With the British trainers’ title on the line, Willie Mullins sends a six-strong squad to contest the Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr on Saturday.
Mullins is not only seeking his first win in the £200,000 feature, he has never had a single winner at the track. But that could all change this weekend, as he saddles 18 runners across the afternoon.
His National team consists of Macdermott, Mr Incredible, Spanish Harlem, Ontheropes, Klarc Kent and We’llhavewan and assistant trainer Patrick Mullins ran the rule over the sextet in a Zoom call organised by the racecourse.
“Macdermott is an improving horse, he was always going to be a big chaser, he’s a strong type and was always going to improve for a fence and over a trip,” he said.
“He was good the last time out at Fairyhouse and he’s the kind of horse who improves with racing, we struggle to get him fit at home, to be honest, he needs racing to get the weight off him.
“He’s running off a much higher mark (12lb) and that’s going to be a big ask in a far more competitive race.
“I ride Mr Incredible, he didn’t get very far at Aintree, he’s fresh and well, so he’ll take his chance.
“Off a mark of 153, with 11st 9lb, it’s going to be difficult but if he could run into a place, that would be fantastic. We’re hoping he jumps off, that’s the first thing!
“Paul (Townend) was keen to ride Spanish Harlem and he’s a horse we’ve always thought an awful lot of. He has disappointed us a little because his work at home has been far superior to his form on the track.
“It’s his first handicap, so he’ll have to jump pretty sharp, but we’d like to think he’s better than a mark of 140. Paul just thought he had more room for improvement than Macdermott.
“Sean O’Keeffe rides Klarc Kent, very much an old-fashioned chaser, a horse who really should come into his own over four miles. He’s a novice off a low weight but he needs to improve.
“Brian Hayes rides Ontheropes. He got a leg after he won the Munster National and has been disappointing since but he was coming back to form last time and could be just coming to form at the right time.
“We’llhavewan was second in the Grand National Trial at Punchestown and ran well in the Irish National when perhaps he didn’t get home, but I think he just made some crucial jumping errors which just knocked him back.
“We’ve put the cheekpieces back on and that should help him jump sharper. He’s a little out of the handicap but Kieran Callaghan is our claiming rider, a local guy and he’s very good. I could see him running into the money.”
Dan Skelton is battling with Mullins for the title and is represented by Ballygrifincottage.
“He’s a horse that just recently has done really well. He had a bad autumn and winter but his form as a novice hurdler and early novice chaser looked very good,” said Skelton.
“For whatever reason, we lost him completely and everything just went to pot but he’s back in great form now and it was a good run at Ascot on his comeback and an even better run at Sandown when second the last day.
“I don’t think four miles will be a problem, but you never actually know until you try it – there is a slight unknown with that, but I go into it with the expectation that he’ll stay the trip.”
Trying to cling on to his title is Paul Nicholls, who runs top-weight Stay Away Fay and Broken Halo.
Nicholls told Betfair of the former: “He’s a class horse but life isn’t going to be easy for him running off top weight of 12st off a mark of 158.
“It just didn’t happen for him in the Turners at Cheltenham, where he was never happy, didn’t travel in the ground and his jumping let him down.
“We’ve removed the cheekpieces he wore there, as they didn’t seem to work, and I’ve felt for some time he would be suited by marathon trips. The track at Ayr should be much more suitable for him.
“Broken Halo was in with a shout when falling two out in the London National at Sandown in December and won at Taunton last month. He looks an interesting outsider.”
Brian Ellison’s Anglers Crag arrives chasing a five-timer and proved his stamina when winning the Eider Chase.
“This has been the plan since the Eider and he’s in good form. He’s been blood tested and scoped, everything looks clean and he looks a million dollars, so we just want a bit of luck in running now,” said Ellison.
“A bit of soft ground would help keep the job right for him. He’s gone up again in the weights, but you deserve to when you win, don’t you? It’s when you finish second and you go up that I don’t like!
“Willie Mullins obviously runs six, he’s struggling for winners!”
The form choice is arguably Jamie Snowden’s Git Maker, second to subsequent Grade One winner Inothewayurthinkin at Cheltenham.
“He ran a blinder to finish second at Cheltenham, pulling a long way clear of the third horse, and the winner has obviously come out and won a Grade One at Aintree, so the form has certainly been franked,” said Snowden.
“We’re up 1lb for that and we go there in good form. Obviously, it’s a highly competitive race, as you’d expect, but we couldn’t be happier with our chap and he gets in off 10st 3lb.
“I think he’ll stay well. They’ve had a bit of rain there and you would certainly hope the ground would be on the softer side, as he would definitely want a bit of cut in the ground.
“With a little bit of luck in running, hopefully he’ll have a chance.”
Emma Lavelle’s My Silver Lining has been consistent in long-distance chases all season, winning the Classic Chase at Warwick.
“She seems in great order. I was sort of looking for reasons not to go – was she flat, or was the ground not soft enough, or whatever, and none of the reasons came,” said Lavelle.
“I’m really happy with her, of course it’s a competitive race and with the championship the way it is, it’s probably more competitive than some years, but she’s really well, she’s as honest as they come, she’ll keep galloping and jumping and we’re just hopeful that she’ll put up another personal best.”
The last time Willie Mullins had a chance of winning the British trainers’ title, Paul Nicholls landed the Coral Scottish Grand National with Vicente before going on to secure top spot in the table at Sandown.
This time around, the all-conquering Mullins is throwing everything at it, with 18 runners on the big card at Ayr on Saturday, as he attempts to emulate the legendary Vincent O’Brien, something the Closutton handler’s son and assistant Patrick acknowledges would be “incredibly special”.
While the victory of I Am Maximus in the Grand National at Aintree put Mullins in the driving seat, the team are taking nothing for granted, based on what happened in 2016.
This year, they are involved in a three-way battle with Dan Skelton joining the fray, and Mullins jnr thinks if any of the three manage to win either the National or the Scottish Champion Hurdle this weekend, it will go a long way to deciding the outcome.
“We find ourselves in a position we weren’t particularly expecting, so we’re going to be putting everything we can towards it now,” he said.
“It’s 70-odd years since Vincent O’Brien was the only Irish trainer to win the British jumps title, so to emulate him would be something that would be incredibly special.
“In 2016, we actually came into this weekend ahead as well, I think, but Paul Nicholls pulled a rabbit out of the hat and won the Scottish National with Vicente at 14-1 and that was the difference in the end.”
Despite Mullins’ total dominance over the National Hunt scene, his victory last weekend was only his second Grand National, 19 years after Hedgehunter provided him with his first.
“There were a few sore heads on Wednesday after the (homecoming) parade, but you have to celebrate the good days,” Mullins told a Zoom call organised by Ayr Racecourse.
“It was 19 years since we won the Grand National and to win a second is great. We had seven runners, but if I Am Maximus had come down, we wouldn’t have had any in the first six, so you need a bit of luck. I wasn’t sure if he’d adapt to the course, but he did very well.
“We’ve celebrated but we’re back on track now and focussed on Ayr, trying to bring home some sterling.”
There has never been an Irish-trained Scottish National winner since the race moved from Bogside to Ayr and Mullins has never had a winner at the track either.
He went on: “It’s an incredible statistic. I can’t wait to come over to Ayr, it always looks a brilliant crowd for the big racedays there.
“Every year, I watch the Scottish National and it looks a fantastic race with a huge crowd, we’re very excited to be coming over and hopefully we can break one, if not two of those statistics.
“We’ll be stopping off in Perth and one or two other places during the week before Sandown.
“I think Saturday will be a pivotal day. I keep thinking back to 2016 when Paul won the National. If we can get out of Ayr still ahead, that is going to be huge for us.
“If Paul or Dan win the Champion Hurdle or the National, that’s going to make it squeaky bum time as such, but if we can get out ahead, that will be huge.”
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta set out to remind his team that they still have something “beautiful” to play for despite their Champions League exit.
The Gunners slipped out of UEFA’s flagship club competition in midweek when they went down 1-0 to Bayern Munich, losing 3-2 on aggregate.
That defeat followed on from a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa last Sunday – a reverse that significantly dented Arsenal’s title hopes, with the Gunners now two points behind Manchester City who, after this weekend, will have a game in hand.
Arsenal face Wolves on Saturday and, with City in FA Cup action, a win would see them move back to the top of the table, at least temporarily, so Arteta offered a reminder that all is not lost.
“I can guarantee you we are fully focused on Wolves and everybody's lifted,” he said following the loss in Munich.
“What we still have to play is beautiful and I said before, it's time to be next to our players and in this moment, not when you win 10 in a row and a draw, that's easy to prize our players and to be behind them and to say really nice things. The moment is now to be next to them.”
On Friday, in his pre-match press conference, Arteta added: “As an experience, [the Champions League was] the best one.
“I am now fully focused on the times ahead of us. We are now behind Manchester City and will give it a good go. The context is clear. If we win we are top of the league.”
Wolves sit 11th, though they could do with snapping a four-game winless streak in order to get their European hopes back on track.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Wolves – Matheus Cunha
Cunha has been involved in nine goals in his last nine Premier League games, scoring six and assisting three. His 11 goals overall this season is the fourth most by a Wolves player in a single Premier League campaign after Raul Jimenez (17 in 2019-20, 13 in 2018-19) and Steven Fletcher (12 in 2011-12).
Arsenal – Bukayo Saka
Saka has been involved in eight goals in his last seven Premier League away games, scoring seven and assisting one. His 13 away goal involvements overall this term (eight goals, five assists) is the most by an Arsenal player in a single Premier League campaign since Alexis Sanchez’s 20 in 2016-17.
MATCH PREDICTION: ARSENAL WIN
Arsenal lost a Premier League game for the first time in 2024 against Villa last time out. Since the start of last season, only twice have the Gunners suffered consecutive league defeats, doing so in May 2023 (v Brighton and Nottingham Forest) and December this season (v West Ham and Fulham).
Wolves are winless in their last four Premier League games (D2 L2), though they have won their last two at Molineux against sides starting the day in the top two of the table, beating Man City 2-1 in September and Spurs by the same score in November.
Arsenal have scored in their last 32 meetings with Wolves in all competitions.
Wolves have now lost each of their last five against the Gunners, failing to score in both home defeats in that run.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Wolves – 21.5%
Arsenal – 51.2%
Draw – 27.3%
Royal Ascot could beckon for Richard Hannon’s Hawaiian following a smooth winning debut in the Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup EBF Maiden Stakes at Newbury.
A field of eight unraced juveniles lined up from some of the biggest yards in the country, with Hannon’s Kodiac colt sent off the 11-8 favourite.
Sean Levey was always in command on Sheikh Mohammed Obaid’s homebred, and while the winning distance over Clive Cox’s Star Anthem was only a neck, he never truly looked in any danger of being beaten.
Fresh from winning the Craven Stakes with Haatem on Thursday, Hannon clearly has his string in good order at this early stage of the season.
“He did a bit of work at Kempton and I thought it was a little bit too good to be true,” said Hannon.
“He’s done everything so easily at home he hasn’t learned anything and he might have just learned something today.
“Sean said if he had made the running it might have made it easier, but we think a fair bit of him and he’s a fast horse who we will stick to five furlongs with at the moment.
“It’s a bit early doors to be talking about Royal Ascot, but we might look at a Lily Agnes or something on the way. He will need one more run before Ascot just to be sure.
“He’s very fast, knows his job and that will do him good. I hope he is an Ascot horse and he travelled great. That experience under his belt will do him good and I think he will improve a lot from that, like all ours do.”
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer insists Russian athletes will be competing under “the strictest neutrality conditions possible” at the Olympic Games amid accusations of a Government U-turn on the issue.
The Government has faced criticism after International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach revealed earlier this month he had received a letter from UK Sports Minister Stuart Andrew saying the Government now accepted the conditions under which Russian and Belarusian athletes could compete at the Games in Paris, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Government did not issue any public statement ahead of Bach’s revelation making clear it felt the conditions were now acceptable.
Frazer said in April last year that IOC conditions on neutrality did “not go far enough” and said any athlete who had been in receipt of state funding was a “de facto representative of those states”.
Britain is part of a coalition of like-minded countries which had called for a ban on such athletes due to this funding.
The IOC’s conditions mean any athlete with links to the military, or who have expressed support for the war, will be banned from competing in Paris, but still do not preclude athletes who have received state funding.
Despite this, Frazer and the Government now feel the IOC and International Paralympic Committee’s neutrality conditions have reached an “accepted baseline”.
In a statement issued to the PA news agency, Frazer said: “We continue to vigorously oppose Russian and Belarusian state participation. Our policy has never been a complete and total ban on neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus participating at all.
“Athletes from Russia and Belarus have been able to compete in the UK as neutral athletes since the invasion. For example, our guidance allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete at tennis competitions under strict neutrality conditions.
“Instead, our efforts – and the efforts of our international coalition – have been focused on urging the IOC and IPC (International Paralympic Committee) to change their approach, apply the strictest neutrality conditions possible and ensure they are implemented rigorously.
“After two years of concerted lobbying, they have done that. And the result is that the number of athletes from Russia and Belarus expected to participate in the Olympics is in the tens, not hundreds.
“As a result, we have written to the IOC and IPC noting that their final neutrality rules for Paris achieve the widely accepted baseline of ensuring that Russia and Belarus are not represented as states in international sport.
“Our focus now turns to ensuring these rules are stringently enforced and maintained as long as the war goes on.”
The IOC has said it expects 36, and possibly as many as 54, Russian athletes to be involved in Paris. Athletes will not be able to compete in team events, will not compete in Russian colours or under the Russian flag and any medals will not be collated together in a table.
The IOC is leaving it up to the individual sports to make decisions on whether to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete even as neutrals – World Athletics, for instance, has imposed an outright ban.
Sources within Government say the decision to accept the criteria had nothing to do with an IOC threat to withdraw the UK’s right to hosting Olympic qualifier events.
The decision to scrap FA Cup replays is further evidence of the EFL and its clubs being “marginalised”, the league has said.
The Football Association announced on Thursday it had reached an agreement with the Premier League on the future format and funding of the competition, which would include all replays from the first round being abolished.
A number of EFL clubs have criticised the changes and insisted they were not consulted, with the FA releasing a statement on Friday saying it understood those concerns and would share details with them about how any shortfall in lost replay revenue may be made up.
However, the EFL said this was just the most recent example of how the league and its clubs were being sidelined, with the Premier League clubs having also decided to halt discussions over a new financial settlement with the EFL.
“This latest agreement between the Premier League and the FA, in the absence of financial reform, is just a further example of how the EFL and its clubs are being marginalised in favour of others further up the pyramid and that only serves to threaten the future of the English game,” the EFL’s statement on Friday afternoon said.
“The EFL today calls on both the Premier League and the FA, as the governing body, to re-evaluate their approach to their footballing partnership with the EFL and engage more collaboratively on issues directly affecting our clubs.”
Ballymount Boy will cut his teeth as a three-year-old in the Watership Down Stud Too Darn Hot Greenham Stakes at Newbury.
The Adrian Keatley-trained Camacho colt enjoyed a good juvenile season, taking a Hamilton maiden before showing a great deal of promise when finishing just a length behind Vandeek in Goodwood’s Group Two Richmond Stakes.
Vandeek subsequently went on to score twice at Group One level in the Prix Morny and the Middle Park, while Ballymount Boy was runner-up in the Acomb and then the winner of the Listed Prospect Stakes at Doncaster.
He will be seen for the first time this term at Newbury on Saturday, competing over seven furlongs at Group Three level before the rest of his season is mapped out.
“We’re looking forward to running him, the draw hasn’t been very kind to us (stall 11) but he won’t mind the ground,” said Keatley.
“Hopefully it’s a good starting off point and we’ll know where we’re at for the first half of the season after Saturday anyway.
“He has form on firm ground and he has form on soft ground, even from his worst run in France last year (eighth in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere), his form has worked out, with Brian Meehan’s horse (Jayarebe) who finished in front of us that day and won well on Thursday.
“He’s good, solid form from last year, he’s only a length off the highest-rated three-year-old in England in Vandeek, so he’s very much entitled to take his chance in this.”
Wathnan Racing acquired Ballymount Boy midway through last season and also own Mister Sketch, trained by Eve Johnson Houghton and also set to run in the Greenham.
The Territories colt ran three times last year and was beaten just a neck on debut before winning a Salisbury novice by nine and a half lengths in mid-August.
From there, he stepped up in grade to contest the Mill Reef and was beaten only half a length by Andrew Balding’s Array on heavy ground.
“He’s in great form, he’s done some nice work,” Johnson Houghton said.
“At this stage, this is a stepping stone to know which direction we’re going to go with him.
“He’ll love better ground but I think this ground will be OK, he is a lovely horse but he’s very much still a work in progress.
“He’s improving all the time, I thought he ran really well in the Mill Reef and I think we’ve got a very nice horse on our hands.”
David O’Meara runs Esquire, a Harry Angel gelding owned by Cheveley Park Stud.
A Hamilton winner on debut, he was then second to a very useful horse in the Balding-trained Purosangue in the Listed Rockingham Stakes at York in October.
His next run came in the Prospect Stakes at Doncaster, where he was sixth as Ballymount Boy came home in front.
“I think he’s a progressive horse, trip-wise he may be more suited to six furlongs, going forward,” said Chris Richardson of Cheveley Park.
“He prefers a bit of ease in the ground, so we’ve got our conditions.
“Like all these races at this time of year, it’s very much a fact-finding mission, whether he’s good enough or not, we will learn a huge amount about his potential, so we’ll roll the dice.”
Another notable contender is Ralph Beckett’s Zoum Zoum, a chestnut son of Zoustar who was unbeaten last year when winning two novices and the Listed Prix Herod at Saint-Cloud.
One of those novice runs was a two-and-a-half-length victory over Kikkuli at Newmarket, an interesting piece of form as that horse is a Kingman half-brother to Frankel and subsequently won a maiden at the same track earlier in the week.
John and Thady Gosden’s promising Regal Jubilee makes her seasonal reappearance on Saturday in what promises to be an informative running of the Dubai Duty Free Stakes at Newbury.
The three-year-old is by Frankel out of the mare Regal Realm, making her a half-sister to Sir Michael Stoute’s multiple Group-race winner Regal Reality.
The Cheveley Park Stud-owned bay made her debut at Newmarket in September, but ran no race when hampered in a one-mile fillies’ novice – a performance she put firmly behind her in October when running away with a Windsor novice to prevail by seven lengths.
She then stepped up to Listed level back at Newmarket in the Montrose Fillies’ Stakes, where she shone again in winning by two lengths on heavy ground.
Now returning to action at Newbury, Regal Jubilee will make another step up as she tries her hand on soft ground at Group Three level, in the seven-furlong feature registered as the Fred Darling.
“The stiffer seven at Newbury will suit her, the ground will certainly suit her from what we saw last autumn,” said Cheveley Park’s Chris Richardson.
“I think the trip is the minimum, really, she’s probably bred to be more of a mile-and-a-quarter filly. But it makes sense to go for a trial and see where we go after that.
“Her action favours the more rain-softened conditions we think, but we haven’t got much to go on.
“We’ll take advantage of the slightly easier ground now and see what happens.”
Marco Botti has a fascinating contender in Folgaria, a Due Diligence filly who makes her British debut after joining Botti’s yard from the Italian stable of his brother, Stefano.
She was unbeaten in five starts for Botti’s brother, working her way through Listed, Group Three and Group Two level when taking contests such as the Premio Primi Passi by six lengths and the Premio Dormello by two and a quarter.
Botti said: “She’s unbeaten in Italy, she won over six (furlongs), seven and a mile.
“She joined us about two and a half months ago, the owner decided to see what she can do abroad and it seems a good race to start her off in.
“The ground won’t be an issue, she’s been in good form and her work at home has been pleasing us.
“Of course it’s hard to transfer that form in Italy to England, but it seems the right race to start her off in and see where we are.
“She’s in the French Guineas and this will tell us a bit more about how to compare what she did in Italy to here.
“She won the Premio Dormello in good style, a Group Two, she’s facing a good field at Newbury though it has cut up a little bit.
“We’ve been happy and we will find out whether she’s up to this level.
“She was trained by my brother and we’ve been in touch, she’s been a straightforward filly since she joined us.”
William Haggas is represented by Relief Rally, a Kodiac filly who proved herself to be high quality when meeting with defeat just once in five runs during her juvenile season.
That defeat was a nose loss in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot, after which she went on to win the Super Sprint at Newbury and the Lowther Stakes at York.
She was subsequently sold by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, fetching 800,000 guineas at Tattersalls and staying in the Haggas yard for new owner Zhang Yuesheng.
Roger Varian runs Elmalka, with Richard Hughes set to saddle Oh So Sharp third Star Music and the field completed by Andrew Balding’s Topanga.
John and Thady Gosden’s promising Regal Jubilee makes her seasonal reappearance on Saturday in what promises to be an informative running of the Dubai Duty Free Stakes at Newbury.
The three-year-old is by Frankel out of the mare Regal Realm, making her a half-sister to Sir Michael Stoute’s multiple Group-race winner Regal Reality.
The Cheveley Park Stud-owned bay made her debut at Newmarket in September, but ran no race when hampered in a one-mile fillies’ novice – a performance she put firmly behind her in October when running away with a Windsor novice to prevail by seven lengths.
She then stepped up to Listed level back at Newmarket in the Montrose Fillies’ Stakes, where she shone again in winning by two lengths on heavy ground.
Now returning to action at Newbury, Regal Jubilee will make another step up as she tries her hand on soft ground at Group Three level, in the seven-furlong feature registered as the Fred Darling.
“The stiffer seven at Newbury will suit her, the ground will certainly suit her from what we saw last autumn,” said Cheveley Park’s Chris Richardson.
“I think the trip is the minimum, really, she’s probably bred to be more of a mile-and-a-quarter filly. But it makes sense to go for a trial and see where we go after that.
“Her action favours the more rain-softened conditions we think, but we haven’t got much to go on.
“We’ll take advantage of the slightly easier ground now and see what happens.”
Marco Botti has a fascinating contender in Folgaria, a Due Diligence filly who makes her British debut after joining Botti’s yard from the Italian stable of his brother, Stefano.
She was unbeaten in five starts for Botti’s brother, working her way through Listed, Group Three and Group Two level when taking contests such as the Premio Primi Passi by six lengths and the Premio Dormello by two and a quarter.
Botti said: “She’s unbeaten in Italy, she won over six (furlongs), seven and a mile.
“She joined us about two and a half months ago, the owner decided to see what she can do abroad and it seems a good race to start her off in.
“The ground won’t be an issue, she’s been in good form and her work at home has been pleasing us.
“Of course it’s hard to transfer that form in Italy to England, but it seems the right race to start her off in and see where we are.
“She’s in the French Guineas and this will tell us a bit more about how to compare what she did in Italy to here.
“She won the Premio Dormello in good style, a Group Two, she’s facing a good field at Newbury though it has cut up a little bit.
“We’ve been happy and we will find out whether she’s up to this level.
“She was trained by my brother and we’ve been in touch, she’s been a straightforward filly since she joined us.”
William Haggas is represented by Relief Rally, a Kodiac filly who proved herself to be high quality when meeting with defeat just once in five runs during her juvenile season.
That defeat was a nose loss in the Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot, after which she went on to win the Super Sprint at Newbury and the Lowther Stakes at York.
She was subsequently sold by Simon Munir and Isaac Souede, fetching 800,000 guineas at Tattersalls and staying in the Haggas yard for new owner Zhang Yuesheng.
Roger Varian runs Elmalka, with Richard Hughes set to saddle Oh So Sharp third Star Music and the field completed by Andrew Balding’s Topanga.
Emile Cairess hopes he can follow training partner Phil Sesemann on the next step of their journey by also qualifying for the Olympics when he tackles the London Marathon again on Sunday.
Sesemann secured his place on the British squad for Paris after running inside the qualifying standard of two hours, eight minutes and four seconds at the Seville Marathon in February.
Cairess came sixth on his London Marathon debut last year, producing the best finish among the home athletes and also recording a third-fastest British men’s time.
View this post on Instagram
The 26-year-old Yorkshireman feels in good shape to produce another solid display as he bids to join Leeds City club-mate Sesemann in the Team GB squad for Paris, with two more spots still to be taken.
“It was a great feeling to see Phil run 2:08.04. We have been training together for a long, long time,” Cairess said.
“When we first started training together, if somebody told us we could go to the Olympics together, it would have probably looked pretty unrealistic.
“We started training together nine years ago, so we have been on a long journey.
“Getting to go (to the Olympics) with Phil would be really special and I am so happy that he has been able to do it and secure his place.”
Cairess finished ahead of both Sir Mo Farah and Sesemann in the 2023 event, and has his sights firmly set on improving upon that display.
“My preparations have gone well. I have done everything I wanted to do in training and I am hoping for a good race on Sunday,” he said.
“I just want to progress from last year and think with the marathon, you have to take it step by step.
“I want to take the next step forward and make that progress again to be near the front of these big races.”
Cairess added: “I learnt a lot (from last year) in the build-up as well as the race.
“The main thing was just having patience – even if you feel good, just be patient and there is still quite a long way to go.
“I have had a full year really of training for the marathon now, rather than just 12 weeks. I have progressed a long way, so I am hoping to show that on the weekend.”
Olympian Marc Scott will be making his London Marathon debut on Sunday as he looks to build on strong track performances, taking bronze in the 3000m at the 2022 World Indoor Championships.
Although he won the Great North Run in 2021, Northallerton-born Scott knows he will be heading into a completely new challenge on Sunday.
“It is nerve-wracking because it is an unknown for me, obviously I have not done the distance before,” the 30-year-old said.
“Sunday might give us a bit of an idea on potential, but for me, the main goal is to knock out that Olympic standard first and foremost.
“It is good to see Phil already put the time away and be selected. It just gives all the other athletes out there a bit of confidence, seeing how hard he has worked, that we can emulate that and have similar success.”
Blown and Fantastic Warriors have secured their spots in the eagerly anticipated final of the 24th KPMG Squash League after impressive victories over Saints and Racketeers in the semi-finals. Squash enthusiasts are gearing up for an exciting showdown between these two formidable teams, scheduled for this Friday at the Liguanea Club in New Kingston, with the action kicking off at 6:00 pm on the main court.
The path to the final saw both teams display exceptional skill and determination, thrilling spectators with intense matches that highlighted the competitive spirit of the league.
In the first semi-final clash between Blown and Saints, Jerry Bell of Saints delivered a commanding performance to secure victory over Fraser McConnell in straight sets (21-17, 21-19, 21-13). However, Blown fought back fiercely, with Jake Mahfood and Andrew Bicknell securing crucial wins to propel their team to the final.
Meanwhile, the battle between Fantastic Warriors and Racketeers kept fans on the edge of their seats with extended rallies and impressive displays of athleticism. Racketeers' Adam Lee and Fantastic Warriors' Nabeel Jawad and Stewart Maxwell showcased exceptional talent, ultimately leading to a thrilling conclusion in favor of the Fantastic Warriors.
This year's league has witnessed captivating matches and standout performances, with a new champion set to be crowned following the absence of defending champions AGI (Advantage General Insurance). The competition, which began with 16 teams in early March, featured 64 players representing a diverse range of skill levels, from beginners to national champions.
A unique aspect of the league was the implementation of handicaps based on players' skill levels, ensuring a level playing field and offering every participant an opportunity to excel. Matches were extended to twenty-one points, adding an extra layer of challenge and excitement to the games.
As the KPMG Squash League reaches its pinnacle with the highly anticipated final, squash enthusiasts and supporters eagerly await what promises to be an exhilarating showdown between Blown and Fantastic Warriors. Don't miss out on the action as these two top-tier teams vie for supremacy in this prestigious tournament.
Kieran Shoemark is relishing stepping into the boots of Frankie Dettori aboard Arrest, as the St Leger runner-up makes his return in the Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise Stakes at Newbury.
Arrest played a key role in Dettori’s UK swansong last season and was a beaten favourite for the Italian’s final Derby ride at Epsom, before just failing to send the 53-year-old off in a blaze of Classic glory when second to Continuous at Doncaster in September.
Shoemark was three places behind Arrest with Gregory on Town Moor, but having taken the reins aboard many of John and Thady Gosden’s star Clarehaven inmates since the relocation of Dettori to California, he will get the leg-up aboard Arrest for the first time on Saturday afternoon.
The 28-year-old hopes the soft-ground loving colt can build on his positive finish to last season and feels there is plenty of improvement to be seen during his four-year-old campaign.
“He’s obviously a big horse and hopefully he’s going to improve with age,” said Shoemark.
“Hopefully the ground is not going to dry out too much at Newbury and we know he wants soft ground.
“His run in the Leger was brilliant – the ground went against me on Gregory, but he enjoyed it. He’s a proper mile-and-a-half horse, not short of speed by all means, and the softer the better for him.
“He’s a big, strapping horse and I honestly believe he will get better with age. He’s entitled to, so there will be plenty to look forward to for the year ahead.”
As well as winning the Chester Vase, Arrest’s other victory last term came at Newbury in the Geoffrey Freer Stakes and joint-trainer Thady Gosden is confident the race more commonly known as the John Porter is the ideal spot to kick-start the son of Frankel’s season.
“He’s a very talented horse, he ran great last year and was second in a Classic,” he said.
“He’s developed very well over the winter and is a horse of great size and quality and he’s really filled into his frame and has been really pleasing leading into this race.
“He doesn’t mind getting his toe in at all and the track and trip should suit.”
Arrest will be in receipt of 3lb from William Haggas’ Hamish, who went through 2023 unbeaten, winning on four occasions, all at Group Three level.
Hamish is one of two in the race for the Somerville Lodge handler alongside Mujtaba, but main hopes lie with the stable stalwart, who is owned by the trainer’s father, Brian, and got the better of Karl Burke’s Al Qareem on his final start of last year in the rearranged St Simon Stakes.
The Spigot Lodge-trained five-year-old is another slated to concede weight to Arrest and his trainer is excited to get Al Qareem back on track.
Burke said: “I’m looking forward to seeing him run and he’s been ready to run for the last month.
“He’s working well, a mile and a half is his minimum trip, but on this ground I’m happy to start him off there.
“He’ll step up and be a good one-mile-six and two-mile horse later in the year. It’ll be a tough race, but I think he’ll run really well.
“We were lucky to keep him and he got travel sickness coming back (from Dubai). He’s hard work at home, Danielle Mooney rides him every day and he pulls her arms out every day, but he’s a lovely horse to have.”
Simon and Ed Crisford’s Chesspiece was behind Arrest when sixth in the Leger before finishing off his season with a silver medal in the Listed Noel Murless Stakes at Ascot.
He makes his first start after being gelded in the royal blue of Godolphin, while Andrew Balding’s Alsakib steps out of handicap company after finishing last year on a real high on home soil.
Max Vega won this in 2022 and having finished third last season, returns for a third crack, while trainer Ralph Beckett is also represented by Salt Bay.
Last year’s Irish Derby fourth Peking Opera makes his first Flat outing for Gary Moore, having been seen juvenile hurdling this winter, with Jack Channon’s Certain Lad completing the line-up.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp remains positive about their place in the title race and still believes if they win all remaining six matches they will be Premier League champions again.
A difficult run of results – starting with a draw at Manchester United and followed by home defeats to Atalanta and Crystal Palace – ended with a 1-0 Europa League victory in Bergamo but that could not prevent their exit from the Europa League 3-1 on aggregate at the quarter-final stage.
A first clean sheet in 10 matches was a boost to confidence, especially as they continue to struggle to find their best form at the other end of the pitch, and Klopp thinks the two-point gap to leaders Manchester City can be overhauled with a perfect run in.
“It’s not obviously in our hands, it is not about that,” said Klopp.
“I think if we would win all our games there is a good chance we will be champion. If not there is a good chance someone else will be champion.
“Maybe we only have to win five, but nobody knows. Who would have thought that Arsenal lose against Aston Villa?
“We all sit here and think ‘OK, yeah. City will win all their games’ and that’s happened quite frequently, but they have a lot of games to play and difficult opponents as well.
“We don’t think about that. We don’t think about them. It is just how can we make sure we start wining games again.”
Over the course of their recent rivalry, Liverpool have had a couple of seasons where the race to the line with City has seen them miss out by just a point despite matching each other win-for-win for the majority of the run in.
But Klopp said that experience was not necessarily as positive as onlookers may believe.
“When we were in the position we didn’t win the league in the end. We lost by a point and stuff like that. What kind of experience is that?” he added.
“We know how to get there – and then don’t (win). It’s not about that.
“It’s good to know that you are good and you can cause other teams problems.
“But the thing is clear: if you want to be champion in the Premier League you have to be close to perfect and if you are not perfect you have to deal with the setbacks in the best possible way or in a perfect way.
“That is what we are now doing. We had a setback week with three games we didn’t like too much, the results especially, and now we have to start turning it around.”
Key to turning things around will be a change in fortunes in front of goal.
Three goals in their last four matches has stalled their progress with the forwards failing to take numerous opportunities they have created.
Mohamed Salah, whom Klopp defended after he missed a key chance to make it 2-0 against Atalanta, has scored six – two of which were penalties – in 11 matches since returning from two months out with a hamstring injury.
Luis Diaz has two in eight games, Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo have just one in their last seven, while Diogo Jota has yet to find the net in three appearances since returning injury.
“We had good moments and had an awful lot of chances, and didn’t use one of them more of less,” said Klopp.
“That’s not great but the worst thing in football is not to have chances. It is better you deal with chances you miss than you have no chances.
“That’s why I’m absolutely positive and after processing things properly, yeah, I’m more than happy with the situation.”
Mo Hunt insists England are ready to thrill a bumper audience at Twickenham when they face Ireland in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations on Saturday.
A crowd of up to 50,000 is expected to watch the Red Roses continue their Grand Slam quest in their first match at the venue since last year’s rollercoaster victory over France that clinched the title.
England have averaged 47 points a game in their three wins to date but Hunt wants the attack that has been enhanced under head coach John Mitchell to take another step forward.
“We just want it to click for us. There are 47,000 in Twickenham from what I have been told and we want to put on a show,” said the Gloucester-Hartpury scrum-half, who is enjoying a Test resurgence since missing out on the 2022 World Cup.
“The best is yet to come for us, I truly believe that. We’ve spoken about the discipline and the penalties, but also our one-team attack – every time we train it is starting to look better and better.
“I just want it to click so you can all see what we are seeing in training because we’ve not got there yet.
“I’m really enjoying the way we are trying to play, how positive everything is and the way we are trying to go after defences. It’s the way I want to play rugby.”
England have a 100 per cent record in the tournament despite seeing Sarah Beckett and Amy Cokayne sent off against Italy and Scotland, respectively.
The red cards have fed into the ‘game is unfair’ mantra adopted under Mitchell as the Kiwi looks to turn the game’s dominant force into world champions by preparing them for moments when circumstances have conspired against them.
Lydia Thompson’s dismissal for a high tackle on Portia Woodman that contributed to England’s defeat by New Zealand in the 2022 World Cup final has given Mitchell’s message powerful affirmation.
“When Mitch put a picture up of Lyds and said ‘the game isn’t fair’, it hit so many of us in our hearts because Lyds is the most unbelievable human and obviously that moment was tough for everyone,” Hunt said.
“I’m not saying it was the right or wrong decision, but sometimes the game is unfair and when you go down to 14 in a final you have to fight your way out of that.
“If I’m in the thick of these decisions all the time and every time I don’t quite agree with something, that sentence genuinely rings true. I think, ‘game is unfair – move on’.”
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
