Broadway Boy is out to confirm his position as one of this season’s leading novice chasers in Warwick’s Trustatrader Hampton Novices’ Chase on Saturday.
Trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, the six-year-old has excelled over fences so far this term, where ambitious campaigning has seen him win three of his first four starts over the larger obstacles.
Since his sole defeat at the hands of Flooring Porter, Broadway Boy has twice dazzled at Cheltenham – firstly when winning a Listed event by an emphatic 20 lengths and then returning in December to outgun a cast of seasoned performers which included former Gold Cup third Protektorat.
He now takes the next step on his novice chasing journey, with Willy Twiston Davies – who bought the horse for owner David Proos and rides him out most days – confident the talented gelding is the one the others have to beat.
He said: “He’s been very, very good so far and obviously it’s not Cheltenham, which is his preferred track, but he jumps very well left-handed and it’s a good jumping test for him, the ground is fine and we know he stays well, so you would hope he will be bang there.
“Looking at the race, you would like to think the others have him to worry about and they have to step up to his level, so we go there quietly confident.
“We will learn a bit more on Saturday and both Grey Dawning and Apple Away are not bad horses, but hopefully if he beats them, it cements him as one of Britain’s top staying novices.”
Dan Skelton claimed the Grade Two contest with Galia Des Liteaux 12 months ago and will attempt to repeat the dose with Grey Dawning, who scored on the card over timber in 2023.
Grey Dawning has made a respectable start to his chasing career, impressing at Haydock on his penultimate start before rallying following a juddering error two from home at Cheltenham last time to be denied by just under a length.
Some 14 lengths adrift of the Skelton contender at Haydock was Lucinda Russell’s Apple Away, who had to settle for third place on that baptism of fire in the chasing ranks.
However, the Grade One-winning hurdler put the experience gained to good use when romping home at Leicester next time and, having delighted connections with her jumping in the East Midlands, is now set another stern challenge which could dictate which path she takes later this season.
“I wish we could find an easier race, but this is where she is at and this is what we do,” said Peter Scudamore, Russell’s partner and assistant
“I think Nigel and Dan’s horses are very good horses but she jumped very well at Leicester and she won a Grade One at Aintree (over hurdles), so she deserves her chance.
“I was pleased by the way she jumped (at Leicester) and we gave her quite a big ask first time over fences at Haydock. But she learnt from that and got it together at Leicester and really jumped well. She has toughened up and is on the upgrade and let’s hope she puts up a good performance round Warwick.
“We would love to go to Cheltenham with her and we just need to decide if she runs in the mares’ race, a handicap or the Brown Advisory.”
Joe Tizzard’s The Changing Man split Cheltenham Festival winner Stay Away Fay and Grey Dawning when they clashed at Exeter and is entitled to his place in this line-up, while Evan Williams’ Carbon King completes the five-strong field, having made a winning chasing debut at Ffos Las last month.
Readin Tommy Wrong was a surprise winner of the Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle as Willie Mullins sent out the first three home.
The six-year-old came into the race unbeaten under rules but still looked a lesser light for the trainer in the Grade One, as Ile Atlantique, Chapeau De Soleil and Lecky Watson were more fancied in the betting.
Under a patient ride from Daryl Jacob, the winner travelled at the rear of the field, beginning to gain ground rapidly two furlongs from home, having started at 16-1.
He then locked horns with 6-4 favourite Ile Atlantique on the approach to the line but the outsider toughed it out to lead home the Mullins one-two-three, with 14-1 Lecky Watson the third-placed horse.
Mark Dodson has dismissed any notion that criticism of Scottish Rugby’s handling of Siobhan Cattigan’s death played a part in his decision to call time on his near-13-year reign as chief executive.
The Englishman was appointed in September 2011 and his most recent contract, signed in 2022, was due to take him up to June 2025, but the 63-year-old revealed on Friday that he will instead depart this summer, declaring it “the perfect time” to move on.
Dodson’s announcement comes just two months after the governing body apologised – via a statement from recently-appointed chair John McGuigan – for the way it dealt with the death of 26-year-old Scotland Women international Cattigan in November 2021.
Cattigan’s family said undetected rugby-related brain damage caused a significant decline in her health, while they also criticised Scottish Rugby for its failure to inform some of her team-mates of the family’s wishes that they attend her funeral and also for not attempting to pay tribute to her at an international match until almost 18 months after her death.
Asked if the fallout from Cattigan’s death had been a factor in his decision to step down, Dodson said: “There is no connection. It is an upsetting affair and it’s been a difficult time for everybody, but it had no bearing on my decision at all.”
Dodson – who has polarised opinion throughout his reign – also played down claims that he is leaving Scottish Rugby in ailing health after the organisation reported a £10.5million loss for the last financial year.
“I think the business is performing really, really well,” he said. “When you look at statutory accounts and you see the losses there and you look widely, rugby’s in a tough place at the moment across the whole of the UK and the southern hemisphere.
“We’re trading well in a really difficult market so, from my point of view, the business is doing well and I’m happy with where we are on that.”
Dodson is adamant there was no pressure on him from anyone within Scottish Rugby to leave his position.
“None at all, it was entirely my decision,” he said. “I talked through with John McGuigan at length during the autumn and I suggested this was the right time to go. We agreed, we moved on.
“Several factors were in play to influence my decision. When we got back from the World Cup, I thought long and hard with the family and we believed it was only right that the next World Cup cycle be given to someone who is actually going to see it through.
“My contract was up until 2025. It was there to make sure we had continuity between the new governance structure and the new boards being bedded down.
“We’ve made tremendous progress on that. John and I have worked really closely together since he joined the business and the new strategy piece we are doing at the moment will run for a 10-year period.
“It was right for me to say ‘I think we should hand this over to someone who will be able to execute it over the long term’.
“The national teams are in good shape, the two pro teams are in good shape, we had a record crowd (for the 1872 Cup game between Edinburgh and Glasgow), we’ve got two nascent female teams just coming through.
“We felt it was the right time to move on. There are other things I want to do in my career and we felt it was the perfect time to do that.”
Henrietta Knight was out of luck with her first runner for over 11 years as Zettabyte finished unplaced at Wincanton.
Knight enjoyed tremendous success during her first spell with a licence, winning the Gold Cup at Cheltenham three times with Best Mate.
She was also responsible for Queen Mother Champion Chase and King George hero Edredon Bleu, the Stayers’ Hurdle with Karshi and Victor Chandler Chase (now Clarence House) with Somersby.
Having competed at the highest level of equestrianism before beginning her training career, Knight was always credited with being a great horsewoman and until recently several trainers have sent their horses to her for extensive schooling.
She had retired in 2012 but announced in November her intention to return and saddled her first runners at the Somerset venue.
While the seven-year-old Zettabyte, formerly with Gordon Elliott, failed to trouble the judge he did briefly suggest he might play a part in the finish suggesting there is something to work on for Knight.
The Start Your RacingTV Free Trial Now Handicap Hurdle was won by Anthony Charlton’s Ilanz (11-2).
Quilixios was much the best to take the BetVictor Irish EBF Novice Chase at Naas, in which the well-regarded Mister Policeman could only finish third.
The latter was the 8-15 favourite for Willie Mullins after winning both Irish starts in good style, including his chasing debut at Fairyhouse in November.
It was assumed there was more to come from him – but it was Henry de Bromhead’s 5-1 shot Quilixios, well beaten when last seen in the Florida Pearl, who moved with most menace in the five-runner field.
On the turn from home Rachael Blackmore pulled clear and was chased but never threatened by Gordon Elliott’s Sa Fureur, as Mister Policeman was a remote third after struggling from some way out.
“He was really good, jumped brilliant, travelled well and we couldn’t have really asked for any more,” De Bromhead said of the former Triumph Hurdle hero.
“He jumped a bit right in Limerick (chase debut) and we were concerned about that, but no sign of it here.
“He has loads of gears and is a Triumph Hurdle winner. He’s a class horse.
“We got the trip wrong the last day. He wouldn’t blow you away with speed at home, but those good two-milers have such a high cruising speed. Sizing Europe was the same and so was Special Tiara.
“He’s in the Irish Arkle, but we’ll speak with everyone at Cheveley (Park Stud, owners) and see where we go.
“I’d say he’ll have to go to the Arkle (at Cheltenham) now.”
Betfair halved Quilixios’ odds for Cheltenham, making him 25-1 for the Arkle from a previous price of 50-1.
Rory McIlroy maintained his two-shot lead in the Dubai Invitational after battling back from a shock quadruple bogey in round two.
McIlroy had looked in imperious form as he carded an opening 62 and extended his overnight advantage to four shots on Friday with birdies on the third and fourth at Dubai Creek.
However, the world number two then found water off the tee on the par-three eighth and, after moving forward to the drop zone, amazingly hit another ball into the hazard from just 130 yards.
Three birdies on the back nine saw McIlroy sign for a 70 and halfway total of 10 under par, two shots ahead of Germany’s Yannik Paul and Denmark’s Jeff Winther, whose 66 was the joint lowest round of the day in testing, windy conditions.
“I think if I look at the other 17 holes that I played, I played very, very well again. Hit some good iron shots,” McIlroy told Sky Sports.
“Played not too dissimilar to the way I played yesterday. I maybe holed a couple more putts yesterday but the conditions were getting a little trickier. Wind was up, greens were firm and a couple miscues on the eighth hole.
“I felt like I did well just to get my head back into it and play some solid golf on the way in, and everyone seemed to find it a little more difficult today than yesterday. So it’s nice to go into the weekend still with the lead.
“I had a chance to bounce back on nine that I missed but [the birdie on] 10 was big. The two shots into 13 were big too to make two relatively easy birdies.
“I gave myself chances most of the back nine, which was nice, and I was able to convert a couple before that tough finishing stretch there on 17 and 18.”
Dubai resident Tommy Fleetwood added a 69 to his opening 66 to share fourth place on seven under par with compatriot Jordan Smith, Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen and the South African duo of Thriston Lawrence and Zander Lombard.
Kerry Lee is relishing the chance to step Nemean Lion up in trip in Kempton’s Coral Lanzarote Handicap Hurdle.
The seven-year-old has been a consistent performer for the Bell House handler and, following an encouraging novice campaign, won the Welsh Champion Hurdle on his reappearance before running with credit in the Greatwood.
However, having shown staying prowess on the Flat and also finding the scoresheet over an extended two-and-a-quarter miles at Kelso during his novice season, Lee has decided now is the time to try Nemean Lion’s hand over further.
She said: “It’s very exciting and as a Flat horse back in the day, he was a winner over staying trips and he was second in the Group Two Prix Chaudenay on heavy ground over two miles at Longchamp. On that basis, you have to assume he will get a trip.
“Possibly his best run to date was in a Grade Two at Kelso last spring, where he did all his best work at the end of the race and that was over two-and-a-quarter miles. This is only another couple of furlongs and there is no reason to doubt he will stay.
“He’s only just turned seven and I think Golden Horn horses are a little bit slower to mature than some, so he might just be coming into his prime.”
A quick look against Nemean Lion’s name will show entries for both the Champion Hurdle and the Stayers’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
However, those lofty ambitions are firmly on the back burner for the time being, with Lee appreciating her stable star faces yet another stern challenge in the Kempton feature.
She added: “He’s got some crazy Cheltenham Festival entries in the Champion Hurdle and the Stayers’ Hurdle just in case things go exceptionally well, but I think you have to treat this kind of race with the respect it deserves and there are a lot of good horses in here.
“You’ve got a Betfair Hurdle winner (Aucunrisque) in there and Sonigino, who won well at Aintree before Christmas, not to mention Nicky Henderson’s runners – and it’s a very hot race.
“But Nemean Lion is a great horse and, off 140, we’re actually pleased not to be carrying top-weight for once. He’s a great horse to have and a lot of fun. He’s in rude health and has been ready to run for three weeks or so now and we’ve hung on to him until we got the ground we want for him.”
Nicky Henderson has won the Lanzarote four times in the past and saddles progressive pair Impose Toi and King Alexander in search of victory number five.
The former was only a neck away from registering a hat-trick when mistakes at the final two flights of hurdles ultimately stopped him reeling in stablemate Luccia, but now has the chance to gain some compensation and is the big-race favourite with the sponsors.
“He ran a cracker at Ascot and just missed the last two a little bit,” said Frank Berry, racing manager to owner JP McManus.
“He was probably a little bit unlucky, but this is a nice race for him and Nicky is very happy with him. We’ll learn a bit more about him and we’re looking forward to it and hoping for the best.”
Champion trainer Paul Nicholls is also double-handed, with Ditcheat number one Harry Cobden electing to ride impressive Aintree scorer Sonigino and Bryony Frost taking the reins aboard Irish Hill.
“The Lanzarote has been the plan for Sonigino from the moment he bolted in at Aintree early last month,” Nicholls told Betfair when assessing the seven-year-old’s chances.
“He has progressed nicely this season and was well suited by stepping back up in trip at Aintree, where he looked like the winner a long way from home.
“The key to his improvement is that he is settling better in his races with experience. He was raised 6lb after Aintree and will not find things easy under top weight.”
It has been some time since Up For Parol has found the scoresheet, but Jamie Snowden’s eight-year-old made the podium in this race 12 months ago after being sixth in 2022 and now tries to make it third time lucky off an ever-decreasing mark.
Snowden said: “He’s run in this race the last two years and was only beaten eight lengths off a mark of 133 a couple of years ago and was third in it last year off 129, and he comes in it here off 126.
“We would have appreciated a little bit softer ground perhaps but he’s in good order and fingers crossed he can run a decent race.”
Joe Anderson hit the headlines with his miraculous recovery at Plumpton recently and now rekindles what has previously been a successful partnership with Neil Mulholland’s Mothill.
The six-year-old struck at Uttoxeter in the hands of Anderson in the spring and, after a pair of outings on the Flat, was ridden by Jonjo O’Neill Jr when hosing up at Sedgefield on Boxing Day.
“I would say that he has got a good old chance,” said Anderson. “It is a super competitive race, and he will have to step up again, but he is a progressive young horse that has the right sort of profile for a race like this, as he is a strong traveller that stays very well.
“He went up five pounds for his last win, but my claim takes care of that, and he did it nicely up at Sedgefield.
“He got the job done at Uttoxeter and then he was good at Sedgefield the other day. He hasn’t really raced in a big field, but this race should suit him and he is a horse going the right way.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo wants to see more urgency from the Milwaukee Bucks after suggesting "fear factor" inspired his team to a big victory over the Boston Celtics.
Antetokounmpo scored 24 points, including a brilliant dunk, and finished with 12 rebounds as the Bucks snapped out of their January slump with a dominant 135-102 win over Boston on Thursday.
The Bucks had lost four of their previous five games, though some well-timed days off and a good practice session helped them reset.
And while acknowledging the Bucks will not always be able to turn it on as they did against the Celtics, Antetokounmpo wants to see the same level of urgency and motivation in every game.
"There was a respect-slash-fear factor also that's very important for this team, that we have to go out there and play at our best today," Antetokounmpo said.
"There was more urgency. Losing four out of five games. We had to be better, to play better.
"We had a great practice, talked about what we could do better, and guys were more urgent. We were very assertive, defensively we were helping one another.
"The team has to be more urgent, we have to respect the other team. We have to do this every single night.
"There'll be nights we play bad, where the other team makes the shots, but having a good practice and a couple of days off, that helped."
Bobby Portis added 28 points to the Bucks' total, combining with Antetokounmpo to devastating effect in a 25-0 burst midway through the first half.
"I love the way we responded," said Bucks coach Adrian Griffin. "We responded like champions today."
The Celtics have lost two of their last three games, though still remain three wins ahead of the Bucks in the Eastern Conference standings.
"We just didn't have it," Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. "That can happen from time to time."
Ramses De Teillee will attempt to go one better than 12 months ago when the veterans get the chance to shine at Warwick on Saturday.
The Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase was the headline attraction on last weekend’s abandoned Sandown card, but all is not lost for some of the sport’s most popular warriors, with the race rerouted to the Midlands with a first-prize of £38,580 on offer.
David Pipe claimed the first ever running of this event with Soll in 2016 and came close to adding to his tally 12 months ago as Ramses De Teillee failed to reel in Mel Rowley’s shock scorer Wishing And Hoping.
Correcting the record has been top of the agenda ever since and having been kept fresh for the contest, a stroke of fortune sees the race take place at a venue where the gallant grey has impressed in the past.
“It’s great that they have rescheduled it and it is a very popular race,” said Pipe.
“This has been the plan all season and he’s in good form and won round Warwick last year so we know he handles the track.
“He goes well fresh which is a positive and we’re looking forward to it. It would be lovely if he could go one better this year and he’s in flying form at home.”
There is a stacked field of 16 heading to the start of this three-mile event but none arrive in better form than Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Good Boy Bobby, who pounced late to prevail against Aye Right at Chepstow before adding to his tally at Sandown.
Now owned by Dash Grange Stud, the 11-year-old will bid for a hat-trick in first-time cheekpieces which connections hope will help him negotiate the early stages of the contest.
“Bobby has been brilliant this year and this has been the target since Jayne McGivern (of Dash Grange Stud) bought him and kindly sent him back to us,” said Willy Twiston-Davies, assistant to his father.
“He’s wearing cheekpieces because it is going to be a bigger field and a lot more competitive than his last two, so hopefully it will help him get a good start and travel over the first few.
“He looks in very, very good form at home and the track and trip will be perfect and we’re expecting another bold bid.”
Venetia Williams’ Cepage and Olly Murphy’s Thomas Darby both arrive having tasted victory in their most recent outing.
The latter, who was fourth in the Chepstow event won by Good Boy Bobby on his return, took a good step forward to deny the reopposing Mill Green over track and trip and possesses a touch of class that could see him thrive even at this late stage of his career.
“He’s in good form and this has been the race we have targeted ever since he won at Warwick the last day and we’re looking forward to running him,” said Murphy.
“He has course-and-distance form and fingers crossed he will have a good chance in a competitive race.
“It will be his first run in what would be a really big-field competitive handicap over fences, but for his age I think he is pretty unexposed over the larger obstacles.”
Harriet Graham and Gary Rutherford’s Aye Right has had to settle for minor honours behind both Good Boy Bobby and Thomas Darby so far this term.
The consistent 11-year-old will be partnered by the talented 7lb conditional Dylan Johnston as Graham and Rutherford seek to further reduce Aye Right’s burden and connections dream of landing a first victory since the 2021 Rehearsal Chase.
“We made the decision to put a 7lb claimer on because he is not a big horse and we have always felt the handicapper has never really relented on him and we just thought we should try it,” said Graham.
“Dylan is one of the good up-and-coming conditionals, so we thought we would give it a go and we’re quite excited about it.
“The handicapper has let him off a little bit but it’s taken a lot of asking. Even to qualify for the race, because the qualifiers are 0-150 and he was 154 I think, I had to get the handicapper to drop us so we could qualify.
“He has relented slightly, but when you compare him to Good Boy Bobby who beat us at Chepstow and we beat him two years ago in the Rehearsal, I think he has been a lot more lenient with him and he’s never gone up to the same extent that Aye Right ever went off.
“We know Aye Right always runs an honest race and because of his front-running style, he’s hardly hiding, but it’s great to have a horse like that.”
Fellow northern raider Top Ville Ben went close at Aintree on Boxing Day and is another heading into the race with good form to his name, with Emma Lavelle’s De Rasher Counter and Richard Hobson’s Lord Du Mesnil others to make the podium prior to this.
Meanwhile, set to shoulder top-weight is Kim Bailey’s Two For Gold, with the handler thrilled to give his high-class staying chaser the chance to compete amongst his fellow elder statesman.
“It’s a very competitive race and the poor old chap has to carry top-weight,” said Bailey.
“If he finished in the first four I would be thrilled to be quite honest, but having said that he seems in a very good place.
“Veterans’ races are very popular and I’m a big supporter of them.”
Jack Draper will bid for a first ATP Tour title at the Adelaide International after beating Alexander Bublik in the semi-finals.
The British number four saw off the eccentric Kazakh 7-6 (2) 6-4 to go one better than last year when he fell in the last four.
It represents a second straight ATP Tour final for the 22-year-old, who was beaten by Adrian Mannarino in the trophy decider at the Sofia Open in November.
Draper was twice a break up in the opening set against Bublik, who is one of the most unconventional players on tour.
He dragged Draper around the court with repeated drop shots and one game in the second set featured a rally where both players played lobs between their legs before Bublik sent over an underarm serve and won the point with a volley played with his racket handle.
But there were also nine double faults and a host of unforced errors and Draper maintained his high level to set up a final meeting with Czech Jiri Lehecka.
“It was a really tricky match,” said Draper. “Alexander’s a great player and someone who’s a very unorthodox player. It’s always tricky to play against him.
“He’s actually a really good guy and a good friend as well. We have a lot of fun when we’re competing against each other. I was really happy that I was able to come through and get the win today and be in another final.”
Victory for Draper on Saturday would elevate his ranking back into the top 50 ahead of his Australian Open opener next week.
Connections of Jonbon are excited about the prospect of again locking horns with El Fabiolo, with the Clarence House Chase now just over a week away.
The Ascot Grade One was nominated as the next target by both camps after winning their pre-Christmas assignments and neither team is backing down from the challenge just yet, with the two major players of the two-mile chasing division poised to clash for a third time.
It was Nicky Henderson’s charge who gained the upper hand at Aintree in the duo’s novice hurdling days, but El Fabiolo excelled during a novice chasing campaign that saw Willie Mullins’ seven-year-old claim Grade One glory at the Dublin, Cheltenham and Punchestown Festivals.
With the scoreline locked at one each, many thought the rubber match would come in the Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, but now the scene seems set for a repeat of Energumene’s titanic clash with Shishkin in early 2022, with the Jonbon camp relishing a blockbuster showdown.
“The horse is in great form, Nicky is very happy with him and we’re all looking forward to the race,” said Frank Berry, racing manager to owner JP McManus.
“It should be a cracking race and we’re looking forward to it.”
All has gone swimmingly for Jonbon so far this term and having returned with a dazzling display in Cheltenham’s Shloer Chase, he showed he has the ability to grind out results when conditions are against him when producing a gritty performance to win the Tingle Creek last month.
Jonbon was ridden in both of those victories by Nico de Boinville, but with the Seven Barrows number one on the sidelines with a collarbone injury and former partner Aidan Coleman still recovering from the serious knee injury suffered last summer, the eight-year-old is likely to have a new man in the saddle for the Clarence House.
James Bowen has proved a more than able deputy aboard the Henderson string in De Boinville’s absence, but Berry says no jockey decision has been made yet for Jonbon with the trainer set to have crucial input.
He added: “I’m not sure at the moment (who will ride) and we’ll leave that up to Nicky.”
Ellis Genge is “ready to go” for England in their Guinness Six Nations campaign, according to Bristol boss Pat Lam.
The news is a major front-row fitness boost for England head coach Steve Borthwick after injuries and suspension hit hard at loosehead prop.
Genge, an England captaincy contender following Owen Farrell’s decision to miss the Six Nations, has not played for his club Bristol since early December due to a hamstring injury, but Lam has delivered an encouraging fitness bulletin.
“Ellis has a chance of starting the Six Nations. He is right on track,” Lam said.
“He has started running and will probably join us in training next week. The medical team and Ellis have done a great job.
“He looks bigger as well, and one thing you can do when you are injured is get bigger, stronger, faster and more powerful.
“He will not play for us next weekend, and then he is with England so will not be with us for Bath (on January 27).
“I do not know if they would release him for the Bath game because they will be away abroad. That is up to Steve, but he is ready to go for England.”
Genge’s fellow loosehead props Joe Marler, Bevan Rodd, Mako Vunipola and Val Rapava-Ruskin are also currently on the sidelines.
Borthwick’s problems include a four-match ban being imposed on Saracens’ Vunipola, who was sent off for a dangerous tackle against Premiership opponents Newcastle.
Although he will be available if required for the Six Nations, experienced campaigner Vunipola cannot play again until after Saracens’ Premiership appointment with Exeter, which is only a week before England face Italy in Rome on February 3.
Sale forward Rodd is out for the rest of this season after undergoing toe surgery and Gloucester’s Rapava-Ruskin, who was part of England’s World Cup training squad last year, is another long-term absentee following a knee operation.
Marler, meanwhile, has an arm injury, the extent of which has not yet been revealed by his club Harlequins.
Quins head coach Danny Wilson said on Tuesday: “Joe is a week-by-week process at the moment to make a full assessment of the time period and the time-frame.
“He is not going to play this weekend – that is pretty clear – but what I can’t give is a time-frame. There have been a few twists and turns with it.
“Until we get a full picture and a full time-frame, and we are in that process at the moment, then I can’t really tell you a huge amount.”
Gavin Cromwell’s Malina Girl will seek to overcome a top-weight burden in the Wigley Group Classic Handicap Chase at Warwick on Saturday.
The classy mare was a faller last time when going well in a valuable Cheltenham handicap, prior to which she was victorious in the Jewson Handicap Chase at the same track in November.
The seven-year-old will shoulder 12st in what is invariably a gruelling affair, though conditional rider Conor Stone-Walsh can ease that slightly with his claim.
Cromwell – who has enjoyed plenty of success in his raids across the Irish Sea this season – said: “Top-weight is not ideal and she is quite a small mare so Conor Stone-Walsh is going to claim 5lb and give her every chance.
“She seemed to be going well last time, but it was too early to say (if she would have won).
“The trip won’t be a problem and she stays well. She seems in good order so hopefully gives a good account of herself. ”
Nigel Twiston-Davies will be represented in the contest by Beauport, second on his most recent outing when seeming to return to form in the London National Handicap Chase at Sandown.
Willy Twiston-Davies, assistant to his father, said: “It has always looked like there would be a big pot in him and the trip will suit him well. The ground will be spot on and we’re very excited and looking forward to running him.
“He won some very nice races as a novice over hurdles and the Colin Parker over fences, but last year just didn’t fall right for him, so hopefully there is a nice one in him this year.
“He has slipped down to a very handy mark which hopefully he will be very competitive off.”
Charlie Longsdon has long had this meeting in mind for Guetapan Collonges, third in the Cheltenham contest won by Malina Girl and fourth in this race last season.
“This race has been the plan for Guetapan Collonges for some time,” the Chipping Norton trainer said.
“We thought about going for a race at Cheltenham during the Christmas meeting but then we thought we would wait for this.
“He is a lot more experienced compared to this time 12 months ago when I thought we were right in the deep end.
“Although he had won at Warwick the time before he had only had a handful of races over fences against small fields and he was very much a second season-chaser that was still very inexperienced.
“Since last year’s race he has run in the Midlands National and a big handicap chase around Cheltenham. He is a lot more experienced now and a lot more streetwise.”
Paul Nicholls runs Broken Halo, a nine-year-old who looks to put behind him a fall in the London National.
“He bounced back to form with victories in two races for military riders at Sandown in the spring and was running another sound race at the same track six weeks ago when he fell three from home,” the trainer said via Betfair.
“I was surprised to see him going so well until then because I didn’t think he was ready. Broken Halo needed a bit of time to recover from quite a heavy fall that day, but he is fine now and has done plenty of schooling.”
Elsewhere in the field are Dan Skelton’s Galia Des Liteaux, the winner and runner-up of two Listed mares’ chase this season, and Nicky’s Henderson City Chief, fourth in the Jewson Handicap Chase and fifth in the handicap in which Malina Girl fell.
Venetia Williams runs Fontaine Collonges, the Rowland Meyrick winner at Wetherby on Boxing Day, and Sheila Lewis will saddle the grey stayer Volcano, fifth here last season.
Mark Dodson has announced that he will step down from his position as chief executive of Scottish Rugby in the summer of 2024, bringing to an end a near-13-year reign.
The Englishman was appointed in September 2011 and his most recent contract, signed in 2022, was due to take him up to June 2025, but the 63-year-old revealed on Friday morning that he will instead depart this year.
Dodson’s decision comes in the wake of a financial year in which Scottish Rugby reported losses of £10million and faced criticism of the governing body’s handling of the death of Scotland Women international Siobhan Cattigan.
Scottish Rugby said in a statement: “The timing aligns with the start of the new Rugby World Cup cycle and also provides clarity for applicants as recruitment processes to appoint a new chief executive and performance director get underway”.
Dodson told Scottish Rugby: “I’ve been reflecting post the 2023 World Cup and felt it was the right time to bring my Scottish Rugby role to a close and begin looking forward to the next chapter in my career.
“With several key organisational elements now in place such as the new governance structure becoming operational, working closely with the new Scottish Rugby Limited Board chair John McGuigan and our national and professional teams settled I felt it was only right to make my intentions known.
“As work progresses on our new 10-year strategy and given I wasn’t going to be in post to see it delivered beyond 2025, I think it’s right and appropriate to give space for the new CEO to come in and take that important work forward.
“I’ve hugely enjoyed my time with Scottish Rugby so far and remain fully committed to our objectives in the coming months. Being chief executive of this great organisation for 13 years has been a privilege.”
McGuigan, appointed chair of Scottish Rugby last year, paid tribute to Dodson who was appointed just before the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.
“Mark has given over a decade of his career to Scottish Rugby so it is understandable that this was a significant decision,” he said.
“It will though enable us to progress the recruitment for the new performance director and his own successor as chief executive in an open and transparent manner and for that I’d like to thank him.
“Mark has made a significant contribution to Scottish Rugby during his tenure including navigating the Covid pandemic. I’d like to thank him personally for working with me and welcoming me into Scottish Rugby.
“The SRL Board and I will continue to draw on Mark’s extensive knowledge and expertise in the coming months until a date for Mark’s departure, which will be over the summer, is agreed.”
Emma Raducanu believes she is “too good” not to get back to the top of the game – if she can stay fit.
The 21-year-old will play a grand-slam match for the first time in a year when she takes on American Shelby Rogers in the opening round of the Australian Open.
Triple surgery on both wrists and one ankle put Raducanu off the tour for eight months but she gave a reminder of what a high-class tennis player she is in her comeback tournament in Auckland last week.
The biggest question mark remains the robustness of Raducanu’s body, and she pulled out of two exhibition matches this week with soreness following a long practice session on Monday.
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Any fears about her participation in Melbourne have since been allayed, and she said: “Physically I feel good. I did a lot of good work in the off-season.
“But I think that, regardless of how good I may feel on the court on a particular day or in practice, I think to get that level of consistency is going to require more time.
“I’ve been doing the right work, doing it consistently. I just need to keep going more and more. But I feel good on court and in the gym.”
Raducanu is currently ranked down at 299 as a result of her long break, although she can enter tournaments using her protected ranking from before surgery of 103.
“I think success to me in the long-term is, for the rest of the year, to play a full season, to be healthy throughout, to be able to train consistent weeks,” she said.
“I know my level is there, I just need to keep working on it to make it more consistent. I think that will come with time in the gym, time on court, being able to play the calendar, not thinking about ‘Will I have to pull out from this one, does that hurt’?
“I think my level, to be honest, is just too good not to come through if I put consistent work together.”
Raducanu practised with British duo Katie Boulter and Jodie Burrage on Friday and earned rave reviews from both.
“I think it’s absolutely incredible what she’s doing,” said Boulter. “To come back with that level already, it’s inspirational.
“You know how long it took me to get back (from injury). It really isn’t easy, trust me. It’s not something that you can just pick up like that. It seems like she’s playing very, very well. I’m sure it’s going to be a great year for her. I’m expecting big things.”
Without a coach for most of her recovery, Raducanu is in Melbourne with Nick Cavaday, who she previously worked with between the ages of 10 and 12.
Raducanu hopes it will prove a good fit, saying: “We’re just taking it how it goes. It’s been working really well so far.
“I, of course, hope to continue with him because I feel very comfortable with him. I know his sister (former British player Naomi Cavaday) really well because, like, everyone is from Bromley.”
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Cavaday previously coached Dominic Inglot and Aljaz Bedene before heading up the Lawn Tennis Association’s national academy in Loughborough.
There is no indication Raducanu will look to add a full-time fitness trainer or physio to her team, with the former US Open champion keen to keep a tight circle around her.
She cuts a much happier figure than for most of the period post her New York triumph, and she said: “I feel a lot lighter now than I did for a long time after US Open. I feel like I’m not playing with a backpack of rocks. I feel pretty light and happy.
“Reflecting on the past, I think people are very important. I think surrounding yourself with competent and knowledgeable people is of course really important, but also the type of person and their character is big-time, just making sure we really get on and intentions are really good.”
Bobby Portis and Giannis Antetokounmpo combined to score 20 straight points during a 25-0 run midway through the first half and the Milwaukee Bucks coasted to a 135-102 rout of the NBA-leading Boston Celtics on Thursday.
Portis finished with 28 points and Antetokounmpo added 24 while both players had 12 rebounds. Damian Lillard had 21 points in his return to the Bucks’ lineup after missing a 132-116 loss to Utah on Monday for personal reasons.
Milwaukee led by as many as 43 points and its 75-38 lead at the break was the fourth-biggest halftime advantage in franchise history.
Payton Pritchard scored 21 points for the Celtics, who missed 16 of their first 17 3-point attempts and finished 9 of 34 from deep. Boston was back in action after beating Minnesota in overtime on Wednesday and looked fatigued.
The Celtics allowed their highest point total of the season and dropped their second straight road game.
Giddey leads Thunder to historic rout
Josh Giddey had a triple-double and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder matched the fifth-largest rout in NBA history, 139-77 over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Jalen Williams scored 21 points on 9-of-10 shooting and Giddey finished with 13 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds for Oklahoma City, which was on the wrong end of the NBA’s biggest blowout, a 73-point loss to Memphis on Dec. 2, 2021.
The Thunder’s 62-point win shattered their previous record for victory margin of 45 points, set twice during the 2012-13 season.
Portland shot a dismal 27.7 percent from the field and suffered its second-worst loss, having fallen by 65 to Indiana on Feb. 27, 1998.
Irving’s big game lifts Mavericks
Kyrie Irving poured in a season-high 44 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 32 to lead the short-handed Dallas Mavericks to a 128-124 win over the New York Knicks.
Josh Green scored 18 points, the last coming on a 3-pointer with 25 seconds left to give Dallas a 124-120 lead. Irving and Hardaway combined to make four free throws in the final 11.1 seconds to seal the win.
Dallas superstar Luka Doncic sat out with an ankle injury and Dereck Lively II and Dante Exum also missed the game.
Julius Randle scored 32 points and Jalen Brunson had 30 for the Knicks, who had a five-game winning streak snapped and lost for the first time since acquiring OG Anunoby from Toronto on Dec. 30.
Katie Boulter is enjoying being part of the “circus” surrounding Australian boyfriend Alex De Minaur.
De Minaur is the newest member of the world’s top 10 and the home country’s great hope for a grand slam champion at Melbourne Park in a fortnight’s time.
His relationship with Boulter has generated a lot of attention, with the pair playing mixed doubles together at Wimbledon last summer, and she is happy to share his moment in the spotlight.
“I am a very private person,” she said. “I like to keep myself to myself, my team close, the things that matter most to me away from everything.
“I think it’s definitely been fun to be a part of because it’s been a little bit of a circus, but a good circus. I think it’s awesome that he’s getting the attention that he really does deserve and he’s put the work in for it.
“He’s playing some of the best tennis of his life and it really does fill me with a lot of pride to actually watch him at this moment.
“I feel like I’m sharing him with everyone, which isn’t a bad thing, but it’s definitely a lot. But he’s handled it a lot of his career and he knows how to deal with it and I’m right there next to him.”
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With Nick Kyrgios still sidelined through injury, De Minaur will carry home hopes virtually single-handed, but the 24-year-old sees only positives.
“I’m living my dream,” he said. “I can wake up in the morning and know that I’ve achieved a massive milestone, which was very tough to get to. I didn’t know if I was going to achieve it.
“Now I can look at myself and say that I’ve done it, that I’m a completely different player to what I was last year. It’s exciting because I’ve got bigger and better things to come hopefully.”
Boulter and De Minaur have been together since 2020 but the last 12 months have seen both hit new heights in their career.
Boulter enters the Australian Open ranked 57 and heads into a first-round clash with China’s Yuan Yue full of confidence after a great start to 2024.
At the United Cup in Perth, Boulter claimed the biggest victory of her career over world number five Jessica Pegula and has her sights set on another sizeable leap this year.
“It was huge,” she said of her win over the American. “I’m sure it wasn’t the best match of her career but I felt like I was right there.
“She’s one of the top players in the world and it gives you belief that that can be you and I strongly believe that if I keep working the way that I do that I can do that.”
She continued: “Top 100 has not been my number. I think I did that five years ago and now I really want to keep pushing. Even 50, I’ve ticked that off as well.
“And now it’s time to start getting up to the real business side of tennis and I think the work that we’ve been putting in has given me a great platform this past year to really push on and give these girls a go. Now it just takes a little bit of belief and a lot more hard work.”
Darnell Nurse scored 80 seconds into overtime and the Edmonton Oilers matched a franchise record with their ninth straight victory, 3-2 over the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday.
Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman had the other goals for the Oilers, who also won nine in a row late last season and in 2001. They can break the team mark on Saturday night in Montreal.
McDavid extended his point streak to nine games and notched the 906th of his career, pulling him into a fourth-place tie with Glenn Anderson on the team’s all-time list.
Hyman is also red hot with eight goals and four assists in his last eight games.
Andrew Copp and Olli Maata scored for the Red Wings, who have points in four straight (3-0-1).
Panthers score late in overtime to continue streak
Sam Reinhart scored with less than a second left in overtime as the Florida Panthers rallied to extend their winning streak to nine games, 3-2 over the slumping Los Angeles Kings.
Matthew Tkachuk scored the equaliser with 2:18 remaining in regulation and Sam Bennett also tallied for the Panthers, who have the third-longest winning streak in franchise history.
Florida won 12 straight games in the 2015-16 season, then had their other two longest streaks in 2021-22 – eight consecutive wins to open that season, then 13 in a row toward the end of that season.
Reinhart has goals in five straight games, tallying 13 in his last 11 contests.
Los Angeles is winless in seven in a row (0-3-4).
Kraken win 8th straight
Joey Daccord stopped 25 shots and the Seattle Kraken defeated the Washington Capitals 4-1 for their franchise record-tying eighth consecutive win.
Tye Kartye, Adam Larsson, Justin Schultz and Alex Wennberg scored for the Kraken, who are 10-0-2 in their last 12 games. They haven’t had a regulation loss since Dec. 10.
Daccord improved to 7-0-0 in his last eight games, with an eye-popping .966 save percentage during that span.
Kartye and Larsson became the 15th and 16th players to score for Seattle during this streak.
Max Pacioretty scored his first goal of the season for Washington, which has lost seven of nine (2-5-2).
Nostalgia and memories of past glories have accompanied Naomi Osaka on her return to the Australian Open but the two-time champion is determined to be patient with herself.
Osaka is playing her first grand slam tournament since the US Open in 2022 after giving birth to daughter Shai last summer.
The winner at Melbourne Park in 2019 and 2021, the 26-year-old is feeling her way back into life on tour having made her comeback at the Brisbane International last week.
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“Just going into the locker room and having the same locker as before, I think little things like that really make me happy,” said Osaka.
“Just being able to hit on Rod Laver, I guess, look up at the sky and kind of realise, I’ve been able to win twice here. I would love to do it again.
“Definitely it is hard because I do think of all the amazing memories that I’ve had. I also think, in my head, who am I to just come back in the second tournament and expect so much from myself, especially against the best players in the world?
“Even hitting today with Ons (Jabeur), I caught myself getting a little disappointed in myself when I would make some mistakes. But I’m hitting against Ons. I think it’s just one of those things where I now think to myself that I have to give myself a lot of time and patience.”
Osaka cuts a notably happier figure than the player who struggled with her mental health during 2022 and contemplated stepping away from the sport completely.
Time and a new perspective as a mother has given Osaka, who is also a two-time winner of the US Open, a different outlook on her career.
“I’ve taken a lot of breaks throughout the years,” she said. “I think this one was the one that finally clicked in my head. I think I realised, being an athlete, that time is really precious. (Before) I was young and I felt like I could kind of roll back into it whenever I needed to.
“I guess after having Shai, going through the struggle of trying to get myself back to where I want to be, it was incredibly tough.
“I have a much more positive mindset and a much more grateful mindset. I think overall I’m just happy to be here because I remember last year I was watching people playing Australian Open, and I couldn’t participate myself.”
Osaka has not travelled to Australia with Shai, who has stayed back home in the USA.
“It’s definitely been really hard,” she said. “She’s learning things while I’m gone. I’m hoping she doesn’t learn how to crawl before I come back. She’s doing her little plank thing and scooting forward and back. I think it might be a little inevitable.
“I’m definitely sad, but I feel like it’s a selfish sad because I want her to be here. But I think, for her health, her whole environment is at home. I don’t want to put her out of that while she’s still so young. I FaceTime her often.”
Osaka, who joins fellow former champions Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber as mothers making their Australian Open returns, has a tricky first-round draw against 16th seed Caroline Garcia.
She is happy how her body has reacted to playing matches again, saying: “There has been stiffness and soreness but honestly not as bad as I was expecting. Even without having gone through post-pregnancy, I’m normally very sore on the first tournament back.
“But it ended up really fine. I think my body’s quite adaptable. I think I’ve been doing pretty well. I’m pretty confident with where I’m at right now.”
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