Personal Ambition is likely to head for Aintree’s Grand National meeting after coming out on top in thrilling renewal of the bet365 Premier Novices’ Hurdle at Kelso.
Never far from the pace set by Choose A Copper, Ben Pauling’s charge – whose only defeat in three prior hurdle starts was when third in this Grade Two company at Sandown – soon had them all at it when Kielan Woods went for home.
To his credit, 9-4 market leader Jango Baie stuck to his task when giving chase, as at one stage it looked as if Nicky Henderson’s Boxing Day Grade One scorer might drop away.
Nico de Boinville’s mount had closed right up jumping the last, but try as he might he could not quite reel the leader in under his 5lb penalty, going down by half a length to the 3-1 winner.
Pauling said: “It didn’t exactly go to plan early doors, there was a good gallop down to the first, probably too much of a gallop I would say, and he missed the first and the second and I was thinking ‘this is not ideal’.
“Thankfully he got into a nice rhythm after that and it was great that he toughed it out, as he needed to today. It wasn’t a facile victory, he had to really dig deep and he hasn’t had to do that before really, so it was great to see him do it.
“He’ll probably go to Aintree, that would be the obvious route. We were never going to go to Cheltenham because I knew that he could make the sort of mistakes he did today.
“I still think he’s a horse that just needs time on the track and I think the flat track at Aintree will suit him more than the undulations of Cheltenham.
“He’s obviously got loads of ability and he’ll be a lovely horse in time.”
Woods only returned this week after serving a 45-day suspension related to his use of the whip.
He said: “This is massive. It’s not easy for Ben Pauling to convince owners to put me up after what I’ve been doing, but I’ve learned my lesson and it’s great that Angus and Lynne (Maclennan), who are big owners, have put me up. It means a lot.
“That was brilliant. He stuck at it really well, he was good and tough. He’s very talented, but he’ll be a nicer chaser, he doesn’t have much respect for hurdles. He’ll be a good horse when he gets fences.”
Promotion-chasing Leeds saw their bid for a club record 10 successive league wins ended as they were held to a 1-1 draw at 10-man Huddersfield.
Defender Michal Helik put the hosts ahead before captain Jonathan Hogg was sent off.
The returning Patrick Bamford levelled, but the visitors saw their perfect league record in 2024 ended as they were forced to settle for a point.
Daniel Farke’s side failed to cut Leicester’s lead at the summit to four points in the early kick-off as Huddersfield went three points clear of the relegation zone as a hard-fought draw.
Leeds made six changes from the side which was narrowly beaten by Chelsea in the FA Cup in midweek.
But there was just a solitary swap from the starting line-up which beat league leaders Leicester last weekend as Bamford made his first start since February 10.
Huddersfield made two changes from the side which came from behind to beat Watford with two-goal Danny Ward recalled to the XI alongside Sorba Thomas, who missed last week’s victory to be at the birth of his first child.
Farke’s title contenders started well and saw Crysencio Summerville’s early effort kept out by Lee Nicholls’ legs.
Leeds stopper Illan Meslier did well to keep out Jack Rudoni’s strike before the Frenchman produced an even better stop to deny to former AFC Wimbledon man at the near post from the resultant corner.
But despite giving up huge possession, Huddersfield were able to contain their local rivals.
And the hosts took the lead as substitute Helik, on for the injured Yuta Nakayama, showed his scoring instincts in the first of nine additional minutes in the first half.
Thomas delivered a quality free-kick from the left-hand side and Meslier did extremely well to keep out Ward’s initial header before top scorer Helik reacted quickest as he poked home his ninth of the campaign.
But Town were reduced to 10 when captain Hogg, who was booked earlier in the half, saw red for a cynical stray elbow on Junior Firpo.
Georginio Rutter went close to levelling with the last kick of the half as his left-footed strike whistled past the post.
An inspired triple substitution sprung the visitors into life as Dan James, Joel Piroe and Connor Roberts were thrown on to get something from the game.
Former Manchester United man James and Burnley loanee Roberts combined down the right as the latter fizzed a ball across the face of goal to be turned home by a sliding Bamford in the 67th minute.
Leeds’ best chance for a late winner came in the 85th minute when Summerville hit the post after cutting onto his right foot.
Cardiff completed a Severnside derby double over Bristol City by winning 1-0 at Ashton Gate.
Perry Ng’s 66th-minute header gave Cardiff back-to-back victories after going four without a win and took them above Bristol City in the Championship table.
Both teams kicked off knowing they were in need of a strong late-season flourish to force their way into the play-off picture.
There was little to choose between them over 90 minutes when clear-cut openings were rare.
But Cardiff lived up to the title of Championship set-piece kings by scoring a league-leading 17th goal from such a situation this season.
Bristol City had some good moments but they were often repelled by the head of Nat Phillips as the Liverpool central defender showed what an outstanding acquisition he has been since arriving on loan in January.
Cardiff’s 2-0 derby home win in October had signalled the end of Nigel Pearson’s Ashton Gate tenure and the eventual arrival of Liam Manning in the Robins’ hot seat.
On that occasion Rubin Colwill had lit up the Welsh capital with a stunning strike, but the Wales forward was kept on a tight leash this time.
A sedate opening sparked into life with the hosts having three penalty appeals rejected by referee Sam Allison.
Nahki Wells tumbled in the box after 11 minutes and handball claims after shots from Andy King and Taylor Gardner-Hickman were blocked in the same attack were waved away.
Mark Sykes tested Ethan Horvath for the first time after 20 minutes, with the ball striking the Cardiff goalkeeper squarely in the chest before the Bluebirds cleared.
Cardiff’s tactic appeared one of containment and counter and David Turnbull sent a tame effort wide after slick approach play from Josh Bowler.
Ng let fly from 25 yards to warm the hands of Robins’ goalkeeper Max O’Leary, with the Cardiff full-back soon in more familiar territory to snuff out Sykes.
Bowler was off-target after combining well with Turnbull, and the latter’s free-kick at the start of the second period provided comfortable catching practice for O’Leary.
Yakou Meite replaced the injured Kion Etete in the Cardiff attack and Ryan Wintle took over the captaincy from Joe Ralls.
The changes had a positive effect as Ollie Tanner, another substitute, won a corner and Ng rose highest for his sixth goal of the season and second against Bristol City.
Horvath protected Cardiff’s victory by producing a superb reflex stop to deny Rob Dickie with Tommy Conway’s follow-up effort ruled out for offside.
Serious Operator provided Patrick Wadge with another valuable winner in his quest to be champion conditional jockey when seeing off Brewin’upastorm in the bet365 Handicap Hurdle at Kelso.
Trained by Lucinda Russell, Wadge’s main supplier of winners, the seven-year-old had finished fifth in the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton last time out and was a well-backed 7-2 chance.
With Wadge, who still claims 3lb, full of confidence looking for a sixth winner in his last seven rides, he waited for the right time to kick for home and jumped the last with an advantage he held to the line, winning by a length and three-quarters.
“He’s improving, his jumping was perfect but we were a bit worried about the ground because he prefers it good to soft than soft,” said Russell.
“Halfway down the back I was thinking the ground was catching him out, but it wasn’t and he was entitled to go close based on his Lanzarote run.
“We’ll go chasing next year, he probably should have done it this year, but to be fair his hurdling is outstanding. He’ll go to Aintree now and he’ll stay around at two and a half miles, it suits him.”
On Wadge, she added: “I’m so proud of him and he’s riding with such confidence, it’s great.
“The title would be great, but it’s a fickle old world and there are two months still to go. He’s certainly riding at the top of his game.”
Sauber Academy Driver Zane Maloney, of Barbados, completed a fine performance from eighth on the grid to take his maiden Formula 2 victory in Friday’s Bahrain Sprint for the Rodin Motorsport team.
Reverse grid polesitter Jake Crawford held onto a podium finish in second for DAMS, and rookie driver and Red Bull Junior Josep María Marti, took a fine third for Campos Racing.
The 20-year-old Maloney, sped from eighth to first within eight laps, and comfortably controlled the pace from there to register his maiden win in the 23-lap race around the Bahrain International Circuit. He passed the finish line with a plus-five-second advantage over Crawford, while Martí finished a second and a half further back, as he converted an 11th-place starting spot into a podium finish.
“Of course, I’m very happy to win the race, we started in P8 (position eight), got a great start and the team just gave me an amazing car, so it is all down to them, and we will go for it (on Saturday) in the feature race,” Maloney said after the race.
“It was an amazing race. Of course, it started with a great start and then a good first two laps. I always put my car in the right place, which was good. After that, to be honest, I was happy to settle in my position and try to save the tyres a bit.
“While saving the tyres, I was still keeping up so then I decided to just go for it, get in the lead and think about the tyres after that which I did. It worked out very well. The team gave me a great car so that is the reason," he added.
Formula 2 is the second tier to Formula 1 racing organised by the FIA, motorsport’s world governing body, and held on select circuits on the Grand Prix schedule. The Formula 2 feature race is scheduled for Saturday and Maloney is buzzing with excitement, as he will start third on the grid.
“I mean that’s always the goal; I didn’t think I would win, but the plan was to try and win (on Saturday). Every day is different so we just need to look at the data and see what we can still do better, try to improve. For sure starting third, I need to have a good start again and go into the race how I did (on Friday). The goal is to win (on Saturday) for sure," Maloney declared.
“I came out of Turn 11 on the inside, and I wasn’t really looking for it, but then I saw it was on and I had to go for it,” he said about his move to get past Fittipaldi and into the top three. I know Enzo is a very respectful driver, so I knew he was a hard racer, but he is not just going to force me off the track, which is why I tried for it. I mean it was on the edge, but it was great," he ended.
In an impressive performance at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Fraser McConnell secured victory in Round 9 of 10, the first of two final races, keeping himself in contention for the Nitrocross series 2023/4 title. McConnell dominated the penultimate round on Friday night.
Taking an early lead in the six-lap final, McConnell faced a challenge when Oliver Eriksson overtook him in the heavy braking zone. That lead was short-lived as McConnell tagged him just after the joker merge two turns later to regain the lead.
Following Eriksson's setback, a fierce battle unfolded among Larsson, Timmy Hansen, and Andreas Bakkerud, allowing McConnell to extend his lead. Despite Hansen and Larsson taking their jokers on laps three and four respectively, neither could catch up to McConnell.
McConnell, who recently extended his contract with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the 2024-25 season, crossed the finish line 3.760 seconds ahead of Larsson to take the win.
The Nitrocross 2023/4 season concludes on Saturday in Las Vegas with everything at stake in round 10 at the Nitrodome in Planet Hollywood.
A sin bin trial featuring blue cards was conspicuous by its absence as football’s lawmakers set out plans to improve player behaviour on Saturday.
The PA news agency understands blue cards were set to be part of a trial of sin bins at higher levels of the sport, with details of the trial having been close to publication by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) last month.
Media reports about blue cards published on February 8 drew a negative response on social media and from the likes of Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou, and plans to publish the trial details were delayed pending further talks at Saturday’s annual general meeting.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said on Friday night he “wasn’t aware” blue cards were intended to be used in the trial and said his organisation was “completely opposed” to the idea, and an IFAB press release issued on Saturday mentioned two other protocols designed to help referees regulate player behaviour had been approved – giving referees the option to create captain-only zones and cooling-off areas in the event of mass confrontations.
But there was no mention of the sin bin trial or blue cards, only that “current guidelines to temporary dismissals in youth and grassroots football” had been “improved”.
“Any potential wider application will only be considered once the impact of these changes have been reviewed,” the release said.
Cinderella’s Dream enhanced her Classic claims in overcoming huge adversity to land the Jumeirah 1000 Guineas at Meydan.
Following low-key wins at Lingfield and Thirsk, the daughter of Shamardal made an impressive Dubai debut in last month’s Jumeirah Fillies Classic – a race won last year by Saeed bin Suroor’s Mawj, who not only followed up in the Jumeirah Guineas but also went on to land the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.
Cinderella’s Dream was extremely short odds to maintain her unbeaten record on ‘Super Saturday’, but disaster almost struck at the halfway stage as William Buick’s saddle slipped forward, prompting the dual champion jockey to kick his feet out of the irons for the remainder of the race.
Buick could do little more than sit and suffer from the home turn, but it did not prevent Charlie Appleby’s charge from going through the gears and she pulled five and a half lengths clear of the Amy Murphy-trained Geologist with the minimum of fuss.
Paddy Power cut Cinderella’s Dream to 12-1 from 16-1 for the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 5, and Buick had nothing but praise for the three-year-old following her latest triumph.
“She took a hold early and she’s only quite slight, so when I took a pull my saddle slightly went up in front of me, and then when the pace slackened her going into the turn and I steadied her off heels, it went up again,” he told the Dubai Racing Club.
“I’m not sure what you could see on the TV, but I was getting a bit unbalanced up her neck, so the safest thing to do was to kick my feet out (of the stirrups) and she’s still managed to win.
“She was very professional, it was a bit of a rodeo show really but she got the job done.
“She’s really progressing and she’s won as she liked with no help at all. I think she’s done really well and with each start she keeps doing things better, so you’d be very happy with that.”
Jemma Reekie delighted her home crowd in Glasgow by cruising into the final of the women’s 800 metres with a “perfect” performance at the World Indoor Championships.
The 25-year-old Scot bided her time in second spot before passing Ethiopia’s Habitam Alemu on the final straight to win heat two in commanding fashion in a time of one minute 58.28 seconds.
World number five Reekie progresses to Sunday’s medal race as the fastest qualifier across the two semi-finals and had a warning for her podium rivals.
She told BBC Sport: “(It was) perfect planning – you’d think Jon (Bigg, her coach) knew a bit about this sport by now! (It was) really good.
“I’m in really good shape. Obviously the final’s going to be really tough but I want them to know if they’re coming to win on my track they’re going to have to work hard.
“I think it will be a fast one.”
Leading Champion Bumper contender Maughreen has been ruled out of the Cheltenham Festival after suffering a minor setback.
The daughter of Walk In The Park is bred to be smart, being out of a half-sister to the brilliant Faugheen, and could not have been more impressive when scoring by 11 lengths on her racecourse debut at Punchestown in January.
The five-year-old was disputing favouritism with some bookmakers to provide trainer Willie Mullins with a 13th Champion Bumper success at Prestbury Park – and while she will not be making the trip across the Irish Sea, connections are hopeful she will make a full recovery.
James Fenton, racing manager for her Closutton Racing Club owners, said: “The team at Willie’s just copped that she wasn’t moving correctly after a piece of work during the week, we’ve done a bit of investigating to see what was going on and we caught something very small.
“She’s by no means in any danger or anything like that, it’s an injury that I would take every day of the week. It’s very minor and the prognosis for it is described as excellent.
“She was going to Cheltenham, that was the plan. I discussed it on Monday night with Willie and a lot of the members had their plane tickets booked and everything, but they’re very understanding as that’s the game we’re in.”
On whether Maughreen could run later in the spring, Fenton added: “It’s up in the air at the moment, but there’s one thing we won’t be doing and that’s putting pressure on her.
“She’ll be well looked after, we’ll get her right and we’ll kick on again. We’ll just have to reassess her after two weeks and I would expect her to make a full recovery.”
Tributes have been paid to Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer Mark Bradstock, who has died aged 66.
Along with his wife Sara, Bradstock trained Coneygree to become the first novice since Captain Christy 41 years earlier to land the blue riband at Prestbury Park in 2015.
The Old Manor Stables handler also saddled Carruthers to win the 2011 Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury, while Step Back was another big-race victor in the 2018 bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown.
Coneygree was ridden at Cheltenham by Nico de Boinville, who is now established as one of the top riders in the sport.
He wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Thinking of the Bradstock family. I owe them all so much, they played an integral part in getting me going. Mark will be hugely missed.”
Bradstock’s final runner Mr Vango won the Devon National at Exeter on February 23 by 60 lengths and could now line up in the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival later this month.
Retired jockey Mattie Batchelor, who was on board Carruthers for his Hennessy triumph and also steered Coneygree to two Grade Two victories over hurdles, posted: “Thank you very much for the memories!!!! We had some great times and more importantly some great laughs!!!!! Condolences to Sara, Alfie (son) and Lily (daughter).”
Erik ten Hag admits he must solve a defensive “puzzle” for Sunday’s Manchester derby.
Harry Maguire has joined Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Tyrell Malacia and Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the sidelines through injury and Manchester United boss Ten Hag is expected to pick from the same squad that edged past Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup in midweek.
Sofyan Amrabat returned to the United side on Wednesday on the left, with Diogo Dalot on the right.
Ten Hag said on manutd.com: “We have to lay the puzzle because we are still missing full-backs. We are still missing centre-halves.
“So we have to be creative but I think we can. On Wednesday, we showed we can, if we have the right plan.
“But, more important than that, if we have that passion, and that ambition, and desire and determination to win the game, then we are able to do it.”
United’s best run of the season was halted last weekend by a 2-1 defeat against Fulham, dealing a major blow to their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
A trip to the Etihad Stadium, where United have conceded a combined 10 goals in their last two visits, presents a formidable challenge, but Ten Hag believes they can put the Fulham disappointment behind them.
“Of course, it’s annoying,” he said. “It still annoys me, that game against Fulham. But it happened and, also, we can’t forget what happened before that.
“From January on, we are in very good form, on a very good run. We bounced back (at Forest) and we have to keep this process going. We’re looking forward, great games are coming up – big games and good challenges.
“So the team is really excited about that. I’m excited about going into this game, and also the coming games, but Sunday is very important.”
Eric Dier will remain at Bayern Munich for another season after a pre-agreed clause was met, the Bundesliga giants have said.
The 30-year-old joined Bayern on loan from Tottenham in January and has made seven appearances.
With Dier’s Spurs contract set to expire on June 30, an option to make his transfer permanent if he played a certain number of games was included in the deal.
Dier’s stay at Bayern will now run until at least June 30, 2025, and he said on fcbayern.com: “I’m happy in Munich. Now my future is sorted and I can focus on playing well for the club and trying to help the club to win games, win competitions, even though it’s been a difficult period for us.”
Dier had made only four appearances for Spurs this season, three of them off the bench, before following former team-mate Harry Kane to Germany.
The news officially brings to an end Dier’s time at Tottenham, where he made 365 appearances during a nine-and-a-half-year spell.
Max Eberl, FC Bayern board member for sport, said: “He’s a valuable support in our defence with all his character.”
Newbury’s BetVictor Greatwood Gold Cup meeting was given the green light following a second morning inspection at the Berkshire circuit.
While Friday’s six-race card took place in its entirety, conditions worsened throughout the day and with further rain forecast, an initial precautionary check was announced for 8am.
The course was found to be waterlogged in places early on Saturday morning, but officials were keen to give the fixture every chance and the track was passed fit to race shortly before a second planned inspection time of 10am.
Saturday’s Navan card, featuring the Grade Three Flyingbolt Novice Chase and the Grade Two BoyleSports Webster Cup, will also go ahead as scheduled after the course passed a a 7.30am inspection.
IHRB clerk of the course Paddy Graffin said: “I’m pleased to say that the track at Navan is fit for racing and has passed our inspection here this morning.
“The team here at Navan have done an outstanding job on the track and there is no longer any standing water. The ground remains heavy, and will be testing, but racing goes ahead.”
Leopardstown’s meeting on Sunday came through an initial Saturday morning inspection, but a further check has been announced for 3pm this afternoon.
“The track at Leopardstown remains unfit for racing at present due to snow still lying in some areas,” said clerk of the course Lorcan Wyer.
“However, there has been improvement since yesterday and further thaw is expected today so will have a further inspection at 3pm this afternoon.”
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