San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich stands by his decision to criticise the team's fans over their booing of former franchise favourite Kawhi Leonard, describing their behaviour as "hateful".
Popovich made headlines on Wednesday when he walked over to the scorer's table and grabbed a microphone during the second quarter of the Spurs' 109-102 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers.
With San Antonio's fans loudly jeering their former star Leonard as he lined up a pair of free throws, his former coach Popovich leapt to his defence.
"Excuse me for a second," Popovich said to the crowd. "Can we stop all the booing and let these guys play? Have a little class. That's not who we are. Knock off the booing."
Popovich later said the boos had risked giving Leonard – who won the NBA Championship with the Spurs in 2014 before departing four years later – additional motivation.
Asked if he regretted the remarks ahead of Friday's game against the Golden State Warriors, Popovich said: "Absolutely not. It's pretty easy to understand.
"I listened to it for a while and it just got louder and louder and uglier and uglier, and I felt sorry for him, and I was embarrassed for our city, for our organization.
"That's not who we are, that's not how we've conducted ourselves for the last 25 years. It's the opposite of the way we've conducted ourselves, the way we've worked in the community.
"It's kind of an indication of the world we live in today. It was hateful. It was really disrespectful, it was just mean-spirited.
"We're the team that when somebody comes back to town after having been a Spur, we show a video of them. I can remember when Kawhi and Danny Green came back from Toronto, we showed videos of those guys and the crowd didn't react like that."
The Spurs failed to end their dismal run of form on Friday, seeing their losing streak extend to 11 games as Stephen Curry's 35 points helped the Warriors to a 118-112 win in the In-Season Tournament game at Chase Center.
Curry also matched his season-high tally of seven three-pointers and added six assists, while guard Gary Payton II won plaudits for a terrific leaping block on Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama.
Number one draft pick Wembanyama had 22 points and eight rebounds but only made one of six three-point attempts as San Antonio's miserable run continued.
They continue to prop up the Western Conference at 3-13 and are 0-4 in the group stage of the In-Season Tournament ahead of Sunday's difficult road game against the Denver Nuggets.
Emmet Mullins pulled off another masterstroke as Slate Lane ran away with the £150,000 Betfair “Serial Winners” Stayers’ Handicap Hurdle at Haydock.
Owned by Paul Byrnes, the man behind so many of Mullins’ breakthrough horses, Slate Lane was winning for the fourth time in succession.
Donagh Meyler always looked in complete control on the 11-4 favourite and he survived a messy jump at the last to win in style.
What would have made the result all the more satisfying for the trainer was that back in second, a length and a half away, was Fine Margin, trained by his uncle and champion trainer, Willie.
There was some concern after the race, however, as the winner returned with a nasty looking cut on his leg.
Before walking back to the stable yard to see to the injury Mullins said: “He’s won four in a row now so it’s great, it’s all come together.
“To be honest since he crossed the line at Cartmel in a maiden hurdle this was the plan and it was about getting him here on a reasonable mark and it’s come off.
“Everything went well. I thought there might not be much pace so I said to Donagh to line up wide and see how it unfolds and he was wise to it, he did the right thing letting him off.
“He’s very straightforward and as long as he keeps winning we’re happy enough.”
Byrne added: “It’s unbelievable, I’m delighted. He’s a great horse to win four in a row.
“Donagh was brilliant on him, he’s a cracking rider and I can’t understand why he doesn’t get more opportunities at home. He’s been very lucky for us.
“This was the plan. When you have a three-miler this was the one you are aiming for because there’s nothing else worth this much, it’s not like with a two-miler.
“I don’t think we’ll qualify for the Pertemps, but he is still a novice, whether he’s that good I don’t know.
“The cut is a little bit worrying, Emmet has followed the horse down and he doesn’t normally do that. It’s a bit concerning, Emmet didn’t like it.”
Kamsinas built on the promise of his previous outing when landing the Betfair Racing Podcasts Newton Novices’ Hurdle.
Trained by Fergal O’Brien, the six-year-old had gone close in Grade Two company at Cheltenham behind Neil King’s Lookaway and when the winner ran a big race in the Greatwood Hurdle afterwards, O’Brien knew he had a nice youngster on his hands.
He was taking on a couple of well-regarded types in Henry Daly’s Bowenspark and the Lucinda Russell-trained Primoz, but they could not live with Kamsinas (16-5) in the straight.
Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero’s Making Headway tried to make a race of it, but still went down by a length and a quarter behind Paddy Brennan on the winner.
O’Brien said: “We were very hopeful – I’m never confident – as he’d been working well and was very unlucky at Cheltenham when he got stopped in his run.
“That form was franked by the winner and what I loved about him there was he threw himself over the last showing a great will to win.
“I’m delighted with him, he’s a super little horse. We’ll all sit and have a chat about what next but we thought something like this was in him. We need these days.
“It’s a long road to Cheltenham in March and hopefully there’ll be a lot of races before then. I think he’ll get further and he’s already shown he handles Cheltenham.”
Dan Skelton hopes the handicapper does not get too carried away after Real Stone coasted to victory in the betting.betfair.com Handicap Chase.
When his two main market rivals, Cheddleton and Pay The Piper, dropped away, the 15-8 favourite coasted to a 20-length win under Harry Skelton.
Skelton said: “The first thing I have to say is that I hope the other two are OK because they clearly haven’t given their true running, they are good horses on their day.
“When you’ve been having a bit of a run like we have, when there’s nothing wrong with them but winners are not exactly flowing, it’s nice to enjoy one like that.
“We’ll go quietly with him, he’s not had loads of racing and he probably has to go left-handed which rules out those Ascot races, but we hope to end up in something like the Red Rum (at Aintree).”
Stuart Crawford ran two in the Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Handicap Hurdle, both owned by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, and with Daryl Jacob unable to get down to 10st 3lb on Park Annonciade it was left to Ben Bromley to do the steering.
Son of the racing manager of the owners, Anthony Bromley, his 5lb allowance took his weight down even lower, the 3-1 joint-favourite beating Stainsby Girl by two and three-quarter lengths.
“I’m delighted to ride a winner on a big day like this, it’s huge for me,” said Bromley.
“I’m also delighted for Stuart, he’s a great trainer and is a big part of Simon and Isaac’s team, who I must also thank for the opportunities they keep giving me.”
Grey Dawning put up an assured display to win the Betfair Exchange Graduation Chase at Haydock.
Trained by Dan Skelton, Grey Dawning impressed when winning a Grade Two over hurdles at Warwick last season and was still travelling well when falling in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle won by Apple Away.
That Lucinda Russell-trained mare was in opposition once more, making her chasing debut, but Grey Dawning had a run over fences under his belt behind the classy Stay Away Fay at Exeter when third.
That experience clearly stood in him good stead as while the Grand National third Gaillard Du Mesnil’s jumping went to pieces a little, Grey Dawning gained lengths at every fence.
Henry Skelton’s positive nature seemed to gel perfectly with him, and the 2-1 chance bounded nine and a half lengths away from Gaillard Du Mesnil, who understandably found the two-mile-five trip on the short side.
Dan Skelton said: “He was a good horse last year, he won a Graded race. We saved him for Aintree as we didn’t want to over-race him over hurdles.
“You’d have never known what would have happened as he tipped up down the back straight, but I don’t think it’s foolish to say he’d have gone close.
“We’ve got to try to put that right as a chaser and win a big race when we can and as you can see he’s pretty good.
“These races are worth plenty, we were getting plenty of weight off the horse who finished third in the National so we thought we’d have a go. They put £50,000 up so if we can run in these races we will.
“I don’t think we’ll go to Kempton (Kauto Star) as he has a slight preference for going left-handed. In the new year there’s a race at Warwick (Hampton Novices’ Chase) for him so we’ll look at that.
“That’s not me ducking a Grade One, we’ll have a go at Stay Away Fay again later in the year.”
Royale Pagaille shone brightest at his favourite track when upsetting Bravemansgame to land the Betfair Chase at Haydock.
The nine-year-old was second in this race in 2021 and returned to the Grade One contest at a price of 5-1 under Charlie Deutsch, having never been out of the first two in four previous trips to the Merseyside venue.
Dan Skelton’s Protektorat was occasionally erratic in his jumping and Lucinda Russell’s Corach Rambler, the reigning Grand National hero, found the race happening at too quick a pace.
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It was left to Royale Pagaille and Paul Nicholls’ Bravemansgame, the 8-11 favourite, to share the lead in the battle for top honours.
And in the closing stages it was Venetia Williams’ charge who pushed on, jumping well over the final two fences to claim his biggest success to date by six and a half lengths. Corach Rambler was another nine lengths back in third.
Lewis Hamilton said there was something wrong with his Mercedes after he qualified only 11th for Sunday’s season finale in Abu Dhabi.
As Max Verstappen put his Red Bull on pole position for the final race of his all-conquering campaign – with Charles Leclerc second and Oscar Piastri third – Hamilton was left starting at another poor performance in his underperforming machinery.
The seven-time world champion, facing up to a second season without a victory, finished six tenths behind Verstappen and a third-of-a-second back from team-mate George Russell, who qualified fourth.
Hamilton’s failure to progress to Q3 – as he gloomily predicted here on Friday night – leaves the fight between Mercedes and Ferrari for second place in the constructors’ championship firmly in the balance.
The Silver Arrows head their Italian rivals by just four points ahead of Sunday’s finale in the desert. And Leclerc finished ahead of both Russell and Hamilton to hand Ferrari the initiative.
However, Mercedes were handed a minor boost after Carlos Sainz was a surprise eliminee in Q1.
A day after he crashed out in practice, Sainz bemoaned traffic for his lowly 16th grid slot.
It emerged earlier this week that Hamilton’s father and one-time manager Anthony had enquired about a seat for his son at Red Bull.
Hamilton has recorded just one podium in his last six appearances following Mercedes’ tumble down the grid, and he faces an uphill task to salvage a respectable result at the Yas Marina Circuit.
“There is something not right with this car, mate,” said the 38-year-old as he headed back to the pits shaking his head.
Hamilton is third in the standings, an extraordinary 317 points Verstappen, with the Dutchman starting Sunday’s 58-lap race as the overwhelming favourite to claim a remarkable 19th victory from the 22 rounds this year.
Verstappen finished 0.139 seconds ahead of Leclerc, while McLaren’s Lando Norris was a disappointing fifth. The British driver got out of shape on his final lap in the last sector, losing him considerable time.
“The whole weekend has been a struggle,” said Verstappen. “But we improved the car for qualifying so I am very happy to be on pole.”
Quizzed about Ferrari’s battle against Mercedes, Leclerc said: “I hope it is going to go well.
“The target is to beat them, so I hope Carlos get a good start and joins me in the fight.
“Let’s look to put both of our cars in front of Mercedes because finishing second in the constructors is all that matters to me.”
Elsewhere, Yuki Tsunoda impressed to take sixth spot for AlphaTauri, one place ahead of Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. Sergio Perez’s final lap was deleted for exceeding track limits, leaving him in ninth.
Barcelona snatched a late equaliser as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano.
Florian Lejeune’s late own goal rescued a point for Xavi’s side but their slip-up opened the door for Real Madrid and surprise leaders Girona to extend their advantage in the title race.
Vallecano made most of the running in the first period and got their reward with a stunning Unai Lopez volley in the 39th minute.
Barcelona went in search of an equaliser in the second period as chances from Pedri, Ferran Torres and Joao Cancelo all went begging but Lejeune’s 82nd-minute own goal gave the Catalan giants a reprieve.
Vallecano made a bright start and had the first chance of the game but Isi Palazon’s effort from outside the area flew over the crossbar.
Palazon proved to be a menace and tried his luck again a couple of minutes later but his drilled effort was parried by Inaki Pena before the goalkeeper grabbed at the second attempt.
Barcelona failed to make an impression in the opening stages but had their first shot on target in the 28th minute when Lamine Yamal rode the challenge of three defenders into the area before smashing straight into the hands of Stole Dimitrievski.
Vallecano were straight back on the front foot and threatened to break the deadlock but Lopez’s goalbound effort was blocked by Andreas Christensen.
The home side’s deserved lead came in the 38th minute in superb fashion as Oscar Trejo’s initial effort was blocked out to Lopez, who smashed in on the volley from distance past the diving Pena.
Vallecano were inches away from doubling their advantage as Jorge De Frutos fizzed a ball into the six-yard box, which needed to be cleared by Alejandro Balde to keep the deficit to just one at the break.
Barcelona started the second half with much more intent than the first and came close to levelling things up but Cancelo’s curling effort from outside the area lifted just over the bar.
Chances began to come freely for the away side as Oriol Romeu’s cross found Ferran Torres free in space but his effort went straight to Dimitrievski.
Two minutes later another glorious opportunity came and went when Robert Lewandowski’s cross found Pedri in the six-yard area but he nodded over with the goal at his mercy.
With 15 minutes to go, the Barcelona pressure was now relentless and they were denied an equaliser by the woodwork when Raphinha’s shot from range crashed off the post.
But Barcelona had their equaliser in the 82nd minute as Lewandowski sent a ball across the box and Lejeune stuck a foot out but could only turn into his own goal.
A banner calling on Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour and the club’s fans to help free a human rights activist was flown over the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
A plane carrying the banner ‘UAE: Free Ahmed Mansoor’ circled over the ground early on in the Premier League fixture between City and Liverpool.
Human rights campaign group Amnesty International organised the flyover and is calling on the United Arab Emirates authorities to act. Sheikh Mansour is the country’s deputy prime minister.
Amnesty also wants City fans to “see the bigger picture” and join the campaign to free Ahmed Mansoor.
He was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in the UAE in 2018 and Amnesty says he has been kept in an isolation cell throughout his sentence so far and forced to sleep on the floor.
Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group took over City in 2008, a move which has led to a transformation in the club’s fortunes.
The club secured a Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup treble last season.
Amnesty’s UK chief executive Sacha Deshmukh said: “The UAE has been sportswashing its global reputation through Manchester City while at the same time jailing Ahmed Mansoor and others simply for their peaceful human rights activism.
“Man City’s amazing success under Pep Guardiola owes a great deal to Emirati funding and we’re calling on City fans to join us in this campaign to free Ahmed.
“Today’s plane stunt is a way of saying, ‘Look up from the pitch and see the bigger picture – a huge injustice has occurred, and the owners of Man City are the ones who can right this wrong’.”
Other human rights campaign groups have written to Manchester City Council this month, calling on it to ask the UAE government to release Mansoor.
“Manchester City Council has a deep and long-standing relationship with entities controlled by individuals operating in leadership roles within the highest echelons of the UAE government, which places upon it a special responsibility to show support and solidarity with victims of repression by that government,” a letter to the council, dated November 13, said.
A second plane flew over the stadium in the second half of Saturday’s match, trailing a banner reading ‘Premier League = corrupt’ as part of a protest by Everton fans against the club’s recent points deduction.
State Man made a pleasing return to action when retaining his title in the Unibet Morgiana Hurdle at Punchestown.
The chestnut took the contest last year before embarking on a brilliant season that saw him beaten only by Constitution Hill in five runs at Grade One level.
He was the 1-6 favourite for Willie Mullins and Paul Townend in a field of just four and after travelling well in mid-division, he accelerated when rounding the final bend and pulled clear to defeat stablemate Echoes In Rain by five lengths.
Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri has suggested Sunday’s table-topping clash with Inter Milan is not the time for change.
Inter go into the latest instalment of the derby d’Italia with a two-point advantage at the top of the Serie A table.
A sixth success in a row for Juventus would take them to the summit and Allegri has hinted he would not be making radical changes to his winning side.
The 56-year-old told a press conference: “We’re approaching the game as best we can and we’ve prepared well for it.
“It’s a big test for us and it can help us improve as a team. We’re up against the league leaders and the title favourites.
“We have lots of midfield options and I don’t think switching formation is a good idea. All our forwards are in good shape. They have to make a decisive contribution.”
Juventus conceded their first goal since September in the 2-1 home win over Cagliari last time out and Allegri continued: “It will come down to small margins tomorrow and it should be an excellent test for us. The lads are all ready to play.
“It’s sure to be a great football spectacle with a full stadium – but the season doesn’t end tomorrow.
“It’s been a long time since we were playing for top spot. We must show our desire to win it. I’m confident the lads will perform well.
“We’re approaching the game as best we can and we’ve prepared well for it. It’s a big test for us and it can help us improve as a team. We’re up against the league leaders and the title favourites.
“I have a solid, close-knit group of players who are ready to produce a big performance in what will be a fantastic match for Italian football. We must keep working away and maintain our hunger.
“Football is full of surprises and you have to deal with them calmly.”
On their opponents, he added: “(Simone) Inzaghi and Inter are doing really well. They give little away and if they take the lead, it’s difficult to get back in the game.”
Inter have a 100 per cent away record and are chasing a seventh-successive victory in all competitions.
Boss Inzaghi told his team’s pre-match press conference: “It will be a challenging game, with maximum concentration required.”
Benjamin Pavard is again ruled out for the visitors with the knee injury sustained in the win at Atalanta three weeks ago, while fellow defender Alessandro Bastoni joins him on the sidelines because of a calf issue sustained on international duty with Italy.
Trent Alexander-Arnold cancelled out Erling Haaland’s 50th Premier League goal as Liverpool grabbed a point against champions and title rivals Manchester City on Saturday.
The England international struck 10 minutes from the end of a tight encounter at the Etihad Stadium after Haaland’s landmark strike looked like extending City’s record home winning run.
City had won their previous 23 games on home turf in all competitions, a running dating back to a visit from Everton on New Year’s Eve last December.
Alexander-Arnold’s late equaliser also spared the blushes of goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who had a day to forget having gifted Haaland his opener and committed several other errors.
Haaland had shown no mercy as he netted in the 27th minute, reaching his half-century of goals in the competition in just his 48th appearance, a new record.
Alisson, who was in goal for Brazil in their controversial game against Argentina in Rio on Wednesday, looked sluggish from the start.
He presented Phil Foden with an early opportunity when he gave the ball away but escaped as the England midfielder shot tamely.
At the other end, Ederson palmed away a Darwin Nunez header but Alisson had another worrying moment when he dithered on a back pass and had to scramble clear under pressure from Haaland.
Haaland made sure he was punished when he blundered again.
Firstly Alisson slipped as he attempted to launch the ball upfield and found only Nathan Ake, who charged through some weak challenges to feed Haaland.
The Norwegian scuffed his shot slightly but it was still too powerful for Alisson, whose weak hand to could not prevent it finding the bottom corner.
Nunez hit the side-netting from a tight angle as Liverpool responded but the visitors were unable to consistently trouble City.
The champions threatened again before the break but this time Alisson did well to push away a low effort from Foden.
City went close again after the restart when Julian Alvarez spurned the chance by blazing over after good work by Jeremy Doku.
Liverpool struggled to muster a meaningful threat with Virgil Van Dijk’s header from a corner not troubling Ederson.
Alisson was given a major reprieve after another howler. The Brazilian spilled the ball from a corner under little obvious pressure and Ruben Dias poked in but the goal was disallowed for a foul by Manuel Akanji.
Liverpool made the most of the let-off to equalise on 80 minutes with Alexander-Arnold’s fine strike.
Mohamed Salah laid off on the edge of the box and the England international took a touch before drilling a shot across goal into the bottom corner. He celebrated by putting a finger to his lips in front of the City fans.
City applied plenty of late pressure with Alisson, who appeared injured, struggling to clear his lines.
Haaland almost grabbed a winner in the eighth and final minute of stoppage time but his glancing header flew narrowly wide.
Blueking D’Oroux demonstrated his class with a taking victory in the Coral Hurdle at Ascot.
The four-year-old was sent off at 4-1 in a field of five, most of whom carried with them more experience and higher ratings than Paul Nicholls’ runner.
Harry Cobden bided his time, only asking the winner to throw down a challenge over the second-last and finding him comfortably able to go on and take the Grade Two by a length from Strong Leader.
Gordon Elliott’s Favori De Champdou impressed in winning the Liam & Valerie Brennan Florida Pearl Novice Chase at Punchestown.
The eight-year-old was an 11-2 chance under Jack Kennedy in a field of seven, though the group was quickly diminished when Jonathan Sweeney’s Churchstonewarrior fell at the second.
The loose horse was a worry throughout the race and was particularly problematic for Gavin Cromwell’s Flooring Porter, who was pestered by him when taking up the lead.
That lead was eventually assumed by Favori De Champdou, who kept on well to prevail by 14 lengths from Paul Nolan’s Sandor Clegane.
“He’d a good run the last day and we thought he’d come on from it but we thought it would be tough,” Elliott said.
“Jack said he stayed very well and jumped brilliant. I’d imagine he’ll go for something at Christmas.
“I liked the way he stayed galloping. He travelled the whole way and he could be a real National Hunt Chase horse for Cheltenham.”
Kennedy added: “The loose horse wasn’t doing Flooring Porter any favours, but it was sort of working out well for me.
“Very good, jumped great and galloped all the way to the line so I am very happy with him.
“He’s a very strong stayer and the further he goes, the better he gets. He could nearly have gone around there again.”
Carlo Ancelotti is confident Real Madrid can cope with their current injury problems ahead of Sunday’s trip to Cadiz.
Madrid are on a run of seven LaLiga matches without defeat and will be out to go top of the table with a win before current leaders Girona play on Monday.
Los Blancos will be without a host of leading players due to injury, with the likes of Vinicius Jr, Eduardo Camavinga, Eder Militao and Aurelien Tchouameni all unavailable.
But boss Ancelotti says there is no cause for concern as he has complete faith in his squad.
He said on the Madrid website: “We’ve had injuries that have hampered us, but the squad is solid.
“We’ve always been competitive despite the absences. We go into the game full of confidence and we hope that the injured players recover soon. We’re convinced that we can handle the problems because we have a squad that gives me confidence.
“Those who have played less have an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to show how good the players are that make up this squad.”
Madrid take on 16th-placed Cadiz before facing Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday and then Granada in the league three days later, meaning Ancelotti’s side face three games in seven days.
Ancelotti criticised the hectic schedule.
He added: “The calendar cannot be sustained and those who draw it up have to look at this.
“Now we have this problem and it will increase because there will be a World Cup and a Champions League with more matches.
“The only solution is to reduce the number of games and this can be done by LaLiga, UEFA and FIFA, but they do the opposite.
“It’s all good if you reduce the number of matches and that will reduce the number of injuries and improve the quality of the spectacle.
“I’ve seen 8-0 games and 14-0 games and I don’t know if that makes much sense.”
Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs gets the chance to gain revenge for his surprise defeat to Fastorslow at Punchestown in the spring when the two meet in the John Durkan Memorial Chase.
The Willie Mullins-trained Galopin Des Champs looked imperious at Cheltenham, proving his stamina over three and a quarter miles when that was the only real question mark.
When winning this corresponding race last season he had Fastorslow well behind him and it was difficult to see when he could be beaten.
However, he suffered a blip in the Punchestown Gold Cup, going down by two and a quarter lengths to Martin Brassil’s new star.
Sent on his way at 4-11 in April, Galopin Des Champs is yet again long odds-on with Fastorslow the only non Mullins-trained runner in the Grade One.
“Galopin Des Champs is in nice order going to Punchestown and I hope he runs a good race,” said the champion trainer.
“Galopin has won this race before – the race is a little earlier this year and the trip might suit some of the opposition more but Galopin comes here with his chance.”
Mullins also runs Stattler, second to Galopin Des Champs in the Irish Gold Cup in February, Blue Lord, Asterion Forlonge and Appreciate It.
Assistant trainer Patrick Mullins added: “Galopin Des Champs won this race last year and while it is two weeks earlier this year that shouldn’t be any problem.
“He was obviously knocked off his perch by Fastorslow at the Punchestown Festival so we have to try to level that up. I think probably coming back in trip will suit our horse more so hopefully that can help turn the tables.”
On the yard’s other runners he added: “Asterion Forlonge was second to Klassical Dream at the Punchestown Festival and was going very well in this race two years ago when he unseated so he is always a contender.
“I ride Appreciate It, who did disappoint us a little last season even though he ran well at the top level. I think he is better than his form and he has to have a squeak.
“Stattler will probably find the trip on the short side and Blue Lord is another Grade One winner who makes this race hugely competitive.”
The man who got the better of Galopin Des Champs in April was J J Slevin on Fastorslow and he reckons his mount could be even better this season, when he turns eight.
“He’s got loads of boot and that is a big asset to him,” Slevin told Punchestown Racecourse.
“That’s what sets the good horses apart, they need to be able to travel and he seems to have that in abundance.
“He’s always coasting along in his comfort zone when other horses might be out on their heads. That was his main attribute, I felt, last year.
“He picked them up the last day comfortably enough, he needed a bit of luck when he got to the front but he did it comfortably I felt.
“I think there’s more to come, he’s been lightly-campaigned all along and he could be hitting his peak this year.”
Brassil was always looking to start Fastorslow back in this race and said: “The John Durkan Chase back at Punchestown was the obvious place for Fastorslow to start off and we are really looking forward to it.
“It will be different ground and a shorter trip than the Punchestown Gold Cup but we are going there with a nice horse and hoping for a nice run.
“We are obviously facing the might of the Mullins battalion but it is great to have a horse like him and we’d be hoping he is still improving and getting better with age.”
Gordon Elliott may not be represented in the feature race but he has strong interests elsewhere, not least with Imagine in the BetVictor Craddockstown Novice Chase.
A useful hurdler, the way he won on his chasing debut at Fairyhouse suggested he will be taking much higher order over bigger obstacles.
He is owned by Caldwell Construction and their racing manager Joey Logan said: “We’re excited about him and he had a really nice first run in a beginners chase.
“He’s stepping up now at the weekend to a Graded race and we are just hopeful he will be able to progress.”
Mullins runs Uncle Phil while John Ryan’s Lucid Dreams sets a good standard having won twice over fences already.
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