Colin Keane was crowned champion jockey in Ireland for the fourth successive year – and fifth in all – at the Curragh on Sunday.
Keane took a stranglehold on the championship from August onwards and was able to compete over the last few weeks of the season stress-free.
While he did not manage to win a Group One this season, he did win the Group Two Minstrel Stakes on Zarinsk for his boss Ger Lyons.
With Lyons not as prolific this year as in recent times, Keane struck up relationships with the likes of Noel Meade, Willie Mullins and Henry de Bromhead, while he also rode six winners for his father, Gerry.
For the second year running, Keane’s closest challenger was Billy Lee.
He said: “I suppose it was a little bit more enjoyable this year, I was certainly able to relax these last few weeks.
“I got a good lead in August which was a big help and thankfully I was able to win it for a fifth time.
“Unfortunately Ger hasn’t had the firepower that he’s usually had, but thankfully the likes of Noel Meade, my father and Michael O’Callaghan have all chipped in and my agent, Ruaidhri Tierney, has done a great job.
“Zarinsk was a great filly this year, she won her Listed (race), a Group Three and a Group Two and that’s important for a filly like her.
“The highlight would have to be riding a first Royal Ascot winner (Villanova Queen) or riding a winner for my father here on Champions Weekend (Crystal Black) for a great bunch of lads
“Any day you ride a winner, you are enjoying it.
“I’ll keep going from now to Christmas and then take a break in the new year.”
Jamie Powell claimed the leading apprentice title having ridden 28 winners, which put him 13th overall in the jockeys’ championship.
He said: “I’ve received so much support from so many people since I’ve started.
“I didn’t really sit on a racehorse until I was 16 or 17 and didn’t do pony racing. I went to the Racing Academy in Kildare Town and I got going from there and was sent out to Patrick Prendergast and then he joined up with John Oxx.
“I learned plenty in there and riding work with the likes of Niall McCullagh, who has been a big help to me.
“I then joined Johnny Murtagh and have been there for two or three years now. He gives me plenty of feedback watching back races and is able to tell me where I’m going wrong.
“The Curragh is right on my doorstep and I’ve gone racing here since I was a kid. It’s been very lucky for me and I’ve won big handicaps here this year on Aussie Girl and Tawaazon, so to be crowned champion apprentice here is great.”
Aidan O’Brien took the trainers’ title for a 26th time, having won the Irish Derby and Irish Champion Stakes with Auguste Rodin, the Irish 2,000 Guineas with Paddington and the Irish Oaks with Savethelastdance in another stellar campaign.
Royal Ascot winner Burdett Road made an immediate impression on his hurdles bow with a clear-cut victory at Huntingdon.
Winner of the Golden Gates Stakes for Michael Bell in June, Burdett Road then tackled the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood before finishing third to Passenger in the Winter Hill Stakes.
Subsequently gelded and transferred to the care of James Owen by owners the Gredley Family, Burdett Road was sent off the 4-9 favourite in the Follow Us On Twitter @betrhino Juvenile Hurdle and he made short work of five rivals in the hands of Harry Cobden.
Though not foot perfect at the first attempt, Burdett Road galloped home 12 lengths clear of Palio and is a 33-1 chance with Paddy Power for the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Owen said: “It can only go wrong when they are odds-on like that, but he had done lots of schooling at home. He was a keen horse on the Flat and that is why we put the hood on him.
“The plan was to go to Warwick, but as the ground was going to be so soft there we decided to come here. He has learnt a lot, but he will be better in a truer run race.
“We all know that he has got an engine and we have got to just keep teaching him now.
“I would have loved to have seen him settle better, but he did switch off fine when he got to the front and he jumped fine on the whole, with the exception of a couple of little mistakes.
“As far as juveniles go first time out, that was OK. He got the job done and he was not for stopping.
“So much thanks go to the Gredley family for sending him to me. That has relieved the pressure a bit. Let’s hope we can keep building on that.”
The Grade Two JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle at Cheltenham on November 18 could now be the plan for Burdett Road.
Owen said: “If it is not deep ground in a couple of weeks’ time we will go for the Triumph Hurdle trial at Cheltenham and learn a bit more about him.
“He needs education, and he is not a horse that wants to be running too fresh. He had plenty of Flat runs and he improved almost every time he ran.
“I don’t think the track at Cheltenham will pose any problems to him. I just hope he is a bit more amenable.”
Cobden told Racing TV: “He’s a very good horse. He’s done a lot of things wrong there, but still won with his head in his chest.
“I was confident, I knew there was one down my inside but I had so much horse left under me it wasn’t a problem. He’s definitely a Triumph Hurdle horse anyway, I’m confident of that.”
Cobden, who was celebrating his 25th birthday, went on to register a double aboard the Paul Nicholls-trained Mofasa (5-4 favourite) in the Premier League Offers At Rhino.Bet Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.
Thunder Rock got his season off to a perfect start with victory in the Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase at Carlisle.
The seven-year-old was placed in graded company on multiple occasions last term after winning his first two outings over fences, rounding off his campaign with a length-and-three-quarter second in an Ayr Grade Two.
Beauport and Monbeg Genius were both non runners in the Carlisle, leaving just four runners to go to post with Thunder Rock sent off the 11-8 favourite in the hands of Sean Bowen.
Mahler Mission set out to make all in his usual style and it looked as though he might well prevail with two fences to jump as both Thunder Rock and Bill Baxter were under pressure.
However, Thunder Rock kept finding for Bowen on the run to the last, taking the final obstacle slightly ahead before pulling away from Mahler Mission on the run to the line to win by three and a half lengths. Bill Baxter was a further 10 lengths back in third, with the other runner, Bass Rock, pulled up.
Thunder Rock won four of his six hurdles starts for trainer Olly Murphy in the 2021-22 season and the trainer admitted he could well have turned the gelding’s attentions back to the smaller obstacles had he met with defeat in Cumbria.
He said: “He’s a horse with a big engine and we were kind of coming here today thinking if he wins, great, but if he doesn’t we will probably go back over hurdles. You can see he’s not the most robust horse in the world but he’s a got a big heart and he wants it and when a horse wants it, you’re sort of three-quarters of the way there.
“Where we go from today, I haven’t a clue. I discussed the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury with Max (McNeill, part-owner) and I just thought maybe a 20-runner handicap probably wouldn’t be for him. He’s (rated) 146 and I would imagine he will go up to the guts of 150 after today.
“I don’t know, off his rating he’s a horse that probably wants to step up into proper open graded company. There’s a Grade Two at Ascot over Christmas, I don’t know, something along the lines of that and see where we go.
“It’s very early to be talking about the Ryanair, but it’s the first step up the ladder, he’s a horse we will definitely keep chasing for the time being.
“He’s a gritty horse and I would love to have another 10 like him, he has a fantastic attitude, Sean got a good tune out of him and he’s giving his owners a lot of fun.”
McNeill is looking forward to seeing how far Thunder Rock can go now he is set on a chasing course.
He said: “It was a bit of a cup final for him today in terms of where do we go. You know, you’re standing at the station and could we go left or right – do we stick over hurdles if he didn’t run well today or were we going to keep over fences?
“On that performance, he missed the third last a bit, but I think he’s going to have to stay over fences. He’s an exciting prospect, he really is – I mean he was nearly there last year wasn’t he?”
Paddy Power cut Johnnywho to 16-1 from 20s for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival following an easy victory in the Beaumont Novices’ Hurdle.
Trained by Jonjo O’Neill and ridden by his son Jonjo jnr, the 4-5 favourite beat Moon D’Orange by two lengths having barely come off the bridle.
Guyana’s Leslain Baird fought valiantly to win a bronze medal in the men’s javelin on the final day of track and field action at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile on Saturday.
The 36-year-old thrower, who won a silver medal at the South American Games in Bolivia 2018, threw a commendable 78.23m to secure the final podium position in the event won by the USA’s Curtis Thompson. It was Guyana’s third medal of the games.
The American produced a winning throw of 79.65m, miles off Anderson Peters’ Pan American record of 87.31m set in 2019.
Brazil’s Pedro Henrique Nunes won the silver medal with his best effort of 78.45m.
Norwich head coach David Wagner vowed to battle on after seeing his side’s poor form continue with a 3-1 home defeat at the hands of Blackburn.
The Canaries have now lost eight games out of 10 in all competitions, slipping to 17th in the Championship as a result after a bright start to the campaign.
“If I get the chance I will work to turn this around but I am not the right person to ask (about my future),” he said.
“I take responsibility, for sure, because I am the manager of this team, and today wasn’t good enough, I know that, and the longer this run goes on the more difficult it gets.
“But this squad proved what it’s capable of early in the season and as I said I am ready to work hard to put things right.”
Wagner, who confirmed he would not be resigning, added: “I thought we actually started quite well, winning the ball in dangerous positions, but after that our press wasn’t right and they punished us.
“At 3-0 we had a mountain to climb. I cannot fault the effort of the lads but we were not clinical enough, we didn’t take the good chances we created.”
Norwich were punished for a slow start as a slick Blackburn side scored twice in the first 15 minutes at Carrow Road.
A simple pass inside from Joe Rankin-Costello put Tyrhys Dolan in to run through and smash the ball high into the roof of the net and then Andrew Moran slid Sammie Szmodics in to make it two.
It was all too easy for Blackburn, with the home fans making their discontent clear, and four minutes after the restart it got even bleaker for the hosts as Szmodics got his second of the game.
Dolan did well to pick out an unmarked Moran on the right and his low cross was tapped in at the back post by Rovers’ top scorer, who got the benefit of a tight offside call.
The visitors were quickly reduced to 10 men when Scott Wharton saw red for a professional foul on Onel Hernandez, but Norwich had to wait until the second minute of injury time to pull one back from Gabriel Sara, who was in the right place to pounce on a loose ball in the area.
Blackburn boss Jon Dahl Tomasson was understandably pleased with his side’s comfortable win.
“I thought it was an excellent win and performance – we played at a very high level for long periods,” he said.
“Norwich are going through a difficult spell at the moment but they are still a good team with good players and it was important we got on the front foot immediately. We scored two good goals and had other good chances and it could easily have been 4-0 at half-time.
“We stuck to our principles, with plenty of one and two-touch football, and I thought we played some really good stuff at times.
“We scored another well-worked goal in the second half and then got the red card, which obviously affected the game.
“After that I thought we defended like lions to keep them out, showing great team spirit, which was another positive from our young team.
“We put in a good show at Chelsea and we have followed that up today with another good performance, which is very pleasing. We can now enjoy this and then prepare for the derby against Preston on Friday.”
Craig Levein has revealed he has held talks with St Johnstone about becoming the club’s new boss.
The McDiarmid Park club are looking for a replacement for Steven MacLean, who departed the Perth outfit last week.
Speaking on BBC Scotland Sportsound, the 59-year-old former Scotland, Hearts and Dundee United manager said: “I’m really looking forward to it, but until the ink has dried on the paper, nothing is done.
“I want to have another go at it, throw the dice and see if, in the latter stages of my career, I can make a difference to St Johnstone and get them up the league.
“There have been conversations. This opportunity is something that I looked seriously at – looked at the squad, the results, spoke to a few people – and had a good feeling about it.”
MacLean left Saints last week following a 4-0 defeat at St Mirren which left the club bottom of the cinch Premiership with just four points from nine games.
Coach Alex Cleland assumed interim charge and guided the Perth side to a 2-1 win over Kilmarnock in midweek, but Saints remain three points behind second-bottom Livingston.
Royal Ascot winner Burdett Road made an immediate impression on his hurdles bow with a clear-cut victory at Huntingdon.
Winner of the Golden Gates Stakes for Michael Bell in June, Burdett Road then tackled the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood before finishing third to Passenger in the Winter Hill Stakes.
Subsequently gelded and transferred to the care of James Owen by owners the Gredley Family, Burdett Road was sent off the 4-9 favourite in the Follow Us On Twitter @betrhino Juvenile Hurdle and he made short work of five rivals in the hands of Harry Cobden.
Though not foot perfect at the first attempt, Burdett Road galloped home 12 lengths clear of Palio and is a 33-1 chance with Paddy Power for the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival in March.
Cobden told Racing TV: “He’s a very good horse. He’s done a lot of things wrong there, but still won with his head in his chest.
“It probably wasn’t the world’s greatest juvenile hurdle, but just the manner he has gone around in the race – he was too keen, he’s a very good jumper and when he hit the front he danced away. He’s obviously got a good brain on him.
“I was confident, I knew there was one down my inside but I had so much horse left under me it wasn’t a problem. He’s definitely a Triumph Hurdle horse anyway, I’m confident of that. James has got a job to settle him down, manage him as well as we can.
“There’s an £80,000 juvenile hurdle at Cheltenham in just under two weeks and we were discussing whether to go for it or not – I’d say definitely run.
“The way he travelled through this race took the freshness off him, but he hasn’t had a race today. It’ll take a smart one to beat him.”
Danny Webb believes Chesterfield deserve their place in the FA Cup second round after Tom Naylor’s first-half header knocked out League One leaders Portsmouth at the SMH Group Stadium.
Former Pompey midfielder Naylor headed the National League pacesetters into a round-two tie with mid-table League One side Leyton Orient, and Spireites assistant manager Webb thinks they were value for the 1-0 win in front of a sell-out crowd.
Chesterfield claimed a deserved lead just after the half-hour as Liam Mandeville curled in a free-kick and Naylor beat goalkeeper Will Norris to the ball to head home.
Chesterfield had chances in the second half to add to their lead but were rarely troubled by a Portsmouth side who lost Regan Poole and Tino Anjorin to injuries before the break.
Webb said: “We needed them to be a little bit off their game and we had to be on it and both things married up today.
“I’m going to be biased but I think the best team won today. Portsmouth made it a real tough cup tie with their supporters and how they played at times.
“Supporters want to see flair, they want to see wins. They want to see goals but they want to see passion.”
Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho admitted his side were second best.
He said: “We got punished by a very decent side. There were plenty of things I thought we did well up until half-time but I thought second half Chesterfield were all over us to be honest.
“We don’t want to overreact but sometimes the best thing to do is take a breath and we will review the game on the bus on the way home.
“Our quality was very poor in the second half. We got in some very good spots but the ball kept going behind for a goal kick.”
LeBron James urged the Los Angeles Lakers to improve as his injury-hit side were blasted away by the Orlando Magic, who were inspired by Franz Wagner and Paolo Banchero.
The Lakers' seven-game winning streak against the Magic came to an abrupt end as Los Angeles were outclassed in a 120-101 road defeat on Saturday.
Wagner led the Orlando charge with 26 points, one more than the impressive Banchero, while rookie Anthony Black scored 10 on his first Magic start.
Hosts Orlando were without injured guards Markelle Fultz (knee) and Gary Harris (groin), yet it was Los Angeles' James who bemoaned fitness issues hampering his team.
"That's definitely been our trend – offensive rebounds and points off turnovers," said James, who finished with 24 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
"We'll do a good job of getting a stop and then an offensive rebound allows them to score.
"It definitely helps when you have bigger bodies. We have three of our bigger bodies out right now with injuries.
"It would help, but that's definitely one of the ways we have to look at to get better."
Anthony Davis was a rare bright spark, managing 28 points, 13 rebounds and seven blocks for the Lakers, who were without five injured players for the road game.
Los Angeles played without Rui Hachimura (concussion protocol), Taurean Prince (knee), Gabe Vincent (knee), Jalen Hood-Schifino (knee) and Jarred Vanderbilt (knee).
However, injuries were no excuse for Los Angeles coach Darvin Ham.
"They're down bodies, we're down bodies and so the game basically comes down to mental approach," added Ham. "Their energy, their effort, they outworked us."
Just five days after a 106-103 reverse in Los Angeles, Banchero suggested the victory shows his Magic side can compete with any side in NBA.
"We don't look at any other team and think we can't match up," said last season's NBA Rookie of the Year Banchero, who went on to laud the performance of Black.
"Plus-32 for my dawg right here. Plus-32 is nuts. He just stepped up right away."
Magic coach Jamahl Mosley echoed Banchero's sentiment on Black, adding: "He wasn't afraid. He embraces moments, and he's willing to make the easy play, the easy pass and the right decision."
Lookaway will return to Cheltenham for the Unibet Greatwood Handicap Hurdle later this month having impressed at the track recently.
Neil King’s six-year-old was the winner of Aintree’s Grade Two bumper in 2022 and following a lacklustre start to life over hurdles last term, struck at Graded level for the second time when making all in the Sky Bet Novices’ Hurdle at Prestbury Park.
That was the perfect way to build on two successful outings over timber at Uttoxeter in the early part of summer and with a hurdling hat-trick secured, Lookaway will now head for the competitive handicap which headlines the final day of Cheltenham’s November meeting.
He is available at 11-1 for the race with the sponsors and his handler feels this is the ideal time to try his hand in deeper company.
“It was the perfect start to his season and we were obviously thrilled,” said King.
“We went there with high expectations and he couldn’t have done it any more nicely. Jack (Quinlan, jockey) has given him a nice positive ride from the front there, he’s jumped great, he’s travelled and won his race.
“The Greatwood is on the agenda. He’s gone up 10lb which one has to take on the chin. He could have gone up 5lb, 10lb or 15lb so we will take that there and that’s the definite next plan for him, to go back to Cheltenham for the Greatwood.
“He’s a young and improving horse and that’s the time to go for a handicap, isn’t it?”
Chelsea's spending should have the Blues competing for the Champions League but Jan Vertonghen says the quality of the Premier League and injury issues have hampered them.
The Blues once again splashed on big-money arrivals ahead of the 2023-24 season, bringing in the likes of Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Christopher Nkunku and Cole Palmer.
Caicedo's arrival broke the British record after his £115million move from Brighton, a mark only set in the previous season when Chelsea signed Benfica's Enzo Fernandez for £107m.
Their aggressive activity in the transfer market is yet to pay dividends, with Chelsea winning just three of their opening 10 Premier League games before Monday's visit to Tottenham.
Having also signed Axel Disasi, Nicolas Jackson and Robert Sanchez for significant fees, Vertonghen believes Chelsea's acquisitions should have helped a top-four challenge.
Former Tottenham defender Vertonghen, an Athlete Partner for APEX, told Stats Perform: "They had to make it into the Champions League.
"They signed so many players. When I saw the squad at the start of the year, I thought they had to reach the Champions League, with so many good young players and the signings they made."
Talented young midfielder Lavia and former RB Leipzig talisman Nkunku are yet to play a minute in the league for Chelsea due to injury.
With injuries taking their toll and the likes of Aston Villa, Brighton and Newcastle United exceeding expectations, Vertonghen acknowledged the struggles Chelsea face.
"They suffered a lot of injuries, and when you look how strong the Premier League is – it's not just Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United, you've got Spurs doing well, Brighton, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Arsenal.
"It's not a top four or six anymore, it's a top nine or 10 at the moment, especially when you see United and Chelsea being so far out.
"It's not easy. Chelsea should do better, but they've suffered a lot of injuries."
While referencing the challenges his former rivals are up against, Vertonghen suggested Chelsea are in safe hands with Pochettino.
The Belgium defender worked closely with the Blues head coach when at Spurs, helping Pochettino's former side to the Champions League final in the 2018-19 campaign.
"He's very good at shaping a team, shaping a squad," added the 36-year-old, who made 232 appearances for Tottenham.
"I think that's what he did very well at Tottenham. He got the right players in, the right characters, who wanted to work in his system and we had the perfect squad for that.
"A very good young core of guys who wanted to work hard and achieve big things and in his team I learned how to work and get the best out of my body. That's what I learned from him."
Arsenal have called for refereeing standards to be addressed and thrown their support behind manager Mikel Arteta’s after he branded the VAR decision not to rule out Anthony Gordon’s match-winner at Newcastle “an absolute disgrace”.
The Premier League club issued a statement on Sunday, saying they “wholeheartedly support” Arteta’s post-match comments after “yet more unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors”.
Gordon’s controversial goal secured a 1-0 victory for Newcastle and ended Arsenal’s 10-game unbeaten Premier League start.
“Arsenal Football Club wholeheartedly supports Mikel Arteta’s post-match comments after yet more unacceptable refereeing and VAR errors on Saturday evening,” read a club statement.
“We’d also like to acknowledge the huge effort and performance from our players and travelling supporters at St James’ Park.
“The Premier League is the best league in the world with the best players, coaches and supporters, all of whom deserve better.
“PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) urgently needs to address the standard of officiating and focus on action which moves us all on from retrospective analysis, attempted explanations and apologies.
“We support the ongoing efforts of chief refereeing officer Howard Webb and would welcome working together to achieve the world-class officiating standards our league demands.”
Arteta failed to hide his anger at St James’ Park after referee Stuart Attwell awarded the Newcastle goal following a triple VAR check to see whether the ball had gone out of play before Joe Willock’s cross, whether Joelinton had fouled Arsenal defender Gabriel and whether Gordon had been offside.
Jayson Tatum found it "hard to process" the achievement of becoming the Boston Celtics' youngest player to 10,000 points in NBA history after Saturday's win over the Brooklyn Nets.
Tatum was one of five Boston players to finish with double-figure scores as the Celtics improved to 5-0 for the new season with a 124-114 win over the Nets.
Victory marked a memorable outing for 25-year-old Tatum, too, as he brought up the points landmark for the Celtics – surpassing previous record holder Antoine Walker, who was 26.
"It's kind of hard to process," Tatum said. "In the moment, it's a huge accomplishment. I'm extremely blessed to be part of such a great franchise.
"I've just been fortunate to be on some really good teams; have some really, really good coaches and obviously have some great teammates that have helped contribute to 10,000 points along the way."
Tatum is the 10th player in NBA history to reach 10,000 career points before his 26th birthday.
The Celtics star joined an illustrious list that includes LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Tracy McGrady, Devin Booker, Bob McAdoo, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Dwight Howard.
However, his record-breaking efforts came as no surprise to Boston coach Joe Mazzulla.
"He shows up to work every single day," Mazzulla said. "He puts in the work and he dedicates his life to it.
"He doesn't miss days. He doesn't miss practices, games. And just his open-mindedness and wanting to be coached and wanting to be held to a high standard.
"When you have guys like that – that you can coach – it also allows you to bring the best out of everybody else and so he's one of the guys that sets the tone for us."
The four-time All Star finished with 32 points and 11 rebounds against the Nets before acknowledging he could not have foreseen his achievements after being the number three pick in 2017.
"I was ignorant when I got drafted," added Tatum. "First of all, I didn't even want to come [to Boston] because I didn't think I was going to play.
"They had Gordon [Hayward], and JB [Jaylen Brown], and IT [Isaiah Thomas], and [Marcus] Smart; I didn't think I was good enough to be on that team.
"It's been a long process. I've had to learn through the ups and downs, through my mistakes of late-game decisions or whatever it may be; just growing pains and playing enough games, being in enough playoff series, you learn from those things."
Tom Naylor dumped his old club Portsmouth out of the FA Cup as Chesterfield won their first-round tie 1-0 at the SMH Group Stadium.
Former Pompey midfielder Naylor headed home in the first half as the National League leaders defeated opponents who hold the same position in the League One table.
Ollie Banks forced Will Norris into the first save and then curled a shot just wide as the Spireites started well.
Portsmouth’s Paddy Lane shot at the near post but Harry Tyrer saved low to his left at the expense of a corner.
Chesterfield claimed a deserved lead just after the half hour as Liam Mandeville curled in a free-kick and Naylor beat Norris to the ball to head home.
Colby Bishop’s downward header was too close to Tyrer as the home side comfortably held their lead to the break.
Banks shot at Norris early in the second half and Armando Dobra twice saw penalty appeals denied as Chesterfield continued to dominate with an hour gone.
Portsmouth substitute Abu Kamara headed wide as the visitors looked for a way back into the tie.
But Paul Cook’s side had done enough to reach round two.
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