Promising novice Imagine looks set for a step into open company on his next start, with the Kinloch Brae Chase at Thurles in his sights.

A useful hurdler last season, Gordon Elliott’s charge has thrived since switching to the larger obstacles this term, scoring in heavy ground at Fairyhouse in November before successfully stepping up to Grade Two company at Punchestown a few weeks later.

Connections had suggested a run at Kempton in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase was a possibility over the Christmas period, but with French raider Il Est Francais convincing most to stay away, the Imagine team decided to hold fire in favour of other options.

Now the Caldwell Construction Ltd-owned six-year-old will tackle two and a half miles for the first time over fences in a Group Two event won by Allaho in two of the past three years.

“He runs at Thurles in a Grade Two over two and a half miles,” said Joey Logan, racing manager for the the owners.

“We just didn’t want to run again to soon with him (after the Craddockstown) and we were thinking of going to Kempton (on Boxing Day) but we decided not to with it being three miles and with the French horse coming over.

“We didn’t want to run him over three miles at Leopardstown, so we said we would keep him fresh and the plan is to go to Thurles on January 21.

“He’s still a baby and there is a similar race coming along for Fil D’or as well. These are all young horses and they are coming along nicely and we’re very lucky to have them.”

Middlesbrough boss Michael Carrick is hopeful his side can take the “positive experiences” from their FA Cup third-round loss into their Carabao Cup semi-final against Chelsea.

Boro were knocked out of the FA Cup by Matty Cash’s late strike in the 87th minute, which took a deflection into the bottom corner.

However, Boro’s attention quickly turns to the Carabao Cup, where they come up against Premier League Chelsea at the Riverside on Tuesday and Carrick hopes his players can take inspiration from their performance against Aston Villa.

He said post-match: “The boys are disappointed, which is good that they’re disappointed.

“It’s not an acceptance of ‘we’ve got beat’, it shows to me, more importantly, how much they felt they were right in the game. That’ll help us.

“We’ve got a lot of young boys in there that are learning, developing and experiences like that and the positive experiences we’ll take from it are no end for Tuesday hopefully and to the end of the season.”

Two games against Chelsea stand in the way of Boro reaching the final of the Carabao Cup, which they won in 2004, and Carrick insists his side are already relishing the test against the Blues.

“I won’t have to lift them (for the Chelsea match),” he added.

“It’s a huge game for us obviously, for each individual it’s a massive game, but for us collectively it’s a massive game.

“There won’t be any issues with recovery or motivation, my job’s already done for that one, they’ve done it themselves by getting into a semi-final.

“It’s a different game completely in terms of tactically and the dangers Chelsea have got, we’ll obviously have to adapt and look forward to that.

“They’re dangerous, at any point they can change a game, we know that.”

The 1-0 victory on Saturday night saw Aston Villa break their poor FA Cup run to progress to the fourth round for the first time since 2016.

Their best chances came from a succession of corners in the second half where goalkeeper Tom Glover pulled off an excellent save to deny John McGinn before Ezri Konsa’s header smashed off the inside of the post and Alex Moreno blasted the ball over the bar from close range.

The winning moment fell to Cash who struck from outside of the box to beat Glover and he revealed it was something he had worked on in training.

He told VillaTV: “I think I’ve worked closely on it in training, out of the box shooting and trying to keep the ball on target, and that’s all you can do.

“Obviously got a lucky deflection but I’m delighted it’s gone in, I’m really happy to get a goal.

“Since I’ve been here I haven’t progressed through to the next round, we made it clear before the game we wanted to do that and we’re obviously delighted to get into the fourth round.”

Jade De Grugy could put her Cheltenham Festival aspirations to the test at Fairyhouse later this month following an impressive debut for Willie Mullins at Leopardstown.

The five-year-old was snapped up for €230,000 after winning at Saint-Brieuc in late 2022, and after a 452-day absence finally made her first start for her Closutton training team and new owner Kenny Alexander over the festive period.

Sent off the 5-4 favourite in the hands of Paul Townend for a two-and-a-half-mile maiden hurdle, Jade De Grugy delivered a blistering display, making light work of her rivals to romp home by 15 lengths.

She is now poised for a step up in class for her next start, with Fairyhouse’s SBK Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle on January 27 seen as one possible spot where Jade De Grugy can tune-up for a shot at the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle in the spring.

“She was very impressive,” said Alexander’s racing manager Peter Molony.

“We are not sure what she beat, but what she did was very good and Paul was very impressed with her – we are quite excited about her.

“Every option will be open, but something like the Solerina at the end of the month might be something for her.

“If she progresses in the right direction you would be dreaming of the Mares’ Novices’ at Cheltenham. It’s what we’re thinking of at the moment and hoping for.”

Mullins also unleashed another exciting prospect in the colours of Alexander during Leopardstown’s Christmas Festival with French import Kargese finishing second in the Grade Two Mercedes-Benz South Dublin Juvenile Hurdle.

It was the same position Gala Marceau filled in the race on stable bow 12 months ago and Kargese will seek to repeat Gala Marceau’s Grade One winning exploits in her next start at the Dublin Racing Festival.

Molony added: “We were happy with her, she just didn’t settle great on the day. Considering that, she ran very well and the winner had had two runs already so again we’re quite excited about her.

“Hopefully all going well she goes to the Dublin Racing Festival and if things progress well, we will dream of a go at the Triumph Hurdle.”

This afternoon’s card at Naas will go ahead as planned after the track was declared fit to race.

The Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle is the highlight of a seven-race fixture, but fog had put the meeting into some doubt.

However, clerk of the course Brendan Sheridan reports conditions to have improved since inspections at 7.30am and 9.30am, with the meeting given the official go-ahead.

He said: “I can see the last fence now pretty clear, the fog has lifted and at this point in time racing goes ahead.

“We’re good to go. Having chatted to a few of the riders that have gone for a run around the track, they are happy enough they can see. We have been up to the judge’s box and from there you can see the last fence.

“At this point in time, we’re good to go but we will continue to monitor because of fog, it can lift and come back again.”

The ground at Naas is soft, soft to heavy on the chase and hurdles track.

Fog continues to be a concern at Naas ahead of this afternoon’s Grade One card.

The Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle is due to be the highlight of a seven-race fixture, with the ground declared fit for action following an initial 7.30am inspection.

However, fog has been slow to lift at the track and while it is forecast to clear, clerk of the course Brendan Sheridan is maintaining a careful watch.

He said: “Met Eireann are saying it’s lifting, but the fact there’s no wind means it’s going to be slow lifting.

“We can see the last fence now which we couldn’t earlier, so it is lifting slowly, but it’s very unpredictable and we will just continue to monitor.”

The ground at Naas is soft, soft to heavy on the chase and hurdles track.

Sean Longstaff has challenged Newcastle to mount a charge for FA Cup glory after launching their campaign with a morale-boosting derby victory over Sunderland.

The Magpies went into Saturday’s clash with their arch-rivals having lost seven of their previous eight games in all competitions and knowing the potential for a third-round exit at the hands of lower league opposition for a third successive season was a very real possibility if they were not at their best.

In the event, Eddie Howe’s men eased past the Black Cats with the minimum of fuss, securing a 3-0 victory which rekindled memories among the 6,000 travelling fans at the Stadium of Light of last season’s Carabao Cup final trip to Wembley and increased hope of an end to a 69-year wait for a major domestic trophy.

Asked afterwards about the prospect of an extended run in the competition, midfielder Longstaff told NUFC TV: “We knew going out of the Carabao Cup was really disappointing and if we want to make it a memorable season, it’s a chance to win a trophy and we’ve got to believe that we can do that. I think we’ve got the squad to do it.

“It’s about getting through the first game, so now we’re through and no matter who we get, whether we’re at home or away, we’re going to give it all we’ve got.

“If we can get another trip to Wembley and hopefully put a positive end on it, it would be amazing, but there’s a long way to go before that, so we’re not getting ahead of ourselves.”

Howe and his players arrived on Wearside knowing their season had reached something of a watershed following last month’s Champions League and Carabao Cup exits and a poor run of form in the Premier League.

They did so without a win over Sunderland, now playing their football in the Sky Bet Championship after a four-season exile in League One, in nine attempts – a run which included six successive defeats – dating back to 2011.

But if there was any anxiety on and off the pitch before kick-off, it was soon dispelled as, aided by an error-strewn display from the hosts, they surged to victory without ever having to find top gear.

They went ahead 10 minutes before the break when defender Dan Ballard, who had moments earlier been fortunate to escape unpunished after hauling down Alexander Isak as he surged into the penalty area, turned Joelinton’s cross into his own net with the Sweden international lurking behind him ready to apply the finishing touch.

Newcastle were effectively home and dry within seconds of the restart when Miguel Almiron mugged Pierre Ekwah on the edge of his own box and squared for Isak to extend the lead, and the £63million striker completed the job with a 90th-minute penalty after a frustrated Ballard had barged Anthony Gordon to the ground.

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Sunderland had flickered briefly in the meantime with Alex Pritchard clipping the top of the crossbar and then forcing a good save from Martin Dubravka, but it was all too little, too late.

Isak, who swiftly turned his attention to Saturday’s league clash with Manchester City, said: “We just have to get back to our form and start winning games. That’s the main target.

“Hopefully this can be like a turn-around for us because we’ve had bad results before, so we can use this energy to turn things around, and it’s a good way to start against City.”

Rafael Nadal will miss the Australian Open after sustaining an injury during the Brisbane International earlier this week.

The 37-year-old Spaniard, who had surgery on the psoas tendon in his left hip in June, was making his comeback at the Brisbane tournament.

Nadal required medical treatment during his quarter-final loss to Jordan Thompson, and the 22-time grand slam champion said in a post on X: “During my last match in Brisbane I had a small problem on a muscle that as you know made me worried.

“Once I got to Melbourne I have had the chance to make an MRI and I have micro tear on a muscle, not in the same part where I had the injury and that’s good news.

“Right now I am not ready to compete at the maximum level of exigence in five sets matches. I’m flying back to Spain to see my doctor, get some treatment and rest.”

He added: “I have worked very hard during the year for this comeback and as I always mentioned my goal is to be at my best level in three months.

“Within the sad news for me for not being able to play in front of the amazing Melbourne crowds, this is not very bad news and we all remain positive with the evolution for the season.

“I really wanted to play here in Australia and I have had the chance to play a few matches that made me very happy and positive. Thanks all for the support and see you soon!”

Former Scotland captain Mike Blair announced his retirement from international rugby on this day in 2013.

Blair made the decision in order to focus on life in France, where he was playing for Brive, while also allowing Scotland to uncover fresh options at scrum-half in time for the 2015 World Cup.

Stepping down from the world stage as a 31-year-old, he had made 85 appearances for the team and led the side 14 times.

“I’m in the very fortunate position of being able to decide myself when my international career ends. For me, that time is now,” said Blair, who retired despite remaining a regular starter.

“The fact that I still feel attuned to playing at international level has made the decision harder, but it’s not been reached lightly and I’m very confident that it’s the right decision.”

The 2009 British and Irish Lions tourist spent only one season at Brive and after two years with Newcastle, he joined Glasgow before his playing career ended in 2016.

This afternoon’s meeting at Naas is subject to a second inspection at 9.30am.

The threat of frost prompted officials to call an initial 7.30am check and while the track is reported to be fit for action, fog is causing some concern at the track.

The fog is forecast to lift, but another inspection is required.

Coco Gauff defended her Auckland title as she beat Ukrainian Elina Svitolina to win the ASB Classic in three sets.

The 19-year-old American won 6-7 (4) 6-3 6-3 in just over two and a half hours to make it 10 straight wins at the event.

Gauff was put through a difficult, topsy-turvy first set, losing in a tiebreak.

But the teenager turned it around in the second and third sets as she improved her first serve success from 46 per cent to 73 per cent in the second and above 80 per cent in the third.

The win was the 2023 US Open winner’s seventh WTA title.

Elena Rybakina defeated world number two Aryna Sabalenka in their Australian Open final rematch with a dominant straight sets win to claim the Brisbane International.

The world number four from Kazakhstan charged out of the blocks, dominating the first set 6-0 and continuing the form through the second set 6-3, winning in just over 70 minutes.

Rybakina was clinical on break points, winning five of a possible seven, and limiting the Belarusian to just one break point.

Sabalenka was on a 15-game winning streak in Australia before the loss, spanning back to the start of 2023 in Adelaide and continuing through her Australian Open-winning campaign.

The win was 24-year-old Rybakina’s sixth career title.

Elena Rybakina defeated world number two Aryna Sabalenka in their Australian Open final rematch with a dominant straight sets win to claim the Brisbane International.

The world number four from Kazakhstan charged out of the blocks, dominating the first set 6-0 and continuing the form through the second set 6-3, winning in just over 70 minutes.

Rybakina was clinical on break points, winning five of a possible seven, and limiting the Belarusian to just one break point.

Sabalenka was on a 15-game winning streak in Australia before the loss, spanning back to the start of 2023 in Adelaide and continuing through her Australian Open-winning campaign.

The win was 24-year-old Rybakina’s sixth career title.

Sam Reinhart recorded a hat trick and Aleksander Barkov had four assists to lead the visiting Florida Panthers to their season-high seventh straight victory, 8-4 over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.

Carter Verhaeghe had two goals and an assist and Matthew Tkachuk added a goal and two assists for the Panthers, who have scored 31 goals – including 10 on the power play – during the win streak.

Reinhart has 10 goals in the seven-game run, including three multigoal games. He ranks among the NHL leaders with 28 goals this season, three fewer than he had in 82 games in 2022-23.

Cale Makar and Valeri Nichushkin each scored one goal and set up another as Colorado had a seven-game point streak snapped.

Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to extend his home point streak to 21 games to start the season.

Streaking Oilers win behind Hyman’s hat trick

Zach Hyman notched his third hat trick of the season and the Edmonton Oilers extended their winning streak to seven games on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators.

Stuart Skinner stopped 30 shots and Evan Bouchard had three assists for Edmonton, which has overcome a 5-12-1 start by going 15-3-0 in their last 18.

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch became the first coach in NHL history to have two seven-game winning streaks in his first 25 games in the position. 

The Senators got their lone goal from Parker Kelly and dropped their third straight.

Fleury ties Roy as Wild win

Marc-Andre Fleury tied Patrick Roy on the all-time wins list with Marco Rossi’s overtime goal that gave the Minnesota Wild a 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Fleury made 25 saves to match Roy with his 551st win and now trails only Martin Brodeur (691) on the career list.

Matt Boldy scored two power-play goals and Marcus Johansson also tallied for the Wild, who snapped a four-game losing streak.

Columbus’ Cole Sillinger scored all three goals for his second career hat trick.