Jack Jones is dreaming of Fred Winter glory at the Cheltenham Festival with An Bradan Feasa after the three-year-old performed with real credit behind impressive scorer Burdett Road at the November Meeting.
Saddling what was his first runner at National Hunt’s flagship venue, the three-year-old – who was purchased out of Joseph O’Brien’s yard by owners Christopher and Mary-Ann Middleton – put up a fine display for the Newmarket handler, still holding the advantage when turning for home and approaching the last before ultimately having no answer to the blistering acceleration of the current Triumph Hurdle favourite.
An Bradan Feasa stuck on bravely to pick up a silver medal and although initially trying to convince himself there were options away from the Festival, Jones soon began to eye up a return to Prestbury Park in March for the son of Camelot.
“We will be working back from the Fred Winter,” said Jones.
“It makes sense and we have looked at lots of different angles. I did throw in the comment that Cheltenham isn’t the be all and end all, and then the next sentence we kind of agreed we have got to work back from Cheltenham.
“It was so special for me there on Saturday, I’ve been going to Cheltenham since I was a small boy, it is my local track from home and where my racing dream originates from.”
He went on: “Unless he takes a massive step forward, which he could do and he’s only had the two runs, then realistically we will let Burdett Road go and win the Triumph and on all known form we shouldn’t be beating that. There’s nothing we can do about that.
“They gave us 127 and I thought the winner would get 140 and we would get 128, so I wasn’t a million miles off and from having a scroll through the last few years that looks a nice rating for the Fred Winter.
“He’s got course form, touch wood he jumps impeccably and to have runners at Cheltenham, let alone the Cheltenham Festival, is a huge dream of mine. He’s exciting and the good day was topped off by Star Mind winning at Wolverhampton that evening.”
Jones is still to finalise An Bradan Feasa’s route to the Festival but is not short of options and is tinkering with a two-race plan that includes a possible trip north of the border before arriving at Cheltenham in the spring.
He added: “As easy as it is to get excited about races in between, I have to be mindful he is still only a baby and that was only his second ever run. He did have the Flat run, but that was a non-event and Joseph ran him over hurdles only 13 days after his Flat debut.
“So I have to be careful just to mind him and I don’t know where, but I think two runs between now and Cheltenham will be sensible and then we can go to Cheltenham fresh and well.
“We’ve got options and I haven’t looked in-depth. There is a Listed race at Aintree in a couple of weeks or he could just go and try and win a midweek juvenile hurdle with a penalty. My vet and Christopher have both mentioned the Musselburgh Triumph Hurdle Trial as well, so that could be a nice option and it might suit him round there.
“We’ve got a lot of exciting options, but maybe a midweek juvenile, Musselburgh, then the Fred Winter would be the potential route.”
Although predominantly associated with training runners on the Flat, Jones has a strong National Hunt grounding having ridden out for Nicky Henderson during his university days as well as serving as pupil assistant to Kim Bailey and Paul Nicholls before attentions turned to Newmarket and the faster thoroughbreds.
Having thrived with the Middleton’s Our Scholar over obstacles throughout the summer months, the young handler is now relishing the prospect of having a top operator to run over obstacles during the winter.
“He’s only been with me around six weeks and we took him for a racecourse gallop two weeks before Cheltenham. We actually took him with a nice horse called Pleasant Man who ran a week later and he finished fourth in the November Handicap.
“For my first runner at Cheltenham it was some thrill to have him still in front turning in. He jumped impeccably, travelled well and Tom (Bellamy) gave him a good ride. He was jumping himself to the front and he’s got a lovely, gorgeous big stride and Tom did the right thing by letting him use himself.
“I was getting very excited between the second last and the last but we were beaten by a good one and Christopher and Mary-Ann were over the moon. He looks a fun horse not only for this year, but you would hope he would be around for a good few years.”
Jamie Moore will be out of action until the new year following injuries suffered in a nasty fall from Mi Sueno at Lingfield on Tuesday.
The 38-year-old was about to mount a serious challenge aboard Paddy Butler’s four-year-old in the two-mile Favourite Goes 7 Days A Week Handicap Hurdle when taking a heavy fall at the second last, which left Moore with a fractured vertebra as well as broken ribs and a broken nose.
With his recovery involving six weeks in a neck brace, the rider will be sidelined during the busy Christmas period, while in the immediate future, his father Gary Moore has had to find a replacement for stable stalwart Goshen ahead of the defence of his Coral Ascot Hurdle title.
“He’s doing well and hopefully will be coming out of hospital today,” said Gary Moore.
“I went to see him last night and he was in good spirits with himself.
“Obviously he has a neck brace on and that’s on for six weeks, so he won’t be doing much for the next six weeks. He’s as good as could be expected.”
Jamie is not the only member of the Moore family in the wars with his brother and leading Flat jockey Ryan Moore forced to give up his ride on defending champion Vela Azul in Sunday’s Japan Cup.
The 40-year-old was stood down after hurting his back in a fall at Kyoto last Sunday and has been replaced on Kunihiko Watanabe’s six-year-old by Hollie Doyle.
Klassical Dream made a faultless start to his career over fences in the Download The BetVictor App Irish EBF Beginners Chase at Thurles.
The Willie Mullins-trained nine-year-old has an impressive seven Grade One successes over hurdles on his CV, including three back-to-back wins in the Champion Stayers Hurdle at Punchestown.
His chasing debut came over two miles and six furlongs at Thurles, where he was the 1-4 favourite under Paul Townend in a field of 11.
Making the running from the start, the gelding was foot perfect at every fence and made incredibly light work of the race to canter home nine and a half lengths ahead of his nearest rival with the rest of the field strung out behind him.
“We’d have been disappointed if we were beaten, but he was foot perfect everywhere. He was quick getting from A to B and behaved himself relatively well as well, so maybe he has grown up,” Townend said.
“I never had to interfere as he was lining up his fences from 10 strides away and I only had to encourage him and not fall off. He was good and clever and was able to sort himself out at fences as well, which was a nice thing to take from it.
“He achieved a lot over hurdles and was a high-class horse to be going chasing. He had done plenty schooling and has taken to it really well.
“He hasn’t a million miles on the clock either and has loads of fire in his belly.”
Klassical Dream’s ante-post odds for a range of chasing targets have now been trimmed with Betfair, who make him 10-1 from 20s for the National Hunt Chase, 14s from 25-1 for the Turners Novices’ Chase and 14-1 for the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase.
Gregg Popovich said San Antonio Spurs fans should not "poke the bear" after his team lost to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Spurs coach Popovich walked over to the scorer's table late in the second quarter when Clippers star and former Spurs player Kawhi Leonard was being jeered by the San Antonio faithful as he prepared for a free throw.
"Excuse me for a second," Popovich said to the crowd. "Can we stop all the booing and let these guys play? Have a little class. That's not who we are. Knock off the booing."
Leonard went on to finish with 26 points, four rebounds and four assists as the Clippers triumphed 109-102, their third straight NBA win.
Asked why he took hold of the mic to speak to the crowd during his side's 10th consecutive loss, Popovich simply told reporters: "I think anybody that knows anything about sports, you don't poke the bear."
Leonard, for his part, shrugged off the jeers.
"If I don't have a Spurs jersey on, they're probably going to boo me the rest of my career," Leonard, who won the first of his two NBA titles in San Antonio, said.
"But I mean it is what it is. Like I said, they're one of the best fans in the league and they're very competitive.
"Once I step out on this basketball court out here, they show that they're going for the other side.
"When I'm on the streets or going into restaurants, they show love. So it is what it is."
James Harden finished with 16 points to move 24th on the all-time NBA list, while Paul George had 24 points and eight rebounds for the Clippers (6-7).
Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 22 points and 15 rebounds, but his team fell to 3-12, the worst record in the Western Conference.
Evan Williams classes the Coral Challow Hurdle as the obvious next port of call for Minella Missile but is keen to see what others have in the locker before firming up plans for his exciting Cheltenham winner.
An impressive scorer at Chepstow on his rules debut, he immediately took the step into Grade Two company at Prestbury Park during the November Meeting, where he kept on gamely to claim the scalp of Paul Nicholls’ highly-touted Persian War winner Captain Teague.
Having shown he handles undulating tracks, the Welsh handler is refusing to rule out a return to Cheltenham for the talented five-year-old, with Sandown’s Betfair Winter Novices’ Hurdle (December 8) another enticing option.
However, if Minella Missile is to avoid the burden of a penalty, then a move up to Grade One level is in order, which brings Newbury at the end of December into the reckoning.
Williams said: “Going forward, we will be guided by the horse really. It will be very interesting to see how he comes out of that race and we will be guided by him on where we will go from there really.
“The obvious thing, and it’s not as easy as that, but the obvious thing is to avoid carrying a penalty – and the only way to avoid carrying a penalty is in the Newbury race.
“Against that, he does go well around Cheltenham and Chepstow, which are undulating tracks and completely different to Newbury.”
The trainer went on: “Cheltenham has so many of those trials, there is an Albert Bartlett trial at the December meeting, or you could go to Sandown for the Winter Novices’ Hurdle, which is two-and-a-half miles and a Grade Two.
“So, I don’t want to be fixated on going to Newbury, but the Newbury race would seem the obvious next target if we had a target.
“The coming weeks will tell us. We are where we are now, but there will be plenty of others that will come out in the next weeks which will be of a very high quality – plenty of stables are yet to run their good novice hurdlers.
“I guess that is part of the fun of it and part of the jigsaw, and we’ll watch what comes out closely and then we can take a view and go from there.”
Minella Missile could become one of the leading players for Williams this season, as he searches for candidates to fill the position of stable star vacated by the now retired Coole Cody.
The strapping bay has already provided his handler with one memorable day, supplying loyal owner Janet Davies with her 100th winner when successful at Cheltenham.
Williams added: “He improved a lot in a very quick time after Chepstow, we were caught out a little bit by him and we were very lucky there was that race at Cheltenham, because the race at Chepstow brought him on significantly.
“It was lovely and it was lovely to get the 100th winner up for Mrs Davies in such a good race
“It’s fantastic; a lot of our nice horses have finished, for whatever reason, and we were a bit light on having a very nice horse, but as is often the case in this old game, things can surprise you in both a positive and a negative way.”
Jaylen Brown had 26 points and eight assists as the Boston Celtics cooled off Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks with a 119-116 victory on Wednesday in a clash between two of the Eastern Conference's top teams.
Jayson Tatum added 23 points and Kristaps Porzingis had 21 as Boston bounced back from Monday's overtime loss to the Charlotte Hornets that snapped its six-game winning streak.
The Celtics also ended Milwaukee's run of five straight wins while preventing Antetokounmpo from reaching the 40-point mark for a third consecutive game.
Boston held Antetokounmpo to 21 points on 7-of-20 shooting two nights after the two-time NBA MVP went 20-of-23 from the field in a 42-point performance Monday against the Washington Wizards.
The Celtics never trailed in improving to 6-0 at home this season, as they opened the game with a 10-0 run and built a 29-17 lead after one quarter before extending the margin to 67-53 at halftime.
Milwaukee got a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit down to four in the final minute, but the Celtics hit 5 of 6 free throws late to seal the win.
Brook Lopez led the Bucks with 28 points on 12-of-18 shooting, while Damian Lillard finished with 27 points and five assists.
Streaking Magic survive Jokic’s triple-double
The Orlando Magic won their fifth straight game, as Franz Wagner scored 24 of his 27 points in the second half in a 124-119 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
Paolo Banchero had 23 points, including a 3-pointer with 1:49 left to put Orlando ahead for good.
Goga Bitadze, Jalen Suggs and Wagner clinched the win with six straight free throws in the final 14 seconds.
Jokic had 30 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists for his sixth triple-double of the season and 111th of his career, the fourth-most in NBA history.
Gilgeous-Alexander leads red-hot Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 40 points and 12 assists to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to their sixth consecutive win, 116-102 over the Chicago Bulls.
Chet Holmgren tallied 18 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks and Isaiah Joe added 20 points for the Thunder, who are on their longest winning streak since the 2018-19 season.
DeMar DeRozan scored 25 points for the Bulls after making just one basket in the first half.
Chicago played without leading scorer Zach LaVine, who sat with a sore right foot.
Ricky Hatton won his light-heavyweight bout with Paulie Malignaggi after the American’s corner retired him in the 11th round on this day in 2008.
Hatton, breaking from his trademark brawling style in his first fight under new trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr, was a different class against the slick but light-punching Malignaggi.
The victory took Hatton’s professional record to 45-1 (32 KOs) in the same ring he had suffered his only defeat almost a year earlier, a 10th-round stoppage by Floyd Mayweather Jr at welterweight.
This time it was Hatton, 30, bringing proceedings to an early halt as referee Kenny Bayless stepped in to record a TKO verdict when Malignaggi’s corner retired their man 28 seconds into the penultimate round.
“I think bearing in mind I’ve only done seven weeks with Floyd, I showed the changes that we’ve been working on,” Hatton said, after defeating Malignaggi.
“I don’t think you’ve seen Ricky Hatton move his head as much or jab as much. Sometimes the red mist set in and I put my foot on the gas but Rome wasn’t built in a day and I think with the changes that me and Floyd have been working on what I did tonight was quite impressive.
“So I’d like to thank Floyd for bringing back my hunger for the game.”
Hatton only fought twice more after that victory, losing to Manny Pacquiao six months later before ending his career three years later following a loss to Vyacheslav Senchenko.
Linus Ullmark turned away 27 shots and the NHL-leading Boston Bruins defeated the Florida Panthers 3-1 on Wednesday in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
John Beecher and Jake DeBrusk scored in a 3:05 span of the second period and Charlie Coyle also scored for the Bruins, who are 14-1-3 this season.
Boston’s 31 points after 18 games ties the fifth-most in league history.
Last season, the Bruins finished with an NHL-record 135 points but lost to Florida in seven games in the opening round of the playoffs.
Anton Lundell scored for Florida, which had a six-game home winning streak stopped.
Quick perfect in Rangers’ win
Jonathan Quick stopped 32 shots for the 60th shutout of his career and Alexis Lafreniere scored early in the first period as the New York Rangers stayed hot with a 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.
Quick became the 20th goalie in NHL history to reach 60 shutouts, ranking second among active netminders behind Minnesota’s Marc-Andre Fleury (73).
Quick is 5-0-1 with two shutouts and only 11 goals allowed in six starts.
Lafreniere’s eighth goal was all the offense the Rangers needed to improve to 11-1-1 in their past 13 games.
Pittsburgh went 0 for 5 on the power play and lost for the third time in four games.
Strome lifts surging Capitals in overtime
Dylan Strome scored with 8 seconds left in overtime and the Washington Capitals extended their winning streak to five games with a 4-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres.
Alex Alexeyev, T.J. Oshie and Tom Wilson also scored to help Washington improve to 6-0-1 in its past seven games.
Buffalo took a 2-0 lead on first-period goals by J.J. Peterka and Zach Benson and Dylan Cozens had the other goal as the Sabres lost for the fourth time in five games.
The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired third baseman Eugenio Suarez from the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday in an attempt to bolster a position that lacked power during the team’s run to the World Series last season.
Arizona finished tied for 28th in Major League Baseball in 2023 with only 10 total home runs by its third baseman. Suarez, meanwhile, hit 22 homers of his own for Seattle.
“It adds a little bit of stability at that spot,” Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said. “He’s a guy we’ve liked for a long time.”
Suarez, 32, was a 2018 All-Star for the Cincinnati Reds, who traded him to the Mariners in March 2022.
He’s hit .248 with 246 home runs and 730 RBIs in 1,313 career games for Detroit, Cincinnati and Seattle.
The Mariners acquired reliever Carlos Vargas and catcher Seby Zavala from Arizona, which lost in five games to the Texas Rangers in the World Series after going 84-78 during the regular season.
Naggo Head Primary registered the biggest win as the Institute of Sports’ All-Island Primary Schools netball competition got going beating Southborough Primary 25-0.
Lewis Hamilton contacted Red Bull about driving alongside Max Verstappen for the grid’s all-conquering team, Christian Horner has claimed.
The 38-year-old signed a new two-year contract – understood to be worth £50million a year – in August to extend his stay in Formula One beyond his 40th birthday.
It came amid a season of struggle for Mercedes as Verstappen eased to a third consecutive world title in a dominant Red Bull car.
There was speculation over Hamilton’s future for much of the season and Red Bull team principal Horner has now claimed they received an approach from his representatives before he committed to Mercedes.
Horner also said the seven-time world champion was in dialogue with Ferrari chairman John Elkann.
“We have had several conversations over the years about Lewis joining,” Horner told the Daily Mail.
“They have reached out a few times. Most recently, earlier in the year, there was an inquiry about whether there would be any interest.
“He met John Elkann (Ferrari chairman), too. I think there were serious talks.
“But I can’t see Max and Lewis working out together. The dynamic wouldn’t be right. We are 100 per cent happy with what we have.”
The 2023 F1 season concludes this weekend in Abu Dhabi, where Hamilton was controversially beaten to the drivers’ championship by Verstappen in the final race in 2021.
Hamilton has not won a race in two seasons and will finish third in the standings this year, while the Dutchman is bidding for his 19th win of a record-breaking campaign.
“We want to get back to the top, and back to fighting for world championships. We are in this together,” Hamilton said when his new deal was announced in August.
“We have a lot of work to do, but there is nowhere else I would rather be. You are all stuck with me for a little bit longer.”
Jamaica Squash Association president Karen Anderson says her tenure as regional vice president of the Caribbean for the Federation of Pan-American Squash board, will be used to forge new partnerships, as well as to strengthen to federation's governance structure to drive growth and improve the region's competitiveness in the sport.
Anderson, who is currently serving a second term at the helm of the Jamaica Squash Association, was recently appointed second in command of the Caribbean for the Federation of Pan-American Squash board during an election in Santiago, Chile. Her four-year term began earlier this November.
She welcomes the new position and is ready to stamp her ideas on the association for the betterment of the sport locally and regionally.
"It is a true honour to serve the Caribbean on the Federation of Pan-American Squash board. We shall be directing policy for squash in the region over the next four years which is a great opportunity and great time as Olympics is in that five-year window, so it really will shape and determine the policy for squash in the region," Anderson said.
Anderson is an accomplished squash player, who represented Jamaica up until recently. As a professional player she attained a career high world ranking of number 94 in 2005. She joined the Women's Squash Players Association in the same year. She is a squash coach locally and has guided many players to national and regional representation.
She is currently leading the charge for the Jamaica Squash Association to attain full charitable status and be known as Jamaica Squash, along with an aggressive governance transformation with the expectation of a more robust organization financially and competitively in the region and beyond, to include qualifying players for the 2028 Olympics where squash will feature as a new sport on the schedule.
"It will factor and feature in a number of things such as referring (and) coaching, so we are very excited and looking forward to see how we can forge some partnerships with our other counterparts in the region to really grow and strengthen our governance structure and our competitiveness in the region but on an international scale as well. I am really looking forward to the next four years as regional VP for the Caribbean on the Federation of Pan-American Squash board," Anderson noted.
The only other Jamaican to serve on the Federation of Pan-American Squash board is Douglas Beckford.
Owen Farrell has returned from the World Cup with the hunger to prolong his career for as long as possible.
Farrell led England to a third-place finish in France following an agonising semi-final defeat by South Africa but, unlike a number of his international peer group, the 32-year-old has no intention of looking towards the finishing line.
Ben Youngs, Courtney Lawes and Jonny May played their final Tests at the World Cup, while Dan Cole, Joe Marler, Danny Care and Manu Tuilagi are also close to signing off at the highest level.
But Farrell has raised the possibility that he could still be present for Australia 2027 as England enter a period of rebuilding.
“I love what I do, I’m passionate about it and I don’t see that slowing down any time soon,” the Saracens captain said at the season launch of the Investec Champions Cup at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“I’m unbelievably lucky to do something that I’m really passionate about and I want to play as long as it can if I’m still excited about what I am doing.
“The two go hand in hand because if you’re not excited then you won’t do what you want to do anyway, you won’t play for the teams that you want to play for and you won’t play to the standard that you want to.
“I wouldn’t sit down and set targets. But I also wouldn’t say they are not in the back of my head, quietly.
“I wouldn’t be one to say ‘I have written this down, this down and this down, this is what I want to achieve and this is what I am working for every day’. But they are there in the background.
“The exciting bit is what’s in front of us. Where you can take what you’ve been doing and how to get the best out of yourself. Hopefully there’s loads more of that.”
Farrell’s immediate aim is to help Saracens challenge for silverware on two fronts with the Gallagher Premiership already under way and their Champions Cup opening against the Bulls on December 9.
Saracens have won three European titles, their most recent coming in 2019, and the competition retains a special place in Farrell’s heart.
“When I was still at school and watching the rugby I couldn’t wait for the then Heineken Cup, now the Champions Cup,” the fly-half said.
“You’d sit there on a Friday night, then all day Saturday, all day Sunday, sometimes you didn’t move because there was just big game after big game.
“There is something about European games that make them bigger. These are games that teams look forward to and therefore end up putting their best out there on the field.
“There are a lot more big games, they sell out and the atmosphere changes a bit. I can’t quite put my finger on why but there are some European nights you’ve played in that are memorable.”
A nomination to star colt Paddington is set to be auctioned off at Tattersalls early next month to raise funds for injured jockey Graham Lee.
The Grand National and Ascot Gold Cup-winning rider remains in Royal Victoria Infirmary Hospital in Newcastle after suffering serious neck and spinal injuries in a fall on the all-weather two weeks ago.
A JustGiving page set up by Lee’s daughter Amy for the Injured Jockeys Fund recently passed the £150,000 mark – and the Coolmore team are keen to add their support by auctioning a nomination in their top-class three-year-old Paddington before the first ‘Sceptre’ lot at Tattersalls on December 4.
“Our partners Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, George Von Opel and Peter Brant along with everyone here at Coolmore and Ballydoyle wish Graham and his family all the very best,” said Coolmore’s MV Magnier.
Paddington rattled off four straight Group One victories in the space of 68 days earlier this year, landing the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown and the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.
The recently-retired son of Siyouni will stand his first season at Coolmore next year with a stallion fee of €55,000.
Changes to the rules on declaring horses as non-runners could be introduced in 2024, with year’s Epsom Dash used as an example of where stewards could have more discretion.
Four runners in the richly-endowed five-furlong sprint were impeded as their stalls opened fractionally later than the rest of the field, including that of the 6-1 favourite Live In The Moment.
The raceday stewards allowed the result to stand after concluding the four horses’ chances were not “materially impacted” by the issue, but the British Horseracing Authority has subsequently reassessed how non-runners are determined in such circumstances, as well as consulting with various parties.
On a BHA briefing call on Wednesday, director of integrity and regulatory operations Brant Dunshea explained: “We are working through a process of drafting some amendments to the rules that would enable the stewards slightly broader powers to declare a non-runner.
“In the event of the Dash for example, it would empower the stewards under those circumstances to declare the four horses that were unable to start on equal terms with the other runners as non-runners and ensure those who had bet on those runners could receive a refund.
“There is no perfect solution to this, nobody is happy with every decision all of the time, but on balance, shifting closer to the way the international model is framed is the best way of trying to deal with what are complex issues.
“What we are looking to include in the draft amendments are ensuring that where a horse is prevented from starting on equal terms with all other runners, the stewards have the powers to declare such a horse a non-runner and whilst not limiting it to only a very narrow, specific set of circumstances, we wish to include reference in the rule to where a horse’s chances are materially affected.
“We are in the drafting phase, we will write back to all those we engage with and seek their views on where we are heading and look to present any potentials changes to the rules to the BHA rules committee in the early part of next year with a view to implementing any reforms in the summer Flat season.”
The BHA also announced an imminent fourth survey for trainers and stable staff to give their views on improving recruitment, skills and retention of staff, following previous consultation in 2016, 2018 and 2021.
Commissioned by the newly-formed Industry People Board, the survey aims to provides robust data to measure progress of initiatives and identify new issues for employees and employers working on training yards, with the results playing a part in defining the strategy of the newly-formed group, which is leading the development of racing’s long-term plan for its workforce.
Neil Hayward is chairman of the IPB and he underlined ongoing work in relation to Dr Eleanor Boden’s 2021 Racing Foundation conference talk entitled ‘Where did all the girls go?’, which detailed what it said were incidences of unacceptable behaviour towards women in the sport.
A code of conduct was introduced by the BHA in September 2022, but Hayward is anticipating further developments in that area.
He said: “It was the sort of report that once seen could not be unseen and the conclusion I reached was that it needed a really firm steer from the Industry People Board and action.
“I took that report with Eleanor to the BHA board in the summer and since then Lucy (Attwood of the IPB) and team and Greg (Swift, BHA’s director of communications and public affairs) and team have been working on the launch of an industry-wide commitment and action plan and I’m expecting that to be discussed and agreed and launched sometime very soon, if not at the December 13 IPB it will be around or just after Christmas.
“I can only reassure you that actually I see this as being at the heart of one of the things we have to do to improve how our sport actually is at the grassroots level.
“We want people to be good employers, we want to provide them with support on being the best employers they can be and we want this to be a safe place to work for young people and all people in our sport.
“I know there’s a lot of work going on in the safeguarding space that is wrapped up into this too to create an integrated, joined up BHA-wide approach.”
Keith Donoghue will maintain the partnership with Flooring Porter when he heads to Punchestown for the Liam & Valerie Brennan Florida Pearl Novice Chase on Saturday.
Gavin Cromwell’s dual Stayers’ Hurdle hero made the perfect switch to fences at Cheltenham last month, readily beating Broadway Boy who gave the form a really strong boost when scoring at Prestbury Park last weekend.
He is now being prepared to go right-handed for the first time in over two years when he makes a long-awaited return to Punchestown for Grade Two action over three miles and the chance to confirm himself as a leading player in the staying novice chase division.
“He’s in great shape and we’re looking forward to getting him out,” said Cromwell.
“It is obviously his first time going right-handed since he ran in Punchestown in the Stayers’ Hurdle the year he won his first Stayers’ at Cheltenham.
“He’s a lot more mature now and hopefully an easier ride. It’s on the chase track at Punchestown and we know it’s a true track.
“If we’re ever going to try it, I think we should try it now. We can still go to Leopardstown at Christmas and it looks an obvious race.”
Flooring Porter was masterfully ridden in his two Cheltenham Festival victories by Danny Mullins, but steering duties for his chasing bow back in Gloucestershire belonged to Donoghue who, as a key part of the Cromwell operation, will retain the ride on the handler’s stable star.
“Keith will ride him and has done all the schooling on him,” continued Cromwell.
“Danny has had a great association with the horse, but Keith is in almost all the time. It was a difficult phone call to make to Danny and touch wood nothing happens to Keith.”
Katie Taylor is looking forward to “rectifying things” ahead of her highly-anticipated rematch with Chantelle Cameron in Dublin on Saturday night.
The Bray fighter was handed her first-ever professional defeat back in May by a majority decision as Cameron successfully defended her undisputed light-welterweight belts.
The build-up to Saturday’s showdown at the 3Arena saw both fighters take part in a public workout at the Liffey Valley Shopping Centre on Wednesday, where Taylor admitted preparations have felt “very different” ahead of a “must-win fight”.
She told Matchroom: “I didn’t get things going my way the last time and this is a must-win fight for me, it’s all business this week for me. It’s certainly very different this week than it was the last time, so I’m just excited to step in there.
“I just didn’t feel myself (during the first fight with Cameron), I think everybody who’s watched the fight knew I wasn’t myself on the night. It’s just a bit of a flat performance really, just one of those nights.
“No other fight made sense for me, after that last fight straight away we said we wanted a rematch and thank God I had this opportunity for a rematch now, not every fighter has this opportunity.
“I’m so grateful and have a chance to rectify things on Saturday night, I can’t wait.
“I think when I’m at my best nobody can beat me, that’s it.”
May’s defeat ended Taylor’s perfect record of 22 consecutive victories in the ring as Cameron went the distance across 10 rounds to retain her WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO light-welterweight titles.
The Northampton fighter had expressed a desire to move down to 135lbs and challenge Taylor’s status as undisputed world lightweight champion, but the rematch will stay at 140lbs.
Victory against Taylor moved Cameron to a 18-0 record and she believes she is in a “good place” ahead of Saturday’s bout.
“I’m feeling full of confidence, obviously been there done that in May and now I’m coming back here having had a taste of what it’s all about,” Cameron said.
“I know I’ve put all the work in, done everything that’s been asked of me and I feel I’m stronger than I’ve ever been. I’m in a good place and no matter what happens Saturday night I know I’ve got no excuses, I’m the best version I can be.
“All that changes is Katie’s going to come in desperate to get that revenge and I’m coming in knowing that I can beat her and I beat her not on my best night either.
“I’m coming in there full of confidence knowing it’s going to be a more convincing win for me. The blueprint is there but I’m going to make sure it’s better this time, I didn’t box at my best.”
Love Envoi could make her seasonal debut against Constitution Hill, as the BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle is considered by connections.
Harry Fry’s mare is an eight-time winner who landed the 2022 Dawn Run at the Cheltenham Festival at the height of an unbeaten run that lasted until the final start of her novice season.
Last term she stepped into open company and held her own, winning a handicap and then a Listed event at Sandown before going down by a length and a half when beaten by Honeysuckle in the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle at the Festival this year.
Her final run was an uncharacteristic beaten effort in the Mares Champion Hurdle at Punchestown, but an injury later proved to be the cause of that disappointment – which was the first time she had been out of the top two in her life.
The issue has left her a little late in her preparation for this season but she is faring well at home and if Fry is content she will return to action at the highest level in a race that is also the likely destination of Nicky Henderson’s superstar.
“Harry’s very happy with her, the plan was always to look at the Fighting Fifth,” said Noel Fehily of owners Noel Fehily Racing Syndicates.
“She’s not guaranteed to go there, depending on how she’s training up to the time of the race, but if Harry’s happy with her she’ll go.
“If not she probably won’t start under after Christmas because there’s not a lot else for her. We will be looking at the Fighting Fifth closely until the last minute and we will see how she’s working.”
On the possibility of facing the unbeaten Constitution Hill, he added: “With the mares’ allowance she’d be the next best thing I suppose, it’d be a lovely place to go and start but she did have a hold up.
“She was late coming into training but if Harry feels she’s ready to go then she’ll go.”
Fehily’s syndicate could have another good hurdler ready to climb the ranks this season in Insurrection, trained by Paul Nicholls to an easy eight-and-a-half-length novice hurdle victory when seen for the first time this season at Exeter recently.
The Formby Novices’ Hurdle, previously known at the Tolworth, could possibly beckon at Aintree on Boxing Day.
“He’s a lovely horse, we were really happy with him at Exeter the other day,” Fehily said.
“He’ll go for another novice hurdle somewhere, I spoke to Paul the other day and he hadn’t made up his mind on where’ll we’ll go with him but we will be running in a novice hurdle in the next couple of weeks.”
Of heading for Aintree, Fehily said: “Quite possibly, whether Paul goes straight for a race like that or whether he goes at a lower level under a penalty, I’m not sure yet.
“He’s a lovely horse, a chaser in the making, we loved him when we bought him and I’m glad he’s living up to expectations.”
Letsbeclearaboutit and Encanto Bruno are being readied to bid for Grade One honours at the Bar One Fairyhouse Winter Festival.
Formerly a high-class performer in bumpers and novice hurdles, Letsbeclearaboutit has enjoyed a flying start to his career over fences – impressing on his chasing debut at Gowran Park before dominating his rivals in Grade Three company at Cork.
Gavin Cromwell’s charge will step up to the highest level for the hat-trick bid, with the Bar One Racing Drinmore Novice Chase on December 3 next in his sights.
“He came out of Cork great, it was a good run and he jumped very well, so touch wood we get him to Fairyhouse,” Cromwell said at a press morning at his County Meath base on Wednesday morning.
“He looks like a chaser and I suppose maybe with hindsight we should have gone chasing with him last year, but it is what it is.
“He missed a season with injury after his bumper year and there’s not that many miles on the clock. Hopefully there’s still plenty of good races to be had.
“He’s taken to fences so well you’d have to be optimistic.”
Letsbeclearaboutit could be joined in the Drinmore line-up by his stablemate Perceval Legallois.
The JP McManus-owned gelding made a successful fencing bow at Galway before falling three from home when still a threat to Letsbeclearaboutit at Cork.
Cromwell added: “He could run in the Drinmore as well. Obviously I will have a chat with connections, with Frank (Berry) and JP, but he could run.
“He was running a big race in Cork, it was too far out to call, but he wasn’t finished with.”
Encanto Bruno is the stable’s big hope in the Bar One Racing Royal Bond Novice Hurdle on the same card.
Formerly trained by John McConnell, the five-year-old made an impressive debut for Cromwell at Cheltenham last month and connections are looking forward to raising his sights on home soil.
“He will run in the Royal Bond, all being well. I hope the ground doesn’t get too soft, but so long as it doesn’t get bottomless heavy we’ll give it a go,” said Cromwell.
“He’s very quick over his hurdles in Cheltenham, which I couldn’t believe, as he doesn’t show that type of speed at home.
“He obviously stays well, having won over two-and-a-half, and he has a bit of experience.”
Cromwell also has previous Fairyhouse scorer Redstone in the Royal Bond, but he is unlikely to line up.
“It might just be a step too far. He’s a big horse I like him and if I give him a chance he could be a good horse, but I don’t want to overface him yet,” Cromwell added.
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