Jamal Murray and Michael Malone wanted to make sure people would be talking about the Denver Nuggets after Game 2 of the Western Conference finals.
They achieved just that as the Nuggets moved 2-0 ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers with a 108-103 win, led by Murray's 37 points.
Murray scored 23 points in a huge fourth quarter that Denver had started three points behind. The Canadian also recorded 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals.
Nikola Jokic impressed again, registering his fifth triple-double in the space of six games with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists.
It was clear after Thursday's game that the Nuggets had been frustrated to see much of the coverage of their 132-126 win in Game 1 discussing the positives of the Lakers' performance.
Now, Denver are two wins away from a first NBA Finals appearance.
"You win Game 1 and all everybody talked about was the Lakers," said Malone, per ESPN.
"Let's be honest, the national narrative was, 'Hey, the Lakers are fine. They're down 1-0, but they figured something out'.
"No one talked about how Nikola just had an historic performance. He's got 13 playoff triple-doubles now, third all-time. What he's doing is just incredible on a nightly basis on the biggest stage in the world.
"But their narrative wasn't about the Nuggets. The narrative wasn't about Nikola. The narrative was about the Lakers and their adjustments.
"So you know, you put that in your pipe and you smoke it, you come back and you know what, we're gonna go up 2-0."
Murray added: "We're the Denver Nuggets; we're used to that.
"Even when we win, they talk about the other team. We beat the Clippers in the bubble, they talk about the other team.
"Same old, same old. It fuels us a little more and will be sweeter when we win the chip."
Murray, who is still battling an ear infection, had only made five of his first 17 shots before his decisive late surge.
"It would have been a lot easier if I had made them in the first half!" he said.
"Playing in the Western Conference finals against the Lakers and LeBron James, it's an amazing opportunity, and it's something you're going to look back in history and remember for the rest of your life."
James and Austin Reaves both scored 22 points for the Lakers, while Rui Hachimura added 21 off the bench.
Anthony Davis had 18 points and 14 rebounds but was held to a 4-of-15 shooting performance after scoring 40 points in Game 1.
Murray lifted Denver to a crucial 15-1 run that put them 96-84 ahead with just over five minutes left. He scored four of his six three-pointers in the fourth quarter.
"I love Jamal Murray," added Malone. "This is not just like I'm coaching him. We've been together seven years and been through a lot of ups and downs.
"To see him back playing at the level he's playing at, the first thought for me is just tremendous pride and just so happy for him. Because I saw the dark days coming back from that ACL injury.
"He needs to continue to do that. Obviously our goal is not done. We have to win this series. Our goal is to win a championship, and he's going to be a big part of that."
Jokic said about Murray: "He was special and he won us the game. He played 42 minutes, his energy was amazing.
"Yes, maybe in the first half, he struggled to make shots. But when it mattered the most, he made shots and won us the game basically."
Game 3 takes place on Saturday in Los Angeles, with the Lakers unbeaten at home so far in the playoffs.
Matthew Tkachuk scored with 12.7 seconds left in the fourth overtime to lift the Florida Panthers to a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
Sergei Bobrovsky and Frederik Andersen combined to stop 80 consecutive shots before Tkachuk took a feed from Sam Bennett and put a wrist shot over Andersen's left shoulder to end the sixth-longest game in NHL history.
The epic game ended a few minutes before 2am local time in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Carolina's Seth Jarvis opened the scoring with 12 seconds left in the first period, but Florida scored twice in just over two minutes late in the second for a 2-1 lead.
Aleksander Barkov tallied his third goal of the playoffs at 15:28 off a cross-ice pass from Anthony Duclair. Carter Verhaeghe put the Panthers ahead with his sixth postseason goal off another feed from Duclair with 2:17 left in the second period.
Stefan Noesen scored the equaliser 3:47 into the third period with Jarvis getting the primary assist.
Florida won its seventh consecutive road game in the playoffs and improved to 5-0 in overtime.
The Panthers appeared to win the game at 2:35 of the first overtime when Ryan Lomberg whipped a shot past Andersen. But the goal was waved off due to goalie interference on Colin White, whose skate made contact with Andersen's leg as he was sliding across the crease.
Bobrovsky finished with 63 saves and Andersen turned aside 57 of 60 shots.
Jamal Murray scored 23 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter in a stellar performance as the Denver Nuggets held on for a 108-103 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Thursday's win saw the Nuggets take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.
Nikola Jokic notched his fourth straight triple-double and seventh of these playoffs with 23 points, 17 rebounds and 12 assists to improve Denver to 8-0 at home this postseason. The Nuggets are two wins away from the franchise's first-ever NBA Finals appearance.
Murray missed 12 of his 17 shots through three quarters but was 6 of 7 in the fourth, including four 3-pointers and fuelled a 15-1 run to put the top-seeded Nuggets ahead for good.
His fourth-quarter explosion began with a short jumper with 9:59 remaining to forge an 81-81 tie.
He then sank consecutive 3-pointers and hit another after Bruce Brown connected from deep to put Denver up 93-84. Michael Porter Jr.'s three preceded another three from Murray that made it 99-87.
The Lakers scored the next five points to close the gap, but Murray answered with another basket. Austin Reaves ended a run of 11 straight missed threes by Los Angeles to close the deficit to 101-99, only to see Murray sink five free throws in the final 25 seconds.
Brown stole the ball from LeBron James with eight seconds left to seal Denver's victory.
Murray's 23-point quarter was one less point than the entire Lakers team.
James was just shy of a triple-double with 22 points, 10 boards and nine assists but missed all six of his 3-point attempts. Austin Reaves added 22 points with five threes and Rui Hachimura contributed 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting for Los Angeles, which misfired on 22 of 30 from beyond the arc.
Game 3 is Saturday night in Los Angeles, where the Lakers have won eight straight.
World number one Jon Rahm faced an uphill battle to make the halfway cut on day two of the 105th US PGA Championship at Oak Hill.
Seeking back-to-back major titles following his Masters triumph at Augusta National last month, Rahm birdied his opening hole in the first round before slumping to a six-over-par 76.
US Open champion and playing partner Matt Fitzpatrick failed to record a single birdie as he recorded the same score to trail clubhouse leader Bryson DeChambeau by 10 shots.
DeChambeau’s 66 gave him a one-shot lead over world number two Scottie Scheffler, Dustin Johnson and Corey Conners, although Eric Cole had reached five under after 14 holes when play was suspended for the day due to darkness.
The start of play had been delayed by an hour and 50 minutes on Thursday morning due to frost.
Rory McIlroy fought back from three over par after nine holes to post a 71 despite struggling with an unspecified illness.
Quote of the day
Keegan Bradley reflects on a rollercoaster opening round of 68.
Shot of the day
Scott Stallings began his round from the 10th and holed his second shot of the day from 128 yards for an eagle.
Round of the day
Although DeChambeau shot the lowest score, arguably the best round of the day was a bogey-free effort from Scottie Scheffler.
Statistic of the day
World number one and Masters champion Jon Rahm struggled to an opening 76.
Hardest hole (*round incomplete)
The 481-yard ninth hole yielded just seven birdies and played to an average of 4.448.
Easiest hole (*round incomplete)
Despite measuring 617 yards, the par-five fourth hole played to an average of 4.873, with Rory McIlroy reaching the green with a long iron to set up one of the 32 birdies made.
Weather forecast
Much warmer temperatures can be expected on Friday ahead of an approaching low-pressure system and associated cold front that will move through the region on Saturday. This will bring a good chance for rain Friday night through the day on Saturday. Drier conditions return by Saturday evening with partly cloudy skies and mild temperatures expected for Sunday.
Tom Kim admitted he missed the anonymity of playing in tournaments without widespread television coverage after an embarrassing incident at Oak Hill.
Kim unwittingly provided the viral moment of day one of the US PGA Championship after an errant tee shot on the par-four sixth, his 15th of the day.
The world number 19 thought he could play his ball from the edge of the hazard but discovered the ground was considerably softer and muddier than he anticipated.
Television footage captured Kim emerging with his legs covered in mud and kept rolling as he decided he may as well find a cleaner part of the creek in which to wash his legs and trousers.
“I think the world has seen enough already of it,” Kim joked as he was shown the footage while speaking to Sky Sports following a round of 73.
“But I hit it over in the mud and I was hoping I was able to find it. I wasn’t able to find it and there was a moment where my legs were inside the mud and I wasn’t able to get myself out for a minute.
“I was talking to Joe (Skovron, his caddie) and said I might as well go in the water and wash myself off and I took a bath over there. I’ve had better days for sure.”
The incident took place shortly before play was suspended late on Thursday evening and Kim had hoped there would be no footage, adding: “I miss the days when I played on a Tour without cameras.”
A year after withdrawing before the start of the US PGA Championship following hand surgery, Bryson DeChambeau set the clubhouse target on a weather-delayed opening day at Oak Hill.
DeChambeau carded six birdies and two bogeys in an opening four-under-par 66 on a course that lived up to comparisons with Winged Foot, the venue for his dominant US Open victory in 2020.
Much has happened to the 29-year-old since then, including a feud with Brooks Koepka, being labelled an eight-year-old by his equipment manufacturer after complaining his driver “sucks” during the Open Championship and abandoning his unhealthy bulking regime.
DeChambeau also joined LIV Golf last year, five months after pledging his loyalty to the PGA Tour, while Thursday’s round included accidentally hitting fellow competitor Kenny Pigman – who was on the 18th tee – with a wild approach to the 17th.
“It’s a fantastic round of golf at Oak Hill,” DeChambeau said. “It’s a prestigious place. Very difficult golf course.
“As I was looking at it throughout the week, I’m like, man, I don’t know how shooting under par is even possible out here on some of the golf holes.
“But, luckily, I was able to play some really good golf, hit a lot of fairways, did my job and made some putts.
“It’s a different test (to Winged Foot) and a test that I’m willing take on. If you’re driving it well and hitting your irons well, you can play out here, but it can get pretty nasty pretty quick if you’re not hitting it straight.”
A combination of injuries, loss of form and joining LIV Golf – which cannot award world ranking points for its events – means DeChambeau has fallen from a career-high of fourth in the standings to 214th.
And he admitted there were times when he doubted whether he would ever be able to get back to the top of the game.
“How serious were they? There were times I doubted myself, severe doubts, but never got to a point where I was done. Maybe for like a day I was done, I’m just going to take a day off, whatever, and the next day I came back.
“The emotions have definitely fluctuated pretty high and pretty low, thinking I have something and it fails and going back and forth.
“It’s humbling. Golf, and life, always has a good way of kicking you on your you-know-what when you are on your high horse. It’s nice to feel this today.”
Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas will clash in the semi-finals of the Italian Open in Rome.
Both eased through their quarter-finals on Thursday, with third seed Medvedev, who had never won a match at the Foro Italico prior to the start of the tournament, ending the run of qualifier Yannick Hanfmann with a 6-2 6-2 victory.
“I remember sitting here before the tournament and saying how good I felt in practice,” the Russian told reporters in the Italian capital.
“It’s always tricky because then you can lose first round against a great opponent and you’re going to be like, ‘Yeah, well, why did I say this? Better shut up.’ That’s how I felt. I’m happy I managed to transfer this onto the tennis court.”
Tsitsipas had to wait until the night session to take on Borna Coric, and the Greek produced a fine display to see off the 15th seed 6-3 6-4.
It will be a 12th meeting between regular rivals Tsitsipas and Medvedev. Medvedev leads 7-4 but Tsitsipas has won the last two and also beat the Russian at the French Open two years ago.
A vote to approve the record sale agreement of the Washington Commanders will not take place next week at the NFL's owners meetings.
NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller told reporters in a conference call the league will provide an update on the proposed ownership change at next week's meetings in Minneapolis, though a formal vote for approval will take place at a later time.
Earlier this month, embattled owner Dan Snyder agreed to sell the Commanders to a group led by Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris for $6.05 billion, the largest purchase price for a professional sports franchise in North America.
"The league staff and finance committee will continue to review the details of the transaction," Miller said on Thursday. "We will provide membership with an update in Minnesota."
The Harris group, which includes NBA Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, contains multiple limited partners which must be vetted by the NFL before a vote can proceed. The sale will require the approval of 24 of the league's 32 owners to become official.
"Any transaction like this deserves due process, and we will do it as expeditiously as we can. [We have] plenty of people working on it, and doing so is a priority," Miller added.
Snyder and his wife, Tanya, announced in November they would be putting the historic franchise up for sale following a congressional investigation into allegations of workplace misconduct and financial misdeeds.
The NFL launched an additional probe headed by former U.S. Attorney Mary Jo White, which is still ongoing.
The Snyder family purchased the Commanders, then known as the Redskins, from the estate of Jack Kent Cooke in 1999. After years of opposing changing the team's controversial nickname, Snyder finally relented in 2020 amid heavy pressure from activist groups and corporate sponsors.
Rory McIlroy battled illness and a poor start to remain in contention for a third US PGA title as Bryson DeChambeau set the clubhouse target at Oak Hill.
On a course which has drawn comparisons to Winged Foot, the venue for his US Open triumph in 2020, a slimmed-down DeChambeau still possessed enough power to post six birdies and two bogeys in an opening 66.
That gave DeChambeau a one-shot lead over world number two Scottie Scheffler and Corey Conners, with Viktor Hovland, Ryan Fox and Keegan Bradley on two under par.
McIlroy fought back from three over par after nine holes to return a 71, while Masters champion and world number one Jon Rahm surprisingly slumped to a six-over-par 76.
Following a delay of almost two hours due to overnight frost, Oak Hill member McIlroy had started from the 10th hole with five straight pars before badly mishitting his tee shot on the 15th to find a bunker 30 yards short of the pin.
McIlroy hit a good bunker shot to nine feet but was unable to convert the par putt and also failed to get up and down from sand on the 17th, before taking a swipe at the tee marker on the 18th following an errant drive.
The four-time major winner looked certain to drop another shot after firing his third to the second over the green, but holed from 35 feet up a steep slope for an unlikely par and then hit a brilliant tee shot to two feet on the next.
“It was massive,” McIlroy said. “I was sort of just hoping to get down in two and make bogey and go to the third hole at four over par.
“When you walk off the green three over and then you hit a tee shot like that, all of a sudden the pendulum swings or momentum goes the other way and you feel like you’re right back in the tournament.
“Depending on what happens over the next three days and what I go on to do, I may look back at that shot as being the sort of turning point of the week.”
McIlroy reduced the 617-yard fourth hole to a drive and long iron to set up his second birdie of the day and although he three-putted the next, a birdie on the eighth helped complete a battling round despite being under the weather.
“I’m fighting something,” McIlroy confirmed.
“I thought I got a great night’s sleep last night and I looked at my Whoop (personal fitness monitor) and I was 22 per cent recovery, and my skin temperature was 3.5 degrees higher than what it’s been.
“But I actually feel better today than I felt yesterday, so plenty of water and a bit of rest, I’ll be fine.”
Rahm had started his day with a birdie on the 10th, his opening hole, but dropped five shots in six holes around the turn and also made a double bogey on the seventh.
“Obviously the first six holes of the day I played really good,” Rahm said.
“Put myself in a good spot and after that I found myself battling. Couldn’t find the fairway and the fairways that I missed cost me bogeys.”
Play had been scheduled to get under way at 7am local time (1200 BST), but predictions of cold conditions overnight proved accurate and led to tee times being delayed by an hour and 50 minutes.
The possibility of weather delays had been on the cards since the US PGA was moved from August to May in 2019, with Oak Hill having already been selected as this year’s venue.
New Zealand’s Ryan Fox admitted his impressive opening round came as a surprise after detailing his extraordinary build up to the 105th US PGA Championship.
Fox fell ill during his Masters debut last month and withdrew after just nine holes of the following week’s RBC Heritage before flying home to Auckland.
The 36-year-old was diagnosed with pneumonia and took two weeks to recover, just in time to welcome the arrival of his second daughter Margot.
After enjoying a few days at home with his family, Fox then flew back to the United States and only arrived in Rochester on Monday morning, before also having to deal with an overnight frost which delayed Thursday’s early starters.
“It’s been an interesting last month,” Fox, who won twice on the DP World Tour last season, said with considerable understatement after carding a two-under-par 68.
“At the Masters I was pretty sick on the weekend. Tried to play Hilton Head, withdrew from there after nine holes, just feeling awful. Got home and got told I caught pneumonia, which pretty much explained why I felt so bad.
“Basically as soon as I got over that, our daughter was born, which was just over two weeks ago now. So I had a few sleepless nights and not a lot of practice.
“One of the days I was supposed to go to practice, Auckland flooded for the third time this year. So I think I drove around Auckland (covering) 27 kilometres in four hours in chaos.
“It wasn’t quite the ideal preparation for a major, but I was kind of hoping the fact I needed a break after a busy start to the year and being mentally fresh would have been important this week.
“It’s pretty surprising to have four weeks off and shoot 68, especially when the course is pretty brutal if you are out of position.”
As one of the early starters Fox left his hotel at 5.30am, meaning he only received notification of the delayed start when he arrived at the course.
“I was due to see my physio at 6am and I was going to have breakfast beforehand. Just as I got to the golf course, I got the text,” Fox added.
“I certainly would have liked another hour and a bit in bed, but I can go and have a pretty nice nap this afternoon, I think.”
The Jamaica Basketball Association (JaBA) has appointed of Wayne Dawkins as the Technical Director for the U17 National Team programme.
A basketball coach with over 30 years’ experience and founder of P.H.A.S.E. 1 Academy, Dawkins will be tasked with shaping the future of Jamaican basketball and nurturing young talents on the national stage.
As the technical director, Dawkins will assume a range of key responsibilities aimed at strengthening the U17 National Team programme. He is also expected to play a pivotal role in assisting in the recruitment of coaches, creating effective playing systems and providing best practices for coaching development as well as assisting with scouting and talent identification.
Among his first assignments will be preparing the U17 boys team for the upcoming 2023 Centrobasket U17 Championship in Belize.
“The level of talent we have in Jamaica, both locally and internationally, is more than enough to create an explosion of Jamaican basketball and establish our nation as a perennial global basketball power,” Dawkins said.
“I am excited to work with the young athletes and help them realize their full potential."
Paulton Gordon, President of the Jamaica Basketball Association, said the association has great expectations of the newly appointed technical director.
"We are honoured to welcome Wayne Dawkins to the Jamaica Basketball Association. Wayne's wealth of experience and dedication to the sport make him an invaluable addition to our team. With his leadership, we have great expectations for the success and growth of our U17 National Team programme," Gordon said.
Tom Curry believes rugby should act to prevent the type of injury that has ended the World Cup aspirations of his twin brother Ben.
Ben has been ruled out of Sale’s first Gallagher Premiership final since 2006 after sustaining a serious hamstring injury in Sunday’s semi-final victory over Leicester.
The 24-year-old needs surgery that entails four to six months of recovery, all but ruling him out of the World Cup with England’s opener taking place against Argentina on September 9.
It is a savage blow given his breakthrough international season produced four appearances in the Six Nations.
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He was contesting the ball on the ground when he was twisted away by Leicester in a manoeuvre known as a ‘crocodile roll’, a controversial breakdown technique which has the capacity to cause significant injuries.
England flanker Jack Willis was sidelined for a year after being rolled out of a ruck against Italy in the 2021 Six Nations and there have been calls for this occupational hazard for back rows to be outlawed.
“If there was something to prevent that (crocodile roll), it would be nice. I think we’ve got to that point now,” Tom said.
“This doesn’t have to be a big thing. It’s just a conversation. But we’re seeing injuries at the breakdown from that and you’ve got to start listening to what’s happening.
“For me, ultimately we’re out there to play the game and if there’s something that’s going to make it safer for people going for the ball then brilliant. But for me rugby is brilliant the way it is and I’ll leave it at that.”
Ben’s rehabilitation has already begun and Tom believes the absence of one of Sale’s most effective performers will drive the Sharks on against Saracens at Twickenham on Saturday week.
“Ben’s a bit less sore now. Because of the type of person he is, he hasn’t really left the training ground. He’s been in a hyperbaric chamber for about five hours for treatment,” Tom said.
“It’s tough because if there’s someone who deserves to play in a final I think it’s him. It’s going to give us an edge. It has to.
“I’m sure he’ll return as the fittest, best person to have back from a hamstring that’s ever happened.”
Rory McIlroy was unable to hide his frustration after making a slow start to the 105th US PGA Championship.
Following a delay of almost two hours due to overnight frost, Oak Hill member McIlroy failed to register a birdie as he covered his opening nine holes in three over par.
Starting from the 10th, McIlroy began his bid for a first major title since the 2014 US PGA with five straight pars before badly mishitting his tee shot on the par-three 15th to find a bunker 30 yards short of the pin.
McIlroy hit a good bunker shot to nine feet but was unable to convert the par putt and also failed to get up and down from sand on the 17th, before taking a swipe at the tee marker on the 18th following another errant drive.
A third bogey of the day dropped McIlroy six shots off the early lead shared by 2011 US PGA champion Keegan Bradley, Sahith Theegala and Japan’s Kazuki Higa, who had earlier carded four birdies in a row from the 11th.
Play had been scheduled to get under way at 7am local time (1200 BST), but predictions of cold conditions overnight were accurate.
Tournament organisers released a statement early on Thursday morning which read: “Due to frost, all Oak Hill Country Club practice facilities and the golf course are currently closed.
“To protect playing surfaces, everyone on-site must stay off any grass and gates will not open until the frost clears.”
With the temperature slowly rising, officials announced the first group would tee off at 0850 from the first and five minutes later from the 10th, a total delay of one hour and 50 minutes.
The possibility of weather delays had been on the cards since the US PGA was moved from August to May in 2019, with Oak Hill having already been selected as this year’s venue.
Speaking on Tuesday, the PGA of America’s chief championships officer Kerry Haigh said: “Wherever the championship is (in May) appears as though it will bring some more variety to the weather than we’re used to having when we played in August.
“There is the possibility of a frost again on Thursday morning. We had a frost Tuesday morning. We had a couple of frosts last week. That may delay the start. Hopefully it won’t. But if it does, we’ll adapt.
“We’ve got the chance of rain on Saturday and hopefully clear on Sunday. That’s sort of the fun of golf. It’s an outdoor game and we can’t wait to see what Mother Nature brings as well.”
Cuban Thunder looks another Royal Ascot-bound juvenile for Amo Racing having won the Frank Whittle Partnership EBFstallions.com Maiden Stakes at York.
The Profitable colt was second on his debut at the Craven meeting to James Tate’s Blue Storm and the third, Hugo Palmer’s Hackman, came out and won well at Chester.
Sent off a heavily backed 5-4 favourite, Dominic Ffrench Davis’ youngster had to battle hard to gain the upper hand but eventually saw off a pair of newcomers in Charlie Appleby’s Impressive Act and Kevin Ryan’s We Never Stop by two lengths and a head.
The winner earned a 25-1 quote for the Coventry Stakes with Paddy Power, a race for which Kevin Stott looks likely to have the choice of a few.
Ffrench Davis said: “He ran a blinder at Newmarket and he’s such a laid back individual he was half-asleep that day.
“Today he was very different and I did think York might do that to him as they have to walk over the track and can get a little bit on their toes. I knew he’d cope with it, but he got a little bit warm.
“He was very professional in the race. Halfway through he switched off and Kevin wondered how well he was going, but he asked him to quicken and he was straight back on the bridle.
“He’ll get seven furlongs and he’s a lovely horse going forward. The team will have to decide about Royal Ascot, but he’d have to be in mind for the Coventry if there was bit of juice in the ground.”
Croupier (7-1) will head for the Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot after putting a disappointing effort in the Lincoln well behind him when clinging on to win the Sky Bet Hambleton Handicap.
Simon and Ed Crisford’s four-year-old had got bogged down at Doncaster but was much more at home on ground which was quickening up all the time.
William Buick arrived on the inside travelling well at the two-furlong marker but was all out in the end to hold off Point Lynas and Thirsk Hunt Cup winner Northern Express by a head and a nose.
The Sir Michael Stoute-trained favourite Assessment burst through the stalls and had to be withdrawn.
Ed Crisford said: “It’s nice to see him bounce back as we ran him in the Lincoln on terrible ground. We probably shouldn’t have done that, but he’s bounced back today in good style.
“He’s a lovely horse. They went quite hard up front and William sat just off the pace and I thought he rode a very nice race.
“He travelled into it so well. I thought they were coming after him, but he kept finding more.
“We can head to the Hunt Cup now – that’s the plan. It should be a good race for him as a strong pace and a big field should suit.”
The Crisfords doubled up when 3-1 favourite Chesspiece won the Collective Green Energy Handicap under Ryan Moore.
“He did it very well. It was just the third race of his life and we always felt he wanted a step up in trip,” said Ed Crisford.
“We were a little worried about the ground but he went on a fine and he’s got a big future. I’d say the Queen’s Vase would be the plan as an extra two furlongs would suit him well.”
Regional continued trainer Ed Bethell’s excellent run of form with victory in the Lindum York Handicap.
The Middleham-based trainer had enjoyed winners at Nottingham, Haydock and Leicester in the past seven days and Regional was a 5-1 shot to add to his tally on his seasonal reappearance.
Ridden by Callum Rodriguez, the five-year-old was in front racing inside the final furlong and had enough up his sleeve to repel the slow starting but fast finishing Korker by half a length.
Bethell said: “It wasn’t the plan to make the running, but he’s a decent horse and always has been ever since we’ve had him.
“He came third in the Stewards’ Cup and has been unlucky in other handicaps. I’m just delighted for the guys that own him and he’s a fun horse for the summer.
“He ran off 100 in the Stewards’ Cup, I think that’s his mark in handicaps and I would think he will go to 104 or 105 after today. That makes life difficult, but there is the City Walls back here (a Listed race in August) and he’s shown me he’s electric today, which is something I didn’t think he was.
“I thought he would miss the break and finish, but he’s not missed the break, he’s made the running and shown me that he’s quick enough and talented enough to do it.”
Iga Swiatek is optimistic of being fit to defend her title at the French Open.
On the day her fellow champion Rafael Nadal announced he would not be in Paris this year, Swiatek gave a more upbeat assessment of her own prospects after withdrawing during her Italian Open quarter-final.
The Pole sustained a right thigh problem during her clash with Elena Rybakina and called it a day at 2-2 in the deciding set in Rome.
Writing on Twitter on Thursday, Swiatek said: “Quick update. A couple of days off for sure. And booking my flight to Paris, so… fingers crossed, please! Hopefully, see you soon.”
The world number one was on a 14-match winning streak in Rome having won the title the previous two years.
Fitness permitting, she will still go into the French Open as the title favourite but her lead over the rest of the women’s field has narrowed, with Aryna Sabalenka and Rybakina both ahead of her in the 2023 standings.
Sabalenka, who beat Swiatek to win the Madrid Open earlier this month, has never been beyond the third round in Paris but winning the title could see her overtake her rival to become world number one.
Germany’s Nico Denz won stage 12 of the Giro d’Italia in Rivoli after outsprinting Latvia’s Toms Skujins to the finish line as Geraint Thomas remained as overall leader.
Denz had too much power for his rival at the end of the mainly flat 185-kilometre stage, which started in Bra, after the pair formed part of a five-man breakaway with 92km to go.
BORA-hansgrohe rider Denz, Skujins (Trek-Segafredo) and Australia’s Sebastian Berwick, who finished third, had pulled clear of the leading group, together with Italy’s Alessandro Tonelli (Green Project Bardiani).
Tonelli fell away with 32km to go but held on to finish fourth, while Giro leader Thomas came home safely in the peloton to maintain his two-second lead over Primoz Roglic in the general classification.
Denz said after his first Grand Tour stage win: “It’s really big for me. I’m super proud. I was not supposed to be in the break. It was up to Patrick Konrad and Bob Jungels.
“But Bob said he wasn’t at his best and he preferred to save energy to help Lennard Kamna (on Friday) so I had to replace him at the front.
“When I looked around me in the breakaway there were only monsters. Cooperation in the breakaway was very bad, then I found myself at the front on the last climb. Then I knew the finale. I had it in my mind. So I could sprint the way I wanted.”
Thomas took the leaders’ pink jersey after the withdrawal of race leader Remco Evenepoel due to a positive Covid-19 test on Sunday.
The Ineos Grenadiers rider made no bid to impact on the breakaway group, which did not include any general classification contenders, and was grateful for the support of his team-mates.
Thomas said: “Obviously Pavel Sivakov rode very well today despite his crash yesterday.
“He’s definitely in a good shape. Hopefully it’s all good tomorrow in Switzerland and I can defend the Maglia Rosa the same way I won the Tour de Suisse before.”
Great State completed a hat-trick in fine style under Oisin Murphy to lift the laurels in the Listed British EBF 40th Anniversary Westow Stakes at York.
Michaela’s Boy set a furious clip under Freddie Larson, having broke smartly from the stalls in the five-furlong contest.
He was still in front with a furlong to race and despite drifting right, he stuck on well but had no answer to the Richard Fahey-trained winner (13-2), who picked up smartly on the stands rail.
The three-year-old grey, who had won at Southwell and Thirsk on his previous two starts, powered home to score by two and a half lengths from Pillow Talk, who pipped the long-time leader for third.
Fahey said: “We had a long discussion whether we kept this horse back for the sprint at Ascot (the Palace of Holyroodhouse Stakes) because we do like the horse and it’s not very often you have a horse rated in the 90s that you think is well handicapped.
“He won’t be well handicapped any longer, but I’m delighted for Sheikh Sultan.
“He’s a real dude, very laid back and easy to deal with, he’s a pleasure to train and I’m delighted to have him.
“I was a little bit worried because he’d been running on the all-weather and won on very soft ground last time and it was quick ground today, so I had the excuse ready if he did get beat.
“He’s a talented horse, I’ll talk to Sheikh Sultan and decide where to go.”
Murphy was on board due to a suspension being served by Fahey’s stable jockey, Oisin Orr.
“Oisin Orr would have usually ridden him but unfortunately he’s suspended today, so I stepped in,” said Murphy.
“He’s a horse that I’m sure everyone at Musley Bank is very excited about. He’s an improver and he’s a lovely horse.
“He probably would enjoy more juice in the ground and he’d stay a little bit further as he was on his head in the middle part of the race, but he got going when they slowed down.
“He’s definitely a horse on the up.”
Wasps must begin rebuilding from the bottom of the league pyramid after the Rugby Football Union revoked their licence to play in next season’s Championship.
Hopes that new owners HALO22 Limited could relaunch Wasps in the second tier have been dashed due to their failure to meet an RFU deadline for proving the club could still operate at the required level.
Among the commitments that have not been kept are the provision of evidence that creditors have been paid and the creation of a suitable governance structure.
The RFU has also been told by Wasps that they are unable to recruit staff or players until additional finance has been secured and cannot recommit to playing in the Championship.
Rafael Nadal admitted he is staring at the end of his tennis career after announcing he will miss the French Open and the majority of the season ahead of what he expects to be a farewell tour in 2024.
The 22-time grand-slam champion has not played since his second-round exit at the Australian Open in January.
Nadal struggled with a hip injury during the straight-sets defeat to Mackenzie McDonald and the ongoing issue has failed to recover sufficiently in order for the 36-year-old to chase a 15th title at Roland Garros.
It means the Spaniard, who has only lost three matches on the Parisian clay, will miss the tournament for the first time since 2004 but he admitted during a press conference at his academy in Manacor that it feels the only option.
The 14-time French Open champion now plans to rest for the coming months with the aim to recover so he can play at “important tournaments” in 2024 during what will be his final year on the ATP Tour.
“My goal and my ambition is to try and stop and give myself an opportunity to enjoy the next year that will probably be my last year in the professional tour,” Nadal told reporters.
“That is my idea but I can’t say 100 per cent it will be like this, but my idea and my motivation is to try to enjoy and say goodbye to all the tournaments that have been important for me.
“To enjoy being competitive and something that today is not possible. I believe, if I keep going now, I will not be able to make it happen.”
On next week’s French Open, Nadal explained: “First thing, I’m not going to be able to play in Roland Garros.
“I was even working as much as possible every single day for the last four months, they have been very difficult months because we were not able to find a solution to the problems I had in Australia.
“Today I’m still in a position where I am not able to feel myself ready to compete at the standards I need to be to play Roland Garros.
“I am not the guy who will be at Roland Garros just to play.”
Nadal claimed brilliant victories at the Australian Open and French Open last year but was fighting his body, with a chronic foot problem, fractured rib and an abdominal strain that forced him out of Wimbledon keeping him off the court for spells prior to this latest injury.
His withdrawal from the French Open had appeared increasingly inevitable but the news he will also sit out Wimbledon, and almost certainly the US Open as well, is a major blow to the sport, which must now prepare to say goodbye to the Spaniard having seen his great rival Roger Federer bow out last autumn.
Nadal suggested he might try to turn out for Spain at the Davis Cup later this year, while a major target in 2024 will be the Olympic Games in Paris, with the tennis events being played at Roland Garros next summer.
“After a couple of years that in terms of results have been positive because I was able to win a couple of grand slams and important tournaments, the real situation is I was not able to enjoy my diary work,” Nadal said.
“Since after the pandemic, my body was not able to do the practice or diary work in a good way so I was not able to enjoy the practice and competition because too many problems, too many times having to stop for physical conditions and too many days off not practising because of too much pain.
“I need to stop for a while. My position is to stop and I don’t know when I can come back to the practice court.
“I will stop for a while, maybe one month, maybe two months, maybe three months. I am a guy who doesn’t like to predict too much the future. I am following what I believe is the right thing to do for my body and my personal happiness.
“I don’t want to say one thing and do the other. It is better to hold the options open and see what is the best calendar possible.
“I would like to play the things that are important for me and of course the Olympic Games is an important competition and one I hope to play. Will it be my last or not? I cannot say.”
Nadal’s compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, who will be the top seed for the French Open, sent his best wishes on Twitter, saying: “Good luck Rafael! Very painful and sad for everyone that you can’t be at Roland Garros or play more this year, but I hope that 2024 will be a great season for you and that you can say goodbye like the great champion you are.”
Alcaraz will now lead the favourites at Roland Garros along with Novak Djokovic, who can claim the outright men’s record for slam singles titles if he wins a 23rd.
Speaking on Amazon Prime Video, former British number one Tim Henman said: “I think the real positive is that he is prepared to give it one last effort, and that’s what Rafa’s always been about, giving 100 per cent to everything he’s doing.
“And fingers crossed he can find that physical wellbeing to be back out on tour. If 2024 is his last year then I really hope that he can enjoy it and I hope we can enjoy it and the fans can enjoy it because he deserves that send-off.”
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