Stumptown will be trained for a return to the Cheltenham Festival in March after bouncing back to winning ways at the track on New Year’s Day.
The seven-year-old was narrowly beaten by Angels Dawn at the showpiece meeting last season but has been largely disappointing since, including when pulled up as a leading fancy for the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury in early December.
However, with headgear fitted for the first time, Stumptown showed his true colours back in the Cotswolds, providing his trainer Gavin Cromwell with a seventh winner from 17 runners at the home of National Hunt racing this season.
“I was delighted with him,” said Cromwell. “Going back to a small field, a bit of ease in the ground compared to Newbury, I suppose lowering our sights a bit and the blinkers applied, it was nice to get his head in front again.
“He’d lost his way since his good run there at the Festival. He ran in the Irish Grand National after having a hard race at Cheltenham and I’d say it took its toll and it just took him a while to get back this year.
“He ran well enough in the Kerry National, but made a couple of mistakes, which you just can’t get away with in those competitive handicaps.”
While a Festival win is top of Stumptown’s agenda, a tilt at the Grand National is also on the radar.
Cromwell added: “He’ll probably go to the Festival as I’m sure the owners would love to go back. I suppose the obvious races are the Kim Muir again or the Ultima and we’ll just wait and see which we go.
“The Grand National is a possibility and the Irish National is a possibility as well.”
Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has paid tribute to 16-year-old Spurs fan Harry Pitman, who was killed in north London on New Year’s Eve.
Pitman died after what police described as “an altercation” as crowds gathered in Primrose Hill in Camden to watch a firework display on December 31.
A 15-year-old boy has since been arrested on suspicion of murder and Tottenham will remember Pitman during Friday’s FA Cup third-round tie at home to Burnley.
The PA news agency understands an image of Pitman will be shown on the screens inside the stadium in the 16th minute, after the club received the family’s blessing to do so, and fans are encouraged to sing, ‘he’s one of our own’ during that minute.
Postecoglou, a father of three boys, said: “You don’t even want to be thinking about the circumstances of the family and again where we are as a society… the fact that these things still happen like this and young lives are lost for absolutely no reason.
“I couldn’t even contemplate the grief and the pain of what the family are going through.
“I’ve always felt that football club are more than just the embodiment of what we do. In sport they are an extended community and an extended family for people.
“If it even gives them the smallest crumb of comfort then it’s the least we can do and our fans can do. It’s just tragic and inconceivable that people and families still have to suffer this grief.”
Luke Littler admitted it “would have changed everything” if he had hit double two and gone 5-2 up during his World Championship final defeat by Luke Humphries.
Sixteen-year-old debutant Littler lost 7-4 to world number one Humphries to round off an incredible journey on darts’ biggest stage at Alexandra Palace.
The unranked Warrington player squandered the chance to take a three-set lead going into the break, which allowed Humphries to take the next five sets and win his first major title.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Littler said: “I missed double two to go 5-2 up and that would have changed everything.
“Then I would have gone into the break and I would have been two sets away, just six legs, but it wasn’t to be and then Luke (Humphries) got the job done.
“It is what it is. I didn’t know what to go for so I asked Russ (Bray, the referee) what to go for and I didn’t hit it and I will have to come back stronger.
“It was a bit gutting standing there on my own watching Luke lift the trophy but he deserved it and was the better man on the night.”
Littler, who left school in the summer to focus on darts, won £200,000 and has amassed a wave of social media followers since the tournament kicked off on December 15.
The teenager has even gained the support of players from his favourite football club Manchester United, saying he finds getting attention from their players “unbelievable”.
He added: “It’s crazy to think so many people follow me, especially the footballers of my club. Luke Shaw, Jonny Evans and Phil Jones have sent me messages so it’s unbelievable.
“It’s been crazy. I was watching them on the TV and now they watch me on the TV as well so it’s crazy that they’re watching me.
“My girlfriend got us a stadium tour for two people so I’ll be doing that when we can.
“It’s unbelievable to think the runner-up is bigger than the winner. Obviously Luke is now world number one and the champion so respect to him.
“The social media followers have changed me and my family.”
St Helens Darts Academy opened their doors to support Littler on Wednesday evening.
He said: “I didn’t even know they were at the academy – it’s usually only open on a Monday.
“Thank you to them for putting the effort in by putting the boards up and the TVs, it was good to see and it cheered me up a bit.”
Ange Postecoglou has acknowledged Tottenham captain Son Heung-min will be a “big loss” over the coming weeks but has called on other members of the squad to step up in his absence.
Spurs host Burnley in the FA Cup third round on Friday night and it is the first of potentially six matches where Son could be missing while away with South Korea at the Asian Cup.
Son has scored 12 times this season, but Postecoglou’s team will also miss his influence off the pitch with vice-captains Cristian Romero and James Maddison both still injured.
“Sonny, if you name a team of the year at the moment, he’s in it,” Postecoglou insisted.
“He’s been a hell of a player for us. It’s a big loss for us, another one and we’re going to have to really raise everyone’s levels to cover the absence of another significant contributor for us this season.
“Whoever wears the armband tomorrow is not really that significant to me.
“What’s more important is that Sonny has been an outstanding leader in deeds, actions and words and we’re going to need players to step up tomorrow irrespective of who’s wearing the armband.
“We need to try and fill that hole that he’s left because I think he’s been outstanding for us.
“I’m not putting too much thought into whoever it is that will be, but we’ll need a number of people to stand up in that area just in terms of experience on the day.”
Tottenham will bank on £60million forward Richarlison being able to continue his fine form and cover for Son over the next month.
Richarlison is one of the Premier League’s most in-form player with five goals in as many matches and looks revitalised after minor groin surgery in November.
Postecoglou added: “He’s just free of injury, he feels good physically and he’s just able to perform at the levels that he wants to.
“He couldn’t do that at the start of the season. Even though he was playing for us, he was feeling restricted in his movements.
“It’s no magic cure, he got some treatment for what he needed to get treatment for and he feels good now.
“His body feels good and then he’s scoring goals, which makes him feel a little bit more confident in himself.
“Aside from that, he’s working really hard for the team which has been really important for us, especially the last two, three weeks. He’s going well and hopefully there’s more to come.”
While Spurs lose Son as well as Pape Sarr and Yves Bissouma to international commitments this month, Micky van de Ven has returned to full training and could be involved against Burnley.
James Maddison is still “weeks” away though with an ankle injury and Alejo Veliz has a “significant” knee injury, which will sideline him for a couple of months, according to Postecoglou.
He said: “Micky van de Ven has trained with us this week, he’s got through three sessions. We’re not sure about tomorrow whether he’ll be involved or not.”
Connections of Caldwell Potter have plenty to get excited about following his thoroughly impressive Leopardstown success over the Christmas period.
Gordon Elliott’s charge was sent off at odds of 6-1 for a competitive running of the Grade One Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle, but proved a decisive winner when pulling clear on the run to two out and galloping on to a cosy six-and-a-half-length success in the hands of Jack Kennedy.
It was a performance that justified his big-race jockey’s confidence and Joey Logan, racing manager to Andy and Gemma Brown’s Caldwell Construction Ltd string, believes connections are only getting a glimpse of what the talented six-year-old could be capable of.
He said: “He was very impressive and to be honest Jack was very confident going out, he had said it was one of the horses he was most looking forward to riding all week at Leopardstown.
“His form is good and he’s improving all the time and he is a lot stronger than he was last year. Hopefully that will continue going forward and he has a lovely way about him throughout his race.”
Having joined his ill-fated brother, Mighty Potter, on the race’s roll of honour, Caldwell Potter could have paved the way for a return to the Irish capital for the Dublin Racing Festival next month where the Tattersalls Ireland Novice Hurdle could be the ideal place to complete his Cheltenham Festival preparations.
Logan added: “More than likely we will (go back to Leopardstown), but I have to speak to Andy, Gemma and Gordon. You couldn’t seen much reason why not to and it would be the logical step towards Cheltenham.
“He could be a Supreme horse or a Ballymore horse and with the way he did it, he was only going through the motions. I don’t think either trip will be a bother.”
If Caldwell Potter proved the perfect way to end 2023 for the Caldwell Construction team, they then got the new year off to a flying start at Fairyhouse on New Year’s Day as Mollys Mango spearheaded a brilliant double on the card.
The six-year-old, who was placed at Listed level in a bumper, ran out an imperious 17-length scorer to book a possible return to Fairyhouse for Grade Three duties later this month in the Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle.
“Mollys Mango is a very, very nice mare and we’ve always loved her,” said Logan.
“She wasn’t right the last time, but she won her bumper by nearly six lengths before getting black type and Jack said she gave him some feel the other day.
“She didn’t beat a whole lot and Jack said she would do more on the gallops at home than she did in the race.
“We’ll speak again but the Solerina would be probably what we would be thinking there.”
Staffordshire Knot then got off the mark at the second attempt in the concluding bumper and with the gelding already six, attentions could turn to jumping sooner rather than later.
Logan said: “His work was very good and the family are related to Many Clouds, so there is plenty of stamina in the pedigree. The Tullow Tank who won a couple of Grade Ones is in there as well.
“It was a lovely performance and we could go up to two and a half miles and start jumping hurdles with him, or he could stay in bumpers. I would be more inclined to go jumping with him and he looks a really nice prospect.”
Sandown’s feature meeting on Saturday must survive an 8am precautionary inspection on Friday.
With the going at the Esher venue raceable but already very testing, a new band of rain is due to arrive on Thursday evening which has seen the Met Office to issue a yellow weather warning.
Clerk of the course Andrew Cooper, speaking at 2.30pm on Thursday, said: “I think it’s a sensible approach to call the inspection given the uncertainty of the volume of rain that we may see through the rest of the day here.
“It looks like it’s about to start here looking at all the radars, so it is on its way and there is talk of 20 millimetres plus potentially.
“You’d race here today, you would have done every day this week, but there are parts on both courses that are approaching the limits of their capacity to take any more rain which can’t be avoided – we have to be able to race through them, we can’t doll them off and these areas are primarily in the home straight.
“The rain should have finished in the early hours of Friday so we can have a look first thing and see where we have got to – if necessary we can have a further look later in the day or whatever, all possible outcomes you wouldn’t rule out.
“Once that has gone through it does look a dry picture up to and including Saturday and beyond, it just depends on the scale of rain we see.”
Wincanton’s Saturday fixture is also in doubt with their clerk of the course Daniel Cooper calling an inspection called for 8am on Saturday, also due to a yellow warning for rain.
Fugitif has two options before a likely crack at the Ryanair Trophy in March.
Trainer Richard Hobson is weighing up whether to send him to Cheltenham on January 27 for Trials Day, or run a week earlier in Lingfield’s Fleur de Lys Chase.
Fourth in the Paddy Power Gold Cup in November, he finally broke Hobson’s duck at the track in the December Gold Cup.
It was perhaps fitting Fugitif was the one to give Hobson his first winner at Cheltenham given he has run so many good races there, including when second to Seddon in the Plate at last year’s Festival.
“He did his first couple of swinging canters the other day since winning at Cheltenham. He had a week off after that win but he is extremely well,” said Hobson.
“He will aim for either the extended two-and-a-half-mile Premier Handicap at Cheltenham on Trials Day (Paddy Power Cheltenham Countdown Podcast Handicap Chase) or the Fleur de Lys Chase at Lingfield.
“I had no intention of running him at the Christmas meeting at Cheltenham as we always felt he needed time between his races, but he came out of the Paddy Power Gold Cup so well and he was showing all the right signs that we decided to give the December Gold Cup a go.
“When I got my trainer’s licence, there were three things I said to my wife that I wanted to do. I wanted to train a big winner at Auteuil’s festival, train a big winner at Aintree, which we did with Dame Rose, and to train a winner at Cheltenham and that one took a bit longer than we liked, what with all the seconds we had before Fugitif won.
“We had so many hard luck stories at Cheltenham, it was nice to finally see one get their head in front.
“He is in the Ryanair and that is likely to be his main target for the season. He will be put in the Plate as well, but carrying big weights in those handicaps is a hard thing to do. If he was to place in the Ryanair, it would be a great result.”
Kevin Sinfield will step down as Steve Borthwick’s England number two after the summer tour to Japan and New Zealand.
Sinfield has overseen the defence since his appointment by Borthwick in December 2022, but in the wake of the recent World Cup in France the former Leeds rugby league great has decided to move on.
The 43-year-old will remain in place for the Six Nations and the three Tests arranged for June and July, but in a new role overseeing skills and kicking with the incoming Felix Jones taking charge of the defence.
Borthwick declined to disclose any details over Sinfield’s future plans in the first backroom reshuffle of his year-long reign.
“Kev made the decision over what he wanted to do,” Borthwick said. “At the end of the World Cup, there was space for every member of the management to reflect as we look ahead to the next World Cup cycle.
“After a big tournament like the World Cup, every member of the management team needed the opportunity to relax, decompress, reflect and spend some time with friends and family.
“A couple of weeks later, Kev and I met and he gave me his decision. Kev’s decided that longer-term he’s going to head in a different direction away from the England rugby team.
“Ahead of the autumn series, Kev will not work with the team then, he will move away from the team and in a different direction.”
England endured a challenging Six Nations with the lowest ebb being a record defeat at Twickenham in March, with France breaching Sinfield’s defence seven times in a 53-10 rout.
There were highs and lows during the World Cup warm-up matches and the tournament itself, and England’s defence was its best during the agonising 16-15 World Cup semi-final defeat by South Africa, leaking only one try to the eventual champions.
“I’m just grateful that’s he added so much value over these 12 months and that he’s going to stay with the team for the Six Nations and the summer tour,” said Borthwick, who had also appointed Sinfield to his Leicester managed team.
“Kev’s role and what he’s added as we’ve reset the team, you can’t overstate the value he’s brought, what he’s done and the relationships he’s built.
“I’ve changed his role to skills and he will be working specifically on catch-pass skills with the kickers and goalkickers, which he does so very well.”
Former Ireland international Jones takes responsibility for the defence after being recruited from South Africa, having contributed to their triumphant back-to-back World Cup campaigns.
Andrew Strawbridge, New Zealand’s skills coach at France 2023, has been appointed as a consultant for the opening four weeks of the Six Nations.
“If you look at our coaching team now, you’ve got a lot of knowledge of the Premiership, people who coached in the Premiership less than 12 months ago,” Borthwick said.
“Richard Wigglesworth was playing in the Premiership just over a year ago. We’ve got a lot of knowledge of the Premiership and of European rugby.
“Felix has knowledge of the Irish system and the South African system. Andrew joining is brings us the knowledge he has of New Zealand and Super Rugby.
“That’s an exciting blend of coaches and knowledge that we’ve brought together.”
With the transfer window now open, Peterborough United’s Director of Football Barry Fry, has warned prospective buyers that the club will not release Reggae Boy striker Jonson Clarke-Harris cheaply.
Clarke-Harris has been in a good vein of form, which has attracted significant interest and is expected to leave the East England club during the transfer window.
The 29-year-old striker, who claimed the Golden Boot after scoring 26 goals in the previous season, has already netted 10 goals in 24 appearances in all competitions this season.
That, coupled with Clarke-Harris’s positive influence on the club makes him a valuable asset and, as such, Fry is adamant that interested parties will have to dig deep to secure his services.
“He won’t be leaving for peanuts. His scoring record is outstanding, and he’s a great bloke to have around the club, even when he isn’t playing. He’s been unbelievable with the younger players,” Fry stated.
Despite being placed on the transfer list at the end of the last season when Peterborough failed to secure promotion to the Championship, Clarke-Harris’s move to Bristol Rovers for £800,000, fell through late on deadline day in September. However, the striker quickly regained his scoring form for Peterborough, including a notable brace against Mansfield.
While anticipating a potential transfer in January, Clarke-Harris had limited starts in recent months, but made a triumphant return to the starting lineup, with a two-goal performance against Barnsley.
Fry emphasized that Clarke-Harris’s value goes beyond his ability to score goals, as he pointed to the striker’s contributions in crucial moments and his support for younger players.
Though Bristol Rovers have reportedly reduced their interest following the departure of manager Joey Barton, reports suggest that Fleetwood Town could pursue Clarke-Harris’s signature during this transfer window.
Rafael Nadal continued his impressive return from injury with a dominant win over Jason Kubler at the Brisbane International.
The 22-time grand slam champion played his first match for nearly a year following a hip injury in the opening round against Dominic Thiem and built on that performance by seeing off Australian Kubler 6-1 6-2.
Nadal, who shrugged off a time violation in the second set for taking too long to change his clothes, told reporters in Brisbane: “It has been a positive match, without a doubt.
View this post on Instagram“I think the first five games of the match have been at a very positive level of tennis, doing almost everything the right way. Most of the time I have been playing well, doing the things that I need to do. I’m happy for the victory. Of course, it’s important for me.”
The Spaniard will next face another Australian in Jordan Thompson.
Second seed Grigor Dimitrov, who defeated Andy Murray in round one, also eased into the quarter-finals with a 6-1 6-2 win over Daniel Altmaier.
In the women’s event, top seeds Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina were both in fine form, losing just a game apiece.
Sabalenka, who defeated Rybakina to win her maiden grand slam title at the Australian Open 12 months ago, saw off Zhu Lin 6-1 6-0 while Rybakina beat 13th seed Elise Mertens by the same scoreline.
Russian 16-year-old Mirra Andreeva, meanwhile, is also through to the last eight after an almost-as-convincing 6-1 6-1 victory over Arina Rodionova and will next face another teenager in Czech Linda Noskova.
Ben Pauling retains plenty of faith in Tellherthename as he attempts to get to the bottom of what caused his disappointing showing in Aintree’s Formby Novices’ Hurdle.
The five-year-old fetched £200,000 at the sales having got the better of recent Exeter bumper scorer and Envoi Allen’s brother Joyau Allen in the pointing field and backed up that promise in his opening outings under rules, pushing eventual Formby winner Jango Baie all the way at Ascot before bolting up at Huntingdon.
Tellherthename was sent off at odds of 5-1 when making the move to Grade One company on Boxing Day and was up with the pace before stopping quickly approaching three out, eventually being pulled up by jockey Kielan Woods.
Pauling has given the gelding a full MOT following that effort and if nothing comes to light from the extensive bout of testing, the Naunton Downs handler will be content to point towards the testing conditions at Aintree as a plausible reason for Tellherthename’s Formby no-show.
He said: “We’ve explored and turned most stones we can now because we were a bit perplexed at the time as we think he is a bit special. He was just beaten a long way out really for it to be right.
“At the moment we are still investigating but I would pretty much hang my hat on the fact he doesn’t handle that very testing ground.
“Everything so far, all his bloods and stuff, has been good, but we’ve got a few more little bits and bobs to check out.
“He seems very well in himself and if nothing comes to light, I will put it down to the fact he just can’t go on that very soft ground.”
Pauling went on: “I trotted off down the track to try to meet him to make sure he was OK and it was just very hard work.
“It was about as bad a ground I think I’ve seen in a long time and interestingly I shared a lift home with Felix De Giles who rode the French horse, July Flower, in the race and he said it was worse ground than Auteuil by a margin. His horse didn’t even handle the ground and travel to the second hurdle and she is proven on that very soft ground at Auteuil.”
Providing Tellherthename gets the all clear to continue his campaign, Pauling is keen to attempt to restore the talented novice’s confidence at the earliest opportunity.
He will be searching for an opening in calmer waters over the coming weeks where it is hoped the Megson Family-owned gelding can bounce back to his best and reignite spring festival dreams for all connected.
“If nothing comes to light, we will look to get him out in the next 10 days to two weeks in an ordinary novice somewhere, just to get his season back on track,” continued Pauling.
“We can then make plans from there whether we go straight to the Festival or look elsewhere, but as long as the horse is OK.
“From what he did at Huntingdon and before that at Ascot, the form is in the book. He just got touched off by Jango Baie at Ascot and I’m not overly worried about it all – if there is something to find we will find it, if not we will draw a line and go again.
“I think he is a very good horse and as good as we have had for a long time.”
Kevin Sinfield is to step down as England defence coach after the summer tour to Japan and New Zealand.
Sinfield has been Steve Borthwick’s number two since the start of his reign in December 2022 but his time at Twickenham will come to an end after 18 months.
Before he moves on, the Leeds rugby league great will take charge of individual skills and work with the kickers having previously overseen the defence.
“Kevin after the World Cup had a period of reflection, like every member of the management team did,” Borthwick said.
“Kev’s decided that longer-term he’s going to head in a different direction away from the England rugby team.
“He’s going to work with the team through the Six Nations and through the summer tour.
“Ahead of the autumn series Kev will not work with the team then, he will move away from the team and in a different direction.”
When asked to expand on Sinfield’s future plans, Borthwick replied: “Not right now and Kev hasn’t told us. That’s a question you can discuss with Kev in due course.
“I’m just grateful that’s he added so much value over these 12 months and that he’s going to stay with the team for the Six Nations and the summer tour.
“Through this first 12 months, Kev’s role and what he’s added as we’ve reset the team, you can’t overstate the value he’s brought, what he’s done and the relationships he’s built.
“I’ve changed his role to skills and he will be working specifically on catch-pass skills with the kickers and goalkickers, which he does so very well.”
India completed the quickest victory in Test history, levelling their series against South Africa by winning early on the second afternoon in Cape Town.
The tourists chased down a fourth innings total of 79 in just 12 overs at Newlands to wrap up the entire game, scheduled to end on Sunday evening, in just 642 balls.
That made it the shortest Test win ever recorded in terms of deliveries bowled, shaving 14 off a record that has stood since 1932, when South Africa were also on the losing side against Australia in Melbourne.
Over the course of little more than four sessions of cricket, a wicket fell less than every 20 balls on average.
The Proteas, who won well in a hard-fought opening Test in Centurion, were dismissed for 55 on the first morning and improved to 176 only because of a solo effort from Aiden Markram, who made a backs-to-the-wall 106.
The opener’s effort was easily the standout knock of a breakneck encounter, as he occupied the crease for 164 minutes and faced 103 balls.
But with no other resistance as Jasprit Bumrah completed a haul of six for 61, it only delayed the inevitable.
India began their pursuit after lunch and wasted no time getting over the line.
They lost three wickets along the way, Yashavi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli all keeping the revolving door to the pavilion moving, but picked up 52 in boundaries as they ensured an unprecedentedly-swift conclusion.
Questions are sure to be asked over the state of the pitch, with the match officials to decide if the freakish brevity of the match was down to batting error or a poor surface.
Challow Hurdle runner-up Lookaway has a return to Newbury for the Betfair Hurdle or the M1 Agency Sidney Banks Memorial Novices’ Hurdle at Huntingdon as possible options en route to the Cheltenham Festival.
Neil King’s seven-year-old has become a real unsung hero of the novice hurdling division this term and although his winning streak has come to an end of late, Lookaway has still turned in high-calibre performances.
Stepping up in trip for a first taste of Grade One action on the back of his Greatwood Hurdle second, the Grade Two scorer pushed Paul Nicholls’ Captain Teague all the way in a thrilling event to end 2023.
King was thrilled with the performance and having only been put up 1lb by the assessor, he admits the Betfair Hurdle will be tempting, despite the Listed Sidney Banks – over a similar trip to the Challow – seeming a more obvious route to Prestbury Park.
“I thought it was a massive run from him, just with the wrong result,” said King.
“I was thrilled with him and it was just the wrong result. He’s come back home in really good form, I’ve ridden him out this morning and he’s in lovely form.
“He’s only gone up 1lb which has to be a bonus, so we could think about an entry in the Betfair, but maybe the Sidney Banks would be a more obvious target on the way to Cheltenham.”
Once at the Cheltenham Festival, King will need to decide whether to run in the opening Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle over a course and distance Lookaway has already tasted success this term, or tackle the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle over an intermediate trip.
“I’m sure for the Festival the Ballymore is probably going to be better than the Supreme,” said King.
“But as everyone is saying, if the ground comes up the state it is now, then maybe the Supreme is not such a daft idea.
“If it was typical Festival ground, then two-miles-five is going to be better for us.”
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