Il Est Francais will bid for a milestone success for Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm in the Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
The five-year-old is trained in France by the young team and has been a true success story since joining the stable, running seven times at Auteuil and winning on all but one occasion.
Those victories include two Grade Threes and a Grade One, and most recently the gelding stepped up in trip to ease any doubts over his stamina when landing the Listed Prix Fondeur in heavy ground.
He now crosses the Channel to test his mettle against British-trained horses at Kempton, and George is hopeful he can make a mark.
“He’s got a very big reputation out here in France and we’re all just hoping he can show us a true running of his real ability,” the trainer said.
“It’s the first time he has travelled away from Auteuil obviously, but he is a horse who seems to adapt easily, so hopefully it won’t be a problem and he can show us how good he is.
“France Galop have been great and have accommodated us building British fences and they opened the grass gallop especially for us so he could do a grass gallop. He’s in great form and his prep has been perfect really and we can’t wait for it.
“It’s a bit of a dream and you grow up watching King George day at Kempton. I know it’s not the King George but it’s a Grade One on the same day and it would be a dream for myself and Amanda to win our first Grade One and if that was in England, then it would be amazing.”
Il Est Francais will face Paul Nicholls’ Hermes Allen in the contest, a Grade One-winning hurdler who made a perfect start to his chasing career when landing the John Francome Novices’ Chase by six and a half lengths on debut at Newbury at the start of the month.
He beat decent horses during that run and although this is a step up in class and distance, he does have three-mile point-to-point form on his side to answer the latter question.
“Hermes Allen hasn’t gone three miles yet under rules, but he has won his point-to-point over that distance and I’ve no issue with the trip at all,” Nicholls said.
“It will be exciting and he wants to be running in Grade Ones, as it was this time last year that he won the Challow Hurdle. He won well the other day having needed the run.
“I was delighted with him at Newbury and he couldn’t have done it any better. He jumped well and galloped well all the way to the line and he will improve for that run.”
Lucinda Russell will saddle Giovinco for the race, a six-year-old who made an impression on his last run when defeating the well-regarded Stay Away Fay in the Esher Novices’ Chase at Sandown.
The gelding is a previous Listed winner over hurdles and has point-to-point form, but connections are mindful of the depth of the race this year.
Peter Scudamore, Russell’s partner and assistant, said: “It looks a very tough race but he’s highly rated and there’s not many places we can go.
“It looks a particularly good renewal of the race so we go in hope rather than expectation, but obviously we hope he runs a really nice race.
“He ran a good race at Sandown and he has a chance of improving a bit from there, so we go in hope.”
David Killahena and Graeme McPherson will saddle the grey Marble Sands for the race, with Emma Lavelle set to run Tightenourbelts and Anthony Honeyball represented by Kilbeg King.
It could be a memorable Boxing Day for Paul Robson when he saddles Cannock Park in the William Hill Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.
The fledgling handler, once a member of the riding fraternity before injury forced him to quit the weighing room, has an interesting back-story and splits his time training a small string with duties in his undertaking business in the Scottish Borders.
Robson classes training great Henrietta Knight among his close circle of friends and in Cannock Park may have found just the horse to join his great mentor on the big stage.
After some encouraging runs in bumpers, the five-year-old landed a telling blow at Cheltenham on his hurdling bow and his trainer feels he is more than worthy of his place in this Grade One contest.
Robson said: “I think he deserves his shot and at the end of the day we’re taking a step up, but so is Nicky Henderson’s horse (Jango Baie), he has only run once over hurdles. We’re in the same boat as him and the only difference is we have some bumper experience behind us.
“I think he beat some nice horses at Cheltenham and I would like to see it softer but even if it is good ground, I don’t think it would bother him. We haven’t run him on anything other than soft or heavy ground, so if it is good, it will be interesting to see how he acts on it.
“Liverpool itself will definitely suit him and looking at the form of the race, it could be lively – as there are plenty of front-runners in there.
“It looks a proper Supreme trial and I’ve looked at the race two or three ways from the aspect of which would I like to be riding and, at this moment, I would still be quite happy to be on my own. He’s got a high cruising speed and he stays well.
“There is plenty of depth to the race. We’re all excited and we don’t for any second feel we shouldn’t be in it, anyway. We’re there to give it a go and he will be going there as well as we have ever had him, so there are no excuses.”
Henderson has voiced his displeasure that this newly created race has replaced the Tolworth Hurdle but he could be the first to get his name on the roll of honour with the aforementioned Jango Baie.
The four-year-old just held on to register a nose victory over Tellherthename after the duo had a ding-dong battle up the Ascot straight and both are fancied to be thereabouts in this high-class event.
Henderson told Unibet: “The form of his Ascot win has worked out nicely, and while he takes on Ben Pauling’s horse again, I’d like to think our lad has come on for that first run.
“He handles the ground and could be quite an exciting prospect. Put it this way, we’ll know where he is in the pecking order after this.”
Since finishing second in that Ascot contest, Ben Pauling’s Tellherthename has bolted up at Huntingdon, with subsequent winners galore among the beaten horses.
“He’s a lovely horse with a lot of natural speed,” said Pauling.
“The Huntingdon race looked just a run-of-the-mill race in my eyes, and I expected him to win and he did win very nicely, but actually the form has worked out very well.
“The second (Lucky Place) came out and won by 13 lengths at Doncaster, the fifth (Soigneux Bell) has won by 11 lengths at Fontwell and the seventh (West Warhorse) has won by 16 lengths at Fakenham.
“He improved a lot from his first run, when he met Jango Baie, and he does seem to be in particularly good form with himself.
“I think he’s a very exciting horse for the future, we couldn’t be any happier with him at home and I’m looking forward to seeing how he gets on.
“It’s nice to see a proper Grade One contested by some nice, young horses.”
It was a novice hurdler that provided Fergal O’Brien with his first Grade One victory and now Kamsinas bids to another top-level strike, hot on the heels of the yard’s thrilling Long Walk Hurdle triumph with Crambo at Ascot on Saturday.
Whereas Poetic Rhythm’s 2017 Challow Hurdle success was built on pure stamina, O’Brien’s latest model possesses plenty of speed and showed lots of class when tasting Grade Two glory at Haydock last month, where he accounted for the reopposing Making Headway.
“We’ve loved him from day one,” said O’Brien. “He won his bumper for us and has done very little wrong since. He’s training very well and we’re really, really happy with him.
“He won his novice hurdle at Worcester and he won a Grade Two at Haydock and he deserves to take his chance.
“He’s a lovely stamp of a horse and we’re really looking forward to him. Fingers crossed he can run well.”
Gordon Elliott’s Farren Glory tasted Royal Bond success earlier this month and sets a high standard making the trip over from Ireland, while there is an international feel to the event with the addition of French raider July Flower, who will be ridden by Felix de Giles for handler Mickael Seror.
Nicky Richards’ Florida Dreams got off the mark over hurdles at Ayr recently and will seek his second big victory at the Merseyside track, having claimed the Grade Two bumper there in the spring.
Chepstow scorer Jackpot D’Athou represents Paul Nicholls, while Alan King’s Favour And Fortune has already struck at Hereford and Wetherby over timber.
Jinelle James, Trinidad and Tobago’s director of the women's football, expressed delight with the recently-concluded Jewels of the Caribbean Under-17 Women’s tournament, and is expecting players to make the most of the lessons learnt from the exposure, as they continue training.
James, who is also a FIFA assistant development officer, welcomed the initiative which provided the opportunity for players to parade their skills and, by extension, continue their development.
The four-team tournament featured Trinidad and Tobago’s A and B teams, as well as Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
Trinidad and Tobago’s A team led by J'Eleisha Alexander, topped the tournament, with Orielle Martin taking the best midfielder, most goals and most valuable player awards, while teammate Jasmaine Mc Nish copping the best defender prize.
“I thought the Jewels of the Caribbean U-17 Girls Tournament was a great opportunity to give the girls a chance to play without any of the pressures of a qualification tournament, and being able to play teams that are at their level competitively, and the girls are learning how to win international matches,” James said.
"In the end, some of our U-17 players showed themselves like Mc Nish, Martin, Cherina Steele and Alexander, who has had a successful campaign for the past year in the Secondary School Girls Football League and was called up to the senior women's team.
"There were others like Mariah Williams, Madison Campbell, and Ty'Kaiya Dennis, so it was basically the whole team really showing themselves and introducing themselves at this level to international football," she added.
That some Under-14 players also strutted their stuff in the tournament, was another highlight for James.
“So, it was just a good opportunity to give exposure to the young girls. They were much younger than their competitors of course, but again it's always good to put them in to see where they are at in their development and what’s needed for them to improve and prepare for the U-15 Concacaf competition next year in August,” she reasoned.
"All in all, I thought it was a good showing for the girls and hopefully we can get more opportunities for them to play in a competitive environment without the pressures of it being a qualification tournament,” James noted.
With Concacaf qualifiers in the distant future, James pointed to the need for more initiatives such as the Jewels tournament to keep players active.
"What I personally realised is that these girls don't play any football outside of coming to training, so we have to find a way to get them to play more which will help them to develop their game awareness and they will get to see the things that they are being shown in training.
“Training is only one and half hours, and it's only so much the coaches can get across to the players, and they themselves have to do some playing recreationally to learn how to check in pockets, and how and when to make runs and all,” she shared.
“So, we saw a lot of positives that we could take from this experience that the coaches will use to help prepare the team for their next encounter at the U-20 level maybe in 2025 or 2026,” James ended.
Andre Russell pledged to arrive at next year's T20 World Cup "looking like a UFC fighter" after his comeback series for West Indies culminated in a four-wicket win over England in Thursday's decider at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad.
Russell returned to international cricket having last represented West Indies at the 2021 T20 World Cup in the UAE.
The 35-year-old was not in the regional team’s plans for last year's T20 World Cup in Australia, when selector Desmond Haynes said that West Indies had "moved on" from him, but won a recall after confirming his availability.
He was West Indies' leading wicket-taker in the series, largely bowling at the death, and scored at a strike rate of 169.35 with the bat.
"It means a lot, to be honest, getting the call-up to come back and to join the West Indies team," he told TNT Sports.
"I've been working for the last two years, waiting on a call-up. I'm just excited to be back and have a win," Russell said, highlighting the role that Daren Sammy has played in his return.
"The coach has been backing me a lot. I'm so happy. I feel like I've won a big, big championship with just a series win, that's how much it means to me."
Russell arrived in the Caribbean immediately after playing in the Abu Dhabi T10, and said that the long-haul flight across the world had affected his performance after impressing in the series opener.
"I was coming from Abu Dhabi where it's a big time difference," he said.
"Flying back into Barbados I tried to stay up as late as possible to make sure that I get enough sleep so that I can [be] fresh for the game.
“When I got to Grenada, I just couldn't sleep. I start feeling sleepy at 6am in the morning, which would be the time that I would sleep in Abu Dhabi. Fans won't know that, but I still get the pressure and the backlash and all of that. It just makes me stronger. I love my Caribbean fans and I know they are passionate about the game, and when we're messing up, they will be on our backs.
I want to make sure that I do the necessary recoveries, drink a lot of coconut water and get my body right - massages, and all of that. That's what I did to really be able to come in the last game, bowl three overs for 30-odd runs [37] - and then today was exceptional from all the bowlers."
Russell hopes to be part of West Indies' squad for the T20 World Cup in June, when they will attempt to become the first men's team to win the trophy for a third time.
"I'll be in better shape, to be honest: I'll be looking like a UFC fighter," he said. "This series win means so much. It [makes me] want to push myself to the limit."
He is due to play in the ILT20 and the IPL early next year, and said: "I have a lot of cricket to play and that's good. When you're playing cricket and in competition, your body is active and you're not just sat at home waiting for the World Cup. We are definitely going to give some teams a good, good run for their money in the World Cup."
Nicky Henderson warmed up for a huge Boxing Day with a four-timer across both Ascot and Haydock on the final day of action before Christmas.
The two biggest names in Henderson’s Seven Barrows yard, Constitution Hill and Shishkin, will make their seasonal debuts at Kempton on Tuesday, in the Ladbrokes-sponsored Christmas Hurdle and King George VI Chase respectively. The first half of the season has not gone to plan for either of them, giving Henderson sleepless nights in the process.
Constitution Hill was due to run in the Fighting Fifth at Newcastle, with the meeting lost to the weather only to be rearranged for a week later. Henderson did enter him for the rescheduled event at Sandown, but heavy ground prevented him from running.
He was meant to be joined in the rearranged Fighting Fifth by Shishkin – but he also sidestepped it for the same reason, having also missed out at Newcastle in the Rehearsal Chase. The latter had been an original Plan B after he blotted his copybook by refusing to race at Ascot.
Henderson was at Ascot to witness French import Excello win the Howden Graduation Chase and Luccia lead home stablemate Impose Toi in the Betfair Exchange Trophy, while Issuing Authority and Pawapuri got their heads in front at Haydock.
“It’s always nice when the horses are running well. You’ve got to make the most of it because you can get bad patches, but they are being very well behaved at the moment,” said the 73-year-old.
“It doesn’t make me any less nervous for Tuesday as they are all doing different things.
“Those first two up at Haydock were good and I was very impressed with the mare (Pawapuri) and I was impressed with him (Excello) too.”
While Henderson allows himself to enjoy the festivities, he admits his mind will be wandering elsewhere.
“I enjoy seeing the people over Christmas and then the family on Christmas Day, but you are chomping a bit. Your head is still buzzing about what is to come,” he said.
“The most important part is the team behind it and they’ve got to work solidly over this weekend. A lot would prefer to be elsewhere but we can’t do that, we’ve got to mix in, rally together and keep our heads down.”
As for his big two, he will just be pleased to finally get a run into the pair of them.
“They were all right this morning, but you only need them to tread on a peanut and they could be lame tomorrow, it’s not that easy,” he said.
“Shishkin has been away but nothing very dramatic that we wouldn’t normally do, pretty routine.
“I’ve had some very entertaining suggestions about how we can persuade him to start. I can’t personally say I’m not worried about it, of course I am, but I really don’t think it’s a big problem, I really don’t.
“Someone will go down to the start with him and I just need to check with the starter what we can and cannot do. What I think you can’t do is carry anything, certainly not a Long Tom (whip). If we could do that it would be simple. He’ll be all right.
“He’s in good form, I would have loved to have had a race, but we haven’t – there’s nothing I can do about it now. I’m pleased with the way the last week has gone.
“As for the other lad (Constitution Hill), we’ve got three more sleeps, something like that.
“When you have a horse with his mentality, all the messing about hasn’t bothered him. He makes it easier than most horses would.
“His temperament is due to his father, Blue Bresil, he’s passed the genes on and they are so relaxed.
“You still have to remember you are starting a new season and they don’t always come back the same, this is no given.
“If he comes through this and it goes like last year I’d be confident about the next bit. But the first day out of the year is crucial, it’s like a first day at school. He’s been good at home, but there are new kids on the block and he’s starting a new term.”
Crambo came out on top in a breathtaking battle of the ages with Paisley Park to claim Howden Long Walk Hurdle glory at Ascot.
Paisley Park was bidding to match the brilliant Baracouda’s record of four wins in the Grade One contest over an extended three miles.
But the popular 10-year-old just had to give way to Crambo – four years his junior, who was providing trainer Fergal O’Brien with just his second elite-level success.
Dashel Drasher set off in his customary prominent position, but there was little more than a few lengths covering all 10 runners at the halfway stage.
With four flights left to jump, it was noticeable that Paisley Park was lying handier than has often been the case and Tom Bellamy threw down a challenge between the last couple of hurdles.
However, Jonathan Burke made his move at the exact same time and the pair jumped the final obstacle together before settling down for a ding-dong battle on the run-in.
It was impossible to predict the outcome until close home, when 5-1 chance Crambo edged in front by a short head to give O’Brien a first Grade One triumph since Poetic Rhythm in 2017.
Nicky Henderson’s exciting French import Excello upset odds-on favourite Solo when running out a ready winner of the Howden Graduation Chase at Ascot.
In a contest previously won by the likes of Top Notch, Riders Onthe Storm and L’Homme Presse, Solo set out to lead all the way and looked comfortable enough out in front.
However, four-year-old Excello was also travelling well and jumped alongside the pacesetter at the third-last before powering past him on the home turn.
Two good jumps up the straight allowed Nico de Boinville just to keep his mount focused for an impressive six-and-a-half-length success over two miles and five furlongs.
The 11-4 scorer was a winner over fences at Auteuil in March, and Henderson said: “The whole plan was to go novice hurdling this season and then to come back chasing not as a novice.
“But the way he is doing that, would you really want to go back to novice hurdling? You may as well get on and do what he’s good at – and that’s jumping.
“He went a bit left a few times, but you wouldn’t be worried about that. At Ascot, you will always see them just wander that way, it’s a natural trait.
“We schooled him Tuesday to see if this is something we could do and he was so good. I wouldn’t bring too many four-year-olds here to jump those fences.
“That’s probably the handicap mark gone out the window as well, so that (route) is not an option. He’s five at Christmas, so he loses that four-year-old slight advantage.
“It’s very French and they have already run over fences as a three and four-year-old – and this is Mr Henderson trying to parler francaise.”
There was heartbreak for followers of Harper’s Brook when he threw away victory in the Howden Handicap Chase by faltering close home, allowing Triple Trade to claim a dramatic triumph.
Kielan Woods set a fast pace on Harper’s Brook, who ran his rivals ragged and jumped superbly throughout, with a big leap at the last fence looking sure to have sealed it.
However, he stopped to a near-walk on the run-in and Triple Trade swooped in the dying strides under Brendan Powell to oblige by half a length at 9-4.
Winning trainer Joe Tizzard said: “He hasn’t actually had his ground this season because he wants soft ground, but he’s winning anyway and had he not missed four out, which he missed badly, he would have been able to travel a bit longer, because when he hits the front, he doesn’t do a great deal.
“I would have taken second jumping the last and then the horse in front tied up. Brendan said he felt like he was treading water going to the last and then the horse got competitive again when he was closing in (on Harper’s Brook).
“He was a cheap horse and the owners are very good boys and we’re having a lot of fun with him. This time last year, we pulled up at Wincanton on Boxing Day and we were struggling to be honest, and then we won a couple at the end of the season and now look where we are.
“I said to the lads having lunch before, you’ll get used to these nice days and that’s where he’s taking them. He’s one of those horses who will take them to these lovely big days and he’s winning still at the moment, so quite where we end up I don’t know.
“We’ll see what the handicapper does and play our way, but we will take him to one of the festivals because the guys who own him deserve to have a runner there.
“The horse is probably putting himself in that picture, without getting too carried away. I’m not saying he’s going to go and win at a festival but he deserves to go and have that day out because he’s won four times in the last six or seven months.”
Top Cloud kept on gamely under Liam Harrison to get the better of Scamallach Liath in another thrilling finish to the Ascot Racecourse Supports Schools Photography Competition Novices’ Handicap Hurdle.
Market leader Scamallach Liath made a brave attempt to make all under top weight over just short of three miles but was pipped at the post by Robbie Llewellyn’s 11-2 scorer.
The six-year-old has now won four out of five since joining Llewellyn from Chris Grant after being snapped up for only £8,000 by his new connections in May.
“It’s magical and we want to be competitive on the big days,” said Wroughton handler Llewellyn after his charge had prevailed by a head.
“I haven’t got a lot of money to spend and I think our most expensive horse is £12,000. This time last year, we had one winner, but we’ve got a better team of horses and it’s paying off.
“We’re in a new yard just below Alan King’s, it’s brilliant and I think that’s our 12th winner now from about 50 runners, so I’m over the moon.
“This lad has a brilliant attitude and is as hard as nails, I don’t think he is a world beater but what he will do is go through the pain barrier for you and just puts his head down and grinds it out – he does it the hard way.
“He thinks he is faster than he actually is, but he has a great attitude and hardly leaves a nut, so you can go to war more times with him.
“You can have the best work horse and best rating, but if they don’t want to go through with it, they don’t win races – and his attitude has won him four races now.”
Famous Bridge continued his ascent up the staying ladder with a determined victory in an attritional renewal of the Betfred Tommy Whittle Handicap Chase at Haydock.
Although a dual winner over hurdles, the Nicky Richards-trained seven-year-old always looked the type to do better over the larger obstacles and he won three of his first six chase starts.
Fresh from a course-and-distance success four weeks ago, Famous Bridge – sporting the famous silks of the late Trevor Hemmings – was the 5-2 favourite to add to his tally and stuck to his guns admirably in the testing conditions to emerge victorious.
Burrows Diamond had built up a clear lead by the time he rounded the bend into the the home straight and soon had the majority of his chasing rivals in trouble, with only Famous Bridge and Credo able to stay in the fight from the third-last fence.
Burrows Diamond did not bend in front, but Famous Bridge slowly ate into his advantage and he was a length to the good at the line.
Richards said: “He crept away and did it grand. Sean (Quinlan, jockey) thought he was going to win from the second-last. I don’t know if we would want to run him on that ground too many times as it is fairly gruelling.
“He is a youngish horse for a chasing horse and I think he is on the up, but you don’t want to keep putting the gun to their head on that ground.
“He is a young horse, and he has not had a lot of mileage. He is improving and I want to keep seeing improvement as the handicapper is going to make sure we need to improve.
“We know he is going to come (through near the end) as he likes to get in a battle and he is the type of horse that is hard to beat when he gets in one.”
Famous Bridge was given a quote of 25-1 for the Grand National by William Hill, but the Greystoke handler has other targets on his mind away from Aintree.
He added: “He won’t go up enough in the weights for the National this time. We’ve got thoughts. I don’t think we want to go extreme distances on gruelling ground yet.
“He has won two nice races now and something like the Grimthorpe we could go for. Mick (Meagher, racing manager to Hemmings Racing) would love to come back here for the Peter Marsh, but I don’t know if he wants to be on that ground all the time.”
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.”
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.
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