Constitution Hill’s Cheltenham Festival absence has left bookmakers fearing an avalanche of cash on State Man, with Willie Mullins’ star two-mile hurdler now the overwhelming Unibet Champion Hurdle favourite.
Nicky Henderson’s defending champion obliged as the 4-11 favourite on the opening day of the Festival 12 months ago and was expected to do the double – especially after showing his well-being at Kempton on Boxing Day in the Christmas Hurdle.
However, it was a different tale when next sighted at the Sunbury venue, where a disappointing gallop kick-started a chain of events that has seen State Man ultimately promoted to big-race favourite on the news the Seven Barrows superstar will be missing from the action in the Cotswolds.
BoyleSports are expecting State Man to also take Constitution Hill’s place as the cornerstone of many punters’ multiples for the Festival, describing the 10-time winner as the ‘Irish banker’ of the week.
“It looks like State Man will be the Irish banker for this year’s Cheltenham Festival,” said BoyleSports spokesman Brian O’Keeffe.
“He is now the shortest-priced favourite over the four days of the meeting after Constitution Hill was ruled out of the Champion Hurdle by Seven Barrows.
“State Man isn’t a bad result quite yet, Constitution Hill had him well covered last year and most punters weren’t expecting anything different this year.
“We are expecting momentum and liabilities to start building behind him now pretty rapidly, especially if Ballyburn goes for the Supreme, as punters will likely latch onto the short-priced Willie Mullins treble on Tuesday, with Lossiemouth in the Mares’ Hurdle.
“It could be a long week for us if Tuesday doesn’t go our way and we imagine that State Man will be an accumulator maker or breaker for a lot of people across the four days.”
The only time State Man has tasted defeat in his last 11 runs was at the hands of Constitution Hill in last year’s Champion Hurdle and bookmakers are now in no rush to take him on.
Paddy Power are one of the firms taking no risks by installing him as their 1-3 market leader – one of the shortest-priced favourites of the whole week.
“It is desperately disappointing news for racing fans who wanted to see possibly the greatest hurdler of our lifetimes at Cheltenham,” said Paddy Power spokesman Paul Binfield.
“Hopefully we will see him back to his brilliant best sooner rather than later, but in the meantime State Man has taken his place at the front of the market as a very short-priced favourite and he now looks the one to beat – he has proven he is the best hurdler around bar one for the last couple of seasons.
“If there is any good news from today, then at least Paddy Power have been ‘Non Runner Money Back’ on the Champion Hurdle for quite a while, so at least punters will get their hard-earned cash back if they have backed Constitution Hill.”
Many layers are hoping something will emerge from the periphery to take on State Man, with Sam Boswell of BetVictor eager to see fellow Irish raiders Irish Point and Lossiemouth rerouted to the Champion Hurdle picture.
He said: “It is never nice to see racing lose one of its star attractions just days out from the Cheltenham Festival.
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“The story of the Champion Hurdle now is not too dissimilar, with the fact we have a new but still very short-priced favourite in State Man from the all-conquering Willie Mullins yard.
“It would be nice to see the race have either stablemate and star mare Lossiemouth or Gordon Elliott’s Irish Point take their chance to make the showpiece on the Tuesday less processional.”
William Knight has the Al Quoz Sprint in mind for his promising filly Frost At Dawn.
The three-year-old is by Frosted and was homebred by her owner, Abdulla Al Mansoori.
She acquitted herself well in two British starts on the all-weather last year before heading to Meydan, where she was placed over both six and seven furlongs before successfully stepping down to five furlongs in the Group Three Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint on Saturday.
A 33-1 chance under Mickael Barzalona, the filly was drawn in stall three and made straight for the rail to lead from the outset.
From there she flew home, prevailing by two and a half lengths and breaking the Meydan track record over the minimum trip in the process.
“It was a very nice performance and the time was very good,” said Knight.
“She keeps on surprising me, we went out there thinking we were going to run in the UAE Guineas and we’ve ended up winning a Group Three over five furlongs.”
The Al Quoz Sprint, a Group One contest run on Dubai World Cup night, is the next port of call for a step back up to six furlongs that Knight expects to cause no issues.
“It’s fantastic and all roads lead back to the Al Quoz Sprint, I think she’s versatile and Mickael thought she could potentially be better over six,” he said.
“She was great over five and she’s got the track record but she could prove to be quite versatile.”
From there, the grey is likely to travel again for a domestic turf campaign – and if that proves a success, the Breeders’ Cup may come into focus later on in the year.
Knight said: “We’ll see how she comes out of the Al Quoz and take each race as it comes, but I’d like to think we could be competing in the big races throughout the summer and that would be great.
“If she can continue in this sort of form, then the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar could be something we aim for at the end of the season.
“She’ll need to have a freshen up when she comes back from Dubai, but for the owner to have a runner on World Cup night, and a homebred at that, would be very special.”
Hughie Morrison has expressed his disappointment after Constitution Hill was ruled out of the Unibet Champion Hurdle, despite his absence elevating Not So Sleepy to become the leading British contender for the Cheltenham Festival’s opening day feature.
Hopes of National Hunt’s flagship horse making the start line were dashed on Monday when Nicky Henderson announced blood test results showed the defending champion had not recovered sufficiently enough from a respiratory infection to line up in the Cotswolds.
That leaves the 12-year-old Not So Sleepy to fly the flag for the home team as he makes his fifth appearance in the Champion Hurdle – having previously finished no better than fifth.
He heads to Prestbury Park in rude health, having claimed the rearranged Fighting Fifth when last sighted.
But far from seeing Constitution Hill’s absence as a positive in Not So Sleepy’s claims for big-race glory, Morrison is regretful that the Seven Barrows superstar will be sitting on the sidelines during the biggest week of the season.
“I’m actually quite disappointed Constitution Hill is not turning up,” said Morrison.
“I don’t think I should be excited really and I’m quite disappointed. At the end of the day, we want the best to be there and the best probably isn’t going to be there. We would have liked to have taken him on – you always want to take on the best.
“Let’s hope we now get there in one piece.”
With Constitution Hill out of the picture and State Man now the heavy odds-on favourite with the layers, it is Not So Sleepy who is the shortest-priced British-trained Champion Hurdle contender, with the veteran a 14-1 chance with Paddy Power.
However, Morrison is still processing his charge’s position in the reformed market and is more worried about seeing some rain appear in the weather forecasts ahead of his big date on Tuesday week.
“I hadn’t really thought of it that way, but I’m just delighted to have something with good reason to be going there really,” said Morrison, when asked about the responsibility of being Britain’s number one hope.
“On his day, he’s a really good horse and he deserves to be there – on a good day, he should be in the money. Over the years, he has run four times in the Champion Hurdle and has run reasonably well, but I’ve always thought I could have had him better.
“We are there to do our best and we’re slightly concerned about the weather forecast looking dry all week, but hopefully the rain will reappear at the weekend for us.
“Racehorses always give you sleepless nights, especially when they are 12 and they have got a few miles on the clock. There is always something creeping round the corner, as Nicky Henderson knows.
“Hopefully we can get him there in good nick but I would like a bit of rain to give us a chance.”
The Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) set a new record for viewership numbers in 2023. The total broadcast and digital viewership for the 2023 tournament reached 36.2million for the expanded tournament which took place in Barbados and Trinidad.
The Massy WCPL had a 45% rise in viewership in 2023, with a huge increase in the number of fans tuning in around the world for the second season of the event.
The seven-match tournament concluded with the Barbados Royals beating the Guyana Amazon Warriors to claim the title, with the final at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy being the most watched match.
The tournament saw some amazing performances with New Zealand’s Sophie Devine finishing as the leading run scorer and breakout Indian star Shreyanka Patil claiming the most wickets. West Indies all-rounder Hayley Matthews was the player of the final with a brilliant 82 runs and two wickets as the Barbados Royals emerged victorious.
Pete Russell, CPL’s CEO, said: “We are delighted with the viewing figures in 2023 as global interest in the women’s game continues to grow. The second edition of the WCPL surpassed all expectations in terms of interest and the quality of cricket and we are already looking forward to the 2024 event which we are certain will be even more successful.”
Johnny Grave, CEO of Cricket West Indies, said: “The growth in the interest and opportunities in women’s cricket in the Caribbean in recent years has been incredible and Cricket West Indies are very pleased with the impact WCPL has had on giving opportunities to our players to further develop their skills. To see the WCPL already showing such fantastic growth in year two is very pleasing and we are looking forward to seeing the tournament go from strength to strength in 2024 and beyond.”
Premier Novices’ Hurdle third Cannock Park will skip high-profile options at both the Cheltenham Festival and Aintree’s Grand National meeting in favour of teeing-up a shot at a valuable event on Sandown’s end-of-season card.
Paul Robson’s six-year-old was third in Grade One company at Aintree on Boxing Day, having won at Cheltenham on his hurdling debut, and again picked up a bronze medal at Kelso in further graded action on Saturday.
He finished just two lengths adrift of the winner Personal Ambition and his handler was delighted to see him also bridge the gap with Formby Hurdle conqueror Jango Baie, who filled the runner-up spot in the Scottish Borders.
Cannock Park holds an entry in the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, while a return to Grade One action at Liverpool in the spring was also mooted as an option moving forward.
However, Robson intends to send his charge to Bangor before finishing the season in the £100,000 bet365 Novices’ Championship Final Handicap Hurdle at Sandown on April 27.
Robson said: “He made up 14 lengths on Jango Baie at Kelso, which I was absolutely thrilled about, and it was over a trip I thought might be a little bit far for him, but he looked like he stayed it out fine.
“He’s come out of his race absolutely fine, but I’m not going to take him to Cheltenham or Aintree. I’m going to take him to Bangor on March 23 – there is a £30,000 class two race there – and then it will be straight to Sandown for the £100,000 final on the last day of the year (season).
“We’ll take him to Bangor in three weeks and then he’ll have five weeks between those two races.”
Cannock Park has excelled for Robson this season, flying the flag for the former jockey, who now combines training a small string with duties in his undertaking business in the Scottish Borders.
However, the gelding’s future lies over fences, with the handler already eyeing next season’s novice chase campaign.
“He’s definitely next season’s chaser and he jumped absolutely faultless at Kelso,” continued Robson.
“If anything, he maybe just gave them a little bit too much height, but I’m thrilled with him and the horse has run another absolute blinder. I’ve ridden him myself this morning and he was bouncing.”
Nicky Henderson finally admitted defeat in his race to get Constitution Hill to the Cheltenham Festival on Monday after further blood tests indicated his star performer had not recovered sufficiently from the respiratory infection discovered last week.
Here, we look at a timeline of how the events unfolded:
February 27: Reports of Constitution Hill being eased down during a racecourse gallop at Kempton began to surface and bookmakers were quick to suspend betting on the Champion Hurdle.
February 27: Henderson quickly admitted the poor workout came “as a bit of a shock” and that Constitution Hill had subsequently scoped badly, but insisted he would not give up hope of making it to Cheltenham.
“Unfortunately, in a routine gallop this morning, Constitution Hill was very disappointing and it transpires, after the vet has scoped him, that there is evidence of mucus,” said the Seven Barrows handler.
“We’re taking a sample of it to a laboratory to analyse it, which will tell us about the significance of it and we should know more after that.”
February 27: Henderson then elaborated on the dramatic morning of events and initial medical tests.
He posted on X: “The sample from his tracheal wash has shown a small increase in the number of neutrophils which indicates a respiratory infection, which is significant but far from drastic.
“He will start a course of antibiotics immediately and we plan to rescope him on Friday in order to monitor which way this is going. He would only be having light exercise this week following this morning’s racecourse gallop.
“Both our own vet and the racecourse veterinary surgeon who scoped him feel we definitely have a chance of correcting this in time and we will be doing everything possible to do so. We have a fortnight to work him and it is possible, so we will keep everybody notified accordingly.
“He is absolutely fine within himself and we have simply got to get on top of this issue as quickly as possible.”
February 28: Henderson issued an upbeat bulletin, stating on X: “I am pleased to say that Constitution Hill appears perfectly normal this morning. He is bright and well and ate everything last night. His temperature has remained normal both last night and this morning.
“As with all the other horses that galloped at Kempton yesterday, they are having an easy day today. They have had a lead out and all appear to be sound and well and are having a good pick of grass.”
He added: “Fresh air is as important as anything for a horse’s lungs. The intention is to rescope on Friday to monitor which way this is going.”
February 29: In a morning interview at Seven Barrows, Henderson described his superstar as “alert and bright”, as he walked a line between giving the gelding adequate recovery time, while trying not to lose too much of his fitness edge.
“He can’t stay in his box, if we’ve got any pretentions of running in the Champion Hurdle, you can’t just knock it off and tuck him in bed,” Henderson told Sky Sports Racing.
“We’ve got to find the right balance between keeping him moving but not stressing him in any way at all.”
February 29: Henderson later received the results of a blood test on Constitution Hill and admitted they were “probably not what we were hoping for”.
In an update posted on X, he said: “The result of the blood test taken this morning goes quite a long way to explaining his disappointing performance at Kempton on Tuesday and confirms that he has a significant degree of inflammation.
“The figures themselves suggest he is definitely under the weather and we will need to repeat the test again on Monday in the hope that the situation improves.
“This is probably not what we were hoping for, but at least it tells us exactly where we are.”
March 1: Some positive news among the gloom, as Henderson says: “On what was about as foul and filthy morning as you can imagine at Seven Barrows, Constitution Hill had a light exercise and was rescoped afterwards as planned. This showed the neutrophil percentage, indicative of infection, was back to normal parameters with no mucus evident.
“This is obviously positive news but we cannot hide behind yesterday’s blood test which basically reveals that, in simple terms, our horse is ‘unwell’.”
March 2: Henderson was on a rare visit to Kelso, where speaking about Constitution Hill he affirmed: “The blood test on Monday will tell us everything and we will know where we are after that.
“If we don’t get the results we want on Monday, I wouldn’t go as far as to say it will be the end of the season. Let’s just cross each bridge when we come across it.
“When you train horses, you are going to walk into these situations and you’ve got to face up to it.”
March 4: The eagerly-awaited blood test results confirmed Henderson’s worst fears, with a title defence ruled out for Constitution Hill.
Henderson posted on X: “Very sadly we are going to have to admit defeat in the battle to get Constitution Hill ready for the Champion Hurdle and therefore have to declare that he will not be running there this year.
“He has undoubtedly improved over the weekend and seems noticeably brighter than he was at the end of last week and I really did think he was much perkier when ridden this morning.
“Unfortunately, the all-important blood test shows that although the figures have also improved, they are quite a way from being satisfactory for a horse to commence serious training and to race in a week’s time.
“This is very sad for all of us and particularly Michael (Buckley, owner) but it is in everybody’s best interests that we ensure we have a fit and healthy Constitution Hill to win back his crown next year.”
Constitution Hill will not run at the Cheltenham Festival, trainer Nicky Henderson has announced.
The unbeaten and defending Champion Hurdle hero worked poorly at Kempton Park last Tuesday, putting his participation at the showpiece meeting in major doubt.
A scope showed mucus in his lungs and despite slightly more positive news in the following days, results of a blood test on Thursday proved to be another blow.
He was scoped again on Friday morning, with Henderson saying that “showed the Neutrophil percentage, indicative of infection, was back to normal parameters with no mucus evident”.
However, he stressed another blood test on Monday would probably prove to be the “acid test”, and on receiving the results he posted on his official X account: “Very sadly we are going to have to admit defeat in the battle to get Constitution Hill ready for the Champion Hurdle and therefore have to declare that he will not be running there this year.”
Trinidad and Tobago's top-tier junior athletes have secured their spots at the 2024 Carifta Games in Grenada. Among the stellar performers, the multitalented Tyrique Vincent emerged as a standout, surpassing qualifying standards in three events during the weekend trials.
Vincent's remarkable achievements included a commanding victory in the Boys U-17 triple jump, where he soared an impressive 13.50m The Concorde Athletic standout continued to dominate in the U-17 110m hurdles, clocking in at 14.43 seconds (wind-assisted). Vincent also secured his place in the U-17 long jump, sailing out to an impressive 6.74m.
Joining Vincent in this extraordinary accomplishment were Reuel McEwen, Kristiano Perez, and Dominic Maxwell, all of whom surpassed the Carifta standard in their respective events.
The weekend's competitions showcased more exceptional performances, with Daeshaun Cole dipping under the Carifta Games mark in the boys under-20 200m dash semifinal. Symphony Patrick, a standout in the girls U-20 category, not only claimed victory in the 100m final but also achieved the girls U-20 200m standard for the Carifta Games.
Alexxe Henry of Zenith Athletics emerged triumphant in the 100m final with a stellar time of 24.07 seconds, alongside other impressive athletes like Kadija Pickering, Keziah Peters, and Sierra Joseph, all meeting the standard of 24.69 seconds. Henry continued her success by clinching the girls U-20 200m final in the penultimate event on Sunday, clocking an impressive 24.0 seconds.
Kadeem Chinapoo showcased his prowess by meeting Carifta standards in both the boys' U-17 200m preliminaries and final, adding to his qualification in the 100m event on Saturday.
Here are the comprehensive results of the Trinidad and Tobago athletes who qualified for the 2024 Carifta Games:
Girls Under-20
100m Dash: Symphony Patrick (Concorde), Alexxe Henry (Zenith), Kadija Pickering (Abilene Wildcats).
200m Dash: Alexxe Henry (Zenith), Keziah Peters (Simplex), Symphony Patrick (Concorde), Kadija Pickering (Abilene Wildcats).
Triple Jump: Kernes Shelbourne (Oasics).
Girls Under-17
400m Dash: Kyah Hyson (FAD).
1500m Run: Aniqah Bailey (+one a Week).
100m Hurdles: Jenna Thomas (IG Fastlane), Tenique Vincent (Concorde).
400m Hurdles: Jenna Thomas (IG Fastlane), Durlaina Rouse (PFNJ), Zariah Pascall (D’Abadie).
Shot Put: Peyton Winter (BURN).
Discus Throw: Peyton Winter (BURN), Addalia Sylvester (MERC).
High Jump: Tenique Vincent (Concorde Athletic), La’Shiya Biggart (Zenith), La Queen Welch (QRC AC).
Boys Under-20
100m Dash: Dylan Woodruffe (Cougars), Mikhail Byer (Simplex), Jamario Russell (Memphis Pioneers), Hakeem Chinapoo (Simplex), Che Wickham.
200m Dash: Daeshaun Cole (Abilene Wildcats), Jyrell Thomas (Cougars), Enoch Joseph (Mounting Eagles).
400m Dash: Kyrell Thomas (Cougars), Da Shaun Lezama (+one a Week), Keone John (Memphis Pioneers), Jaden Clement (MAP).
800m Run: Brion Scott (BURN), Khordae Lewis (+One a Week).
1500m Run: Tafari Waldron (Cougars), Omari Thompson (+one a Week), Jahfa Woodlet (Memphis Pioneers), Darius Harding (BURN).
5000m Run: Tafari Waldon (Cougars).
Triple Jump: Tyrique Vincent (Concorde), Reuel McEwen (Kaizen Panthers), Kristiano Perez (QRC AC), Dominic Maxwell (Toco Tafac).
Boys Under-17
100m Dash: Kadeem Chinapoo (Simplex), Cameron Powel (Phoenix), Kaeden Herbert (Memphis), Shane Camejo (Stallion).
200m Dash: Kadeem Chinapoo (SImplex).
1500m Run: Isaiah Alder (Cougars), Jayden Alexander (Rjrt).
110m Hurdles: Tyrique Vincent (Concorde), Omari Brown (Neon Wolves).
Long Jump: Tyrique Vincent (Concorde), Omari Brown (Neon Wolves).
With approximately three dozen athletes meeting the Carifta Games qualifying standards, Trinidad and Tobago is set to make a resounding impact at the upcoming games from March 29 to April 1 in Grenada. These athletes have not only earned their place but have set the stage for an exhilarating and competitive representation on the regional stage.
The 2024 Carifta Games will be shown live on Sportsmax.
The Carifta Games trials held at the National Stadium in Kingston over the weekend witnessed stellar performances from Jamaica's track and field athletes.
Javorne Dunkley and Thieanna-Lee Terrelonge emerged as standouts on the second day of the three-day trials, securing victories in the Under-20 boys' and girls' 100m events, respectively. Elite Performance Dunkley's electrifying 10.32 seconds sprint secured the gold, while Edwin Allen High’s Terrelonge clocked an impressive 11.25 seconds to dominate her event.
Kingston College's Nyrone Wade claimed victory in the Under-17 100m with a swift 10.49 seconds, and Wolmer's High School for Girls' Natrece East secured the girls' Under-17 crown in 11.62 seconds.
In the Under-20 400m event, Marcinho Rose of Kingston College displayed a lifetime-best performance, clocking 46.36 seconds to seize gold. Hydel's Abigail Campbell broke the 52 seconds barrier for the first time in her career, winning the girls' Under-20 400m race in a personal-best time of 52.84 seconds.
Nickecoy Bramwell of Calabar dominated the boys' Under-17 400m with a time of 47.65 seconds, while Hydel's Nastassia Fletcher set a lifetime-best of 54.70 seconds to clinch victory in the girls' Under-17 400m.
In the 1500m events, Edwin Allen's Rickeisha Simms and Jamaica College's Kemario Bygrave emerged victorious in the Under-20 categories. Simms clocked 4:31.33 minutes, and Bygrave raced to a personal-best time of 4:01.54.
Rasheda Samuels of Edwin Allen triumphed in the Under-20 high jump, leaping to 1.87m, while JC's Kemario Bygrave impressed in the boys' Under-20 800m, leading all qualifiers with a time of 1:53.08.
This year’s National Hunt Chase will be run in honour of the late Maureen Mullins on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.
Mullins, who died aged 94 on February 14, was the matriarch of one of the most successful and well-known families in the sport.
A winning rider, owner and breeder in her own right, she was the wife of Paddy, the trainer of the great Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup-winning mare Dawn Run.
The couple had five children, among them trainers Tom, Tony and Willie – the latter now Ireland’s leading National Hunt handler and a huge presence at the Cheltenham Festival.
Her grandsons Danny, Emmet and Patrick have all ridden winners at the Festival, with Patrick taking first place in the National Hunt Chase four times for his father Willie, making him the contest’s leading jockey.
The Jockey Club’s Ian Renton said: “The National Hunt Chase has a long tradition of commemorating some of Jump racing’s most famous names and we are delighted that the Mullins family has agreed to have the historic contest run in honour of Maureen Mullins in 2024.
“A true stalwart of Jump racing, Maureen Mullins was a regular visitor to the Festival and her sad passing last month leaves a big void. We hope that putting her name to the National Hunt Chase celebrates her tremendous legacy in the appropriate way.”
Willie Mullins said: “Our family are delighted and honoured to have a race named after our mother Maureen, who had a great affinity for Cheltenham and enjoyed every moment there.”
Tony Mullins added: “Undoubtedly the correct race for a great stayer.”
The Racehorse Trainers Benevolent Fund will look to build on its encouraging early efforts after securing the backing of the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust.
During a six-month pilot scheme offering mental health support to licensed trainers in Britain, over 50 initial interactions led to 23 in-depth follow-up conversations.
The Trainer Support Network, a team of four knowledgeable and empathetic people who are out in the racing community, helped trainers to manage emotional and psychological issues.
RTBF chair Rupert Arnold said: “The indications are that demand will continue to grow as awareness of the support network spreads and willingness to open up to one of the providers increases.
“We are extremely grateful to the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust for providing financial assistance to help us reach more trainers needing this type of support.”
Former Group One-winning handler Harry Dunlop, a trustee of the RTBF, added: “The pilot has endorsed our approach of recruiting trusted, familiar and knowledgeable people to be visible and available in the places where trainers work.
“The Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust has been a great friend to the training community in the past. Their three-year funding of the Trainer Support Network is another example, which we are thrilled to receive.”
On behalf of the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust, Nigel Payne said: “We have been very active in our support for jockeys and their mental health and when we were approached to give support to the RTBF, we felt it entirely appropriate to support trainers too. We are convinced that this is something Sir Peter would have wanted.”
In a scathing critique of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and major cricketing nations, Cricket West Indies (CWI) CEO Johnny Grave has accused the global cricketing body of deliberately obstructing the resurgence of West Indies cricket by maintaining an unjust economic model.
Grave's outburst follows the West Indies' impressive performance in their tour of Australia from January to February 2024. The underdog West Indies, led by captain Kraig Brathwaite, secured a historic Test series draw against Australia, marking their first Test victory on Australian soil in 27 years.
In a podcast with Daniel Gallan, Grave expressed his frustration, stating, "I think everyone is a bit sick of the phrase - world cricket needs a strong West Indies - when we definitely feel that world cricket is doing everything they can at almost every level to make sure that West Indies Cricket are never strong again."
One of Grave's primary grievances is with the ICC's revenue share model, which he deems flawed. Grave alleged that West Indies' share of the revenue has dwindled from seven to five percent under the current model, despite headlines suggesting an increase in financial support.
"I think that's the borne of the frustration of that as Ian Bishop says in his own words that this is a patronising tone. If you really want a strong West Indies Cricket, it would actually not be that hard to do a bit more. ICC are giving us more money in headlines but our percentage of revenue has gone down from seven to five percent, which we struggle to understand," Grave explained.
The CWI CEO questioned the cricketing community's commitment to fairness, stating, "If we all just are looking after ourselves then are we really acting as a community? Are we putting the best product on the field?"
This is not the first time Grave has criticized the ICC. In January, he had raised concerns about the economic disparity, claiming that the West Indies made no money from the men's and women's tour of Australia series, with the majority of revenue going to Cricket Australia.
"The revenue-share model is completely broken," Grave stated. "If we really want to operate as a cricketing community, we are only as strong as the weakest team, and we've got to change the mindset of bilateral cricket.
"CWI has spent over USD$ 2 million sending teams to Australia in the last four months, and whilst CA have received all the economic benefits from those series, we've seen zero dollars back. Is that really fair, reasonable, and sustainable?"
Jonjo O’Neill is not ruling out a Cheltenham Festival appearance for Monbeg Genius after a disappointing effort at Kelso on Saturday.
The eight-year-old was among the leading lights in the ante-post market for the Randox Grand National prior to his outing in the Premier Chase, which was a first run since finishing third in the Coral Gold Cup back in December.
Minor setbacks scuppered his intended runs since and there was concern his season could be curtailed after assets linked to owners Baroness Michelle Mone and her husband Doug Barrowman were made the subject of a restraint order, but the British Horseracing Authority subsequently confirmed Monbeg Genius would not be affected.
Sent off a 5-2 chance at Kelso, Monbeg Genius trailed home in fifth place, beaten 38 lengths by Thunder Rock, and O’Neill could give him a chance to redeem himself in the Ultima Handicap Chase at Cheltenham on Tuesday week, a race in which he finished third last year.
He told Sky Sports Racing: “He’s fine but it was disappointing really, we were expecting a better show than that, to be fair.
“He’ll have to come on a lot, but he’s come out of it fine and we might even give him another spin at Cheltenham, we’ll see. It wasn’t the plan but he might come on a bit more.
“The practice might help, he didn’t jump great yesterday, he didn’t do anything that we hoped he would, so let’s see how he is.
“He’s in at Cheltenham, so we’ll have a look and see.”
Monbeg Genius is now a best-priced 33-1 shot for Aintree on April 13.
O’Neill is also keeping his options open with exciting bumper prospect Mister Meggit following his facile success in the Download The Racecourse App Raceday Ready Open NH Flat Race at Doncaster.
Having won by a dozen lengths on his Carlisle debut in November, the six-year-old hacked up by four and three-quarter lengths at 8-15 at Town Moor following a 119-day absence.
Coral cut Mister Meggit from 25-1 to 16-1 for the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham and O’Neill said: “When I was looking at him in the paddock, I was thinking ‘what are we doing here?’ because he’s a shelly little horse. But he’s obviously got an engine and I was very pleased with that.
“It’s hard to know with a four-runner race, but he did it really sweetly at Carlisle as well. He doesn’t show you up at home or anything like that but when he gets down here, he’s obviously a fair horse.
“We’ll see how he is, there’s Liverpool as well. He’s a very shelly horse, so we’ll just have to see how he comes out of it. He did look good, though.”
Jordan Gainford is hoping to get the leg-up on Hewick in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup after securing his first win since returning from a lengthy injury absence at Leopardstown.
The rider struck up a good partnership with Shark Hanlon’s charge in the spring of 2022, partnering him to win the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown before adding a Galway Plate success in the July and a famous victory in the American Grand National the following October.
However, Gainford has not ridden Hewick since the pair came to grief at the penultimate fence in last year’s Gold Cup, with the rider spending plenty of time on the sidelines due to concussion and injury.
Gainford fractured two vertebrae in a fall in December, meaning he missed Hewick’s King George VI Chase success, with Gavin Sheehan in the plate as the nine-year-old came from last to first in Kempton’s Christmas showpiece.
However, having proved his fitness by partnering 16-1 shot Miss Gherkin to victory in the Anton O’Toole Handicap Hurdle, Gainford is eager to renew his relationship with Hewick in the Cheltenham highlight on Friday week.
He said: “I sat on him last week and he feels great. I’m back in tomorrow for another sit on him. He’s bouncing at home and fingers crossed I get back on him.
“Hopefully he keeps thriving between now and Cheltenham and the ground is good.”
Gainford had had just a handful of rides since his return at the end of last month and he is eager to push on with his first winner now secured.
He said: “It’s great to be back, first of all. It’s busy in Gordon’s (Elliott) and I’m in Shark’s tomorrow and it’s great to be on the scoresheet.
“I’ve many people to thank. Gavin Egan in RACE and Graham Harrison, the fitness coach, and also Jennifer (Pugh) and Adrian (McGoldrick). A massive thanks to them all.
“Hopefully I’m getting better every day and we can drive on.”
Of Miss Gherkin, he added: “Peter (Croke, trainer) was confident that she would run well. She’d a promising run on her first run over hurdles in Tramore and things didn’t go right on her last two runs. She was a little bit keen here at Christmas.
“They flew early today and I wanted to take her back. Every time she passed a horse from the second last home, she put down her head and tried. She showed a nice attitude.”
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