Philippe Clement insists Rangers can still reach another level as they look to go top of the cinch Premiership against Ross County on Wednesday night.
The Belgian boss took over the Ibrox hot seat last October after Michael Beale departed when the Light Blues fell to third spot, seven points behind leaders Celtic.
They then fell eight points adrift of the Hoops after a 2-1 defeat at Celtic Park in December but had two games in hand.
Rangers have worked their way back into serious title contention and a three-goal win over the struggling Staggies at Ibrox will see them go top for the first time since August of last season.
Clement has already put the Viaplay Cup in the Ibrox trophy room following a 1-0 final win over Aberdeen in December and has guided the Govan side into the last-16 of the Europa League.
However, the former Genk, Club Brugge and Monaco manager was again at pains to stress that short-term achievement is not important, saying: “I will not look at the league table (if we win). No. I will be happy if we win the game, that is the only thing.”
“I am not satisfied, I think there is still a lot of potential to grow,” added the Gers boss, who revealed defender Leon Balogun, who has been fitted with a mask to protect a facial injury, will be assessed with midfielder Ryan Jack dropping out as his game time is managed following his recovery from injury.
“That’s why I am looking forward to having preparation with the team, to really bring them to another level.
“I am convinced it is possible with the players that are in the building now but it is difficult to create that during a season with a game every three days.
“We are growing, we are getting better, I think it is clear to everybody, it is also clear in the data.
“There is more distance run, there are more sprints and more high intensity than a few months ago but we are not at the top.
“It is what you do in training and in games and how you set standards and what you want them to do.
“We are not a reactive team, we are an active team and that’s what we want to see.
“We want to be a dominant team with a lot of movement with the ball and a lot of movement and reaction after losing the ball.
“With that way, naturally the data goes up, it does in every team. But you need a really good preparation to go to the next level.
“At this level now we are pushing things to make it better and I think it will be better at the end of the season – if they keep freshness.
“If I stay with the same squad, playing the same 11/12 players all the time they will be tired at the end of the season, that’s why you also need to keep a good balance.”
Champion Hurdle third Zanahiyr opened his account over fences at the second attempt when coming out on top in a thrilling duel with Aspire Tower in the Horse & Jockey Beginners Chase at Thurles.
It looked a competitive event on paper with Willie Mullins fielding Feu Du Bresil and Figaroc, Noel Meade sending Pinkerton and Cian Collins’ Mighty Tom lining up, but only two were ever involved.
Rachael Blackmore bounced out on Aspire Tower but Jack Kennedy was keen not to let her get too far ahead of Zanahiyr.
Gordon Elliott’s seven-year-old came up just short of the very best over hurdles and had the misfortune of bumping into the highly-regarded Fact To File on his chasing debut.
He was not as fluent as he could have been on that occasion but he jumped with much more finesse here, although Aspire Tower did appear to be travelling better approaching the last.
Zanahiyr (7-4 favourite) had got within three and a half lengths of Constitution Hill over two and a half miles at Aintree, though, and his stamina came to the fore as he won by half a length.
“It was a good performance and I suppose he was really only getting going (at the finish). He is a good age now and gets further than two miles, so I’m delighted that he got his head in front,” said Kennedy.
“I was keen to be forward and wasn’t concerned about the distance, although in the race I thought Rachael was quickening away from me. He knuckled down though and dug in.
“He can step up in distance but is also OK over a strongly-run two miles so there are plenty of options.”
Paris St Germain boss Luis Enrique has described Wednesday night’s Champions League opponents Real Sociedad as one of the tournament’s best sides.
The Parisians will resume their quest for an elusive Champions League title in the first leg of their last-16 tie at the Parc des Princes and Enrique refused to say his side were favourites.
Enrique told a press conference: “Real Sociedad have a tight defence in the Champions League. They don’t give the ball away easily. We will have to press them aggressively.
“They are certainly one of the best teams in the competition. That is why they qualified as group winners.
“They were in a group with last year’s finalists. They are top level and I’m not going to get into whether we are favourites or not.
“My team has to show that on the pitch. That is where we do the talking.”
Sociedad were unbeaten as they finished top of Group D ahead of Inter Milan, beaten 1-0 by Manchester City in last season’s final in Istanbul.
The Spanish side won three and drew three of their six group matches – they beat Benfica home and away – and Enrique saluted head coach Imanol Alguacil and his club.
“I hope it is not a decisive factor that he has been there six years and I have been here six months,” Enrique added. “I know the coach very well. He is a great coach.
“He is at home with a fantastic philosophy. They bring through many players themselves. They are well balanced. They do well in the transfer market.
“They have been playing really good football during his six years there, and even before that, as there were other coaches who did a great job there.
“So he is reaping the fruits of the hard work by the club. I can only congratulate them. I hope they don’t play as well tomorrow and in the second leg.”
Kylian Mbappe (ankle) is expected to start after being rested last Saturday when PSG moved 11 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 after their 3-1 home win against Lille.
Enrique, whose side are unbeaten in 16 matches in all competitions, has no new injury concerns but is still without Presnel Kimpembe (Achilles), Nuno Mendes (hamstring) and Milan Skriniar (ankle).
Gavin Cromwell will make a late decision over whether Flooring Porter bids for a third Stayers’ Hurdle crown or lines up in the National Hunt Chase at Cheltenham.
He took to fences well in October when beating the smart Broadway Boy but connections’ fears about going right-handed were realised next time out in the Florida Pearl at Punchestown, although he was also hampered by a loose horse as he came home third.
Most recently at Leopardstown over Christmas, he finished third behind the currently sidelined Grangeclare West, prompting Cromwell to consider running him over further at Cheltenham in March, but he has not ruled out trying to regain the Stayers’ crown he won in 2021 and 2022.
“Flooring Porter is in the Stayers’ and the National Hunt Chase. Nothing is definite and we’ll just see how both races are unfolding nearer the time, I definitely wouldn’t rule the Stayers’ out,” said Cromwell.
“I suppose if you take Gordon’s (Elliott’s, Irish Point and Teahupoo) out, the Stayers’ looks open enough which is why he’s still in.
“He got off to a good start over fences, you can rule the Punchestown run out going the wrong way, we may have got away with it if not for the loose horse, but he ran a good race all things considered.
“At Christmas he ran a good race but we were probably disappointed he could only finish third. He jumps well but the one thing is he knows how to win there and spring ground will be no harm.
“It wasn’t always the plan to go chasing but he hadn’t won a race since his second Stayers’, so we thought we’d give it a go.”
Cromwell has been a frequent visitor to the UK this season and is operating at a near 20 per cent strike-rate having had seven winners at Cheltenham already.
“We started off in October, I saw a couple of races and I thought they looked good opportunities that worked out. We had three winners at the first meeting and then went back in November and kept the ball rolling,” he said.
“We’ve concentrated more on finding the right race, the best example is Stumptown on New Year’s Day, a 50 grand five-runner handicap. If that was in Ireland it would probably be a full field.
“It’s a special place, there’s nothing like a winner at the Festival, any winner there is fantastic. It’s a unique place.
“We’re mostly heading for handicaps this year. The horses are running well so hopefully we get them there in one piece.”
Regarding his likely team he said: “We thought My Mate Mozzie was an Arkle horse, he’s a good Flat horse and a good hurdler without being that top level, so it was always up for debate if he would be good enough.
“He has a mark so the Grand Annual could come into it but the Arkle is open this year. Saying that, he’d have to run well above his mark to win any Arkle but there is only one Arkle.
“Limerick Lace and Brides Hill are both likely to run in the Mares’ Chase.
“Only By Night is in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle but I’d say she might stay at home, she was very disappointing at Lingfield and when she got home she was quiet for a week after, so we just put a line through it.”
Cromwell won the Champion Hurdle back in 2019 with the five-year-old Espoir D’Allen who sadly never ran again. While the trainer is not one for looking back, he admits the win is something to be proud of.
“The Champion Hurdle was a great race to win, it was just unfortunate it was his last race. I’m not one to dwell on the past, I have a massive picture of him and it’s the first thing I see every morning, I’m just not one for dwelling on the past, I’m always looking forwards,” said Cromwell.
“Having won it, it’s a vote of confidence for the owners and it helps them think their horse in good hands.”
A record sixth-wicket stand between Andre Russell and Sherfane Rutherford was backed by a dazzling spell of spin bowling by Roston Chase, as West Indies salvaged some pride with a 37-run win over Australia to end their three-match Twenty20 (T20) series on a high, on Tuesday.
While Australia took the series 2-1, the consolation win and, by extension the performances of Russell and Rutherford in a 139-run stand, provides a solid platform on which West Indies at can continue to build in their charge towards the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup later this year.
With West Indies in trouble at 79-5, after Rovman Powell opted to bat first, Russell and Rutherford took Australia’s bowlers to task, as they combined for 12 sixes in the record stand that propelled the Caribbean side to a competitive 220-6 at Optus Stadium.
Russell was particularly destructive, as the Jamaican utilized only 29 balls for his 71, which included seven maximums and four fours, while Rutherford’s unbeaten 40-ball 67, included five maximums and five fours.
David Warner, who struck nine fours and three sixes in a 49-ball 81, briefly threatened to overhaul the total, but Australia suffered a mini collapse after his dismissal, as West Indies bowlers came up trumps on this occasion. Tim David with a quickfire 19-ball 41, was Australia's next best scorer. His unbeaten knock had two fours and four sixes.
Scores: West Indies 220-6 (Russell 71, Rutherford 67 not out, Bartlett 2-37) beat Australia 183-5 (Warner 81, David 41 not out, Chase 2-19, Shepherd 2-31) by 37 runs
Having failed to chase down daunting totals when they lost the first two matches, West Indies captain Powell decided to switch strategies and bat first, but it almost seemed futile when the top-order failed to navigate the extra bounce. Johnson Charles (four), Kyle Mayers (11) and Nicholas Pooran (one), all fell cheaply, as West Indies slipped to 17-3 in the third over.
Powell and Chase restored some semblance of respectability to the innings with a 55-run fourth-wicket stand. But when Chase fell for 37 off 20 balls, including three fours and two sixes, Powell went soon after for a 14-ball 21 that had three boundaries, and West Indies were steering down the proverbial barrel at that point.
However, Russell and Rutherford were in defiant mood. The two slaughtered Australia’s bowlers and raised their half-centuries in 25 balls and 33 balls respectively, and inevitably pushed West Indies past the 200-run mark.
Much like he started his innings, Russell ended in explosive fashion, as he struck Adam Zampa for three-consecutive sixes in a penultimate over that yielded 28 runs, but later holed out in the last over and walked off the ground to a standing ovation from the over 17,000 crowd.
Xavier Bartlett was Australia’s most successful bowler with 2-37 from his four overs.
Knowing they required a solid start, Australia reshuffled their batting order, with captain Mitchell Marsh taking opening duties alongside Warner. But Marsh struggled for rhythm and was overshadowed by Warner, who overcame a rough start when a short delivery from Alzarri Joseph banged into the grill via his shoulder.
After Marsh fell for 17, wickets continued to tumble around Warner, who raced to a half-century off 25 balls. The left-hander seemed set for a second T20I century, but was overburdened in the middle overs, and eventually holed out to Russell off Chase.
From there, Australia’s innings fell apart, even with David's late burst, as Chase, who proved an inspired selection, ended with tidy figures of 2-19 from four overs. He was well supported by seamer Romario Shepherd, who had 2-31.
Middleham Park Racing’s well-travelled Brave Emperor will try to break new ground as he bids for further Group success in Qatar on Saturday.
The gelding is one of racing’s most prolific globetrotters and has brought home significant prize money from Italy, Germany, France and Sweden in the last year alone – as well as winning on home turf.
He won the Listed Prix de la Californie at Cagnes-Sur-Mer last term before travelling around Europe to pick up three Group Three events and the Group Two Premio Vittorio Di Capua at San Siro in November.
Now Archie Watson’s charge will return to action at the same level in the Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Cup at the Amir Sword meeting in Qatar this weekend.
The bay is currently settling in ahead of his first run in the Middle East and will compete for a total prize fund of nearly £400,000, with the winning connections taking home over £225,000.
“He’s the second top-rated for the race, he definitely deserves his chance and it’s fantastic prize money,” said Tim Palin of Middleham Park.
“It’s going to be the experience of a lifetime for the half a dozen owners going over.
“It’s going to be once in a lifetime, for all they’ve tasted success in Milan and Sweden, twice in Germany and in France as well.
“He’s a real globetrotting horse, he’s the perfect horse. He’s a Group Two winner and three times a Group Three winner.
“He was originally purchased as a yearling by Robson Aguiar and we bought him privately as a two-year-old just before the breeze-ups.
“He’s been an absolute revelation for us and everybody has experienced a fantastic journey with him. Hopefully he’ll continue to acquit himself well on Saturday.”
England boss Sarina Wiegman is happy to have Leah Williamson back in her squad.
Williamson has been named in a 23-player group for friendlies against Austria and Italy in Spain later this month.
It marks a first return to the Lionnesses’ camp for the 26-year-old since she suffered an ACL injury last April, which ruled her out of last summer’s World Cup.
Wiegman said: “It is really nice, especially for her, she is back, she is gaining minutes at Arsenal, doing well, she is happy at Arsenal and they are of course happy too.
“It is really nice to have her back because she is a very good player, even though she has been out for months, now she has come back her decision-making is still really good.
“She is still building. The team picked up very well, players stepped up but it is still really nice to have her back.”
Williamson captained her country to Euro 2022 success, but Wiegman did not say whether she will still have the armband.
“I have to talk to the players first about that,” she said.
“We come in and we have to start again, we will revisit that and have a conversation with the players first.”
There was no room in the squad for in-form Manchester United forward Nikita Parris, who has been overlooked despite scoring 15 goals in the last 16 matches for her club.
Wiegman spoke to the 29-year-old to explain her decision but says she has tough choices to make.
“The competition up front is really high, in the autumn she didn’t play much,” Wiegman said. “Since the new year she has played in the nine position and has done really well, of course we have noticed that too.
“We have had a little chat and I hope she shows consistency because we are talking about her again but I made some other choices now for this camp.
“With the players we have, they have done well so it was a hard decision.
“I had conversations with her in the autumn, that was a different situation. I had a short conversation with her yesterday and I explained a little bit and that is now just the way it is.
“We have many players up front, it is so competitive that I have to make choices and some players who are doing really well will be kept out. She is available and she knows we are watching her closely.”
The Lionesses take on Austria on February 23 and Italy four days later.
Jack Conan acknowledges history-chasing Ireland could “fall flat on our face” if they become sidetracked by talk of successive Grand Slam titles.
Andy Farrell’s men are seeking to become the first side in the Guinness Six Nations era to complete consecutive championship clean sweeps.
Bonus-point victories over pre-tournament favourites France and perennial wooden spoon winners Italy have propelled the defending champions into pole position for more glory.
Winless Wales travel to Dublin in round three on February 24 before Ireland face further Triple Crown fixtures against England and Scotland next month.
Leinster back-rower Conan, who claimed the third of six tries in Sunday’s 36-0 demolition of the Azzurri, said: “I don’t think there’s a cautious excitement; there are just expectations within the group of what we do with the moment in front of your face.
“Before this week, there was no chat of Wales, Scotland, England, anything like that; it was Italy, Italy, Italy.
“That was all that mattered to us and that will be the case next week. It will all be about Wales.
“It’s great people outside of the environment (are excited about a potential Grand Slam), they can have that buzz all they want, but if we don’t go out and get the job done against Wales then we kind of fall flat on our face.
“We’re not looking at all past that, we’re not looking past the moment in front of our faces and just being present.
“It doesn’t always happen and there were loads of mistakes (against Italy) but I think it’s a pretty good starting point where we’re at at the moment.”
Head coach Farrell has received regular praise for creating an enjoyable environment in the Ireland camp.
Conan believes a selflessness among the group has been key to recent successes, including the 2022 tour victory in New Zealand and last year’s Grand Slam.
“The needs of the many are greater than the needs of the few so it’s important to fit in and do the role you’ve been asked to do,” said Conan, who has often been a replacement during that period.
“We’re very lucky that there are such good men in the group and good quality that no matter what is asked of people they do it and there’s no complaints.
“It’s an incredibly selfless group and you do what your team-mates and coaching staff ask of you.
“I think it’s one of the reasons why we’ve been so successful over the last few years because everyone wants to add to the value of the group.”
Number eight Conan on Sunday made his first Test start since suffering a foot injury against Italy last August, which limited his World Cup participation.
The 31-year-old British and Irish Lion, who made his international debut in 2015 but has been restricted to 43 caps, partly due to fitness setbacks, is determined to savour the remainder of his career.
“For all the things I’ve ever done, whether it’s Leinster or playing for the Lions, it is the greatest honour to play for your country and it’s definitely something that’s not lost on me,” Conan said.
“I try to relish every moment I’m out there, no matter how blowing you are or how tough it is, it’s something that comes and goes so quickly and I’ve had a lot of gaps in my career where I haven’t played.
“I’ve been in and out of teams. I have, by my own admission, under performed at times and you’ve just got to savour it when you get the opportunity and make the most of it.”
Fa’amanu Brown has fought through the kind of adversity that makes the prospect of a long-awaited Super League debut amid the red-hot atmosphere of a Hull derby on Thursday night the easy bit.
One of nine siblings, Brown endured childhood poverty in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he shared a bedroom in a state housing complex with four brothers.
Packed off alone to chase his rugby league dream in Australia at the age of 17, Brown struggled with mental health and homesickness, then in 2019 sustained a foot injury and was told by surgeons he would never run again.
“I went through a lot of trauma in my life,” Hull FC star Brown told the PA news agency.
“I remember lining up to go to the Salvation Army because we didn’t have any clothes on our back. I know what it’s like to live in a car and come from nothing.
“All that stuff growing up, it made me and my siblings understand and appreciate life. Our parents worked in factories and we were determined to break the cycle. A lot of people take this game for granted, but for me, I’m just trying to make the most of it.”
Having successfully landed NFL deals with first Cronulla Sharks then Canterbury Bulldogs, Brown sustained a foot injury playing for the latter in 2019 that required three operations and led to his devastating diagnosis.
“I’d had a big build-up about the kind of player I was going to be in the future, and those injuries just knocked me down,” added Brown.
“I broke a bone in my foot and had limited blood supply, and the surgeon said I would never run again. I was 24 years old and I hadn’t even reached my peak.
“When I was told the news I just broke down and cried but I knew in myself that with my journey and where I’d come from, it wasn’t going to stop me doing what I love.”
Released by Canterbury that same year, Brown’s road to redemption began in the unlikely surroundings of Featherstone, with whom he spent an impressive 2021 campaign, culminating in a play-off defeat to Toulouse.
Brown spent the next two years back in Australia but did not have to be asked twice to pack his bags again when Hull FC head coach Tony Smith identified him as the player he wanted to form part of his crucial half-back pairing this season.
Despite snow slapping the windows of the Aviva Studios in Manchester during last week’s Super League season launch, Brown is thrilled to get the chance to finally feature in the English top-flight.
“I’ve always wanted to play Super League and here I am now,” Brown continued.
“My season at Featherstone obviously made me appreciate the weather more in Australia, but it made me more mentally tough and resilient being away from my family.
“I can’t wait to start with a Hull derby. A lot of people are talking about it and putting on a lot of pressure, but it’s nothing new. I’ve played in big games before and I’ll treat this game the same way.
“Now that I’ve finally made it to Super League, I’m just trying to make the most of it.”
Sven-Goran Eriksson will fulfil his lifelong dream of managing Liverpool when he takes his place in the LFC Legends dugout for a charity game against Ajax Legends next month.
Former England boss Eriksson revealed in January he had “best case a year” to live after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
During a round of TV interviews upon revealing his health issues, the 76-year-old Swede disclosed his lifelong love for Liverpool and how he always wished to be manager of the club.
Liverpool announced on Tuesday morning that Eriksson, who guided England to the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, will be part of the LFC Legends management team at Anfield for the match on March 23.
“The former England boss will join a dugout of LFC greats, including Ian Rush, John Barnes and John Aldridge, for the annual LFC Foundation charity match,” Liverpool said.
“All connected with the club and LFC Foundation look forward to warmly welcoming LFC fan Sven and his family to Anfield – and seeing him in the dugout on the day – for a fantastic fundraising occasion.”
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, speaking shortly after Eriksson went public with his diagnosis, opened the door for the Swede to spend the day as Liverpool manager.
“I don’t know him, unfortunately not,” the German was quoted as saying in several newspapers. “I know him without knowing him, we never met.
“Yes, it was obviously very touching news when you heard about it. I heard for the first time about his admiration or love for Liverpool and that he was a fan for his whole life.
“Absolutely he’s very welcome to come here and he can sit in my seat in my office and do my job for a day if he wants. That’s no problem.
“Being on the sideline might be a little bit more difficult. To have him here and show him everything and how this wonderful club developed over the years, I think that’s definitely something we will tell him. He can come over and have a few wonderful hours here, I’m sure.”
Liverpool’s squad for next month’s charity game will include the likes of Jerzy Dudek, Sander Westerveld, Martin Skrtel, Fabio Aurelio, Gregory Vignal and Djibril Cisse, while former Reds and Ajax forward Ryan Babel will feature for both sides.
LFC Foundation’s two previous ‘Legends’ matches against Manchester United and Celtic raised £1.45million in total for the club’s charity and its partners, Liverpool said.
Leah Williamson is back in the England squad for the first time since recovering from injury.
The 26-year-old, who has won 46 caps and captained the Lionesses to Euro 2022 glory, suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury last April and missed the World Cup, but returned to action with Arsenal recently and gets the call-up from Sarina Wiegman.
Millie Bright and Bethany England are out injured while there is no room for Nikita Parris despite a good run of form for Manchester United.
Olympic champion Jess Learmonth says she pushed the boundaries during her unexpected pregnancy in a bid to keep her Paris 2024 dream alive.
Learmonth, who won gold in the triathlon mixed relay at Tokyo 2020, became a mum for the first time when giving birth to Frederick last September.
The 35-year-old from Leeds fell pregnant during her recovery from a serious hip injury and, having not competed since May 2022, is on a mission to get back to her best in time for this summer’s Olympics.
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She told the PA news agency: “I probably shouldn’t have run on the day I gave birth. I actually pulled my calf on a run in the morning and then gave birth that evening.
“Looking back, I was heavily over my usual running weight and obviously my gait was completely different because I had a big belly.
“Maybe if I hadn’t pulled my calf I’d have said it was fine. But yeah, looking back, with two weeks to go, I probably could have just chilled out a little bit.”
Learmonth, determined to hit the ground running once Frederick was born, found medical research into training while pregnant to be limited.
Until the turn of the century it was rare to see women return to the top of their sport after giving birth.
Learmonth is grateful to the doctors and sports scientists at the National Sports Centre at Bisham Abbey and British Triathlon for their support.
“There were certain things I obviously did follow,” she said. “The massive one is not running for 12 weeks post-birth. If you come back too early, you can have problems later down the line.
“I followed all the advice, but it was the stuff they weren’t sure on that I kind of explored myself.
“I was still lifting heavy weights in the gym. I took the information and filtered it for me. They helped me find my own boundaries and explore what I could and couldn’t manage.”
Learmonth stressed that throughout her pregnancy she never allowed her heart rate to go beyond 150 beats per minute, while her approach, so far, appears to be paying off.
Running aside, she is closing in on the performance levels that saw her win Olympic gold and finish second overall in the 2019 World Series after multiple podium finishes.
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“I’m not far away,” said the 2017 European champion. “I’m just not as good as I was before, yet. There have been big changes in my life, having Fred and not training as much.
“It’s interesting to see how my body will react to doing less training and more recovery. It could go either way.”
Learmonth has been surprised by her progress as she targets the first Indoor World Cup event of the season in Lievin, France, for her return to competitive action at the end of March.
“I think Frederick’s helped me a lot because we’ve done a lot of tests in the lab and my numbers are probably just as good, if not better, than pre-pregnancy, certainly on the bike, which has kind of baffled me really,” she said.
“I don’t know if having him and the different hormones you get from having a child and post-birth has kind of helped me out, but it’s been really, really motivating.
“But after pregnancy I’ve found it a lot harder than I thought I would, mainly because of the logistics of him feeding and napping.
“I’m breastfeeding as well, so it’s difficult to get the timings right. I have to make sure, logistically, I’m on it.”
Learmonth, made an MBE in 2022, will not be the first triathlete to return to top-level action after giving birth as fellow Brit and former world champion Vicky Holland and Americans Katie Zaferes and Gwen Jorgensen have paved the way.
“They’ve definitely inspired me,” Learmonth added. “I just wish there was more definitive research out there that shows athletes can have children and come back and be just as good.
“There’s still a lot of stigma around training through pregnancy and certainly what I was doing and I’d love to help get more exposure and help inspire all new mums who want to get back into sport.”
Emmet Mullins insists the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle is more than just a stepping stone to the Randox Grand National for Noble Yeats.
The nine-year-old was the Aintree hero in 2022 but finished fourth last year when saddled with 11st 11lb in the four-and-a-quarter-mile contest, a 19lb higher mark than the previous year.
Noble Yeats prepped for that title defence by finishing a distant fourth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup and went on to run down the field in the Grand Steeplechase de Paris, leading to a later start to his campaign and a Stayers’ Hurdle bid.
Beaten as an odds-on favourite on his seasonal bow, Noble Yeats roared back to form when edging out the ever-popular Paisley Park in a thrilling finish to the Cleeve Hurdle and Mullins believes that result puts him right in the mix for top honours at the Festival.
He said: “He’s bouncing – he definitely improved a lot from the first time up at Limerick at Christmas. He would have needed that plenty and he definitely improved between then and the Cleeve Hurdle, hopefully he should come on again.
“That was always the plan. He was late back into training as we had such a big campaign last spring and I said to Robert (Waley-Cohen, owner) back in October, we had been put in our place in the Gold Cup last year and I couldn’t see a way past those horses this time around, so we changed direction.
“I’m not saying he’s going to win the Stayers’ Hurdle either but I think he could run a good race in it. I suppose Gordon’s (Elliott) horses are still unexposed, I thought Irish Point was impressive stepping up at Christmas.”
While Aintree in April is likely his ultimate aim, Mullins is not compromising on his preparations for the Stayers’.
He added: “It’s a target in it’s own right. It definitely won’t be as demanding a race as the Gold Cup but we’re definitely training for the Stayers’ as a race in it’s own right.
“I think we were quietly confident going into the Cleeve, and I said to Robert that if we didn’t lay down a marker we’d not deserve our spot in the race, so it was good to see that he did.”
Corbetts Cross holds a clutch of novice chase entries at the Festival but his build up suffered a blow when taking a fall at Fairyhouse last week.
Mullins pointed out Corbetts Cross is the only National Hunt Chase entry for owner JP McManus, but he is unsure how much a mark that tumble has left.
He said: “He seems none the worse for the race so it’s just taking it one day at a time. Physically he looks OK and I suppose we will take our time and we won’t be schooling him for another bit of time – fingers crossed there’s no lasting damage done.
“I can’t really say (if it will be too tight for Cheltenham) without schooling him. He’s a very versatile horse. He has form beating Found A Fifty over a mile and seven in Naas last year and he has form winning over three miles. We will just keep all options open for now.
“He’s got a high quality cruising speed, so if his jumping stands up to it he can always come back in trip a bit.
“He was JP’s only entry in the National Hunt Chase, so I think he’s keen enough on going there.”
Mullins ranks So Scottish among his possible handicap contenders, expecting to travel “four or five” but Leopardstown bumper winner Jeroboam Machin will not be among them after suffering a season-ending injury.
The trainer has the distinction of having ridden a Festival winner in 2011 Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle victor Sir Des Champs and saddled a victor in The Shunter, winner of the 2021 Plate at a meeting run without spectators during the pandemic.
Mullins added: “It’s a special place. Training the winner was during Covid so there was no one there but it still hit home on the day. I got a big kick out of it even though there was no crowd there.”
Ben Stokes will become the 16th Englishman to win 100 Test caps when he captains his side in Thursday’s third Test against India.
Here, the PA news agency looks at England’s century club and Stokes’ record to date.
Century club
James Anderson will hope to add to his national-record 184 Tests in Rajkot, while team-mate Joe Root ranks fourth on the list on 137 behind Stuart Broad (167) and Sir Alastair Cook (161).
Alec Stewart, Ian Bell, Graham Gooch, David Gower, Michael Atherton, Colin Cowdrey, Sir Geoff Boycott, Kevin Pietersen, Lord Ian Botham, Sir Andrew Strauss and Graham Thorpe are England’s other centurions. Barring injury, the remainder of the India series will lift Stokes alongside Botham on 102 Tests.
Cook is England’s record Test run-scorer with 12,472, with Root just over 1,000 behind as he keeps up his pursuit, while Anderson leads the wickets column on 695.
Of those among the group to have taken more than one Test wicket, only Stokes, Botham and Root have achieved the distinction of a higher average batting than bowling.
Botham averaged 33.55 for his 5,200 runs and 28.40 for his 383 wickets – the latter figure places him third on England’s all-time wickets list behind Anderson and Broad (604).
Stokes, with over 1,000 runs more than Botham at an average nearly three runs higher at 36.34, has a strong claim as England’s greatest batting all-rounder – Root averages 49.65 with the bat but a hefty 43.88 with his off-spin.
Three more wickets, to add to his 197 at 32.07, will see Stokes join the illustrious club of 16 all-rounders to date with 3,000 runs and 200 wickets in Tests.
Broad, Botham, Andrew Flintoff and Moeen Ali have achieved that feat for England – Stokes has a better batting average than any of the quartet and will rank third in bowling average.
Setting the tone
Only 11 men have made a higher Test score for England than Stokes’ 258 against South Africa in 2016, with former captain Cook having done so on two occasions.
Coming in 198 balls at a strike rate of 130 with 30 fours and 11 sixes, it was the fastest score of 250-plus in Test history and England’s fastest double century – the next-highest England Test score recorded at over a run a ball is Zak Crawley’s 189 off 182 in last summer’s Ashes.
Stokes has 13 Test centuries in all, with four five-wicket hauls including a best of six for 22 against the West Indies in 2017.
As captain he has presided over 14 wins, six defeats and only one draw as he and coach Brendon McCullum have implemented a new aggressive style of play.
England have successfully chased five fourth-inning targets over 250 in that time, including a national-record 378 against India at Edgbaston in 2022 and three of their top eight chases of all time.
Somewhat surprisingly, that 258 is one of only two Stokes centuries at over a run a ball – he made 101 off 92 against New Zealand in 2015.
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