Imagine was made to pull out all the stops to maintain his unbeaten record over fences in the BetVictor Craddockstown Novice Chase at Punchestown.

The five-year-old made a smart start to his chasing career at Fairyhouse earlier in the month and was a 30-100 favourite to follow up at Grade Two level just under three weeks later.

Supporters of Gordon Elliott’s charge were made to sweat, though, with Uncle Phil giving a bold sight in front for a long way, while the late challenge of Lucid Dreams provided another scare.

However, Imagine eventually mastered Uncle Phil after the final fence and had just enough in the tank to repel Lucid Dreams by half a length.

Elliott and jockey Jack Kennedy were completing a treble on the card following the earlier victories of 4-1 shots Shannon Royale and Bob Cigar.

Elliott said: “He’s a nice horse and probably wants further. Two and a half miles would probably suit him better.

“The Grade One in Limerick at Christmas could be an option or we might bring him to Kempton on Boxing Day for the Grade One novice (Kauto Star Novices’ Chase, over three miles) and run Gerri Colombe in the King George, but I could change my mind 10 times before then!”

French recruit Hispanic Moon made a successful debut for Henry de Bromhead in the Frontline Security Grabel Mares Hurdle at Punchestown.

A multiple winner in her homeland for David Cottin, the six-year-old was a 20-1 shot to secure Listed honours on her first start on Irish soil in the hands of Darragh O’Keeffe.

With 8-15 favourite Shecouldbeanything disappointingly failing to pick up in the straight, Hispanic Moon moved smoothly to the lead approaching the final flight and found plenty on the run-in to see off the challenge of Saylavee by a length and three-quarters.

De Bromhead said: “She did it really well and had been working nicely at home. She obviously had good form and Kieran (Mariga, owner) spotted her.

“She’s a gorgeous looking mare and I’m delighted with her today. I’d say that’s as short as she’d want and hopefully a step up in trip will suit her.”

There was an even bigger shock in the I.N.H. Stallion Owners EBF Maiden Hurdle, with top-class bumper horse Tullyhill turned over by Shannon Royale.

Tullyhill was a £220,000 purchase last year for owners Cheveley Park Stud after winning his point-to-point. He made a winning bumper debut at Gowran Park in March before finding only A Dream To Share too strong in Grade One company at the Punchestown Festival.

The Willie Mullins-trained gelding was a 1-8 shot for his reappearance and hurdling bow, but the warning signs were out after a mistake before the home bend and in the end Gordon Elliott’s Shannon Royale pulled 24 lengths clear in the hands of Jack Kennedy.

“I was disappointed with him the last day and put cheek pieces on to sharpen him up,” said Elliott.

“He’d fitness on his side, but Jack said he was a different horse altogether today and maybe he just needed the run the last day.

“His jumping was good but he has been disappointing. We’ll probably look for a three-mile handicap somewhere and see what happens.”

Birchdale (5-2 favourite) may have earned himself a trip to Cheltenham next month after providing trainer Enda Bolger with another winner over Punchestown’s cross-country course in the Pigsback.com Risk Of Thunder Chase.

Bolger said: “He was enjoying it anyway, which with those horses is the main thing.

“We might have a look at Cheltenham in December and he’d like a bit of nicer ground in the spring.”

Luka Doncic underwent an X-ray on his left hand after taking a blow to it during the Dallas Mavericks' 107-88 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday.

Doncic's hand hit James Harden's knee during the early stages of the first quarter, and the 24-year-old immediately clutched it in pain.

He went on to score 22 points in the first half before being examined at half-time, though the X-ray reportedly came back as negative and Doncic finished the game with 30 points as the Mavericks ultimately succumbed to defeat.

After the game, Doncic told reporters: "I don't think it's broken. We will see further tomorrow in Dallas."

"I hit his knee, but yeah, I saw the picture [of the play]. It's not good to see."

Doncic was wearing a wrap on his left hand and thumb following the loss, and the Mavericks will nervously wait to see if the four-time All-Star will be able to play in Dallas' home game against the Houston Rockets on Tuesday.

Rangers blew their chance of putting pressure on Celtic despite a late James Tavernier penalty giving them a 1-1 draw against Aberdeen at Pittodrie.

The Light Blues saw a chink of title light on Saturday when the cinch Premiership leaders drew 1-1 at home to Motherwell but they fell behind after just 11 minutes to a Bojan Miovski strike after the static Gers defence had again been exposed.

Any time Rangers did get through Dons keeper Kelle Roos and the Aberdeen crossbar – the Gers hit the woodwork twice after the break – provided a formidable barrier.

However, in the final minute of normal time, after being sent by VAR Andrew Dallas to check his pitchside monitor, referee Nick Walsh pointed to the spot, judging Aberdeen’s Stefan Garternmann had pulled Connor Goldson’s jersey at a corner.

Skipper Tavernier converted the spot kick for a draw which keeps Celtic eight points clear at the top of the table albeit the Hoops have played one more game than their Old Firm rivals.

Philippe Clement has gone eight games unbeaten since becoming Gers boss but he will feel this was an opportunity missed against the side they meet in next month’s Viaplay Cup final at Hampden Park.

Aberdeen’s convincing 3-1 win at Ibrox in September ended Michael Beale’s time as Rangers boss and former Gers striker and current pundit Kris Boyd had added spice to the game by saying Aberdeen players, who lost 6-0 to Celtic in their last outing, would raise their game against the Light Blues.

The home side, who had Slovenian Ester Sokler making his first league start with winger Ryan Duncan and midfielder Jamie McGrath back in the team, certainly started with purpose.

Defender Slobodan Rubezic’s header from a Leighton Clarkson free-kick was saved by Gers keeper Jack Butland who, moments later, brilliantly denied Sokler with his left foot, after the forward had been sent racing clear of the Gers defence by Clarkson.

Rangers had Jose Cifuentes making his first start under Clements with fellow midfielders Todd Cantwell also returning along with Brazilian striker Danilo but it was midfielder Tom Lawrence who came close to getting the breakthrough, his drive saved by Roos.

The Dons keeper was the initial architect of the route-one opener, his long clearance headed on by Sokler with North Macedonia striker Miovski this time running past centre-backs Goldson and Leon Balogun before confidently guiding the ball low past Butland.

Slowly Rangers came back and a Cantwell pass which sped across the Aberdeen goal in the 25th minute was begging to be tapped in before Roos saved Danilo’s close-range effort with his foot.

The Pittodrie number one then made a magnificent save from Balogun’s header from Abdallah Sima’s cross before grabbing John Lundstram’s attempt from the rebound.

At the other end, as the Granite City men rallied, Butland parried clear a powerful 25-yard strike from McGrath, the last real goalmouth action of the first half.

Roos made another decent block from Danilo’s angled-drive early in the second half as the visitors went in search of a leveller.

Rangers kept Aberdeen pinned in their own half for large spells but the Dons defended diligently although in the 73rd minute Lawrence cracked the Dons bar with a 30-yard volley before Balogun hit the bar with a header from close range.

The Govan side kept pushing and got their reward with Tavernier’s late penalty with substitute Sam Lammer missing a good chance to win it in added time when he headed straight in to the arms of Roos.

LeBron James says he "will never forget" his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers after his 22 points helped the Los Angeles Lakers to defeat his former team on Saturday.

James has not always enjoyed an easy relationship with Cavaliers fans, acrimoniously leaving in 2010 after Cleveland drafted him back in 2003, controversially leaving for the Miami Heat.

Having won two NBA championship with the Heat, James returned to Cleveland in 2014 and won over the Cavaliers fans by helping them to a first ever title before departing again in 2018.

James went on to win a fourth NBA Championship with the Lakers, and he scored 22 points as his team went into Cleveland and took a 121-115 victory on Saturday.

The four-time MVP received a warm reception from the home crowd, and after the game he reflected on his "special" time with the Cavaliers, who play close to James' hometown of Akron, Ohio.

"It's just special," James said. "It's very special to be a kid from Akron.

"I grew up 30 miles south of here and to be able to be drafted here and spend my first seven years here and do some special things that the franchise had never seen.

"When I was drafted, I said I wanted to light this place up like Vegas. So I feel like I did a decent job of doing that when I was here for my 11 years.

"Stepping back on this floor is always a pretty cool feeling, looking up there and pretty much being a part of all of the banners in this arena. The one that sits in the middle was that [20]16 championship, so that's pretty cool.

"[I] spent 11 years here and being able to come back after my Miami stint and win a championship here for this franchise, for this city, I think it was a 52-year [title] drought or something like that in the city of Cleveland for any sports team, I think that was just something that I will never forget no matter how old I get. I'll always remember that moment."

Last season’s Grand National runner-up Vanillier is set to start back on the road to Aintree by making an earlier than expected return to action at Thurles.

Gavin Cromwell’s grey beat all bar Corach Rambler in the world’s most famous steeplechase in the spring and a return to Merseyside is unsurprisingly top of his agenda for this term.

Cromwell was concerned the eight-year-old may not make his reappearance until Christmas due to a setback suffered during the summer – but has been so pleased with his recent progress that he is planning to saddle his charge in the BetVictor Chase in County Tipperary on Thursday.

“He’s coming to hand quicker than I thought,” the trainer confirmed.

“It’s a Listed race over two-mile-six (furlongs) for horses that haven’t won a race worth more than €50,000 in the last two years, so it’ll be a nice race to start him off in.

“He has Grade One entries for Christmas, but he might go to the Kinloch Brae or something, then I’d say he’ll almost definitely go to the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse again in February as the weights are out at that stage and it’s a lovely race to go for.

“We obviously have to be mindful along the way when all roads lead to Aintree.”

Another Cromwell inmate who could be Grand National-bound is Malina Girl, having shown her staying prowess with victory in a valuable handicap chase at Cheltenham last Sunday.

Cromwell added: “I can’t believe she has got to the level she has. She’s 15’2 or 15’3, a tiny little thing, with spindly legs on her.

“I see she’s getting quotes for the English National and I would say there is a good chance she could go there.

“I ran her at Punchestown over hurdles (off 113) and thought she had a right chance, she was in great form. I suppose we could definitely go back at some stage over hurdles.

“She jumps well and those extended trips are where she really comes alive.

“I don’t have a plan, but we’ll make one. She definitely won’t he having a complete break because she’s only had two runs.”

Last month The Jockey Club announced a number of significant changes to the Grand National in a bid to improve safety, including reducing the number of runners to 34 from 40 and moving the first fence 60 yards closer to the start.

Commenting on the alterations, Cromwell said: “I think the first fence being closer is a no-brainer – I think that’s a great initiative.

“There’s pros and cons with reducing the field, but it’s in now and we’ll have to just go with it.

“Obviously there’s going to be a few disappointed people, with six more people not getting a run. It’s going to raise the cut-off weight, but it is what it is.”

Fugitif could return to Cheltenham next month for the Virgin Bet December Gold Cup Handicap Chase having been in the mix once again at Prestbury Park in the Paddy Power-sponsored equivalent.

Richard Hobson’s eight-year-old is a regular competitor at Cheltenham and was sent off a 12-1 chance for his seasonal reappearance in the hands of Gavin Sheehan last weekend, a race that was ultimately won by Stage Star, with Fugitif finishing 16 lengths adrift in fourth.

However, there was plenty of encouragement to take from Fugitif’s performance as he matched strides with the winner coming down the hill and rounding the turn for home before his early exuberance in first-time cheekpieces took its toll on the lung-busting run for home.

Although having to settle for minor honours, Hobson is hopeful there is more to come on his next start now his charge has a run under his belt.

“He’s in good order,” said the trainer.

“Something jumped into him at the water jump and it was the only jump he got wrong. He was a bit sore on the behind fetlock for a few days but he’s absolutely A1 now.

“Because he is such a big horse, it normally takes him four or five weeks to come out of his run, but fitness wise he will probably come on for the run. He was too keen and too free, he never settled really.

“I probably shouldn’t have put cheekpieces on him first time out. Gavin was saying he was sort of struggling to keep a lid on him. So it was probably trainer error on that front and hoping he might get some cover, as I thought he might be like that if he was handy enough. He jumped his way to the front with a circuit to run.

“He just got lit up a bit and didn’t run with the choke out, but was just doing too much for a horse having a comeback run compared to the second and third horses which were completely switched off.

“He was bang there alongside Stage Star at the top of the hill and still tanking down the hill.”

Hobson is now looking forward to a potential return to Cheltenham’s New course where Fugitif has an excellent record having finished second on both Festival Trials Day and at the Festival itself earlier in the year.

If recovering sufficiently from his recent exertions, Fugitif could bid to make it third time lucky on the track in the £130,000 feature of the track’s December meeting, while a similar event worth £100,000 on New Year’s Day (Paddy Power New Year’s Day Handicap Chase) is also in the equation along with a trip to Ascot for the Howden Handicap Chase on December 23.

Hobson continued: “There is December on the New course which probably suits him better – that second last comes up a bit sharp on him for such a big horse (on the Old course) – and then there is January 1 as well. The one in December is more valuable and you can also throw Ascot into the mix.

“We’ve been dropped 2lb, the runner-up (Notlongtillmay) has gone up 6lb and he had the benefit of a run, the winner is a Grade One horse and we won’t be meeting him again and we’ve beaten the third (Il Ridoto) before, so on that note I would say it puts us in good stead next time if I pick the right race for him.

“I’ve just got to make sure I keep him healthy and right and don’t over run him and hopefully he will win a big pot somewhere.”

Next week’s Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle could come under consideration for Shishkin after Nicky Henderson’s star chaser refused to start at Ascot on Saturday.

Having rounded off a rollercoaster season with a first victory over an extended three miles at Aintree in the spring, the nine-year-old was odds-on to make a successful reappearance in the Grade Two 1965 Chase in Berkshire, which was due to be his prep run for the King George at Kempton on Boxing Day.

However, it became clear not long after he arrived at the start that Shishkin was not too keen to jump off with the other runners and when the tape went up, he turned his head and planted himself in the hands of Nico de Boinville.

Henderson reported his charge to be none the worse on Sunday morning, but is now in a quandary as to what to do next.

“He’s fine, he’s actually been out for a little day out and a hack canter this morning,” said the Seven Barrows handler.

“We’ve got to think what we’re going to do, I haven’t got that far yet.

“There’s very little he can do, to be honest with you. I don’t know, perhaps they’ll start the King George in starting stalls!”

Shishkin was wearing cheek pieces for the first time in public on Saturday and while Henderson is loathe to blame the headgear for his antics, they may be dispensed with on his next start.

He added: “I don’t think they made any difference, to be honest with you. I’m not saying they’ll stay on, because it’s probably sensible to do something.

“I don’t think they had anything to do with it, as he’s had them on at home and Nico has schooled him in them and he was great.

“I’m inclined to take them off, just to do something different, but they were nothing to do with it.

“I just think it was mainly because of where the start was at Ascot, and therefore, unsurprisingly, the King George start is a very bad one, too.”

The next conditions race open to Shishkin is the Grade Two Peterborough Chase, but Henderson feels the December 10 showpiece is “too close” to Kempton, while the two-and-a-half-mile distance at Huntingdon is considered “almost certainly too short round there”.

And with the brilliant Constitution Hill being readied to travel from Lambourn to Newcastle to make his comeback in Saturday’s Fighting Fifth Hurdle, Henderson admits the thought of putting Shishkin in the horsebox alongside him has crossed his mind.

When asked whether the Rehearsal Chase could be an option, the trainer said: “That is under consideration, as you can imagine. We’re going there anyway.

“We’ll just have to see, we’re not thinking about it at the moment. We’ve just got to face the issue and see, as there’s no point going up there (Newcastle) if he’s going to repeat it.”

The Venetia Williams-trained L’Homme Presse carried 12 stone to victory in last year’s Rehearsal Chase before unseating at the final fence in the King George.

Terry Venables will forever be remembered as the manager who oversaw the summer when football came home.

The charismatic boss, who has died at the age of 80, enjoyed a colourful and controversial career, the undoubted highlight of which was leading England to within a penalty shoot-out of reaching the final of the European Championship on home soil in 1996.

That fixture was his last as the national team’s manager after he left the role to focus on his upcoming court cases, but by the end of the year he was, perhaps typically, combining a new role as Portsmouth chairman with another as Australia coach.

That ‘wheeler-dealer’ streak saw Venables court controversy for his dealings outside of football.

‘El Tel’, as he became known during his time in charge of Barcelona, also co-owned and managed Tottenham, and was the subject of allegations of improper business conduct, as well as claims he once paid Brian Clough a bung.

The one-time midfielder was born in Dagenham, Essex, on January 6, 1943, and was an only child.

Having shown promise as a footballer, he joined Chelsea as an apprentice in 1958 before signing professional terms two years later, and then winning a League Cup winner’s medal in 1965 following a 3-2 victory over Leicester.

He had earned his two England caps the previous year in fixtures against Belgium and Holland, having represented his country at schoolboy, youth, amateur and under-23 level.

It was his transfer to Tottenham in 1966 that led to his most successful period as a player, during which he won the following year’s FA Cup with a 2-1 victory over his former club.

He left Tottenham for QPR in 1969, moving on five years later to Crystal Palace.

His talents did not just lie on the pitch, though.

During his playing career, Venables co-wrote detective novels, which were later turned into the TV series Hazell about a wise-cracking cockney private eye. It ran for 22 episodes from 1978-79.

It proved a significantly bigger hit than one of his early business ideas – the ‘Thingummywig’, a hat with a built-in wig so women could go out without removing their curlers.

After one season as a player at Palace he retired and joined the coaching staff and, in 1976, he was promoted into the role that proved his most natural fit – manager.

Venables required only one year to lead Palace to promotion from the Third Division and just a further two to secure the Second Division title.

In October 1980 he resigned to take over at QPR, leading the second-tier side to the 1982 FA Cup final, which they lost to Tottenham in a replay. The following season he guided them to the Second Division title, while becoming both their major shareholder and managing director.

He led QPR to a fifth-placed finish and qualification for the UEFA Cup in the 1983-84 campaign, but in May 1984 he resigned to become manager of Barcelona.

He charmed the crowd present at his first match in charge by addressing them in Catalan and, more significantly, in his first season he led the club to their first Spanish league title in 11 years.

Venables signed Gary Lineker and Mark Hughes during his time at the Nou Camp, also selling Diego Maradona.

However, Barca only finished runners-up in the league during the following two seasons, also losing in the final of the 1986 European Cup as Romanian opponents Steaua Bucharest triumphed on penalties after a goalless draw.

His dismissal in September 1987 was followed by his appointment as Tottenham manager in October. He brought Paul Gascoigne to the club and linked up with Lineker again.

Venables led Spurs to 1991 FA Cup glory with a 2-1 victory over Nottingham Forest in the final, although the match was overshadowed by Gascoigne’s cruciate ligament injury.

When Venables and Alan Sugar won the takeover battle for the club that June, he was also appointed chief executive, but his relationship with the then chairman gradually broke down.

In 1993 Sugar sacked him, and later that year the BBC’s Panorama programme alleged misdealings connected with Venables’ businesses, which he responded to by threatening libel action.

Despite any damage to his reputation, in January 1994 he was appointed England manager, and his first fixture in charge came two months later when they defeated Denmark 1-0 at Wembley.

That August, police also dropped their inquiry into allegations he paid Clough a £50,000 bung to arrange a player transfer.

In January 1996 Venables revealed he would resign as England manager after that year’s European Championship to focus on pending court cases, but the imminent conclusion to his reign could not take the gloss off what so nearly became such a glorious summer for the hosts.

With Arsenal’s Tony Adams as his captain at the heart of defence, Alan Shearer in form up front and a rejuvenated Gascoigne pulling the strings in midfield, they progressed to the knockout stages following a 4-1 thumping of Holland that still ranks as one of England’s finest performances.

Venables’ use of the ‘Christmas Tree’ formation was considered instrumental to their success, which also included a penalty shoot-out victory over Spain in the quarter-finals.

England produced another memorable display in the semi-final, only to lose on penalties to eventual winners Germany. Despite the cruel nature of the defeat and the fact it proved his final match as England manager, he later described that summer as the “best time of my life”.

That July, Venables made an unexpected return to the sport as Portsmouth’s director of football and by November he had been appointed Australia manager, also becoming Portsmouth chairman, having bought the club for £1.

In January 1998 he stepped down from his role of chairman and also agreed to a High Court order banning him from holding company directorships for seven years.

His return to Palace as manager that April was short-lived, but he was recruited again, this time by struggling Middlesbrough, in December 2000.

Having left after leading them to Premier League survival, in July 2002 he returned for one last job in club management, this time at financially-troubled Leeds.

The sale of key players including Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler and Jonathan Woodgate contributed to their plight and in March, as the threat of relegation loomed, he was sacked again.

Venables surprisingly returned to the England set-up as new manager Steve McClaren’s assistant in the summer of 2006. Failure to qualify for Euro 2008 saw them dismissed in November 2007.

Having speculated in clubs and property, his final business venture began in 2014 when he opened a boutique hotel and restaurant with wife Yvette in Penaguila, Spain.

Venables, who died on Saturday, is survived by his wife and daughters Tracey and Nancy.

Former England, Barcelona and Tottenham manager Terry Venables has died at the age of 80.

As a player he made more than 500 appearances for Chelsea, Tottenham, QPR and Crystal Palace but made his real mark as a coach, also managing Palace and QPR.

“We are totally devastated by the loss of a wonderful husband and father who passed away peacefully yesterday after a long illness,” read a family statement.

“We would ask that privacy be given at this incredibly sad time to allow us to mourn the loss of this lovely man who we were so lucky to have had in our lives.”

Dan Skelton is keen to get Protektorat back on the racecourse “relatively quickly” following his disappointing defence of the Betfair Chase at Haydock on Saturday.

The eight-year-old was a brilliant winner of the Merseyside Grade One 12 months ago, but after travelling well on the front end for a long way in his bid for back-to-back victories, he weakened out of contention before the home turn and trailed home last of four runners behind Royale Pagaille.

Skelton reported his star chaser to have emerged relatively unscathed on Sunday morning and he plans to give him another run before the end of 2023, after which a tilt at the the £165,000 Fleur de Lys Chase at Lingfield on January 21 is on the agenda.

“He’s a bit stiff, but he’s fine. We’ll get him right and go again,” said the Alcester-based trainer.

“Yesterday wasn’t our day and take nothing away from the winner, it was a fabulous performance.

“We were happy with our horse going into it and I’m not making any excuses. Sometimes you get beat and you’ve just got to dust yourself down and go again.

“What I want to do is run him somewhere relatively quickly, between now and the new year, and then look at the Winter Million race for him. It’s worth an awful lot of money and will probably be run on ground that he’ll really enjoy.”

Protektorat’s options over the festive period include the King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day and the Savills Chase at Leopardstown two days later, with nothing off the table at this stage.

Skelton added: “I’ve got to talk to connections first, but there’s only a handful of races that he’s eligible for, so we’ll have to consider them all.”