Andy Farrell is relishing a shot at the world’s best as Ireland pursue perfection after continuing their northern hemisphere domination with another Guinness Six Nations title.
Ireland turn their attention to a two-match summer tour of South Africa having retained the championship crown following last year’s Grand Slam by beating Scotland 17-13 in Dublin.
Many pundits feel Farrell’s in-form side are already Test rugby’s leading nation, an opinion understandably disputed in the Springbok camp following their back-to-back Rugby World Cup successes.
While Ireland have won their last three clashes with the Webb Ellis Cup holders, they have only once achieved that feat on South African soil – a 26-20 Cape Town triumph under Joe Schmidt in 2016.
“It doesn’t get any more difficult, does it, or any more exciting than that,” Farrell said of the July fixtures in Pretoria and Durban.
“All you want is an opportunity to put yourself out there against the best and South Africa are 100 per cent the best.
“Being able to go out there and test ourselves over there – we’ve managed to win one game over there before – will be great for our development going forward.”
Ireland have won 33 of their last 37 Tests stretching back to 2021 following a memorable St Patrick’s weekend.
Defeat by France in 2022, a pair of losses against New Zealand, including in the quarter-finals of last year’s World Cup, and last weekend’s last-gasp 23-22 reverse against England are the only blemishes on the remarkable record.
Ireland’s latest Six Nations success came following the retirements of long-serving stars Johnny Sexton and Keith Earls, while outstanding wing Mack Hansen was among those unavailable due to injury.
Head coach Farrell, whose side also have autumn appointments with the All Blacks, Argentina, Fiji and Australia on the horizon, wants to keep raising the bar.
“To be consistently at your best is probably impossible but that is what we’re going after,” said the Englishman.
“But when class players drop out of the squad, it’s always going to take time to build back up and if you can do that winning, or learning from the experiences like at Twickenham or whatever, then that’s all well and good.
“But the reality is that there’s plenty more in us and there has to be for what’s coming for the rest of the year.”
Ireland captain Peter O’Mahony feels a responsibility to keep building on the foundations laid by former team-mates such as Sexton.
“You always represent the past players,” said the Munster flanker, who is contemplating his own retirement.
“They’re a huge part, and even Johnny popping into the hotel last week, it’s something that we should probably make a bit more regular.
“They’ve been there for a long, long time and Johnny has been a huge part of where we are now and Earlsy is, like everyone who has put a huge amount of effort into the group.
“Every time you pull it on (Ireland’s shirt) it’s for lots of those people as well and you’d like to think that they’re proud sitting at home, the people who can’t take the field any more.”
Munster fly-half Jack Crowley, who has filled the void left by Sexton, and Leinster lock Joe McCarthy are part of the new generation tasked with maintaining high standards.
Farrell has urged the rookie pair to ignore the hype surrounding their standout Six Nations performances.
“Jack’s a realist,” said Farrell. “And do you know what? I’ve been hard on him.
“Jack will tell you that because it’s easy to read the press and get carried away that, ‘I’m doing it and I am doing really well’.
“But we’ve kept his feet on the ground and Joe McCarthy as well because there has to be a realisation that’s not what we’re chasing.
“We’re chasing something better than that and as long as we can continue to do that we’ll continue to grow as a group.”
Dillian Whyte made a winning return to the ring with a three-round victory over Christian Hammer in Ireland.
The former WBC interim heavyweight champion, fighting for the first time since clearing his name of doping offences, proved too strong for his Romanian-born opponent in Castlebar, County Mayo.
Hammer failed to get up from his stool for the fourth round, forcing the referee to stop the bout and hand Whyte his 30th professional victory.
The 35-year-old Briton had not fought since his victory over Jermaine Franklin at Wembley in November 2022.
He had been lined up to face Anthony Joshua last August but the proposed match-up never happened after Whyte tested positive for a banned substance.
Whyte protested his innocence and was cleared to resume his career after it was accepted he had consumed a contaminated supplement.
Scottie Scheffler overturned a five-shot deficit to become the first player to successfully defend the Players Championship in the tournament’s 50-year history.
Scheffler carded an eagle and six birdies in a flawless closing 64 at Sawgrass to finish 20 under par, a shot ahead of US Open champion Wyndham Clark, Open champion Brian Harman and Xander Schauffele.
Clark birdied the 16th and 17th to keep his hopes alive but agonisingly lipped out for another birdie on the last to force a play-off.
Overnight leader Schauffele paid the price for dropped shots on the 14th and 15th and also missed from seven feet for birdie on the treacherous 17th.
“It’s pretty special,” Scheffler told CBS. “It’s something you don’t really get the opportunity to do very often.
“It’s tough enough to win one Players so to have it back-to-back is extremely special and I’m really thankful.
“I put up a good fight for four days, Teddy (Scott, his caddie) kept me in a good head space. We had a great finish yesterday, got off to a slow start today and then the hole-out on four kind of propelled us a little bit.
“I hit a lot of good shots today, did a lot of good things this week and it’s nice to come out on top.”
Asked how he had coped with the neck injury he suffered during Friday’s second round, Scheffler added: “I’m a pretty competitive guy and didn’t want to give up in the tournament.
“I did what I could to hang around until my neck got better and then today it felt really good.”
Scheffler, who also won the Arnold Palmer Invitational by five shots last week, kickstarted his challenge by holing out from 92 yards for an eagle on the fourth and also birdied the fifth, eighth and ninth to race to the turn in 31.
That gave the world number one his first share of the lead and although Schauffele moved back in front with birdies on the seventh and ninth, Scheffler birdied the 11th and then drove the green on the short par-four 12th to set up another.
Schauffele picked up a shot on the same hole to take the outright lead again, but Scheffler birdied the 16th to draw level before Schauffele crucially dropped shots on the 14th and 15th.
Steve Borthwick will begin plotting New Zealand’s downfall this week as he looks to build on England’s encouraging end to the Guinness Six Nations.
A stunning victory over Ireland in round four and agonising near-miss against France in Lyon on Saturday have generated excitement around a team that is now playing their most ambitious rugby for four years.
While finishing third in the table will hardly have set alarm bells ringing in the All Blacks’ camp ahead of the summer tour, the threat posed by England’s attack against two of the best international sides will have been noted.
Borthwick will head to New Zealand for a scouting mission on Monday, accompanied by head of strength and conditioning Aled Walters, who will also continue preparations for the first leg of the tour in Japan.
“I’ve got to go and put plans in place for where we are going to be and how we will do it, so that we prepare properly,” Borthwick said.
“I did Japan just before the start of the Six Nations, with a visit there, and then Aled is going to Japan as well, after New Zealand.
“In a week’s time we will understand exactly where we are going with our training programmes, our locations, our venues, so we give the team the best opportunity to get the result we want.
“I’ll be taking the very best players that are available for selection at that point in time.”
After a humdrum start to the Six Nations, England came alive in the final two rounds by scoring seven tries and only losing to France when Thomas Ramos landed a long-range penalty in the final minute.
George Ford insists the revival was borne out of their deflating nine-point loss to Scotland on February 24, a result that sparked considerable soul-searching due to the high error count.
“Our mindset since the Scotland game has been to really go at teams with the ball in hand,” Sale fly-half Ford said.
“Be a threat, ask questions, fire shots, be that attacking team and be on the front foot a lot more. You have seen that in the last two weeks.
“We had to front that up after Murrayfield. We had to make a choice. It was off the back of that game when we had to have a few honest conversations about things and decide what team we want to be.
“We were putting bits and parts together, but we didn’t have the feeling we’ve had the past two weeks. We’ve probably made a good thing out of a bad there.
“You never want to go through those situations, but when you do you’ve got to learn and come out the other end of them.
“We’re improving and there’s a good base. We still need to improve on that but the penny’s dropped in terms of what type of team we want to be. And how dangerous we can be.
“We all play rugby because we want to score points and want to score tries. You’ve got to do all the other things as well but we’re in a good place now – and we want to get better.”
World number one Iga Swiatek coasted to victory over Maria Sakkari to win the BNP Paribas Open final.
In a repeat of the 2022 final at Indian Wells, Swiatek proved too strong and won her second WTA title of the year with a straightforward 6-4 6-0 success.
Swiatek, 22, never looked in trouble and once again showed why she has spent nearly two years atop the women’s rankings.
The Polish star raced into a lead as stars including Zendaya and Tom Holland watched on, sealing the opening set with a perfect forehand drive after Sakkari had briefly looked to fight back by breaking to level at 3-3.
The second set was even more of a one-sided affair as Greece’s Sakkari, beaten in the final two years ago 6-4 6-1, could not win a game this time around.
Swiatek needed just 20 minutes to wrap it up and now plots victory at the Miami Open.
“Every year I come here, I feel a really positive vibe,” she said on court following her latest success.
“I want to thank my team, for every little thing we work on, which ends up working. For sure we’re going to celebrate – many things to celebrate.”
World number one Iga Swiatek coasted to victory over Maria Sakkari to win the BNP Paribas Open final.
In a repeat of the 2022 final at Indian Wells, Swiatek proved too strong and won her second WTA title of the year with a straightforward 6-4 6-0 success.
Swiatek, 22, never looked in trouble and once again showed why she has spent nearly two years atop the women’s rankings.
The Polish star raced into a lead as stars including Zendaya and Tom Holland watched on, sealing the opening set with a perfect forehand drive after Sakkari had briefly looked to fight back by breaking to level at 3-3.
The second set was even more of a one-sided affair as Greece’s Sakkari, beaten in the final two years ago 6-4 6-1, could not win a game this time around.
Swiatek needed just 20 minutes to wrap it up and now plots victory at the Miami Open.
“Every year I come here, I feel a really positive vibe,” she said on court following her latest success.
“I want to thank my team, for every little thing we work on, which ends up working. For sure we’re going to celebrate – many things to celebrate.”
LeBron James bemoaned the Los Angeles Lakers suffering from a "weird" NBA review call as the Golden State Warriors triumphed on Saturday.
The Lakers trailed 124-120 with 1:50 remaining of the fourth quarter when a delay started after Los Angeles coach Darvin Ham challenged an out-of-bounds call that granted the Warriors possession.
Ham's questioning was proved correct as the Lakers were granted the ball but, in the process, the Lakers were punished for points after the officials reviewed LeBron's earlier three-pointer.
LeBron was deemed to have been in contact with the paint when shooting from the corner, with his three-point conversion reduced to two by the officials.
"I've never seen that be called before like that, in that particular time," said James, who finished with 40 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds.
"That was kind of weird. It took some momentum away from us. I didn't believe I stepped on the line.
"I knew how much space I had over there. And when I shoot, I shoot on my tippy toes, so it's kind of hard for me to have a heel down."
NBA official David Guthrie explained the call after the game, though that did not quell the frustrations from either side.
"James' left foot is out of bounds as he begins to shoot," Guthrie said. "Yes, it is reviewable at that time.
"The rule is Rule 13, Section II(f)(3): Whether the shooter committed a boundary line violation, the replay center official will only look at the position of the player's feet at the moment they touch the floor immediately prior to the release of the shot. This can be applied during other replay triggers as well."
Despite profiting from the review, even Golden State coach Steve Kerr was unsure of the ruling.
"I also don't like the rule that you can go back and look at an out of bounds, or LeBron's 3," Kerr said. "That seems to happen once or twice a year. I'd love to see that rule go away.
"I think we're trying so hard to get everything just right, at the expense of the flow. Who cares if a guy's foot is half an inch on the line?
"Is that worth going back 45 seconds and changing everything, with the unintended consequences? It's not my favourite rule, for sure."
Although Kerr surprisingly took the side of the opposition, LeBron was content to prioritise fairness rather than lament the method of replay reviews.
"At the end of the day, you want to get it right," LeBron said. "So, it's unfortunate what happened. But you want to try to get it right, obviously.
"And our crew has a job to do, which is the referees, they have a job to do, and they have to do it at the best they can. So, all good."
If the review decision was not bemusing enough, the last two minutes of the game took more than 20 minutes due to additional shot-clock malfunctions.
The Lakers twice tried to restart play but the shot clock was not in cohesion, leaving the stadium announcer to count the time down due to the technology issue.
"It was bizarre," Kerr added. "It seems like a few times a year you get clock issues. That's about as extreme as I've been a part of where the backup unit doesn't work either.
"It's unfortunate. I felt bad for the fans. That was a great game, and then the last two minutes everyone is just kind of looking at each other wondering what to do."
The Philadelphia 76ers had reason to celebrate after Saturday's victory over the Charlotte Hornets and Nick Nurse's side will have further joy incoming as Joel Embiid continues his recovery from injury.
Center Embiid was forced into meniscus surgery for a left knee issue at the end of January but Nurse suggested his star man could return before the NBA playoffs.
"I'm still hoping so and pretty confident, yes," the 76ers coach said when asked if Embiid would feature in the postseason.
"I think there's always stages of how these things progress. Everyone wants to know 'Well how long is it going to be?'
"And they give a wide range because of that because everyone heals differently. We're just trying to take it as it comes, get him healthy and get him back when he's ready to go."
Embiid has missed 21 games since tearing his meniscus against the Golden State Warriors, with the 76ers slipping down from third to eighth in the Eastern Conference.
The 76ers man was at least in attendance as Philadelphia downed the Hornets 109-98, with that victory coming after Embiid offered a boost when returning to on-court training.
"He looked pretty good to me," said Cam Payne. "For my first time seeing him, he looked pretty good, man. He attracts a lot of attention out here. So it's probably going to make our job a little bit easier."
Against Charlotte, Tyrese Maxey scored 30 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 22 as the 76ers withstood a fourth-quarter comeback for victory.
Buddy Hield also had 14 points and Paul Reed contributed 11, though the 76ers are still 8-13 without key player Embiid.
"I thought Buddy kept us going there for stretches in the second half," Nurse said. "He got some good spots and got some good looks.
"We only scored 109 points, but I thought the offense was really good."
Charlotte have now lost six straight to Philadelphia, though coach Steve Clifford was not too disheartened.
"We were right there with three and a half minutes left," Hornets coach Clifford said.
"We had a couple blown sets where we got a little disorganized there, but we got back into the game and I would say that we played well for about 43 minutes.
"The second quarter, we had a couple of minutes there where the ball didn't hit the paint and we took a couple of OK shots and put a lot of pressure on the defense."
George North delivered a message of hope for Welsh rugby as he departed international rugby on crutches after Wales’ wooden spoon nightmare became reality.
There was no fairytale finish for North on his 121st and final Wales appearance, with Italy’s 24-21 victory at the Principality Stadium leaving Warren Gatland’s team propping up the Six Nations table.
Amid the doom and gloom, though, North spoke of “shining lights” as an extensive rebuilding job now moves to the next phase – facing world champions South Africa at Twickenham before two Tests against Australia Down Under.
While North prepares to see a specialist on Monday, Gatland and his staff will continue an extensive review into Wales’ worst Six Nations campaign since 2003.
“We have spoken about it honestly, and I think you have to in these times. We know where we are as a squad,” said North, whose Wales career included four Six Nations titles, two Grand Slams, four World Cup campaigns and 47 tries.
“The boys know the standard. Gats (Wales head coach Warren Gatland) drives that, the coaches drive that, but it is going to take time for us to get there.
“There are some real positives coming through, some shining lights, we have just got to give them time.
“Unfortunately, we are in the results business and the results business waits for no man.
“What a great challenge now for these boys to go (against) South Africa and Australia at the end of a long World Cup year. It is the experience they need to build that resilience and robustness into them and drive forward.
“The public have been incredible with their support for the boys, and all I would say is keep believing in them.
“The talent is there – I have seen it first-hand. The talent is immense, we’ve just got to give it time. I don’t think we are too far away from clicking.
“You have to get through this bit to get to the good bit.
“I was very fortunate I had a few more people to hold my hand when I was their age and show me how to go about winning. Once you know how and win once, you know.”
Asked about Gatland’s offer to step down, North added: “That wouldn’t solve much, would it?
“He knows how to get the best out of boys, especially with where we are. He’s done it before, but like I said, it takes time.”
North must wait to discover if he will return to action for the Ospreys this season ahead of joining ambitious French club Provence for next term.
But he will no longer be seen in the red jersey of Wales as he follows players like Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric, Dan Biggar and Leigh Halfpenny into Test retirement during the last 10 months.
“People don’t always get the fairytale ending they want,” North said. “With two minutes to go I thought I might have had a chance to take it all in, but then obviously stuff happens.
“I am still incredibly proud of what I’ve achieved and how I went about my work. To be able to do it (bow out) at home is incredibly special.
“I’ve said to everyone at the Union the amount of messages I’ve had since I made my announcement has been incredible, and I can only say a massive thank you for the support from everyone.”
Adamantly Chosen may have bumped himself up a few Grand National shortlists with a decisive victory at Down Royal.
Willie Mullins’ seven-year-old came into the Bluegrass Stamm 30 Chase having not hit the frame this season so far, and under Sean O’Keeffe he was a 3-1 chance in a field of five.
He has solid form further back on his record, however, and was second to both Mighty Potter and Gerri Colombe as a novice in two Grade One events last season.
Stepping up in trip to three and a quarter miles for the first time, the test of stamina seemed to suit him and he was comfortably the best on the day when recording a 14-length success over Roi Mage, with stablemate Classic Getaway a further six and a half lengths behind in third.
Adamantly Chosen has been halved from 66-1 to 33-1 for the Grand National with Coral and is currently 35th on the list – meaning he only requires one horse to come out for him to make the cut under the newly-introduced field size rule.
O’Keeffe expects him to be happier on quicker spring ground, and said after the triumph: “It was a good performance. I think the horse enjoyed maybe going a gear slower than he had been in the good handicaps. He got into a nice rhythm.
“We went a nice enough even gallop and, in fairness, I knew my lad had a bit of speed. I was kind of riding him for that, but I think he has shown that he stays today.
“When we got up to the third-last, he came alive again under me on the nicer ground. Hopefully into the spring on nicer ground, he will be better again.”
Lucinda Russell now has her sights set firmly on another Grand National for her “remarkable horse” and Gold Cup third Corach Rambler.
The gelding was a 14-1 chance for the Cheltenham Festival feature contest, which was intended to be his final run before a trip to Aintree to bid to retain the National title he landed last year.
Under Derek Fox, he raced in last place for much of the trip and at one stage looked detached, but as stamina came to the fore in soft ground, he eventually began to pick off his rivals.
Over the last three fences, he gained considerable ground and gave chase to the horses ahead of him, and although he could catch neither Galopin Des Champs nor Gerri Colombe, he was still an incredibly gallant bronze medalist.
The run could serve as the perfect preparation for a return to Liverpool, where he will attempt to keep the trophy in Kinross after a two-and-quarter-length success last season.
“I was absolutely delighted with him and I think he’s quite pleased with himself, all roads lead to Aintree now,” said Russell.
“I’m immensely proud of him and everyone who has gotten him there, he’s just a remarkable horse.
“I was very, very touched by the way the crowd cheered when he came in, I thought they were cheering for the winner but then I realised the winner hadn’t come in yet – it was actually quite emotional.
“That was one of his best runs and he’ll go for the race (Grand National) off a good mark now.”
Corach Rambler will have a few days to rest before he steps back into his usual routine as he is prepared for the big day on Merseyside in just under four weeks’ time.
“It’s the same as we do for all of them, we give them a nice easy time at the farm and then get them a bit wound up,” explained Russell.
“We’ve already worked out how many pieces of work he’ll have, he just gets back into his routine.”
Venetia Williams is unsure whether Gold Cup fourth L’Homme Presse will run again this season after picking up a cut at Cheltenham.
The nine-year-old put in a creditable effort at the Festival, racing prominently from the outset and hitting the front four out under Charlie Deutsch.
He was still at the head of affairs turning for home before being joined by Galopin Des Champs and Gerri Colombe at the penultimate fence.
That pair went past L’Homme Presse between the final two obstacles and Grand National favourite Corach Rambler stayed on strongly for third.
Williams was still proud of her charge, telling Sky Sports Racing: “Charlie said that was the most holding ground he’s ever ridden him on, but you’ve got to be happy with the run.”
However, she revealed: “He’s just got a bit of a nasty wound on a hind leg that got struck into, so he’s got 12 staples in that. Hopefully, that will mend fairly quickly.”
Asked if L’Homme Presse would now miss the rest of the season, Williams replied: “I don’t know, but I’m not certain whether Aintree is the place for him anyway.”
The nine-year-old has been hampered by injuries since winning the 2022 Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase and only had two runs last term, winning the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle before unseating Deutsch when set to finish second in the King George.
He made a belated return to action this season, impressing in beating subsequent Ryanair Chase victor Protektorat in the Fleur De Lys Chase at Lingfield in January.
Pic D’Orhy then proved too sharp for L’Homme Presse in the Ascot Chase over an inadequate trip, but his Gold Cup effort showed he can still mix it with the very best.
Martin Brassil’s Fastorslow is none the worse for his unsupervised trip around Cheltenham and will now take aim at Punchestown.
The eight-year-old started at 8-1 under J J Slevin with some eyecatching form to his name, including a second-placed finish in the Ultima behind subsequent Grand National winner Corach Rambler 12 months ago.
From there he headed to the Punchestown Gold Cup and notably defeated both Galopin Des Champs and Bravemansgame, the 2023 Gold Cup first and second.
That form held when he returned to action this season as his debut came in the John Durkan at Punchestown, where he beat Galopin Des Champs again as Willie Mullins’ stable star could only come home in third.
The two horses did switch roles next time out, however, with Fastorslow the runner-up in the Irish Gold Cup as Galopin Des Champs returned to winning ways and staked his claim on a Cheltenham repeat.
As such Galopin Des Champs was a well-justified 10-11 shot on Friday and eventually prevailed by three and a half lengths, whereas Fastorslow met with misfortune at the 16th obstacle and parted ways with Slevin.
Horse and rider were unharmed and Fastorslow’s herd instincts kept him amongst the field right until the end, as he crossed the line in second place without his rider having briefly threatened to interfere with the progress of the winner.
Brassil reports him to show no ill effects for the jaunt and he will now be aimed at a repeat of last season’s Punchestown success.
“He’s fine, he’s come out of it well,” the trainer said,
“The race hadn’t really developed (when he unseated at 16th).
“He’ll go to Punchestown all being well.”
Olympic champion Max Whitlock took pommel horse gold at the British Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool on Sunday.
The 31-year-old, who returned to action last year after retaining his Olympic pommel horse title in Tokyo in 2021, won with a score of 15.250 at the M&S Bank Arena.
Whitlock is building up to what would be his fourth Games this summer in Paris, and he said: “It feels good. It feels good to be back.
“Since after Tokyo it’s been a bit of a roller coaster for me with a year out of the sport, coming back in, and it’s crazy that we’re in the Olympic year now.
“So 2024 has really started…and I’m really pleased with that.”
Paul Gilligan left Cheltenham full of pride after Buddy One’s brave effort when fourth in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle.
Although a 40-1 outsider in the hands of the trainer’s son Jack, the seven-year-old left his previous disappointing efforts in Grade One company in the past to be right in the mix on the run to the final flight.
Buddy One was eventually beaten just over eight lengths by the impressive winner Teahupoo and although unable to match the Cheltenham Festival heroics of Gilligan’s Bertie’s Dream in 2010, the stable’s latest standard-bearer lost little in defeat.
“It was a massive run and I’m over the moon with it,” said Gilligan.
“He could have done with the ground being a bit better, but that’s not making excuses and with that said he has run a super race.
“I knew he was better than his previous run in Grade Ones and he was fantastic, we have no complaints and it was a great day.
“Jack gave him a master ride and he came up the inner and just for one split second, one stride he had his nose in front. I suppose the others just picked up and quickened better on the ground.
“He was only beat eight lengths and that is nothing to be ashamed of, it was fantastic. He had a lot of very good horses behind and if I could have more horses like him it would be great.”
Buddy One followed his second to Iroko at last year’s Festival by going to Aintree and again running with real credit and Gilligan is toying with following a similar plan this time around, with a shot at the Jrl Group Liverpool Hurdle on Grand National day preferable to a visit to the Punchestown Festival.
“I’m half thinking he will go to Aintree because we have an extra week compared to last year and that will probably wrap up his season,” continued Gilligan.
“I’d rather not go to Punchestown and it would be great if we could get a result in Aintree with him as he ran well there last year.
“There’s no reason not to go there. I couldn’t be happier.”
Despite proving himself to be a top operator over timber, Gilligan is now looking ahead to a novice chase campaign next season with Buddy One, confident his jumping ability will help him take higher rank over the larger obstacles.
“He might not win a Grade One over hurdles but with his jumping, he never misses a beat and I think he is going to make a fantastic chaser, I just get that feeling with him,” continued the Athenry-based handler.
“He will probably start off his chasing career at Galway or something like that in October.
“He got home Saturday morning and he travelled home brilliantly. He got off the box with not a bother on him.”
Although there was no joy for any of Gilligan’s three runners at the Festival, he ended what he described as a “special week” by watching his son Danny return to the winner’s enclosure having steered Gordon Elliott’s Better Days Ahead to Martin Pipe glory.
Gilligan himself had a runner in the race in the hands of Buddy One’s pilot Jack, but once Sequestered’s challenge began to wane, he quickly turned to cheering Better Days Ahead home.
He said: “Even without getting a winner it was just a great week and then Danny rattled it off with his winner in the last. Cheltenham is one of the places you want to be.
“I was watching our own horse through the race and when our chance was gone of course we were then looking for Danny and we roared him home.
“He’s a super rider and Gordon has given him some great opportunities, he’s very good to him.
“It’s what dreams are made of and we have one picture from Friday where Jack went over to Danny after the last and the two of them gave one another a hug.
“That was a very proud moment for us and to have two sons riding in Cheltenham and one to have a winner and the other to be in the same race was a proud moment, a special week.”
Gordon Elliott is already plotting how Gerri Colombe can bridge the gap with Galopin Des Champs in next year’s Cheltenham Gold Cup.
The eight-year-old made Willie Mullins’ dual blue riband hero pull out all the stops at this season’s Festival, and Elliott feels there is still more to come from his charge.
He told Racing TV’s Luck On Sunday: “I’d say Gerri Colombe was definitely a career best. We were delighted with Gerri and the winner is very, very special.
“The loose horse has done us absolutely no favours – we’d have never won on the day, but we might have been a little bit closer.
“I think with another summer out at grass, he’s going to be even better. He probably jumped his best throughout the race on Friday but I still think he needs to learn to come down and get from A to B a little bit quicker.
“If you look at Galopin Des Champs, he’s a lot quicker through the air than we are, but that’s getting better all the time.
“Whether we run him again this year or not, I’m not sure. If I do, it’ll likely be Punchestown, Aintree will probably come a bit soon. But if not, it’ll be all systems go again for the Gold Cup next year.”
Elliott enjoyed Grade One glory with Teahupoo in the Stayers’ Hurdle and he is set to target a repeat success in that contest next term.
The seven-year-old had just one previous outing this season, when winning the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse, and another light schedule is on the cards.
“He suits the race,” said the Cullentra House handler. “He’s a laid-back type of horse, he doesn’t take too much energy out of himself.
“So, we’ll probably look at going back to Punchestown, all being well, and then maybe going the same path again next year, with just two or three runs in the season again.
“He’s probably not the biggest or most robust horse in the world, so maybe he doesn’t need a whole lot of racing, but he’s very honest and we’re very lucky to have him.
“His form suggests he runs best with a nice break between runs, so we’ll keep doing what we’ve been doing – he’s done us proud so far.”
Irish Point was rerouted from the Stayers’ Hurdle to the Champion Hurdle following the defection of Constitution Hill and performed admirably when chasing home State Man.
He is now in line for a step back up in trip to two and a half miles for the William Hill Aintree Hurdle, where he could clash with the Henry de Bromhead-trained Bob Olinger, who carries the same Robcour colours.
Elliott said: “Irish Point is probably more of a stayer than a two-miler but just the way the race was working out, we had to roll the dice.
“I’d love to go to Aintree. They are in different camps – Henry can worry about his horse and I will worry about mine.”
Parallels can be drawn between Willie Mullins and Sir Alex Ferguson in the aftermath of a memorable Cheltenham Festival for both.
Ferguson is no stranger to standing at the helm of one of the most successful operations in sport and was the manager who led Manchester United’s dominance in English football for 20 years.
His involvement in racing began on the Flat and he still has an involvement in that code, with Spirit Dancer a notable recent success having won the Bahrain International Trophy and the Neom Turf Cup over the winter.
Ferguson owns Spirit Dancer alongside Fred Done and Ged Mason, the latter of whom joins John Hales in making up the Ferguson-Mason-Hales trio that own both Protektorat and Monmiral.
Monmiral landed the Pertemps at 25-1 and Protektorat was a brilliant four-length winner of the Ryanair Chase, providing Ferguson with his first and then his second Cheltenham Festival winner in quick succession.
While Ferguson’s trainers, Paul Nicholls and Dan Skelton, trained four winners and a single winner respectively, it was Willie Mullins who dominated the meeting with nine winners, six seconds and six thirds.
Among those winners was his 100th Cheltenham Festival victory, a landmark achievement that makes him the most successful trainer in the history of the fixture – a figure akin to the Ferguson of the racing world.
“What Willie Mullins is doing is fantastic, brilliant,” Ferguson said of the Closutton trainer.
“You can only admire the man.”
Ruby Walsh, former stable jockey to Mullins, identified the similarities between the role of football manager and trainer, saying: “It’s awesome, an incredible achievement as a manager, because that what he is, a sporting manager.
“He is like the CEO, his wife is the CFO, his son is the managing director and he’s doing it all.
“He’s just an incredible manager, that’s what he is and the sport is lucky to have him.
“If he was in any other sport they wouldn’t be telling him he was too dominant.
“He’s just an incredible manager, that’s what he is and the sport is lucky to have him.”
A fundraising lunch in aid of Motor Neurone Disease is taking place at Newbury racecourse on March 22, organised by Triumph Hurdle-winning jockey Steve Jobar and his committee.
Jobar was diagnosed with MND himself in April 2022, when he was shocked to discover there was no cure or effective treatment for his illness.
During his career in the saddle, Jobar rode over 130 winners, which included the 1980 Triumph Hurdle on Heighlin.
His former weighing-room colleague John Francome and trainer Richard Phillips will be on hand at the lunch conducting the auction of a host of attractive prizes.
All 45 tables have been sold and a raffle will be held, where the first prize is a new car or £13,000.
An online auction with 75 items is also taking place, with options to bid on sports tickets, stable visits and sporting memorabilia.
All monies raised will go to the Motor Neurone Disease Association and the event is on course to raise over £100,000, with half going into research into finding a cure for MND and the other half going to the local branch which has supported and offered pastoral care to Jobar and his wife, Dottie.
The items van be viewed at www.stevejobarsupportsmnd.com.
Jamie Snowden is eyeing a shot at the Coral Scottish Grand National with Git Maker after his gallant second at the Cheltenham Festival.
The eight-year-old has proven a stout stayer since upped to three miles and was tasked with the challenge of the Kim Muir at Prestbury Park, where he was partnered by top amateur Will Biddick.
He led three out, but had no answer in the home straight once passed by Gavin Cromwell’s Inothewayurthinkin who proved his class by carrying top-weight to a wide-margin victory.
However, Snowden is taking plenty of positives from the performance – especially how far the front two pulled clear of the remaining finishers – and feels his charge could now be ready for a challenge such as the Ayr marathon on April 20.
“I think he bumped into a graded horse in a handicap,” said Snowden.
“The two of them were 20 lengths clear of the third horse as well, so it was a fair performance. You hope the handicapper doesn’t crucify him for it, but he could now be a nice one for the Scottish National maybe.
“He’s won six of his 11 starts and knows how to win, he’s a tough and hardy sort who stays well. He’s probably ready for a test like that (Scottish National), but we’ll let him get over the Kim Muir, it was a fairly hard race and we’ll have to see how he is and go from there.
“But I suppose the Scottish Grand National could be something to look forward to now.”
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