Jeremy Scott’s Dashel Drasher could briefly resume his chasing career after his placed run in the Howden Long Walk Hurdle.

The fan favourite, now 11 years old, had a lucrative spell in staying hurdles last season but is also a well-regarded chaser with four successes over fences on his CV – including the Grade One Ascot Chase.

Second in the Relkeel Hurdle, the Cleeve Hurdle and the Stayers’ Hurdle last season, the latter a placing gained upon appeal, the gelding returned to action this term to finish third in the bet365 Hurdle at Wetherby in November.

He then headed to Newbury for the Long Distance Hurdle, a Grade Two event he won by a head from fellow veteran Paisley Park – another stalwart of the division.

Both horses lined up for the Long Walk to give Fergal O’Brien’s Crambo a run for his money, with the young horse coming out on top as Paisley Park was second behind him and Dashel Drasher in third place.

Scott could now call on his stable star’s versatility as the horse’s next outing could either be a hurdle start or a brief return to chasing, though both paths will likely lead to the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

“He’s doing really well. He did pull a muscle, I think over the last hurdle because he went quite long there, so we’ve had a little hold-up there,” said Scott.

“That’s probably neither here nor there and we’ve sorted that out, so he’s fighting fit for the end of the month or the beginning of next month.

“He could either go back to the Cleeve (Hurdle, at Cheltenham) or go for the Denman (Chase, at Newbury), I’ve a notion to do that.”

Should Dashel Drasher head for the Denman he may meet Nicky Henderson’s Shishkin and Paul Nicholls’ Bravemansgame, with the going pivotal to the decision made.

“It’s just a matter of the timing and the ground as to which direction we go in, but he’s very well at the moment and one of those is the plan,” Scott said.

“I’d imagine he’d go for the Stayer’s Hurdle either way, there’s nothing for him over fences really at Cheltenham, only the Gold Cup and I wouldn’t quite think he was up to that.”

Andy Farrell’s elevation to head coach of the British and Irish Lions is anything but a surprise.

The recently-crowned World Rugby coach of the year was odds-on favourite to land one of the sport’s most prestigious posts after establishing Ireland as global heavyweights.

His impressive impact in Dublin has attracted admirers far and wide and he will spearhead the 2025 tour of Australia with the full support of his predecessor.

“It is the opportunity now for someone else to be head coach and Andy Farrell would have my backing for the job,” Warren Gatland, who selected Farrell as one of his assistants for the Lions tours in 2013 and 2017, said in October.

“You cannot deny what Ireland have achieved as a nation over the last few years. There is no doubt that Andy has done a fantastic job.”

Farrell’s true emergence as the outstanding candidate to succeed Gatland came in 2022 when he masterminded Ireland’s stunning series success in New Zealand.

The historic achievement launched a 17-match winning streak which brought Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam glory, victory over each of rugby’s leading nations and a prolonged spell at the top of the world rankings.

Defeat to the All Blacks in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals in October 2023 finally halted the record-breaking run of victories.

Yet that disappointment did little to damage the rising stock of a born leader renowned for emotional intelligence, superb man-management skills, a shrewd rugby brain and an unflappable mentality.

“Everyone runs into camp and never wants to leave – it’s an incredible place to be,” recently-retired Ireland captain Johnny Sexton said of the environment fostered by Farrell.

“I’ve not really seen a manager tick all the boxes like he does.”

Born in Wigan in May 1975, Farrell represented his hometown club in rugby league with distinction.

He made his first-team debut in November 1991 at the age of 16 – two months after the birth of son Owen, the current England captain – and regularly lifted silverware, in addition to twice being named Man of Steel.

Farrell switched codes to play for Saracens in 2005 but the transition was severely hampered by foot surgery and back problems, including a prolapsed disc after a car crash.

Injuries limited him to just eight Test caps in rugby union and kept him sidelined for the latter stages of England’s run to the 2007 World Cup final, where they finished as runners-up to South Africa.

Farrell was later joined at Saracens by a teenage Owen and then remained with the Premiership club following retirement in 2009 to begin his coaching career before joining the England set-up under Stuart Lancaster ahead of the 2012 Six Nations.

Four years later, the 48-year-old headed across the Irish Sea seeking to rebuild his reputation after being dismissed by newly-appointed England coach Eddie Jones in the aftermath of a dismal home World Cup.

Farrell, who initially served as Ireland’s defence coach under Joe Schmidt before stepping into the leading role following the 2019 World Cup, has since given the RFU cause for regret.

Following a rocky transitional period amid the coronavirus pandemic, his vision of a slick system of short, swift interplay clicked into gear in devastating fashion and to widespread acclaim.

His well-earned reward has been two contract extensions from the IRFU – initially until 2025 and then 2027 – and now an opportunity to lead the Lions.

The Englishman is tasked with returning the multi-nation team to winning ways following a 2-1 defeat to the Springboks in 2021.

“He loves everything about the Lions and he epitomises what’s great about it,” said two-time tourist Tommy Bowe, who was coached by Farrell on the victorious trip to Australia in 2013.

“He’s very much about working extremely hard on the pitch but also being able to have a laugh off the pitch and I think that’s what the Lions is.”

Andy Farrell has been confirmed as the British and Irish Lions head coach for their 2025 tour to Australia.

Farrell will lead the Lions for the first time after serving as an assistant under Warren Gatland for the 2013 and 2017 visits to Australia and New Zealand respectively.

“It is a tremendous honour and a privilege to be named head coach of the British and Irish Lions,” the 48-year-old Englishman said.

“There is a wealth of talent across Britain and Ireland, and I am looking forward to building a team that can deliver the ultimate goal of success in Australia.”

Judicieuse Allen could be set for a step up in class on her next start having shown a blistering turn of foot when making a winning start for trainer Willie Mullins over the Christmas period.

A €100,000 buy, the five-year-old was sourced by Valentine Bloodstock’s Ed Partridge in partnership with Thurloe Thoroughbred’s Jess Stafford from French handler Gabriel Leenders and was bred by Bruno Vagne, the man responsible for producing Grade One and Cheltenham Festival champions Espoir D’Allen and Envoi Allen.

Sent off the 6-5 favourite for her eagerly-awaited first start in the Thurloe Thoroughbred silks at Limerick, she produced a performance full of potential as she sprinted home at a rate of knots in the hands of Adrian Heskin to claim first prize close to the line.

Delighted with the result, connections can now look forward to the future, with a possible outing in Fairyhouse’s SBK Solerina Mares Novice Hurdle on January 27 raised as an option by her trainer.

“She has come out of the race OK – which is the main thing – and I think the plan is to run her at the end of the month at Fairyhouse,” said Thurloe’s James Stafford.

“It’s very early days, but she showed a nice turn of foot that day (at Limerick) and I don’t think it was just other horses stopping. I think she finished quite well having got into a bit of trouble.

“She’s a nice mare and there’s definitely ability there. She showed a bit in France before we bought her and she certainly showed her turn of foot at Limerick. I was very pleased and Willie was pleased, which is the main thing.

“We are very pleased with her, but it is still early days – it was only her first run so we must not get too carried away.

“We haven’t had a long-term discussion with Willie about it, but the Solerina was mooted and that is where we are at the moment. But the fact he is even considering it is quite a good sign. Willie will decide, but the end of the month is definitely something we have on the radar.”

Although at the early stages of hopefully a long and fruitful career, Judicieuse Allen is already a part of Closutton folklore having been part of Mullins’ fantastic across-the-card seven-timer at Limerick and Leopardstown on December 27.

It was Judicieuse Allen that kick-started that fabulous afternoon for the master trainer, who expressed his delight at seeing the Thurloe youngster find the scoresheet.

Stafford added: “Willie sent me a very nice message after the race when he was having winners all over the place – he had seven winners that day.

“I called her one of his magnificent seven and I think she set the ball rolling. I got a very nice message saying how thrilled he was and he wouldn’t have done that just for the sake of it.”

Kawhi Leonard is hopeful that his new deal will help the Los Angeles Clippers keep hold of their other star players.

Leonard, who is enjoying a fine season, has signed a three-year contract extension with the Clippers, reportedly worth $153million.

However, that is less than Leonard was eligible for. The 32-year-old, along with his teammate Paul George, went into the season eligible for a maximum extension of four years, worth $223m, via ESPN.

But Leonard believes taking a hit on this contract will aid the Clippers as they look to keep both George and James Harden, who has impressed since joining Los Angeles in a trade from the Philadelphia Eagles in October. 

After scoring 29 points in a 126-120 win over his old team the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, Leonard told reporters: "With the conversation that I have with them about it, I think for the most part everybody is coming back.

"So with me signing an extension, I think it gives us a chance to sign both of those players."

"It just made sense from both sides," Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said of Leonard's new deal.

"We both wanted the same thing. We wanted Kawhi to be a Clipper for a very long time, and Kawhi wants to be a Clipper for a very long time, and we wanted to put the focus on the team and at the same time it just came together where it just made sense where it was a very fair deal for both sides.

"Kawhi was a great partner. There's harsh penalties for high-spending teams, and Kawhi understood it."

Asked if Leonard's contract extension was an encouraging sign for his own future with the Clippers, George said: "Absolutely. You secure and lock in Kawhi. Definitely leaves the door open for myself, but very, very optimistic something will get done on my behalf, as well."

The Clippers have lost just three of their last 20 games, rising up to fourth in the Western Conference in the process, and coach Tyronn Lue has his sights set firmly on the playoffs.

“I think half of it is great talent, and I think half of it is execution, and we got to be 100 per cent execution with our talent, and that makes for a dangerous team," Lue said.

"When you get to the playoffs it's a whole different animal, and so we've got to start building those habits.

"We're doing it a little bit at a time, but we've got to start progressing a little bit more as far as being better with our execution and what we're trying to do."

Tom Hartley accepts England have taken a “bit of a punt” in selecting him for a daunting trip to India but the slow left-armer believes he has the tools to thrive.

England’s focus was not on Hartley’s 19 wickets at a modest 44.84 apiece in last year’s LV= Insurance County Championship when they named him in their squad for the upcoming five-match Test series.

Instead, they are banking on Hartley harnessing India’s spinning surfaces in a manner comparable to Ravindra Jadeja and especially Axar Patel, who was England’s nemesis on their last Test tour in 2021.

Hartley’s only previous excursion to India was with Lancashire four years ago although an England Lions training camp in Abu Dhabi a couple of months ago has given him some confidence for the weeks ahead.

“With the conditions being completely different to English conditions, they’ve really analysed what has done well in India and what will do well,” the 24-year-old told the PA news agency.

“It’s nice to see people recognise that I might be the bowler to go out in India and do well. When people have confidence in you like that, it’s fantastic.

“I just feel all that confidence has been passed on to me and I can’t wait to go out there. My stats might not be the best in championship cricket but I bowl very similar to Axar and Jadeja.

“They’re taking a bit of a punt but I feel like I’ve proved myself in the training camps that I’ve been on and I deserve to get a go.”

Hartley suspects he will have a supplementary role if he is given the nod for a series which begins in Hyderabad on January 25, with only Jack Leach among England’s four main spinners capped more than once.

But Hartley, whose international career has comprised of just two ODI appearances against Ireland last year, has given plenty of consideration on how he intends to bowl to the likes of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

“Although I haven’t played much cricket out there, I’m going with a feeling of what I need to bowl,” he said. “I see a lot of similarities between my white-ball bowling here and red-ball bowling out there.

“I feel like the pace, the revs you want to put on it and the shape of the ball will be very similar to white-ball areas – you just want to bowl that little bit fuller.

“As much as Indian’s batters are good players of spin, the conditions should be in my favour. You’ve just got to try not to over-complicate things and keep things simple and keep the stumps in play.

“India’s spinners are great but can we perform as well as them? There will be a lot of fight in us. I won’t be playing as a frontline spinner, so there won’t be tons of pressure on me.”

Hartley, who could also extract extra bounce from a 6ft 4in frame, has been taking on board advice from Graeme Swann, revealing the former England spinner’s straightforward approach is a breath of fresh air.

As for whether he has a similar outgoing demeanour as a spinner who took 255 wickets in 60 Tests and is now a consultant bowling coach, Hartley prefers to keep his cool but is not frightened to speak up.

“Once I’m in a battle or someone’s p*****g me off a bit, I’m not afraid to say what I want to say,” Hartley added, ahead of linking up with England on Thursday for a 11-day training camp in Abu Dhabi.

“That really has to be in the moment sort of feel but I’ve done a bit of both and found that just staying as relaxed as possible and having as little emotion as possible works for me.”

What the papers say

Conor Gallagher is reportedly at the head of Tottenham’s transfer wishlist as Ange Postecoglou searches for a number eight. According to The Independent, Spurs are aiming to complete the transfer in January, with Chelsea bosses believed to be willing to make a deal for the right price.

Staying with Tottenham, The Independent says Bayern Munich are in talks to sign Spurs defender Eric Dier. It comes after the north London outfit beat Bayern in the race for the signature of centre-back Radu Dragusin.

The Telegraph reports Newcastle have had an approach for forward Dominic Solanke turned down by Bournemouth. Bosses at the Cherries are said to be determined not to release the 26-year-old this month.

Brentford and Crystal Palace are interested in Sunderland forward Jack Clarke, according to the Evening Standard.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Erling Haaland: AS reports Real Madrid are assessing a potential approach for the Manchester City striker amid concerns over whether Kylian Mbappe will leave Paris St Germain to join them.

Hannibal Mejbri: The Evening Standard says the Manchester United midfielder is on the brink of a move to Sevilla after choosing the LaLiga side over Everton, with the loan fee reportedly stretching to seven figures.

Valeri Nichushkin scored two power-play goals and Alexander Georgiev stopped 25 shots for his second shutout of the season as the Colorado Avalanche defeated the slumping Vegas Golden Knights, 3-0 on Wednesday.

Logan O’Connor also scored and Nathan MacKinnon had an assist to extend his season-opening home points streak to 23 games.

MacKinnon is the fourth player in NHL history with a season-opening home points streak of at least 23 games. The others are Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito.

MacKinnon also tied Joe Sakic (2000-01) for the longest home points streak at any stage of a season in franchise history.

Colorado improved to 8-1-1 in its last 10 games and pulled within one point of Central Division-leading Winnipeg.

The Golden Knights have dropped seven of nine games overall and six straight on the road.

Stars roll past slumping Wild

Nils Lundkvist had a goal and an assist and Esa Lindell set up three scores as the Dallas Stars completed a season sweep of the Minnesota Wild with a 7-2 rout.

Joe Pavelski, Matt Duchene, Roope Hintz, Jason Robertson, Tyler Seguin and Sam Steel also scored for the Stars, who won all three games this season against the Wild by a 19-5 score.

Matt Boldy had a goal and an assist as Minnesota dropped to 1-6-0 in its last seven games.

Jesper Wallstedt made his NHL debut in net for the Wild and stopped 27 of 34 shots.

Couturier lifts Flyers over Canadiens in shootout

Sean Couturier tallied the only goal in the shootout and the Philadelphia Flyers rallied for a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost scored in regulation for the Flyers, who overcame as 2-0 deficit to cap a four-game homestand with its third victory in 10 games.

Sean Monahan and David Savard had goals and Cayden Primeau stopped 37 shots for Montreal, which has lost five of seven.

Defenseman Jamie Drysdale had an assist in his Flyers debut after he was acquired from Anaheim on Monday for top prospect Cutter Gauthier.

Nicolas Anelka joined Chelsea from Bolton on this day in 2008.

The France striker, then aged 28, completed a move to Avram Grant’s side for a fee of £15million.

The Blues had been looking for extra firepower to help them overcome the loss of Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou to Africa Cup of Nations duty.

“Chelsea are a big club. I have proved that I can score goals at the top level and I can do the same for Chelsea,” said the much-travelled Anelka, who counted Arsenal, Real Madrid, Paris St Germain, Liverpool and Manchester City among his former clubs.

“I want to tell the Chelsea fans that I see this as a great opportunity and an honour to play for Chelsea and I will not disappoint them.

“Chelsea is the team I really wanted to join and I hope this will be the last club that I play for.

“I am delighted everything has been sorted out. This was a fantastic opportunity that I couldn’t turn down.

“I am really looking forward to working with Avram and Chelsea’s style of football really suits my game.”

Anelka would go on to score 59 goals in 184 games for the Blues and his time at Stamford Bridge saw him win the Premier League and two FA Cups.

However, he saw his effort saved in the decisive spot-kick in the 2008 Champions League final penalty shootout defeat by Manchester United in Moscow.

Anelka left Chelsea in January 2012 when he moved to Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua and he had further spells at Juventus and West Brom before finishing his career with Indian club Mumbai City.

The British and Irish Lions are expected to name Andy Farrell as their head coach for the 2025 tour to Australia.

Farrell is set to take charge of the Lions for the first time having served as an assistant under Warren Gatland on the 2013 and 2017 trips to Australia and New Zealand respectively.

The 48-year-old Englishman would succeed Gatland in one of the most prestigious roles in the game having impressed during his four-year reign as Ireland head coach, masterminding a Grand Slam and a historic 2-1 series victory in New Zealand.

Ireland also topped the global rankings until being nudged into second place by South Africa, who were crowned back-to-back world champions last autumn.

While the World Cup proved a disappointment because of the quarter-final exit inflicted by the All Blacks, Farrell has shaped an outstanding side who should provide the largest number of players to his Lions squad.

The former dual code international missed the 2021 tour to South Africa because of his Ireland commitments, but he will lead the home unions against the Wallabies with the blessing of the Irish Rugby Football Union.

When Farrell’s contract was extended to 2027 in December, IRFU performance director David Nucifora said: “We’d be ecstatic if Andy was named coach of the Lions so hopefully that accolade is the next one for him.”

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Farrell won eight caps as a centre in 2007 following his move from Wigan rugby league club and then moved into coaching, first with Saracens and then with England, serving as an assistant to Stuart Lancaster.

He joined Ireland after the 2015 World Cup and succeeded Joe Schmidt as their head coach four years later.

He has yet to experience defeat with the Lions having helped clinch a 2-1 series victory over Australia in 2013 and drawn series with New Zealand in 2017.

Emma Raducanu will make her grand slam return against American Shelby Rogers at the Australian Open.

Rogers was one of the players Raducanu, who is playing her first major tournament for a year following surgery on both wrists and one ankle, beat on her way to the US Open title in 2021.

Raducanu made a positive return in Auckland last week, pushing Elina Svitolina in the second round before tiring, but alarm bells began ringing when she pulled out of first an exhibition match at Melbourne Park on Tuesday and then another exhibition at the Kooyong Classic on Thursday.

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However, Raducanu’s team insisted both were precautionary after she felt some soreness following a practice session on Monday and she practised for two hours at Melbourne Park on Thursday.

Raducanu looked relaxed and happy hitting with fellow British player Lily Miyazaki under the guidance of coach Nick Cavaday, with no strapping or obvious signs of discomfort.

Rogers is a kind draw on paper with the 31-year-old also coming off a long break having not played since Wimbledon and ranked down at 156.

All the British women avoided seeds in the first round, with Katie Boulter drawing China’s Yuan Yue and Jodie Burrage taking on German Tamara Korpatsch.

An intriguing women’s draw was headlined by top seed Iga Swiatek taking on 2020 champion Sofia Kenin, with the winner to play either another past winner in the returning Angelique Kerber or former finalist Danielle Collins.

Four-time grand slam champion Swiatek is the only one of that quartet who is yet to reach the final in Melbourne, although she will be a strong favourite to come through.

Naomi Osaka, who like Kerber is returning after having a baby, makes her grand slam comeback against 16th seed Caroline Garcia while reigning champion Aryna Sabalenka faces a qualifier.

Caroline Wozniacki’s first match in Melbourne since her retirement here in 2020 will be against 20th seed Magda Linette, with the Dane having returned to the sport last summer, reaching the fourth round of the US Open.

Andy Murray was the only British player to draw a seed, with the five-time former finalist taking on 25th-rated Argentinian Tomas Martin Etcheverry.

Should the Scot make the third round, he would expect to find himself up against top seed Novak Djokovic, who will open against a qualifier.

Cameron Norrie, the only British seed at 19, faces Peru’s Juan Pablo Varillas, with Jack Draper meeting American Marcos Giron and Dan Evans playing Italian Lorenzo Sonego.

Fourth seed Jannik Sinner was drawn in the top half as a potential semi-final opponent for Djokovic while Carlos Alcaraz and third seed Daniil Medvedev are in the bottom half.