Blow Your Wad looks set to return to Kempton for the Coral Pendil Novices’ Chase on February 24.

Tom Lacey’s six-year-old won a decent handicap at the track over Christmas, having previously chased home a subsequent Grade One winner in Le Patron.

The Grade Two Pendil over two and a half miles has been dominated by Paul Nicholls in recent years, with the champion trainer responsible for 13 winners in all since 2006, but Lacey feels Blow Your Wad could potentially be one of the best he has trained.

“We are potentially going to go back to Kempton for the Pendil Novices’ Chase next month. It is just so competitive at Cheltenham that you could go to the Pendil, miss Cheltenham, then go to Aintree,” said Lacey.

“He is not a horse that I want to over-race, as he is still relatively young. He has only had two runs over fences so far but he is a good horse with plenty of progression to come.

“His jumping was outstanding at Kempton the last day. To be honest, it wasn’t until they were turning in that I saw him coming through, as he was very much on and off the bridle.

“He is a horse that is not hard on himself and he is an exciting prospect. He is potentially one of the nicest horses I’ve ever had come through the yard.”

Stablemate Tea Clipper could be going hunter chasing and looks like another with Aintree, rather than Cheltenham, as his ultimate aim.

“After having a discussion, we are going to go hunter chasing with him. He is getting older and he has been running around in those big staying handicaps without winning one. If we could get his head back in front, it might give him some confidence,” said Lacey.

“I think he is more potentially an Aintree horse, as I’m not sure he would get that extended three and a quarter miles around Cheltenham, although he has finished fourth in an Ultima there over slightly shorter.

“After Aintree, you could look at the hunter chase meeting back at Cheltenham for him. We have always got the option of going back in those types of races he has been running in if we want to. He does deserve to get his head back in front, as he has run some great races in defeat.”

Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders insists no-one is irreplaceable after influential full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold was ruled out for at least three weeks with a knee injury.

The England international tore a lateral ligament after hyper-extending the joint in Sunday’s FA Cup win at Arsenal and is not expected to feature until the end of the month at the earliest.

Liverpool’s winter break means he may only miss three matches – both legs of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Fulham and the Premier League match at Bournemouth – and he could be back for the January 31 visit of Chelsea.

With the team already without central defender Joel Matip and both left-backs Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas and Joe Gomez deputising on that flank, it leaves them short at the back.

But it is Alexander-Arnold’s pivotal contribution to the way the team operates, stepping into midfield in his now well-established hybrid role, with two goals and eight assists this season which makes his absence so difficult to cope with.

However, Lijnders insists they will find a way to handle the situation, as they have already had to do with Mohamed Salah having gone to the African Cup of Nations.

“We have many weapons so there is no-one irreplaceable here,” said the Reds’ assistant manager ahead of the first leg against Fulham.

“Mo goes away, (Diogo) Jota steps up. If the best players are not there and you play really well – the second half against Arsenal – then that’s a really good sign and that’s what we’ve always done.

“We don’t rely on one, two, three or four players. We are missing three core players from our leadership group – Robbo, Trent, Mo – so that’s a blow of course.

“We now we have to find solutions without Trent as well but, again, this squad has so much talent, so much power, and as long as counter-pressing is there everything else is replaceable.”

Alexander-Arnold’s absence means Liverpool are now without the four players who have created the most chances per 90 mins for them this season, the others being Robertson, Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai, whose hamstring injury means he is not available to face Fulham.

The options appear to be bringing in 20-year-old Conor Bradley, who impressed at right-back in a 15-minute cameo at the Emirates, 19-year-old Luke Chambers or Owen Beck, recently recalled from a loan spell at Dundee, on the left and moving Gomez back to the right.

But none of these options would come close to filling the void Alexander-Arnold’s absence leaves.

“He creates a lot of flexibility from the back and he can play passes that the forwards really like, he knows how to decide games and knows when to put balls where,” added Lijnders.

“The squad has a lot of other qualities in my opinion but for sure we need to find new dynamics.”

There will be no resorting to the transfer window to solve what are deemed short-term issues as the management have faith in their youngsters around the fringes of the squad.

“We spent a lot of money in the summer. We really invested in the squad, the ownership really brought in the right players,” said Lijnders.

“Conor and Bobby (Clark) are not back-up players, they are part of our squad. They are young, hungry and made for games like this.

“Young players just need the opportunity. They don’t need criticism, they just need trust from the coaching staff.”

The Jockey Club has pledged to provide greater transparency over its business performance as it announced prize-money will top £60million across its 15 racecourses for the first time this year.

A total of 39 ‘transparency meetings’ with 120 industry individuals to explain the Jockey Club’s business performance, prize-money, media rights and investment plans have been held over the last two and a half years

The operator says it will be “extending its commitment to openness” by providing more information to the Thoroughbred Group from 2024 onwards, including figures relating to individual racecourse media rights and other revenues, as well as disclosing other factors which impact decisions on prize-money and other investment plans.

Chief executive Nevin Truesdale said: “It’s really important to us at the Jockey Club to continue to be transparent in sharing details of our business performance with industry participants and stakeholders.

“By agreeing to extend this commitment to provide the Thoroughbred Group with more information around our revenues and costs, we are seeking to drive critical industry collaboration to work together to grow the sport, while also providing a clearer picture of the challenges we face as a racecourse operator.”

Julian Richmond-Watson is chair of the Thoroughbred Group, which represents the industry’s owners, trainers, jockeys, stable staff and breeders.

He said: “The Thoroughbred Group welcomes the Jockey Club’s further commitment to the sharing of financial information, which will now be provided on a more extensive basis than previously received.

“This enhanced visibility will allow us to focus on working together to grow the sport’s revenues and, in turn, increase the prize-money levels upon which our participants rely.”

National Trainers’ Federation chief executive Paul Johnson added: “We believe that this is an enormously important step in being able to agree commercial partnerships with racecourses, something that we see as a foundation stone for working together to improve the sport’s future.”

An overall prize-money total of £60.1m will be offered across the 334 fixtures due to be staged this year by the Jockey Club, whose courses include Aintree, Cheltenham, Epsom and Newmarket.

This reflects a £31.8m executive contribution – the amount the organisation puts in from its own funds – with values for specific races and fixtures confirmed in due course.

The Jockey Club has also budgeted to spend £11.7m over the next 12 months on upgrades to its racecourses, which includes investment into improving racing surfaces, equine facilities and welfare standards.

Truesdale added: “Given the unprecedented financial headwinds the horseracing industry is currently facing, we are pleased to be able to announce today that the Jockey Club’s executive contribution to prize money will be increased to £31.8million in 2024, taking our overall prize-money past the £60million mark for the first time.

“Our mission is to power racing’s future and to ensure that our sport thrives for generations to come. That would not be possible without our participants and all those whose jobs not only help British racing prosper but rely on the industry.

“So, while we continue to take important steps to improve our business efficiency in the face of significant and unprecedented economic challenges, there is also an ongoing focus on investing across our estate and in participants, which includes a commitment to prize-money.

“This has led us to some very difficult decisions in our financial planning for 2024 and we are pleased to be able to deliver an increase in prize-money investment in these very challenging circumstances.

“In addition to prize-money, the Jockey Club will continue to invest in many other areas of the sport, including equine welfare and improving the raceday experience for participants, owners and racegoers.

“We hope that by doing so, we will drive engagement, expand our fan base and increase attendances for the good of the sport.”

What the papers say

Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, 21, has found himself on the radar of Spanish giants Real Madrid, the Daily Mail reports. The England Under-21 international has played 17 games for the Toffees in the Premier League this season.

The Evening Standard says West Ham could make a move for 26-year-old Ajax and  Netherlands forward Steven Bergwijn. The former Tottenham player has scored eight goals in all competitions this year for Ajax.

One player who could be making the opposite journey from England to the Netherlands is Manchester United winger Facundo Pellistri, who has been linked with a loan move to PSV Eindhoven – and LA Galaxy – according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, cited by Teamtalk.

Social media round-up

Real Madrid ‘to turn to Erling Haaland if they fail in Mbappe transfer but will only have to pay HALF his release fee’https://t.co/1JoTm4tiE4https://t.co/1JoTm4tiE4

— The Sun Football ⚽ (@TheSunFootball) January 8, 2024

Players to watch

Hugo Ekitike: Wolves are reportedly interested in signing the 21-year-old Paris St Germain forward, according to French outlet L’Equipe.

Jonathan David: The 23-year-old Canada forward, currently at Lille in France, has attracted interest from Manchester United and Aston Villa, Football Transfers reports.

Trent Alexander-Arnold will be sidelined for several weeks with a knee injury, Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has confirmed.

Alexander-Arnold suffered the injury during Sunday’s 2-0 FA Cup victory over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final with Fulham at Anfield, Lijnders said: “First of all, some not-that-good news, Trent hyper-extended his knee during the last game.

“So he has a little tear in the lateral ligament of his knee and he will need time to recover. He had a scan and he will be out for a few weeks, so let’s see after that.

“He will get some rest and then hopefully he can come back to where he was. Because this guy was decisive in all the games and was the one who created constantly for us from deep and gave the team a high level of flexibility.

“We will really miss him.”

Lijnders also revealed that Virgil van Dijk is available again after missing the Arsenal game due to illness, but Dominik Szoboszlai remains sidelined.

Colin Graves’ controversial return to Yorkshire is edging closer, with the club’s board meeting on Tuesday to discuss a consortium offer that would see him reinstated as chair.

Yorkshire’s long search for fresh investment has brought them back to the man who served as executive chair between 2012 and 2015 before performing the same role at the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

His money saved the county from financial oblivion once before, when he first became involved in 2002, and he is now eager for a second act at Headingley, where debts to the Graves family trust are close to £15million.

With time running out to keep the business viable, and other investors no longer at the table, it appears the board will recommend the Graves plan to members and pave the way for the 75-year-old’s comeback. It has been reported that an immediate loan of £1million would be forthcoming, followed quickly by new investment worth a further £4m.

Graves’ group had a period of exclusivity with the club which had been due to expire on Friday, but has now been extended to Tuesday as a conclusion nears.

He told talkSPORT: “The ball is in the Yorkshire board’s court to make a decision, but my interest is real, it’s absolute, and that’s for one reason and one reason only, and it’s to save Yorkshire County Cricket Club. None of us wants to see that institution disappear.

“It’s not in a good place so from my point of view that’s the reason I’m doing this. I’m passionate about the place and I want to make sure that Yorkshire County Cricket Club survives and prospers.”

It would still prove a divisive move given the racism scandal which has engulfed Yorkshire in recent years, an episode which partially took place during Graves’ first stint in charge, and has already drawn criticism.

Sporting Equals, a charity which promotes ethnic diversity in UK Sport, issued an open letter to sports minister Stuart Andrew and the England and Wales Cricket Board warning it would “undermine the progress” the game has made against racism and “make a mockery” of those who have suffered in the past.

The most high-profile of those, former Yorkshire spinner turned whistleblower Azeem Rafiq, says he is unsurprised but dismayed by the prospect of Graves’ re-emergence.

He told the PA news agency: “I’m aware that it is pretty much a done deal. It’s inevitable now but it is going to be a sad day for all those that have suffered racism.

“Unfortunately I think the members’ vote (to ratify Graves’ return) is probably the most inevitable part. From my social media interactions it seems clear where the membership will go. It’s not for me to sit here and try to change their mind but I would say be careful what you wish for in terms of his plans for the club.

“Whether it’s members, sponsors or people who work at the club, history will remember which side you were on.”

Rafiq wrote a newspaper article at the weekend calling on sponsors to oppose Graves by withdrawing their backing.

One current sponsor says the words and actions of Graves will have a “strong bearing” on whether it continues to engage with the club, should he return.

A spokesperson for tiling company Al Murad, who came on board as a community partner in 2022 following the appointment of Lord Kamlesh Patel as chair, told PA: “We are reviewing the situation at Yorkshire Cricket very carefully.

“We are in communication – and we expect to be communicated to – as the process of securing long-term funding is brought to a conclusion that will trigger constitutional and governance arrangements to deliver financial stability going forward.

“On the strength of that information and communication, we will review how intrinsic is equity, equality, representation and inclusiveness at Yorkshire Cricket if Mr Graves does take the helm.

“The deep changes required that Lord Kamlesh Patel subsequently brought about, and future commitment to go above and beyond, will have a strong bearing on how we view any future engagement. Of course the ECB and possibly other actors will have a bearing on the final outcome.”

The ECB and representatives of Colin Graves have declined to comment.

Julie Harrington, chief executive of the British Horseracing Authority, says a judgement on the success of Premier Racedays and Sunday evening racing should not be made overnight.

The first of 170 Premier Racedays planned for 2024 was staged at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day, while Wolverhampton created a slice of history when becoming the first track to race in the UK on Sunday night.

While both schemes have come in for criticism in some quarters, Harrington is keen to assess all of the relevant data relating to the six trial Sunday evening fixtures and the two-year pilot of Premier Racedays before making any snap decisions.

“Premier Racedays were introduced this year to showcase the best our sport can offer to new and existing fans as part of a broader strategy to grow British racing,” she said in a statement on Tuesday.

“And while this concept will see a gradual roll-out, with innovations and enhancements to the customer experience delivered throughout the year, it has been heartening to see the positive initial response to Premier racing from the public, racecourses and participants.

“There were high-quality runners at Plumpton on Sunday, with races taking place in front of healthy and engaged crowds. And of course, the year began with a big crowd at Cheltenham enjoying quality racing at our first Premier fixture.

“The 170 Premier Racedays planned for 2024 reflect a significant investment by the sport. These are fixtures proposed by the racecourses which meet strict criteria, including around prize-money and race quality. We should be encouraged that so many racecourses want to invest in and stage these Premier events.

“We will also see more promotional work and, we hope, an HBLB-funded national campaign to support the work already being done by GBR and the racecourses.

“Ultimately, the objective is to encourage more, better-quality horses to be bred, trained, owned and raced in Britain. The sport has agreed that putting on high-quality, valuable racing is the way to achieve this.

“We must accept that this will not happen overnight. But we have made a start on creating and developing an attractive product to secure a long-term future for the sport by encouraging greater engagement with it. Time and experience will help us determine the optimum number of Premier Racedays with regards to racecourses and the horse population.”

She added: “This is the start of a two-year pilot and so we should resist the temptation to make snap judgements on its success based on limited experience. Throughout the pilot we will learn what does and does not work, how we can best package and promote Premier Racedays and ultimately achieve growth that will benefit all levels of the sport.

“Alongside Premier Racedays we also started the trial of Sunday evening racing at Wolverhampton. This saw good prize-money on offer to healthy field sizes meaning competitive racing was taking place in a window we believe affords us an opportunity to grow engagement with the sport.

“Clearly there are a range of views regarding this pilot and we respect those opinions. For this reason, the financial performance of these fixtures will be far from the only measure of their viability; we will continue to seek the views of all those involved in servicing such meetings and this feedback will form a core part of the ultimate assessment of the pilot.”

Doncaster clerk of the course Paul Barker is confident Wednesday’s meeting will go ahead if the weather forecast is accurate.

There was a slight grass frost on Tuesday morning and with similar temperatures forecast overnight, a precautionary inspection has been called for 8am.

However, Barker reports the course to have been frost-free by 10am on Tuesday and as long as the weather does not differ widely from what is expected, no problems are anticipated.

“We were raceable by 10am today after being a little bit crispy this morning. The forecast is pretty similar for tonight, although it is due to get cooler earlier tonight,” said Barker.

“Because this morning was a little crispy, we felt it was only right that we called an inspection but if the forecast is right, we should be OK.

“We’ve got some really good fields which is great to see. We had a relatively good mid-December fixture and were a little bit quieter on the 29th.

“It’s bizarre really as this fixture did exactly the same last year, we had 90 runners then, so it is obviously one that works really well.”

There is also a precautionary 8am inspection for Wednesday’s other jumps card at Leicester.

“It just depends on the forecast. We’re hoping it clouds over to keep the temperatures up, but it went down to -3C last night and it’s taken a bit of shifting,” said clerk of the course Jimmy Stevenson.

“I wouldn’t want it as cold tomorrow but it is not forecast to be, so that is what we are hoping for. We won’t know until the morning, though.

“Today was supposed to be the coldest day, so that is what we are hoping for.”

National Hunt superstar Constitution Hill heads 22 entries for the Unibet Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

Nicky Henderson’s unbeaten charge was a nine-length winner of the hurdles highlight at Prestbury Park last year, one of his eight victories under rules to date.

Constitution Hill is already long odds-on for a repeat on March 12, having made a faultless return in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day.

The Willie Mullins-trained State Man chased him home last year and he is among seven contenders for the trainer this time around.

Lossiemouth, winner of the Triumph Hurdle last term, features in the Closutton squad along with 2023 Champion Hurdle fourth Vauban, Echoes In Rain, Gala Marceau, Impaire Et Passe and Zarak The Brave.

Zanahiyr was third behind Constitution Hill 12 months ago and he has been entered by Gordon Elliott, with stablemates Irish Point and Pied Piper also on the list.

Henderson has alternates in First Street, Under Control and Luccia, while four-year-old Burdett Road is an intriguing entry for James Owen.

Harry Fry’s Love Envoi, the Henry de Bromhead-trained Bob Olinger and popular veteran Not So Sleepy are others of note.

The Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle takes place on the same day as the Champion Hurdle and Lossiemouth, Echoes In Rain, Gala Marceau, Love Envoi and Luccia are all entered for that Grade One.

Ashroe Diamond, Magical Zoe and Jetara are others towards the head of the betting, with Jamie Snowden’s You Wear It Well looking for a second Festival win after taking the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle last term.

A total of 25 have been entered for that race – a number which is surpassed by the 36 initial contenders for the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle.

Run on March 14, the three-mile contest has a clutch of previous winners in the potential line-up, with Elliott’s 2023 hero Sire Du Berlais, Gavin Cromwell’s dual victor Flooring Porter and 2019 winner Paisley Park all potentially coming back for more.

Teahupoo and Irish Point are other key contenders for Elliott, with potential French raider Theleme prominent in the betting having won an Auteuil Grade One in November.

Crambo and Sir Gerhard are in the mix, with the Lucinda Russell-trained Ahoy Senor an interesting possible after a couple of disappointing chase starts this term.

Former Wycombe and Millwall defender Danny Senda has been banned from football for four years after touching two women inappropriately and subsequently admitting to two charges of misconduct.

The Football Association has said it is “deeply sorry” to the two women, who had been on a coaching course overseas with the 42-year-old last June.

Senda had been in a bar when the two women came in afterwards with a small group of other people. The first complainant said Senda pulled her towards him, placed his left arm over her right shoulder and put his other hand down the front of her shorts.

The first complainant removed his arms from her. As she went to leave the bar, she saw Senda place his hands on the second woman.

The second woman said she felt someone’s hands come from behind her, rest upon her chest and place one hand on each of her breasts. She turned around to see it was Senda. She then walked away and left the bar with the first woman.

The women reported the incidents to course leaders, and Senda was immediately asked to leave the course. He requested the opportunity to apologise, and the women agreed to meet him before he flew back to the UK. The women then made a formal complaint to the FA.

They opted not to make a criminal complaint, and with the incident occurring overseas the UK authorities had no jurisdiction to act.

The independent commission which issued the four-year ban to Senda said these were breaches of “the utmost seriousness” and that they “amounted to the commission of criminal offences that could never be condoned or tolerated in any environment”.

An FA spokesperson said: “Women deserve to be involved in professional football without the fear of any form of abuse.

“This was a shocking case, and we investigated the very serious allegations as soon as we were made aware of them.

“We thank the victims for reporting the incidents to us, and supporting the investigation through to its conclusion, and we are deeply sorry that they endured such a terrible experience.

“The behaviour shown by Daniel Senda in June 2023 will not be tolerated. We will investigate all allegations of sexual assault in a football environment which are reported to us – usually working with the police, but in this case, the incidents happened overseas so were not within the jurisdiction of UK law-enforcement.

“We hope that the very lengthy ban serves as a strong deterrent, and a clear signal that women in football will be supported and protected and offenders will be severely punished.”

The panel’s written reasons state that Senda had no recollection of committing the offences when he was interviewed by the FA in July, which he ascribed to his consumption of alcohol, but did not deny them.

The panel said it initially felt a six-year ban was appropriate but this was reduced to four years to reflect Senda’s early admission of the charges he faced.

Harriet Graham has confirmed Aye Right an intended runner in Saturday’s rearranged Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase Final at Warwick but is a little disheartened the prize-money has been reduced.

The original race was due to be run for £100,000 at Sandown last weekend, when it would have been the feature race, but that meeting was abandoned through waterlogging.

This Saturday, the race will take place at Warwick, like Sandown owned by Jockey Club Racecourses, but the total prize fund is down to £75,000.

“He’s still in and the plan is to go, hopefully the weather doesn’t intervene again,” said Graham, who trains Aye Right in partnership with Gary Rutherford.

“I’m a little bit put off that they’ve managed to knock £25,000 off the prize fund. This race will probably have 14 runners and nearly every horse will have a story behind it. We’ve all run in races to get there.

“I know it is really hard to reschedule races and I know everybody at the BHA works really hard to do it, but it just seems a wee bit cheap. That’s just my feelings, it maybe doesn’t matter to the big trainers and owners.

“It’s a bit like Premierisation, it’s awful for small trainers and awful for small racecourses. They are taking the money from the poor to give to the rich. It’s Robin Hood the wrong way round.

“I know the Jockey Club have two Premier meetings on Saturday, with Kempton and Warwick with really decent prize-money, but to me it just seems a bit cheap to take money off what is a Final.

“These horses have provided entertainment for the last six or seven years, a little recognition would have been the right thing to do.

“I am pleased it’s on, we plan to go and hopefully the weather doesn’t spoil it again.”

Aye Right is once more likely to meet Good Boy Bobby, the two fought out the finish to the 2021 Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle and the seventh leg of the Veterans’ Series in October at Chepstow, securing a narrow success apiece.

Thomas Darby, Two For Gold, Sam Brown, Mill Green, Ramses de Teillee and Lord Du Mesnil are among 16 entries.