Leicester’s meeting on Thursday and Friday’s fixture at Ffos Las have both been called off due to waterlogged tracks.

An inspection was called for 4.15pm on Wednesday at Leicester but areas of false ground left officials with no option.

Ffos Las officials were able to make their decision even earlier. An inspection was held on Wednesday morning and after heavy rain, the venue was not fit for action.

The track said on X: “Due to 70 millimetres of rain in the last seven days and with further rain forecast, racing on Friday 16th February has been abandoned.”

Thursday’s fixture at Newcastle must also survive an 8am inspection. The going is heavy and further rain is forecast overnight, while Clonmel’s meeting is also in doubt.

Clerk of the course Lorcan Wyer will inspect at 7.30am with overnight rain forecast on already heavy ground.

Lando Norris insists he can take the championship fight to Max Verstappen after declaring the Dutchman’s Red Bull team as “beatable”.

McLaren emerged as the closest contender to Red Bull last year following an impressive mid-season turnaround with Norris scoring seven podiums.

The 24-year-old, gearing up for his sixth season on the Formula One grid, last month committed his future to McLaren by signing a contract extension which will keep him with the British team for at least the next three seasons.

Red Bull won all but one of the 22 rounds last season, with Verstappen cruising to his third world title in as many years.

But speaking at McLaren’s car launch on Wednesday, Norris said: “If you were to ask, ‘are Red Bull beatable?’ I am going to have to say ‘yes’.

“We have to believe that because we were very close at times last year and at certain times we did beat them.

“Can we beat them over a season? That is going to be a challenge and very difficult to do because of how well they performed, but I am optimistic.”

Norris and team-mate Oscar Piastri, who impressed in his rookie campaign last season, were provided their first taste of this year’s machine at a Silverstone shakedown test on Wednesday.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella added: “At the start of the season my expectation of Red Bull is that they will enjoy an advantage.

“I say this because they didn’t develop the car very much last year and I would think it is reasonable to expect that they will have accumulated knowledge and development from last season and bring that to the 2024 car.

“If, and I say if, we continue the development rate from 2023 into 2024, then we can be in a strong position. But whether that is enough to challenge Red Bull and the other top teams who have made improvements, we will find out.”

F1’s sole pre-season test gets under way in Bahrain on February 21, ahead of the opening race, also in the Gulf kingdom, on March 2.

Milton Harris has withdrawn his appeal against the decision of the British Horseracing Authority’s Licensing Committee which ruled he is not a “fit and proper person” to hold a training licence.

The Warminster handler had his licence suspended by the BHA in November pending a hearing in January, with the BHA saying it was “a result of a breach of the conditions on his licence and related matters”.

The Licensing Committee said the concerns of the BHA surrounded “the nature and extent of MH’s admitted breaches of the conditions which already exist on his licence, which were imposed in 2018 and MH’s failure to be candid in his dealings with the BHA in respect of those breaches, particularly when the BHA was seeking to provide opportunities for MH to remedy those breaches”, “misconduct in his dealings with others, including fellow licence holder Mr Simon Earle” and “in respect of safeguarding arising out of MH’s conduct with young persons employed at his racing yard”.

Harris confirmed last week he had lodged an appeal, but the BHA said on Wednesday he had subsequently withdrawn it.

Harris, who started his training career in 2001, had a seven-year enforced absence from 2011 to 2018 due to financial issues.

Since returning to the sport he had saddled some notable winners, highlighted by Knight Salute, who claimed the 2022 Grade One Jewson Anniversary 4-y-o Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree along with three Grade Two victories that season.

The BHA also released a statement informing that conditional jockey Dylan Kitts had been issued with a disciplinary officer exclusion order having failed to comply with an investigation into his ride on Hillsin in July last year.

A disciplinary officer exclusion order is issued “in instances where a person’s presence on premises licensed by the BHA, or association with racing’s participants, is undesirable in the interests of racing based on their conduct”.

The statement read: “The BHA can today confirm that Mr Dylan Kitts has been issued with a disciplinary officer exclusion order as a result of his failure to co-operate with an investigation. This order, which prohibits Mr Kitts from attending premises licensed by the BHA and/or associating with racing’s participants, has been issued after Mr Kitts failed to provide relevant information requested by the BHA’s integrity team as part of an ongoing investigation.

“This investigation remains ongoing and the BHA will be making no further comment at this time.”

Christian Horner will make his first public appearance on Thursday since an investigation was launched into “inappropriate behaviour” against the Red Bull team principal.

The embattled boss is due to attend the world champions’ car launch at their Milton Keynes headquarters following the accusation by a female colleague which surfaced at the beginning of last week. Horner, 50, categorically denies the claim.

For now, Horner remains in his role as team principal and was present at a behind-closed-doors Red Bull test at Silverstone on Tuesday ahead of the new season which starts in just over a fortnight.

Red Bull will unveil their new car on Thursday and Horner is expected to address the media – although the PA news agency understands legalities around the process mean that questions relating to the internal investigation will be off-limits.

Last week, Horner was quizzed by a lawyer for eight hours as part of the probe by Red Bull Racing’s parent company Red Bull GmBH.

There had been a strong desire for Horner’s future to be resolved before Thursday’s launch but sources have indicated that he could face further rounds of questioning as he bids to prove his innocence.

Horner has been Red Bull team principal since they entered F1 19 years ago and is the longest-serving boss on the grid.

During that period he has overseen seven drivers’ world championships and six constructors’ titles. Red Bull have dominated the sport in recent seasons and last year won 21 of the 22 races, with Max Verstappen setting a new record for 10 consecutive victories.

Classic Chase winner My Silver Lining will head to Haydock on Saturday for the Virgin Bet Grand National Trial, rather than wait for next week’s Eider Chase at Newcastle which was her original target.

While the ground is heavy at both tracks, Lavelle sees little point in waiting a week with her mare, who she reports to be “absolutely flying” on the gallops.

Only out of the first two once in her last six races, the improving eight-year-old jumped with aplomb at Warwick and held off Galia Des Liteaux to win the £100,000 race and she is now chasing another major prize.

“She’s absolutely flying. Our original plan was to go to the Eider, so we discussed it today and it came down to the fact they are both going to be run on heavy ground – so do we want to run over three and a half this week or wait a week to run over four-and-a-quarter,” said Lavelle.

“We only made the entry for Haydock as a bit of a back-up originally, but we just can’t guarantee the ground will be any better next week and with an extra half a mile in that ground, it’s a lost to ask of the mare.

“I wouldn’t be worried about any track for her, but anywhere where jumping is at a premium suits her.”

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder has been handed a Football Association charge for his bizarre rant about a sandwich-eating linesman.

Wilder was incensed when one of referee Tony Harrington’s assistants was consuming a sandwich when the Blades manager went to see him after the 3-2 defeat at Crystal Palace last month.

Wilder described it as a “complete lack of respect” and also called Harrington’s performance “ridiculous” in an interview with BBC Radio Sheffield after the game.

He said: “It’s yet again another ridiculous performance from the referee.

“Every 50/50 or tight decision goes against us and if that’s what we’re going to have to deal with between now and the end of the season, we’re going to deal with it.

“But I’m not just going to go under the radar and not say anything. I’ve been to see the referee and I’ve told him that.

“One of his assistants was eating a sandwich at the time, which I thought was a complete lack of respect. Hopefully he enjoyed his sandwich while he was talking to a Premier League manager.”

The Football Association has sanctioned the Blades boss with a charge of improper conduct.

It said in a statement: “Chris Wilder has been charged with a breach of FA Rule E3.1 in relation to media comments that followed Sheffield United’s Premier League match against Crystal Palace on Tuesday 30 January.

“It’s alleged that the manager’s comments constitute improper conduct in that they imply bias and or/attack the integrity of the referee, or referees generally, and/or bring the game into disrepute.

“Chris Wilder has until Friday, 16 February, to provide his response.”

Lewis Hamilton is determined to fire Mercedes back to former glories as he gears up for his season swansong before quitting for Ferrari.

Hamilton stunned the sporting world by ditching Mercedes – the constructor which has carried him to six of his record-equalling seven world championships – in favour of a move to their rivals next year.

On Wednesday, the 39-year-old made his first public appearance since news of his shock transfer broke.

Standing alongside team principal Toto Wolff, Hamilton faced just three questions from Mercedes’ in-house moderator in a nine-minute, no-frills and perhaps awkward – given the rawness of the British driver’s decision – car launch.

“The focus through the whole of winter training is getting the team back to where we once were,” said Hamilton.

“We have had these difficult couple of years which have been really grounding for us. It has helped us regroup and really look at things.

“(The last few weeks) have obviously been emotional and it is very surreal to be here.”

Hamilton, who joined Mercedes from McLaren in 2013, signed a two-year contract extension only last August. But over the winter he elected to terminate his £100million deal 12 months early.

Last year marked a second straight season without a victory for Hamilton – a losing streak which now stands at 45 races – and Mercedes’ first winless campaign in a dozen years.

They finished an eye-watering 413 points behind Red Bull while Hamilton, third in the individual standings, was 341 points adrift of Red Bull’s Max Verstappen as the Dutchman secured a hat-trick of world crowns.

Wolff metaphorically conceded at the final round in Abu Dhabi that Mercedes will have to scale Mount Everest to topple Verstappen.

But on Wednesday, Wolff said: “This is a complete relaunch of a car. It is very different, not only aerodynamically but underneath the car too.

“There have been so many mechanical changes which we hope will translate into more performance, more predictability and a car the drivers can really push.

“The most important thing is to look inward and what is it that we got wrong? We found some clues, we tried to eliminate as many variables as we could and the buzz in the company is something I have not seen for so many years.

“We know it is a big mountain to climb because if a team is so far ahead like Red Bull were last year then it is not easy.

“But we have a superb driver combination and hopefully a fast car. There are some good ingredients to be back at the front again.”

The Austrian, informed of Hamilton’s shock transfer only a fortnight ago, added: “It will be our last season with Lewis so we are keen on bringing a quick car.”

Hamilton and team-mate George Russell were given their first taste of their new car during a damp shakedown test at Silverstone.

On Thursday, the spotlight will be back on embattled Red Bull team principal Christian Horner as the world champions present their machine for the new campaign.

Horner is under investigation by the Formula One team’s parent company Red Bull GmBH following an accusation of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female colleague.

Last Friday, Horner was questioned by a lawyer for eight hours. He categorically denies the claim.

Horner remains in his role and he will speak to the media on Thursday at the team’s Milton Keynes HQ – although it is understood legalities around the process mean that questions relating to the internal investigation will be off-limits.

F1’s sole pre-season test gets under way in Bahrain on February 21, ahead of the opening race, also in the Gulf kingdom, on March 2.

Aston Martini puts her unbeaten record on the line in the Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide Jane Seymour Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown on Thursday.

Both Love Envoi and You Wear It Well have used the race as a stepping-stone towards Cheltenham Festival glory for the past two seasons, and another informative renewal looks to be in prospect.

Nicky Henderson’s Aston Martini was first past the post at Lingfield on Winter Millions weekend, only for the raceday stewards to deem she had caused interference to runner-up Ooh Betty. However, Aston Martini’s connections appealed the decision and were successful.

“It’s very exciting. She’s still got that unbeaten record to protect – she’s still a big work in progress, but so far so good,” said Liz Rutter, racing manager for the Henry Ponsonby syndicate.

“I think going back up in trip will probably help her as she’s won over further.

“Hopefully the ground won’t be too bad, but she did handle Lingfield and she seemed to handle that very well.

“She battled on very well there, she was headed and came back to win and really that was her first proper race, the first time she’s had to battle. She still seems progressive.

“Hopefully that form holds up as they think a lot of the Irish horse (Only By Night) in third. Obviously it will be hugely competitive and a big step up for her, but she’s an exciting one to have.”

Henderson also runs Either Or, a winner at Warwick last month.

Nigel Twiston-Davies inherited Smiling Getaway from Dan Skelton after she had run just one bumper, finishing fourth, but she has won both starts for her new yard.

Impressive at Ludlow, she made even more of an impression under a penalty at Warwick.

Assistant trainer Willy Twiston-Davies said: “She’s done absolutely nothing wrong since she came to us, she’s two from two.

“Her jumping has been fantastic, she stays very well so we’re hoping for a very good run.

“She’s earned this step up in grade, Aston Martini won OK last time but on the figures she should be bang there.

“I thought she won very well the last time and she’d taken a big step forward from her win at Ludlow to Warwick and hopefully there’s a bit more improvement to come.”

Skelton’s Cherie D’Am, Olly Murphy’s Little Miss Dante, Fergal O’Brien’s Springtime Promise and Lucy Wadham’s Jeune Belle complete the runners.

World Rugby has no plans to issue any public explanation regarding the controversial decision not to award Scotland what would have been a match-winning try in last Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations defeat by France at Murrayfield, the PA news agency understands.

The Scots – trailing 20-16 – thought they had secured victory when replacement lock Sam Skinner pushed through and appeared to ground the ball on the line under a ruck of bodies as the clock ticked past the 80-minute mark.

Referee Nic Berry’s on-field decision was “no try”, and after several minutes of high drama while footage was reviewed from various angles, TMO Brian MacNeice, having initially suggested he could see the ball on the ground, advised that there was “no conclusive evidence” to change the original call, much to the hosts’ dismay.

“I just don’t understand how the referee didn’t see it,” former Scotland international Craig Chalmers told PA on Monday. “He should have got in closer to it and put his hands in and had a better look.”

Head coach Gregor Townsend was similarly bewildered by the process that led to the try not being awarded. “I don’t understand the rationale,” he said in his post-match media briefing on Saturday.

“When you see the pictures, and when you also see the conversation, they have already said between them that the ball has been placed on the tryline.”

When asked last weekend if Scotland would be seeking further explanation from World Rugby, Townsend said: “It doesn’t really matter.

“We’ll get feedback, we do regularly, and that’ll be one of some incidents we’ll ask for clarification on, but it doesn’t change the outcome, unfortunately.”

Townsend regularly liaises with World Rugby regarding issues arising from matches and he wrote to the governing body after the France game, as he had done the previous week when seeking clarification over the number of penalties that went against his side in their victory away to Wales.

The head coach spoke with referee Berry after the France match and communication lines remain open between Scottish Rugby and the sport’s governing body, but Scotland are not demanding or expecting an apology or an admission that a mistake was made regarding Skinner’s disallowed try.

Despite the ferocity of the backlash, World Rugby will be sticking to their stance of not commenting publicly on specific officials’ decisions and are not expected to issue any clarification to clear the situation up in the public domain.

Although there remains a deep sense of injustice among Scotland’s players, coaches and supporters, the furore surrounding Saturday’s pivotal last-gasp flashpoint appears to be subsiding.

Blazing Khal will miss the Cheltenham Festival having suffered a fibrillating heart when defending his Boyne Hurdle crown – with a question mark over whether he will race again.

Charles Byrnes’ stable star won the Navan Grade Two following a long absence 12 months ago, teeing up an unsuccessful shot at the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at last year’s Festival.

Off the track for a further 332 days since finishing sixth in that Prestbury Park contest, connections were attempting to see if history could repeat itself when sent off 4-1 at Navan on Sunday.

However, he was one of the first to come under pressure, weakening after three out and eventually being pulled up by Philip Byrnes.

Blazing Khal’s trainer has now confirmed a return to the Cotswolds is off the cards and the eight-year-old will be given an easy time before a further decision is made on his future.

Byrnes said: “We’re going to give him a few weeks off, he had a fibrillating heart afterwards and that was the reason he ran so bad.

“He is not going to Cheltenham and we’re not making any plans going forwards at the moment.

“Whether he’ll race again or not we don’t know, we will just see how he is in a couple of weeks and make a decision then.”

Naomi Osaka has reached the quarter-finals at a tournament for the first time in nearly two years.

The four-time grand slam champion was given free passage through to the last eight at the Qatar Open after opponent Lesia Tsurenko withdrew because of injury ahead of their scheduled contest.

Osaka returned to the tour in January following the birth of daughter Shai last summer and had won only one of her first four matches prior to heading to Doha.

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But the Japanese star has hit form in the Qatari capital, reversing her Australian Open loss to Caroline Garcia in the first round and then defeating Croat Petra Martic.

It is her best run since she reached the final of the Miami Open in April 2022, losing to Iga Swiatek.

Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova’s difficult start to the year continued with a 7-5 6-3 loss to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, while Australian Open runner-up Zheng Qinwen was beaten 7-5 6-3 by Canada’s Leylah Fernandez.

Elliot Minchella is determined to build on the memory of last season’s near-misses and steer Hull KR to silverware starting with Thursday night’s Betfred Super League derby opener at the MKM Stadium.

Minchella kicks off his fifth season at Craven Park and his first as captain having played a pivotal role in Rovers’ re-emergence last season, when they reached the play-off semi-finals and suffered an agonising Challenge Cup final defeat to Leigh.

But despite the plaudits directed at both himself and his team, the 28-year-old insists he was far from satisfied and wants to see his side take the next step and bring a first major trophy to club in almost 40 years.

“We came up short last year,” admitted Minchella. “It was a great experience to play at Wembley and in a Super League semi-final, but we came home with nothing and the trophy cabinet got nothing added into it.

“That’s massive motivation for me. When you get so close to success it’s an addictive feeling and you want to go one better and get over the line.

“We’ve made a few semi-finals in the last few years but I’m not happy with that. When I finish playing I’m not going to look back and think that was really good. I want to have a medal around my neck and to win trophies for Hull KR.”

Minchella assumes the captaincy from Shaun Kenny-Dowall, who has retired to take up a place on the coaching staff, and is one of a number of high-profile departures in the off-season, including the less-than-serene exits of Jordan Abdull and assistant coach Danny McGuire.

But head coach Willie Peters looks to have recruited well, with Tyrone May their high-profile addition from Catalans, while NRL back Peta Hiku and rugged ex-Wakefield prop Jai Whitbread both look set to boost their hopes of another impressive season.

Hiku and May are both set to start for Rovers in one of the most eagerly-anticipated openers of recent times, while hosts Hull are without influential home-grown prop Brad Fash, for whom the derby means more than most.

Hull head coach Tony Smith, who is also acutely aware of the passions that swirl around the Hull derby having first tasted it at KR before his controversial cross-city switch, is also keen to use to kick-start a more promising campaign after last year’s poor 10th place finish.

“I think it’s great that the new season is kicking off with a Hull derby,” said Smith.

“We can sit here and say it’s just another game but when you live in the city you see how passionate people get about their teams, they have to live next door to rival neighbours and it’s a big deal for a lot of people.

“It’s also very important for us because in the previous few years we probably don’t have a good record against KR at our home stadium, so it’s important for us to get rid of that and give our supporters something to cheer.”

Craig Kieswetter has paid tribute to the training prowess of Willie Mullins, as the former England cricketer begins to dream of Cheltenham Festival glory with Leopardstown scorer Il Etait Temps.

Owned by the Kieswetter family’s Barnane Stud in conjunction with the Heffer family’s Hollywood Syndicate, the six-year-old struck at the Dublin Racing Festival for the second year in a row.

Having lowered the colours of Facile Vega over hurdles 12 months ago, Il Etait Temps was back to cause another upset in the Irish capital, this time the beneficiary of Marine Nationale’s Irish Arkle no show, as he battled past Found A Fifty in the hands of Danny Mullins for his second Grade One success.

The South Africa-born Kieswetter played 71 times for England in white-ball internationals and is also a scratch golfer, having competed on both the PGA EuroPro Tour and MENA Golf Tour since his retirement from cricket.

As such, he is well qualified to judge sporting excellence and has always spoken in glowing terms of Il Etait Temps’ trainer, the master of Closutton.

“He’s probably along the lines of a Messi or Ronaldo or a Schumacher – he’s a champion,” said Kieswetter when explaining what makes Mullins so prolific.

“He’s going to go down as one of the all-time greats, but there is still plenty of life in the old dog yet. He certainly isn’t ready to hand over the reins yet and you can see how passionate and energetic and driven he is to keep winning and getting the results.”

The 36-year-old also reserved plenty of praise for Il Etait Temps and his jockey, as they both advertised their class at the back-end of a thrilling renewal of the two-mile Grade One event.

“It was very impressive and it might have just been fate or destiny with it being a year to the day since he won his first Grade One,” continued Kieswetter.

“We were delighted and it was another terrific ride from Danny (Mullins) – I was very hoarse the next day after shouting so loudly at the TV.

“It was terrific to have Ross Doyle there on course; Peter, Ross and Anna Doyle are good friends of the family and sourced the horse for us, so it is fantastic that they were there.

“He’s quite a difficult horse to follow I suppose, because his jumping – even though it is getting better than it was over hurdles – is still quite inconsistent and he is certainly a horse who puts you through the full range of emotions when you are watching a race.”

Il Etait Temps’ gutsy triumph came on a weekend where Mullins claimed all eight Grade One prizes on offer at the Dublin Racing Festival.

Mullins’ dominance at one of Ireland’s premier meetings left people questioning if his superiority is diminishing the competitive nature of the sport.

However, Kieswetter has leapt to Mullins’ defence – highlighting his winning mentality and great ability to treat every owner and horse among his vast arsenal equally.

“I have read articles questioning if it is good for the industry that Willie is dominating, but at the end of the day, Willie Mullins provides results and this is a results-based sport,” continued Kieswetter.

“With Willie and his team – not only his management team, but the whole staff – you have never once had a feeling of bias in the yard, which is probably a very difficult thing for them to do.

“Every single horse is treated equally and given the opportunity to run their race, no matter how many he may also saddle in the same race.

“You go to Closutton and you see the professionalism of Willie and his staff. What we have always been impressed with about Willie is he gives a lot of ownership to his staff in terms of the horses, which is impressive to see.

“His results speak for themselves and we have always been delighted to be associated with him.

“He’s set up a model at his yard that works and I think it is a bit unfair for the industry to be having a crack at him and saying it is the Willie Mullins Festival. The drive at the yard is very impressive and very fun to be a small part of.”

Il Etait Temps is now the general second-favourite for the Arkle at the Cheltenham Festival and, having twice ran with credit at the showpiece meeting, has connections excited ahead of his third bite of the Prestbury Park cherry.

Kieswetter added: “Horse racing is about selling the dream and I’ve never enjoyed going into a race with lots of media and talk about a horse, but he has certainly proven that he deserves to be not taken lightly.

“We will certainly be over there and we’re excited every year for Cheltenham – and we can’t wait to be there cheering on Il Etait Temps with the team.”