World Athletics president Lord Coe fears fans – and athletes – could be priced out of next summer’s Olympics in Paris.
Coe is concerned over sky-high costs, with tickets for an athletics session at the Stade de France costing as much as £850 on the official Paris 2024 website. The cheapest admission for an evening session is £170.
Athletics remains the number one Olympic sport and, after sell-out crowds at August’s World Championships in Budapest, Coe is mindful of the costs.
“These are going to be the most expensive ticket prices in an athletics arena that we have witnessed at an Olympic Games,” he said. “We asked for a balance.
“The most important element here is you want fans in the stadium, you want fans within affordable prices. I know the challenge on a budget – 25 per cent of our budget in London was tickets.
“Our ticket strategy was built three years before the Games. We knew more about our fans at the end of that. We had some expensive tickets in there but we also had a lot at affordable prices.
“These are difficult balances for any organising committee, but if I am wearing my World Athletics hat, I don’t want fans being costed out of the stadium and I certainly don’t want athletes and their families being costed out of the stadium.
“If you look over the course of an athlete’s career, there are very few athletes that are able to sit down and say they got in commercial
sponsorship more than what their families put in.
“Most are sitting there at the end of a 15-year career and saying it was my families that bore the brunt of what I did, in terms of funding time, commitment and all the things. I want to be respectful for them, so that’s the challenge.
“We have made the point that these prices are lumpy. In Budapest we had very affordable price tickets. Tokyo (2025 World Championships) we will make sure we get the same as well.
“There are always going to be premium tickets, but it is important that our stadiums are full of people that love our sport, not people that can afford to get to an Olympics.”
Coe also said his vote for BBC Sports Personality of the Year on Tuesday evening would go to world heptathlon champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson, who regained her title in Budapest after recovering from a serious Achilles injury.
The 30-year-old has been shortlisted along with England goalkeeper Mary Earps, former cricketer Stuart Broad, jockey Frankie Dettori, tennis player Alfie Hewett and golfer Rory McIlroy, but Coe felt there should also have been a spot for 1500m world champion Josh Kerr.
“It’s a world championship,” Coe said. “Of course I’m going to say this, but this isn’t being remotely disparaging about anyone else on that list. That’s not my issue.
“The issue is that there are two truly global sports; one is football, one is track and field. Both Katarina and Josh Kerr won a world championship in one of the most fiercely competitive sports on the planet.
“Do I think there was room for both of them on that list? Of course I do. There is only Katarina Johnson-Thompson, so of course I’m going to say, as the president of World Athletics, I would be voting for her, because she’s a world champion, it was an extraordinary comeback, and she won a global world championship.”
Pep Guardiola has called for change as the fixture burden on players continues to increase.
The Manchester City manager was speaking in light of FIFA’s decision to expand the Club World Cup to a 32-team tournament from 2025.
Guardiola insists he is not against the new event in principle – and City are already guaranteed a place – but he feels something has to give somewhere to ease the workload on players.
The Spaniard told reporters at a press conference: “I am not against the new competitions. I am against the lack of time to recover from year to year.
“This is what I am complaining (about) all the time. For me it doesn’t matter to play every three days, six days, seven days. It is OK.
“But it is really tough to finish the season and then in three weeks restart again and go to Asia, to be financially stable, or the States. That is really, really tough, for ourselves and especially for the players. For myself, things should change. This is my point.
“But how do you change when (after) you finish the season, you go to the States to play another competition? This is the problem.”
Guardiola was speaking in Saudi Arabia, where Champions League winners City are preparing for this year’s edition of the Club World Cup.
They face Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds, the Asian champions, in their semi-final in Jeddah on Tuesday.
“It’s a pleasure to be here, it’s an honour,” said Guardiola.
“It’s the first time Man City are here. That shows how difficult it is. We won’t take it for granted. We take it as a privilege.
“Of course we want to win it. It is a trophy we don’t have. We want to close a little circle, that we have won all the trophies we could do. This is the last one.”
Midfielder Bernardo Silva admitted the schedule facing players at the top level was difficult but was not complaining.
The Portuguese said: “We were not consulted but we try to do our jobs, to represent our clubs the best possible way, and the people that pay our salaries and the fans that support us.
“The reality is the amount of games we have nowadays, and even more with the new competitions, if you look at it, it is a bit crazy because of the rest that players get and the risk of injury is up quite a lot.
“At the end we cannot complain because we earn a lot of money but in my opinion, for the people that love the game, and are entertained by the game, if we have this many games for so long, at the end the games will lose the energy and the intensity.”
City again seem likely to be without striker Erling Haaland, who has missed the last three games with a foot injury. Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku are also with the squad as they near returns to action but they are not expected to play.
West Indies T20I Captain Rovman Powell, ODI vice-captain Alzarri Joseph and the ninth-ranked T20I bowler in the world, Akeal Hosein, headline a number of West Indians vying for selection in the IPL player Auction scheduled for Tuesday.
Powell, one of the world’s most destructive T20 batsmen, most recently represented the Delhi Capitals last season and has also represented the Kolkata Knight Riders previously.
He made his debut in 2022 and has scored 257 runs in 17 matches at an average of 19.77 with a top score of 67*.
Joseph made his IPL debut in 2019 and has taken 20 wickets in 19 matches including a career best 6-12 for the Mumbai Indians. Last season, Joseph played for the Gujarat Titans who won the title.
Hosein has only made one IPL appearance, taking the field for the Sunrisers Hyderabad last season.
Brandon King, Sherfane Rutherford, Fabian Allen, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Keemo Paul, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Obed McCoy, Oshane Thomas, Odean Smith and Shamar Joseph are the other West Indians entered into Tuesday’s auction.
King, Forde, Hope and Joseph are the only ones with no previous IPL experience.
Liam Livingstone prioritises his strike-rate and volume of sixes over time-honoured indicators of success such as averages and milestones.
The England all-rounder’s swashbuckling 103 against Pakistan in July 2021 remains the only time he has passed 50 in 36 T20s although he frequently has to hit the ground running in the middle-order.
An average of 22.29 might seem underwhelming but Livingstone’s focus on strike-rates – his is 147.79 which is the highest of any England batter with at least 20 innings – represents the changing attitudes to batting in T20 cricket.
A cameo 30 off 18 balls kept England on course to chase down 223 against the West Indies on Saturday, underpinned by Phil Salt’s unbeaten century, and Livingstone will continue to bat with a bullish tempo.
“I couldn’t tell you how many fifties or hundreds I score any more,” Livingstone said. “It’s all about how many games that you can impact and winning games for your team. I’d much rather get 30 off 18 balls than 50 off 40 balls.
“Your strike-rate is something that you pride yourself on. In previous walks of life you’d probably have a bigger eye on your average. Nowadays I’m all about sixes per game and my strike-rate.
“Milestones are actually pretty meaningless in T20 cricket, it’s all about how you can affect the game and how you can win games.
“It was unbelievable for Salty to get a hundred but I think he’ll be much more pleased he’s seen an England team over the line by hitting sixes than getting a hundred for England.”
After averaging 10 in England’s doomed defence of their World Cup crown, Livingstone has passed double figures in all three T20s against the Windies but his innings in Grenada on Saturday was his highest.
Ahead of the penultimate match in Trinidad on Tuesday, Livingstone wants to have more of a decisive influence on proceedings as England bid to overturn a 2-1 series deficit in a region which is co-hosting next year’s T20 World Cup.
“Hopefully I’m back on an upward curve with my batting which has probably been on a downward curve for the last couple of months,” he said.
“I’ve felt really good in this series, really clear and like I’m heading in the right direction. With two games left hopefully one of them I can go on, get a big score and win a game for England.
“The best thing for us is it feels like from the start of the series to where we are now, we feel like we’re learning. I feel like we’ve taken a big step forward and ultimately that’s what we want to do.
“Obviously we want to win this series but there’s a World Cup coming up. There’s a lot of focus on that and hopefully these next two games can give us a lot of confidence.”
Livingstone will represent Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League next year after being retained by the franchise but several of his team-mates are up for grabs in Wednesday’s auction in Dubai.
The eight-hour time difference between the United Arab Emirates and the Caribbean means the England players on this tour who have entered the auction – such as Harry Brook and Adil Rashid – could be fast asleep when their names go under the hammer.
“I guess Brooky, being a Yorkshireman, he’s pretty tight, he’ll probably be right up at 4am hoping that he gets a few quid,” Livingstone said with a chuckle.
“But some of the boys will get picked up and I’m sure there’ll be a laugh on the way to the game.”
Tributes have been paid to “no bigger Blue” Bill Kenwright at a memorial service for the former Everton chairman.
Kenwright died in October aged 78 just a couple of weeks after a major operation to remove a cancerous tumour from his liver and after his family held a small, private funeral, his friends and colleagues from the world of football and entertainment attended Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral to pay their respects.
Current Toffees manager Sean Dyche and his first-team squad – as well as the club’s youth teams – were present as well as former managers and ex-players.
Sir Kenny Dalglish headed a delegation of officials and former players from Everton’s near-neighbours Liverpool, boxer and I’m A Celebrity runner-up Tony Bellew and Coleen Rooney, the wife of former Everton forward Wayne, were also in attendance, while there were also stars of stage and screen.
Mayor of Manchester and Everton fan Andy Burnham said: “Nobody was a bigger Blue than Bill. Nobody had a bigger heart than Bill.
“The legacy of Bill Kenwright is countless acts of generosity which lifted thousands of lives.”
On the building of a new ground at Bramley-Moore Dock, which the club will move to for the start of the 2025-26 season, Burnham said Kenwright’s “mission has been accomplished”.
However, Burnham said his proudest moment came when Kenwright was asked to address the service for the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster held at Anfield.
“His finest hour came in front of the Kop in 2014: here was the chairman of my football club giving a speech which was so right and so full of emotion – and I couldn’t have been prouder of him that day,” he added.
Margaret Aspinall, the former chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group who lost her son James in the 1989 disaster which claimed 97 lives, built up a close relationship with the former Everton chairman after he offered his support in the wake of the tragedy.
“On behalf of our city we are all going to miss Bill tremendously. Bill Kenwright will never walk alone,” she said.
Kenwright’s long-term partner, the actress Jenny Seagrove, admitted: “He wasn’t my Bill, he was our Bill. He never forgot where he came from.”
Former Everton midfielder Peter Reid also spoke at the service, saying: “What a fitting tribute it would be if we could win a trophy for him. No pressure Dychey.”
Current captain Seamus Coleman said that on his arrival at the club from Sligo Rovers in 2009, Kenwright “helped me understand what Everton Football Club meant to people. Thank you Mr Chairman for making me an Evertonian”.
Away from football, Rufus Norris, artistic director of the National Theatre, described Kenwright as “legendary”.
“He was an absolute giant in the theatre world,” he said.
Everton in the Community’s Spirit choir sang Elton John’s ‘I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues’, while there were also solo performances from Marti Pellow and former Spice Girl Mel C, who sang a song from Kenwright’s long-running West End musical Blood Brothers.
In keeping with his theatrical background there was a standing ovation from the congregation at the conclusion, which finished with a soundbite of Kenwright himself saying: “For one last time, good night and God bless.”
Pep Guardiola wants to “close a little circle” and add the Club World Cup to Manchester City’s trophy haul.
City, who claimed a glorious treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup last season, are in Saudi Arabia for the global competition this week.
They face Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds, the Asian champions, in their semi-final in Jeddah on Tuesday hoping to secure a place in Friday’s final.
City are strong favourites for the tournament but manager Guardiola insists it is far from a foregone conclusion.
Guardiola told reporters at his pre-match press conference: “It’s a pleasure to be here, it’s an honour.
“It’s the first time Man City are here. That shows how difficult it is. We won’t take it for granted. We take it as a privilege.
“Of course we want to win it. It is a trophy we don’t have. We want to close a little circle, that we have won all the trophies we could do. This is the last one.
“I don’t know if we’ll have another chance. Maybe it is a once in a lifetime. It is difficult to be here.
“I think the players know it and we are going to try to perform well tomorrow.”
City’s recent form has been inconsistent with just one win in their last six Premier League games.
Their latest frustrating result came on Saturday as they were pegged back by two late goals to draw 2-2 against Crystal Palace.
That left them five points behind leaders Arsenal but Guardiola is not concerned about performances.
He said: “We prefer better results but, except the Aston Villa game, our performances were excellent.
“We have to improve how we finish our games, be more aware of what we have to do in certain moments but hopefully we can maintain our level of passion and desire to play at a high level with and without the ball against Urawa.”
City are waiting on the fitness of striker Erling Haaland, who has missed the last three games with a foot injury.
Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku have travelled with the squad as they near returns from injury but are unlikely to play.
Midfielder Bernardo Silva said: “Erling is a big player for us, we can’t deny that, but the big strength at City in my time here is, no matter who is missing, we are the same team and we fight for all the titles.”
Silva insisted there was no lack of motivation among the players for the tournament.
He said: “When you play the FIFA Club World Cup there is no tiredness. We are motivated to come here and play the competition.”
Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Monday announced the West Indies Rising Stars Men’s Under 19s squad for the ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup. The 15th edition of the tournament will be played in South Africa from 19 January to 11 February 2024.
Top-order batter Stephan Pascal has been named as Captain with Nathan Sealy, the slow bowling allrounder as Vice-Captain. The 15-member squad features most of the players who toured Sri Lanka for three Youth One-Day Internationals (50-over matches) and two four-day “Test” matches in August and September.
The squad includes three players who played in the 2022 ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup which was staged in the West Indies. They are: fast bowler Isai Thorne, left-handed allrounder Nathan Edward and left-handed batter Jordan Johnson.
Thorne made his first-class debut for the West Indies Academy against Emerging Ireland last month and impressed with his pace. He took 12 wickets in two matches at an average of 6.16 per wicket. Johnson joined the West Indies A Team on the recent tour of South Africa where he made his first-class debut in the third and final four-day “Test” match.
The squad has assembled in Antigua for a one-week camp at the Coolidge Cricket Ground. During the camp, they will have training and fitness sessions along with planning sessions and personal development workshops.
Lead Selector Robert Haynes said:
“We have named a balanced squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup and we expect them to do very well in this prestigious international event. We had a good tour of Sri Lanka in August and September where the players gained valuable experience. This helped to prepare them for the upcoming assignment. Since that tour, we also had a camp in Trinidad where we played against the USA Under-19 and the Trinidad & Tobago Under-23 teams. They will be match-fit and mentally fully prepared when they journey to South Africa.”
Haynes added:
“This is a fantastic opportunity for these young men to represent the West Indies and showcase their talent, playing against their peers, in front of a global audience. This is a crucial stage in their development. They have received excellent preparation, help, and guidance from the coaches and support staff, and we expect to see them do very well.”
For the tournament, the West Indies have been drawn alongside hosts South Africa, Scotland, and England in Group B for their first-round matches. All three matches will be played at the J.B. Marks Oval in Potchefstroom. Before that, they will have warm-up matches against New Zealand and Nepal in Johannesburg.
India, who won the tournament in 2022 and are placed in Group A with Bangladesh, Ireland and the USA. Group C features Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, while Group D is made up of Afghanistan, Pakistan, New Zealand and Nepal. The top three sides from each group will progress to the Super Six phase to be played from 30 January to 3 February. The Semi-Finals will be on 6 and 8 February and the Final is on 11 February at Willowmore Park in Benoni.
FULL SQUAD
Stephan Pascal (Captain) – right-handed bat
Nathan Sealy (Vice Captain) – right-handed bat/left-arm spin
Jewel Andrew – right-handed bat/wicket-keeper
Mavendra Dindyal – right-handed bat/right-arm leg-spin bowler
Joshua Dorne – right-handed bat
Nathan Edward – left-handed bat/left-arm fast bowler
Tarrique Edward – right-handed bat/right-arm off-spin bowler
Reon Edwards – left-handed bat/left-arm fast bowler
Deshawn James – right-handed bat/right-arm fast bowler
Jordan Johnson – left-handed bat
Devonie Joseph – left-handed bat/wicket-keeper
Raneico Smith – right-handed bat/right-arm fast bowler
Isai Thorne – right-handed bat/right-arm fast bowler
Steve Wedderburn – left-handed bat
Adrian Weir – right-handed bat
Team Management
Rohan Nurse (Head Coach)
Rohan Clarke (Assistant Coach)
Nick Wilton (Assistant Coach)
Dwain Gill (Team Manager)
Dominic Angoy (Physiotherapist)
Gregory Seale (Strength and Conditioning Coach)
MATCH SCHEDULE
Warm-up matches
Sunday, 14 January: vs New Zealand at Braamfischer Oval, Johannesburg
Tuesday, 16 January: vs Nepal at St Stithians, Johannesburg
First round – Group B
Friday, 19 January: vs South Africa at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
Wednesday, 24 January: vs Scotland at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
Friday, 26 January: vs England at JB Marks Oval, Potchefstroom
Manchester City have been fined £120,000 after their players surrounded referee Simon Hooper in the 94th minute of their 3-3 draw with Tottenham earlier this month.
Hooper made the contentious call to bring play back after he initially played advantage following Emerson Royal’s mistimed challenge on Erling Haaland.
Haaland was able to get back to his feet and produce a through ball which sent Jack Grealish away, but Hooper blew his whistle to end their hopes of scoring a potential winner during that play against Spurs.
It sparked an animated reaction from Man City’s players with Haaland in particular incensed along with manager Pep Guardiola on the touchline.
Haaland expressed his frustration again at full-time and later made clear his bemusement with a post on social-media site X.
The Football Association has now fined City after they admitted their players behaved in an improper way.
“Manchester City FC have been fined £120,000 after their players surrounded a match official at the Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur FC on Sunday 3 December, an FA statement read.
“Manchester City FC admitted that they failed to ensure their players did not behave in an improper way during the 94th minute.
“An independent Regulatory Commission imposed this sanction following a hearing.”
Paul Nicholls remains confident Bravemansgame will put up a staunch defence of his crown in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton Park next week.
The eight-year-old was a brilliant 14-length winner of the Boxing Day showpiece last season, but has had to make do with minor honours on each of his four subsequent starts.
Bravemansgame was best of the rest behind Galopin Des Champs in the Cheltenham Gold Cup in March and rounded off his season with a third-placed finish at Punchestown.
He has been beaten at odds-on in his first two outings of this season, in the Charlie Hall at Wetherby and the Betfair Chase at Haydock, but Nicholls feels that while his Gold Cup effort may have taken its toll, his star chaser is showing signs at home he is returning to his peak ahead of what the Ditcheat handler considers as a “home game”.
“Bravemansgame won the race last year and then the season before he won the Kauto Star (Novices’ Chase) around Kempton,” he said.
“He loves it there and it is the ultimate track for him. It is almost a home game for him in many ways.
“Whether the Gold Cup left a mark on him, I don’t know, and it could be that it has just taken a while to get him back. He worked as well as he could work on Saturday, and he looks good. We are looking forward to the King George.”
Lat season saw Bravemansgame head straight to the King George following victory in the Charlie Hall, and Nicholls was initially planning on taking the same route this term.
However, having suffered defeat in West Yorkshire, the champion trainer decided to take in the Betfair Chase – and while he was beaten again, he insists he has no regrets.
He added: “The thing is, it is easy to wrap all these horses in cotton wool, but he is a year older and it was a very valuable race at Haydock.
“We knew he would need the run at Wetherby and with Betfair putting all the money into it at Haydock you want to make it as competitive as you can, and it was an interesting race.
“He ran a good race, and he was bang there for three miles. Then Daryl (Jacob) just looked after him. He had only run three weeks before it and between the two races I had been a bit easy on him. It suits him being fresh and doing a lot of work.
“Bryan (Drew, owner) was very keen to go for the race. He owns him outright and you respect his wishes. Ultimately his target, and my target, since he came in has been Boxing Day and he is ready for it. ”
Bravemansgame will be joined in the King George field by his veteran stablemate Frodon, who claimed a popular victory in the race three years ago under Bryony Frost and was last seen finishing third when seeking a second win in the Badger Beer Handicap Chase at Wincanton.
“Frodon loves it around Kempton and he is in really good form. He is not getting any younger, but he will still run a good race,” said Nicholls.
“He has been a great horse for us. He has come on from Wincanton where the ground went a bit soft and it didn’t quite work out.
“He has a huge task at the age of 11 against those younger legs, but he will still run a good race. He is a legend of a horse. It would be absolutely wonderful if he could finish third or fourth.”
On the same card Nicholls is planning to send Rubaud into battle against the mighty Constitution Hill in the Christmas Hurdle.
The trainer admits his Elite Hurdle hero faces an “impossible task”, but he is happy to roll the dice.
He said: “His form is progressive, and he keeps on winning, but this another big step he has got to take. You can never be afraid of one horse they say, but Constitution Hill is a special horse.
“He will be a hard horse to beat, but we will give it our best shot and if we finish second we will be delighted.
“I don’t think there is any chink in Constitution Hill’s armour, and he will be ready for this. Rubaud won the Elite Hurdle well, but this will be an impossible task on what we have seen from Constitution Hill.”
Mauricio Pochettino confirmed Christopher Nkunku is likely to make his Chelsea debut during Tuesday’s EFL Cup quarter-final against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge but urged fans not to expect him to instantly solve his team’s problems.
Nkunku, 26, has not played competitively for the club after injuring his knee on the pre-season United States tour, weeks after joining from RB Leipzig for £52million.
Last season’s Bundesliga top scorer with 16 goals, he was named in Pochettino’s squad for the first time for Saturday’s 2-0 win against Sheffield United as the team registered back-to-back Premier League home wins for the first time in over a year.
Despite warming up during the second half, the manager opted not to hand him his debut and admitted he had “one or two per cent doubt” about his readiness.
However, the France international is set to see action for the first time on Tuesday for Pochettino’s side, who despite enjoying 80 per cent possession in the first half against the Blades registered only a single shot on target before finally breaking the deadlock in the 54th minute.
“How I see today (Monday), I can tell you maybe he can play 20 minutes,” said the manager. “How I saw him before Saturday in my mind I had one per cent to two per cent of doubt. That’s why I didn’t want to take a risk.
“I need to be one hundred per cent, then things can happen. But if I have one per cent doubt…?
“It was good for him to feel in the warm-up, being involved with the team. But why take a risk when it was 2-0?
“One per cent in my mind was thinking I don’t know if it’s the right moment.”
Chelsea have scored 28 goals in 17 league games this campaign, nine more than at the same stage last season when they went on to record their lowest tally in almost a century, 38.
Yet those goals have come in inconsistent bursts, with the team failing to net at all in the league during September before recovering to knock in 14 in five games several weeks later.
On Saturday, they subjected fans to a desperately poor first half during which they created barely a single chance.
“(Nkunku has trained) only in the last few weeks, after four or five months he was out,” said Pochettino. “The team has evolved and the situation has changed.
“My worry is to put too much pressure on him, to say ‘now has arrived the guy to make us win every single game, to change everything’. I don’t believe it’s going to be like that.
“He needs time to recover his fitness. Hopefully he’ll play tomorrow and score three goals, then be consistent. But the most important thing is not to put too much pressure on him.
“He still hasn’t made his debut in the Premier League and we know how tough that can be for every player that came from outside of England.”
Nico de Boinville insists everything possible has been done to prevent Shishkin from downing tools again in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase, but ultimately it will be up to the horse himself to behave at Kempton.
The nine-year-old has been a marvellous servant for Seven Barrows handler Nicky Henderson, winning 13 times under rules and claiming multiple Grade One victories.
However, he blotted his copybook when refusing to race in the 1965 Chase at Ascot last month and has been denied the chance to get back on track since that mishap.
A potential run in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle was ruled out due to that meeting being called off, while heavy ground at Sandown was considered unsuitable for the rescheduled Fighting Fifth Hurdle.
Shishkin must now go into the King George on Boxing Day with big questions to answer and De Boinville admits all his connections can do is work hard and hope for the best.
When asked how much can be done to get Shishkin going if he stalls again when the tape goes up, the jockey told Sky Sports Racing: “Not much – if horses don’t want to run, they won’t run!”
De Boinville, who has been ever-present in the saddle throughout Shishkin’s career, is happy with how his preparations have gone back in Lambourn, though.
“I’ve done lots of sitting on him,” he added. “All boxes are ticked and crossed and we’ve tried everything, so we won’t be going to Kempton thinking ‘oh, I wish we’d done that in practice’.
“It’s one of those, if he doesn’t want to do it, he won’t do it – no matter what I do.
“In actual fact, he’s one of those horses that the more pressure you put on him, the more he’ll dig his heels in.
“But look, he hasn’t shown one inkling of doing it since he’s got back home after Ascot.
“It would have been nice to have got a run into him, but these things happen and I’m looking forward to it – if we jump off and everything, I think he’s in for a big race.”
Olly Murphy could consider sending Thunder Rock back over hurdles later in the season following his disappointing performance in Saturday’s December Gold Cup at Cheltenham.
Having got the better of subsequent Coral Gold Cup runner-up Mahler Mission on his seasonal debut at Carlisle, Thunder Rock lined up as favourite for the weekend’s feature handicap at Prestbury Park, but the alarm bells were ringing from an early stage and he was eventually pulled up by Sean Bowen.
Murphy reported the seven-year-old to be none the worse on Monday morning, but admits he could be entering the last-chance saloon as far as his chasing career is concerned.
“He’s absolutely fine, the writing was on the wall very early. He got into no rhythm and jumped very ordinary and after he jumped two or three (fences) he was in awful trouble,” he said.
“We’ll put a line through that and give him another run over fences in three or four weeks’ time, but I’m not sure where yet. I have toyed with the idea of going back over hurdles and if things don’t got to plan the next day he’ll be reverting back to smaller obstacles.”
While Thunder Rock’s class shone through in a four-runner race at Carlisle last month, Murphy feels the hustle and bustle of a big-field handicap is perhaps not his bag.
He added: “He’s not very big and while I didn’t think he’d do what he did on Saturday, it’s not the biggest surprise to me.
“We’ll dust ourselves down, get him back in full work and see what’s what, but his performance wasn’t a reflection of his ability or his health or anything like that. He just didn’t jump with any fluency and when you do that in those big handicaps you’re on the back foot straight away.
“When you have a long-term plan like that and you can see it’s not working out from an early stage it’s extremely frustrating, but that’s horses and we know he hasn’t lost his ability overnight.”
Murphy did enjoy better fortune at Cheltenham on Friday, with Go Dante providing his owner Barbara Hester with a first winner at Prestbury Park.
The seven-year-old retains the option of turning out quickly for the £150,000 Betfair Exchange Trophy at Ascot on Saturday after being left in at the confirmation stage, but he appears unlikely to line up.
“We’ll see what the handicapper does (on Tuesday), but I’d it’s unlikely,” said the trainer.
“He came out of Saturday well. I’d say it’s very unlikely he’ll run again this weekend, but if you’re not in you can’t win.”
An investigation following the death of Sheffield United player Maddy Cusack has found no evidence of wrongdoing.
Cusack, who made 110 United appearances, died aged 27 in September.
United opened what they described as a third-party investigation into processes and conduct at the club after Cusack’s family raised concerns.
In November, the Maddy Cusack Foundation shared a speech online attributed to Cusack’s mother which it said was given at a memorial service in October. The speech said Cusack’s spirit “was allowed to be broken” by football.
However, the club announced on Monday that the investigation had now closed with no evidence found of any wrongdoing.
“Following a thorough review of the valuable input provided by each of the key witnesses put forward by Maddy’s family and the club, the investigation has found no evidence of wrongdoing,” the South Yorkshire club said in a statement published on their official website.
“The club is always looking for ways to evolve and will reflect on the outcomes and recommendations arising from the investigation to consider how processes and policies may be improved.”
United said everyone at the club remained “deeply saddened” by Cusack’s death. She had worn the number eight shirt “with distinction”, the club said, and was a “valued and popular member” of their marketing department.
“Following Maddy’s death, the club provided staff with the opportunity to engage with additional external support,” the club statement continued.
“As part of the club’s commitment to continual improvement, we have and will continue to review and expand the club-wide well-being support offered to our staff and to increase the learning and development opportunities for all staff around language and culture, welfare and mental health awareness.
“We have also recently strengthened our women’s and girls’ structure with the addition of a new highly experienced head of women’s and girls’ football and other key appointments.
“We wish to offer support to Maddy’s family and the Maddy Cusack Foundation, MC8, and we hope to work with them to continue the lasting positive impact Maddy had on those who knew her.”
A speech said to have been given by Cusack’s mother at a memorial in October read: “The saddest and most utterly heartbreaking reason why I am having to stand here and speak to you today is because of football.
“From February this year, the indomitable, irrepressible spirit, the spirit called Maddy, the spirit that I had so fearlessly protected was allowed to be broken. Taking her away from me.
“Those who knew Maddy well will be aware that she had no long-standing mental health issues or troubles. Not that there would be anything to be ashamed of if there were, but there were not. Those that didn’t know her need to know that.
“Maddy was a happy-go-lucky, carefree girl with everything to live for and by last Christmas could be described as being at her happiest. This all changed gradually from February this year.”
Jonathan Morgan, the head coach of United’s women’s team, was understood to have been the subject of an investigation by the club. It was reported he had stepped away from his duties while an investigation was conducted. The club have been contacted for comment regarding Morgan.
The Maddy Cusack Foundation has been contacted for comment following the club’s statement on Monday.
John ‘Shark’ Hanlon and his son Paddy Hanlon have their sights set on another successful raid on Tuesday when they head to Catterick in search of another special day for the family.
The popular trainer is a regular visitor to UK tracks but now has extra incentive for his forays across the Irish Sea as his young son attempts to forge his own riding career.
The 16-year-old is 0-23 in bumpers in Ireland but has made a blistering start to things in the UK, partnering Chef D’Etat to victory at Worcester in the summer before striking in his first ride over obstacles at Bangor last week.
Hanlon has never been shy in giving young jockeys an opportunity and helped nurture the early stages of Rachael Blackmore’s career, while most recently he has entrusted young Jordan Gainford with the keys to star chaser Hewick.
Now he is taking great pride in legging up his own flesh and blood as licensing restrictions in Ireland mean Hanlon junior could become a familiar sight on a British racecourse over the next year.
“It’s different and your heart would be in your mouth. But he knows nothing else and doesn’t want to know anything other than horses, horses, horses,” said Hanlon when asked how it felt watching his son in action.
“In Ireland you have to be 17 before you can get a license to ride over hurdles or in point-to-points.
“He rode a point-to-point horse the other day and finished third and the horse he rode at Bangor was his first ride over hurdles. It was great how it has worked out.
“He won’t be 17 until June and he is just tipping away and getting a few rides over there (in the UK).”
Hanlon is yet to finish outside of the first two in three UK rides and it was somewhat a family affair when the youngster steered his father’s Mullins Cross to a nine-length victory at Bangor last Friday, giving all connected a day which will live long in the memory.
“It was great the other day because we bred the filly ourselves,” continued Hanlon.
“Paddy’s grandfather stood the sire Valirann, my wife bred him and it ran in her colours and I trained it. His younger brother led him up and we were all there, so it was a great day, fabulous.”
Mullins Cross will be in action again in North Yorkshire, with Brian Hughes handed riding duties on this occasion, but the trainer’s son will seek further glory aboard the family-owned Dragon Rock and confidence is high ahead of the Download Raceday Ready Today Amateur Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.
The teenager may then need to spread his wings for further opportunities as the season goes on, but his father is optimistic that plenty of chances to hone his skills in the saddle will come his way throughout the winter.
“He has a right nice ride there tomorrow and then might not have much for a while because I have very little to go over with,” continued Hanlon.
“He has his feet on the ground and hopefully a few other trainers might use him.
“I’ve had a couple of phone calls from trainers wanting to take him on so it will be interesting.
“The horse in the boys’ race tomorrow will have a right chance and the filly he rode last week will have a right chance as well. The two rode out this morning and are in good form.”
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