Some of Jamaica’s finest young swimmers will gather at the National Aquatics Centre at the National Stadium in Kingston on March 15 and 16 to compete in the 26th staging of the Mayberry All Island Swim Meet.
The meet will see 1080 athletes taking part in total representing 38 Preparatory Schools and 28 High Schools.
“We are very excited about this partnership with Mayberry and we’re looking forward to some great competition. The athletes are very excited and we’re looking for some records as well as a great turnout,” said Aquatics Association of Jamaica (ASAJ) President Lance Rochester speaking to SportsMax.tv at the launch of the meet on Wednesday.
This meet is also serving as a vehicle for some of the competing athletes to fine-tune their skills in preparation for the Carifta Swimming Championships set for March 28-April 7 in Nassau.
“A number of the athletes who are on the Carifta Games team for Bahamas later this month are using this as a final tune-up event to get some competition sharpening prior to that event,” Rochester said.
Title sponsors Mayberry Investments Limited have been partnering with the ASAJ since 1999. Other sponsors for the meet include Couples Resorts, Supreme Ventures Limited, Ultra Financier, FirstRock Real Estate Investments Limited, Matrix Group, Iron Rock and Stewarts.
“Sponsors and partners are absolutely critical. We can’t do events like these without them. We can’t plan effectively or budget effectively without them so we’re very grateful for that support,” Rochester said.
He also discussed plans for Jamaica to eventually expand to competing in other aquatic disciplines.
“Swimming is now moving towards expanding. We want to provide more opportunities, first at the learning to swim level where we believe all children have a right to learn how to swim. We also want to expand to the other aquatic disciplines. Swimming is the core but we have seven other aquatic disciplines which still have so much untapped potential and, over time, we believe that we’ll be laying the foundation towards producing the elite-level results at the world stage that all Jamaicans want to see,” he said.
Sir Alex Ferguson was in the Cheltenham Festival winner’s enclosure as Paul Nicholls got off the mark for the week when Monmiral hunted down Kyntara in the Pertemps Network Final Handicap Hurdle.
Running in the famous yellow colours of Ferguson’s co-owner John Hales, the seven-year-old has always been held in high regard by those at Ditcheat.
Despite that, he was sent off at 25-1 in the hands of Harry Cobden, sporting first-time blinkers as he was given a patient ride by his title-chasing jockey.
Cobden edged his mount into contention heading down hill for the second time, but it seemed the bird had flown when the bold front-running Kyntara set sail in his bid to provide Mel Rowley with a first Festival success.
However, Monmiral still had plenty in reserve and emerged as Kyntara’s sole challenger at the last before storming home to crush the long-time leader’s dreams.
Top sprinter Highfield Princess will not return to training and has been retired after sustaining a significant injury.
The seven-year-old has been the apple of trainer John Quinn’s eye for the past few seasons, enjoying an astonishing rise from the handicap ranks to a string of Group successes.
The bay has 14 victories on her CV, including the Prix de l’Abbaye, Flying Five, Nunthorpe and Prix Maurice de Gheest – all Group One events.
She was also second in the Nunthorpe and the King’s Stand by just a length apiece last season and amassed over £1.8million in prize money throughout her career.
Connections had intended to keep her in training for another season but she suffered a serious injury in her stable on Tuesday and has therefore been retired.
A statement from John and Sean Quinn read: “It is with sadness that we announce that our star mare Highfield Princess has been retired from racing with immediate effect.
“On Tuesday morning she suffered an injury in her stable that was at the time very serious and concerning. That morning she was transferred to Rainbow Equine Hospital and has been in their care ever since.
“Her progress over the past few days has been encouraging and whilst she still has a way to go to make a full recovery, we are hopeful that with time and care she will be OK.
“What she has done for our yard over the past four seasons has been nothing short of remarkable. From humble beginnings she climbed to the very top of the sprinting ladder to be crowned European Champion Sprinter in 2022.
“She was the gift that kept on giving. As a racehorse she was always there for us when we needed it and now it is our turn to be there for her.”
John Fairley, owner and breeder of Highfield Princess, added: “What a fantastic mare she has been. An Australian owner commented last year that she was probably the fastest mare in the world.
“To have bred and raced a mare to win three Group One races in five weeks in 2022 was fantastic. We hope that she will make a full recovery and be fit to take up broodmare duties next year.”
George Ford continues at fly-half as England keep faith with the side that stunned Ireland for their attempt at winning the Guinness Six Nations title.
Head coach Steve Borthwick has made only one enforced changed for the showdown with France in Lyon on Saturday night by choosing Elliot Daly to replace the injured Immanuel Feyi-Waboso.
Feyi-Waboso self-reported concussion symptoms incurred against Ireland, prompting England to stand down their breakout player of the tournament.
Veteran Daly is restored to the left wing in his absence, with Tommy Freeman switching to the number 14 jersey worn by the 21-year Exeter Chief on his first international start.
Manu Tuilagi makes his first appearance of the Six Nations after taking Daly’s place on the bench in what will be his first Test since last autumn’s World Cup bronze medal match, having missed the opening rounds because of a groin problem.
Ford has held off the challenge of Marcus Smith to retain the fly-half duties for the climax to the tournament.
Smith kicked the last-gasp drop goal that sank Ireland 23-22 last Saturday and made a telling contribution off the bench, bring extra zip to England’s attack after Ford had pulled the strings effectively earlier on.
A second change among the replacements sees Ethan Roots replace calf injury victim Chandler Cunningham-South.
England will win the title if Ireland lose to Scotland without claiming a bonus point and they defeat France while securing a bonus point.
“After such a hard-fought win against Ireland last week, we realise how important it is to back that performance up with another similar display in Lyon on Saturday,” Borthwick said.
“France remain one of the very top sides in the world and will pose a great challenge for us.
“We’ve had a great preparation so far this week and there is a genuine sense of anticipation and determination around the camp as we head to what will be an exciting final weekend.”
Ireland have stuck with the starting XV narrowly beaten by England for Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations title decider against Scotland in Dublin.
Andy Farrell’s men will retain the championship crown by avoiding defeat or securing two losing bonus points against the Scots at the Aviva Stadium.
Calvin Nash has overcome the head knock which forced him off inside five minutes of the last-gasp 23-22 loss at Twickenham to retain his place on the right wing.
Garry Ringrose, who is yet to feature in this year’s championship following a shoulder issue, is named among the replacements.
Farrell’s bench shows a five-three split of forwards and backs after the six-two selection in south-west London backfired because of head injuries suffered by Nash and his replacement Ciaran Frawley.
Versatile back Frawley drops out of the 23, replaced by fly-half Harry Byrne, while lock Iain Henderson makes way to accommodate the returning Ringrose.
Although Ireland’s pursuit of successive Grand Slams was ruined last weekend, they remain in a strong position at the top of the championship table, having racked up four bonus points and a vastly-superior points difference on each of their rivals.
A defeat without any bonus points could also be sufficient for the title, but would be dependent on the result of England’s trip to France in the final match of ‘Super Saturday’.
Gregor Townsend’s Scots are also mathematically still in the mix. However, following a shock loss to Italy, securing the Triple Crown looks to be the extent of their realistic ambitions.
Leinster trio Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan and Tadhg Furlong once again pack down in Ireland’s front row, ahead of locks Joe McCarthy and Tadhg Beirne.
Captain Peter O’Mahony retains the blindside flanker role, despite his costly second-half yellow card against England and strong competition from Ryan Baird, with Josh van der Flier at openside and Caelan Doris lining up at number eight.
Jamison Gibson-Park and Jack Crowley continue as the half-back pairing, while Bundee Aki partners Robbie Henshaw in midfield.
Left wing James Lowe, who claimed Ireland’s two tries at Twickenham, and full-back Hugo Keenan complete the starting line-up.
Ireland have won 13 of the last 14 meetings with Scotland, including nine in a row following a decisive 36-14 pool-stage success at last year’s Rugby World Cup in France.
Ronan Kelleher, Cian Healy, Finlay Bealham, Baird, Jack Conan and Conor Murray join Byrne and Ringrose on the bench.
Ireland team: H Keenan (Leinster); C Nash (Munster), R Henshaw (Leinster), B Aki (Connacht), J Lowe (Leinster); J Crowley (Munster), J Gibson-Park (Leinster); A Porter (Leinster), D Sheehan (Leinster), T Furlong (Leinster), J McCarthy (Leinster), T Beirne (Munster), P O’Mahony (Munster, capt), J van der Flier (Leinster), C Doris (Leinster).
Replacements: R Kelleher (Leinster), C Healy (Leinster), F Bealham (Connacht), R Baird (Leinster), J Conan (Leinster), C Murray (Munster), H Byrne (Leinster), G Ringrose (Leinster).
Grey Dawning continued Dan Skelton’s fabulous Cheltenham Festival with a brilliant victory in the Turners Novices’ Chase.
Paul Nicholls’ Ginny’s Destiny never missed a beat out in front as he attempted to repeat Stage Star’s victory in this race 12 months ago, but Grey Dawning was never far away in the hands of the trainer’s brother, Harry, and as they headed down hill it became clear it would be an all-British shoot-out up the famous hill.
The duo swung the bend locked in unison but having jumped two out matching strides, it was the 5-2 joint-favourite who edged to the front at the last and stayed on strongly to see Skelton oust his former Ditcheat boss and register his third triumph of the week at the showpiece meeting.
Venetia Williams’ Djelo came home in third to complete a one-two-three for the home team, with Zanahiyr the best of the Irish in fourth.
Glasgow centre Stafford McDowall is set for his second Scotland appearance after being selected to start Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations match away to title-chasing Ireland.
The 26-year-old made his debut against Italy in a World Cup warm-up match last summer before being cut from Gregor Townsend’s squad for the tournament in France.
The recent injury sustained by regular starter Sione Tuipulotu paved the way for Cam Redpath to make a rare start in last weekend’s damaging 31-29 defeat away to the Azzurri.
However, McDowall, who has been in good form for Warriors this term, has been preferred to Redpath, who drops to the bench in one of two changes to the team that started in Rome.
The other alteration sees first-choice scrum-half Ben White return in place of George Horne after the Toulon number nine was rested for the match at the Stadio Olimpico.
Backs Horne and Redpath both drop to the bench, with head coach Gregor Townsend reverting to a 5/3 split after going with a 6/2 last weekend.
Veteran prop Rory Sutherland, a late call-up to the squad ahead of the Italy game, is in line for his first outing of the championship after being named among the subs.
Fellow loosehead Alec Hepburn drops out of the 23 along with former captain Jamie Ritchie.
Salver will bid to provide Gary Moore with JCB Triumph Hurdle redemption when he takes his chance in Friday’s Cheltenham Festival opener.
Four years ago the trainer saw Goshen unseat his recently-retired son Jamie with the race at his mercy following a freak incident after the last and he now saddles two as he attempts to correct the record.
Moore also runs last year’s Irish Derby fourth Peking Opera, but it is the mount of Gavin Sheehan who holds the strongest claims, with Salver heading to Prestbury Park unbeaten in four starts over hurdles.
Despite claiming Grade Two honours at Chepstow over the Christmas period, the Lower Beeding handler feels this will be the acid test of his ability as he meets high-class operators from across the Irish Sea.
“Any significant rain would give him an advantage. This race owes me one,” said Moore.
“He deserves his spot in this line-up and a lot of people would have run him in the Fred Winter because he’s only rated 128, but it was always going to be the Triumph.
“He’s only ever shown his class on a racecourse, he’s never shown anything at home really. His last piece of work was a good piece of work that I was happy with, but to be quite honest, I think he has won four weakish races.
“There are a few bits of form that show him to be quite useful but he hasn’t met a superstar yet, so he has to go out there and prove himself, this will be his test.
“Niall (Houlihan) will ride the other horse and poor Caoilin (Quinn) is sidelined, so Gavin rides.”
Willie Mullins has won three of the last four renewals and is blessed with a plethora of chances, saddling seven of the 13 heading to post and dominating the top of the betting lists.
Kenny Alexander’s Kargese is one of the Closutton battalion and the likeable filly will attempt to go one better than the owner’s Gala Marceau did 12 months ago in the race – having followed in that stablemate’s footsteps by claiming the Spring Juvenile at Leopardstown en route to the Cotswolds.
She got the better of fellow Mullins runners Storm Heart (second) and Majborough (third) on that occasion and her pilot Danny Mullins feels they are a closely matched bunch.
“The first four home were from Willie’s (at the Dublin Racing Festival) and any one of the four could pop up and win in Cheltenham,” said Danny Mullins.
“Storm Heart was close to me, Majborough back in third ran a bit keen on the day. You can make solid cases for them all finding the necessary improvement to be good enough to win a Triumph.
“It’s probably the one division where the horses are still developing, so what you’re seeing pre-Christmas versus what you see come March in Cheltenham can be two different things.”
Those sentiments have been echoed by the master of Closutton himself in the build up to the Cheltenham action, but there is a clear apple of his eye amongst his collective, with the imposing Majborough courting plenty of favour from his record-setting handler.
“Majborough ran a cracker (at Leopardstown). Every time I see him I think Gold Cup, not Triumph Hurdle, he’s just a magnificent beast,” said Willie Mullins.
“I was surprised when he arrived from France to see what an individual he was. He’s not a typical juvenile hurdler, you’re looking at him and thinking three years down the road.
“Maybe he could be like Douvan and just fully develop as a four and five-year-old. I’ve got some nice juveniles, but he’d be in the top couple of picks.”
The Festival’s leading trainer is also represented by impressive Limerick winner Bunting, who was a place further back in fourth at the Dublin Racing Festival, while Ethical Diamond (sixth) and Highwind (eighth) were others taking part in the Irish capital with outside claims for Mullins.
The Closutton septet is rounded off by the intriguing Salvator Mundi, who was less than two lengths behind long-time race favourite Sir Gino when they met in France and he could prove an exciting ride for Brian Hayes, making his stable debut in Grade One company – ironically for the sidelined Sir Gino’s owners Joe and Marie Donnelly.
Joseph O’Brien’s Nurburgring has solid form from the early part of the season and has been kept fresh for this event, with Fairyhouse scorer Fratas completing the Irish contingent representing Michael Mulvany.
Warren Greatrex will saddle Mighty Bandit – his expensive recruit from the Caldwell dispersal – who handed Tuesday’s Boodles winner Lark In The Morning a near 10-length beating in November, while Dominic Ffrench Davis takes a shot at this valuable prize with Newbury winner Ithaca’s Arrow.
If anybody had said in the year 2000 that approaching the 2024 Cheltenham Festival a single trainer would be on the verge of saddling 100 winners at the meeting, it would have been seen as preposterous.
Nicky Henderson already had 20 to his credit and he now sits on a very respectable 73, but back then Willie Mullins only had six – and four of those had come in the Champion Bumper.
It is quite remarkable, then, that this year Mullins has brought up his century, after getting the required six to hit the magic number inside the first two days of the meeting.
Here, we take a look at 10 of the very best horses that appear on Mullins’ Cheltenham roll of honour:
Tourist Attraction (1995 Supreme Novices’ Hurdle)
The very first Cheltenham Festival winner for Mullins. At a time when he was still an amateur rider himself, he entrusted Mark Dwyer with the mount on the mare who went off a 25-1 outsider. In beating subsequent Arkle winner Ventana Canyon, Mullins proved he was capable of mixing it with the very best. She only ran once more herself but went on to produce Pete The Feat, a prolific winner for Charlie Longsdon who went on to race until he was 15.
Cousin Vinny (2008 Champion Bumper)
By 2008, Mullins was a major player at the Festival and had begun to farm the Champion Bumper having won it five times in all. However, there is no doubt if you were to ask him which was his most memorable success in the race, he would nominate Cousin Vinny, as it was a first Festival winner for his then 18-year-old son, Patrick, who has gone on to break all records as an amateur jockey.
Quevega (Mares’ Hurdle 2009-2014)
There was not much to the diminutive mare who arrived from France in 2007 but once Mullins worked out the key to her, she created her own piece of Cheltenham history. While some disagreed with the way she was campaigned, as from 2010 onwards she made her seasonal reappearance at Cheltenham, there could be no doubting the execution of the plan. The extra races have undoubtedly helped Mullins rack up his incredible numbers and many would have preferred to have seen Quevega try her luck in the Champion Hurdle or more likely the Stayers’ given she won the Punchestown equivalent four times. Either way, just running in the same race six times is a notable achievement, never mind winning it.
Hurricane Fly (Champion Hurdle 2011 and 2013)
Another who created his own piece of history. Hurricane Fly, who came with a tall reputation as a Listed winner on the Flat in France, became the first horse to win the Champion Hurdle, lose it and then regain the crown. Injury meant he missed the first two Cheltenham Festivals he was eligible for, and given he beat that year’s Supreme winner, Go Native, by 10 lengths at Leopardstown in the Christmas of his novice season, you would have to think that is one that got away, and the year after that he came back from injury to win at Punchestown. His defeat in the 2012 Champion came on the fastest ground he encountered and the winner of 24 of 32 hurdle races certainly loved the mud.
Vautour (Supreme Novices’ Hurdle 2014, JLT Novices’ Chase 2015, Ryanair Chase 2016)
In terms of pure natural ability, Vautour has to be among the best Mullins has ever trained. The day he won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle by six lengths he looked impregnable and he would have taken all the beating in the Champion itself. Sent straight over fences, he recovered from a blip at Leopardstown to bolt up by 16 lengths in what is now the Turners. A horse who certainly saved his best for Cheltenham, he won the Ryanair with a display that took the breath away, even if it met a muted reception due to owner Rich Ricci stating at a Cheltenham preview evening the horse would run in the Gold Cup.
Faugheen (Neptune Novices’ Hurdle 2014, Champion Hurdle 2015)
One of Mullins’ most popular trainees, on his day he looked nigh on unbeatable. A very easy winner of what is now the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle, the following season he endured a very un-Mullins-like preparation for the Champion Hurdle by running at Ascot and Kempton first. His only run in Ireland that season came after he had already won the Champion, when he went to Punchestown and was even more impressive. Sadly, injury curtailed him after that and he did not run between January 2016 and November 2017. Never quite the same, he did win a Grade One novice chase at Limerick and it was to his credit that his final start came at Cheltenham when third in the 2020 edition of the Marsh (Turners) Novices’ Chase.
Douvan (Supreme Novices’ Hurdle 2015, Arkle 2016)
Oh what might have been. Super talented but also, ultimately, incredibly fragile. There were no signs of the heartache to come as he waltzed through his novice hurdle season unbeaten, or when he won all six of his novice chases the year after. That he had a subsequent Gold Cup winner in Sizing John seven lengths behind him in the Arkle spoke volumes. However, when 2-9 favourite for the Champion Chase the year after, he made mistakes and trailed in seventh, finishing lame. He had a year off but returned for the same race only to fall four out when leading the field a merry dance.
Al Boum Photo (Gold Cup 2019 and 2020)
Despite dominating the Festival by now, Mullins had yet to win the blue riband, coming close on several occasions. Step forward the unglamourous Al Boum Photo. No star over hurdles, he would have gone close in the 2018 RSA Novices’ Chase when falling two out, breaking Ruby Walsh’s leg in the process. The following season he ran once before the Gold Cup, winning a minor race at Tramore, and his 12-1 success at Cheltenham caught a few out. But he repeated the trick 12 months later, with Mullins sticking to the same routine. He finished a five-length third to Minella Indo when bidding to emulate Best Mate.
Allaho (Ryanair Chase 2021 and 2022)
If ever a race and a horse were a match made in heaven it was surely Allaho and the Ryanair Chase. Viewed as a stayer in his younger days, when he was third in the Albert Bartlett and RSA in his novice hurdle and chase seasons, it was not until the intermediate trip was settled upon that he was seen to his best. Eschewed by Paul Townend in favour of Min in 2021, Rachael Blackmore made no mistake and the punters sent them off favourite, suggesting Townend had made the wrong call pre-race and so it proved, with Allaho winning by 12 lengths. Townend did not make the same mistake again, with a 14-length success a year later. Unfortunately injury has ruled him out of the past two Festivals.
Galopin Des Champs (Martin Pipe 2021 and Gold Cup 2023)
Unfortunate not to be going for a fourth successive win at the meeting given he tipped up when miles clear as a novice in 2022, he must have been some certainty in the Martin Pipe the year before off 142. Mullins has got him right back to his best mid-season after two defeats and he looks to hold massive claims of emulating his former stablemate Al Boum Photo and you would not put it past him to go one better.
Willie Mullins set himself apart with his 100th Cheltenham Festival victory on Wednesday – a hallmark of the trainer’s domination of the National Hunt scene.
Going into what for many is the biggest week of the year, Mullins boasted the favourites for all but a handful of the 28 races, making it something of a foregone conclusion he would break new ground with a century of wins, with just six victories required.
That the feat – which took just two of the four days – was achieved in the Champion Bumper by a horse ridden by his son, Patrick, seems fitting for a man who is the very embodiment of a racing dynasty.
The 67-year-old is the eldest of four sons and one daughter for the late trainer Paddy Mullins, the man who handled the great mare Dawn Run – the only horse to win both the Champion Hurdle and Cheltenham Gold Cup.
His brothers Tony and Tom are also Grade One-winning trainers, while the aforementioned Patrick is a record-breaking amateur rider whose nephews include top-level jockey Danny, Grand National-winning rider David and Grand National-winning trainer Emmet, illustrating the family’s influence over both Irish and British racing.
A fervent Manchester United supporter, Mullins was a very capable amateur rider himself, riding a Festival winner aboard Wither Or Which back in 1996. But there is no doubt the best thing he ever did was hang up his saddle and concentrate fully on his training career.
It has been a series of smashed records ever since, with Mullins crowned the champion trainer in Ireland in each of the last 17 years, clicking through the number milestones with regularity, sending out his 4,000th career winner in January 2023.
Some true equine giants of the sport have passed through his hands, with Florida Pearl the first marquee name for the Closutton team, although Hedgehunter’s 2005 Grand National win propelled him onto the front pages as well as the back.
Mullins’ career has been defined by his Cheltenham domination though, with Hurricane Fly, a 22-times Grade One winner, Un De Sceaux, Douvan, Vautour, Faugheen and Annie Power all achieving superstar status in the Cotswolds.
However, the Cheltenham Gold Cup proved elusive for a long time, with six second places illustrating the difficulty of achieving jump racing’s holy grail.
But Al Boum Photo righted that wrong in 2019, before following up in 2020, with Galopin Des Champs adding a third triumph for the trainer last year and a hot favourite to make it four on Friday.
The Mullins momentum has barely been checked and he is an illustration of the old adage success breeds success, with owners clamouring to send their big-money recruits to be trained by a true genius of the sport.
Even Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary – a man not known for a lack of opinion – had to change his mind about jettisoning Mullins’ services back in 2016.
Increased training fees were mentioned as a reason at the time, but O’Leary had runners back in the yard for the first time since this season, proving that maybe you really do get what you pay for.
Patrick Mullins in fact pointed to that split as a catalyst for the yard’s exceptional success in recent years, describing how that blow drove his father forward to seek new horses, owners and staff, underlining his determination and willingness to look beyond the obvious.
Married to Jackie, the couple took part in the royal carriage procession before racing at Royal Ascot last year.
There is no doubt Mullins is out on his own at this point by any measure and while he admitted on Wednesday he would relish a bit more competition, his rivals have more than a bit of ground to make up.
Perhaps his former jockey Ruby Walsh – himself a great of the sport – put it best: “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.”
Ruby is right – when it comes to managers, in racing terms Mullins is Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola rolled into one.
Manchester’s AO Arena will again host a group stage of the Davis Cup Finals in September, the International Tennis Federation has confirmed.
A record crowd for the competition in this country of 13,000 saw Leon Smith’s Great Britain team triumph in a nail-biting tie against France last year to book their place in the Final Eight event in Malaga, where they lost to Serbia in the quarter-finals.
The ITF all but announced in November that Manchester would again be a host city and that has now been rubber-stamped, with the challenge for organisers to try to boost crowds for the non-GB ties.
Britain will find out their three opponents for the group stage, which takes place from September 10-15, at the draw next Tuesday.
LTA director of major events and digital, Chris Pollard, said: “We are delighted to bring the Davis Cup Finals group stage back to Manchester again this September.
“We saw first-hand how the fans embraced the event and how their support helped our team win their group in 2023.
“We are looking forward to working with our partners at Manchester City Council and Marketing Manchester to make the Davis Cup even bigger and better this year, helping open up our sport to many more people.”
Britain were given a wild card into the group stage along with Spain, while champions Italy and runners-up Australia also avoided having to play in last month’s qualifiers.
Bologna and Valencia join Manchester as returning hosts while Zhuhai will also stage a group despite China not being among the 16 competing nations.
Sir Gino, the long-time ante-post favourite for the JCB Triumph Hurdle, has been declared a non-runner on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival.
His absence is the latest blow for trainer Nicky Henderson, who has endured a trying week with four of his five runners on Tuesday pulled up, as well as Jingko Blue in Wednesday’s Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle.
Having already taken Shishkin out of the Gold Cup and Jonbon out of the Champion Chase, with Constitution Hill ruled out of the Champion Hurdle last week, Henderson’s biggest hope of the Festival now joins them on the sidelines.
Albert Bartlett contender Shanagh Bob has also been withdrawn and the Seven Barrows team will try to get their stars back on song for Aintree or Punchestown.
In a statement on X, Henderson said: “Very sadly we have had to make a very tough decision which is not to run Sir Gino in the Triumph Hurdle tomorrow and the same applies to Shanagh Bob in the Albert Bartlett.
“Both horses appear to be in great shape but we cannot ignore the performance of all our horses throughout this week and indeed last week as well and we feel it would be crazy to chance it with two very high class young horses with their lives in front of them.
“Joe Donnelly who owns both of these as well as Shishkin has been incredibly supportive as have all our owners as well as the media and indeed racing as a whole, and we appreciate that enormously.
“We are very much looking forward to hopefully Aintree and Punchestown as soon as we get the team back to normal.”
A late setback has ruled Dysart Enos out of the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle on day three of the Cheltenham Festival.
Fergal O’Brien’s star mare has won each of her six starts to date, with three bumper triumphs last season followed by a hat-trick of victories over hurdles this term.
The six-year-old was Britain’s biggest hope in Thursday’s penultimate event against two unbeaten Irish raiders in Gordon Elliott’s Brighterdaysahead and the Willie Mullins-trained Jade De Grugy, but she was declared a non-runner on the morning of the race.
O’Brien said: “It’s a huge blow, she’s got an overreach unfortunately.
“It’s not serious, it’s just horrendous timing. If it had happened earlier we might have been able to do something about it, but that’s where we are.
“We’ll get her right before we make any plans.”
Sports foundations and grassroots clubs must continue to act as a vessel to help guide youngsters away from anti-social behaviour and crime within inner-city communities, according to former Great Britain basketball international Justin Robinson.
The 36-year-old point guard grew up in Brixton before going on to further his career in the United States collegiate system, also taking in spells playing across Europe ahead of a move back to the UK in 2017 with London Lions.
As he recovered from a serious knee injury suffered during the British Basketball League playoffs in April 2022, Robinson launched his own community interest company, centred around engaging young people using basketball to help tackle social issues.
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Robinson, who returned to action for the 2023-24 season with Surrey Scorchers, believes such mentor initiatives like those he was able to access at childhood club team Brixton Topcats can play a crucial role.
“It is no secret, Brixton has its ills, on the other hand it is a vibrant community and one of love, but of course there are aspects that need to be changed,” Robinson told the PA news agency.
“I am from these same streets. These kids look like me, they speak like me, they live the life that I lived, so who better to go into these schools and speak to these kids, using basketball as a vessel?
“But this is so much bigger than basketball. We are teaching life lessons: anti-gang, anti-grooming and anti-drug.
“The main fact of me just being in their presence is a level of hope for them. They can be going through a lot at home, there could be a lot of problems in their area with gangs, so there is a lot for the kids to deal with today.
“I was fortunate enough to have that support at Brixton Topcats, I had so many male and female mentors who kind of kept me on the straight and narrow. I am just trying to give back what was done for me.”
Robinson added: “When I was growing up in the mid-1990s to 2000s, there was a lot going on in the area. There was a real big drug problem with lots of gangs, it was a lot more ‘in your face’ and stuff being done out in the open.
“Now what we are seeing is a lot of these kids are getting younger and younger, with the addition of social media too, so we have to grab them from a young age, from years four, five or six – these are pivotal ages where they can go the wrong way or the right way.”
The JJROB Foundation works in partnership with Lambeth Council and local organisations such as Juvenis, which offers bespoke support and training for young people who are having difficulties at school, at home or in the community.
Robinson is confident those relationships between local government and community groups can continue to grow.
“It is hard. There is the cost of living (crisis), the economy is in trouble, there are so many factors we have to think about, but from my interactions with them, they are sincere, want to help and have been,” he said.
Robinson, a two-time BBL League MVP, admitted there were periods during his recovery from a ruptured patella tendon and broken kneecap when he wondered if he would ever play again.
The 36-year-old has gone on to achieve 2,000 Championship points this season, becoming just the sixth active player to reach the milestone as he helps the Scorchers push for the playoffs.
“There are times where I feel like myself and forget I was injured, then there are still times when I have to rein myself in, with a bit of that fear of taking the wrong step or maybe jumping up and landing on someone’s foot,” point guard Robinson said.
“When you are injured, it forces you to slow down a bit and you read the game a bit more. I have surprised myself, but at the same time I have always been confident of my abilities.
“There are still quite a lot of games to play (in the regular season), but so far, so good.”
:: Limited tickets for the British Basketball League All-Star Game at the Copper Box Arena on March 17 can be purchased via www.britishbasketballleague.com/2024allstars/
Nathan MacKinnon scored his second goal of the game on a power-play goal 28 seconds into overtime and the Colorado Avalanche rallied from a three-goal deficit for their fifth straight win, 4-3 over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday.
Mikko Rantanen began Colorado’s comeback with three seconds left in the second period and MacKinnon made it a one-goal game early in the third. Ross Colton’s goal at 8:43 of the third forged a 3-3 tie.
MacKinnon extended his point streak to 14 games and increased his NHL scoring lead to 115 points, eight more than Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov.
Colorado has won seven of eight to tie Dallas for the Central Division lead.
J.T. Miller and Nikita Zadorov each had a goal and an assist for Western Conference-leading Vancouver, which had won four in a row.
Oilers too much for Capitals
Zach Hyman had a natural hat trick and Leon Draisaitl had a goal and three assists as the Edmonton Oilers rolled to a 7-2 rout of the Washington Capitals.
Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists and Evan Bouchard added a goal and an assist for the Oilers, who have points in eight of their last nine games (7-1-1). They moved six points ahead of Los Angeles and Vegas in the race for second place in the Pacific Division.
McDavid extended his home point streak to 26 games, during which he has 15 goals and 47 assists.
Ivan Miroshnichenko and Connor McMichael scored in the first period as Washington dropped to 0-2 on a five-game road trip.
Surging Predators down Jets
Juuse Saros stopped 27 shots and the Nashville Predators extended their point streak to 13 games with a 4-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets.
Gustav Nyquist, Kiefer Sherwood, Filip Forsberg and Jason Zucker scored to help the Predators improve to 11-0-2 in their last 13 games.
Nashville essentially put the game out of reach with a pair of goals in 22 seconds early in the third period, making it 4-0.
The Predators moved three points ahead of Vegas in the race for the top wild card in the Western Conference.
Luka Dončić’ had his triple-double streak ended at seven games before leaving with left hamstring soreness as the Dallas Mavericks slogged to a 109-99 win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.
Doncic had 21 points, nine assists and three rebounds, ending a triple-double run that included NBA records of five straight with at least 35 points and six in a row with at least 30 points.
Dallas coach Jason Kidd said he wasn’t sure if Doncic would make the trip to Oklahoma City, where the Mavs finish a back-to-back on Thursday night.
Daniel Gafford was 5 of 5 from the field – all on dunks – to extend his streak of made field goals to 33, two shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s NBA record, set in 1967. Gafford also had a season-high seven blocks.
Jonathan Kuminga scored 27 points and Andrew Wiggins added 17 for the Warriors, who dropped to 1-2 without Stephen Curry, who is sidelined by a sprained ankle.
Nuggets move atop West
Michael Porter Jr. scored 25 points and Nikola Jokić had 12 points, 14 rebounds and six assists to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 100-88 victory over the sliding Miami Heat in a finals rematch on Wednesday.
Aaron Gordon had 16 points and Jamal Murray contributed 14 for the Nuggets, who improved to an NBA-best 10-1 since the All-Star break to move a half-game ahead of Oklahoma City into first place in the Western Conference.
Bam Adebayo had 17 points and 13 rebounds and Jimmy Butler scored 15 for Miami, which lost its fourth straight and dropped 2 ½ games behind Orlando in the Southeast Division.
Denver is 12-1 in its last 13 games against the Heat, including last season’s NBA Finals.
DeRozan leads Bulls to overtime win
DeMar DeRozan poured in a season-high 46 points, hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime, to lift the Chicago Bulls to a 132-129 win over the Indiana Pacers.
DeRozan’s only 3 of the game with 2:18 left in overtime put the Bulls ahead for good, and he added a free throw with 10 seconds remaining before Tyrese Haliburton missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Alex Caruso scored 23 points and Ayo Dosunmu added 20 as Chicago won its fourth in six games.
Myles Turner had 27 points with five 3-pointers and Haliburton finished with 17 points and 14 assists, but Indiana failed to win its third straight.
The first day of the new league year in the NFL brought about several transactions on Wednesday.
The Los Angeles Chargers released one of their longest-tenured players, the Las Vegas Raiders parted ways with the big-name quarterback they acquired last off-season and the Miami Dolphins cut their four-time Pro Bowl cornerback.
The Chargers released wide receiver Mike Williams to free up $20million in salary cap space.
Going into the final year of a 2022 contract extension that included $40million in guaranteed money, Williams missed nearly all of last season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in Week 3.
The seventh overall pick of the 2017 draft, Williams had spent his first seven NFL seasons with the Chargers.
His best season came in 2021, when he had career highs of 76 receptions for 1,146 yards, along with nine touchdowns.
The Raiders released Jimmy Garoppolo and receiver Hunter Renfrow in a pair of widely expected moves.
Garoppolo signed a three-year, $72.75million contract with Las Vegas last season, but was benched after making just six starts.
Last month, he received a two-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
The Raiders agreed to a deal earlier this week with Gardner Minshew, who will compete with Aidan O'Connell for the starting quarterback job.
Renfrow put together a huge season in 2021, catching 103 passes for 1,038 yards to earn a two-year contract extension worth $31.7million, but he's managed just 61 receptions for 585 yards and two TDs in the last two years combined.
The Dolphins released Xavien Howard, who is tied for fourth in franchise history with 29 interceptions.
Howard, who had spent his entire eight-year NFL career with Miami, led the NFL with 10 interceptions in 2020 and was named a first-team All-Pro.
The Tennessee Titans, meanwhile, added a pair of players, signing wide receiver Calvin Ridley, as well as quarterback Mason Rudolph.
Ridley signed a four-year, $92million contract after finishing with 76 receptions for 1,016 yards with eight touchdowns while starting 17 games for the Jacksonville Jaguars last season.
Rudolph had spent the past four years with the Pittsburgh Steelers, going 8-4-1 in 13 starts. He won the final three regular-season games last season to lead the Steelers to a play-off berth.
Returning Cambridge rower Luca Ferraro believes the reason people flock to the Boat Race year after year is to see sport in its “purest form”.
The 22-year-old classics student was part of the crew that beat Oxford to win last year’s edition, extending a dominant run for the light blue boat that has seen them come out on top in four of the last five years.
Ferraro, a world champion in the men’s eight with Great Britain’s Under-23s last summer, moves from stroke to the seven seat for his third Boat Race and was one of 36 athletes named on Tuesday night to the crews for the 78th women’s and 169th men’s races, taking place on March 30th.
He told the PA news agency: “It really feels like a new race, a new group, the dynamic just changes so much every year and that’s part of the fun. It’s a new challenge. I’m super excited to see if we can get out there and see if we can defend our title.
“The Boat Race is so random. There’s so many variables. Anything can happen on the day, so it’s quite hard to prepare in that sense, other than just being prepared for anything, so I’m super excited to see what twists and turns will happen.
“Its appeal is so hard to pin down. It’s across so many different factors – the tradition, the history plays a massive part. It’s that iconic university rivalry; it’s Oxford, it’s Cambridge.
“I really think that in a world where sport is so flashy – it’s so high-profile these days, there’s so much money involved – the Boat Race is still sport at its purest form.
“It’s almost spartan. It’s just you and the other guys and you’ve got to go faster than them if you want to win. There’s something super primal about it.”
Ferraro’s Cambridge crew contains five men returning to defend their 2023 title, while Oxford has just one left over from last year’s defeat.
There was little between the rivals after the weigh-in – in which only the men participate – with Oxford coming in at an average 92kg, just half a kilogram heavier than their Cambridge counterparts.
The women’s crews also contain a mix of experienced and returning crew members, with 20 Brits involved across all four men’s and women’s boats and others coming from countries including France, the Netherlands, Canada, the United States, New Zealand, Germany and Australia.
This year, the Boat Race is taking inspiration from Drive to Survive and other sports documentaries, launching a behind-the-scenes YouTube series ahead of the race.
Cambridge have dominated the women’s race for the last six years but Oxford’s Annie Sharp is confident her crew has what it takes to turn the tide.
Sharp, an MSc water science and policy management student stepping up from the Oxford reserves for the first time, told PA: “We’ve had a really good season, really good vibes from day one.
“We are definitely excited to have the opportunity to go side by side and see what we can do.”
New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole is expected to miss the first one-to-two months of the upcoming season due to lingering discomfort in the 2023 American League Cy Young Award winner's right elbow, the New York Post reported Wednesday.
Cole is expected to fly to Los Angeles for an in-person visit with noted sports orthopaedist Dr. Neal ElAttrache. According to the report, a recent MRI taken on the All-Star's elbow showed no tears in his ulnar collateral ligament, but ElAttrache recommended Cole undergo further testing as well as an in-person exam after reviewing the MRI results.
The 33-year-old had been scheduled to pitch New York's season opener in Houston against the Astros on March 28. Yankees manager Aaron Boone confirmed to reporters Tuesday that Cole would not make that start.
“Right now, there’s uncertainty about what’s going on in there,” Boone told MLB.com. “We’re waiting on everyone to weigh in. Sometimes the first look isn’t [conclusive]. You want to make sure when you’re talking about the elbow. You want to make sure you get it right and make the best decision. We’ve just got to be patient.”
Cole informed the Yankees' medical staff of elbow discomfort after he threw 47 pitches in a three-inning simulated game on Thursday. He underwent the MRI on Monday and was subsequently scratched from Tuesday's scheduled spring-training start.
The six-time All-Star has made one Grapefruit League appearance this spring, a two-inning stint against the Toronto Blue Jays on March 1 in which he allowed three runs and threw 39 pitches.
According to the New York Post, the Yankees are hopeful Cole can make his season debut sometime in May or early June.
Cole captured his first career Cy Young Award with an outstanding 2023 campaign in which he led the AL with a 2.63 ERA while compiling a 15-4 record with 222 strikeouts in 209 innings. The Yankees went 23-10 in his 33 starts.
The accomplished right-hander has also been remarkably durable. Cole's 664 innings pitched since 2020 are the most in Major League Baseball over that time frame, and he has not been on the injured list for an arm-related issue since 2016.
Cole, entering the fifth season of a nine-year, $324 million contract he signed to join the Yankees in December 2019, is 51-23 with a 3.08 ERA in 108 regular-season starts during his tenure in New York.
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2011 MLB draft, Cole spent his first five major league seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates before being traded to the Astros in 2018. He pitched two seasons for Houston and won a career-high 20 games in 2019 while helping the Astros reach the World Series.
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