William Buick has been booked to ride a pair of George Boughey’s top two-year-olds at Royal Ascot next week.
The Newmarket handler is “delighted” the champion jockey will partner Asadna in the Coventry Stakes and Soprano in the Albany Stakes, both of whom are at the forefront of the market for the respective races.
Both worked nicely on the watered Rowley Mile gallop on Tuesday, as the Classic-winning trainer put the finishing touches to his preparations for the five-day meeting, where he is expected to have approximately 20 runners.
“The two-year-olds will probably be leading the charge,” said Boughey. “They are the shortest prices, so I’m not telling anyone anything new.”
Asadna is vying for favouritism with River Tiber for Tuesday’s Coventry Stakes on the back of a scintillating 12-length debut success at Ripon under Buick.
He worked well in a recent racecourse gallop and appears to have thrived since.
“Asadna was very good at Chelmsford in a piece of work the other day. Oisin Murphy rode him there and William rode him this morning and was very happy,” said Boughey.
“He looked very good this morning. He has a super attitude. I think we will watch him walk round the paddock ahead of the Coventry like he is here in the paddock. He would go there with a good chance.”
He went on: “He has just got an amazing temperament. He doesn’t sweat, he doesn’t do anything wrong. He’s a very sound horse. He just loves his work. He is not ‘showy’ in the morning, but when he went to Chelmsford the other day, he worked like a good horse.”
Buick added: “He did it nicely. It was nice ground on the watered gallop and I was very happy with him.
“He did everything I asked of him and his prep for Ascot has gone very well. Today was a good bit of work for him, but he seemed pretty smooth and he was his usual self. He was very impressive when he won and he has very good credentials. I’m looking forward to him.”
Highclere-owned filly Soprano landed a hot five-furlong maiden at Newmarket and had that form franked when runner-up Midnight Affair took the Hilary Needler at Beverley on Saturday.
Partnered by Connor Planas, she worked upsides Asadna and looked on good terms with herself ahead of Friday week’s Albany bid, for which she is currently a general 4-1 second-favourite behind Jabaara.
“They worked well. It was good work together,” said Boughey.
“Soprano was very good at Newmarket. She goes there with a good chance.
“William will ride Asadna as it doesn’t look like Charlie (Appleby) has got anything for the race. William will also ride Soprano in the Albany, which we are delighted about. He has won on both of them.
“William has ridden most of ours for a while now. It is great to have him on the big day, because usually he has to get off, so we are lucky to have him.”
Graceful Thunder, who took a five-furlong Sandown novice on debut, will head to the Queen Mary, following a decent piece of work under Kevin Stott, while Boughey’s juvenile team is completed by Muqtahem, who showed promise on debut before scoring at the second attempt at Pontefract. He breezed nicely under Pat Cosgrave and heads to the Windsor Castle.
“The two-year-olds are still learning,” added Boughey. “We worked six, four of them who will go to Ascot.
“I didn’t find anything out, necessarily. They are just teaching each other as they go along. Asadna, Soprano, Muqtahem, Graceful Thunder, they are all going to their respective races and it was all pretty straightforward work, but they all pleased me.”
The 30-year-old struck twice at the Royal meeting last year, with Missed The Cut taking the Golden Gates Handicap and Inver Park scoring in the Buckingham Palace Stakes.
Boughey admits he faces higher expectations now. “I’d bite your hand off for winner at Royal Ascot,” he added.
“I never thought that I would be a Royal Ascot-winning trainer.
“Since we had two last year, now we have to try to find another one this year – and it is very, very hard.
“We have got a strong team going there, but no one realises quite how hard it is. You need the draw right, you need the ground right. It has been quick ground for the last three weeks and it might go and be soft ground, and all our quick ground horses are kaput and you only have two bullets to fire who want soft ground.
“There is a lot of water to go under the bridge, but I’m very happy with how they are at the moment.
“If one goes in, there will be a big party, anyway.”
Cadan Murley is willing to temporarily suspend his allegiance to Manchester United as he analyses Erling Haaland for clues on how to enhance his own finishing.
The Gallagher Premiership’s most prolific try scorer of last season sees value in looking to other sports for inspiration and identifies Manchester City marksman Haaland as the most insightful player to watch.
Haaland has set a new record for goals scored in a Premier League season with 52 and Murley, the Harlequins wing hoping to make his England debut this summer, admires his instinct for knowing where the chances will fall.
“I’m a United fan and I wish we had Haaland,” Murley told the PA news agency at the launch of Spabreaks.com’s Men’s Health Week campaign ‘Real Men Relax’.
“It’s hard when he scores against us, but as a sportsman, you’ve got to respect everyone out there and what Haaland has done is unbelievable.
“Whenever he’s needed, he’s always there in the right place at the right time. That’s kind of true of me on the rugby pitch as well – a lot of people say my tries are walk-ins, but you’ve got to be there in the right position.
“Haaland is always lurking. He’s a great finisher and a great footballer, but for me it’s his ability to know where to be that stands out.”
Murley’s 15 touch downs last season – he was also second-highest try scorer behind Max Malins in 2021-22 – have put him in contention for World Cup selection and he could win his first cap during the four warm-up Tests.
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While possessing a nose for the line and surprising power for a 23-year-old who is 5ft 8in and weighs 15st 2lbs, developing familiarity with his team-mates has been just as instrumental to his consistency as a finisher.
He added: “A lot of it comes down to who you are playing with and if you know them well enough. Do you know what they’re going to do?
“For example, I know that Andre Esterhuizen and Alex Dombrandt will probably make gainline and will look for off-loads, so fishing in and around those two is very good.
“And of course Marcus Smith can pull a crossfield kick out of anywhere. He likes me to be in certain positions on the touchline – if he has a couple of looks and there’s space there then I know he’s going to do that.
“Those relationships are really important, but there are also other things that you need to practise day in day out on the training field.
“Mainly I do one on ones. I’m a bit different to other wingers. I don’t have the best feet out there, but I’m also more powerful than some. So I practise grabbing bigger people and practise finishing drills.
“My power has come from when I played back row when I was younger. I was never the biggest so I’ve always had to punch above my weight.”
Revitalised by a mandatory five-week rest period that included 10 days spent in Marbella, Murley has been selected in England’s first training squad of the summer with clear instructions from head coach Steve Borthwick on what is expected.
“Steve has given general instructions to all the back three. He wants us to be aerially dominant, so he’s asked us to always work on the high ball,” he said.
“The way the international game is going, there is a lot more kick chase, but they want that to be done at as high a speed as possible so we’ve been doing lots of sprint repeats.
“Steve also wants us to be physical – the most physical wingers in the world. One on one you expect the attacker to win, but if you can become dominant in defence then that can give your team an edge.”
:: Cadan Murley was speaking as Spabreaks.com, the UK’s leading spa booking and experience agency, launch their Men’s Health Week campaign “Real Men Relax”, to highlight the benefits of spa to men of all trades and backgrounds. For more information, visit www.spabreaks.com
Charlie Appleby took some of his stable stars to Newmarket’s Rowley Mile ahead of Royal Ascot next week, with Prince of Wales’s Stakes favourite Adayar the main attraction.
The son of Frankel comfortably beat subsequent Group One winner Anmaat in the Gordon Richards Stakes on his comeback this season and was partnered by William Buick in a gentle piece of work.
Second in the Champion Stakes last season, Appleby hopes the decision to keep the 2021 Derby winner in training at five is rewarded with a Group One win over 10 furlongs.
“It was a nice, pleasing piece of work. He is there now and we didn’t want to be doing anything too strong with him,” said Appleby.
“You could see his enthusiasm in dragging William to his lead horse there and he went through the line well and had his ears pricked. I think it is a great experience for these horses and we are lucky to be able to do it.
“A week out we just want them to come up and enjoy themselves.
“He goes into the Prince of Wales’s as near-favourite or joint-favourite and deservedly so on what we saw at the Guineas meeting. He has come forward for that first run.
“Hopefully we can get our rewards, more so for him, for staying in training.”
He added on the prospect of an unsettled weather forecast: “We all want decent ground, but the one thing he has up his sleeve is that he can handle soft ground. I wouldn’t say he is better on soft ground by any stretch of the imagination, but he handles it.
“Any of these Group One races are hard to win. If you think you are worried about just Luxembourg or Bay Bridge then more fool you. Whoever turns up you respect them all, but I’m just delighted with how our horse is going into the race.”
Appleby looks like fielding a very strong hand in the opening Queen Anne Stakes with Lockinge winner Modern Games and last year’s Irish Guineas hero Native Trail.
“I was pleased with Native Trail’s first run and he has definitely come forward for his run at Newmarket. As you know he has had wind surgery during the winter, but I was very pleased with that this morning,” said Appleby.
“Like any of those older horses they take a bit of work and you could see the improvement from that first run. He moved well today, he has always got that raspiness but that is him. It doesn’t stop him. I was pleased with the way he hit the line there.
“He will head to the Queen Anne now along with Modern Games, who is back at home as he doesn’t need to do any more himself.
“There is no doubt about it that it was all about Native Trail last season, but they don’t know what price they are. To be fair from our own point of view we don’t worry what price they are. They are two lovely horses to have around.
“One has already done it this year with Modern Games winning a Group One and I’m a strong believer Native Trail won’t be too far behind him in getting his Group One this year.”
Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Yibir, another who went through his paces, is stepping up markedly in trip for the Gold Cup. But Appleby believes his running style gives him a chance of staying the trip.
He said: “Yibir is heading towards the Gold Cup. I’m pleased with him and he showed plenty of enthusiasm today. He has definitely come forward for his run at Newbury.
“We know it is an extra mile on top of his normal trip, but on the back of what we have seen with the likes of Broome and those good older mile-and-a-half horses they can do that.
“Talking to the guys that have ridden in the Gold Cup they will often get the two miles, it is when you go beyond two miles that are obviously extreme distances for Flat horses.
“I would be a bit bold to say he is going to get the two and a half miles, but he has got the right run style and if it is quick ground we know he enjoys that sounder surface.
“William will be able to ride him coming into the race and if he comes good when the bell rings then he will be there as a live player that is for sure.
“These older mile-and-a-half horses don’t get any quicker and the division he is in is a tough division now and we thought going this way might just open up some doors for him going the Gold Cup distance. It is an open division, but he is fit and well and I’m pleased with the way he is going into it.”
Inspiral limbered up for her return to action at Royal Ascot next week with a racecourse gallop on Newmarket’s July course on Tuesday morning.
Unbeaten in four juvenile starts, the Cheveley Park Stud-owned filly did not make her three-year-old debut until running out a brilliant winner of the Coronation Stakes 12 months ago and will once again make her reappearance at the Royal meeting, this time in the curtain-raising Queen Anne Stakes.
Following her scintillating success in the Coronation, Inspiral went on to suffer a shock defeat in the Falmouth Stakes before bouncing back to claim a third Group One win in the Prix Jacques le Marois in France.
With last month’s Lockinge at Newbury coming too soon, the Frankel filly has not been seen in finishing down the field in the QEII on Champions Day at Ascot in October, but trainer John Gosden expressed his satisfaction after seeing her pull comfortably clear of her work companion under Frankie Dettori.
“We have been very happy with her recently and she enjoyed her work there. It was nice to get her back on the track,” said the Clarehaven handler.
“A racecourse gallop was part of the plan and it is a big help heading into Royal Ascot without having had a run.
“She has taken her time to come to hand. We had a cold wet spring then we had a lot of cold, dry weather with winds from the north east off the North Sea. A lot of these fillies just haven’t flourished, that is all.”
While Gosden is taking some encouragement from the fact Inspiral proved herself capable of producing a big performance first time out last season, he admits she has more on her plate this time around, with the Breeders’ Cup Mile and Lockinge winner Modern Games among her likely rivals.
He added: “We were hoping to go to the Lockingem but it didn’t quite happen so we will go straight into the Queen Anne. We did it last year going into the Coronation Stakes.
“It does give us confidence going there knowing that we have done this before. It is like all these fillies though – they will tell you when they are ready to run, you don’t tell them.
“Last year we were just taking on three-year-old fillies. This year we are taking on proven older horses like the Breeders’ Cup Mile winner, so it is a much bigger test.
“It would be very exciting if she did win. We just want to get her there in good order and at the moment we would be very pleased with her.”
George Boughey will take his time with Classic-winning filly Cachet, after she proved slow to come to hand this spring.
The daughter of Aclaim gave the Newmarket handler a breakthrough top-level success when landing the Qipco 1000 Guineas last year, but has not been since since finishing fifth to Inspiral in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.
The Highclere-owned four-year-old will be a hot commodity as a broodmare, and Boughey says she is not ready for a return and will hold her back.
He said: “Cachet looks better than she has all spring. It wasn’t fair to take her straight to Royal Ascot a year off the track, running six furlongs for the first time.
“And I also didn’t think it was fair to run her in a Group Two over a mile, not having been a convincing stayer on the stiff track.
“I haven’t really got a plan at the moment. She’s training away nicely, but at the end of the day, her main target is a mares’ sale at the end of the year.
“She wasn’t right to go to a sale at the end of last year and we will try to have her as busy as she can be into December, but I’m not going to rush her – she’s a very valuable filly and doesn’t really need to prove anything else.”
Narrowly beaten in the French Guineas after her Newmarket effort, the Saffron House handler has not ruled out the possibility she will run again this year before retiring, with all the top mile races under consideration.
Boughey added: “There are lots of races for her, Forets, Sun Chariots, Breeders’ Cups. She might be a fresh horse against horses who have had a busy year.
“I’m very positive we will see her on the track in the next period of time, but I’m not sure when that will be, though.
“She is not quite there yet, but she has worked quite nicely. She has done a couple of bits, but she’s not sparkled yet and we know what she can do, so we’ve given her plenty of time.
“I don’t know why she hasn’t (sparkled). It has been very warm and now she is starting to thrive, but it has been a pretty hard spring for them and she just hasn’t for some reason.
“Emily Upjohn didn’t thrive through the spring and is now flying and a star again. Inspiral didn’t. There are a few of those good fillies that haven’t and it’s been easier for the colts than the fillies.”
Cruiserweight Richard Riakporhe believes boxing has allowed him to escape the “bottom of the barrel” and give opportunities to those without a voice.
Aside from the personal rewards which go hand-in-hand with being the number two WBO cruiserweight, south Londoner Riakporhe is keen to use his platform to help others.
“Growing up around the Aylesbury Estate (Walworth, south east London) we came from a low social class,” Riakporhe told the PA news agency.
“I had my mother and father present but I became a product of my environment. There are others who are from worse situations and they need a lot of support but no-one seems to care and that’s the saddest part about it. When I see them, I see myself in them which is why I do what I do.
“I have come up with different initiatives, I have come up with my foundation where we are doing a lot of things behind the scenes and slowly pushing them out there to try and give people opportunities.
“I became a reference, people started to use me as an example. I naturally grew into that position. I embrace it and I want to do more, it’s all about legacy, boxing is one thing and it’s something I love but there are other things that people will remember me for. I have a strong purpose.
“I want that major influence, I want to help others, use the platform to help others, give opportunities to those who are not seen and who will probably never be heard.”
Riakporhe has his sights set on cruiserweight glory this year after Lawrence Okolie’s defeat to Chris Billam-Smith last month, which would be quite the turnaround from his youthful surroundings where he was stabbed as a teenager.
And the orthodox fighter looked back at his upbringing and credited boxing with providing him with an outlet and discipline which allowed him to stay clear from distractions.
“To be honest I owe a lot to boxing. For you to elevate and be successful in boxing you have to be disciplined and that takes you away from self-sabotage,” Riakporhe added.
“To be successful you have to go to the gym, work out, avoid distractions. There are so many elements of boxing that develop your character.
“We had to learn and navigate around the place because we wanted to create a better opportunity for ourselves, live a better life and the only way we could’ve done that is by learning and developing ourselves every single day or staying in the same position at the bottom of the barrel and I didn’t want to accept that anymore, I wanted to make something of myself.
“In that environment you’re pretty much doing things to survive, people do things because they have to. People have no money so they get into crime, people have no jobs so they get into crime. It takes a lot of mental strength to not get involved in things going on in and around the area.”
Nikola Jokic is now in "the legendary category" after he propelled the Denver Nuggets to victory in the NBA Finals.
Jokic capped a sensational postseason by sparking Denver's comeback from a 10-point second-quarter deficit on Monday.
The Serbian finished with 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting along with 16 rebounds as the Nuggets won 94-89 against the Miami Heat to clinch the championship in Game 5.
For Detroit Pistons great Isiah Thomas, two-time NBA MVP Jokic must be considered among the very best.
"It puts him in the legendary category for what he's done statistically in the Finals," Thomas told ESPN.
"I don't know if there's anyone who's ever had a statistical run in the NBA Finals as a center as he had in these categories."
For Jokic, who can now add an NBA Finals MVP award to his long list of career accolades, it was a case of a job well done.
"It's good, we did the job. I think we played the best basketball – I'm not going to say in the postseason – but we were there, playing the best basketball," Jokic told reporters.
"Since day one, there was something different about this team, an energy, and every day since I've had this feeling. I'm not really an optimistic guy but that gave me hope that we can do something."
It has been a long road for the Nuggets to their first NBA title, but Jokic believes a team must experience downs as well as ups to be great.
"If you want to be successful, you need a couple of years to be bad, then be good, and then when you're good you need to fail and then figure it out," he added.
"I think experience isn't what happened to you, it's what you're going to do after what happened. There are no shortcuts, it's a journey and I'm glad to be part of this journey.
"It's a good thing to know you've done something that nobody believed [we could]. Every player believed, and that's the good thing."
In 20 postseason games, Jokic accumulated 600 points, 269 rebounds and 190 assists. Never before in NBA history had a player reached those numbers over a 20-game span.
Jokic also became the first player in NBA history to have 25+ points and 15+ rebounds on 75 percent shooting in a championship-clinching win.
Next week’s Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot is among the options under consideration for Caernarfon after trainer Jack Channon decided against a bid for Classic glory in France on Sunday.
A creditable fourth over a mile in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket, the daughter of Cityscape stepped up on that performance when third in the Oaks at Epsom over a mile and a half.
Caernarfon had the option of running in this weekend’s French Oaks at Chantilly over a mile and a quarter, but while Channon is keen to try her over the intermediate distance on her next start, he scratched his stable star from the Prix de Diane on Tuesday morning.
Explaining the decision, Channon said: “If I’m brutally honest, I didn’t like the outlook of the French race, simply due to the fact it can be a very messy race.
“From a wide draw you can’t win at Chantilly and even with a plum draw, she’s not the biggest, she’s the type of filly that could lose her position and if you get too far back round there it’s a very hard place to win.
“I just thought there’d be better options and some of the races in the late summer, like the Nassau at Goodwood, are going to be right up her street.”
Caernarfon will now either take on the boys at the Royal meeting or wait for Group One opportunities against her own sex.
“We’ve got a couple options, you’ve got the Hampton Court Stakes over a mile and a quarter if you wanted to go against the colts at Ascot, or you’ve obviously got the Ribblesdale against the fillies over a mile and a half,” Channon continued.
“We could definitely look at a mile and a half again in the future, but I think a mile and a quarter is where I want to go with her next.
“You’ve got the Pretty Polly in Ireland over a mile and a quarter a couple of weeks after that, so we’ve got a few options and we’re not concrete on anything yet.
“She’s in great form and wherever we go she’ll be ready to rock and roll. She’s come out of Epsom probably better than she did Newmarket, so we’re chuffed.”
The PGA Tour is confident it will be able to assure Congress it controls the shock new venture with Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund after a United States Senator opened an investigation into the deal.
The PGA announced a week ago a plan to combine its commercial business with those of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which includes the LIV Golf series that the PGA had previously been in open dispute with.
Richard Blumenthal, the Democratic Senator for Connecticut, wrote to PGA Tour chief executive Jay Monahan and his LIV Golf counterpart Greg Norman on Monday to say the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations was “reviewing matters” concerning the deal.
Senator Blumenthal wrote in his letter to Monahan: “PGA Tour’s agreement with PIF regarding LIV Golf raises concerns about the Saudi government’s role in influencing this effort and the risks posed by a foreign government entity assuming control over a cherished American institution.”
In response, the PGA Tour issued a statement which read: “We are confident that once Congress learns more about how the PGA Tour will control this new venture, they will understand the opportunities this will create for our players, our communities and our sport, all while protecting an American golf institution.”
The PGA insists the new venture is not a merger and that it is not owned by PIF. It says PIF will be investing in this new subsidiary, with the PGA Tour retaining majority ownership and control.
Senator Blumenthal asked for relevant documents and information to be shared by June 26.
He noted in both letters that the announcement last Tuesday marked “a sudden and and drastic reversal of position” from the PGA Tour towards LIV Golf which raised “serious questions”.
The PGA and LIV Golf had been involved in litigation in the US courts, with a number of players defecting from the PGA to LIV for huge sums of money.
The new venture, which the PGA promised would “unify the game of golf, on a global basis” and which also includes the European Tour, is sure to be a major topic of discussion as players gather for this week’s US Open at the Los Angeles Country Club.
Rory McIlroy, one of the PGA’s most high-profile supporters in its battle with LIV, said last week he felt like “a sacrificial lamb” after the deal was confirmed.
The Nottingham Open is set to commence as planned on Tuesday despite what police described as an “horrific and tragic incident” in the city centre.
A number of roads are closed following the arrest of a man on suspicion of murder after three people were found dead – two in Ilkeston Road and then a man in Magdala Road.
Tournament organisers announced that play will go ahead as scheduled at 11am, but warned spectators to expect delays en route.
An LTA statement read: “Spectators should be aware of travel disruption around Nottingham city centre this morning due to a police incident.
“Play will commence at 11am as normal, but please be aware your travel may take longer than normal.”
Nottinghamshire Police Chief Constable Kate Meynell said: “This is a horrific and tragic incident which has claimed the lives of three people.
“We believe these three incidents are all linked and we have a man in custody.
“This investigation is at its early stages and a team of detectives is working to establish exactly what has happened.
“We ask the public to be patient while inquiries continue. At this time, a number of roads in the city will remain closed as this investigation progresses.”
Jimmy Butler still believes he can lead the Miami Heat to NBA championship glory despite his team falling short in a 4-1 series defeat to the Denver Nuggets.
The Denver Nuggets became NBA champions for the first time after a tense 94-89 win over Miami in Game 5 on Monday.
Miami, just the second No. 8 seed out of a conference to reach the NBA Finals, made the Nuggets work for the clinching win. They held a seven-point halftime lead and were 89-88 ahead inside the last two minutes.
But the Nuggets, boosted by another monster performance from NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, rallied to end the franchise's long championship drought.
Butler has been with the Heat for four seasons and lost out in the NBA Finals twice – with the Los Angeles Lakers triumphant in six games back in 2020 on his previous attempt to lift the Larry O'Brien Trophy – but the six-time All-Star, who is three months from turning 34, remains optimistic.
"It's been great," Butler said to ESPN about his four seasons with the Heat.
"I've had some helluva teammates come through and compete with me and give us the opportunity to win a championship, which I still believe, with everything in me, that we will do as a team here, as an organisation, as a city in Miami.
"I'm just grateful. I learned so much from this group. They taught me so much. I wish I could have got it done for these guys, because they definitely deserve it."
Coach Erik Spoelstra accepted the Nuggets were worthy winners but spoke with pride about his team's achievements in a dramatic season.
Miami almost lost to the Chicago Bulls during the second game of the Eastern Conference play-in tournament before their sensational run to the Finals, beating the No.1-seeded Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks and championship favourites the Boston Celtics.
"There's no regrets on our end," Spoelstra said. "There's just sometimes where you get beat, and Denver was the better basketball team in this series.
"Those last three or four minutes felt like a scene out of a movie. Two teams in the ring throwing haymaker after haymaker, and it's not necessarily shot making, it's the efforts.
"I don't know how long it would take me to go through the autopsy of this final game, but I would say that it will probably rank as our hardest, competitive, most active defensive game of the season, and it still fell short.
"You have to tip your hat to them. They are one hell of a basketball team. They play the right way, they compete, they are well-coached and they have a strong culture.
"So for this season, they deserve this."
Jokic capped a sensational postseason by sparking Denver's comeback from a 10-point second-quarter deficit. The Serbian star finished with 28 points on 12-of-16 shooting along with 16 rebounds.
Butler ended with 21 points for Miami, while Bam Adebayo compiled 20 points and 12 rebounds but managed just two points in the second half.
Center Adebayo echoed the pride of Butler and Spoelstra when he looked at what had been achieved.
"You take the experience of this season, and if you can just bottle that up and everybody just have their own portion or rewritten story of it, the No. 1 thing, I think, would be will," he said.
"So looking forward, I think this is one of my favourite teams I've ever been a part of because we willed our way through ups and downs.
"We willed our way through the things that people said we couldn't do."
Great State will aim to extend his winning run this weekend when he heads to Sandown for the Scurry Stakes.
Richard Fahey’s three-year-old has won four of his last five and is unbeaten since dropping back to five furlongs in March – winning at both Southwell and Thirsk, before stepping up to Listed company in the Westow Stakes at York last month.
The son of Havana Grey handled the rise in grade with aplomb, readily winning by two and a half lengths, and he will now bid for more big-race success over the minimum distance at the Esher track on Saturday where once again Oisin Murphy will be in the saddle.
“He’s an improving horse and we’re pleased with him,” said Fahey.
“I thought it was a good performance winning the handicap against older horses at Thirsk, he picked up well and then came on for it and it was no surprise he stepped up at York and did it very well. He’s improving.
“You would imagine the track and everything (at Sandown) will suit him. Oisin Murphy rides him as my Oisin (Orr) will be at York.”
Jamal Murray is confident there is more to come from the Denver Nuggets after the franchise's first NBA Finals success.
The Nuggets beat the Miami Heat 94-89 on Monday to secure a 4-1 series win, ending their wait for a championship.
Nikola Jokic, who was named the Finals MVP, starred with 28 points and 16 rebounds, while Murray added 14 points, eight assists and eight rebounds.
After losing Game 2 at home, Denver bounced back with two dominant victories in Miami before rounding off their triumph back in Colorado, and Murray had few doubts the Nuggets would get the job done.
"I knew once we were healthy, we could do it," Murray told ESPN. "So this [championship] was long overdue. I think this is the first of many.
"We clearly can do it, so let's do it again."
There was a similar sentiment from Denver coach Michael Malone, who wants to turn a championship into a dynasty.
He told reporters: "Pat Riley said something many years ago. I used to have it up on my board when I was a head coach in Sacramento.
"It talked about the evolution in this game and how you go from a nobody to an upstart, and you go from an upstart to a winner, and a winner to a contender, and a contender to a champion, and the last step after a champion, is to be a dynasty.
"So we're not satisfied. We accomplished something this franchise has never done before, but we have a lot of young talented players in that locker room, and I think we just showed through 16 playoff wins what we're capable of on the biggest stage in the world."
Two-time NBA MVP Jokic was the star of the show all season for the Nuggets.
The 28-year-old tallied 600 points, 269 rebounds and 190 assists in the postseason. It is the first time any player in the history of the NBA had reached those numbers across a 20-game span (including both regular-season and postseason games).
Jokic also became the first player in NBA history to have 25+ points and 15+ rebounds on 75 per cent shooting in a championship-clinching win.
"The job is done, and we can go home now," Jokic said.
Lewis Hamilton’s Formula One future could be resolved as early as before this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.
Hamilton has six months to run on his £40million-a-season deal with Mercedes, but team principal Toto Wolff said his superstar driver is on the brink of agreeing new terms.
“It is going to happen soon, and we are talking more days than weeks,” Wolff told CNBC’s Squawk on the Street programme in New York when asked about Hamilton’s contract negotiations.
“We are trying hard [to get it done before the Canadian Grand Prix]. I will see him today and maybe we will talk about it.
“We have such a good relationship that we dread the moment that we need to talk about money.”
Hamilton, 38, met with Wolff the day after the last round in Spain in the hope of rubber-stamping a fresh contract with the Silver Arrows.
It is anticipated that the British driver’s extension will be a multi-year deal, extending his stay in F1 beyond his 40th birthday.
“Lewis is the most important personality in the sport,” added Wolff.
“He is so multi-faceted, not only with the racing, but also off track, so we need to keep him in the sport for as long as possible.
“From a team’s perspective, Lewis and Mercedes have gone back a long time. He has never raced for any other brand than Mercedes.
“We both joined the team in 2013 together, and from a professional relationship, we now have a friendship. It has been a wonderful time.”
Hamilton, who has not won a race since his contentious championship defeat to Max Verstappen at the 2021 season finale in Abu Dhabi, is already 83 points off the title pace this year.
But Mercedes’ recent upturn in form has provided Hamilton, who finished runner-up to Red Bull’s Verstappen at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, with renewed hope that his dream of a record eighth world title is not over.
However, Wolff warned: “The result in Spain was a well-deserved reward for everyone’s efforts at Brackley and Brixworth to bring our update package to the track.
“We were pleased with how it performed, and it will provide a new baseline for us to build from.
“But we must also manage our expectations. It was a circuit that suited our car, and we should expect our direct competitors to be stronger in the next races.
“The gap to Red Bull is large and it will take lots of hard work to close that down. Nevertheless, we’re up for the challenge.”
The Denver Nuggets have won their first NBA championship with a 94-89 victory over the Miami Heat in game five of the NBA finals.
In a back-and-forth affair, the Nuggets were able to hold off a late rally from Miami and claim the Larry O’Brien trophy in front of their home fans.
Nikola Jokic again led the way for Denver with 28 points, while Jimmy Butler finished with 21 after a late flurry brought the Heat agonisingly close to forcing a game six back in Miami.
Some early struggles from deep gave the Heat a seven-point lead at half-time, but Denver clamped down defensively in the second half and held Miami to just 38 points over the final two quarters.
Eight-straight points and a pair of clutch free throws from Butler put the Heat back in front by one with less than two minutes remaining, but the visitors were ultimately unable to claw their way back again after Denver’s Bruce Brown grabbed an offensive rebound and tip-in.
Bruce Brown scored the go-ahead layup with 1:30 remaining and the Denver Nuggets held on for a 94-89 win over the Miami Heat on Monday to clinch the first NBA championship in franchise history.
Denver overcame a 10-point second-quarter deficit to oust the underdog Heat in five games and secure the first title in the team's 47-year NBA tenure. Nikola Jokić led the second-half rally and finished with 28 points and 16 rebounds, while Michael Porter Jr. added 16 points and 13 rebounds.
Miami was seeking to become the first No. 8 seed out of a conference to win a championship and had guard Tyler Herro active for the first time since he broke his right hand in the team's playoff opener on April 16. The 2021-22 NBA Sixth Man of the Year did not play, however.
The Miami Heat will have Tyler Herro back from a broken right hand Monday as they try to force a Game 6 in the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets.
Herro has been out since sustaining the injury in the eighth-seeded Heat's playoff opener at the Milwaukee Bucks on April 16. He was upgraded to questionable earlier Monday after being listed as out earlier in the day.
The 2021-22 NBA Sixth Man of the Year combined for 38 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in two play-in games after averaging 20.1 points and setting career bests with 5.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game during the regular season.
Herro also established a career high with 203 made 3-pointers in 2022-23, the 18th-most in the league.
After the teams split the first two games of the NBA Finals in Denver, the Heat dropped the next meetings at home to head back to Denver trailing 3-1 in the series.
If the Heat win Monday, Game 6 will be in Miami on Thursday.
Matt Fitzpatrick admits he is as confused as anyone about the direction golf is heading in but insists it will not affect his thinking when he begins the defence of his US Open title on Thursday.
The dust is still settling a week on from the shock announcement of the commercial merger between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF (Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund), which has been the backer of the breakaway LIV Golf.
On the face of it golf’s bitter civil war appears to be over but under the surface there are many so-far unanswered questions and residual feelings of resentment by a large section of the two main tours’ membership at how they have been treated in the whole saga.
But although several days have passed since PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan went on live network television in the United States with PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan to announce the surprise deal there are very few details about how things will work, and that has led to dissent among the rank and file.
“I guess the whole thing is confusing. It was confusing last year,” said the Sheffield golfer, who swerved a question about whether those players who remained loyal to the established tours should be suitably compensated for missing out on LIV’s millions.
“I don’t think anyone knows what’s going on. Are we signing with the PIF? Are we not signing with the PIF? I have no idea.
“Even though I guess it is confusing, it’s pretty clear that nobody knows what’s going on apart from about four people in the world.”
That will not cloud his thought process when it comes to mounting a defence of his breakthrough major title from Brookline 12 months ago.
View this post on Instagram“No, I think it’s over-rated. I think you’re not going to be stood on the first tee thinking ‘Oh what’s going on in the golf world?’.“You’re thinking, ‘It’s a par four, where do I need to hit it? Where is the wind?’ That’s all you’re thinking about.”
Fitzpatrick will have plenty of things to think about at the Los Angeles Country Club, which he last saw in February on a reconnaissance mission.
That differs from Brookline, a course on which nine years earlier he had won the US Amateur.
“I seem to remember just last year just thinking about the tournament, just the US Open,” he said.
“It was obviously different because I had a tie to the golf course and the history there, so probably was easier for me to mentally focus on that and be in a better place than obviously all this confusion that’s going on this week.
“I guess in this day and age you’d like to think there might be some artificial intelligence you could use to kind of plot your way around. That’s probably something I’ll have to look into.”
Fitzpatrick admits finally getting a win over the line in a major has done wonders for his self-belief, even if a back problem has restricted him this season.
A year ago he rose to the occasion coming down the stretch, memorably hit a brilliant approach from a fairway bunker to 20 feet to save par and secure a one-shot victory over Will Zalatoris, who missed a birdie putt to force a play-off.
“It’s obviously been a huge boost. Winning last year gave me the boost that when I played my best or when I play well I can compete with anyone and I can win a major,” added the 28-year-old, who revealed he took the US Open trophy on holiday with him to Italy last summer, stopping off at Capri, Amalfi and Positano.
“I think that was the biggest thing for me to take away, (now) turning up to events knowing that (if) my game feels in good shape I’ve got a chance to win this week.
“Maybe previously I’ve almost felt like I played well and not necessarily competed in majors, whereas now I feel like it’s kind of the opposite.
“As long as my game is there or thereabouts, I feel like I can perform.”
The Toronto Raptors' Fred VanVleet is declining his $22.8million player option for 2023-24, and will become an unrestricted free agent in July.
The news was first reported Monday by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, who also noted it's possible VanVleet returns to the Raptors under a new deal.
As one of the top point guards entering free agency, however, VanVleet will likely receive some enticing offers this summer.
Undrafted out of Wichita State, VanVleet has played his entire seven-year career with the Raptors and was instrumental to their 2019 title.
A first-year All-Star in 2021-22 when he averaged a career-high 20.3 points per game and 6.7 assists per games, VanVleet averaged 19.3 points, a career-best 7.2 assists and 1.78 steals to rank third in the NBA last season.
With averages of 17.5 points, 6.3 assists and 1.75 steals over the last four seasons, he is one of three NBA players (along with Dejounte Murray and Jrue Holiday) to average at least 17 points, 6 assists and 1.5 steals over that span.
Over the last three seasons, his average of 37.1 minutes per game trails only Toronto teammate Pascal Siakam.
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