The 1958 fan group believe there is “more hope for a brighter future” with Sir Jim Ratcliffe at Manchester United but vowed to continue their “fight until the Glazers have been removed”.

The Premier League club announced on Christmas Eve that the British billionaire had agreed to acquire a 25 per cent shareholding in the Old Trafford giants.

The £1.3billion deal includes Ratcliffe purchasing 25 per cent of Class B shares held by the Glazer family, whose majority ownership has been subject of fan protests since their controversial takeover in 2005.

The 1958 have led that fight in recent years and, a month to the day after the Ineos chairman’s deal was announced, commented on the ownership changes.

“When change is upon us, we think it’s prudent to assess the situation before reacting,” a spokesman for the group said in a statement.

“With the impending investment into the club by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the announcement our club will be appointing a new CEO (Omar Berrada), we feel the right decision is to keep monitoring progress and let the new structure and strategy play out.

“We believe the Ratcliffe investment and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing gives us more hope for a brighter future and a potential clearer pathway towards majority ownership further down the line.

“This doesn’t mean we rest on our laurels. The aftermath of the European Super League is proof sitting back and doing nothing is not an option. We are working towards a next phase, strategy and plan.”

Ratcliffe expects the deal to be given the green light by mid-February, when he will officially take control of football operations as part of his minority ownership of the club.

The 71-year-old has the first option should the Glazers decide to sell more Class B shares and The 1958 say they will continue their call for them to sell up entirely.

“A generation of supporters have fought and battled to rid our club of these owners,” said a spokesperson for the group, who say they have more than 52,000 supporters signed up to their ‘Claim Back United’ website.

“We never wanted them at the start and we don’t want them now.

“We owe it to ourselves and the legacy of these efforts to ensure they are removed. We hope Sir Jim is an ally and vehicle in making this happen.

“Do not forgive and do not forget the damage the Glazers have done to our club and fan base.

“We will be watching developments closely and will continue our fight until the Glazers have been removed.

“This has always been one of our primary objectives. We will update more soon.”

Japan got their Asian Cup campaign back on track by advancing to the knockout stage with a 3-1 win against Indonesia on Wednesday.

The pre-tournament favourites surprisingly lost to Iraq in their second Group D match last week to leave their hopes of winning a record-extending fifth Asian Cup title in jeopardy.

But any concerns over facing an early exit were swept away at Al Thumama Stadium after two goals from Ayase Ueda put the four-time champions on course for victory.

Justin Hubner scored a late own goal and Sandy Walsh pulled one back for Indonesia in added time.

It took Ueda just six minutes to settle any nerves Japan's players and fans might have been feeling going into their final group game.

The Feyenoord striker had won the spot kick after being fouled by Jordi Amat and fired his shot into the corner beyond Indonesia goalkeeper Ernando Ari Sutaryadi to open the scoring.

He doubled Japan's lead in the 52nd minute and when Hubner diverted another effort from Ueda into his own goal in the 88th the win looked beyond doubt.

Walsh scored a consolation in added time and Indonesia, on three points, will have to wait to see if they advance as one of the best third-placed teams.

While Japan safely secured their progress, it was Iraq who advanced as group winners after substitute Aymen Hussein scored from the penalty spot in the 12th minute of stoppage time to beat 10-man Vietnam 3-2 in a thrilling clash.

Having already missed one penalty after coming on as a half-time substitute at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, Hussein converted from the spot deep into stoppage time to maintain Iraq’s perfect record in Group D.

Hussein is the tournament's leading scorer with five goals and that record might have been even better had he not struck the post with his earlier penalty against Vietnam.

He still managed to have a key impact on the match with two goals as the 2007 champions came from behind to make it three wins out of three.

Vietnam had taken the lead through Bui Hoang Viet Anh in the 42nd minute, but Khuat Van Khang was sent off in first-half stoppage time for a second yellow card.

It took only two minutes of the second half for Rebin Solaka to even the score for Iraq and Hussein headed his team in front 17 minutes from time.

Hussein failed to score from the spot when firing against the post and that miss looked to be costly when substitute Nguyen Quang Hai levelled the game in the 91st minute.

That was until Hussein was given the chance to make amends for his earlier penalty, and he made no mistake from the spot on this occasion.

Nottingham Forest have been told by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) that VAR did not have power to disallow Brentford’s controversial free-kick for Brentford last week.

Forest wrote to the match officials’ governing body as well as the Premier League after Toney scored when he moved the ball from the spot designated in vanishing spray by referee Darren England and even moved some of the spray to the new spot.

Forest wanted answers, including whether VAR could intervene and why the referee did not spot it.

“We have received a response from the incident, it is clear that the law says VAR cannot do anything about ball displacement,” boss Nuno Espirito Santo said.

“I think that is something they should look at because it changes the reality of the game. But at the same time, we also have responsibility because we should have said something and avoided the free-kick to be taken.

“Too bad that the referee didn’t spot it or the linesman. The referee should have seen it because there is a mark and there is clear ball displacement. It is finished, we move forward.”

Forest are back in action on Friday night when they head to Bristol City in the FA Cup fourth round.

They still have a raft of injuries with Taiwo Awoniyi, Anthony Elanga, Morgan Gibbs-White, Divock Origi and Felipe all out while six players are at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Three of those could be returning imminently, depending on results elsewhere, as Ivory Coast did not quality automatically from their group.

Either way, they will not be involved at Ashton Gate.

“We have to wait, the decision is today, it could happen,” Nuno said. “There are a couple of scenarios that could happen. Let’s wait and then we will decide the moment they will return. Friday is very difficult I think.

“Nothing has changed with injuries. Let’s see, but nothing has changed. The scenario is the same, there is no hiding we are short on offensive options because the players that are out are offensive players.

“We will see, we will decide tomorrow the team and gameplan.”

Martin Brassil is confident there is improvement to come from Fastorslow when he takes Galopin Des Champs on again in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup at the Dublin Racing Festival.

The feature race of next weekend’s two-day meeting at Leopardstown looks set to feature the first two in the betting for the Gold Cup at Cheltenham just over a month later.

The pair have met three times in their careers to date. Galopin Des Champs finished a long way clear in the 2022 John Durkan Chase when Fastorslow was making his Irish debut over fences – but Brassil’s star came out on top at the Punchestown Festival and in this season’s John Durkan.

He does hold an alternative engagement in the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase, but that will only be needed if the ground comes up very soft – conditions which prevented him taking on Galopin Des Champs at Christmas.

“We only entered for the two-mile race in case the ground comes up heavy, but the preferred option is the Gold Cup,” said Brassil after watching his stable star on the Curragh gallops on Wednesday.

“I’m very happy with him, he’s in a good place, he was ready to run at Christmas. He’s a very easy horse to watch as he eats well, loves his work and thrives on what he does. It’s a case of maintaining that.

“He was beaten a short head when the ground was terrible at Cheltenham a couple of years ago (Coral Cup) and the ground was soft enough there last year (second in the Ultima). He won the John Durkan on soft, he’s versatile regards ground, we just felt that we didn’t really need to run him on heavy ground (at Christmas) when the (Irish) Gold Cup was another option.

“Galopin Des Champs is a top-class horse, a Gold Cup winner, so he’s always going to be hard enough to crack. Going back over three miles is a plus for him, we haven’t raced against him in those conditions.

“I’d say we could possibly be the main challenger. I’m not saying we’ll beat him every time we meet him, but I’m sure they’ve plenty of respect for my horse as I have for theirs.

“We were only hopeful he’d finish in the first three in the John Durkan, there was plenty of improvement to come from him, so hopefully there will be.”

Looking ahead to March, despite two agonising near-misses at the past two Cheltenham Festivals, Brassil can at least take heart from the fact he clearly likes the track.

“He’s been beaten a short head and a neck at Cheltenham and An Epic Song was just touched off in the Coral Cup (last year), I’m sure one will get their head on the right side of it soon,” said Brassil.

“We know he acts around there. The Ultima was only his fourth run over fences, his first handicap and he just came up a bit short, so there was always going to be improvement and thankfully he showed that in Punchestown.

“Because he’d won in France before we got him, some of the conditions of the races we’d liked to have run him in meant we couldn’t, they couldn’t have won a chase before May ’21 and he’d won in September ’19.

“There was no winners-of-one, not one chase on the programme, so we had to pitch him in the deep end, his second and third runs over fences were in Grade Ones.

“Doing that has helped him, he’s not afraid of much, he enjoys what he’s doing and is starting to think he’s special, he’d better keep performing like it!”

Regarding how the horse’s name came about, Grand National winner Brassil had an amusing tale.

“He was in training with Arnaud Chaille-Chaille in France and he doesn’t speak any English, so the man who acts as his agent rang Sean (Mulryan, owner) one night to say the horse was getting close to a run and needed a name,” explained Brassil.

“Sean asked him fairly sharply ‘is he fast or slow?’ and the agent just said thank you and hung up! I’m glad he’s a bit faster than slower, anyway.

“I never thought I’d have a Gold Cup horse, I always thought it was something everyone else had a horse for, but I probably felt the same before the National.”

Carlos Alcaraz became the biggest casualty of the men’s draw so far at the Australian Open.

The second seed was beaten in four sets by Alexander Zverev, who will take on Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals following his five-set victory over Hubert Hurkacz.

Qualifier Dayana Yastremska made it through to the last four in the women’s draw, where she will play another first-timer in 12th seed Zheng Qinwen.

Picture of the dayPoint of the dayLongevityHewitt honoured

Former world number one Lleyton Hewitt was inducted into the Australian Tennis Hall of Fame.

Fallen seeds

Women: None
Men: Carlos Alcaraz (2), Hubert Hurkacz (9)

Who’s up next?

It is women’s semi-finals day on Thursday, with both matches taking place in the night session.

First up is a rematch of the US Open final, with defending champion Aryna Sabalenka hoping to turn the tables on Coco Gauff, before Yastremska plays Zheng.

British wheelchair stars Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid are in singles and doubles semi-final action, while Mingge Xu plays her girls’ singles quarter-final against Iva Ivanova.

Carlos Alcaraz’s hopes of a first Australian Open title ended in a quarter-final defeat by sixth seed Alexander Zverev.

The Wimbledon champion had been in excellent form in Melbourne and threatened a comeback after a slow start but it was Zverev moving through to the last four thanks to a 6-1 6-3 6-7 (2) 6-4 victory clinched at 1.19am.

In his seventh grand slam semi-final, Zverev will take on third seed Daniil Medvedev, who earlier battled past Hubert Hurkacz in five sets.

Alcaraz was heavily fancied to make it an all top-four semi-final line-up but he looked very tight at the start and Zverev took full advantage, barely missing a first serve and striking his groundstrokes with power and precision.

The German had faced a lot of off-court scrutiny regarding his forthcoming domestic abuse trial – he denies the allegations – but his ability as a tennis player was unquestionable.

Alcaraz improved at the start of the second set, finding some of the dynamic, all-court play that has made him such a fan favourite, but he could not take either of two break points in the sixth game.

He then found himself under more pressure in the following game and, after being given a time violation, he netted a forehand to drop serve again.

Alcaraz, who had comfortably beaten Zverev at the same stage of the US Open last summer, looked furious with himself but he could not conjure up any response as errors continued to flow from his racket.

The end seemed nigh when Zverev, who lost his only grand slam final to Dominic Thiem at the US Open in 2020, broke serve again to lead 3-1 in the third set.

But Alcaraz roused himself just in time to break the Zverev serve for the first time at 5-3 and then reeled off a string of seven absurd points to win the tie-break and take it to a fourth set.

The German received treatment for blisters on his foot and Alcaraz seemed to have the momentum but more errors helped Zverev break to lead 5-4 and this time he managed to serve it out, securing his first victory over a top-five opponent at a slam.

“When you’re up 6-1 6-3 5-2, you start thinking,” said Zverev. “It’s not always helpful but I’m happy I got there in the end. I fought back quite well in the fourth set.”

Earlier, Medvedev struggled in the heat of the day against ninth seed Hurkacz, who was looking to make the last four at a grand slam for only the second time.

The Pole twice fought back from a set down but Medvedev came out on top 7-6 (4) 2-6 6-3 5-7 6-4 after three hours and 59 minutes.

The Russian finished it off with a drop shot before blowing kisses towards his box.

Medvedev will now try to reach the final for the third time in four years, and he said: “I’m so destroyed right now. I was feeling very tired physically at the end of the second set already.

“In the fourth set, he played good, I wasn’t beating myself up. I had no more concentration, I thought, ‘I just have to try my best to do whatever I can. If I lose, I lose and I go home. It’s OK’. I’m happy that like this I managed to win and I really liked the match point.”

It was a back-and-forth contest throughout between the two big servers, who both move tremendously well for such tall men.

Medvedev edged the first set on a tie-break and looked to be in full control when, having dropped the second, he took the third and moved a break ahead in the fourth.

But Hurkacz, who had won his last two matches against the Russian and their only previous grand slam meeting at Wimbledon in 2021, did not allow his head to drop and levelled at 4-4.

It was now Medvedev under real pressure on serve, and Hurkacz clinched his opportunity to force a decider when his opponent sent a forehand long.

Medvedev had survived a five-setter in the second round, coming from two sets down to defeat Emil Ruusuvuori at nearly 4am.

And the third seed was not to be denied, a break in the seventh game proving the difference.

Spinner Shoaib Bashir has been granted an Indian visa and can now rejoin the England squad, the England and Wales Cricket Board has confirmed.

The uncapped 20-year-old, a British Muslim with Pakistani heritage, was unable to travel to India for the start of England’s upcoming five-Test series due to delays with his visa application.

He initially remained in Abu Dhabi after the team’s recent training camp but was later forced to return to the UK to complete the process.

It was confirmed on Wednesday that the Somerset youngster had belatedly received the necessary stamp of approval in London and would now be able to fly out to India.

The news comes too late for him to be involved in the first Test in Hyderabad, which begins on Thursday, but he should be back with the team in the coming days.

An ECB spokesperson said: “Shoaib Bashir has now received his visa and is due to travel to join up with the team in India this weekend. We’re glad the situation has now been resolved.”

England captain Ben Stokes expressed his frustration over the episode, but said initial thoughts the team should not travel until the issue was resolved were quickly dispelled.

Stokes said: “When I first found the news out in Abu Dhabi, I did say we shouldn’t fly until Bash gets his visa, but that was a little bit tongue in cheek.

“I know it’s a way bigger thing, doing that. That was probably just (my) emotions around the whole thing. There was never a chance that we were not going to travel around this, but Bash knows he’s had our full support.

“I’m pretty devastated that Bash has had to go through this. As a leader, as a captain, when one of your team-mates is affected by something like that you do get a bit emotional.”

Bashir, who was called up for the tour after making just six first-class appearances, is not the first player to encounter difficulties receiving a visa for India.

Lancashire’s Saqib Mahmood, whose parents hail from Pakistan, had to be withdrawn from an England Lions tour of India in 2019 after similar delays, while Australia opener Usman Khawaja was a late arrival on his country’s Test trip in 2023.

Last year the Pakistan Cricket Board also wrote to the International Cricket Council to express concerns over waiting times for World Cup visas.

England had called for assistance from counterparts at the Board of Control for Cricket in India for Bashir, with new operations manager Stuart Hooper leading negotiations in the United Arab Emirates, but were informed the player needed to present his passport in person at the Indian high commission in London.

Former Super League star Sean Long says he has shrugged off the disappointment of his exit from Featherstone and is focused on the even more ambitious task of steering Oldham back towards rugby league’s top flight.

One of the most decorated players of his generation, who won five league titles and five Challenge Cups with St Helens, Long finds himself plotting a route which will include stops in the likes of Cornwall and Colwyn Bay next season.

But the 47-year-old, whose stellar on-field success was often matched by lurid tales of his exploits off it, insisted he had lost none of his enthusiasm and was determined to restore the good times to a club that had languished in the lower reaches since they last exited Super League in 1997.

“I’ve never lost my appetite for it,” Long told the PA news agency. “I loved my time as head coach at Featherstone and when Oldham came in for me, I was over the moon. I like challenging myself and the vision for the whole club really appealed to me.”

If leading Featherstone back into the top flight appeared a near-certainty for much of last season – until they flopped in the play-offs with Long long gone – the task of resurrecting Oldham’s fortunes is a far greater one.

Having languished in League One for each of the last two seasons, a takeover backed by former player Mike Ford in October has dramatically restored the club’s expectations, heralding a return to Boundary Park and a clear and stated intention to return to the top level of the game.

For Long, who recalls playing against Oldham in his early days with Wigan, the expectation will eclipse that at Rovers, whose decision to dispense with his services in March, when they led the second tier by eight points, caused surprisingly little bad feeling.

“Anything can happen in sport – one minute you’re in a job, the next you’re not,” shrugged Long. “These things happen and I’m going to keep doing things my way.

“This club’s been in the doldrums a bit but it’s got some big long-term ambitions. We’re not counting our chickens, because things can happen in rugby league which you aren’t prepared for and my job is to keep the standards high every week.”

The extent of Oldham’s ambition was emphasised by the close-season signing of Joe Wardle, a 32-year-old with plenty of Super League experience who was playing an integral role in Leigh’s return to the top flight until his campaign was curtailed by injury in September.

For Wardle it was a surprisingly easy decision to swap Super League life for the prospect of long road trips to face the likes of Midlands Hurricanes and North Wales Crusaders and he sees a comparison in the way his former club also re-invented themselves as a successful outfit.

“I’ve been part of a rebuild club before and I’ve seen how well it can work,” said Wardle.

“When I spoke to Mike, it just fitted the bill. Everyone asks about me moving two leagues down, but I can see the vision of this club. The plan is to get back to Super League and that made it a pretty easy decision.

“It was hard to leave Leigh because I had some great times there, but I definitely see similarities. Leigh are the kind of club everyone should be aspiring to learn from. I’m here for the start of the journey with Oldham and hopefully it’s going to be a successful one.”

The Sir Alex Ferguson-owned Spirit Dancer will search for further international riches on Friday when he attempts to supplement his Bahrain International Trophy success in Meydan’s Jebel Hatta.

Owned by Ferguson alongside Fred Done and Ged Mason, Spirit Dancer gave the former Manchester United manager one of the best days of his racing life when the £500,000 connections earned through victory in the Persian Gulf eclipsed any single winner’s cheque the Scotsman picked up with the legendary Rock Of Gibraltar.

Trained by Richard Fahey, the son of Frankel – who was bred by Ferguson and Niall McLoughlin – has taken his time to fulfil his potential but is now rapidly climbing through the ranks as he prepares to line up in Group One company for the very first time.

Victory in Bahrain was Spirit Dancer’s fourth from his last five runs and although his owners are not able to make the trip to the UAE to cheer the seven-year-old on, connections are hopeful of tasting more overseas success in his first outing of 2024.

Fahey said: “It’s his first Group One and a tough race, a proper Group One and we’re looking forward to seeing him run. Everything is going well and he’s in great order.

“I’m afraid his owners can’t make it this time which is a big shame because I know they were keen to come, but it’s just fallen on the wrong day sadly.

“Sir Alex is used to winning, but he gets a good kick out of it, so let’s hope he runs well again.

“It was a great day (in Bahrain), a very enjoyable day and it’s always great to be a part of these big international meetings and Dubai is exceptional as well, so we’re looking forward to it.”

The Jebel Hatta – which also features 1000 Guineas heroine Mawj – is the beginning of what could be a busy few months for Spirit Dancer in the Middle East, with a trip to the Saudi Cup meeting next month and a return to Meydan on Dubai World Cup night pencilled in on the gelding’s calendar.

His win in Bahrain secures him an automatic spot into the Neom Turf Cup in Riyadh on February 24, but he also has the option of switching to dirt for the fixture’s main event the $20,000,000 Saudi Cup.

“We’re certainly using this as a prep for Saudi and he will maybe just need the run,” continued Fahey.

“He will stay in the Middle East now for a few months and hopefully also get an invite for Dubai World Cup night.

“We haven’t decided yet (which race in Saudi Arabia) and we’re just keeping our options open. It’s very difficult to get away from a $20,000,000 race but the Neom Cup does look the easier race, so we will speak to the team and see what they think.”

Clubs’ desire to avoid tough sanctions for financial rule breaches could be a big factor in the spectacular drop in Premier League transfer spending this month, a football finance expert has said.

Financial services firm Deloitte has told the PA news agency that by January 23 last year £435million had been spent by the 20 top-flight clubs – 10 times more than by the same date this year.

Spending reached a record £815m by the end of the January 2023 window, but so far this month Tottenham’s purchase of Romania defender Radu Dragusin from Genoa for a reported £26.7m is one of a small number of permanent deals to have been completed, with loan moves dominating.

The relative quiet comes following a 10-point deduction imposed on Everton in November by an independent commission for breaching the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR). The commission found the club had acted “irresponsibly” and concluded they “overspent”, largely on the purchase of new players.

Everton expect to learn the outcome of their appeal against that sanction by the end of next month, but were referred to an independent commission again earlier this month, along with Nottingham Forest this time, for breaching PSR in the period ending last season. Those cases should be resolved before the end of this season under a new fast-track process agreed by the clubs.

Tim Bridge, lead partner in Deloitte’s Sports Business Group, told PA: “It would be remiss not to talk about the impact (on transfer spending) of some of the regulatory moves that the Premier League has made and the independent bodies that work with the Premier League have made to really focus on how the Premier League is governed.

“You look at what’s happened with Everton, you look at what’s happened with Nottingham Forest, obviously there are ongoing investigations with other clubs as well.

“That will, I expect, have driven an underlying caution and also a real need to ensure that any value in the transfer market is as good as it possibly can be.”

Bridge did not rule out a “late flurry” of activity in the final week of the window but added: “I do think that some of those deals that maybe we’re used to seeing earlier in the window are either not being considered because of the regulatory challenge and the need to be compliant, which is a good thing, but also that element of the selling club really wanting to make sure that it drives the absolute value (of their players).”

Kawhi Leonard claimed there is a "different dynamic" to the Los Angeles Lakers when LeBron James is out.

Leonard recorded a triple-double of 25 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, while James Harden had 23 points and 10 assists, as the Los Angeles Clippers defeated a Lakers team shorn of superstar James 127-116 on Tuesday.

James was out with an ankle issue, with the Lakers treating his recovery on a day-to-day basis.

While the Clippers have won 11 of their last 13 games, the Lakers have now lost four road wins on the spin.

Leonard suggested there was a noticeable difference to the Lakers, not that players did not step up in James' absence. D'Angelo Russell led the Lakers with 27 points and Anthony Davis had 26.

"It's a different dynamic with him not being out there," Leonard said.

"You saw guys came in and stepped up and made big shots for him."

Reflecting on the Clippers' display, Leonard added: "Everybody contributed to the win. That's what we've got to do, knock down shots when they're open and tonight we did."

Despite a win that has taken the Clippers, who are fourth in the Western Conference, to a 28-14 winning record, coach Tyronn Lue said there is still plenty to improve on.

"Just overall, [we] didn't play a good mental game and we didn't do a good job with our coverages, especially defensively," Lue said.

"We were all over the place. We've just got to continue to keep getting better."

Leonard added: "They're a good transition team and we allowed them to play to their strengths. We just got to be better at that."

Lakers boss Darvin Ham, meanwhile, took positives from the defeat.

He said: "Like I told them just now, a lot of good things we did during this game.

"Our guys competed, competed their butts off. The [Clippers are] going to make you pay [for mistakes], that's how they're built.

"They are in a really good rhythm. But that said, I think the lesson tonight is how we competed, how we competed together. Again, guys taking accountability for mistakes and not making them twice.

"Trying to get better defensively as the game was ticking away. Disappointed in the loss but proud of how our guys competed minus LeBron."

On LeBron's status, Ham added: "Just trying to be proactive with his ankle. He'll probably be day-to-day. But that's pretty much it."

Gavin Cromwell has the chance to go back-to-back in the Pertemps Network Lady Protectress Mares’ Chase when he saddles the hat-trick-seeking Brides Hill at Huntingdon on Thursday.

The Irish handler made a successful raid on the two-and-a-half-mile Listed event with Jeremys Flame 12 months ago and now attempts to repeat the dose with the in-form seven-year-old who is unbeaten this term.

A winner at Listowel in September, she showed plenty of guts to oblige favourite-backers at Fairyhouse last month and now crosses the Irish Sea looking to continue on her upward curve.

Cromwell said: “She’s really suited to the race, conditions should suit and she’s going there fresh. She hasn’t run since the Winter Festival meeting at Fairyhouse in December and I’m looking forward to her running.

“It would be great to win it again. This has always been the plan after Fairyhouse to come here.”

Cromwell is no stranger to plundering these mares events and as well as winning this in 2023, his Limerick Lace landed a blow at Doncaster in the Yorkshire Silver Vase Mares’ Chase over the Christmas period.

Dr Richard Newland and Jamie Insole’s La Renommee (second), Amy Murphy’s Carole’s Pass (third) and Venetia Williams’ Pink Legend (fourth) were left to fight it out for minor honours on that occasion and will be hoping for a better result this time, while Syd Hosie’s Plenty Of Time arrives off the back of a wide-margin victory at Wincanton.

Dan Skelton has got his hands on this prize twice in the last 10 years and entrusts the versatile Sacre Coeur with providing him with another success.

The eight-year-old’s victory at Ludlow last month was her fifth in 10 chasing appearances and having struck up a useful partnership with conditional jockey Tristan Durrell, could now provide the 22-year-old with the first Listed triumph of his career.

Durrell said: “This is a step back in trip and grade for her, but she was really good at Ludlow last time out. She always runs her race and she has had a bit of a freshen up since the last day.

“I won on her over an extended two miles five (furlongs) earlier in the season at Fontwell and that is a stiff enough finish there up that hill so going back up in trip should be no problem at all.

“I thought she ran a good race at Aintree as she was keener than usual, but she kept going on ground that was really testing.

“I think when you have ridden a horse a few times on the track it does mean that bit more when you win on them and we will be doing our best to go for it here.”

Elsewhere on the card, the Nicky Henderson-trained Steal A March bids to make up for lost time in the Pertemps qualifier and move a step closer to giving the King and Queen a runner at the Cheltenham Festival.

The nine-year-old – who has the distinction of being a winner for the late Queen on Platinum Jubilee weekend – had been in line to become the royal couple’s first runner at the showpiece meeting last year after winning a qualifier for the Pertemps Final at Wincanton on Boxing Day in 2022. 

However, a late setback meant those plans had to be shelved and while he was only fifth of six on his return at Newbury in December, Henderson is expecting a step forward back up in trip.

“Steal A March was going to the Cheltenham Festival last year, and he was all ready for it, but he had a little issue three weeks before which was real bad luck,” said the Seven Barrows handler, who also runs Chantry House.

“He has got a run under his belt, which is a help, as he needs a huge amount of work. He is a horse that takes plenty of getting ready.

“I hope he is more ready than the first time as he definitely needed it, but that is him. The step back up in trip to three-miles-one (furlong) will suit him as well.

“That was the plan, to have Steal A March run at the Cheltenham Festival last year, so let’s hope we can do it this year.”

He added: “This is a good race for Chantry House as it has been a long-term project for him back over hurdles. That ground at Sandown last time was desperate so you have got to excuse him that run. 

“I need them both in this race as I want them both qualified for the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham so we will be trying to win it, don’t you worry.”

No changes are imminent to the handicap system in Britain in relation to capping the number of runners a trainer can have in a race, the British Horseracing Authority has said.

As had been suggested in reports at the time, the ruling body consulted stakeholders to garner their views regarding the possibility of limiting the amount of runners a trainer could declare in Class 1 or Class 2 handicaps to four.

If such a rule change was introduced, it would clearly have a major impact on the Randox Grand National at Aintree, as well as several handicaps at the Cheltenham Festival.

Gordon Elliott made headlines when saddling the vast majority of the field in the Troytown Chase at Navan in November, winning it with Coko Beach.

BHA chief operating officer Richard Wayman said: “As we said at the time, on occasion the BHA will seek views of industry participants on a range of issues.

“In this case, prompted in part by the situation where one trainer saddled 14 of the 20 runners in the Troytown Chase in Ireland, we gathered opinions on a topic which is sometimes debated across the sport, regarding potentially imposing a limit on the number of runners one trainer can run in a major handicap. The issue was discussed in the context of sustaining the sport’s ongoing appeal to customers.

“Having considered the feedback and discussed the matter at the sport’s commercial committee and BHA board it has been agreed not to take any immediate action in regards to this matter, but to keep the issue under review.”