Tom Hartley has been a breakout success for England this winter with the ball but the slow left-armer intends to focus on his batting to avoid being frozen out at Lancashire.
Despite just 20 first-class appearances behind him and a modest record, Hartley fully vindicated his left-field selection for the tour of India by spinning England to a famous win in Hyderabad, while he tops the wicket-taking charts with 20 dismissals at an average of 33.45 after four Tests.
Hartley is gaining increasingly in confidence but he could be marginalised in the County Championship after Lancashire pulled off a coup by snapping up Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon for the summer.
Rather than fret about his place, Hartley sees the upshot of the Red Rose signing a bowler with 527 Test wickets and will take steps to try to prevent the pair from being in direct competition with each other.
“I’m really trying to work on my batting and become more of that all-rounder role which makes me a lot easier to pick,” Hartley said. “Playing alongside (Lyon) would be fantastic.
“I hope he’s going to be fantastic for me and be a real game-changer. He’s going to be great to learn off. He’s probably going to be fed up of me by September. Hopefully we can get on really well.
“The type of bowler he is is something I’m trying to work on. The way he operates in Australia on pretty flat wickets, there are times when English wickets are pretty similar.”
England head coach Brendon McCullum said last week it would be “slightly mad” if Hartley and Shoaib Bashir were overlooked by their counties having established themselves as Test cricketers on this trip.
While Hartley could be behind Lyon in the pecking order and Bashir set to play second fiddle to Jack Leach at Somerset, one solution would be to send the pair on loan to other counties.
“I think it’s a bit early for that,” Hartley said. “I’ll do whatever’s best for Lancashire and the team.”
Hartley will instead concentrate on pumping up a respectable first-class batting average of 26.19. He has demonstrated his character in recent weeks by taking the attack to Ravichandran Ashwin, thumping India’s premier spinner for four sixes in the series.
While there may still be more to work on before he can consider himself a fully-fledged all-rounder, Hartley is determined to show he can bring value with both bat and ball.
“I’ve made big strides in these last two years with my batting but I still feel there are gaps there and that (improving) only really comes with time at the crease,” Hartley said.
“I think I get a bit carried away trying to hit sixes and fours. Sometimes I’ve just got to relax myself, take my time to get in and just have a bit more patience.”
His adventurous approach to batting has been encouraged by McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, with Hartley bumped up to eighth in Ranchi after three Tests at number nine in the order.
“They’re over the moon whenever I hit a six, that’s what I get cheered for,” Hartley said. “Coming back in the dressing room, that’s what they talk to me about. It just encourages me to play more of them.”
India are 3-1 up in the series heading into the final Test in Dharamsala, starting on Thursday and cooler conditions in the area could lead to England choosing an extra seamer and potentially discarding either Hartley or off-spinner Shoaib Bashir.
Irrespective of whether he features this week, Hartley believes all avenues are now open to him after previously drifting towards limited-overs opportunities before England came calling.
“The way it was going, I was naturally trailing down that white-ball route,” Hartley added. “But that’s just because there was more opportunities for me that way.
“Playing this series has really opened my eyes and made me believe that I can be a pretty good red-ball bowler. I’ve got a lot more confidence now.
“There will be extra incentive for me to play this summer and really try and do well for Lancs.”
Celtic have appealed against Yang Hyun-jun’s red card and written to the Scottish Football Association with “serious concerns” over the standard of officiating during their 2-0 defeat by Hearts.
Yang was sent off in the 16th minute following a VAR review after initially being booked for catching Alex Cochrane with a high boot.
Both sides had penalties awarded during the cinch Premiership encounter at Tynecastle on Sunday.
Celtic confirmed they would be appealing against the red card and added in a club statement: “We have also written to the SFA to raise our serious concerns regarding the use of VAR and the decisions made within the match.”
Newly crowned World Indoor 60m champion Julien Alfred is over the moon after securing her country’s first ever global track and field medal with her triumph at the recently concluded World Indoor Athletics Championships held in Glasgow, Scotland from March 1-3.
The 22-year-old became St. Lucia’s first ever global medallist with a joint world-leading 6.98 ahead of main rival Ewa Swoboda of Poland (7.00) and Italy’s Zaynab Dosso (7.05).
In a post-race interview, the 2023 Bowerman Award winner said she said she has long dreamt about being her country’s first ever global medallist.
“I’ve been dreaming about this for such a long time to come out here and give my country their first ever medal and I feel so happy and overwhelmed,” she said.
“I had so many feelings going through my mind and body. We had to wait such a long time to see our names come up and I just kept wondering is it me? Is it Swoboda? As soon as my name came up I just felt overwhelmed and happy knowing I can finally call myself a world champion,” Alfred added.
Alfred entered into the final as the second fastest qualifier with a time of 7.03 and watched Swoboda light up the track on her war to a world leading 6.98 to win her semi-final.
The former St. Catherine High and University of Texas standout was asked about whether or not Swoboda’s semi-final performance was on her mind going into the much-anticipated final.
“I think I’ve grown a little bit more compared to last year at the World Championships. Even if somebody runs faster than me in the semis, just don’t worry about it because there’s always a final,” she said.
As far as her tactical approach went, Alfred’s goal was to get a good start and maintain her composure through the line.
“Just get out! I think my semi-final wasn’t executed in the right way. I know my top end speed was there but I know that Swoboda has a great start so my main focus was just to get out and hang on and continue to push to the line,” added the former Texas standout.
With that said, “no,” was her response to a question about whether or not she executed her race perfectly.
“My start was there but I felt like the ending could’ve been much better had I just stayed relaxed and not pressured myself to go to the line,” she added.
Alfred's goal now shifts to some outdoor success at the Paris Olympics.
"Definitely! One step at a time, one race at a time and just practicing hard to execute when the time comes," she said.
Constitution Hill’s Cheltenham Festival absence has left bookmakers fearing an avalanche of cash on State Man, with Willie Mullins’ star two-mile hurdler now the overwhelming Unibet Champion Hurdle favourite.
Nicky Henderson’s defending champion obliged as the 4-11 favourite on the opening day of the Festival 12 months ago and was expected to do the double – especially after showing his well-being at Kempton on Boxing Day in the Christmas Hurdle.
However, it was a different tale when next sighted at the Sunbury venue, where a disappointing gallop kick-started a chain of events that has seen State Man ultimately promoted to big-race favourite on the news the Seven Barrows superstar will be missing from the action in the Cotswolds.
BoyleSports are expecting State Man to also take Constitution Hill’s place as the cornerstone of many punters’ multiples for the Festival, describing the 10-time winner as the ‘Irish banker’ of the week.
“It looks like State Man will be the Irish banker for this year’s Cheltenham Festival,” said BoyleSports spokesman Brian O’Keeffe.
“He is now the shortest-priced favourite over the four days of the meeting after Constitution Hill was ruled out of the Champion Hurdle by Seven Barrows.
“State Man isn’t a bad result quite yet, Constitution Hill had him well covered last year and most punters weren’t expecting anything different this year.
“We are expecting momentum and liabilities to start building behind him now pretty rapidly, especially if Ballyburn goes for the Supreme, as punters will likely latch onto the short-priced Willie Mullins treble on Tuesday, with Lossiemouth in the Mares’ Hurdle.
“It could be a long week for us if Tuesday doesn’t go our way and we imagine that State Man will be an accumulator maker or breaker for a lot of people across the four days.”
The only time State Man has tasted defeat in his last 11 runs was at the hands of Constitution Hill in last year’s Champion Hurdle and bookmakers are now in no rush to take him on.
Paddy Power are one of the firms taking no risks by installing him as their 1-3 market leader – one of the shortest-priced favourites of the whole week.
“It is desperately disappointing news for racing fans who wanted to see possibly the greatest hurdler of our lifetimes at Cheltenham,” said Paddy Power spokesman Paul Binfield.
“Hopefully we will see him back to his brilliant best sooner rather than later, but in the meantime State Man has taken his place at the front of the market as a very short-priced favourite and he now looks the one to beat – he has proven he is the best hurdler around bar one for the last couple of seasons.
“If there is any good news from today, then at least Paddy Power have been ‘Non Runner Money Back’ on the Champion Hurdle for quite a while, so at least punters will get their hard-earned cash back if they have backed Constitution Hill.”
Many layers are hoping something will emerge from the periphery to take on State Man, with Sam Boswell of BetVictor eager to see fellow Irish raiders Irish Point and Lossiemouth rerouted to the Champion Hurdle picture.
He said: “It is never nice to see racing lose one of its star attractions just days out from the Cheltenham Festival.
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“The story of the Champion Hurdle now is not too dissimilar, with the fact we have a new but still very short-priced favourite in State Man from the all-conquering Willie Mullins yard.
“It would be nice to see the race have either stablemate and star mare Lossiemouth or Gordon Elliott’s Irish Point take their chance to make the showpiece on the Tuesday less processional.”
The Republic of Ireland will announce a new permanent head coach at the start of next month.
FAI director of football Marc Canham appeared to rule out interim boss John O’Shea from the role by revealing the preferred candidate is still in work.
“The process of the appointment of the permanent new head coach is very close to the end, nearing its end point, and we look forward to announcing that new permanent head coach in early April,” Canham said at a press conference alongside O’Shea.
“Existing contractual obligations mean that we are not in a position to announce any further details at this point but as we have committed to, we will announce that in early April.
“The process has been ongoing for a period of time, we have given a series of updates, but we are near the end. We are at a really advanced stage but for different practical reasons we can’t confirm that until early April.”
Former Manchester United and Ireland defender O’Shea was appointed interim boss last week for the home friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland later this month.
“Look, my focus is on these two games,” said the 42-year-old. “When I got the message from Mark just over a week ago it was an amazing feeling, I’m very proud.
“It’s an amazing feeling and I can’t wait for it to come round.
“(The future) takes care of itself, I’m focused on these two games and we’ll see what happens then.”
O’Shea will be assisted by Paddy McCarthy and Glenn Whelan, as well as former national team boss Brian Kerr as technical director.
Paul Tierney, who was at the centre of a dropped ball controversy in the Nottingham Forest v Liverpool match last Saturday, will not referee a Premier League match this weekend.
Tierney faced criticism after he failed to award a dropped ball to Forest in an attacking area after stopping the match for a head injury to Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate.
Forest did regain possession after Tierney’s error, but conceded a 99th-minute goal which cost them a valuable point in the race for Premier League survival.
Tierney has been selected as the video assistant referee (VAR) for the Arsenal v Brentford match on Saturday evening. Sources close to Professional Game Match Officials Ltd insist Tierney has not been dropped.
He is one of a group of officials who regularly alternate between being referees and VARs.
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, who has been employed by Forest on a consultancy basis as a referee analyst, told BBC Radio 5 Live at the weekend: “(Forest) should have had the ball back. If the referee stops the game, he has to give the ball back to the team in possession. That was Forest.
“When (the ball was) given to the keeper, with Liverpool scoring afterwards, you can see why (Forest) are aggrieved,” Clattenburg added.
“I haven’t spoken to the referee – I’ll leave that to the club. I went to go into the referee’s dressing room (after the game) but he (Tierney) wouldn’t allow it.”
PGMOL is understood not to have received any further correspondence from Forest regarding the incident on Saturday beyond Clattenburg’s comments.
Tierney sent off Forest’s first-team coach Steven Reid after he came onto the pitch at the end of the game to protest. Forest later dismissed reports that club owner Evangelos Marinakis had to be restrained by security staff in the tunnel.
William Knight has the Al Quoz Sprint in mind for his promising filly Frost At Dawn.
The three-year-old is by Frosted and was homebred by her owner, Abdulla Al Mansoori.
She acquitted herself well in two British starts on the all-weather last year before heading to Meydan, where she was placed over both six and seven furlongs before successfully stepping down to five furlongs in the Group Three Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint on Saturday.
A 33-1 chance under Mickael Barzalona, the filly was drawn in stall three and made straight for the rail to lead from the outset.
From there she flew home, prevailing by two and a half lengths and breaking the Meydan track record over the minimum trip in the process.
“It was a very nice performance and the time was very good,” said Knight.
“She keeps on surprising me, we went out there thinking we were going to run in the UAE Guineas and we’ve ended up winning a Group Three over five furlongs.”
The Al Quoz Sprint, a Group One contest run on Dubai World Cup night, is the next port of call for a step back up to six furlongs that Knight expects to cause no issues.
“It’s fantastic and all roads lead back to the Al Quoz Sprint, I think she’s versatile and Mickael thought she could potentially be better over six,” he said.
“She was great over five and she’s got the track record but she could prove to be quite versatile.”
From there, the grey is likely to travel again for a domestic turf campaign – and if that proves a success, the Breeders’ Cup may come into focus later on in the year.
Knight said: “We’ll see how she comes out of the Al Quoz and take each race as it comes, but I’d like to think we could be competing in the big races throughout the summer and that would be great.
“If she can continue in this sort of form, then the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar could be something we aim for at the end of the season.
“She’ll need to have a freshen up when she comes back from Dubai, but for the owner to have a runner on World Cup night, and a homebred at that, would be very special.”
Sunny Singh Gill will become the first British South Asian to referee a Premier League match this weekend.
Singh Gill has been appointed to take charge of Crystal Palace against Luton on Saturday, Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has announced.
He took charge of his first Sunday League match aged only 17, and in April 2021 both he and his brother Bhupinder became the first pair of British South Asians to officiate in the same Championship match.
His father, Jarnail Singh, was the first EFL referee to wear a turban when he took charge of Bristol Rovers v Bury in August 2004. Singh senior went on to referee almost 200 EFL matches up to 2010.
In an interview published on the Premier League’s website last month, Sunny Singh Gill said: “You want the younger generation to look at you and think ‘I can also do it’.
“If parents are looking at us thinking, ‘Wow, we have Asian kids in the Premier League officiating games, my son can give that a go, my daughter can give that a go…’
Singh Gill took charge of his first EFL match in August 2022, a League Two fixture between Northampton and Hartlepool.
“Football has always run in the family,” he added in an interview with the EFL published last season.
“Me and my brother grew up loving the game and like most young kids, we just wanted to play but in our household it was a bit different because when we were going to primary school, we knew our dad was going out to referee on a weekend.
“There were times he was a fourth official in the Premier League and our friends would say they saw him on Match of the Day!”
Paul Tierney, who was at the centre of a dropped ball controversy in the Nottingham Forest v Liverpool match last Saturday, will not referee a Premier League match this weekend.
Tierney faced criticism after he failed to award a dropped ball to Forest in an attacking area after stopping the match for a head injury to Liverpool defender Ibrahima Konate.
Forest did regain possession after Tierney’s error, but conceded a 99th-minute goal which cost them a valuable point in the race for Premier League survival.
Tierney has been selected as the video assistant referee (VAR) for the Arsenal v Brentford match on Saturday evening. Sources close to Professional Game Match Officials Ltd insist Tierney has not been dropped.
He is one of a group of officials who regularly alternate between being referees and VARs.
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg, who has been employed by Forest on a consultancy basis as a referee analyst, told BBC Radio 5 Live at the weekend: “(Forest) should have had the ball back. If the referee stops the game, he has to give the ball back to the team in possession. That was Forest.
“When (the ball was) given to the keeper, with Liverpool scoring afterwards, you can see why (Forest) are aggrieved,” Clattenburg added.
“I haven’t spoken to the referee – I’ll leave that to the club. I went to go into the referee’s dressing room (after the game) but he (Tierney) wouldn’t allow it.”
PGMOL is understood not to have received any further correspondence from Forest regarding the incident on Saturday beyond Clattenburg’s comments.
Tierney sent off Forest’s first-team coach Steven Reid after he came onto the pitch at the end of the game to protest. Forest later dismissed reports that club owner Evangelos Marinakis had to be restrained by security staff in the tunnel.
Thomas Tuchel is not contemplating whether Tuesday’s Champions League tie with Lazio could be his last in charge of Bayern Munich.
It was announced last month that Tuchel would leave Bayern at the end of the season, but speculation over his future continues after Bayer Leverkusen opened up a 10-point lead at the Bundesliga summit over the weekend.
Bayern go into Tuesday’s last-16 second leg trailing 1-0 from the first meeting in Rome and failure to progress would further increase the scrutiny on their German boss.
Asked if it could be a knock-out game for him, Tuchel told a press conference: “Not from my side. Maybe from other sides but what we did discuss and decided is what we communicated on.
“I think there is no one else that wants to win this game more than myself.”
Given Leverkusen’s healthy advantage in the title race, the Champions League appears Bayern’s most likely chance to win silverware this season.
Ex-Chelsea manager Tuchel acknowledged the importance of this fixture, but hopes it can inspire his out-of-form team, who dropped two more points at Freiburg on Friday.
“I think everyone is aware that it is important and obviously in a situation like that, a certain amount of pressure is to be expected,” Tuchel admitted.
“With the first-leg result, it is not going to be super easy. The pressure is normal and the pressure is needed to bring special performances.
“Obviously the situation is clear. We need to win with two goals more against an Italian team, against a (Maurizio) Sarri team.
“It is about what we can bring to the pitch and the fans are there to support us from the first minute to hopefully create a specific atmosphere that could lead us to win with two goals.”
Bayern will be boosted by the return of Matthijs de Ligt, who missed the 2-2 draw at Freiburg due to a one-match ban.
Dutch defender De Ligt has struggled with a knee injury this season but urged his team-mates to stick together during a difficult period and admitted they must take responsibility for Tuchel’s imminent exit this summer.
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De Ligt added: “We players are responsible. We do everything together. When the coach has to go, then we also have to say we didn’t do well.
“We’re in this spell together and have to come out of it together. That’s why tomorrow is an hugely important game.
“Tomorrow is very important for us, for the whole club. We’re in a tough spot in the Bundesliga. The Champions League is also very important for us. We need to be ready.
“If you reach the quarter-finals, it’s good for the whole season, gives you energy. That’s why it’s a very important game for us.”
Hughie Morrison has expressed his disappointment after Constitution Hill was ruled out of the Unibet Champion Hurdle, despite his absence elevating Not So Sleepy to become the leading British contender for the Cheltenham Festival’s opening day feature.
Hopes of National Hunt’s flagship horse making the start line were dashed on Monday when Nicky Henderson announced blood test results showed the defending champion had not recovered sufficiently enough from a respiratory infection to line up in the Cotswolds.
That leaves the 12-year-old Not So Sleepy to fly the flag for the home team as he makes his fifth appearance in the Champion Hurdle – having previously finished no better than fifth.
He heads to Prestbury Park in rude health, having claimed the rearranged Fighting Fifth when last sighted.
But far from seeing Constitution Hill’s absence as a positive in Not So Sleepy’s claims for big-race glory, Morrison is regretful that the Seven Barrows superstar will be sitting on the sidelines during the biggest week of the season.
“I’m actually quite disappointed Constitution Hill is not turning up,” said Morrison.
“I don’t think I should be excited really and I’m quite disappointed. At the end of the day, we want the best to be there and the best probably isn’t going to be there. We would have liked to have taken him on – you always want to take on the best.
“Let’s hope we now get there in one piece.”
With Constitution Hill out of the picture and State Man now the heavy odds-on favourite with the layers, it is Not So Sleepy who is the shortest-priced British-trained Champion Hurdle contender, with the veteran a 14-1 chance with Paddy Power.
However, Morrison is still processing his charge’s position in the reformed market and is more worried about seeing some rain appear in the weather forecasts ahead of his big date on Tuesday week.
“I hadn’t really thought of it that way, but I’m just delighted to have something with good reason to be going there really,” said Morrison, when asked about the responsibility of being Britain’s number one hope.
“On his day, he’s a really good horse and he deserves to be there – on a good day, he should be in the money. Over the years, he has run four times in the Champion Hurdle and has run reasonably well, but I’ve always thought I could have had him better.
“We are there to do our best and we’re slightly concerned about the weather forecast looking dry all week, but hopefully the rain will reappear at the weekend for us.
“Racehorses always give you sleepless nights, especially when they are 12 and they have got a few miles on the clock. There is always something creeping round the corner, as Nicky Henderson knows.
“Hopefully we can get him there in good nick but I would like a bit of rain to give us a chance.”
Premier Novices’ Hurdle third Cannock Park will skip high-profile options at both the Cheltenham Festival and Aintree’s Grand National meeting in favour of teeing-up a shot at a valuable event on Sandown’s end-of-season card.
Paul Robson’s six-year-old was third in Grade One company at Aintree on Boxing Day, having won at Cheltenham on his hurdling debut, and again picked up a bronze medal at Kelso in further graded action on Saturday.
He finished just two lengths adrift of the winner Personal Ambition and his handler was delighted to see him also bridge the gap with Formby Hurdle conqueror Jango Baie, who filled the runner-up spot in the Scottish Borders.
Cannock Park holds an entry in the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, while a return to Grade One action at Liverpool in the spring was also mooted as an option moving forward.
However, Robson intends to send his charge to Bangor before finishing the season in the £100,000 bet365 Novices’ Championship Final Handicap Hurdle at Sandown on April 27.
Robson said: “He made up 14 lengths on Jango Baie at Kelso, which I was absolutely thrilled about, and it was over a trip I thought might be a little bit far for him, but he looked like he stayed it out fine.
“He’s come out of his race absolutely fine, but I’m not going to take him to Cheltenham or Aintree. I’m going to take him to Bangor on March 23 – there is a £30,000 class two race there – and then it will be straight to Sandown for the £100,000 final on the last day of the year (season).
“We’ll take him to Bangor in three weeks and then he’ll have five weeks between those two races.”
Cannock Park has excelled for Robson this season, flying the flag for the former jockey, who now combines training a small string with duties in his undertaking business in the Scottish Borders.
However, the gelding’s future lies over fences, with the handler already eyeing next season’s novice chase campaign.
“He’s definitely next season’s chaser and he jumped absolutely faultless at Kelso,” continued Robson.
“If anything, he maybe just gave them a little bit too much height, but I’m thrilled with him and the horse has run another absolute blinder. I’ve ridden him myself this morning and he was bouncing.”
Jamaica’s Motorsport Athlete of the Year, Fraser McConnell, secured the second spot on the podium for the 2023/24 Nitrocross season, while Robin Larsson clinched his second consecutive title.
McConnell's stellar track record continues as he finished one position higher than his third-place finish in 2022/23.
During the 2023/24 season, the Jamaican driver demonstrated remarkable skill and determination by securing a decisive victory in Oklahoma on June 16, marking an impressive start.
Mechanical issues hindered his performance, possibly preventing him from reaching the podium in rounds two and three in Utah in August. However, McConnell bounced back strongly in rounds five and six in Phoenix, Arizona, finishing first and second on November 10 and 11.
McConnell is gearing up for another thrilling season of sprint racing in 2024/25 as Dreyer & Reinbold Racing confirms the extension of his contract for another year,
"We are thrilled to announce Fraser McConnell's continued partnership with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the upcoming NitroCross season," said team owner, Dennis Reinbold. "Fraser's exceptional talent and dedication to excellence embody the spirit of our team, and we are confident that together, we will achieve even greater heights in the 2024-25 season."
McConnell also looks forward to a third season with the team, “I’m happy to continue this opportunity with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. The team has felt like family over the last two years and it’s a huge honour to continue with the best team in the paddock."
On his 2023/24 results, he added,
“It is so incredible to finish on the podium once again, last year third, this year second, next year I’m coming for that trophy!”
“We definitely have what it takes to win the championship. We finished strong here in Las Vegas and next season will be no different.” he added.
The fourth season of Nitrocross gets underway on September 7 & 8 with Rounds one & two slated for a new venue, Richmond Raceway, in Virginia.
Nicky Henderson finally admitted defeat in his race to get Constitution Hill to the Cheltenham Festival on Monday after further blood tests indicated his star performer had not recovered sufficiently from the respiratory infection discovered last week.
Here, we look at a timeline of how the events unfolded:
February 27: Reports of Constitution Hill being eased down during a racecourse gallop at Kempton began to surface and bookmakers were quick to suspend betting on the Champion Hurdle.
February 27: Henderson quickly admitted the poor workout came “as a bit of a shock” and that Constitution Hill had subsequently scoped badly, but insisted he would not give up hope of making it to Cheltenham.
“Unfortunately, in a routine gallop this morning, Constitution Hill was very disappointing and it transpires, after the vet has scoped him, that there is evidence of mucus,” said the Seven Barrows handler.
“We’re taking a sample of it to a laboratory to analyse it, which will tell us about the significance of it and we should know more after that.”
February 27: Henderson then elaborated on the dramatic morning of events and initial medical tests.
He posted on X: “The sample from his tracheal wash has shown a small increase in the number of neutrophils which indicates a respiratory infection, which is significant but far from drastic.
“He will start a course of antibiotics immediately and we plan to rescope him on Friday in order to monitor which way this is going. He would only be having light exercise this week following this morning’s racecourse gallop.
“Both our own vet and the racecourse veterinary surgeon who scoped him feel we definitely have a chance of correcting this in time and we will be doing everything possible to do so. We have a fortnight to work him and it is possible, so we will keep everybody notified accordingly.
“He is absolutely fine within himself and we have simply got to get on top of this issue as quickly as possible.”
February 28: Henderson issued an upbeat bulletin, stating on X: “I am pleased to say that Constitution Hill appears perfectly normal this morning. He is bright and well and ate everything last night. His temperature has remained normal both last night and this morning.
“As with all the other horses that galloped at Kempton yesterday, they are having an easy day today. They have had a lead out and all appear to be sound and well and are having a good pick of grass.”
He added: “Fresh air is as important as anything for a horse’s lungs. The intention is to rescope on Friday to monitor which way this is going.”
February 29: In a morning interview at Seven Barrows, Henderson described his superstar as “alert and bright”, as he walked a line between giving the gelding adequate recovery time, while trying not to lose too much of his fitness edge.
“He can’t stay in his box, if we’ve got any pretentions of running in the Champion Hurdle, you can’t just knock it off and tuck him in bed,” Henderson told Sky Sports Racing.
“We’ve got to find the right balance between keeping him moving but not stressing him in any way at all.”
February 29: Henderson later received the results of a blood test on Constitution Hill and admitted they were “probably not what we were hoping for”.
In an update posted on X, he said: “The result of the blood test taken this morning goes quite a long way to explaining his disappointing performance at Kempton on Tuesday and confirms that he has a significant degree of inflammation.
“The figures themselves suggest he is definitely under the weather and we will need to repeat the test again on Monday in the hope that the situation improves.
“This is probably not what we were hoping for, but at least it tells us exactly where we are.”
March 1: Some positive news among the gloom, as Henderson says: “On what was about as foul and filthy morning as you can imagine at Seven Barrows, Constitution Hill had a light exercise and was rescoped afterwards as planned. This showed the neutrophil percentage, indicative of infection, was back to normal parameters with no mucus evident.
“This is obviously positive news but we cannot hide behind yesterday’s blood test which basically reveals that, in simple terms, our horse is ‘unwell’.”
March 2: Henderson was on a rare visit to Kelso, where speaking about Constitution Hill he affirmed: “The blood test on Monday will tell us everything and we will know where we are after that.
“If we don’t get the results we want on Monday, I wouldn’t go as far as to say it will be the end of the season. Let’s just cross each bridge when we come across it.
“When you train horses, you are going to walk into these situations and you’ve got to face up to it.”
March 4: The eagerly-awaited blood test results confirmed Henderson’s worst fears, with a title defence ruled out for Constitution Hill.
Henderson posted on X: “Very sadly we are going to have to admit defeat in the battle to get Constitution Hill ready for the Champion Hurdle and therefore have to declare that he will not be running there this year.
“He has undoubtedly improved over the weekend and seems noticeably brighter than he was at the end of last week and I really did think he was much perkier when ridden this morning.
“Unfortunately, the all-important blood test shows that although the figures have also improved, they are quite a way from being satisfactory for a horse to commence serious training and to race in a week’s time.
“This is very sad for all of us and particularly Michael (Buckley, owner) but it is in everybody’s best interests that we ensure we have a fit and healthy Constitution Hill to win back his crown next year.”
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