whether or not he had fielded too many young players at the same time, leaning too heavily on inexperienced players, so any reinforcements will be welcome. However, in keeping with the campaign as a whole there is a fresh injury worry with Daniel Ballard a doubt due to a hamstring problem.
Denmark are through
Denmark’s 2-1 win over Slovenia on Friday night booked their ticket to Euro 2024, meaning neither side has anything too much riding on Monday’s game.
That should in theory benefit Northern Ireland with Denmark no longer desperate for points, but things are not always so simple.
If coach Kasper Hjulmand does choose to make changes, those players who come in will have a point to prove as attention turns to the squad selection for the finals.
Davis back in Belfast
There was a welcome sight at training on Sunday morning as absent captain Steven Davis watched the session from the sidelines.
After his recent spell as interim manager of Rangers, Davis has stepped back from his coaching role to concentrate on his rehabilitation from the knee injury which has sidelined him since December, and O’Neill remains hopeful the 38-year-old can finish his career on the pitch.
In the meantime, his experience in and around the group is invaluable.
“It’s great to see Davo back among the squad,” Paddy McNair said. “It’s great to have him around. When he’s at the hotel he can speak to the younger lads, they can ask him questions and he can pass on his experience.”
Iberico Lord came out on top for Nico de Boinville and Nicky Henderson in the Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham.
The five-year-old was a 7-1 chance under 11st and travelled well among a busy field of 15, galloping into contention at the foot of the hill and running gamely to the line to reel in Neil King’s Lookaway.
Lookaway was second at 12-1, with Henderson also responsible for the third-placed horse in Luccia (6-1).
Henderson – still on a high after brilliant win of the also JP McManus-owned Jonbon in the Shloer Chase just 35 minutes earlier – said: “We wanted to get a team assembled for this meeting as JP was coming back for it so we gathered a few of the troops together for the weekend with Impose Toi and these two and it has paid off.
“Under Control, who is going for the Gerry Feilden at Newbury, beat him at Sandown fair and square and there was no fluke about it. I thought he was very good to start with, then he fell on his second start for us, then his wind didn’t work in his next one and then everything went wrong, but we got him there at the end of the day.
“Apparently this is my first time winning this race, but I can’t remember what happened 40 something years ago.
“Going to the last I thought ‘one of you please win’. They both ran super races.
“It took time for him to get his act together last season. He won a very moderate race at Stratford and it didn’t sound like we were heading for the Greatwood Hurdle at that time. The Sandown run was good, but Under Control might be pretty good, too.
“AP (McCoy) said he thought the Ascot race (Betfair Exchange Trophy) would suit Impose Toi, but so it would this horse. One of them will have to go there, but as JP said that is a nice problem to solve. It has been a good weekend altogether and Nico has given them all some lovely rides.”
Neil King, trainer of the runner-up Lookaway, said: “He has done nothing wrong and Jack (Quinlan) has given him a cracking ride from the front. We have won our Grade Two here and he went up 10lb for that, and maybe without that we would have won today, but we will take the Grade Two and finish second today.
“We might now go to Ascot for the Betfair Exchange Trophy at Christmas and that is what I have got on my mind at the moment. I must admit I thought we would take a lot of catching today, but there was just one who turned out to get past us unfortunately.”
Luke Humphries is gunning for a second major title in two months after setting up a final showdown with Rob Cross at the Grand Slam of Darts.
Humphries won his first crown at the World Grand Prix in October and has brought his good form to Wolverhampton, beating James Wade 16-10 in Sunday’s first semi-final.
It was a tense affair for the majority of the match but he clinched victory by winning six of the last seven legs, including the last four, finishing with six 180s and an average of 95.8.
The world number four, who is looking a strong contender for the World Championship which begins next month, must get past Cross later.
The 2018 world champion has never been past the quarter-final at this event but put himself one win away from the title after ending Stephen Bunting’s good run with a 16-13 victory.
The pair were tied at 7-7 after 14 legs, but Cross reeled off three successive legs, including one on Bunting’s throw with a 110 checkout.
He never relinquished the lead after that and always held Bunting, who beat Peter Wright earlier in the week, at arm’s length.
If Cross were to win it would be his biggest title since winning the European Championship in 2021.
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