George Baker is ready for a jet-setting weekend as he saddles Lucander in Bahrain and Cemhaan and Cumulonimbus on the snow in St Moritz.
The trainer is no stranger to either jurisdiction and has enjoyed success at both, but he has never taken in both meetings on the same weekend before.
Lucander runs in the H.H Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup on Friday and Baker is eyeing further riches in the sun.
“We have seven horses over here this season. Lucander has won a Turf Series race and ran a massive race in the Crown Prince’s Cup,” he said.
“He will run this week in H.H Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa Cup. He has also been invited to stay here for the King’s Cup which is a very valuable race in the beginning of March. It’s been a very good campaign so far and it’s been great to be involved.”
Ancient Greece broke new ground for Baker when winning three times on the White Turf at St Moritz in 2013 with Wargrave another winner on the ice.
Cumulonimbus also the distinction of being owned by the owner of a Kentucky Derby winner, Ramiro Restrepo.
“Cumulonimbus is a new addition to the team. He is a horse that my wife Candida and I loved when we saw him at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses In Training Sale in October but he went for 150,000 guineas so we thought he was gone on to other pastures,” said Baker.
“But we were called that night by Ramiro Restrepo, who is involved in the syndicate that won the Kentucky Derby last year with Mage. Ramiro had noted our exploits on the frozen lake at St Moritz and the call was a lovely one to get as it was to ask us if were interested to train the horse and prepare him for St Moritz.
“Cemhaan has always been a quality performer in the UK. He was third at Royal Ascot last year and the previous year he won the Heritage Handicap on 1000 Guineas day at Newmarket. He is a proven horse.
“Both horses have done everything we have asked of them. All we can do is send them in good form and good health and that is the case right now.”
Lewis Hamilton said it felt “surreal” to be taking part in the final car launch of his Mercedes career.
Speaking publicly for the first time since his blockbuster move to Ferrari for 2025 was confirmed, Hamilton, 39, said: “(The last few weeks) have obviously been emotional and it is very surreal to be here.
“The focus through the whole of winter training is getting the team back to where we once were.
“We have had these difficult couple of years which have been really grounding for us. It has helped us regroup and really look at things.”
Team principal Toto Wolff, standing alongside his soon-to-be departing star driver, added: “It has been a very busty winter. It will be our last season with Lewis so we are keen on bringing a quick car.”
Hamilton, who joined Mercedes from McLaren in 2013, won six of his record-equalling seven world championships with the Silver Arrows.
Hamilton signed a two-year contract extension with Mercedes only last August, but over the winter he stunned the sporting world after he elected to end his deal 12 months early and join Ferrari.
Hamilton, who fielded just three questions from the Mercedes moderator during a brief nine-minute launch, added: “I came here in 2013 so 11 years with the team and now I am starting my 12th.
“It is such a privilege to work with a group of people where you see the work they do over the winter and you see a car come together at the beginning of the year and it is the most exciting part of the season.”
Hamilton, without a win in two years, and team-mate George Russell, will get their first taste of this season’s Mercedes during a shakedown test at a wet Silverstone on Wednesday.
Hamilton added: “We have to be diligent, maximise practice and even one lap, George and I might get in the rain today will give us a feeling of what is to come.”
Nick Taylor believes it may be too late to change the unruly behaviour of spectators at the WM Phoenix Open.
Taylor birdied three of his last four holes in regulation and both holes of a play-off with Charley Hoffman to win his fourth PGA Tour title in dramatic fashion on Sunday.
However, the 35-year-old’s victory was somewhat overshadowed by ugly scenes at TPC Scottsdale, with Zach Johnson and Billy Horschel exchanging angry words with fans on the final day and one man arrested after jumping over the ropes and diving into a greenside bunker on the 16th.
Tournament officials were also forced to shut spectator gates earlier than planned after being overwhelmed by the turnout and sales of alcohol were temporarily halted.
“From the videos that I’ve seen, those instances are unfortunate, but I don’t think it’s a standalone, it’s been like that for a bit,” Taylor said in a press conference ahead of the Genesis Invitational.
“But I think the cat’s probably out of the bag. I don’t know how much they can change. I think it’s a week where the classic line is that I can do this for one week but multiple weeks, probably not.
“It’s a shame when only a very small percentage of fans are like that, it gets exposed a bit, but the majority of the fans are great, they’re just trying to watch some good golf and cheer.
“[Bad behaviour] needs to be cut out. I don’t know how they’re going to be able to do that.
“I think this year again with the weather [delays], everybody getting in the same area waiting around, it was probably a perfect storm to cause some of that a little more, but I’m not sure how they would reel it back to be honest.”
Taylor revealed he has surprisingly never met Genesis Invitational host Tiger Woods, who will also make his first competitive appearance of 2024 at Riviera Country Club.
The 15-time major winner underwent ankle surgery in April last year after withdrawing from the Masters during the third round and did not compete again until the Hero World Challenge in December.
Woods finished 18th in the 20-man field in the Bahamas, but the 48-year-old said he was pleased with his progress and believes it is realistic to compete in one tournament a month this season.
Neither of the last two winners of the Genesis Invitational are in the field this week, Joaquin Niemann (2022) and Jon Rahm (2023) having subsequently joined LIV Golf.
Rahm’s victory 12 months ago was his third of the year and fifth in his last nine worldwide starts, the Spaniard’s 10th PGA Tour title eclipsing the tally of his compatriot and idol Seve Ballesteros.
LeBron James will be rested against the Utah Jazz after leading the Los Angeles Lakers with 25 points in their 125-111 home win over the Detroit Pistons.
Wednesday's road game in Utah is the second game of a back-to-back and James has been playing with a sore ankle, so he will be granted the opportunity to sit out of the last game before the All-Star break.
LeBron had a game-high points total on 9-for-15 shooting against the Pistons, as all five Lakers starters topped 15 points.
D'Angelo Russell had 21 points and Anthony Davis added 20 with 14 rebounds and six blocks.
Los Angeles has now won five of its last six games and improved to 29-26, with the NBA-worst Pistons (8-45) relatively comfortably brushed aside on Tuesday.
The Lakers racked up a 24-point lead early in the contest and led 71-48 at halftime.
LeBron, who also had eight assists, was full of praise for Davis after the victory, backing him to win the Defensive Player of the Year award.
"Offensively, we are sharing the ball and everybody has been in a good rhythm," he said, per ESPN.
"And then defensively, we've been on a string and if anything breaks down, the Defensive Player of the Year cleans it up for us. So, definitely, we are playing some good ball."
Spencer Dinwiddie had six points and seven assists in his Lakers debut, while Ausar Thompson led the Pistons with 19 points as James Wiseman scored 18 points and added nine rebounds.
LeBron still expects to be fit for Sunday's All-Star game in Indianapolis, as he prepares to make his record 20th appearance.
"I'm just humbled and very blessed, obviously," he added. "I don't take it for granted, being an All-Star."
Los Angeles remains ninth in the Western Conference, two spots above Utah (26-28), which has lost two straight games.
India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja believes navigating England’s attacking style under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum has become “easier” after a period of adjustment.
Jadeja is poised to return for India after a hamstring injury led to him missing their victory in the second Test in Visakhapatnam a couple of weeks ago, leaving the series evenly poised at 1-1.
There have been some suggestions of England unsettling India after handing them their fourth Test loss at home since 2013 in Hyderabad and bullishly attempting to chase 399 in Vizag before coming up short.
“In all these years, whichever team has come they have not found it easy to come to India, play on the Indian wickets and win in Indian conditions,” Jadeja said.
“It is not that England are difficult to beat but they play with a different style and it takes some time to understand that. Once you understand that, it becomes easier what to do.
“That is their style. We need to have a plan B and set fields accordingly and bowl to it. We have to do the opposite to what they are doing.”
With Virat Kohli now confirmed to be out of the series due to personal reasons and KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer injured and dropped respectively, India look set to hand an international debut to Sarfaraz Khan.
Despite being uncapped, Sarfaraz averages 69.85 in first-class cricket to bolster a middle-order light on experience, with Jadeja expected to slot back in at number six on his home ground.
Paceman Mohammed Siraj is poised to return after being rested last time out, while Ravichandran Ashwin sits just one wicket away from becoming the ninth bowler to reach 500 Test dismissals.
“He will definitely complete his 500 wickets on this ground,” Jadeja added.
“I am very excited because I have been playing with him for 12 or 13 years and to achieve this milestone of completing 500 Test wickets is a really big thing.
“I thought he would complete it in the first Test but it’s OK, it is written in destiny he will complete his 500 wickets in Rajkot, in my hometown.”
Cole Palmer has thrived since leaving hometown club Manchester City to join Premier League rivals Chelsea in search of regular first-team football.
Palmer made the move, in a deal worth up to £42.5million, in the summer after a treble-winning season with the Citizens.
Ahead of Palmer’s return to the Etihad Stadium on Saturday, the PA news agency looks at the impressive numbers he has posted since leaving City.
Chelsea v Man City: The statistics
After coming through the ranks at City, Palmer broke into the first-team squad during the 2021-22 campaign. Over three seasons, he made 41 appearances, scored six goals and added two assists in all competitions.
In his time at City, he played a total of 1,482 minutes but he has surpassed that with 2,178 minutes in under six months, and just 28 games, with Chelsea.
The goal contributions have also risen with the 21-year-old scoring 12 and providing nine assists so far for the Blues.
One of those goals came against his old club in December when he scored a late penalty at Stamford Bridge in a thrilling 4-4 draw.
Having been given more game time at Chelsea, Palmer has developed into a first-team regular instead of potentially a rotational player for City.
Can he win trophies with Chelsea?
The last 18 months have not been acceptable by Chelsea’s standards.
The Blues were champions of Europe in 2021 but went without a trophy last season, finishing 12th in the Premier League.
However, despite continued poor league form this season, Chelsea are still in both domestic cups and face Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final later this month.
That is in large part due to the performances of Palmer, who has been the star turn of the Chelsea team this season.
Mauricio Pochettino can also call upon the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Christopher Nkunku and Conor Gallagher but he is yet to find a consistent winning blend.
As well as landing the treble, Palmer also scored the equaliser on the way to City winning their maiden Super Cup on penalties against Sevilla last August.
The potential is there for Palmer to add to his silverware collection with Chelsea.
England call-up and Euro 2024 prospects
Palmer received his first England call-up last November following his impressive performances for Chelsea.
He joined the Three Lions for their Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia, making appearances in both games off the bench.
Before Euro 2024 this summer, England play four friendly internationals – two in March and two in June.
Palmer has a lot of competition for a place from the likes of Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, James Maddison and Jarrod Bowen.
However, his recent performances certainly give him a chance of earning further caps before Gareth Southgate names his squad for the tournament in Germany.
Manchester City are waiting for updates on Jack Grealish after an injury to the England midfielder took the shine off an impressive Champions League return in Denmark.
Grealish was forced off with a groin problem after 21 minutes of the holders’ largely straightforward 3-1 victory over FC Copenhagen on Tuesday.
Bernardo Silva also left the action before the end of the first leg of the last-16 tie after a blow to the ankle but it was Grealish pulling up that caused the most concern.
“He wanted to continue but we didn’t want to make the damage even worse,” said manager Pep Guardiola after the game. “We’ll make tests tomorrow (Wednesday).”
Grealish was making his first start in six games in what has been a difficult campaign for him.
The 28-year-old had a spell out with a dead leg earlier in the season and has been kept out of the side at other times by the good form of team-mates, notably Jeremy Doku in the first instance and latterly Phil Foden.
Another lay-off would be a blow for City as they chase a repeat treble, restricting attacking options soon after Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland had returned from their own injuries.
Silva could be doubtful for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Chelsea while it has also emerged that Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic have been nursing knocks.
Neither featured in Denmark and although midfielder Kovacic should be back in contention for the weekend, defender Gvardiol faces two to three weeks out with an ankle injury.
Fitness issues aside, City were dominant at the Parken Stadium, controlling in all aspects as they eased to a win that was far more convincing than the scoreline suggested.
The Danish champions, still in their winter break and clearly rusty, struggled to live with City and fell behind to an early De Bruyne strike.
City spurned several chances to increase their advantage before an Ederson error gifted Copenhagen debutant Magnus Mattsson an unlikely equaliser.
Silva restored the lead with a fine flicked finish and Foden wrapped up the win in stoppage time. The second leg takes place in three weeks’ time.
“I think getting the early goal helped us,” said Foden. “It is such a difficult place to come.
“We’re delighted with the performance and we take the 3-1 back.
“I thought the way we controlled the game and we picked the right times to attack was brilliant.
“I think we have a great group of lads. We’re all determined and the hunger is just the same from last year, to keep on and keep pushing.”
De Bruyne, who has quickly found top gear since returning from a five-month lay-off in January, provided the assists for both goals.
“He’s playing very well,” said defender Nathan Ake. “I think everyone expected him to come back a bit slower because he’s been out for five months or so, but straight away he hit the ground running and he’s been top. Hopefully he can continue like this.”
Friday’s meeting at Ffos Las has been called off due to a waterlogged track.
Officials inspected the course on Wednesday morning and after heavy rain, the venue is not fit for action.
The track tweeted: “Due to 70 millimetres of rain in the last seven days and with further rain forecast, racing on Friday 16th February has been abandoned.”
Thursday’s fixtures at Newcastle and Leicester are also subject to inspections.
Newcastle will check conditions at 8am on raceday, with the course reported to be heavy with further rain expected, while Leicester inspect at 4.15pm on Wednesday with areas of waterlogging reported.
Wednesday’s meeting at Fontwell did get the go-ahead following an 8am inspection.
Mark Wood replaces Shoaib Bashir in England’s only change for the third Test against India starting in Rajkot on Thursday.
The England selectors have opted for Wood’s pace ahead of Bashir’s off-spin and the PA news agency understands Rehan Ahmed’s visa issue has now been resolved.
The teenage leg-spinner’s single-entrance visa expired the moment he left for England’s mid-series break in the United Arab Emirates and he was initially red-flagged upon the team’s return to India on Monday. He was granted an emergency two-day visa.
England go into the test with the series level at 1-1 after the opening two Tests in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam.
What the papers say
Tottenham will make a move for Chelsea star Conor Gallagher if Chelsea cannot come to a new deal with the 24-year-old at the end of the season, the Telegraph reports. The paper says there has been no progress in talks with Gallagher and the Blues, despite manager Mauricio Pochettino labelling him “priceless” after Chelsea’s win over Crystal Palace.
Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite continues to draw interest from rival clubs, with the Daily Mail reporting that Manchester United and Tottenham will push hardest for the young defender. Real Madrid, Arsenal and Chelsea have also shown interest in the 21-year-old.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace hope that their efforts to persuade Ipswich Town coach Kieran McKenna to replace Roy Hodgson as manager will succeed at the end of the season.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Ivan Toney: Brentford’s talks with the highly sought-after striker have not progressed since the club offered the 27-year-old an extension, TeamTalk reports, with Arsenal and Newcastle closely monitoring the situation.
Albert Gudmundsson: West Ham will now have to compete with Newcastle for the 26-year-old striker from Iceland, who has scored nine goals in 22 games for Genoa in the Serie A this season, according to Italian outlet La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Jayson Tatum scored 31 of his 41 points in the first half and the Boston Celtics defeated the Brooklyn Nets, 118-110, for their fifth straight win in the opener of a home-and-home series on Tuesday.
Jaylen Brown scored 19 points, Al Horford had 16 on 6-for-6 shooting in place of the injured Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday added 14 points and 12 assists.
The Celtics have won nine of 10 against the Nets and the past six meetings in Brooklyn.
Mikal Bridges had 27 points and Cam Thomas added 26 for the Nets, who have lost four of five.
Brooklyn closed within 99-93 with Tatum resting on the bench with 7:55 remaining, but he returned and combined with Brown on a 7-0 run that pushed it to 109-95 with 5:38 left.
These teams meet again in Boston on Wednesday.
Suns overcome Sabonis, Fox
Kevin Durant scored 28 points with 12 rebounds and Devin Booker added 25 points as the Phoenix Suns overcame the loss of Bradley Beal in a 130-125 win over the Sacramento Kings.
Beal injured his left hamstring in the first quarter and didn’t return. The three-time All-Star has often been injured and has played in just 30 of the team’s 54 games.
Eric Gordon scored 23 points and Grayson Allen contributed 19 as the Suns won their fourth in five games.
Sabonis had his third straight triple-double with 35 points, 18 rebounds and 12 assists, and De’Aaron Fox scored 40 for Sacramento, which has lost four of five.
Edwards leads Timberwolves past Trail Blazers
Anthony Edwards poured in 41 points and Rudy Gobert added 16 with 15 rebounds to pace the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 121-109 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Edwards, who was questionable entering the game due to right knee soreness, was 16 of 27 from the field and 4 of 8 from 3-point range. He hit the 40-point mark for the second time this season.
Edwards and Gobert helped offset an off night from Karl-Anthony Towns, who had foul trouble early and was limited to 13 points in 19 minutes.
Deandre Ayton had 22 points and 16 rebounds for the Blazers, who dropped their fifth straight.
Mike Ruddock resigned as Wales head coach on this day in 2006.
The then 46-year-old stepped down just 11 months after he led his country to their first Six Nations Grand Slam triumph in 27 years, leaving the side in turmoil.
Ruddock left the top job after deciding he did not want to sacrifice his family life to lead Wales into the 2007 World Cup.
After he resigned, he said: “After consultation with my family, I have made the decision to stand down as national coach.
“I have decided to withdraw from contract talks to take Wales to the 2007 World Cup in France. This has been a tough decision to make but I have decided to put my family first.
“What I have found during my two years as coach is that the position is ‘more than a job’. That has meant I have spent long periods away from my family, in camp and overseas.
“As a consequence, I felt the intense build-up to next year’s World Cup would mean more time away from my family. That is something, on refection, I would like to avoid.”
Ruddock won 13 of his 20 games in charge, guiding them to Grand Slam success in 2005 with a 32-20 victory over Ireland alongside a famous 24-22 win over Australia – for the first time in 18 years – at the Millennium Stadium.
Ruddock’s resignation came days after he saw Wales claim a 28-18 win over Scotland in Cardiff.
Gareth Jenkins succeeded Ruddock and signed a two-year deal to take over.
Connor McDavid notched his first career six-assist game and the Edmonton Oilers won their eighth straight at home, 8-4 over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.
McDavid matched a career high with six points, done previously against Colorado on Nov. 14, 2019, when he had three goals and three assists.
His third assist of the game was the 600th of his career and came in his 616th game. He is the fourth-fastest to 600 assists, trailing Wayne Gretzky (416), Mario Lemieux (514) and Bobby Orr (608).
McDavid has 12 goals and 34 assists during a 19-game home point streak.
The Oilers are one victory shy of matching their franchise record of nine consecutive home wins, done in 2017 and 2022.
Alex DeBrincat, Joe Veleno, Patrick Kane and David Perron had goals for the Red Wings, who dropped to 10-3-2 since Jan. 1.
Ovechkin extends goal streak in loss
Alex Ovechkin scored in his sixth straight game, but Artturi Lehkonen had two goals and two assists as the Colorado Avalanche snapped a four-game skid with a 6-3 victory over the Washington Capitals.
Ovechkin’s goal was his 14th of the season and 836th of his career, leaving him 59 shy of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record.
Ross Colton and Miles Wood each had a goal and an assist for Colorado, which won for the first time – in the fifth game of a six-game Eastern Conference road trip.
Nathan MacKinnon had a pair of assists for the Avalanche to end a season-high three-game pointless streak.
Marchand has two assists in 1,000th game
Brad Marchand set up two goals and nearly scored in overtime, but Brayden Point scored the lone shootout goal to lift the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins.
Marchand became the eighth player in franchise history to reach the milestone, and the Bruins said they will honour him with a ceremony before Monday’s game against Dallas.
Andrei Vasilevskiy denied Marchand in overtime and finished with 36 saves as the Lightning concluded their road trip 2-2-0.
Charlie McAvoy and James van Riemsdyk scored for the East-leading Bruins, who dropped to 1-3-1 in their last five home games.
Connor McDavid notched his first career six-assist game and the Edmonton Oilers won their eighth straight at home, 8-4 over the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday.
McDavid matched a career high with six points, done previously against Colorado on Nov. 14, 2019, when he had three goals and three assists.
His third assist of the game was the 600th of his career and came in his 616th game. He is the fourth-fastest to 600 assists, trailing Wayne Gretzky (416), Mario Lemieux (514) and Bobby Orr (608).
McDavid has 12 goals and 34 assists during a 19-game home point streak.
The Oilers are one victory shy of matching their franchise record of nine consecutive home wins, done in 2017 and 2022.
Alex DeBrincat, Joe Veleno, Patrick Kane and David Perron had goals for the Red Wings, who dropped to 10-3-2 since Jan. 1.
Ovechkin extends goal streak in loss
Alex Ovechkin scored in his sixth straight game, but Artturi Lehkonen had two goals and two assists as the Colorado Avalanche snapped a four-game skid with a 6-3 victory over the Washington Capitals.
Ovechkin’s goal was his 14th of the season and 836th of his career, leaving him 59 shy of breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record.
Ross Colton and Miles Wood each had a goal and an assist for Colorado, which won for the first time – in the fifth game of a six-game Eastern Conference road trip.
Nathan MacKinnon had a pair of assists for the Avalanche to end a season-high three-game pointless streak.
Marchand has two assists in 1,000th game
Brad Marchand set up two goals and nearly scored in overtime, but Brayden Point scored the lone shootout goal to lift the Tampa Bay Lightning to a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins.
Marchand became the eighth player in franchise history to reach the milestone, and the Bruins said they will honour him with a ceremony before Monday’s game against Dallas.
Andrei Vasilevskiy denied Marchand in overtime and finished with 36 saves as the Lightning concluded their road trip 2-2-0.
Charlie McAvoy and James van Riemsdyk scored for the East-leading Bruins, who dropped to 1-3-1 in their last five home games.
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