Ballyburn made impressively light work of the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival.
The 1-2 favourite was one of five runners for the all-conquering Willie Mullins and travelled strongly behind the leaders under Paul Townend.
When the field rounded the final bend there was no question whatsoever as to the outcome, with the Ronnie Bartlett-owned six-year-old strolling away from stablemate Jimmy Du Seuil to win by a yawning 13 lengths.
Another Closutton runner, Ile Atlantique, was a further three and a half lengths back in third. Just for good measure Mullins was also responsible for Mercurey (fourth) and Predators Gold (fifth), but Nicky Henderson’s Jingko Blue was pulled up to continue a testing time for the Seven Barrows trainer.
“It’s the first time he’s wowed me, I thought ‘wow, what a performance’ and to me that was a Champion Hurdle performance,” said Mullins.
“It was really really spectacular. With his size, scope and pedigree our owners might decide to go chasing with him next year, I don’t know. But with that performance he can go anywhere.
“Our team are in flying form, but we are just so sorry for Nicky Henderson that he has had to pull his good horses out. It could be us, so our sympathies go to him.”
He went on: “My heart hasn’t skipped a beat when a horse jumps a hurdle since Annie Power, but it skipped a beat there!
“I thought he was a good horse, but I didn’t view him as the horse that people were saying until today. When he jumped the last and went away up the hill I just thought ‘wow’.
“This fellow could be anything, he could be a Champion Hurdle horse, a Gold Cup horse or both with his size, scope and pedigree. He’s made for fences but looks to have the ability for a Champion Hurdle.
“I didn’t realise we’d had the first five, Michael Dickinson obviously did it in the Gold Cup but it’s nice to do it in a Grade One at Cheltenham.
“I hadn’t even got my licence then, but it was extraordinary to look at a man having so much firepower in one stable and now it looks like we’re in the same position at the moment.
“It’s nice to do that at the Festival.
“I know how good our others are, they would be top-class horses any other year and they deserve to be here, the strength behind him – he blew me away.
“When we saw Slade Steel win yesterday that really franked the form and gave us an even better chance.”
Bartlett said: “He jumped well, we didn’t know how he was going to handle the ground, but that was exciting.
“Let’s enjoy the day and the future is in front of him, so we’ll just keep our fingers crossed.
“He had lots of different options and in typical Willie style he didn’t want to tell us too much, but listen it all came right in the end.”
Ballyburn made impressively light work of the Gallagher Novices’ Hurdle on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival.
The 1-2 favourite was one of five runners for the all-conquering Willie Mullins and travelled strongly behind the leaders under Paul Townend.
When the field rounded the final bend there was no question whatsoever as to the outcome, with the Ronnie Bartlett-owned six-year-old strolling away from stablemate Jimmy Du Seuil to win by a yawning 13 lengths.
Rory McIlroy accepts he both “needs and wants” a strong performance in the Players Championship as he targets an end to his major victory drought.
McIlroy began the year with second place in the Dubai Invitational and victory in the Dubai Desert Classic seven days later, but has finished no better than 21st in each of his four events on the PGA Tour.
The world number two will seek a second victory at Sawgrass this week and also contest the Valero Texas Open immediately before the Masters at Augusta National, where a first major win since 2014 would make McIlroy just the sixth player to complete a career grand slam.
Asked if his recent form meant he needed or wanted a good week at PGA Tour headquarters, McIlroy told reporters: “Both probably.
“They’ve been middle of the road [finishes], 20th places or whatever it is. I’m not missing cuts but, at the same time, with how I’ve driven the golf ball the last three weeks I should be contending in the tournaments that I’ve played.
“I have this amazing feeling with my woods at the minute, but when I try to recreate that feeling with the irons, it starts left and goes further left.
“I have a swing thought for my woods and I need a different swing thought for my irons, and that’s what I’ve been working on over the last couple days. I feel like every other part of the game is in great shape.”
McIlroy has recorded 19 top-10s in major championships since winning the 2014 US PGA at Valhalla, which will host the event again from May 16-19.
However, the 34-year-old’s dismay at his failure to add to his four major titles was recently captured in the second season of Netflix documentary Full Swing as he reacted to Brooks Koepka’s fifth major win in the 2023 US PGA.
“I feel good enough to f****** top-10 in my head, but not good enough to win,” McIlroy vented in the locker room at Oak Hill.
Speaking on Wednesday, McIlroy said: “Look, I’m under no illusion that the clock is ticking and it has been 10 years since I’ve won one of them, and I’ve had chances, and those just haven’t went my way.
“I just need to keep putting myself in those positions, and sooner or later it’s going to happen.”
McIlroy believes his spell on the PGA Tour’s policy board took a toll on his time, rather than his golf, but despite no longer being in that position, he was still inundated with questions about the current state of men’s professional golf.
After expressing his support for under-fire PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, McIlroy conceded that the top stars may have held the Tour “to ransom” when he and Tiger Woods led a players-only meeting in Delaware in 2022 which led to the creation of the controversial “Signature Events”.
The eight, limited-field events each have a prize fund of 20million USD (£15.6m), but have come in for severe criticism.
Despite being eligible for them, former US Open champion Lucas Glover told Golfweek they were “selfish and it’s a money grab”.
McIlroy said he understood the concern over a loss of playing opportunities for players, but added: “The Tour has been a certain way for so long, but I also think that the Tour hasn’t necessarily evolved with the changing times to make it a more compelling entertainment product and fit in with the modern media and sports landscape.
“I think back to that meeting in Delaware, and I think, OK, did we push too hard, did we hold the Tour to ransom too much, the top players?
“I think the Signature Events really worked last year and, for whatever reason, they’re not quite capturing the imagination this year.
“I think it’s because fans are fatigued of what’s going on in the game, and I think we need to try to re-engage the fan and re-engage them in a way that the focus is on the play and not on talking about equity and all the rest of it.”
Teahupoo will look to strike when fresh in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle for Gordon Elliott at the Cheltenham Festival.
The seven-year-old was beaten just three-quarters of a length in the same race last year and returned to action this season in good form to take the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle ahead of Impaire Et Passe at Fairyhouse in early December.
He has not run since then and is expected to benefit that as he is proven to go well after a brief break.
“We’re looking forward to Teahupoo in the Stayers’ and he seems in really good form,” said Robbie Power, racing manager to owner Robcour.
“It was a very good performance in the Hatton’s Grace and we’ve changed things up this year coming straight here.
“The big thing for him is he’s a better horse when he’s fresh and all his runs after a 50-odd day break he has won. We think that is the key to him.
“He didn’t get the rub of the green in the race last year and hopefully if things go well this year he will take plenty of beating. He deserves to win a Stayers’ and we’re giving him every chance.”
Elliott also runs reigning champion Sire Du Berlais, who followed up last year’s victory with success in the Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree.
Flooring Porter landed the race in both 2021 and 2022 before finishing fourth last season, after which he switched to jumping fences in the first half of the current campaign.
He was not without success as a chaser but connections ultimately decided to return to the Stayers’ Hurdle in a bid for a third triumph and veto the alternative option of the National Hunt Chase.
“He’s in good shape and we’re looking forward to it. I hope the ground dries out a little bit, I hope it’s not too deep, so we’ll see what happens,” said trainer Gavin Cromwell.
“He’s had a few schooling sessions over hurdles and they’ve gone well, he’s a very intelligent horse so I don’t see it (switching from fences) being a problem.
“When you see what Corbetts Cross (facile National Hunt Chase winner) did on Tuesday I’d say we dodged a bullet there and we’re happy to be running in the Stayers’ again.”
The British challenge is led by Fergal O’Brien’s Crambo, winner of the Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot when last seen.
The seven-year-old beat Paisley Park, Dashel Drasher and Champ on that occasion and looks to be on an upward trajectory in a career that has already yielded seven wins from 10 starts.
“He’s in great form, I’m very happy with him and he has trained very well,” said O’Brien.
“We’ve had a great preparation, he’s just improved and improved for us.
“He doesn’t show a lot at home, everything he’s shown us is what he’s shown on the track and we couldn’t be more pleased with him.
“He’s won on everything, he won on good ground at Ascot and he’s won on heavy at Sandown last year so I can’t see that as an issue for him.
“We’ve our fingers crossed he can get his head in front.”
Jeremy Scott runs the hugely popular Dashel Drasher, with Emma Lavelle also set to saddle a fan favourite in the 12-year-old Paisley Park.
Winner of the race in 2019, he has run every year since and finished in third place in both 2021 and 2022.
Willie Mullins has three chances, with Sir Gerhard seemingly the leading hope as the mount of Paul Townend, while Asterion Forlonge will be ridden by Patrick Mullins and Janidil by Jody McGarvey.
Emmet Mullins’ Noble Yeats, the 2022 Grand National hero, will be partnered by Harry Cobden again after the duo beat Paisley Park to land the Cleeve Hurdle in January.
Joseph O’Brien runs Home By The Lee, with the field of 12 completed by Paul Gilligan’s Buddy One, three times a winner already this season.
“He seems to like this course and he has travelled over really well,” Gilligan said.
“He seems well in himself and although it is a big step up, I’m very happy with him and I think he will run with a lot of credit. I think he will run very well.”
Wales centre George North has announced that he will retire from international rugby after Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations clash against Italy.
The 31-year-old, who has won 120 caps, has been recalled to the Wales team for what is a wooden-spoon decider.
He wrote on X: “I’ve decided that the game on Saturday will bring my international career to an end.
“After 14 years it feels like now is the right time to step away. I have loved and cherished every second in a Welsh shirt and been able to play alongside some fantastic team-mates.”
Excelsior Community College Eagles defended their Intercollegiate rugby league 9s title on Saturday by defeating the University of West Indies Pelicans 18-4 in the finals at the University of Technology grounds.
The win concluded a flawless campaign for the Eagles, who finished with a perfect 6-0 record. National player Akeem Murray led the team with 10 points, scoring a try and kicking three goals. He was supported by Daniel Barham and Antwon McKane, who each scored a try. The Pelicans' only score came from national player Hakeem Richard with a consolation try.
The finalists had contrasting paths to the championship game. Earlier in the semis, EXED comfortably got past Caribbean Maritime University Spartans 14-4 whilst the Pelicans dug dig deep to carve a 16-10 win over perennial rivals and hosts UTECH Knights. Despite not making the top four, Mico University Crocs showed plenty improvements in their group games.
INTERCOL Rugby League Chair Romeo Monteith remarked, “Hearty congratulations to EXED on defending their title, they played excellent rugby league over the two Saturdays of competition and are deserving winners. All the teams gave excellent accounts of themselves, and we were thrilled to see several national players take the field for various teams. Next season should be even bigger and better for intercollegiate rugby league as institutions continue to rebuild their programs."
Ben Earl is unsatisfied with his rampaging display against Ireland as his pursuit of becoming world class demands he develops into the complete back row.
England’s number eight was named official man of the match for the second time in this Guinness Six Nations after providing the tip of the spear in Saturday’s 23-22 upset of Andy Farrell’s defending champions.
Using a combination of speed, power and footwork, he carried 19 times for 140 metres and crossed for a vital second-half try as he continues to prove an unstoppable force from close range.
While the 26-year-old Saracen says he is aiming for world-class status, his overall stats after four rounds of the Six Nations are evidence he is already there – more carries than any other player, second behind Ireland’s James Lowe for metres carried and sixth for metres gained.
But as the tournament’s most potent forward in attack, he heads to Lyon for Saturday’s clash with France aiming to elevate another essential part of his game.
“Ben can get a lot better,” said England’s head of strength and conditioning Aled Walters, who described Earl’s ability to move laterally and then “punch forward immediately” as his point of difference.
“He was happy with his performance in attack at the weekend but disappointed with his performance in defence. So his ceiling is way off.
“Ben is striving to become one of those players on the world stage. I remember the term ‘superior discontent’. That is what Ben has. It will be good to watch how he progresses.”
Earl was an outsider for England in the build-up to the World Cup with all 15 of his caps won as a replacement, but by the end of the competition he had emerged as the squad’s standout player.
That form has continued into the Six Nations despite the interruption of a knee injury to the point he is now one of the first names on the team sheet.
“I’m trying to take my game to a place it’s not been before. You have to nit-pick and look at your performance as a whole,” Earl said.
“That’s especially being a back row because it’s not all about what you do with the ball in hand, it’s not all about what you do without the ball, it’s a combination of both.
“I’m trying to get to a point where both facets of my game are at a world class standard. That’s not the case now and it’s certainly something I’m working very hard towards.
“I’ve made no secret to where I want to be in the game. Has wanting to be world class driven me more? Probably not, I think I put a bit more pressure on myself than most. It’s something I’ve just had to live with.
“It just feels like we as a team are just going to get better and better and the more I can contribute to that then the better.”
Self-belief has never been an issue for Earl, according to his former Saracens team-mate and current England attack coach Richard Wigglesworth, who insists an important aspect of his game has gone unrecognised.
“I actually sat next to him in the changing rooms at Saracens from when he was like 18 or 19 coming into the squad,” Wigglesworth said.
“He got essentially booted up the arse every day at training because he had some confidence. At 19 it was not always backed up.
“But he keeps getting into battles. He keeps wanting the ball, he keeps putting himself in great positions.
“And I don’t think he probably gets much credit for his toughness. Because whatever has just happened, he’ll do the next thing to the absolute best of his ability. There’s no going into his shell.
“For Ben, this is years of hard work that are allowing him to flourish at Test level. And he’s got more in him.”
George North has been recalled to the Wales team for Saturday’s Guinness Six Nations wooden-spoon decider against Italy.
North, who was omitted from the starting line-up beaten 45-24 by France, replaces Joe Roberts, with his fellow centre Nick Tompkins returning instead of Owen Watkin.
Two other changes are in the pack, where Harlequins prop Dillon Lewis is preferred to Keiron Assiratti and Cardiff flanker Alex Mann packs down alongside back-row colleagues Tommy Reffell and Aaron Wainwright.
Wales captain Dafydd Jenkins, who featured at blindside flanker against France, returns to the second-row alongside Adam Beard, with Will Rowlands dropping to the bench.
Shishkin has not been declared for Friday’s Boodles Gold Cup at Cheltenham following an unsatisfactory scope.
Trainer Nicky Henderson had already ruled out Jonbon from Wednesday’s Champion Chase, among others, after five of his six runners on the first day of the Festival were pulled up.
The form of the stable had been a talking point heading into the biggest week of the season, hot on the heels of his brightest star Constitution Hill working poorly at Kempton and subsequently being pulled out of the Champion Hurdle.
Henderson posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Very sadly it will not be possible for Shishkin to run in the Gold Cup on Friday. He was scoped as have all our potential runners this week, but unfortunately he has shown an unsatisfactory picture on which he couldn’t possibly run.
“He appears to be 100 per cent in himself and has been working and schooling better than ever and we were really looking forward to Friday, it is hoped that along with all the other non-participants this week that they will be back in time for Aintree or Punchestown.
“Regrettably Champ has also succumbed and will not run in tomorrow’s Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle and the equivalent race at Aintree could be on the agenda.”
Nicky Henderson has reacted to his overall poor results on the opening day of this year’s Cheltenham Festival by withdrawing several runners on day two, including Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase hope Jonbon.
Henderson went into this year’s Festival under a cloud following the withdrawal of Champion Hurdle title holder Constitution Hill and a disappointing run of form from his stable as a whole.
Luccia provided the Seven Barrows handler with a boost when finishing third behind State Man in the Champion Hurdle, but his other five runners on Tuesday were all pulled up.
Henderson posted on X: “I’m afraid we have had to make some very tough decisions following the very disappointing performances of all bar one of our horses yesterday.
“It was there for all to see that there is obviously something affecting nearly all our horses and consequently we have reluctantly decided that Jonbon, First Street and Kingston Pride will not run today.
“It is impossible to identify any reason for all the disappointments and none of these horses have given us any cause for concern and all yesterday’s runners were scoped clean post race and I am glad to say all are sound this morning.
“There will unfortunately be further non-runners on Thursday and Friday.
“I hope everybody will appreciate that we have to do this in everybody’s interests, particularly the horses. It is very, very disappointing for everybody.”
Among Henderson’s high-profile entries for the rest of the week are JCB Triumph Hurdle favourite Sir Gino and leading Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup contender Shishkin.
Today’s Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase has been abandoned due to waterlogged ground on Cheltenham’s inside circuit.
Following 11mm of rainfall throughout yesterday, there has been no improvement in the conditions on the Cross-Country course and areas of the track remain unraceable.
The forecast for the remainder of the week continues to look unsettled, with further showers likely on both Thursday and Friday.
There will therefore be insufficient improvement to the Cross-Country course and the decision has been taken not to reschedule the Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase at this year’s Festival.
Due to the abandonment, the revised race times for today are as follows: Race 1 – 1345, Race 2 – 1430, Race 3 – 1515, Race 4 – 1600, Race 5 – N/A, Race 6 – 1650, Race 7 – 1730.
The going on the regulation Old and New courses is described as soft, heavy in places.
World number two Carlos Alcaraz raced into the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open with a straight-sets win over Fabian Marozsan in Indian Wells.
The Spaniard, bidding to become the first player to defend the title since Novak Djokovic in 2016, won 6-3 6-3 in an hour and a quarter.
Hungarian Marozsan, 24, came into the match with a rare winning head-to-head record against Alcaraz, having beaten him on the Rome clay last year in their only previous meeting, one of the shock results of the season.
The Wimbledon champion quickly went about taking his revenge, winning four games in a row from 3-2 down to take the first set.
A solitary break for 4-2 in the second proved enough to wrap up the match and book a last-eight meeting with Alexander Zverev.
“Honestly I was nervous before the match, playing against someone who beat you, let’s say easily, it was difficult for me to approach the game,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview.
“But I’m happy with the win. Today I knew better what I needed to do than in Rome.”
Zverev took down Australian Alex de Minaur after he lost the first set before coming back to win 5-7 6-2 6-3.
Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner continued his stellar start to the year, recording his 18th straight win in a victory over American Ben Shelton 7-6 (4) 6-1.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 11th seed from Greece, was on the end of an upset as he slipped to a 6-2 6-4 defeat to Czech youngster Jiri Lehecka.
World number one Iga Swiatek will take on Caroline Wozniacki in the BNP Paribas Open quarter-finals at Indian Wells.
It took little more than an hour for Poland’s Swiatek to beat Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in straight sets 6-1 6-2.
Wozniacki, from Denmark, defeated three-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber in 90 minutes 6-4 6-2, advancing to her first WTA 1000 quarter-final since 2019 after returning to the tour.
After her match, former world number one Wozniacki said she will have to play her “best tennis to compete” with Swiatek.
“I think I have obviously commentated some of her matches,” she said. “I know how she’s playing. Obviously she’s playing good tennis, playing powerfully.
“I practiced with her as well a few times after I have come back, during the US Open as well. I know how she plays, but it’s one thing knowing how she plays and also playing against her in a full match.”
Swiatek said on court that she has great respect for Wozniacki.
“I think she’s playing great even after the maternity break. She was fighting to come back.
“I have huge respect. I’m going to prepare like any other, but off the court she’s a great person.”
Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk defeated Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 6-1, while Russian Anastasia Potapova defeated Italian Jasmine Paolini 7-5 0-6 6-3.
Anthony Edwards scored 37 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied from a 22-point deficit for a 118-100 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker added a season-high 28 points and Mike Conley scored 23 with five 3-pointers for the Wolves, who bounced back from consecutive losses to pull within one game of the Northwest Division lead.
Kawhi Leonard left with back spasms between the first two quarters, the Clippers said. He played the entire first quarter, but he was seen leaving the arena during the second quarter.
Faced with a 57-35 deficit midway through the second quarter, Minnesota cut the Clippers’ lead to 63-55 at halftime and took control in the second half for the team’s largest comeback since November 2012.
Paul George scored 22 points for Los Angeles, which has dropped two straight for only the second time since Christmas.
Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert returned from a one-game absence with a right hamstring injury but then apparently injured his ribs or sternum at some point in the second half, heading to the locker room in pain.
Kings finally beat Bucks
De’Aaron Fox scored 29 points and Domantas Sabonis had 22 with 11 rebounds as the Sacramento Kings defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, 129-94, for their first win in the series in over eight years.
Sacramento posted its first win over Milwaukee since Feb. 1, 2016, with the 15-game losing streak being the longest active streak for any team.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points and 13 rebounds as the Bucks finished a 1-3 California swing.
Hart stars in Knicks’ rout of 76ers
Josh Hart registered his fourth triple-double of the season and OG Anunoby scored 14 points in his return from an 18-game absence as the New York Knicks rolled to a 106-79 drubbing of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Hart had 20 points, a career high-tying 19 rebounds and 10 assists, and Jalen Brunson added 20 points and nine assists for the Knicks, who bounced back from Sunday’s loss to the 76ers.
Anunoby played his first game since Jan. 27 due to a right elbow injury that required surgery. New York improved to 13-2 in games that he has played in since his acquisition from Toronto on Dec. 30.
Kelly Oubre Jr. had 19 points and Tyrese Maxey added 17 after missing the previous four games due to a concussion. Philadelphia has lost four of its last five games.
Aleksander Barkov scored his second goal of the game with 5:22 remaining and the NHL-leading Florida Panthers used a three-goal third period to defeat the Dallas Stars 5-2 on Tuesday.
Dallas held a 3-1 lead midway through the third period, but Barkov scored a power-play goal with 8:51 left and Sam Bennett netted the tying goal just under three minutes later. Barkov scored the winner just 38 seconds later on a power play.
Sam Reinhart added his team-leading 46th goal for the Panthers, who won for the 18th time in 21 games.
Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston and Joe Pavelski each had a goal and an assist for the Central Division-leading Stars, who had won five in a row.
Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky allowed more than two goals for the first time since Jan. 19, ending his personal 12-game stretch.
Shesterkin perfect again
Igor Shesterkin stopped 28 shots for his second straight shutout and the New York Rangers padded their lead in the Metropolitan Division with a 1-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Shesterkin, who blanked St. Louis on Saturday, turned away five shots in the first period, 11 in the second and 12 more in the third for his 14th career shutout.
Adam Fox scored the game’s only goal late in the first period as New York won its third straight to open a six-point lead over Carolina in the Metro.
Pyotr Kochetkov made 23 saves for the Hurricanes, who had won three in a row.
Rantanen’s big game powers surging Avs
Mikko Rantanen had two goals and two assists and the Colorado Avalanche scored five times in the second period in a 6-2 victory over the Calgary Flames.
Valeri Nichushkin had a goal and two assists and Nathan MacKinnon added a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, who have won four straight and six of seven to pull within two points of Dallas for the Central Division lead.
MacKinnon, who leads the NHL with 113 points, extended his point streak to 13 games. He has nine goals and 19 assists during that span.
The Flames dropped their third straight after winning six of seven.
England wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has prioritised his health over the prospect of facing France after self-reporting symptoms of concussion.
Attack coach Richard Wigglesworth revealed Feyi-Waboso has been ruled out of the climax to the Guinness Six Nations in Lyon after he became “groggy” in the wake of Saturday’s 23-22 victory over Ireland.
Although the 21-year-old Exeter University medical student finished the match, it was only afterwards that he felt the effects of a possible concussion that cannot be traced to any one incident on the field.
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It means England’s breakout star of the Six Nations will be unable to take part in the bid to snatch Ireland’s title a week after setting Twickenham alight with a dynamic display on his first start.
“Manny felt a bit groggy so he is unfortunately ruled out of the game, but we don’t take any risks with that sort of stuff,” Wigglesworth said.
“He’s obviously gutted but being the smart lad he is, he reported his symptoms. He did the right thing.”
England have chosen not to replace Feyi-Waboso in their 36-man training squad, with Elliot Daly likely to take his place on the wing against France.
Cardiff-born Feyi-Waboso was persuaded to pledge his national allegiance to England by Steve Borthwick in January and both player and coach have been rewarded by his dynamic displays, two of them coming off the bench.
“It had been building for Manny. You have to integrate these players carefully and I think Steve did that well in how he exposed him to Test rugby so he was ready to fly,” Wigglesworth said.
“He played really well, got his hands on the ball and did what we asked him to do and brought his talents.
“It’s very disappointing for him as I know how desperate he was to play again and how much he enjoyed his first start.”
England picked themselves up off the canvas after a disappointing defeat by Scotland in round three to end Ireland’s Grand Slam defence when Marcus Smith kicked a last-gasp drop-goal.
Steve Borthwick’s side had been irked by the avalanche of predictions that they would be routed by the favourites, whose former number eight Jamie Heaslip even said their only chance was if Ireland had one or two players sent off.
England back row Ben Earl stated after the win that “apparently we’re the worst England team ever. We’ve done pretty well for that accolade”, but Wigglesworth admits that defiant rage will only take a team so far.
“Every week is different and as a player, a coaching staff and a team, you use different things and you will tap into different emotions,” he said.
“We want to be obsessed with getting better, we want to keep moving on. What is called a disaster, for us is a learning experience so at the end we are moving the dial in the right direction.
“There are emotional buttons the players want to press themselves but at the core is trying to move our game on, trying to get better, having real clarity on what we are going after so we get better.”
Having delivered according to expectations over the past two years, the hierarchy of Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL) have promised that this year’s third edition of the Mouttet Invitational Mile will be the best yet, as they announced three changes to the conditions for its marquee event.
Those three changes include the allocation of 10 starting stalls for horses domiciled in Jamaica before January 1, 2024, with six starting stalls now being allocated to horses not domiciled in Jamaica before January 1, 2024, while the winners of the Jamaica Derby, Jamaica Cup, Philip Feanny Gold Cup, and the Port Royal Sprint will gain automatic entry in the Mouttet Mile.
The first two changes represent a shift from last year’s conditions when 12 stalls were reserved for horses domiciled in Jamaica before January 1, 2024, and four for horses not domiciled in Jamaica before January 1, 2024.
These changes by the promoting company are in addition to reaffirming the Mouttet Mile’s status as the most lucrative single racing event in the English-speaking Caribbean with a staggering increase in purse from US$150,000 to US$250,000 ($38,000,000 Jamaican), which was announced earlier this year.
Chris Wills, SVREL’s acting general manager of operations, said it is only fitting that the promoting company surpasses its own milestone set last year when they had overseas-based jockeys and horses to add to the excitement that was livestreamed in the United States on Fox5.
This year’s edition of the Mouttet Mile, a Grade One race for three-year-olds and up over one mile (1,600m), is scheduled for December 7, when the promoting company aims to build on the momentum gained last year.
“When we first conceptualized the idea of hosting a race day at Caymanas Park that could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with most of the prestigious events on the global racing calendar, it seemed like it was an audacious dream. However, with the approval of our board, we set to turn this dream into a reality.
“Of course, every ambitious endeavour requires the support of dedicated partners, and we were fortunate to get the backing of the Mouttet family, who not only shared our vision, but also provided the crucial support which was needed to kick start this incredible journey. Their belief in our vision enabled us to offer the largest purse ever in the English-speaking Caribbean,” Wills said during a press conference in Kingston on Tuesday.
“Since the first staging of the Mouttet Mile, I think it's fair to say the race has become the most anticipated race day in the Caribbean. It has raised the bar for what is possible for a standard we can deliver right here in Jamaica. The success of the first year was just the beginning. So, as we look ahead to 2024, I'm thrilled to announce that the best is yet to come. We are pulling out all the stops to make the third running of the Mouttet Mile Invitational an unforgettable event,” he added.
Aside from the Mouttet Mile, Gary Peart, chairman of Supreme Ventures Limited, pointed to the significance of sustained partnerships to shape the future of the overall racing product and the industry on a whole.
“Our mantra has been harmony and until all the stakeholders in horse racing come together in harmony, we will not truly realize the potential of horse racing. Most of the stakeholders are here, the only one that is outstanding is the government, and I'm appealing to my stakeholders, let's come together in harmony and let's walk and sit with the government because we think that Caymanas can not only change the fortunes of our stakeholders in horse racing, but the country on a whole,” Peart declared, as his hinted at the possibility of attracting more overseas patrons for this year’s event.
“Last year we were able to cut a deal to get Mouttet Mile on Fox Sports, and for the first time, horse racing from Jamaica was live on mainstream TV in the United States.
“It's very important, because if the experts at Jamaica Tourist Board and their team can see the potential of what a day of Caymanas Park is like, then it tells me to convince the rest of the ecosystem here and internationally that it is not going to be that great of a challenge,” he noted.
Meanwhile, SVREL’s executive chairman, Solomon Sharpe, who is overseas, lent his voice to proceedings, as he too promised that this year’s edition will again raise the bar to higher heights.
World number one Scottie Scheffler believes he faces a “very tall task” to enjoy a sustained period of dominance despite seemingly finding the solution to his sole weakness.
Scheffler compiled one of the best ball-striking seasons ever seen in 2023, his adjusted scoring average of 68.63 being the seventh-lowest in PGA Tour history and the best by anyone not named Tiger Woods.
In total Scheffler was ranked first in nine different categories, including greens in regulation and strokes gained off the tee, but was ranked 162nd out of 193 players in putting.
World number two Rory McIlroy recently suggested that Scheffler should change to a mallet putter to cure his problems on the greens and the former Masters champion duly did so before strolling to a five-shot victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
That has given rise to speculation that Scheffler could be on his way to dominating the game for a number of years as he prepares to attempt to become the first player to successfully defend the Players Championship in its 50-year history.
“I think it would be good for the game,” Scheffler told a pre-tournament press conference at Sawgrass.
“I think anytime you have a figure that kind of dominates… like I think of the NBA, you look at Steph Curry for those years where the [Golden State] Warriors were winning a bunch, people would say they got tired of it but at the end of the day, people were still showing up and watching because he was incredible to watch, and you want to watch greatness when you’re out there.
“So I think it would be good for the game of golf, and we’ll see what happens with the sport in the next few years.
“It’s a pretty challenging game and we’ve got a lot of talent out here, so being that dominant figure I think is a very tall task to ask of anybody, but we’ve got some guys out here that I think can definitely pull it off.”
Asked to name a player, other than Woods, who had dominated the game recently, Scheffler added: “Well, you kind of put me in a little corner here by taking Tiger away.
“As far as I’m concerned and in my lifetime, Tiger’s really been the guy that’s dominated basically since 1997 up until about 2020, whenever he really got hurt. I don’t know if we’ll ever see anything like that again in the game of golf.
“As far as who else has been dominant, I think you’ve had a lot of guys that go through stretches where they are. You had Jordan [Spieth] go through his stretch, you had a year where JT [Justin Thomas] won five times, you had those years where Rory was winning majors by a bunch of shots.
“Nobody’s really been able to have the longevity that Tiger had.”
Jaylen Brown is counting his lucky stars as the Boston Celtics man feels blessed with another chance at achieving "something special".
Brown posted 27 points, one more than teammate Jayson Tatum, as the Celtics overcame the Portland Trail Blazers 121-99, despite the absence of injured stars Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.
That victory over Portland marked the Eastern Conference-leading Boston's 50th of the season for a third straight campaign.
"All the guys laugh because, around this time of year, I say the same thing – how much of an honor it is to be on this team," Brown said.
"I'm grateful to be on a team that's winning, that's been playing the right way, has another opportunity to do something special. That's a blessing."
With a mammoth 18 games remaining, the Celtics have already secured a playoff spot after becoming the first team to hit the 50-win mark this year.
Boston lost the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors in 2022 before Conference Finals defeat against the Miami Heat the following year, though Tatum remains buoyant.
"At this point of the season, to have 50 wins, it means we're doing something right," Tatum added. "The scary part is, we can get better."
Sam Hauser also finished with a season-high six 3-pointers and 22 points for Boston, who have won an NBA-leading 21 games on the road this season.
"We don't really look at a team's record," Hauser said. "It's the NBA, everybody has talented players.
"You can lose any given night, so we just try to take it one day at a time, once game at a time, and find things that we can get better at each and every day."
The Celtics will hope to keep up their winning run on the road when they visit the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.
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