Tony Bloom’s Ile Atlantique is “95 per cent sure” to line up in the Baring Bingham Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, after a weekend where more clues were on offer in the novice hurdling division.
The Brighton & Hove Albion supremo has seen his flagship horse Energumene land the Queen Mother Champion Chase the past two years, while Penhill is another to carry Bloom’s blue and white silks to success at Prestbury Park, in both 2017 and 2018.
Also trained by Willie Mullins, Ile Atlantique appeared a prime candidate to add to Bloom’s Festival tally when bolting up on his first start over hurdles at Gowran and lost little in defeat when headed close home by Readin Tommy Wrong in the Grade One Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle last month.
A muddling race saw the six-year-old having to cut out most of his own running in the hands of Paul Townend and with connections bypassing the option of running at Leopardstown’s Dublin Racing Festival, they are content to remain at an intermediate trip.
“I think the Baring Bingham is going to be his race at the Festival” said Bloom’s racing manager, Sean Graham.
“I did speak to Willie (on Tuesday) and even though he has an entry in the Supreme Novices’, I think we are 95 per cent sure we will go for the two-mile-five race which makes sense because that is the trip he wants anyway.”
He went on: “His run at Naas was only his second run over hurdles and he was left doing the donkey work which wasn’t the plan.
“The plan was for the horse that Patrick (Mullins, Chapeau De Soleil) rode to be in front, but he sort of walked his way through the first few hurdles and because Ile Atlantique jumped the first two so well, he was left in front and Paul thought there is no point taking a pull and he may as well let the horse go on.
“Paul was very happy with him and we probably set the race up for the winner as we gave him something to aim at.
“He’s run so well in that race without things going to plan and you would be hopeful there would be some improvement from then. He’s had a long break and held an entry at the Dublin Racing Festival, but after Naas, Willie’s first reaction was we won’t run him again and go straight to Cheltenham.”
Despite Ile Atlantique’s Festival destination looking more inked in than pencilled, there are still a few more weeks for his place in the Closutton pecking order to be determined – a picture that became slightly clearer at Leopardstown.
All three Grade Ones for the inexperienced hurdlers went the way of Ireland’s champion trainer and although chief Baring Bingham threat Ballyburn may now be destined to run in the opening Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, the victory of outsider Dancing City highlights the strength of opposition amongst Ile Atlantique’s stablemates.
Graham continued: “There are so many owners and horses to take into account that Willie is probably going to have three in each race that are first, second and fourth/fifth in the betting or something like that and he will obviously go into the races with a strong hand.
“Ballyburn looked so good over two miles on his last two runs you would be saying to yourself ‘if it isn’t broke, why fix it’ and if someone offered me evens which race he runs in, I would be backing Supreme anyway.
“They all look hot races and I looked the other day and I think Ile Atlantique was a 10-1 chance to win it.
“It would be great if Paul chose Ile Atlantique as it would show where he was thought of in the pecking order, but even if he doesn’t, it was shown at the weekend Willie can still win with his second or third string and I think we definitely go there with a chance.”
Bloom’s Festival hand will also contain Bunting, who is set for a crack at the Triumph Hurdle having finished a respectable fourth in Grade One company at Leopardstown.
An impressive winner at Limerick on his stable bow, he was sent off 15-2 for a race in which Mullins saddled the first four home and although ultimately beaten just over two lengths, connections are now keen to take a shot at Nicky Henderson’s highly-regarded market leader Sir Gino.
“It was only his second run over hurdles and he went straight from a maiden hurdle to a Grade One,” continued Graham.
“After jumping the last, when Brian Hayes went to go left, he got his path blocked and had to switch. He wouldn’t have beaten the winner, but maybe could have got third.
“I discussed it with Willie and he’s thinking we may as well go for the Triumph. With Nicky’s horse (Sir Gino) being so impressive at Cheltenham, the race might cut up a bit and in the past there has been only six and eight runners – you don’t get the 25 runners you used to get.
“So he’s on course for the Triumph, but we will need the horses to stay sound between now and Cheltenham. You see it every year, they get stone bruises, they pull muscles, so you need a fair bit of luck to get two horses there in one piece.”
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is determined to stay focused on the job as he prepares for his first Super Bowl experience.
Purdy has gone from being last pick of the 2022 draft to taking centre stage in Las Vegas on Sunday when he goes up against Kansas City Chiefs main man Patrick Mahomes, who is preparing for his fourth NFL title match in the space of five years .
The 24-year-old, though, intends to play the game rather than get swept up in the occasion.
“There’s a fine line of it for sure,” Purdy said.
“Obviously studying and being prepared for every little situation and circumstance and being able to answer those questions right, but also, being able to enjoy the game.
“We are in the Super Bowl. You dream of this as a kid growing up, every kid dreamed of playing in this game.”
Purdy told a press conference: “It is a fine line, but man, at the end of the day this is something that we have all dream of growing up. You have to be grateful for it and have fun with it.”
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan feels Purdy’s humility is one of his greatest strengths.
“I think that’s the most special thing about Brock – he doesn’t really have to change much because that’s really who he is,” Shanahan said.
“He’s one of the most humble people I’ve ever met. I’ve talked about the solid foundation he has for who he is.
“When he came into the league, being the third quarterback, being the starter, what he has done this year, he is still the same guy he was on day one.”
The 49ers started a three-day practise week at their University of Nevada Las Vegas base, with tight end George Kittle and defensive lineman Arik Armstead back in the fold following their injury lay-offs.
Cornerback Ambry Thomas and linebacker Oren Burks also did limited work as they continue their own recovery.
Tackle Trent Williams was the only player to not train because of his normal veteran rest day.
Since reaching the 2019 Super Bowl, where they were beaten 31-20 by the Chiefs, the 49ers have continued to be regulars in the play-offs, but had came up short in their two previous NFC Championship Game appearances.
Having taken the extra step again this season, Shanahan is determined to go out on a high.
“Everything is trying to get to the last week, and we did get to this last week,” Shanahan said.
“Friday will be our last practice and Sunday will be our last game.
“You are always hoping you are the team that wins that last game, so that is our goal this week.”
Donovan Mitchell scored 14 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter and Evan Mobley added 22 on 9-of-10 shooting as the Cleveland Cavaliers won their seventh straight game Wednesday, 114-106 over the Washington Wizards.
Mitchell, who had eight rebounds and five assists, scored at least 40 for the fifth time this season. He is averaging 34 points on 56 percent shooting over his last five games.
Cleveland survived a game with nine ties and 17 lead changes to win for the 15th time in 16 tries. The Cavs moved a game ahead of Milwaukee and New York in second place in the Eastern Conference.
Mitchell scored five points during a 9-0 run in the fourth quarter that gave Cleveland the lead for good and his fifth and final 3-pointer of the night made it 104-97 with 2:19 to play.
Kyle Kuzma scored 28 points and Corey Kispert had 23 on 9-of-15 shooting with seven rebounds for the Wizards, who have lost four in a row overall and 12 straight at home.
Pelicans cool Clippers for fourth straight win
CJ McCollum scored 13 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter and Zion Williamson had 21 with a career-high 11 assists as the New Orleans Pelicans slowed the Los Angeles Clippers, 117-106.
Brandon Ingram had 15 points and eight rebounds and Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III each added 13 points to help the Pelicans open a four-game road trip with their fourth straight win.
James Harden scored 19 points and Norman Powell had 18 for the Clippers, who had a four-game winning streak snapped in their first game back from a 6-1 road trip.
Los Angeles was playing its eighth game in 13 days and lost for only the sixth time in 32 games since the start of December.
Porzingis propels Celtics past Hawks
Kristaps Porzingis had 31 points and Derrick White scored 12 of his 21 in the fourth quarter to power the Boston Celtics to a 125-117 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.
Jayson Tatum tallied 20 points, nine rebounds and seven assists and Jaylen Brown scored 15 for the Celtics, who made 9 of their 17 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to make it seven consecutive wins over the Hawks.
Saddiq Bey scored 25 points and Trae Young added 20 with 10 assists as Atlanta dropped its second straight following a four-game winning streak.
Jimmy Vesey scored twice and Jonathan Quick stopped 19 shots to lead the New York Rangers to a 3-1 win on Wednesday over the Tampa Bay Lightning, who lost defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to a leg injury.
Jonny Brodzinski had the other goal to help the Rangers win their third straight and second in three days after the All-Star break.
Quick has won his last three starts with a .952 save percentage and is 12-4-2 this season with a 2.27 goals-against average.
Sergachev had to leave the ice on a stretcher after his leg bent at an awkward angle on a play along the boards in the second period. He became tangled with Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere and his left skate appeared to stick in the ice as his knee twisted unnaturally.
Maple Leafs hold off Stars
William Nylander had two goals and an assist and Auston Matthews scored his league-leading 41st goal in the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 5-4 win over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday.
John Tavares added a goal and two assists and Mitchell Marner also scored as the Leafs won their fourth in five games.
Marner and Nylander scored 20 seconds apart midway through the third period to give Toronto a 5-3 lead with 8:03 remaining.
Evgenii Dadonov had a pair of goals for Dallas, which had a four-game win streak stopped.
Wild beat Blackhawks again
Marcus Foligno scored a tiebreaking goal midway through the third period and Filip Gustavsson made 20 saves as the Minnesota Wild made it 11 straight wins over the Chicago Blackhawks, 2-1.
Jacob Lucchini scored his first goal of the season for Minnesota, which has limited Chicago to 16 goals during an 11-0-0 run in the series since a 5-3 loss on Dec. 15, 2019.
Nick Foligno had the lone goal as the league-worst Blackhawks lost their fifth in a row.
In a shocking turn of events, Jamaican rallycross sensation Fraser McConnell has been left without a seat in the Extreme E Championship as X44 Vida Carbon Racing Team, founded by Formula One legend Lewis Hamilton, officially withdraws from the series.
The announcement came as a surprise to the motorsport community, especially after X44 had proudly unveiled the signing of McConnell in March 2023.
X44 released a statement Wednesday on their decision to exit the series after three successful years. The team expressed gratitude for their time in Extreme E, highlighting their achievements, including multiple race victories and a world championship. The departure signifies the end of an era for X44, leaving behind a legacy of success on the track and a commitment to sustainable racing.
The team's statement read, "After three years as part of the Extreme E family, we're today announcing that X44 will be departing the series. We've had an incredible three seasons competing as X44, winning multiple races and even a world championship."
X44 acknowledged the contributions of their drivers, including McConnell, stating, "Thank you to our drivers @cris_tortu, @frasermcconnell, and @sebloebofficiel, and all our talented teammates who worked hard to help us achieve everything we did."
In March 2023, X44 had proudly announced the signing of McConnell for the upcoming season. The Jamaican driver, recognized as the most competitively successful Jamaican driver in international rallycross racing, was set to replace the experienced Sebastien Loeb.
However, with X44's sudden withdrawal from the series, McConnell finds himself without a team for the upcoming season. The team assured fans that they would continue to support the series from the sidelines and expressed interest in the developments at Extreme H, the series set to replace Extreme E.
McConnell expressed his gratitude for the opportunity afforded him by X44, stating "Thankful for the opportunity and the memories we made together. I will be forever grateful."
It was recently revealed that Hamilton will leave Mercedes at the end of the 2024 Formula One season and will join Ferrari in 2025.
Milton Harris is to appeal the decision of the British Horseracing Authority’s Licensing Committee to rule he is not a “fit and proper person” to hold a training licence.
The Warminster handler had his licence suspended by the BHA in November pending a hearing in January, with the BHA saying it was “a result of a breach of the conditions on his licence and related matters”.
The Licensing Committee said the concerns of the BHA surrounded “the nature and extent of MH’s admitted breaches of the conditions which already exist on his licence, which were imposed in 2018 and MH’s failure to be candid in his dealings with the BHA in respect of those breaches, particularly when the BHA was seeking to provide opportunities for MH to remedy those breaches”, “misconduct in his dealings with others, including fellow licence holder Mr Simon Earle” and “in respect of safeguarding arising out of MH’s conduct with young persons employed at his racing yard”.
A spokesperson for the BHA said on Wednesday: “The BHA can confirm that Mr Harris has formally notified the BHA of his intention to appeal against the recent decision of the Licensing Committee. We will provide further details regarding the appeal in due course and will make no further comment at this time.”
Contacted by the PA news agency, Harris said: “I have appealed. I need to respect the Licensing Committee’s decision, which I do, but some of the information they have been given was not correct.”
Harris, who started his training career in 2001, had a seven-year enforced absence from 2011 to 2018 due to financial issues.
Since returning to the sport he had saddled some notable winners, highlighted by Knight Salute, who claimed the 2022 Grade One Jewson Anniversary 4-y-o Juvenile Hurdle at Aintree along with three Grade Two victories that season.
Emma Raducanu’s bid to reach the last eight of the Abu Dhabi Open was ended in straight sets by world number six Ons Jabeur.
Britain’s Raducanu has been making encouraging strides on her comeback after eight months out following surgery on her wrists and ankle.
The 21-year-old briefly pushed three-time grand slam finalist Jabeur in a close opening set.
But Tunisian Jabeur, the runner-up at Wimbledon in the previous two years, was ultimately too strong in a 6-4 6-1 victory.
Raducanu dropped serve in the first game of the match and was soon a double break down at 5-1.
But the 2021 US Open champion gradually began to remind everyone of just how cleanly she strikes a ball at her best.
She saved three set points before breaking Jabeur’s serve to trail 5-3, and then a gritty hold brought her to within one game.
However, Jabeur comprehensively held serve in the next to take the first set in 50 minutes.
The second seed converted a third break point to take the initiative at the start of second set.
This time Raducanu, who last reached a quarter-final in September 2022, had no answer to the flurry of winners – Jabeur hit 35 in all – as she bowed out.
“She didn’t make it easy for me, obviously,” Jabeur, 29, said in her on-court interview.
“Emma is such an amazing player, I wish her all the best because I know she can play much better. I am a big fan of hers.
“Emma had an amazing experience at the US Open and everybody followed her. She’s had an amazing career.
“Everyone has a different story, we struggle a lot, we go through a lot of things. But a lot of amazing women play on the tour.”
Tiger Woods will make his first competitive appearance of 2024 in next week’s Genesis Invitational.
The 15-time major winner announced on social media that he was “excited to be a playing host” at Riviera Country Club – in a tournament which benefits his foundation – as he continues his latest comeback from injury.
Woods underwent ankle surgery in April last year after withdrawing from the Masters during the third round and did not compete again until the Hero World Challenge in December.
The 48-year-old finished 18th in the 20-man field in the Bahamas, but said after rounds of 75, 70, 71 and 72 that he was pleased with his progress
“I think I’ve come a long way,” Woods told NBC.
“From being a little bit rusty to playing four days and knocked off a lot of rust which was great, and just the physicality of actually playing and competing again – I haven’t done this in a while.
“It was nice to get out here with the guys, have some fun and compete. I wish I would have played a little cleaner but there’s always next time.”
Asked about his pre-tournament prediction that he could be able to play one competition a month in 2024, Woods added: “If you ask me right now I’m a little bit sore.
“But once a month seems reasonable. It gives me a couple of weeks to recover, a week to tune up. Maybe I can get into a rhythm. That’s what the plan was going into next year and I don’t see why that would change.”
Grant Gilchrist believes Scotland’s bitter-sweet Guinness Six Nations victory over Wales has left them in the perfect frame of mind for their second championship match at home to France on Saturday.
The Scots pulled off their first triumph in Cardiff for 22 years last weekend after clinging on to win 27-26.
However, the satisfaction of beating the Welsh on their own patch was tinged with a sense of deflation in the Scottish camp afterwards because they completely lost their way in the second half, missed out on the chance of a bonus point, and almost succumbed to what would have been the biggest comeback in Six Nations history.
Lock Gilchrist was suspended for the Cardiff clash and admitted he was “panicking” while watching it unfold on television.
However, the veteran second-rower – who is available to return against Les Bleus – feels it should be viewed in a positive light that his team kicked off the tournament with an away win yet still have so much scope for improvement.
“Winning at this level is tough,” he said. “And I don’t think that it’s a bad thing that we’re ambitious enough to want to put a complete performance out there.
“When you sit back and think that we’ve won in Cardiff for the first time in 22 years – that’s a big achievement. But we’re also not going to sit there and celebrate that as the perfect performance as we know we can be so much better.
“We showed that for 50 minutes with how in control we were. When you win a Test match you should always feel a sense of satisfaction and enjoyment because the amount of work that goes into that is huge and should never be underestimated.
“No matter what the scoreline is or what happened in the game – to get across the line in a Test match is huge.
“To win in the first game of the Six Nations is massive as you need to keep trying to build momentum throughout the tournament and winning ensures you can still do that.
“But having that little slant of disappointment is also no bad thing. It brought us in on Monday eager to learn how to get better in the second half and put a full performance together rather than coming in talking about staying grounded or any of these things.
“I feel it’s not a bad place to be, to feel a little bit disappointed despite winning in Cardiff for the first time in 22 years.”
Gilchrist, 33, is expected to go straight into the starting XV on Saturday after fellow second-rower Richie Gray suffered a tournament-ending bicep injury in Wales.
“It’s a huge loss, Richie’s a world-class player and a great team-mate,” said Gilchrist. “He’s a huge loss to the group and to me personally.
“We sit together and look at stuff all the time. It’s up to the rest of us to stand up. It’s not just on me, there’s Sam Skinner, Scott Cummings and Glen Young and we’ve all got enough experience and talent to fill that void, as much as we will miss the big man.”
France head to Edinburgh on the back of a chastening 38-17 defeat by Ireland in Marseille last Friday but Gilchrist is braced for a backlash from Les Bleus.
“We’re preparing for the best version of them and we know what that looks like,” he said. “We played them three times last year so we know what to expect. They’re a team we know really well and have had good results against.
“But we also know what it’s like if you don’t get it right against them. We know that if we’re at our best it’s a game we can win.”
Rising Barbadian star Zane Maloney say he is honoured to be the latest inductee in Sauber Academy's driver development programme, and is looking forward to this year’s campaign in the role of Reserve Driver for Sauber Motorsport at several Grands Prix during the 2024 Formula One season.
With F2 driver Theo Pourchaire having already been announced as the Hinwil-based team's reserve driver, the announcement means that the Barbadian racer will share the duties with the Frenchman across the 2024 F1 season.
"The Sauber name resonates with Formula One, as it has been part of the sport for over thirty years, paving the way for so many drivers who went on to achieve great success. I am pleased to become part of this family,” said Maloney.
“I am looking forward to working together this season, as I move closer to my goal of becoming a Formula One driver,” the 20-year-old added.
Maloney, who is currently in preparation for his second F2 campaign with Rodin Motorsport, finished his rookie campaign 10th in the Drivers’ Championship after taking four podiums across the 2023 season. Prior to F2, Maloney starred in FIA Formula 3, where he competed for the 2022 title, and registered three Feature Race victories in his one and only season in the Championship.
He ultimately ended as runner up in the standings by five points.
Maloney was 2019 British F4 Champion with Carlin before making the switch to Euroformula Open for 2020, where he finished the season 8th. In 2021, the Bajan driver moved to Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine. He took one win along with a further seven podiums on the way to fourth in the standings.
Meanwhile, Beat Zehender, Sauber Academy Director, expressed delight at having Maloney onboard.
“We are delighted to welcome Zane as the latest addition to the Sauber Academy. His path through the junior series has been remarkable so far and with his speed and potential, he surely makes a great addition to our talented roster. On behalf of the team, I give him my warmest welcome onboard and look forward to working together and achieving great success," Zehender said.
Warren Gatland has made seven changes for Wales’ Six Nations appointment with England after a first-half display against Scotland he admitted was “nowhere near the standards we expect”.
Wales head coach Gatland named the team 24 hours earlier than originally planned, with his line-up including a new front-row and centre George North’s return from injury.
It will be North’s 50th Six Nations appearance, while fly-half Sam Costelow, who went off injured during the first half of Wales’ 27-26 loss to Scotland last weekend, is replaced by Ioan Lloyd, with Tomos Williams at scrum-half.
Gareth Thomas, Elliot Dee and Keiron Assiratti forge the front-row unit at Twickenham on Saturday, while Cardiff flanker Alex Mann is handed a first Wales start following his try-scoring appearance off the bench against Scotland.
Wales went 27 points down to Scotland before staging a stunning second-half recovery, scoring 26 unanswered points, although it could not mask how poor they were prior to that.
Gatland said: “We have been critical and tough on ourselves this week.
“That first half was nowhere near the standards we expect. We simply cannot start the same way this Saturday.
“We showed in the second half against Scotland what we are capable of. Now it is about building on that performance and playing with some tempo from the off.
“We’ve made a few changes to the starting line-up this weekend, which gives opportunities to the players coming in. We need to be accurate and keep our discipline.
“This is a massive game, not only because of the history and what it means to everyone in Wales, but it is an opportunity to get things on track a bit more.
“England are in a rebuilding phase. We will go there with a lot of confidence we can build on that second half.”
Uncapped Bath prop Archie Griffin has been named on the bench, where is joined by Racing 92 lock Will Rowlands.
Rowlands linked up with the Wales squad earlier this week after his partner recently gave birth, while there are also chances among the replacements for Dragons pair Taine Basham and Cai Evans, who is the son of former Wales captain Ieuan Evans.
North has recovered from a shoulder problem to face England, with Lloyd now starting following an outstanding contribution after taking over from Costelow against Scotland.
Mann’s promotion to the starting line-up was expected following James Botham’s withdrawal from the squad because of a knee injury.
Williams, Dee and Assiratti, meanwhile, all made major contributions after being introduced for the second 40 minutes last Saturday.
Wales have not beaten England at Twickenham in the Six Nations since 2012, when centre Scott Williams’ late try confirmed a Triple Crown triumph.
After defeating England away from home during the 2015 World Cup, Wales have lost to their fierce rivals seven times in succession at English rugby headquarters.
Jamie Snowden will give The Queen’s Reach For The Moon a thorough overhaul after the one-time Derby favourite returned lame having finished fourth on his hurdling debut at Sedgefield.
Owned by the late Queen Elizabeth II in his days on the Flat, he won the Group Three Solario Stakes at Sandown for John and Thady Gosden and was twice the runner-up at Royal Ascot.
Having lost his way in that sphere, he was sent to Jamie Snowden and prepared for a hurdling campaign and he reappeared in the colours of the Queen in a partnership with Sir Chips Keswick, the former Arsenal chairman.
Everything seemed to be going well in the first half of the race as Gavin Sheehan tracked the hot favourite Schmilsson (11-10) but a slight mistake three out stopped him in his tracks and he was immediately on the back foot.
As Schmilsson powered clear in the second division of the Betting.Bet New Betting Sites Maiden Hurdle, Reach For The Moon eventually lost two places on the run-in, although a reason quickly appeared for his lacklustre finish.
“He’s lame behind, unfortunately, but nothing obvious has come to light as to why,” said Snowden.
“We’ll reassess him when we get back home and hope it’s nothing serious.”
He went on: “One thing he did enjoy was the jumping, which I was almost certain he would, as he had done in all his schooling at home.
“As an ex-Flat horse maybe that ground was just too taxing for him so one thing we will look for next time out is better ground.
“Without knowing where he went lame… (but) obviously the ground won’t have helped his cause on that front today.
“So, we’ll hope it’s nothing serious, look for better ground and take it from there.”
The Queen, whose husband the King was diagnosed with cancer on Monday, and Keswick had another Snowden-trained runner at Ludlow, but Schematic also finished unplaced.
Velvet Elvis took full advantage of a fall at the third-last fence from odds-on favourite Corbetts Cross to win a drama-filled Fairyhouse Easter Festival 30th March To 1st April Rated Chase for the second year in a row.
The eight-year-old was trained by Thomas Gibney when successful in the staying contest 12 months ago, but was making his first start for Gavin Cromwell as he was sent off at 7-1 in the hands of Keith Donoghue.
Always at the head of the proceedings, Velvet Elvis escaped being caught up in the incident at the third-last fence where Corbetts Cross (1-4) came to ground just as he was beginning to edge his way into the four-runner contest.
Derek O’Connor’s mount collided with Gordon Elliott’s Run Wild Fred in mid-air, with both succumbing on the landing side of the obstacle.
It left Velvet Elvis to battle out the finish Eklat De Rire and Henry de Bromhead’s charge ultimately proved no match, trailing home three and a quarter lengths adrift.
Cromwell said: “We’ll take it! We’ll never know what would have happened, but he jumped well.
“He won this race last year and a small field is probably ideal for him and he loves that ground.
“Hopefully, that will be a confidence booster for him.”
Victory in this race 12 months teed-up a shot at the Grand National for Velvet Elvis, but without an entry for Aintree this year, his new handler suggested they may target a return to Fairyhouse for the Irish equivalent.
Cromwell added: “I suppose we’ll look at the Irish National. He’s also in the National Trial at Haydock, but that will probably come too soon for him as it’s Saturday week. We’ll see how he comes out of this, but he’s very unlikely to go there.
“He’s probably not terribly well handicapped, but at the same time you’d have to consider an Irish National.”
There may have been no joy for owner JP McManus with top novice chasing prospect Corbetts Cross, but he gained compensation when Miss Pronunciation carried the green and gold silks to success in the Book Your Advanced Tickets Now Rated Novice Hurdle.
Padraig Roche’s seven-year-old coasted to a facile six-length triumph under Mark Walsh with the talented mare recording her third-straight victory this season.
Roche said: “That was great, she did it well. She’s starting to settle a lot better than she was and I’d say that’s bringing out the improvement in her.
“She loves that ground. We had the mother, she was a Topanoora mare and she loved that heavy ground. When it’s like that we’ll keep going and see what there is.
“The mother stayed but this one’s not slow, I’d say two miles on that ground is her trip. She’s improving the whole time.”
Huddersfield have signed England international and former NRL winner Tom Burgess on a three-year deal from the start of the 2025 campaign.
The 31-year-old forward has made more than 200 appearances for South Sydney Rabbitohs since 2013, winning the title and featuring in his side’s World Club Challenge triumph over St Helens in 2015.
Burgess has also made 33 appearances for England, and played in their 2017 World Cup final defeat against Australia.
Burgess, who started his career with Bradford, told Huddersfield’s official website: “There is no mistake in what I want to do over in England, I want to come over there and win silverware.
“I’m not coming back to make up numbers or finish my career. I never got there with Bradford, we had a good side back in those early days, but we never pushed through into the play-offs and made a go of it.
“So that’s one thing I look for in a club, I want to get there, I want to get to those finals and bring silverware back to where it should be, the birthplace of rugby league”.
Burgess follows his brother Sam, whose role as assistant coach at South Sydney was terminated last year and subsequently took on his first head coach role at Super League rivals Warrington.
Huddersfield struggled in last season’s Super League, finishing ninth, and Burgess’ impending arrival will be seen as a significant and long-term statement of intent.
The Giants have already made seven new signings for the 2024 season, which begins later this month, including three players – Adam Clune, Jack Murchie and Thomas Deakin – from Australia.
Huddersfield head coach Ian Watson said: “This is a huge transfer, not just for the Giants, but for Super League and the game in general.
“With the stature of Thomas and what he’s achieved in his career to be consistently one of the best front-rowers within the game, we’re absolutely delighted for him to become a Giant in 2025.”
England rookie Chandler Cunningham-South was being mentored for weeks by Richard Hill without knowing he was talking to a World Cup winner.
Cunningham-South made a strong debut off the bench in Saturday’s 27-24 victory over Italy, becoming one of two flankers to win their first cap in the Guinness Six Nations opener alongside Ethan Roots.
As England team manger with the additional role of talent identification for the pathway, Hill has influenced the rise of both players as well as the likes of Sam Underhill and Tom Curry.
Hill’s keen eye for future Test stars is valued highly by head coach Steve Borthwick, who revealed when naming his Six Nations squad last month that “if Richard tells me to track a back-row forward, I’m listening”.
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Cunningham-South had Hill’s approval when on England Under-20 duty but presumed he was speaking to a random enthusiast rather than one of the country’s greatest flankers and a veteran of 71 Tests, including the triumphant 2003 World Cup final.
“There was no doubt that, as an 18-year-old, Chandler’s physicality of carry was not quite the norm for his age compared to others that I was watching,” said Hill, who was initially alerted to him by his first club London Irish.
“He was doing fantastically well so I made sure that I connected with him at the Under-20s training sessions.
“I carried on chatting to him and then after a number of meetings that I’d had with him, Jonathan Fisher, Irish’s academy coach, decided to ring me after a chance meeting.
“John said that Chandler has just told him how he turns out to Under-20s training and ‘a couple of times this guy’s come up to me and you know, he’s had a chat about my game’.
“’He seems to understand how to play and he’s got some reasonable ideas. You know, he sounds like he knows what he’s talking about’. So yeah, that was me!
“He found out probably three months ago that I played in the World Cup. Chandler’s not that fussed about what’s gone on in the past.
“He wanted to know why I didn’t tell him. I said it had no bearing on what we’re trying to achieve, which was him, not me.”
While Cunningham-South’s 14-minute cameo against Italy was rich with promise, Roots was close to the finished article in being named man of the match following a superb display at blindside flanker.
Borthwick first became aware of Roots when he was coaching Leicester against the Ospreys but it was when Hill showed him footage of the 26-year-old cage fighter playing for Exeter during last autumn’s World Cup that he really took notice.
Fast forward five months and the Chiefs forward is part of Borthwick’s England rebuild, providing vital carrying muscle to a side that is short on defence-busting power.
“If there is someone of interest for the future then I’d make Steve aware – and Ethan was one of those players,” Hill said.
“I knew he had a skill set that would interest us – he can carry the ball, carrying into contact, heavy contact, and defensively physical at the breakdown.
“He has been physical and consistent in terms of the performances he put in since joining Exeter this season.”
Roots is expected to continue in the number six jersey for Saturday’s visit of Wales to Twickenham, with Borthwick naming his team on Thursday afternoon.
Nicky Henderson has admitted it is “guesswork” as to whether Shishkin will stay the Cheltenham Gold Cup trip – but that will be where he heads if successfully navigating his Betfair Denman Chase assignment at Newbury on Saturday.
The 10-year-old proved he has the capacity to stay three miles when winning the Aintree Bowl last spring, while he was in the process of running a huge race in the King George VI Chase on Boxing Day before unseating Nico de Boinville two from home.
However, the extra quarter-mile the cream of the staying division have to master in the blue riband has caught many a top chaser out down the years. And the Seven Barrows handler concedes it is a question that will only be answered on the day itself, despite feeling confident it will be within Shishkin’s compass.
Henderson said: “It’s going to be guesswork because he’s not been that far. He’s not even in the Ryanair, so I assume we think he must stay something otherwise he won’t be going anywhere.
“I would be pretty confident about that and I know it is difficult to say. I know if you get three miles round Kempton it doesn’t mean anything, but what do you do. There’s a good race at Aintree yes, but if he gets home at Newbury and he does well then you have to go (to the Gold Cup), don’t you.”
The dual Cheltenham Festival winner has spent the majority of his career campaigning over two miles, winning both the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Arkle at that distance in the Cotswolds.
Connections explored stepping up in trip following a lacklustre display in the 2022 Tingle Creek and after roaring back to his very best in the Ascot Chase, he finished second in the Ryanair at the Festival before proving successful at Aintree when downing Ahoy Senor.
It is a move that has somewhat caught Henderson by surprise and he said: “No you didn’t really dream (of Shishkin being a Gold Cup horse), because not surprisingly, after Supremes and Arkles you think he is a two-miler.
“Then we went two and a half and two-mile-five when he won at Ascot which was his first time over a trip and it became very obvious he is a stayer.
“He ran in the Ryanair which wasn’t very good, but he came back and ran in the three-miler at Aintree which was very good and I think he proved he stayed there.
“Since then we have continued down that road and the beginning of this season was always going to be all about the King George.”
He went on: “Where things went a bit wrong was the Ascot fiasco when he didn’t want to jump off, so consequently he had to go into the King George without having his prep race, which always frightened me.
“To be fair it didn’t make a great difference and he ran a great race no matter what the result might have been.
“It was just one of those incidents, it’s not as if he did anything wrong and he jumped beautifully all the way.”
Shishkin has been partnered in all 19 starts under rules by De Boinville who he unceremoniously unshipped with the King George at his mercy on Boxing Day.
A further spill at Doncaster over the Christmas period saw the 34-year-old sidelined with a broken collarbone and after a return to the injury list following a premature comeback, Henderson hopes to have his number one back to full fitness to be aboard Shishkin once again.
He said: “We had a little comeback about 10 days ago and he wasn’t quite ready, but he has been riding out since Saturday – he came in and work on Shishkin then – and has been in every day and schooled a few times.
“He’s in good form, I just want him to have a couple of rides to be ready for Saturday, I hope.”
The Queen’s Reach For The Moon was reported to have finished lame after coming home unplaced on his jumping bow at Sedgefield.
Owned by the Queen in partnership with Sir Chips Keswick, Reach For The Moon was a Group Three winner and one-time Classic hope for Queen Elizabeth II before he lost his way on the Flat.
Switched to the care of Jamie Snowden, Reach For The Moon embarked on a National Hunt career in the second division of the Betting.Bet New Betting Sites Maiden Hurdle, but after racing in second through the early exchanges, he was beaten at the turn for home.
Schmilsson was was sent off the 11-10 favourite and successfully made all the running as Reach For The Moon dropped away, with Snowden eager to check on the gelding straight after the race.
He said: “He showed he’s got the aptitude for jumping but he’s returned lame, so we need to check that he’s OK.”
The Queen, whose husband the King was diagnosed with cancer on Monday, and Keswick had another Snowden-trained runner at Ludlow, but Schematic also finished unplaced for connections.
Ireland are hopeful centre Garry Ringrose will be available for Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations match against Italy in Dublin.
Leinster co-captain Ringrose is “progressing nicely” in his recovery from the shoulder injury which caused him to miss his country’s 38-17 round-one win over France.
The 29-year-old was again absent from training on Wednesday but Ireland’s coaching staff expect to have a fully-fit squad in contention for the Azzurri’s visit to the Aviva Stadium.
“We are pretty confident that everyone will be fit to train fully tomorrow,” assistant coach Mike Catt told reporters, according to RTE.
“There are a few guys obviously with a few bumps and bruises from Friday night. There are a couple that are still rumbling around.
“Calvin (Nash), Hugo (Keenan), Ringer is coming through nicely. He obviously didn’t train today, but he is progressing nicely.
“We will see how they pull up over the next couple of days.”
With Ringrose sidelined, Robbie Henshaw partnered Bundee Aki in midfield for Friday evening’s impressive bonus-point triumph in Marseille.
The statement success over the pre-tournament favourites fuelled talk of Andy Farrell’s Ireland becoming the first team to win back-to-back Grand Slams in the Six Nations era.
Attack coach Catt urged players to ignore the “external noise” and focus on immediate challenges.
“There’s no need to (get ahead of ourselves), is there,” he said.
“Andy has always spoken about the next performance, that’s been the key thing.
“From the players’ point of view, too, the Grand Slam will take care of itself if we perform to a level we are capable of performing.
“It’s making sure we put our focus on that and don’t worry about the external noise.”
Head coach Farrell is contemplating changes for the clash with Gonzalo Quesada’s side.
Italy have only once beaten Ireland in the Six Nations – 22-15 in Rome in 2013 – but pushed England close in a 27-24 defeat on the opening weekend.
“What I liked about the Italy performance (against England) was, they didn’t have a great World Cup,” said Catt, who was part of the Azzurri’s coaching staff between 2016 and 2019.
“I think they put their hands up to that as a group of players.
“And for them to turn around and put in a performance like that against a good England side was very impressive.
“They are obviously trying to impress the new coach as well and I just thought the way they played, they didn’t go away from their DNA in terms of (how) they’ve played over the last couple of years.
“I think with Quesada, they’ll tighten things up a little bit but when they get going, they caused some serious problems by scoring some very, very good tries.”
Nicky Henderson believes Sir Gino’s position as arguably the leading juvenile hurdler seen so far this season is undiminished after absorbing all the action from last weekend’s Dublin Racing Festival.
The master of Seven Barrows was an avid viewer of what he termed “the Willie Mullins racing festival”, with the Closutton trainer hoovering up all eight Grade One prizes on offer over Leopardstown’s two-day fixture, including the Irish Gold Cup with Galopin Des Champs.
While Ballyburn’s victory stroll in Sunday’s two-mile Grade One set alarm balls ringing for Henderson’s Supreme hope Jeriko Du Reponet, he was not so troubled by the result in the Spring Juvenile Hurdle, which saw Kargese lead home a one-two-three-four for Mullins.
Sir Gino is a general 4-5 favourite for the Triumph Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival after supplementing a British debut win with a 10-length triumph over Burdett Road on Trials day at Prestbury Park and Henderson is confident of his claims, although he is not ruling out a late surprise contender.
He said: “Galopin looked very good on Saturday – they all looked very good over at the weekend at Leopardstown. I enjoyed watching the Willie Mullins racing festival!
“Watching the opposition over the weekend, of all the novices they had that came out, there were some very impressive performances, none more so than (owner) Ronnie Bartlett’s two-miler (Ballyburn). He looked very good and I’m trying to persuade him to go two and a half (miles).
“The juveniles didn’t possibly look as strong as they might do, I was thinking ‘Willie’s going to come out with some rocket’, it doesn’t looks as if he did. The opinion seemed to be nothing happened to cause Sir Gino a great loss of sleep.
“There’s sure to be something crop up somewhere, in the Adonis or in Ireland, but at the moment, his performance did look quite smart at Cheltenham and I think he is a very smart horse, but there’s a long way to go.”
Galopin Des Champs reversed recent form with Fastorslow in defending his Irish Gold Cup title, having found that rival too sharp on the last two of their three meetings.
A Cheltenham Gold Cup defence is now the next port of call for Mullins’ stable star, with Henderson hoping Shishkin can book his Festival ticket with victory in Saturday’s Betfair Denman Chase.
However, even if all should go to plan at Newbury, Henderson is anticipating the sternest of challenges from Galopin Des Champs in the Cotswolds next month.
Of Mullins’ charge, he said: “I think he’s very good, he’s a proven Gold Cup winner so he has to be very good. I think he is a very clinical, professional horse, he just gets out there and gets the job done.
“He doesn’t strike me as a very flashy horse in his race or anything, but he’s always there isn’t he. He’s a tough horse, too.
“I thought he was very, very good and you could find little fault in what he has done. He’s the horse we all have to beat and I’m just thinking and hoping he’s not unbeatable.”
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