Pawapuri successfully stepped up to Listed class with a decisive victory in the Betfred Hat-Trick Heaven Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Haydock.

A dual winner on the Flat for William Haggas, the four-year-old was highly tried by Nicky Henderson on her first two starts over obstacles, running in Grade Two and Grade One company last season.

Having made the most of having her sights lowered on her reappearance in a maiden at Wincanton last month, the daughter of Golden Horn was back up in class in Lancashire and stuck her task well in the testing conditions to repel the challenge of Lunar Discovery by two lengths under James Bowen.

“She jumped well. She missed a couple on the way round when I forced her, but she stayed on well,” said the winning rider.

“It was her first time over two miles three (furlongs) and in the back of my head going down to the last I thought we’ve got another 300 yards left, but she finished well in the end.

“She is a big mare and it wasn’t really the right time for her last season. She has got her black type now, so they can have fun.”

Bowen is looking forward to returning to Merseyside on Boxing Day, having been booked to partner Henderson’s Jango Baie in the Grade One William Hill Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.

He added: “Hopefully it will be a big day – I’ve never had a Grade One winner and this will be one of the best chances I’ve ridden in a Grade One.

“Jango Baie is a sharp horse and is a proper two-miler at the moment. He is a nice horse.”

Pawapuri’s stablemate Issuing Authority had earlier belatedly opened his account over obstacles in the Betfred TV Beginners’ Chase.

Just three runners went to post for the extended two-mile contest, and Doyen Star was pulled up after never really threatening to land a telling blow.

Having tracked the pacesetting 11-10 favourite Inedit Star for much of the way, Issuing Authority – placed in each of his four races over hurdles without success – asserted in the home straight and passed the post 15 lengths clear.

“It is hard work out there as it is as deep as you can get. I barely got over the last (fence) to be honest with you,” said Bowen.

“I knew he would have come on for his last run. He jumped really well that day and we stepped him back down to an extended two miles today on this ground. I think that suited him as he is a strong traveller and a good jumper.

“Hopefully he can keep progressing now.”

Following successive wins at Sedgefield, Andrew Hamilton’s El Jefe (15-2) completed his hat-trick in the Betfred Nifty 50 Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle in the hands of Conor Rabbitt.

Hamilton said: “Last year we won the Last Fling (Handicap Chase) with All About Joe, but we lost him in the summer. It is nice to come back to Haydock and get another good winner.

“Last season he never lifted the bridle at all, and I could not find the bottom of it. He has come back this season looking like a new horse. He loves life and that was fantastic.”

Adelaide Thunderbirds superstar Shamera Sterling-Humphrey will be back in pink in 2024 after signing a three-year deal with the Suncorp Super Netball club.

The Thunderbirds’ 2023 Club Champion will enter her sixth season with Adelaide in 2024 on the back of the club’s first title in a decade.

Throughout the 2023 season, Sterling-Humphrey proved time and again why she’s considered one of the best defenders in the game with another stellar stat sheet to her name.

In 2023 she topped the league with an incredible 46 intercepts and 118 deflections, and was second for defensive rebounds with 38.

She finished third across the competition for Nissan Net Points with 1472 - the most for the Thunderbirds - and appeared in the Team of the Round on seven occasions.

In her fifth season with the Thunderbirds, Sterling-Humphrey added Leadership Group member and Premiership Player to her impressive list of accolades.

Post-season, she was crowned the 2023 Suncorp Super Netball Most Valuable Player and was named as Goal Keeper in the SSN Team of the Year.

Thunderbirds High Performance Manager Pitre Bourdon said the club was thrilled to welcome back a player of Sterling-Humphrey’s caliber.

“Shamera has grown immensely during her time with the club and proved yet again what she’s capable of in our premiership season,” Bourdon said.

“She stepped up into a leadership role in 2023 and led our defensive end to new heights and successes.

“Securing Shamera on a three-year deal is exciting for the club and will extend her tenure with the Thunderbirds to eight seasons.

“We look forward to welcoming her back to Adelaide and working with her to build on what we achieved in 2023.”

 

William Haggas has won many of racing’s biggest prizes, but there is one triumph he will treasure forever after Desert Hero became the King and Queen’s first Royal Ascot champion on an afternoon that will go down in history.

Only a year after his charge Baaeed embarked on a brilliant journey to superstar status, the Somerville Lodge handler could have helped secure racing’s future by ensuring royal success at the meeting many hold most dear.

Throughout the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, racing could sit back and bask in the comfort of knowing the royal family had its back. Royal Ascot was always the first event entered on the late Queen’s calendar and that in turn ensured the summer showpiece remained at the top of public consciousness.

However, her death marked a time of uncertainty for the sport, as rumours of the royal string being disbanded and the new King failing to share his mother’s love and enthusiasm for racing circulated.

It was essential that racing put on a show for its newest patrons and that is exactly what Desert Hero did as the ice-cool Tom Marquand threaded the eye of a needle to deliver a thrilling victory, to the delight of a jubilant King and Queen watching on from the royal box.

“It was a tremendous day for obviously lots of reasons, not least us having a winner at Royal Ascot, which is always a lot harder than it sounds,” explained Haggas.

“We made history a couple of times this year, but that was one of the good ones.

“This was very special for us personally, and for everyone involved with the horse in the yard. To win on such a big stage like Royal Ascot for the King and Queen was just fantastic.”

He went on: “We’ve been so used to the ruling monarch being a passionate supporter and follower of racing and when Queen Elizabeth II passed away, there was a seed of doubt that His Royal Highness wouldn’t be as involved as her.

“From what we can see, he is every bit as enthusiastic and obviously there has been a bit of trimming, but I can’t tell you the joy it appeared to give both of them, certainly after the race and the excitement beforehand, it was great.”

To many, Desert Hero’s success came somewhat as a shock. He was fairly unheralded, having finished out of the money in his only previous start at three, and the son of Sea The Stars was among the outsiders at 18-1 for the King George V Stakes handicap.

However, Haggas was always confident the best of Desert Hero had not yet been seen and, with a real urge amongst the royal trainers to be the one to provide a first Ascot triumph for the newly-crowned King, this race was always a central part of the Newmarket handler’s masterplan.

Haggas said: “He didn’t appear to be that fancied by the pundits, but we thought he would come on for his first run in the London Gold Cup and I suppose he was trying this trip for the first time.

“I’m not that clever, but that was always the race. All of us, all of the trainers and John Warren, were all keen to have as many runners with a chance for the King and Queen at Ascot, because they were going to be there for five days.

“So, it was an obvious target from quite a way out.”

Even the best-laid plans often need a stroke of luck to pay off and Desert Hero needed plenty when handed a nightmare starting position in stall 21.

From there, Marquand had no option but to sit tight and take his medicine, but fortune favoured the brave when, rounding the turn for home, the pacesetters turned into stragglers and the expert pilot was able to weave his way to the front with the winning post fast approaching.

A photo finish was called to add nerves to the excitement, before the grandstands erupted when horse number five was announced the victor.

“I actually think in the race itself, they went so fast and he was drawn so wide – he was drawn 21 of 20 if you can believe that – that Tom had no option just to give him a chance and you can only win doing that if they go a proper gallop,” explained Haggas.

“All the leaders fell apart between the two-furlong marker and the furlong marker and he stayed on with a few others and fortunately it was his head that was in front on the line.

“They were fading and coming back on top of him and he needed a bit of luck and he got it and it was great.”

That result was only the beginning of the Desert Hero story, as the colt marched on to Goodwood to land the Gordon Stakes and tee-up a shot at the final Classic of the season, the St Leger.

It was at Doncaster the royal silks were last carried to success in one of racing’s crown jewels by Dunfermline in 1976, and the momentum built up from both Desert Hero’s Ascot and Goodwood triumphs ensured there was a real sense of anticipation heading to the final Classic of the season.

With both the King and Queen in attendance, it was a day racing could look back on with pride and although Desert Hero could only muster a gallant third behind an imperious Continuous, there was a feeling that the unbreakable bond between monarch and the Sport of Kings had been firmly secured once more.

“He won nicely at Goodwood and unfortunately neither the King or Queen could be there,” continued Haggas.

“However, they did indicate a while out there was a chance they might go to Doncaster and I thought it was fantastic for racing that they went. While the horse didn’t win, I thought he ran with great credit.”

In the immediate aftermath of that Town Moor third, a tilt at the Melbourne Cup was mooted.

However, with that tentative idea failing to reach fruition, attentions now turn to 2024, when a return to the Royal meeting in quest of another historic victory appears top of Haggas’ wishlist.

“The obvious target for him in the early part of the season is the Hardwicke,” he added.

“We have just got to decide whether we take him to Australia, it has not been discussed and I think everyone is just waiting for us to indicate the horse is in good shape or ready to do it, and then a decision will be made which is out of our hands.

“If he doesn’t go to Australia, he will be prepared for the Hardwicke, with one or two races beforehand, I suspect.

“It is a very special week and it is helped if the ruling monarch is present every day, which he was this year. It is a week where everyone wants to be involved, not just the King and Queen.”

In the midst of celebrating a hard-fought 3-2 series win over England, West Indies Twenty20 captain Rovman Powell expressed disappointment about the of absence of international and Caribbean Premier League (CPL) matches in Jamaica and called on the government, particularly minister of sport Olivia "Babsy" Grange to address the issue.
 
It has been almost two years since West Indies last played Ireland in a One-day international contest in Jamaica last January, and four years since Jamaica Tallawahs last played at Sabina Park in 2019. This doesn't sit well with Powell, who yearns to once again grace the Jamaican fans.
 
"I am a Jamaican and I want to play in front of my home crowd, but for the last few years I haven't," Powell lamented during a post-match interview, after West Indies won the decisive contest against England by four wickets to clinch the five-match series at Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Thursday.
 
"West Indies Cricket Board (Cricket West Indies) and the Jamaica Government really have to sit down and have a conversation about that. Cricket has not played there for a long time...There are quite a few Jamaicans playing for West Indies now and no cricket has been there," Powell argued.
 
Along with Powell, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas and Brandon King, were also a part of the triumphant West Indies team.
 
To add insult to injury, Jamaica will not have a CPL franchise in next year's CPL tournament, as the Tallawahs are to be replaced by a yet-to-be-named franchise from Antigua and Barbuda. This would mark a return for another Leeward Islands franchise since the Antigua Hawksbills contested the first two CPL editions in 2013 and 2014.
 
 
Jamaica Tallawahs won CPL titles in 2013, 2016 and 2022, the latter under Powell's leadership.
 
"Even if you look at the CPL team, I heard reports that they are looking to move the CPL team from Jamaica. Jamaica is the biggest island in the Caribbean, a proud nation, a proud cricketing nation and for those things to be happening it is a little bit disappointing," Powell noted.
 
In fact, Sabina Park is currently used to host football matches, which is contrary to its name the 'cricket mecca' of Jamaica, an island that has produced many great West Indies players, such as George Headley, Lawrence Rowe, Michael Holding, Jeffrey Dujon, Courtney Walsh, Patrick Patterson, and in recent era, Chris Gayle, Russell, Powell and others.
 
Another Jamaican and West Indies stalwart Nehemiah Perry also expressed discontent with the happenings at Sabina Park, one of the oldest cricket grounds in the Caribbean, as it first hosted an international match almost 100 years ago. The first Test match played at Sabina Park was in 1930 between West Indies and England.
 
“I remember the days gone when we were talking about a Test series coming to the Caribbean; there were some grounds that you knew were going to get games like Sabina Park, Kensington Oval (Barbados), Queen’s Park Oval (Trinidad) etcetera," Perry said in a recent interview on the Mason and Guest Radio Show.
 
When a Test series was played in the Caribbean in the 1980s and 1990s, Jamaicans, Barbadians, Trinidadians, Guyanese and Antiguans could certainly look forward to seeing cricket played. Many other countries in the Caribbean have international cricket grounds now, so the traditional cricket venues in the region are no longer guaranteed matches. St Lucia, Grenada, Dominica and St Kitts and Nevis have all hosted international cricket regularly over the past decade.
Much like they started the schoolboy football season, Clarendon College ended flawlessly and undisturbed.
 
The Chapelton-based school, who copped the ISSA/Wata daCosta Cup and All-island Olivier Shield titles, added a bit more history to their impressive 2023 campaign, as they won the fourth edition of the KFC Goodwill International Schools Under-18 Football tournament in Guyana, on Friday.
 
In what was their debut outing at the tournament, Clarendon College proved too good for rivals. They eased past Trinidad and Tobago's St Benedict’s College 2-1 in the showpiece contest at the Ministry of Education ground on Carifesta Avenue.
 
With their usual fluid passing and high-pressing attacking ability, Clarendon College made light work of a very physical St Benedict’s team. The Jamaicans wore down their opponents defence and later found the go-ahead goal through Daniel Clark in the 32nd minute.
 
Clarendon College again showed more purpose on the resumption, and by virtue of that, again penetrated St Benedict’s harangued defence, as Justin Hayles doubled their lead in the 52nd minute.
 
The Trinidadians later pulled one back, but that was all they got from a Clarendon College outfit that had very little issues for the remainder of the contest.

Ante-post favourite Allaho heads a field of six for the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Willie Mullins’ runner has won eight of his 13 chase starts to date, including two wide-margin Ryanair Chase verdicts and a similarly impressive Punchestown Gold Cup win in 2022.

He made a satisfactory return to action after a 561-day absence at Clonmel last month and is short price for the Christmas highlight.

Last year’s victor Bravemansgame returns to defend his title for Paul Nicholls, although his campaign has not gone to plan so far this term with the eight-year-old having suffered odds-on defeats in both the Charlie Hall at Wetherby and the Betfair Chase at Haydock.

Frodon, winner of the race in 2020, gives Nicholls a second string to his bow, with regular partner Bryony Frost taking the ride.

The Nicky Henderson-trained Shishkin is also on something of a redemption mission as he makes his seasonal bow. He refused to start at Ascot last month while a planned Fighting Fifth Hurdle prep was scuppered by testing ground at Sandown.

The Real Whacker, winner of the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham last term, and Shark Hanlon’s Hewick complete the line up, with Gerri Colombe and Royale Pagaille absentees as expected.

Constitution Hill is the headline act in the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle, which also has six contenders.

Henderson’s two-mile champion is long odds-on to extend his unbeaten run over obstacles, with the Nicholls-trained Rubaud the next best on ratings, albeit some 26lb behind.

The favourite will be joined by stablemate First Street, with Kerry Lee potentially double-handed with Black Poppy and Nemean Lion. Alan King’s Sceau Royal is the other runner.

Il Est Francais represents France in the Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices’ Chase.

Trained by Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm, Il Est Francais has been a dominant force at home and has five rivals at Kempton, led by Nicholls’ Hermes Allen.

Giovinco, Kilbeg King, Marble Sands and Tightenourbelts also line up, with no Irish representation after Mullins and Gordon Elliott did not declare Grangeclare West, Klassical Dream or Imagine respectively.

Jamaica Tallawahs, the 2013, 2016 and 2022 Caribbean Premier League champions, will not feature in the tournament's 2024 season and will be replaced by a new franchise based in Antigua and Barbuda.

Kris Persaud, a Guyanese businessman based in Florida, owned the Tallawahs franchise but has sold it back to the CPL.

"The owners were left with no option but to sell the Tallawahs back to CPL as they could not find a way to operate the team sustainably," a CPL spokesperson told ESPNCricinfo.

The three-time CPL champions will be replaced by a not yet named Antigua-based franchise in 2024.

The island hosted a franchise named Antigua Hawksbills in the first two CPL seasons, but they won only three matches and were replaced by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in 2015.

Daryll Matthew, the minister of sports in the Antigua and Barbuda Senate, revealed plans to host a franchise in 2024 earlier this week. "We can expect very easily and conservatively to generate approximately US$6 million per year by simply having a CPL franchise based in Antigua and Barbuda," Matthew said, as reported by the Antigua Observer.

The CPL intends to relaunch a Jamaica-based franchise in years to come.

"The CPL remains committed to having a team based in Jamaica, but this will be in 2025 at the earliest," a spokesperson said.

"In 2024, there will be six teams taking part in the CPL with franchises based in Antigua & Barbuda, Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago," they added.

Inter Miami have signed former Liverpool and Barcelona striker Luis Suarez from Brazilian side Gremio for the 2024 Major League Soccer season.

The 36-year-old Uruguay international has agreed a one-year deal with Miami – co-owned by David Beckham – and will team back up with former Barca team-mates Lionel Messi, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets.

Miami said on their official website: “Inter Miami CF announced (on Friday) that it has signed UEFA Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup and Conmebol Copa America winner and five-time LaLiga champion Luis Suarez to a contract running through the 2024 Major League Soccer (MLS) season.”

Suarez was named the best player and best striker in the Brazilian league this season, scoring 26 goals and making 17 assists to help Gremio win their regional league and cup double.

Beckham told Miami’s official website: “We are delighted to have a player of Luis’ quality and passion for the game join our club.

“He joins a squad that is inspiring the next generation and we look forward to seeing him take to the field with both former team-mates and young players from our academy.”

Suarez joined Liverpool from Ajax for £22.8million in 2011 and after winning the Premier League player of the season award in 2014 he was signed by Barcelona for a reported fee of £65m.

He won the Champions League, four LaLiga titles and four Copa del Reys with Barca, scoring 195 goals and making 113 assists in 283 appearances for the club and then spent two seasons at Atletico Madrid, where he won another LaLiga title.

Suarez returned to Uruguay with club side Nacional in 2022 and switched to Gremio in December 2022.

Venetia Williams’ Royale Pagaille will miss the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day due to a sore foot.

The nine-year-old was last seen winning the Betfair Chase from Bravemansgame at Haydock in November, the same horse that beat him by 14 lengths into second in the King George last season.

Royale Paigaille was being prepared for another tilt at the Christmas showpiece, but a setback has scuppered that plan and he will instead be aimed at a third successive win in the Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock in January.

The Herefordshire-based trainer said via Instagram: “Unfortunately Royale Pagaille is unable to run in the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day due to a sore foot.

“The timing is probably more painful than the foot itself, and hopefully he will bid for a third Peter Marsh Chase at Haydock in January.”

Djelo maintained his unbeaten record over fences with another polished display, this time in Grade Two company at Ascot.

Trained by the in-form Venetia Williams, the diminutive five-year-old only won once over hurdles last season after moving from France but looks a completely different proposition faced with the bigger obstacles.

Having beaten the useful Master Chewy on chasing debut at Aintree he was an easy winner at Newbury last time out.

The form of that race was given a boost just before the off when Nicky Henderson’s Persian Time, who chased him home that day, won a handicap and Djelo had clearly progressed again.

Few jockeys are riding with more confidence than Charlie Deutsch at the moment and he set him alight at several fences, taking lengths out of his three rivals.

The 145-rated Might I had soon cried enough and only Kandoo Kid was in hailing distance when Djelo made his only mistake in getting too close to the second-last, but he was soon back on an even keel.

The 6-5 favourite was just kept up to his work to win by six lengths.

Deutsch told Sky Sports Racing: “I really enjoyed it, he travelled really well and jumped well apart from the second-last when I had to steady him slightly because I didn’t want to go any faster but I didn’t want to go any slower. Other than that his jumping was electric.

“He’d been long at quite a few so I didn’t want to chance it again and just let him run into it, but he picked himself up and jumped the last well.

“He will have learned a bit today and it’s good because it takes a bit of jumping this track.

“He’s a lovely horse, he enjoys his racing and he’s a hardy, racing type, he wants to get on and do it. He does what you need for a top-class chaser.

“I would be happy with today’s trip (two miles and three furlongs), he was a little outpaced the last day, today was more in his comfort zone.”

Let It Rain (8-1) gained some very valuable black type when beating the boys in the Listed Thames Materials Open National Hunt Flat Race.

In what looked arguably the strongest race of its type run in the UK this season with nine of the 13 runners having already won, it was the four-year-old filly trained by Dan Skelton who came out well on top.

A winning favourite on her debut at Warwick against her own sex, she was even more impressive on this occasion and the form has a rock-solid lock to it with Brechin Castle, winner of a similar race at Cheltenham, three and a quarter lengths back in second.

The winner was, though, in receipt of 11lb from the runner-up.

Jockey Harry Skelton said: “She shows you everything you want to see, she’s like a good woman and everyone needs one of those in their life!

“Bridget (Skelton, wife) has done a lot of work with her and she always said there was something about her – she’s got it all.

“It’s early on in her career, she’s definitely done everything we’ve asked. She’s a long way from where we want to be, but she’s going the right way.

“On paper there were a lot of good horses, lots of winners in there and she was getting the allowance so it was probably a mighty run from the second with his penalty, but we’re delighted with her.”

West Indies T20I Captain Rovman Powell praised his team’s ability to perform under pressure to secure a 3-2 series victory over England on Thursday at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba.

The West Indies won the first two games of the series relatively comfortably before England produced a pair of magnificent batting performances to tie the series heading into the Thursday’s decider.

The West Indians first restricted the English to 132 all out in 19.3 overs, their lowest score of the series.

The hosts then held their nerve to reach 133-6 with four balls to spare, securing another series win under Powell’s leadership in international cricket’s shortest format.

“I think we played very well today. After England came back in the series and put us under pressure, I think the guys responded like champions,” Powell said in a post-match interview.

He especially credited his bowlers for keeping player of the series, Phil Salt, in check. Salt hit hundreds in both the third and fourth T20Is. He made 38 on Thursday to finish the series with 331 runs.

"It was very important for us to control him. Yesterday we sat in our team room and tried to have some one on one discussions with the guys to try our best to come up with collective plans to control him. For the last two games they scored 70 in the powerplay to totally write us off," Powell said.

Powell added that he feels like his side are well prepared for next year’s T20 World Cup but mentioned that there’s still work to be done, particularly in the bowling department.

“I think we are prepared but we still have areas we need to sharpen up, especially our bowling. Two games back to back where England beat us badly as a bowling unit. Hopefully, over the next few months we can sharpen up and get those areas sorted,” Powell said.

Powell also heaped praise on opponents England, noting that the reigning World T20 Champions have an excellent chance of defending their title next year.

“England is a world class team and they have world class players to come into their squad so that is always going to boost them. All they need to do is get familiar with the conditions. Because they are such a quality team, if they get familiar with conditions they will be difficult to beat,” he said.

“We realized something with the English batters. Once you put them on the good wickets, they’re very good but when the pitch starts assisting the bowlers, it becomes a little bit tricky for everyone. For us Caribbean players, we’ve been playing on bad wickets for such a long time so we know how to play on it,” he added.

The West Indies’ next T20I assignment will be a three-match away series against Australia from February 9-13.

 

 

Noel Fehily rates winning the King George VI Chase as “one of the highlights of my career” 10 years on from his first success aboard Silviniaco Conti.

A product of the Charlie Mann academy, few in the weighing room can produce a CV to match that of the Irishman and lay claim to being the go-to jockey for some of the biggest operators in the sport.

Among his 1,352 winners were victories for both Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson in the Champion Hurdle, while he also counts a Champion Chase triumph aboard Special Tiara in his Cheltenham Festival haul.

He was the first port of call for the master of Seven Barrows when injury to Nico de Boinville presented Fehily the opportunity to ride Altior, while he was in pole position to ride Kauto Star in the absence of Ruby Walsh before his own injury woes curtailed that particular dream.

Fehily may have missed out on the opportunity to link up with one of Ditcheat’s greats in the King George, but there was only one man owners Chris Giles and Jared Sullivan wanted aboard Silviniaco Conti once Walsh had ended his long association with the 14-time champion trainer.

The pair had enjoyed a brief association in 2010 when landing both the Persian War and Ascot Hurdle, but would have to settle for minor honours behind Cue Card in their Betfair Chase reunion.

However, it would not be long before they would turn the tables on the Tizzard stalwart when arriving on the outskirts of London on Boxing Day 2013 for a race no trainer has mastered quite like Nicholls.

“It was an amazing day and is an amazing race really,” said Fehily.

“Cue Card had won the Betfair Chase before that and Dynaste was second and we were third, but we did think Conti would come on that year from that Betfair run.

“Cue Card was an excellent horse and him and Conti did battle plenty of times. After jumping three out, I kind of thought Cue Card had got away and gone and won the race, but Conti stayed very well that day and picked him up. Whether Cue Card stopped a little bit as well maybe, but it was a hell of a good race.”

Although riding at Kempton 340 times over the course of his career, it was the first time Fehily would ride in the King George and get his hands on the trophy.

“The King George is a massive race and is one every jockey wants on their CV,” continued Fehily.

“I suppose in a season, after the Gold Cup, it is the one you want to win for that sort of horse.

“It is the big race at Christmas every season and to have a horse good enough – Silviniaco Conti was amazing – it was one of the highlights of my career, I think.”

Although never quite conquering Prestbury Park with the Cheltenham Gold Cup eluding him, Kempton at Christmas was Silviniaco Conti’s playground and he returned 12 months later to put on a flawless display and retain his title.

“The second King George was probably the best performance of Silviniaco Conti’s career,” added Fehily.

“I think that was the best performance he put up. He was just on fire that day – he jumped, he galloped and dictated the race.”

Silviniaco Conti failed to sparkle in his hat-trick bid in 2015, but went out on his shield in third behind Thistlecrack and old adversary Cue Card in 2016 before retiring at the end of that campaign.

Fehily would bow out of the saddle in 2019 and since retiring has enjoyed plenty of success with his burgeoning ownership operation, the Noel Fehily Racing Syndicates.

The likes of Love Envoi and Hansard have given Fehily and his growing band of owners the chance to celebrate big-race glory and on the 10-year anniversary of Silviniaco Conti’s first King George triumph, Fehily will be represented by the Fergal O’Brien-trained Kamsinas in Aintree’s Grade One Formby Hurdle.

“Kamsinas goes to Aintree for the Grade One and was good at Haydock when he won the Grade Two,” said Fehily.

“He’s lightly raced and hopefully he can keep on improving. It will be a stiff task but hopefully he can keep on improving and he is up to the task.

“We want to be on the big stage and at the big days and when we buy horses, that is the horse we are looking for, ones who can compete on the big stage.

“It’s not always easy finding them horses, but we’ve got some nice youngsters coming through and we hope the likes of Kamsinas can keep flying the flag for us.”

James Reveley believes Il Est Francais has all the required attributes for the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Reveley finished second in the race on Tazbar behind Long Run for his father, Keith, back in 2009 but moved to France in 2016 and has been champion jockey three times there.

Not surprisingly, he is a sought after man across the Channel, and trainers Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm can also count on his knowledge of this track when they bring their great hope over to tackle the best novices the UK and Ireland can muster.

“I sat on Il Est Francais on Tuesday morning and he felt great, so it’s all systems go, and I’m skipping the racing on Christmas Day at Pau to prioritise Kempton on Boxing Day,” Reveley told ThoroughBid.

“He’s a picture of a horse and he does everything right. He’s very straightforward and a very kind animal, just about everything you want in a racehorse.

“Obviously, it’ll be a test coming to England, which is a completely different style of racing, but I think he’ll adapt to Kempton. He’s a good jumper, he’s quite careful and has a good cruising speed, so he ticks a lot of boxes for a track like Kempton.”

His only defeat in his last eight races came when Johnny Burke stepped in for an injured Reveley last March when taking on his elders.

“He became a bit unstuck against the best hurdlers of the older generation earlier this year, but he wasn’t right on the day he was beaten, and I think it was the right decision to give him a break over the summer before going over fences this autumn,” said Reveley.

“He has absolutely sluiced up in his last two chases, so it’ll be interesting to see how he adapts to the English style, both the fences and races.

“He likes to dominate, but he doesn’t have to be in front and can settle in-behind as well. I have ridden him out front in the last two races because he’s been way and above the best horse and I didn’t want to break his stride.

“I don’t think the flat, right-handed track of Kempton will bother him, neither will the style of fences – and he’s got plenty of pace, so he should travel.

“The trip shouldn’t be a problem either. Last time out over two-and-three-quarter miles was the furthest he’s been and he showed no signs of stopping at the end, so he ticks all the boxes from my point of view.

“It’s great for the sport that the horse is coming over, and fingers crossed he’ll stay in one piece and show everyone what he’s capable of.

“For me, he’s capable of being a Grand Steeple-Chase horse, and why not a Cheltenham Gold Cup type? This year, we’re prioritising the Grand Steep over the Cheltenham Festival, and further down the line we will come back for some good races in England.”

Willie Mullins is considering a change of tactics for Galopin Des Champs when he clashes again with Fastorslow in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown on December 28.

The current Cheltenham Gold Cup champion has been beaten by Martin Brassil’s star on each of their last two meetings, in the Punchestown Gold Cup back in April and last month’s John Durkan Chase.

Galopin Des Champs finished a length-and-three-quarters back in third in their most recent contest, which was the seasonal reappearance for both runners – and Mullins is eager for a rematch.

“They moved the John Durkan back and our fella disappointed a little bit there,” he told Leopardstown Racecourse. “I’m not sure we got the right tactics that day and we might change things around a bit for this race.

“I’m looking forward to it and looking forward to seeing what he can do. I’m quite happy with him at home.

“Three miles will suit him and it will suit the opposition. These horses want a trip, we’ll learn a little bit more about him there, I think.”

On the opening afternoon of the four-day meeting, Mullins will be expecting Facile Vega to continue his education over fences with a win in the Racing Post Novice Chase, with the six-year-old forecast to go off odds-on.

Mullins said: “Facile Vega was impressive (on his chasing debut) and the horse who fell in the race (Sa Fureur) when he was going to be placed came out and won the other day.

“The races are getting better all the time. He likes Leopardstown, he’s won there a couple of times, so it’s horses for courses, I hope.

“He’s got a wonderful, big stride, great scope for jumping and, a bit like his mother Quevega, a lot of natural talent. Hopefully, it brings him the whole way.”

It would appear Mullins is giving strong consideration to running both State Man and Impaire Et Passe in the Matheson Hurdle on December 29, although connections of the latter are considering the Relkeel Hurdle at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day.

State Man won the Morgiana easily on his return and Mullins said: “He did what he had to do and did it well. I’m looking forward to getting him out again.

“It’s a track that he likes as well and I’m very pleased with him.

“Impaire Et Passe disappointed me a little in Fairyhouse (in the Hatton’s Grace), but I just think I had the wrong tactics with him and he’s another one that we might have to sharpen our tactics with, it might improve him.

“We’re coming back to two miles here rather than the two and a half in Fairyhouse.”

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