Fallen Angel stayed on strongly to land the Moyglare Stud Stakes in impressive fashion at the Curragh, as Aidan O’Brien’s Ylang Ylang folded tamely to give up her unbeaten record.
Ylang Ylang went into the race as the ante-post favourite for next year’s Classics following two impressive displays and was sent off the 6-5 market leader in a bid to give the master of Ballydoyle his 10th success in the Group One event.
Ryan Moore sent the daughter of Frankel to the front where she was joined by Danny Tudhope aboard the eventual 9-2 winner and the duo matched strides until Ylang Ylang began to falter approaching the final furlong.
Despite Ylang Ylang falling quickly to the back of the field, the race was far from over and Willie McCreary’s Vespertilio was soon alongside Fallen Angel launching her challenge, with the duo embroiled in a real tussle to the line.
It was Karl Burke’s filly who pulled out extra when it mattered most to provide both the North Yorkshire trainer and owners Clipper Logistics with their second winner of the Irish Champions Festival following Flight Plan’s Dullingham Park Stakes success at Leopardstown on Saturday.
The winner now enters the equation for next year’s 1000 Guineas, with Coral going 8-1 and Betfair 7-1 from 25s.
Moss Tucker stayed on strongly to land a decisive blow for the home team in the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Flying Five Stakes.
The Curragh Group One was stacked with British talent, but it was Ken Condon’s unheralded five-year-old who scooped the €236,000 first prize at odds of 16-1.
Although now an eight-time winner, it was just the second time Moss Tucker was appearing at the highest level and while all eyes were on the near-side group where Art Power was being closely attended by Bradsell and Highfield Princess, Moss Tucker was getting the ideal tow through the race by Charlie Hills’ Equality.
The two groups merged with two furlongs to run, but whereas distress signals were being displayed by the fancied runners, the Billy Lee-ridden Moss Tucker still had plenty in the tank and he proved his stamina to deny Clive Cox’s Get Ahead in the closing stages with the front-running Equality going down bravely in third.
Warm Heart’s brilliant season continued as she landed the Qatar Prix Vermeille at ParisLongchamp for Aidan O’Brien.
The Galileo filly came into the Group One off the back of a Yorkshire Oaks success on the Knavesmire in late August, a race that was her first under rider James Doyle.
Prior to that she was fifth in the Irish Oaks, but her year has included plenty of winning as she took both the Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Haras De Bouquetot Fillies’ Trial Stakes at Newbury.
Her trip to Paris was also a success as she reunited with Doyle and was given a fine ride, finding plenty when pressed to defeat Francis-Henri Graffard’s Melo Melo by a neck at 11-4.
Joseph O’Brien notched back-to-back victories in the Moyglare “Jewels” Blandford Stakes, with Lumiere Rock the beneficiary of a smart ride from Dylan Browne McMonagle.
O’Brien, who won this race aboard his father’s Up during his riding career, saddled Above The Curve to land the Group Two contest 12 months ago and was enhancing his fine record in the Curragh contest with the Royal Ascot runner-up, who thrived in first-time cheekpieces.
Owned by Michael O’Flynn, the three-year-old was always well placed tracking the pace set by the front-running Red Riding Hood and when McMonagle asked his mount to set sail for home two furlongs out he had a willing partner.
The duo were clear entering the final furlong and although those from the rear, including 16-5 favourite Jackie Oh and British raider Araminta, tried to close the gap, they had no answer as Lumiere Rock galloped home to a three-length success over Jackie Oh in second.
The 6-1 scorer holds an entry for the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot on October 21 and she was shortened to 12-1 from 25s for that Group One assignment by Coral.
O’Brien said: “She was running consistently well in real good company all season. She was just beaten in Ascot and just beaten in France the last day. She really did deserve her win in Group Two level and won today like a filly that will hold her own in Group One company as she gets older.
“She has two obvious targets for the autumn, one in France on Arc day and one in the fillies’ race in Ascot on British Champions Day.
“We’ll see how she pulls up and she’ll tell us which way we go. She’s an exciting filly and will hold her own in either of those two big races in the autumn.
“We think that potentially she’s a filly that can win a Group One so whether that is later this year or next year she’s a very solid consistent filly. She’s a joy to train and I’m sure to own for Michael.
“I thought in France the last day she just waited a little bit in front and I think she was sharper today. I think they (cheekpieces) helped her.”
The Shaquille team remained puzzled on Sunday by their stable star’s uncharacteristic effort in the Betfair Sprint Cup at Haydock.
The Julie Camacho-trained colt has been superb all season, with a four-race winning streak including two Group One titles, in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and the July Cup at Newmarket.
He missed the break on the latter two occasions and was schooled through the stalls at home to remedy the issue, with the session seeming to be a success and confidence high as he headed to Haydock as the 11-10 favourite.
Shaquille was taken to post early by James Doyle, who then had to dismount before the market leader entered the stalls.
This time he did not miss the break and led in the early stages, but as the race unfolded he faded abruptly two furlongs from home before he was eased up by Doyle, coming home last of the 16 starters.
He pulled up sound, with no obvious issues, leaving connections still looking for the cause of an inexplicably heavy defeat.
“Nothing has come to light immediately, he was fine post-race – he was sound and his heart rate was normal,” said Camacho’s assistant and husband, Steve Brown.
“He seems bright and breezy this morning, he’s his normal self, he’s pretty fresh and well if anything.
“It’s all a bit of a puzzle at this moment in time, we’ll take some more tests this week and see if we can find what was amiss.
“He obviously wasn’t himself, he didn’t run any sort of a race and James did the right thing and looked after him thankfully.”
“I’m sure something will come to the surface at some point, but at the minute it’s in the mystery column, I’m afraid.”
On Friday night, September 8, 2023, Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) celebrated the induction of three outstanding individuals into its Athletics Hall of Fame. Among the honorees were the 2023 World 100m hurdles champion Danielle Williams, her sister Shermaine Williams, and their esteemed coach Lennox Graham.
Danielle Williams, who has had a stellar career in track and field, expressed her deep appreciation for the prestigious honor. She noted that being inducted into the Hall of Fame was a major accomplishment and a recognition of her remarkable achievements during her college years at JCSU.
Those achievements were encapsulated in her legendary seasons in 2013 and 2014 when she won nine NCAA titles (eight individual, one relay), 13 CIAA championships (11 individual, two relay), earned 13 All-America honors and was named either USTFCCCA National Women’s Indoor Track or Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year three times.
She turned in arguably the greatest two-day performance in NCAA DII history at the 2013 NCAA Division II Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Pueblo, Colorado, where she helped lead the Golden Bulls to their second consecutive runner-up finish in the team standings.
The future world champion scored 30½ points thanks to event titles in the 100, 200 and 4×100 relay, as well as a runner-up finish in the 100m hurdles. She also set divisional records in the 200m (22.62) and 4×100 relay (44.05), clocked the second fastest performance in divisional history in the 100mh(12.89) and notched the fifth fastest performance in the 100 (11.24).
In a four-year span, she was the third athlete from Johnson C. Smith inducted into the USTFCCCA NCAA Division II Track & Field Athlete Hall of Fame following in the footsteps of Leford Green (Class of 2017) and her sister Shermaine Williams (Class of 2018).
"Being inducted into the Hall of Fame is a prestigious honor. I never thought it a big deal when they told me in May, but being there last night (Friday), amongst the other inductees, I realized that it is indeed a big deal and a major accomplishment. Only 130 people in the entire history of JCSU have been inducted, and I am the youngest ever inductee, and that in itself is spectacular," said Williams in an exclusive interview with Sportsmax.TV
The experience was not only humbling but also exciting for Williams, who admitted that she does not often take the time to celebrate her own accomplishments. She shared, "The most memorable moment of the entire weekend was not just seeing people I haven't seen in so many years, but just hearing that so many of these folks watched the race (her gold medal run in Budapest) and have been keeping up with my exploits since I graduated, was magnificent to hear."
Williams won the 100m hurdles at the 2015 World Championships and continued her success by capturing the 2023 World 100m hurdles title in Budapest last month. This victory added an extra layer of significance to the Hall of Fame induction, as her family was present to witness the double celebration.
Williams expressed her gratitude for the support of her sister and coach, saying, "Being there with coach Lennox and Shermaine was a full-circle moment. We all started this journey together, and so to be able to celebrate with them was pure joy. Both of them are instrumental in the athlete I am today. Shermaine because she was the first in our family to transcend to new levels in athletics; making national teams and breaking records, her hard work, discipline, and determination were the catalyst and the inspiration for me when I started to compete. Coach took me from an inexperienced teenager with many flaws to a collegiate champion many times over and world champion. I thank God for both of them on this journey."
Coach Lennox Graham, who has been a pivotal figure in the success of the Williams sisters, speaking exclusively with Sportsmax.TV, also shared his thoughts on being inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside his athletes. He expressed his appreciation for the honor and recognized the significance of going in with both the Williams sisters.
"To be going in with Shermaine Williams and Danielle Williams is particularly satisfying because, I mean, it was our own JCSU Williams sisters. As you know, Shermaine and Danielle were the first female siblings to make the same World Championship final in 2015 in Beijing, when Danielle won the World Championships in the 100m hurdles and Shermaine was seventh. So those are things that it's impossible to forget," said Graham who won four national titles with JSCU and a number of Central Inter-Collegiate Athletics Association conference titles during his tenure.
Graham had an immediate impact on JCSU after being appointed head coach of the men’s and women’s programme in 2007.
He racked up an impressive resume that included being named 2015-16 Atlantic Region Women’s Track and Field Head Coach of the Year, 2015-16 CIAA Outdoor Women’s Track and Field Head Coach of the Year and 2013-2014 CIAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year.
He was also honoured as the 2013-2014 CIAA Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, 2012-2013 USTFCCCA Women’s Outdoor Track and Field National Coach of the Year (a First in JCSU history), 2012-2013 USTFCCCA Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year (Atlantic Region), 2012-2013 USTFCCCA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year (Atlantic Region), 2012-2013 CIAA Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, 2012-2013 CIAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, 2011-2012 CIAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, 2010-2011 CIAA Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, 2009-2010 CIAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Coach of the Year, and 2008-2009 CIAA Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Coach of the Year.
He emphasized the importance of treasuring such moments and reflecting on one's accomplishments, saying, "Back in the day, then I wasn't one to celebrate a lot, I was always on to the next, but I've grown a little bit older and realized that you must treasure these moments a little bit more. So it means more to me now than it did then. But it's great, it's a great feeling. It's an awesome achievement and recognition, and I just give thanks for it."
Nicholas Pooran and Martin Guptill each scored half-centuries as the Trinbago Knight Riders reached the summit of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) table with a comfortable seven-wicket win against the Jamaica Tallawahs Saturday night.
The Knight Riders won the toss and opted to field first and that was to prove to be an inspired decision as the Jamaica Tallawahs struggled to post a competitive total. Other than Imad Wasim who hit a valiant 62, no one else was able to stick with him to help the Tallawahs pose a more challenging total than 154-8.
The Knight Riders were to make light of the chase as Nicholas Pooran followed up his unbeaten century with a rapid 54 off 35 balls. That knock laid the foundation and the Knight Riders were to chase down the remainder of the total with minimum fuss.
Earlier, the Tallawahs found their innings choked by spin as Brandon King and Amir Jangoo fell inside the PowerPlay with the defending champions only reaching 29-2 at the end of the first six overs.
The squeeze continued outside the PowerPlay with the Tallawahs leaving themselves a lot to do at the backend as they reached 102-4 with five overs to go.
However, Imad Wasim made light of the pitch with a timely half-century off 26 balls but when he fell in the final over, the Tallawahs were unable to add enough late blows to make their total a more threatening one.
The Trinbago Knight Riders chased down the 155 required with ease. Fifties from Nicholas Pooran (54) and Martin Guptill (53*) with the added theatrics of some Andre Russell muscle saw the Knight Riders see the game home with 16 balls to spare.
Scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 155-3 (Pooran 54, Guptill 53*; Wasim 2-28, Green 1-29) beat Jamaica Tallawahs 154-8 (Wasim 62, Blackwood 29; Khan 3-27, Narine 2-29) by 7 wickets
Kadeena Cox won C4/C5 500 metres time-trial gold in Rio on this day in 2016 to become the first Briton in 28 years to secure medals in two sports at the same Paralympics.
The then-25-year-old’s velodrome triumph saw her emulate Isabel Barr’s Seoul 1988 success as she added to the T38 100m bronze she had claimed on the athletics track.
Cox was tearful on the podium, recalling her two-year journey from stroke symptoms in May 2014 which were later diagnosed as MS, a progressive disease which made her determined to compete in two sports in Rio.
“I’m just so happy that I’ve finally done it and I’ve got so far – this time two years ago I was at home, about to go into hospital to get my MS diagnosis,” she said.
“To have come this far in such a short period of time is just a relief. I’m glad that I’ve done it.
“A lot of people thought I wouldn’t be able to and there were moments when I doubted myself.
“But I knew when the classification got changed, it was going to be the point where I worked my hardest.
“I absolutely dug in and gave it everything.
“I knew on my day I’d be good enough to beat anyone and I’ve done it.”
World champion Cox won the C4/C5 500 metres time-trial gold in a world record of 35.716 seconds.
The event was factored in her favour, so her time was rounded down to 34.598secs, but she was quicker than everyone else regardless.
Cox went on to seal athletics gold with victory in the T38 400m final to make it a treble of medals in Rio and won two further cycling golds at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021.
Reigning champions Clarendon College threw down the gauntlet for others to follow, as they opened their ISSA/WATA daCosta Cup title defence with a 5-0 beating of Clarendon neighbours Lennon High at the National Stadium on Saturday.
The 10-time champions who are heavily favoured to secure their 11th lien, had the perfect start to that pursuit thanks to a brace from captain Malachi Douglas (6th, 42nd), Christopher Hull (17th), Kahiem Dixon (34th) and Jahmelle Ashley (39th).
Lenny Hyde's Chapelton-based Clarendon College, which won its titles in 1977, 1978, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2014, 2018, 2019 and 2022, could have won by a wider margin, but for a lack of composure in the final third, particularly in the second half, coupled with some good glovework by Clayton Lawrence in goal for Lennon.
Clarendon College signalled intentions immediately from the kick off, as Christopher Hull sidewinded his way into space for a left-footed effort from a distance that sailed over the crossbar.
At that point it became clear that it wouldn’t be long before something happened and so it didn’t in the sixth minute.
An attack started by Ateibo Green with a decent run down the right channel ended with a pass inside the 18-yard box which found Dixon, whose shot on goal was handled by defender Richardo Ramsay. Referee Alexi Perry, immediately pointed to the spot and the 12-yard kick was left for Douglas to calmly convert beyond Lawrence.
They should have doubled the lead a minute later when Douglas orchestrated a tidy build up and played a pass across the face of goal for Dixon but the striker sporting the number 13 jersey, overran the ball and muffed the effort.
Still, such was their dominance that Clarendon College was always expected to make up for it and that they did when Hull picked up the ball inside the arc and drove a left-footer past the hapless Lawrence.
It took them a while to add another, as Lennon tried to play their possession game which delayed Clarendon's pursuit to add to their tally.
But, it was only a matter of time before the shackles would be broken and a setplay straight from the training ground again got the goalscoring going.
After Deandre Gallimore was felled almost 25-yards out, Hull played the free kick off to Douglas, who sprayed a pass inside for Green and the latter picked out Dixon for an easy tap in at goalmouth.
Dixon came close to adding another a minute later, but his stinging right-footed shot from a distance was parried by Lawrence diving to his weaker left side.
Clarendon continued to apply consistent pressure and went 4-0 up when Dixon played provider for Ashley, who easily converted from close range.
And before Lennon could catch their breaths to regroup, they took another hit three minutes later, as Dixon through excellent hold up play, again played provider, this time for Douglas, who fired past Lawrence to complete his brace.
Lennon almost pulled one back on the stroke of half-time, but Lydel Rodney, in goal for Clarendon College, did well to keep out Ramsay's long range shot to ensure it remained 5-0 at the break.
Clarendon College picked up where they left off on the resumption and almost extended the lead four minutes in, but Devonti Hodges's well-struck right-footer, was equally well saved by Lawrence.
In the 53rd minute, Lawrence spilled Gallimore's shot from a distance and, as such, was forced to pull off a second save and thwart Dixon, who charged in on the rebound.
From there, Lennon became more organised defensively thereby defying everything Clarendon College threw at them, and that, coupled with the effects of the hot and dry conditions was the highlight of the remainder of the contest.
In other results on Saturday, Frome Technical defeated Merlene Ottey 3-1 while Rusea's beat Cambridge 6-1 in Zone B action.
The Guyana amazon Warriors secured a spot in the final of the Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) with a comfortable nine-wicket win over the Trinbago Knight Riders at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Saturday.
Player of the match Karishma Ramharack took 3-12 from four overs to help the Amazon Warriors restrict the Knight Riders to just 78 all out in 17 overs after TKR won the toss and chose to bat first.
Captain Deandra Dottin led the way with 25 while Shreyanka Patil provided good support for Ramharack with 2-10 from four overs.
The successful chase then took just 7.3 overs thanks to 38* from Sophie Devine and scores of 18 from Suzie Bates and 17* from captain Stafanie Taylor.
The Amazon Warriors will take on the Barbados Royals in the final on Sunday.
Andre Fletcher starred with an unbeaten 93 to lead the St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots to a four-wicket win over the St. Lucia Kings at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Saturday.
This win was the first for the Patriots this season in nine games, their worst run since the 2020 season where they finished last after winning just one match.
The Kings were restricted to 149-7 off their 20 overs after the Patriots won the toss and decided to field first.
Shadrack Descarte led the way with a 31-ball 43 while Johnson Charles hit 42 for the Kings as Ashmead Nedd bowled beautifully up front for the Patriots with 2-14 from his four overs. Benny Howell also bowled well with 2-31 from his four overs.
Fletcher then starred with an unbeaten 93 from 64 balls including six fours and five sixes to lead the successful chase for the Patriots.
Sherfane Rutherford was the next highest scorer with 17.
Things got a bit tricky for the Patriots in the 17th over when Fletcher picked up a hamstring injury which left him unable to run unimpaired for the remainder of the chase.
With that being said, the chase seemed comfortable up until the penultimate over from Alzarri Joseph.
The Patriots needed just 10 from the final two overs at that point before a brilliant over from Joseph meant St. Kitts & Nevis would end up needing nine from the last over with an injured Fletched and Corbin Bosch at the crease.
Roston Chase was tasked with bowling the last over. The first two balls were hit for singles before Bosch was dismissed caught at deep mid-wicket off the third ball leaving the Patriots needing seven.
Dominic Drakes joined Fletcher at the crease and was only able to get a single off the fourth ball.
Fletcher then ended proceedings with a six off the fifth ball to seal the win.
Kharry Pierre, Roston Chase and Sikanda Raza all took two wickets, each, for the Kings.
Flight Plan provided Danny Tudhope with another winner on Irish Champions Festival weekend when making all the running in the Dullingham Park Stakes.
Tudhope had won what used to be run as the Boomerang Stakes in 2017 on David O’Meara’s Suedois and prior to that in 2015 on Custom Cut. This time he teamed up with Karl Burke.
Flight Plan (15-2) ran in the Guineas earlier in the season and had been set some stiff tasks, but he dominated throughout in the Group Two and had the race won over a furlong out, easily keeping 2-1 favourite Buckaroo at bay by a length and a quarter.
Tudhope said: “We have finally found the way to ride him.
“We have always loved this horse and it has just taken us a bit of time to figure him out, that’s the way to do it on him.
“I was surprised at that actually (getting a relatively easy lead), I had to get a good start as he didn’t break very well the last day in York. That was my main aim today, just get out and get on with it.
“He’s got a beautiful action on him and he strides out, and he’s a lovely horse with a big engine.”
Adelaide River enjoyed his day in the sun, as Ryan Moore shone from the front in the Paddy Power Stakes.
Second in the Irish Derby to stablemate Auguste Rodin and in the Grand Prix de Paris to Feed The Flame, he was the 11-8 favourite for the Group Three event.
As proved the case all day, being in the front rank was the place to be and Moore dictated it to a nicety.
In contrast, Jim Crowley had to come from the back on Al Aasy and while he made relentless ground in the final furlong, he went down by half a length.
“I’m delighted. Ryan said if he had a choice of 10 or 14 (furlongs) he’d definitely go 10 on him because he relaxes but he does quicken,” said winning trainer Aidan O’Brien.
“He’s a lovely big horse and we’ve always viewed him as a ‘next-year horse’.
“We always thought he was kind of like Duke Of Marmalade, as he’s after competing in big ones and getting very close in them but he’s such a big horse that he’s definitely going to have to be a way better horse next year.”
Or whether he could be a horse for Australia’ he added: “It might be a bit soon for him this year, he could go next year. He’s a big horse and if we had the choice we’d probably wait until next year.
“He’s after having a few tough races in second so it was nice for him to come here, and Ryan was able to dictate his own pace on him.
“He said he did quicken very well but just got a bit lonely in the last half a furlong. He was very happy.”
Kitty Rose (3-1) emerged as a possible contender for next year’s 1000 Guineas with a striking performance in the Ballylinch Stud Irish EBF Ingabelle Stakes for Natalia Lupini.
Billy Lee’s mount took over early in the straight and won by two and a half lengths from the favourite Content.
“We always thought we had a nice filly on our hands. Obviously, first time out you hope everything goes well, we were hoping for a nice run but she won impressively at Naas,” said Lupini.
“Today she was very impressive again, when she picks up she just keeps galloping and she’s very honest.
“The lads are looking at the Guineas with her, next year she’ll be a stronger filly. She won’t have any problems over a mile as well.
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