Brendan Rodgers claimed 10-man Celtic’s 2-0 defeat at Hearts was “decided by the officials” as he lamented an early red card for Yang Hyun-jun and the award of the penalty that allowed the hosts to take the lead.

The Hoops arrived at Tynecastle knowing a victory would have taken them back to the top of the cinch Premiership after title rivals Rangers suffered a shock home loss to Motherwell the previous day.

Celtic’s chances were undermined in a dramatic opening quarter of an hour when Adam Idah saw a penalty saved by Hearts goalkeeper Zander Clark a few minutes before Yang was sent off for catching Alex Cochrane in the face with a high boot.

The South Korean was initially yellow-carded before match referee Don Robertson upgraded it to a red after being advised by VAR John Beaton to review the incident on the pitchside monitor.

Rodgers was further riled when Hearts were awarded a penalty in the 40th minute after a headed clearance from Liam Scales landed on Tomoki Iwata’s arm as he rose to try and head it out of the box. Jorge Grant scored the spot-kick and Lawrence Shankland netted the hosts’ second goal in the 56th minute.

“My feeling is that the game was decided by the officials, on the field and outside of the field,” said Celtic boss Rodgers.

“You guys (the media) will know me long enough to know that I don’t really comment on officials – they make mistakes and whatever else – but today that felt like really really poor officiating.

“The first one is the sending off when there is no force. Show a still image of that and of course you will see a foot up with the head near it, but it’s not the reality of the move.

“Don Robertson actually got it right on the field. It was a high boot, so it’s a yellow card – no malice or force.

“For John Beaton to actually look at that in VAR, supposedly under no pressure, and say that was a sending off, I find that incredible.

“The second one (Hearts’ penalty) is worse. If you have a penalty go against you for that then there will be penalties every single weekend and midweek.

“I don’t know what he (Iwata) is supposed to do. Tomo is jumping, he got a nudge, he is coming down, the ball falls on to his arm and there is no intention to move.

“Then you get the penalty against and he gets the chance to look at it and see it. That really left us with an uphill task in the game but credit to my players, they kept going, their keeper has made a few good saves.

“But it was a poor day for the officials. I try to respect decisions and give the benefit of the doubt, but when I see that level of incompetence, which is the only word I can use, then that makes me worry for the game.

“In such a tight title race – which it is, and it’s fantastic to be involved in – that can make the difference. And that today made the difference for us.”

Hearts boss Steven Naismith insisted his team deserved their victory and felt both sides were on the receiving end of “soft” penalty awards.

“It was an entertaining game and one I think we deserved to win,” he said.

“There were a lot of action points. Throughout the game at the right times, we played, controlled the game and asked Celtic some questions. I think both penalties are soft.

“Alex puts his foot on the ground and the Celtic forward is the one that kicks him. Ours is this handball rule that nobody is happy with. And I think the red card is a red card.”

Asked if the two debatable penalties effectively cancelled each other out in terms of controversy, Naismith said: “We saved their penalty and scored the one we got.

“Both teams can feel that they were soft but overall we deserved our win comfortably. It was two and it could have been more.”

Justin Kluivert and Antoine Semenyo were on target as Bournemouth ended a seven-match winless run in the Premier League with a 2-0 victory at Burnley.

The Clarets already appear doomed to relegation and, despite dominating possession and chances, they fell to an 11th home defeat from 14 league games at Turf Moor.

Kluivert provided a moment of real quality in the 13th minute to open the scoring, while Burnley had a second-half effort from Josh Cullen ruled out for a foul before Semenyo curled in a late second.

That sent the home fans heading for the exits, while Bournemouth are now 11 points clear of the bottom three.

Dominic Solanke gave Bournemouth a boost by defying a knee problem to make the starting line-up while Burnley boss Vincent Kompany made three changes from last weekend’s defeat by Crystal Palace, with Cullen taking over the armband from the suspended Josh Brownhill and Vitinho and Jacob Bruun Larsen also coming in.

Burnley set about their task with energy and enthusiasm and went close in the fourth minute when Wilson Odobert swept a cross from Lorenz Assignon straight at Neto.

Bournemouth were then dealt an early blow when defender Marcos Senesi appeared to sustain a hamstring injury and had to be replaced by Chris Mepham.

But moments later the Cherries were ahead, Burnley’s vulnerability at the back again exposed by a long ball from Lewis Cook that was seized on by Kluivert, who cut inside Dara O’Shea before lashing his shot past James Trafford.

Burnley were bossing possession and much of the play was around the Bournemouth box but too often the end product was missing.

Vitinho and Odobert both sent shots over the bar while at the other end a foul on Solanke just outside the box gave Marcus Tavernier the chance to fire in a free-kick, which was a few inches too high.

Burnley finally got in behind the Bournemouth defence in the 41st minute but Neto came out sharply to deny David Datro Fofana and Larsen’s follow-up was then blocked by Adam Smith with the goal empty.

Injury time saw the hosts go even closer, Neto just managing to claw away a very well-struck Larsen free-kick before Vitinho headed over a Charlie Taylor cross from in front of goal.

Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola sent on Alex Scott for Ryan Christie for the second half and the Cherries nearly doubled their lead in the 56th minute when Kluivert broke free down the left and crossed for Solanke, who was denied by a good save from James Trafford.

Burnley thought they had finally equalised in the 66th minute when Cullen poked in but referee David Coote ruled it out for a foul by Larsen on Smith.

Semenyo twice came close to exploiting gaps in the Burnley defence with shots just past the post, while loud cheers from the home fans greeted the introduction of Manuel Benson.

He could not make an impression, though, and the points were wrapped up in the 88th minute when Semenyo again broke away down the right and this time curled his shot inside the post.

LeBron James cannot discount another player going on to reach 40,000 NBA points, as he celebrated reaching the milestone despite a Los Angeles Lakers loss.

The Lakers lost 124-114 to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, though with a haul of 26 points, James reached 40,017 points.

When James reached nine points, he was presented with the game ball and received an ovation from the crowd at the Crypto.com arena.

Coincidentally, James surpassed the 40,000 mark on the 62nd anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks.

While teammate Anthony Davis believes no other player will come close to matching James' points haul, James himself warned records are there to be broken, even though no other active player has yet reached 30,000 career points.

"Obviously we have a lot of great guys in our league that can score the ball, and if they were to stay healthy and they would play a long time, then they can eclipse it," James said.

"And then, records are always meant to be broken. You can never say never for any record. At one point we said that Big O's [Oscar Robertson's] triple-double record would never be broken and Russ [Westbrook] did it, and now looks like Joker [Nikola Jokic] and Luka [Doncic], they're doing it every night.

"I feel like I'm still that threat out on the floor and I am still able to do the things that I was doing 10 years ago. And some things I was doing 20 years ago, which is weird to say."

Davis did joke, though, that James' record-setting games usually come in defeats for the Lakers.

"I was just telling him in the locker room he might have to stop breaking records because we always lose any time he breaks a record," Davis said. "And he said the same thing."

Indeed, that streak is quite something. James was on the losing side when he reached his 30,000th and 35,000th career points. When he became the all-time leading NBA points scorer last year, the Lakers lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

"For me, the main thing is always the main thing, and that's the win," James said.

"I hated that it had to happen in the defeat, especially versus the team that plays extremely well. We played some good basketball tonight, but weren't able to close it out. So, bittersweet but enjoyed every moment tonight on the floor."

Formula One’s crisis-hit Red Bull team insists it remains “united” after Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, claimed it is “in danger of being torn apart” if Christian Horner remains in his role.

A defiant Horner has said he is “absolutely confident” he will stay on as Red Bull boss for the remainder of the season after overseeing Verstappen lead a one-two finish from team-mate Sergio Perez at the opening round in Bahrain.

Horner has faced intense scrutiny in recent weeks following allegations against him made by a female colleague. Horner has always denied the claims.

But speaking to the Daily Mail newspaper following Saturday’s 57-lap race, Verstappen Snr added further fuel to the fire when he said: “There is tension here while he (Horner) remains in position.

“The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.”

Responding to Verstappen Snr’s comments, a Red Bull Racing spokesperson told the PA news agency on Sunday: “There are no issues here. The team are united and we are focused on racing.”

During an extraordinary week in Bahrain, Horner was exonerated by Red Bull Racing’s parent company, Red Bull GmbH, following an internal probe into allegations of “inappropriate behaviour”.

But hundreds of WhatsApp messages, appearing to be exchanged between Horner and the complainant, were then leaked to the F1 world.

Verstappen Snr, who is not an employee of Red Bull Racing, has been accused in some quarters of attempting to oust Horner from his job.

But the 51-year-old father of Red Bull’s three-time world champion continued: “That wouldn’t make sense. Why would I do that when Max is doing so well here?”

Horner strode hand-in-hand with wife Geri in the paddock one hour and 45 minutes before Saturday’s race.

Red Bull’s majority shareholder, Thai billionaire Chalerm Yoovidhya, also joined the duo on the team’s terrace in a public show of support for Horner.

Speaking after the chequered flag had fallen, Horner was asked if he is confident he will stay on as Red Bull team principal for the rest of the season. He replied: “Absolutely. Absolutely.”

He continued: “I have the support of an incredible family, an incredible wife, an incredible team and everybody within that team.

“And my focus is on going racing, winning races, and doing the best I can.

“It was a day about starting the season in the best possible way. My focus is on this team, my family, my wife and racing.”

Horner was also quizzed about the leaked Google file which was sent from an anonymous email account to 149 members of the F1 paddock – including FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem, F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali and the grid’s nine other team principals, as well as members of the media.

“I am not going to comment on anonymous speculative messages from an unknown source,” Horner said. “I am not going to comment on what motives whatever person may have for doing this.

“Obviously, it has not been pleasant with some of the unwanted attention, but the focus is very much on the cars and my focus has been on what is happening on track and the result (on Saturday) demonstrates where the focus is and we move onwards.

“There was a full, lengthy internal process that was completed by an independent KC and the grievance that was raised was dismissed. End of. Move on.”

Horner is set to be back in the spotlight on Thursday when the cars hit the track in practice for the next round in Saudi Arabia.

Unai Emery backed Ollie Watkins to make England’s Euro 2024 squad after his two goals helped Aston Villa to a 3-2 win against Luton.

The 28-year-old took his tally for the season in all competitions to 21 at Kenilworth Road, first heading in from a Leon Bailey corner then finishing via a post following Douglas Luiz’s quick free-kick.

It is now his best Premier League season in terms of goals scored, with 16 in the top flight as Villa have emerged as surprise contenders to qualify for the Champions League.

Gareth Southgate has less than three months to decide which forward players to take to Germany alongside captain Harry Kane, with Watkins staking a claim as a leading contender.

Brentford striker Ivan Toney, who missed the first five months of the season due to a gambling ban, is also in the frame.

“Every player is showing in their teams their quality, their capacity, their commitment, their performance,” said Emery.

“Then of course, the coach of the national team has to decide. But I think he deserves to be there.”

Victory on Saturday cemented Villa’s place in the top four with nearest challengers Tottenham five points behind, after Lucas Digne’s 89th-minute header secured a dramatic victory against Rob Edwards’ relegation-threatened side.

Earlier, two quick goals from Tahith Chong and Carlton Morris had wiped out the lead given to Villa by Watkins in the first half.

But two substitutes combined to nick it for Emery’s side at the end, Moussa Diaby crossing for Digne to turn it home at the far post just as Luton seemed to be on top.

“This is the idea, when you’re taking decisions, trying to make an impact,” said Emery of his late substitutions. “Trying to do something different, with fresh players. They did fantastic.”

Emery handed Morgan Rogers his second Villa appearance since joining from Middlesbrough in January, coming on in the first half for the injured Jacob Ramsey.

The 21-year-old forward was then withdrawn towards the end, a move the manager said was not a reflection on Rogers’ performance.

“Today he had minutes, he’s had experience with us, practicing with us in an official match,” he said. “He did very good work, but I decided tactically to change him.

“But it’s normal. I did it against Liverpool, changed Leon Bailey after he came on after 20 minutes when Diego Carlos got injured, then off in the second half.

“It’s a tactical issue and it’s never a big issue for the player.”

Unai Emery backed Ollie Watkins to make England’s Euro 2024 squad after his two goals helped Aston Villa to a 3-2 win against Luton.

The 28-year-old took his tally for the season in all competitions to 21 at Kenilworth Road, first heading in from a Leon Bailey corner then finishing via a post following Douglas Luiz’s quick free-kick.

It is now his best Premier League season in terms of goals scored, with 16 in the top flight as Villa have emerged as surprise contenders to qualify for the Champions League.

Gareth Southgate has less than three months to decide which forward players to take to Germany alongside captain Harry Kane, with Watkins staking a claim as a leading contender.

Brentford striker Ivan Toney, who missed the first five months of the season due to a gambling ban, is also in the frame.

“Every player is showing in their teams their quality, their capacity, their commitment, their performance,” said Emery.

“Then of course, the coach of the national team has to decide. But I think he deserves to be there.”

Victory on Saturday cemented Villa’s place in the top four with nearest challengers Tottenham five points behind, after Lucas Digne’s 89th-minute header secured a dramatic victory against Rob Edwards’ relegation-threatened side.

Earlier, two quick goals from Tahith Chong and Carlton Morris had wiped out the lead given to Villa by Watkins in the first half.

But two substitutes combined to nick it for Emery’s side at the end, Moussa Diaby crossing for Digne to turn it home at the far post just as Luton seemed to be on top.

“This is the idea, when you’re taking decisions, trying to make an impact,” said Emery of his late substitutions. “Trying to do something different, with fresh players. They did fantastic.”

Emery handed Morgan Rogers his second Villa appearance since joining from Middlesbrough in January, coming on in the first half for the injured Jacob Ramsey.

The 21-year-old forward was then withdrawn towards the end, a move the manager said was not a reflection on Rogers’ performance.

“Today he had minutes, he’s had experience with us, practicing with us in an official match,” he said. “He did very good work, but I decided tactically to change him.

“But it’s normal. I did it against Liverpool, changed Leon Bailey after he came on after 20 minutes when Diego Carlos got injured, then off in the second half.

“It’s a tactical issue and it’s never a big issue for the player.”

Sean Bowen has indicated he could prioritise winning chances ahead of Festival rides during Cheltenham week.

The rider is trying to make up lost ground with Harry Cobden in the jump jockeys’ championship, having had his progress halted by a knee injury sustained on Boxing Day that kept him sidelined until early February.

Bowen claimed his first winner since returning to action at Kelso on Saturday, with Cobden 11 victories in front before racing on Sunday.

While the table topper will have a strong book of Cheltenham rides for Paul Nicholls, Bowen could look elsewhere as he tries to rally in the title race.

He said: “I might be there the first day for Not So Sleepy and if it came up really soft, he’d have half a chance, I’ll just pick and choose from there.

“I could be at Ffos Las or Fakenham on Gold Cup day, something like that. I need winners.”

Bowen is attached to Olly Murphy’s yard and the trainer is thrilled to have him back in action.

He said: “It’s tough for these lads, Harry and Sean are going at it but they are two young boys, the pressure they are under to be champion jockey.

“Sean has had a horrible injury and it’s taken him a while to get back rocking and rolling, he’s ridden through pain, he’s chewing pain killers and it’s been hard.

“We haven’t been flying ourselves, they haven’t been running bad, we’ve just had second after second. Hopefully he can get rolling again now.”

Cobden and Bowen are well clear of three-times champion Brian Hughes, who himself often bypassed days at the Festival in order to ride better chances at lower-profile fixtures.

Murphy hailed the talent of both title challengers and believes a proper battle for the crown can only benefit the sport.

He added: “The boys are two fantastic talents, Harry and Sean. It’s really healthy for National Hunt racing and may the best man win, they are two fantastic jockeys. I think it’s fantastic for Britain to have these two.

“They sit next to each other in the weighing room, it’s mentally tough and they are two fantastic lads. I don’t know Harry overly well but he conducts himself well and so does Sean.

“I’m delighted to have Sean on my side, he’s a humongous part of my team.”

James Tavernier insists Rangers cannot afford to linger on Saturday’s 2-1 defeat to Motherwell as attention turns to the Europa League this week.

The Gers skipper scored his 21st goal of the season with a penalty to level a first-half opener by Theo Bair at Ibrox but Well defender Dan Casey headed in a winner in the 74th minute to give the impressive visitors their first cinch Premiership win at Ibrox since 1997.

It was the Light Blues’ first defeat of the year but they were given a title race reprieve when Celtic’s 2-0 defeat against Hearts at Tynecastle on Sunday kept the Hoops trailing their Old Firm rivals by two points at the top of the table.

Rangers will park league concerns to prepare for the first-leg of their Europa League last-16 tie against Benfica in Lisbon on Thursday night and Tavernier believes they have to move on from the weekend wobble.

The full-back told RangersTV: “We can’t dwell on it too long.  We’ve got a really important Europa League game in midweek.

“We can’t dwell on it. We will analyse it and then move on.

“Disappointed but plenty of games to play. We’ve been in a good place before this so we just need to get back to that.

“Looking at our defending and how we started the game we were not really on the front foot, we let them get into the game with a goal and we made it an uphill battle.

“But we still asked questions and we obviously tried to fight until the end but just disappointed that we conceded two goals and didn’t get the three points.

“But there’s nine games to play and we’ll just we’ll fight all the way to the end.”

Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell told the club’s official website how proud he was of his players’ application before leaving with a landmark result.

He said: “I believe I am a really humble person but I put great demands on my players.

“I thanked them for their efforts, I thanked them for how they performed because you sometimes take that as a given. They give me everything every single day.

“They are probably the most honest group of players I have ever worked with and every mistake they make is an honest mistake.

“Sometimes that brings frustration for the supporters, myself, the staff but I think you have to tip your cap to them.”

For a young jockey, Jack Kennedy is very familiar with the highs and lows that racing can supply.

The 24-year-old has experienced extremes of both throughout his career so far, winning 10 times at the Cheltenham Festival but missing the meeting completely due to injury twice.

He has suffered a broken leg on five different occasions, but each time has returned to action to seamlessly pick up where he left off.

Cheltenham success, which evades many good jockeys for years, came almost instantly to Kennedy when he partnered Labaik to victory in the 2017 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, despite the horse being a 25-1 chance with a history of refusing to race.

The triumph was no fluke, however, and at the 2018 Festival he rode four winners for Gordon Elliott, though the following year he drew a blank and returned to Ireland empty handed.

Injury prevented him from riding at the meeting in 2020, but the all-or-nothing nature of his Cheltenham fortunes was evidenced again in 2021, as he rode four winners, including the biggest prize of them all when partnering Henry de Bromhead’s Minella Indo to Gold Cup victory.

However, the whole event was held behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, something that struck him as he walked back to the paddock past an empty grandstand that would usually be brimming with people.

“It was class, obviously it was a pity there was no one there but the initial feeling I got when I crossed the line was the same as if the stands were packed,” he said.

“The walk down the chute and things afterwards, that’s when you realise there’s no one there, but it was a dream come true.”

Delta Work provided him with a sole victory in 2022 when winning the Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase before a fall at Naas the following January scuppered any hopes of riding at the meeting last year.

“Missing it last year was tough and there’s a while to go yet, so hopefully I do make it there,” the rider said.

“I’ll keep going, as when you start thinking about those sort of things, then something goes wrong then. I’ll keep going as usual.

“I suppose it’s just the cards you’re dealt. We seem to be going well this year.

“Labaik seems a while ago and obviously there’s been a couple of years I’ve missed through injury.”

The Cheltenham Festival is the pinnacle of the sport for many and for the big operations, from which people expect success, there is a great sense of pressure to get off the mark as soon as possible.

Spectators will be keenly waiting for the first success from the power stables of Willie Mullins and Elliott and this is a pressure that trails into the weighing room, too.

“To get a winner is great, we’ll try to pick up as many as possible – but if I get one, I’ll be happy,” said Kennedy.

“It’s a big help if you can get one on the board early, it kind of settles you into the week better than if you’re left waiting for one. It’s a massive help if you can get one on the first day.

“If you haven’t had a winner by the Thursday, you’d obviously be getting a bit anxious, but you’d try to not let it get it to you and you just have to keep riding as best you can.

“I suppose I get a bit nervous, but I wouldn’t let it get to me. Sitting in the weighing room, maybe the 10 minutes before you go out, you’re wanting to get on with it, but as soon as you get up on them, it all goes away.

“The weighing room is quieter than everywhere else, as everyone is in the zone. Once you get settled into the whole thing, everyone will loosen up a bit, but before the race people are probably a bit tense.

“It depends what sort of week you’re having, if it’s a good week it flies by and if it’s a bad week it can be the longest week of your life. In 2019, I didn’t have a winner there, that was a long week.”

Kennedy may have ridden a Gold Cup winner for De Bromhead but Elliott is the trainer with whom he is most readily associated and the two have a well-established bond.

“Gordon has been unreal. From the minute I came in here, he hasn’t been afraid to put me up on good horses,” he said.

“I’ve been up here on school holidays since I was 12 or 13 and started here full-time just before I turned 16.

“Myself and Gordon have the same ideas about things and seem to work well together. I’m sure he’s been unhappy with a few rides around there, actually in 2019 after the County Hurdle (unseated from Eclair De Beaufeau at the last), I got a bit of a telling off after that!

“Even if I did something wrong, Gordon would tell me but he forgets about it straight away and it’s on to the next one.”

It is clearly a partnership based on mutual esteem and loyalty and Elliott is unreserved in his praise for the rider, simply saying: “In my mind, he’s the best jockey riding, on either side of the Irish Sea – he’s different class.”

Ben Pauling began training on his own in 2013 and must have thought the game was easy, as Barters Hill and then Willoughby Court scaled heights that quickly brought him plenty of attention.

It is not until this season, however, that Pauling – who counts Cheltenham as his local track – feels he is heading to the Festival with a team of horses capable of taking him back to the top table.

Barters Hill was his first Grade One winner in the 2015 Challow Hurdle, while Willoughby Court broke his Festival duck in the 2017 Neptune (now Baring Bingham) Novices’ Hurdle.

Le Breuil (National Hunt Chase) and Global Citizen (Grand Annual) have provided further Festival success, although both came away from the highest level and this year he has legitimate contenders in all three novice hurdles.

Tellherthename heads for the Supreme having got back to winning ways at Huntingdon, which was also where Baring Bingham hope Handstands won recently, while The Jukebox Man has been kept fresh for the Albert Bartlett since a fine third in the Challow Hurdle.

“I’d say this is going to be our strongest team, certainly in quality if not quite numerically,” said Pauling.

“I think we’ll send between eight and 10 this season and without doubt it is our strongest team, they’ve found their own way there without us pushing to place them, if that makes sense. Hopefully, they’ll all go there and do their best – and if their best is good enough, then fine.”

Reflecting on the early days of his career, he admits he appreciates success a lot more now.

“At the time, I realised how lucky I was to get those two so early in my career, but you can’t appreciate it as much as you should do at the time,” said Pauling.

“It was quite ridiculous with Barters, we just turned up for Grade Ones and expected to win.

“When he won his Challow Hurdle, my first Grade One, he had Politologue 18 lengths behind him absolutely legless, and he went on to win a Champion Chase. He motored through races and was just incredible.

“He’s still cruising around now as a lovely riding horse, but unfortunately his frailties behind cut his career short.

“Willoughby then quickly came along to fill the void, but sadly he passed away with blood poisoning.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had this calibre of horse. We’ve won Festival races with Le Breuil, who you could say was a nice horse but was never a Grade One contender, and then Global Citizen, who won plenty of Grade Twos but couldn’t win a Grade One.

“We’ve had various other stars but never have we had a team like this, three very nice novices going with chances.”

As well as the three novice hurdlers, who should all have bright futures whatever they do at Cheltenham, the 40-year-old has a handful of handicappers with live chances as well.

“The races all pick them themselves really. I suppose the fact the Supreme is the first race of the meeting means Tellherthename is unlikely to get his favoured good ground, but he won on soft at Huntingdon the other day. I just don’t think he handled bottomless ground like it was at Aintree,” he said.

“What I wasn’t prepared to do at Newbury (when a non-runner) was run on bottomless ground so close to the Festival, his owners want Festival winners.

“Once the ground went so soft at Newbury (for the Betfair Hurdle), it was never a question and here we are with a horse who appears to be in very good form, he worked very well at Kempton recently.

“Handstands, I think I’ve persuaded the owners that I’m very keen to go, as they were up in the air.

“He won at Huntingdon recently. He’s a funny horse, as Harry (Cobden) came to school him before Huntingdon and jumped off saying he felt like a 105 handicapper, yet just after the race he said he’d have no idea where the bottom of him is, as he didn’t have to try very hard.

“Hopefully, he’s an improving horse. It’s whether he’s ready for a race like the Baring Bingham.

“The Jukebox Man ran well in the Challow and hasn’t run since because that probably took a lot out of him, I think three miles will be right up his street.”

He went on: “I’m hoping Bowtogreatness might get into the Kim Muir, he ran well last time out and we haven’t been overly hard on him. He is in the amateur race (National Hunt Chase) as well but I do think he’s ahead of his mark.

“Twig will definitely go in the Ultima but he needs good to soft at worse, he’s not great on anything softer than that.

“If the ground is to be on the soft side, then I suspect Shakem Up’Arry will go in the Plate, I think that’s his trip. We did his wind in the summer and while his first run back was a disaster, he needed to trust himself again.

“He was then too keen in the Coral Gold Cup and didn’t get home. It all came together on New Year’s Day, when he looked a different horse – and he finished third in the Plate last year.

“Harper’s Brook will go for the Grand Annual, we might switch the headgear to blinkers from cheekpieces. We’ve hopefully worked out the way of getting the best out of him, it might not work every time but he’s a very talented horse.

“I think Henry’s Friend will run now, too. I actually thought he’d need a rest after the Reynoldstown, but he’s come out of it bouncing. There’s more chance than not he’ll run in the National Hunt Chase.”

Sparks Fly is likely to kick off her year in the Pertemps Network Lincoln after a remarkable season that saw her notch up eight victories.

Bred and owned by Dave Lowe, the four-year-old was a revelation when stepping away from the all-weather in spring last year.

She started out on the turf with a rating of 59 and shot through the rankings when winning six times consecutively under Rossa Ryan and latterly Laura Pearson.

She may have been beaten over an extended mile and a quarter in the Lyric Stakes at York, but she bounced right back to form next time out at Haydock.

That run led her to the Listed Prix Isola Bella at Saint-Cloud in October, where she soared to a 12-length success when never seeing another rival from start to finish.

A return to the same track for the Prix Tantieme did not bring about the same result, as the filly finished sixth in a run connections consider to have been one too many in an otherwise superb campaign.

“She was a real flagbearer for us, she was the winning-most horse in Britain and she started off with a rating of 59 and finished off on 107 – that was exceptional,” said trainer David Loughnane.

“Saint-Cloud was just one run too many, she was well in herself at home but we knew on the day. Even going to post, Laura said she just wasn’t the same horse and she had just gone a little bit over the top.

“Hindsight is a great thing, we got greedy trying to win nine but she owes us nothing and she was a superstar, we’d like to think we could get a bit more black type on her page.”

Sparks Fly has now returned from her winter break and is being prepared for the Lincoln at Doncaster on what is officially the opening day of the Flat season in Britain.

The mile handicap is often run on more testing ground, which the filly relishes, and it is likely that she will be campaigned in two stages, with a break in the middle to avoid quick ground at the height of the summer.

“She’s wintered really nicely, she enjoyed her holiday but she gets bored pretty quickly, so we were quite keen to get her back into work,” said Loughnane.

“She’s not one that likes to be out of work for long but she’s done well for a break.

“At the moment, our first port of call will be the Lincoln if all goes to plan, she gets there on time and the ground is right for her.

“We’ll probably look to campaign her in the first half of the season, give her a little break in the middle part and then bring her back again for the second half.

“This is England after all, so you never know what’s going on with the weather and what we’ll end up with.”

John Hales has been fortunate to own many top-class horses and this year marks the 20th anniversary of one of his very best, Azertyuiop, winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase.

Before his current partnership with Sir Alex Ferguson and Ged Mason had evolved, Hales’ yellow silks with a red star were a very familiar sight on British racecourses.

Of course, they sprang to prominence thanks to another Champion Chase winner, One Man, who spent most of his career over three miles, winning the Hennessy Gold Cup, the King George twice and the Charlie Hall twice before finally ending his Cheltenham hoodoo when dropping back in trip in 1998.

Hales has also won the Grand National with Neptune Collonges, two Supreme Novices’ Hurdles with Noland and Al Ferof and a further Champion Chase with Politologue.

Azertyuiop, whose name came from the top line of a French keyboard, had either the fortune or misfortune, depending on which way you look at it, to be around in a golden age of two-miler chasers.

“Azertyuiop is still alive and well, he’s 27 now and I’m looking out of my window right now at him in the field with Neptune Collonges and Al Ferof, they all get on so well together,” said Hales.

“He’s still very fit and very well, he’s at a great age and it’s lovely to still have him.

“He was a very, very good horse. He might have only ever won two Grade Ones, the Arkle and the Champion Chase, but they are the right ones to win.

“Of course, he was around in that golden era with Moscow Flyer and Well Chief, and there was Flagship Uberalles still around, too.”

Azertyuiop and Moscow Flyer met in two Champion Chases, and it was a little unfortunate that in 2004 Moscow Flyer made a bad mistake and unseated Barry Geraghty four from home and a year later Azertyuiop left his hind legs in the water jump, costing him any chance of victory.

It meant their rivalry is usually best remembered for a titanic battle in the Tingle Creek at Sandown, but for a man as Cheltenham orientated as Hales, winning the Queen Mother for a second time was glorious.

“Moscow Flyer almost fell down the back straight and to be honest, once he’d got over the third-last, he looked the winner and he just had to stay up, which he did,” said Hales.

“Paul (Nicholls) wasn’t afraid to mix it up with him. That season, he ran in the Victor Chandler (now Clarence House) and he just failed to give lumps of weight to Isio, who was a good horse, and the following season we ran him in the King George, when he was third to a Gold Cup winner in Kicking King.

“Azertyuiop would certainly be in my top three, I think – him, Neptune Collonges and One Man.”

While Hales holds Azertyuiop in the highest regard, the inference was there that he might just cherish one horse above all others.

“Azertyuiop was very good the day he won the Champion Chase, but I wouldn’t want to answer who would win between him and One Man!” he said.

“They were both great horses but One Man had spent his life running over three miles.

“There was a famous reporter who said before he won, ‘if One Man can come down from three miles to two and win the Queen Mother, I’ll jump off the roof at Cheltenham’ – well, I’m still waiting for him to jump!”

Hales has some live chances at this year’s Festival but it is two of his horses that are not going to Cheltenham that excite him most, including recent €740,000 purchase Caldwell Potter.

“Kalif Du Berlais, who won at Kempton, is unbeaten, he beat a nice horse (Givemefive) in the Adonis and we think he is a very good horse. He’ll be going over fences next year and we just need to find out his best distance because he’s winning over two but will stay further,” said Hales.

“Caldwell Potter, the horse from Ireland, will be going to Aintree after we decided to give him more time to settle. He looks very good and will also be going chasing next year.

“The thing that clinched it for me to buy him, and it shouldn’t have done, was when Anthony Bromley (bloodstock agent) rang me about him, I asked what his colour was. When he told me he was grey, I shouldn’t have been influenced by that but I was because every major race I’ve won, at some point I’ve won it with a grey. King George, Queen Mother, Grand National – all with greys.

“I’ve got Sonigino (Martin Pipe), Monmiral (Pertemps) and L’Eau Du Sud (County Hurdle), with a few others going this year – and I quite fancy L’Eau Du Sud.”