After tallying the fewest sacks in the NFL in 2023, the Carolina Panthers have upgraded their pass rush.
The Panthers signed Jadeveon Clowney to a two-year, $20million deal with a max value of $24million on Wednesday.
The top overall pick of the 2014 NFL draft, Clowney has bounced around from team to team the past few seasons as it looked like his best years were behind him.
The 31-year-old, however, is coming off a resurgent 2023.
Playing in all 17 games last season for the Baltimore Ravens, Clowney racked up 9 1/2 sacks - matching his career high from 2017.
He also registered 19 quarterback hits and 79 QB pressures - tied for seventh most in the NFL.
He joins a Carolina team that had a league-low 27 sacks last season and had the NFL's worst record at 2-15.
Clowney, who grew up about 20 minutes from the Panthers' home stadium, spent his first five pro seasons with the Houston Texans before spending the last five seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns and Ravens.
From 2019-2022 in his first four seasons since leaving Houston, he totaled just 14 sacks.
In 126 career games, he has 52 1/2 sacks, 128 QB hits and 15 forced fumbles.
Guenther Steiner has warned Red Bull their dominance of Formula One will end just as Mercedes’ did.
Red Bull have won the last three constructors’ championships with Max Verstappen completing a hat-trick of drivers’ titles, in the process breaking the strangleholds imposed by Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton in previous years.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton has endured a miserable start to the new season with his car lasting just 17 laps of Sunday’s Australian Grand Prix as team-mate George Russell crashed out to leave the Brackley and Brixworth-based team 71 points adrift of Red Bull after just three races and pile the pressure on boss Toto Wolff.
But asked about their difficulties, former Haas team principal Steiner said: “Obviously they are struggling a little bit at the moment. For me, they are a good team, I think they’re a good team. It’s just like it’s competition.
“Mercedes was dominating for a long time and you cannot always be dominating, you shouldn’t expect that. Now we say Red Bull is dominating – it will come to an end, like Mercedes came to an end.
“A lot of people are saying, ‘Mercedes is not doing well’ – Mercedes is still in the top four at the moment or top five, they just need to do a little bit better. But it’s how competitive this sport is and you cannot take anything for granted.
“Obviously Toto would love to dominate the sport forever, but nothing is forever. I think it’s good for the sport and shows also how quickly it goes up and down.
“Mercedes is still doing OK, they’re still scoring points. Sometimes you forget there are 10 teams and not only three which are allowed to win. I think all 10 should be allowed to win and those are the things you learn when you are outside of the sport like I am now.”
Hamilton, who is in the midst of his worst start to a campaign, will join Ferrari ahead of the 2025 campaign, leaving a huge gap to plug.
Steiner, speaking after being announced as an ambassador for May’s Miami Grand Prix, was asked if Carlos Sainz – winner in Australia just 16 days after undergoing surgery for appendicitis – would be at the top of his list if he was in charge at Red Bull or Mercedes.
He replied: “Toto has no urgency to sign anybody because everybody is waiting until that seat is filled, but I’m sure a lot of people are speaking to Carlos at the moment.”
Kikkuli could be Juddmonte’s “dark horse for the year” as he prepares for the early stages of his three-year-old season.
A half-brother to the mighty Frankel and by the owners’ Classic-winning sire Kingman, he is the last foal out of Kind and is fittingly trained at Beckhampton by Harry Charlton, the training facility from which Kind blitzed her way to two Listed victories during her on-track career.
With such a regal bloodline, there was plenty of excitement surrounding the colt’s Newmarket debut towards the end of last season, where Kikkuli showed plenty of promise to keep on for second behind subsequent Listed scorer Zoum Zoum.
The third from that seven-furlong maiden, Balmacara, has recently given the form a timely boost and connections are hopeful there is plenty of untapped potential still to be seen from Kikkuli this term.
“Harry is happy with the horse and feels like the horse has done well from two to three, he has got a lot stronger and is training nicely,” said Juddmonte’s European racing manager Barry Mahon.
“His debut is good form and I think Kikkuli was ready for a day out that day. Harry had said he was far from the finished article.
“It’s good form and we would like to think there could be some improvement to come, so he could be a dark horse for the year.”
Kikkuli is set to stick to calmer waters for the time being with the goal of shedding his maiden status in the early stages of the campaign, while the hope from his team is that he could blossom into a big-race contender by the time Royal Ascot arrives later in the summer.
“We will probably start off low key with him and go for a maiden or a novice and then just see how we go,” continued Mahon.
“If he is going to make into good horse, then it will be probably from Royal Ascot time onwards he will be stepping into those good races.
“But if we can get a maiden or a novice done in the next six weeks or so it would be great and we can just move up slowly from there.”
Oisin Murphy is aiming to repeat last year’s All-Weather Championships Finals Day heroics when he returns to Newcastle on Good Friday.
The 28-year-old enjoyed a fantastic afternoon at Gosforth Park 12 months ago, walking away with a treble in some of the most valuable races on the bumper card and all for his long-time training ally Andrew Balding.
Murphy is back in the north east with a stacked book of rides and as well as linking up with Kingsclere handler Balding, he will also get the leg-up from John and Thady Gosden, Rod Millman and Roger Varian over the course of the afternoon.
One of the Irishman’s best chances of success is the Juddmonte-owned Fire Demon, who is the general favourite for the BetMGM All-Weather 3 Year Old Championships Handicap.
However, Murphy is full of respect for some of the other leading contenders in the six-furlong event having partnered David Evans’ track-and-trip scorer Blue Prince in his last two starts.
Murphy said: “I had a great day at Newcastle on this card last year. It’s a little bit more competitive this time and many of the races are handicaps.
“Fire Demon won well at Kempton and seems in good shape since the race. He seems to be improving, but I actually respect Blue Prince and Sommelier a lot – Blue Prince has already won there and I feel it will suit Blue Prince a lot more than Lingfield where I was just beat on him last time.”
Murphy will donning the blue and white silks of King Power Racing for Balding aboard recent Kempton winners Fivethousandtoone and Teumessias Fox.
It was in the King Power silks Murphy teamed up with Balding to land the Easter Classic through Notre Belle Bete in 2023 and synthetics specialist Teumessias Fox is fancied to repeat the dose.
“Teumessias Fox Fox loves the all-weather and goes well fresh. He has a lot going for him, he’s easy to ride and I would hope he would put up a bold show,” continued Murphy.
He went on:”Fivethousandtoone won really well at Kempton last time and is in great shape and is moving well. It’s a competitive race, but he’s fairly treated by the handicapper on past form and hopefully he will go well.”
Millman’s Just A Spark and the Gosdens’ Vaguely Royal are two other rides, and he will will finish the afternoon aboard another King Power Racing-owned candidate, the Varian-trained Fantastic Fox in the BetMGM All-Weather Championships Mile Handicap, with the six-year-old course-and-distance winner arriving having won three of his last five.
Next month’s Alleged Stakes has been identified as a potential comeback target for last season’s Derby third White Birch.
John Joseph Murphy’s grey kicked off his three-year-old campaign in the best possible fashion by winning the Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown and was beaten only a neck into second place by The Foxes on his next appearance in the Dante at York.
The Ulysses colt ran another fine race in defeat when placed behind Auguste Rodin and King Of Steel in the premier Classic at Epsom, and while he disappointed in the Irish Derby, he rounded off his season with a creditable fourth place in a Group Three at Leopardstown in September.
George Murphy, assistant to his father, reports White Birch to have wintered well and hopes he will return to competitive action at the Curragh on April 6, granted suitable conditions.
“He’s in full work and looks super, he’s training very nicely,” he said.
“He’s a fine, big, tall horse so you’d hope he could improve from three to four. He’s doing everything nicely at the moment.
“I’d say that (Alleged Stakes) could be an option, but if the ground is completely bottomless we might just hold off for another bit. We’ll just see what the weather does over the next couple of weeks, but that’s definitely in our minds at the moment, to go for the Alleged.
“It’s got to the stage where you nearly can’t remember a good day it’s been raining for so long, but it’s surely got to turn at some stage.”
Should White Birch come through his return with flying colours, a return to Group One company in the Tattersalls Gold Cup on May 26 could be on his agenda.
Murphy added: “There’s a few races, those two (Alleged Stakes and Tattersalls Gold Cup) are high up on the list at the moment, but it’s been so difficult with the weather you just don’t know which way things are going to go over the next fortnight.
“We’ll play it by ear for the moment, but we’ll probably start over a mile and a quarter and explore going a bit further as the year goes on, that’s the way we’d be looking at it.”
Harry Cobden feels he finally has a chance of getting involved at the business end of the Randox Grand National after confirmation he will keep the ride on the 2022 winner, Noble Yeats.
Since the retirement of Sam Waley-Cohen, son of owner Robert, Sean Bowen had been riding the Emmet Mullins-trained nine-year-old, and he was on board when he ran a brave race to finish fourth to Corach Rambler last year.
With Bowen on the sidelines through injury earlier this year, his championship rival Cobden picked up the ride in the Cleeve Hurdle, which they won, and he maintained the partnership in the Stayers’ Hurdle.
While unplaced there, connections have decided to stick with Cobden for Aintree.
“I’m really looking forward to riding Noble Yeats in the Grand National. He’s trained by a very shrewd man in Emmet Mullins who knows how to ready a horse for this race as he did so well a couple of years ago when Sam Waley-Cohen rode him to victory,” said Cobden in his blog for Planet Sport.
“I’m glad I’ve had a couple of goes on him now because it does take a bit of time to understand how best to ride him. I know plenty about him, but I’ll definitely watch his two National runs back before the big day.
“Connections are quite keen for the ground to dry up a bit as he’s probably slightly more effective on a sounder surface, so let’s hope there isn’t too much rain between now and the race.”
He went on: “To have a genuine chance in the National is fantastic. Every other ride I’ve had in it hasn’t really had much going for it, so to know he stays the trip and has plenty of experience over the fences is great and I’m very excited.
“I haven’t had much success in the National itself, but I won the Topham a couple of times aboard Ultragold, so I do know the sort of horse required to go well around there. Unfortunately I don’t often get to the second circuit in the big race itself, so let’s hope that changes this year!
“It’s the biggest and most well-known race of the season and it would be amazing to win it. To me it’s only second to the Gold Cup and of course I’d love to win it. I’m very lucky to have a horse this year that has a proper chance and I can’t wait to have a crack at winning it on him.”
Barbadian driving sensation Zane Maloney is focused on consistently improving his performances, as he seeks to continue building on his sweep of the Formula Two season-opening events.
Maloney’s comments followed another positive weekend in Melbourne, Australia, where he again made the podium after finishing third in the feature race, on the heels of a 10th place finish in the sprint a day earlier.
This latest podium adds to the 20-year-old’s sprint race and feature race victories on the opening weekend of the season in Bahrain.
“Satisfied but of course we just need to keep making steps forward. I think we have showed the last three rounds that Bahrain wasn’t a fluke. We have had the pace each round. We just need to keep working on it,” Maloney said in a post-race press conference.
“I think qualifying from my side is much better than last year. I just need to keep improving that. We have always been fast in the race and made good moves, so we just need to keep going. Everyone is catching up, so we need to keep performing well,” he added.
In the feature race in Melbourne, Maloney, who drives for British team Rodin Motorsport, finished third behind 19-year-old French-Algerian driver Isack Hadjar and 20-year-old Estonian Paul Aron.
Two weeks ago in Jeddah, Maloney trailed in seventh in the feature and just missed out on a podium place in the sprint race when he ended fourth.
He was left ruing his luck again last Saturday when a costly error left him down the field instead of near the podium.
“Should have been a podium. From my side, I made a big mistake which lost me lots of places. But the second half of the race was really good from my side, so I am pleased with that. Happy to be back on (the podium after a) bit of a chaotic race. For sure the pace has been good all year so far. I think we have proved that each round. It is cool to have a clean Feature Race,” Maloney reasoned.
The Bajan sensation’s next assignment will be the May 16-18 Grand Prix at Imola.
Joe Tizzard’s Eldorado Allen will be one of just a handful of British horses flying the flag for the home side in the Randox Grand National at Aintree.
The grey has some solid form in staying chases to his name, winning the 2022 Denman Chase and finishing second in the Charlie Hall and the Betfair Chase during the same season before coming home fourth in the Coral Gold Cup earlier this term.
He reverted to hurdles for a sole outing in January and was last seen pulling up on heavy ground in the Ultima at the Cheltenham Festival.
Tizzard is therefore hoping conditions will be quicker in Liverpool come the National as he believes the gelding has become more comfortable on a firmer surface throughout his career.
“He is (an intended runner), he’s had a couple of poor runs and as he’s got older he wants better ground,” the trainer said.
“I tweaked his wind after his hurdle run but if you go back to his Coral Gold Cup form where he was fourth, he ran a good race in that.
“He was staying on really well, he’s a horse that’s got a bit of class, he gets into a nice rhythm.
“I wouldn’t mind it drying out a bit, I don’t mind admitting I’d like a bit of decent soft ground for him.
“He’s got a chance of running a nice race, it’s no more than that and it’s a privilege to have a runner in these nice races.
“The horse has taken us to some special days out and there’s no reason why he couldn’t get into a nice rhythm and be bang there three out and get us all excited.”
Eldorado Allen has run at Aintree several times but never around the Grand National course, so Tizzard will take him to David Pipe’s yard at Nicholashayne to school over National-type obstacles.
“I’m preparing him as normal in his work but I will take him down to Pipe’s and give him a pop over the fences,” he said.
“I couldn’t live with myself if we didn’t do it and he went and tipped over at the first or something like that, you’d question yourself, so we’ll go down and we’ll jump eight or 10 National fences and that’ll be it.”
Tizzard’s runner is likely to be one of the smallest ever British contingent to line up in the race, but the trainer is not overly concerned by the situation and does not expect it to be permanent.
“That is where we are at the moment, I don’t like to ever get too negative about this sort of stuff,” he said.
“It wasn’t that long ago that were was barely an Irish runner but that is how it’s gone, there are two Irish trainers with a lot of entries but that happens every day in Ireland.
“It’s how it is at the moment but things will change, there’s no point in English people entering horses that they don’t think are good enough or the right type for the race.
“I’m sure if we had the horses then the English trainers would be running them, as simple as that, you’ve only got to look at our result from Cheltenham this year and see there are two are three horses that will be in the Grand National next year and that will increase the numbers.”
Liam Davies vowed to knock Dennis McCann out and “put him in his place” if the pair were to face off in the super-bantamweight division.
Newly crowned IBO champion Davies celebrated a recent stoppage victory over Erik Robles Ayala in Birmingham.
The Telford fighter admitted he would be open to a possible bout after McCann called him out, following his points victory over Brad Strand for the British title earlier this month.
“I think it would be a great build-up wouldn’t it? And I think it would be an even better knockout for me on the night for sure,” Davies told the PA news agency. “I’ll put him in his place.
“I think that’s probably the biggest fight for me in Britain and the one which makes most sense.
“He just had a good win for the British title and so maybe he has some confidence now to take the fight. He’s called me out after (the fight) but I don’t know if it’s all for the cameras.”
McCann’s victory over Strand came after a clash of heads with Ionut Baluta last summer forced the bout to end in a technical draw.
Davies believes he is a step above the 23-year-old and that McCann’s manager Lee Eaton might be wary of booking a fight.
“These guys play the cameras well and say what everyone wants to hear but I think when it comes down to it, there’s proof that they don’t really want to take the fight so I don’t think it’ll happen,” he added.
“If they want to have a dance I’m here and just let me know where and when you want me there and I’ll see them all there.
“If I boxed McCann I’d beat him and I don’t think I’d get much credit for it.
“I want to be involved in big fights and I think he needs to fight and beat Baluta to prove he’s on my level in my eyes.
“Southpaws are perfect for me and they know this. Every single southpaw I’ve fought I’ve dropped and Mr Lee Eaton is going to keep him away from me.”
Davies has also eyed a showdown with WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO super-bantamweight king Naoya Inoue in the future.
He said: “I need a big name now and another step up which I’m ready for.
“Inoue is the biggest fight. I look at that fight and I know it will be a really hard fight and he’s the best but I’m trying to be the best and so I have to try and beat him, don’t I?
“It’s a massive ask but if they rang for the fight I’ll take it 100 per cent with everything to gain and nothing to lose at all.”
Old friends were reunited in Dubai on Wednesday morning, with Frankie Dettori and John Gosden on track together at Meydan.
Dettori brought the curtain down on his British career at the conclusion of Champions Day at Ascot, but is now settled in California and enjoying winners at Santa Anita and beyond.
His association with Gosden goes back many years and of the great successes they have enjoyed, a particularly remarkable one has been Lord North. Now an eight-year-old, Lord North will on Saturday bid for a fourth victory in the Dubai Turf – and Dettori was in the saddle for a spin on the training track ahead of the big day.
Gosden watched on intently and was pleased with what he saw, both from his horse and his jockey.
“Frankie looks in very good form, he’s riding fitter and lighter than I’ve ever seen him,” he said.
Gosden and his son Thady have four runners on World Cup night, with Nashwa (Hollie Doyle) joining Lord North in the Turf, Trawlerman (Kieran Shoemark) going for the Gold Cup and Emily Upjohn (also Shoemark) in the Sheema Classic.
The absence of a certain Japanese superstar is a boost for all in the Sheema Classic, but Gosden knows that the requisite luck will be required for all his runners.
“We hope for luck in running, particularly in the Sheema Classic in which there’s no Equinox, which helps matters,” he said.
Jez Litten may have past and present ties to Hull KR’s biggest rivals but he insisted he would be at the “wrong club” if winning the Good Friday derby was not among his chief aims for the season.
Litten began his career with Hull FC as a teenager in 2017 but being behind the likes of Danny Houghton in the pecking order led to him crossing the divide, temporarily at first then permanently in 2020.
He retains a connection to his old club as younger cousin Davy is on the books of the Black and Whites, although the pair, as is customary in the week leading up to the Hull derby, are refraining from any form of communication with each other.
The elder Litten has bagged family bragging rights once already this year following the Robins’ 22-0 win in February’s season opener and hopes to make it a double when the teams collide at Craven Park.
“With me and Davy, it’s an understanding,” the hooker said. “It’s not like we speak on the Sunday night and then say ‘that’s it, I’ll see you next week’. It just happens, it’s not awkward or anything.
“I’ll see him after the game and we’ll have a good chat. The one who’s been beaten will get picked up by the other one, put an arm round their shoulder and that’s it, really.
“You always want to win a derby and if it’s not up there as the most (important win of the season), then you’re playing for the wrong club. I want to win them but I do want to beat everybody as well.”
Having been born in Hull and lived there all his life, Litten, who made his full England debut 11 months ago, admitted he was occasionally overawed by the clashes between KR and FC.
“You can never get over it fully because we live in Hull and (know) just how big the derby is,” the 26-year-old said.
“Something I really try to focus on when I play a derby, if I do my job right and the team do, hopefully we can get the win.”
Rovers recorded a statement 40-0 victory over Salford in the Challenge Cup last week and have been drawn in the quarter-finals to face Leigh, their conquerors in last year’s showpiece.
Hull have, by contrast, had an exacting past couple of weeks after shipping 50 points in heavy defeats by Leigh and Huddersfield – although Litten is taking nothing for granted.
“We don’t look over there too much,” Litten added. “It only takes one week for stuff to click and then you’re back to winning ways. They’ll be looking to do that this week and we’re expecting them to be at their best.”
It was a sentiment echoed by KR head coach Willie Peters, who expects Mikey Lewis to overcome his concussion protocols to feature, although England centre Oliver Gildart will miss out.
“I understand that with where we sit and they sit, naturally there’s got to be a favourite but we honestly don’t look into that,” Peters said.
“If you do then it’s instilling more pressure into the team and my job is to take it away from them.
“There’s enough expectation in a derby – they’ll have that as well but I’m not going to worry too much about what they do. Both teams are expected to win and that’s how we look at it.”
Agenda emerged as yet another potential Classic contender for Aidan O’Brien after opening his account with a wide-margin victory at Dundalk on Tuesday evening.
A promising third on his sole juvenile start over seven furlongs at the Curragh in October, the son of Galileo was an 11-10 favourite to go a couple of places better on his return to action in County Louth.
A slow start suggested the three-year-old still has plenty to learn, but his latent ability shone through in the latter stages of the extended 10-furlong contest and in the end he was thoroughly impressive in beating Huxley, not too far behind O’Brien’s star colt City Of Troy in a Curragh maiden last season, by just under five lengths.
Agenda holds an entry in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby on June 30, while stable representative Chris Armstrong raised the possibility of him crossing the Irish Sea for a possible Derby trial at Chester’s Boodles May Festival.
He said: “It was (a lovely performance stepping up in trip), he had a lovely run as a two-year-old at the Curragh in a race that worked out nicely.
“He has the makings of a lovely horse, he’s still very babyish and raw. I think there is plenty of improvement but, when he gets there, he could be a nice one.
“We’ll probably look at a trial for him next, he might be one for Chester.”
Agenda was providing jockey Wayne Lordan with his first winner since returning to the saddle earlier this month, having been sidelined since suffering multiple injuries when unseated from the fatally injured San Antonio in the Irish Derby last July.
“Wayne gave him a lovely ride and it is great to get Wayne back on a winner,” Armstrong added.
“He’s a big part of the team and we have got to say a massive thanks to the paramedics who attended to him at the Curragh, to Jennifer Pugh and all her team, all the various consultants, doctors and physios.
“It has been a long road back for him, especially for his wife and his kids at home. In fairness, he got the best of care and he worked hard over the winter on his fitness.
“He has been back with us in the first week of January riding out. Hopefully, it is a good season ahead for him.”
Austin Reaves notched a triple-double and drilled a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 37.8 seconds left in the second overtime as the Los Angeles Lakers rallied to beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 128-124, on Tuesday despite the absence of LeBron James.
Reaves had 29 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in 47 minutes, Anthony Davis tallied 34 points and 23 rebounds in 52 minutes and D’Angelo Russell had 29 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds.
The Lakers, who never led in regulation, overcame a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter and won their season-best fourth straight game with James sidelined with an ankle issue.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 29 points, a season-high 21 boards and 11 assists and Damian Lillard added 21 points for the Bucks, who had won six straight at home.
Reaves’ 3-pointer with 38 seconds left in the second OT snapped a tie and Lillard missed a 3 before Antetokounmpo missed two free throws. Russell then sank a pair from the line and Davis sealed the win with two free throws with two seconds left after Malik Beasley’s 3 drew Milwaukee within two.
Doncic keeps Mavericks rolling
Luka Dončić scored 26 of his 28 points in the first half and the Dallas Mavericks cruised to their fifth straight victory, 132-96 over the Sacramento Kings.
Doncic added 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals and Kyrie Irving had 24 points and eight assists for Dallas, which has won nine of 10 to move into sixth in the Western Conference.
De’Aaron Fox scored 18 points on 6-of-18 shooting and Domantas Sabonis had 12 points, 11 boards and nine assists for his 55th consecutive double-double, tying Jerry Lucas for the longest streak in franchise history.
Thunder ride late run past Pelicans
Jalen Williams scored 26 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder used a game-ending 12-0 run to rally for a 119-112 win over the New Orleans Pelicans after blowing a 20-point lead in the third quarter.
Josh Giddey added 25 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 24, including a tying 3-pointer with 89 seconds left.
Zion Williamson had 29 points and 10 assists for the Pelicans, who led 112-107 with 3:11 to play before missing their final five shots.
The Thunder won for the fifth time in six games to pull within a half game of idle Denver for the top spot in the Western Conference.
Roman Josi scored 40 seconds into overtime to cap a stunning comeback and the Nashville Predators extended their point streak to 18 games with a 5-4 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday.
The Predators scored three times in the third period to erase a 4-1 deficit before Josi’s goal gave them their sixth straight win and a 16-0-2 mark since a regulation loss to Dallas on Feb. 15.
Filip Forsberg had a goal and two assists to reach 40 goals for the second time in his career. He has seven goals and seven assists during a seven-game point streak.
Ivan Barbashev, Brett Howden and Shea Theodore scored first-period goals for Vegas and Mark Jankowski’s tally in the second made it 4-1.
The Golden Knights, who had won three straight, pulled within one point of Los Angeles for third place in the Pacific Division and are six points ahead of St. Louis for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference.
Rangers clinch playoff berth
Adam Fox scored 36 seconds into overtime after a wild third period and the New York Rangers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot with a 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.
Alexis Lafreniere scored twice and Vincent Trocheck had a goal and two assists for the Rangers, who took over the NHL lead with their 100th point and gave coach Peter Laviolette his 800th victory.
The teams combined for seven goals in the third period with Philadelphia’s Tyson Foerster scoring with 3:31 left to forge a 5-5 tie.
Travis Konecny and Scott Laughton each had a goal and an assist for the Flyers, who are winless in four straight road games (0-2-2) and have a one-point lead over Washington in the race for third in the Metropolitan Division.
Bruins beat Panthers to move atop Atlantic
Trent Frederic and Pavel Zacha scored late in the third period to rally the Boston Bruins to a 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers, moving them into sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division.
Carter Verhaeghe scored midway through the third period to give Florida a 3-2 lead but Frederic scored on a power play with 4:22 remaining and Zacha put Boston ahead just over two minutes later.
Charlie McAvoy and David Pastrnak also had goals for the Bruins, who avoided a third straight loss and lead the Atlantic with 99 points, two ahead of the Panthers.
Evan Rodrigues and Sam Reinhart also tallied for the Panthers, who dropped to 1-4-1 in their last six games since losing star defenseman Aaron Ekblad to a lower-body injury on March 9.
Victoria Azarenka kept her hopes of a fourth Miami Open title alive as she reached the semi-finals with a hard-earned victory over Yulia Putintseva.
The number 27 seed, a winner here in 2009, 2011 and 2016, laboured for just under three hours as she battled past her Kazakhstani opponent 7-6 (4) 1-6 6-3.
The 34-year-old saved three set points at 5-4 down in the opening set, then failed to convert two of her own before she held her nerve in the tie-break with some decisive forehands.
Putintseva hit back hard in the second, giving up a solitary game as she found her rhythm, but the momentum shifted when Azarenka salvaged a pair of break points at the start of the decider.
After regaining control she did not take advantage of her first match point at 5-2 up, but made no mistake when the chance opened up again in her next service game.
Azarenka will face another Kazakhstani opponent in the last four after Elena Rybakina outlasted eighth seed Maria Sakkari in another marathon clash 7-5 6-7 (4) 6-4.
The fourth seed, runner-up in 2023, won the first set with a late break before Sakkari – who reached the final in Indian Wells last week – survived two match points to edge a tight second set on the tie break.
But Rybakina, who had already gone the distance twice in Miami, broke in the seventh game of the decider and served out to win – more than an hour after her first match points.
“I have no words because I’m so tired. But I’m really happy with the win. It was such a tough battle,” said Rybakina after clinching the win in two hours and 48 minutes.
Second seed Jannik Sinner moved into the last eight of the Miami Open as he produced a strong showing to see off Christopher O’Connell.
The Italian came through 6-4 6-3 in windy conditions after weathering early problems. Behind 3-1 and 0-30 in the first set, he regained his composure to take five of the next six games.
Showing greater composure than his Australian opponent, Sinner broke at the first time asking in the second set and closed out the win in one hour 51 minutes.
Sinner, runner-up here in 2021 and 2023 – will meet Tomas Machac. The Czech, 23, is looking for a second successive Italian scalp after beating Matteo Arnaldi 6-3 6-3 to earn his first appearance in a Masters 1000 quarter-final.
Another Italian bowed out as 23rd seed Lorenzo Musetti was brushed aside 6-3 6-3 by top seed Carlos Alcaraz, who won 18 points from his 22 visits to the net.
“I tried to play my game, play aggressive with my shots, go to the net, drop shots, my style,” said the Spaniard. “I think I did pretty well, and I’m really happy with my performance.
“I’m feeling great on the court. I’m moving great, not injured or thinking about the ankle [injury] anymore. I think this is the best feeling since last summer.”
Next up for Alcaraz is 11th seed Grigor Dimitrov, who came from a set down to edge past eighth seed Hubert Hurkacz 3-6 6-3 7-6(3).
Defending champion Daniil Medvedev came through in straight sets against Dominik Koepfer. After needing a tie-break to take a back-and-forth first set 7-6(5), the Medvedev ran up a 6-0 scoreline in a one-sided follow-up.
He goes on to play Nicholas Jarry, after the Chilean’s 7-6(3) 6-3 success over Casper Rudd.
Unseeded Fabian Marozsan continued his run as he upset ninth seed Alex de Minaur 6-4 0-6 6-1.
Scotland and Edinburgh prop WP Nel is set to retire at the end of the season.
Nel, 37, has racked up 61 international caps and 200 appearances for the capital club since arriving from South Africa in 2012.
The experienced tighthead, who qualified for Scotland after three years of residency, was a front-row fixture at three World Cups – 2015, 2019 and 2023.
“To have the opportunity to play for Scotland is something I’m incredibly proud of. The memories in the jersey are unbelievable,” he said.
“When you stand there, singing the anthem, it’s a moment to be proud of, to be part of a team that will represent Scotland.”
Gregor Townsend, the Scotland head coach, hailed the veteran’s contribution to his adopted country.
“WP will rank amongst the best props to play for Scotland, highly respected from coaches and players alike – and he also had a brilliant sense of humour,” he said.
“WP has given a huge amount to Scottish rugby over a number of years.
“He was a joy to coach as every time he took to the training pitch he gave it his all, no matter how much his body was giving him issues.
“We’ll miss his smile, his love of the scrum and some very skilful moments that often lit up our training sessions. We wish him all the best for the rest of the season and in his retirement.”
Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt joined the chorus of appreciation, adding: “WP has been a tremendous servant to Edinburgh Rugby over more than a decade.
“He’s one of only three double centurions in the club’s 150-year history and has made 61 appearances for the Scotland national team in an incredibly-tough position.
“I know he’ll continue to give everything to the jersey – as he always does – for the remainder of the season.”
Refereeing chiefs have apologised for an “unfortunate occurrence” where the television match official dismissed an incident of foul play during Saracens’ victory over Harlequins.
Former England international Austin Healey, who was working as part of TNT Sports’ team at the match, spotted a clear-out by Harlequins captain Stephan Lewies, when he appeared to slide on his knees into Saracens fly-half Owen Farrell.
TMO Stuart Terheege was overheard telling referee Christophe Ridley on a microphone during the live broadcast: “The problem I have got now is that it looks like Austin has instigated it, because we’re late, so I don’t want to talk about it, OK?”
Lewies had received a yellow card during the first half of a game that Saracens won 52-7 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Professional Game Match Officials Team said in a statement: “The Professional Game Match Officials Team regret that questions have been raised about player safety and decision-making. Match officials take player welfare incredibly seriously and it is their overriding priority.
“At the time of the Farrell try, the Television Match Official (TMO), Stuart Terheege asked the TNT Sports Director for clips around the incident to review in the background before deciding whether to call an official review into the foul play incident, or not.
“This is a common request from TMO to Director, that occurs in rugby broadcasting to enable the TMO to decide whether an official review is required. Simultaneously, the TMO also checked the grounding on the Saracens try.
“In relation to the act of foul play committed by Stephen (sic) Lewies against Owen Farrell, the TMO saw the initial contact off the ball. He decided on the evidence that it was no more than a penalty advantage. As Saracens went onto score, that advantage was deemed to have been taken, so no further action was required.
“In response to Stuart’s initial request for images the Director asked the TMO if he wanted to look again at the incident. The TMO declined, as he was confident in his original decision. At the same time, the TNT Sports commentary team also saw the replays and posed the question whether Lewies’ actions warranted a review.
“TNT Sports’ audio directors can cut to the TMO if there is a moment when viewers would benefit from their insight in their decision-making. At this juncture, some of the conversation between the TMO and Match Director with regards to the replays requested and whether an official review was needed were broadcast ‘live’.
“The conversation between TMO and Director that was broadcast ‘live’ was regrettable, they were not intended to be heard outside of the broadcast truck nor were they the reason for the foul play incident not being formally reviewed.
“Terheege is disappointed that he allowed himself to be distracted with interactions with the broadcast team and did not communicate his decision to the on-field match officials.
“TMOs do not actively listen or react to the broadcast commentary team. TMOs make their decisions independently, based on their own judgement, experience, and in line with agreed World Rugby protocols. However, due to their location at the matches, they sometimes overhear commentary. The nature of the audio configuration in some broadcast trucks and in some stadiums means the working environment varies from match to match.
“The incident was an unusual and unfortunate occurrence. The PGMOT, Premiership Rugby and TNT Sports are working closely together to make sure this does not happen again. The three organisations enjoy a close and positive working relationship based on a mutually beneficial system that has worked for many years.
“All parties will continue to work hard to further refine and perfect systems to ensure player safety and high-quality rugby.”
A second tilt at Newmarket’s Dahlia Stakes could be next on the agenda for Astral Beau following her admirable defence of the Doncaster Mile on Saturday.
The five-year-old enjoyed a fine campaign for Classic-winning trainer Pam Sly last term, with her impressive Town Moor victory followed by placed efforts in the Dahlia and the Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom, while she also ran with credit when fourth at Group One level in the Falmouth Stakes.
With the wet winter rendering her gallops unusable at times, Sly was concerned Astral Beau may be short of work for her Doncaster comeback, but in finishing second to Roger Varian’s Charyn – placed at the highest level on several occasions last year – she proved herself as good as ever.
“The winner was rated 113, so I was well pleased,” said Sly.
“You always wonder whether they’re going to train on, but I think I can say she’s OK.
“We’ll probably go down a similar route to last year and stick with the fillies and mares if we can.
“You’ve got Newmarket and Epsom and I know there’s a race at Royal Ascot for the mares (Duchess of Cambridge Stakes), but the ground will probably be too firm by then.”
In the two Group races in which Astral Beau finished third last term, she bumped into Via Sistina and Prosperous Voyage, who have since been sold for 2.7 and 2.4million guineas respectively.
Astral Beau herself has a significant residual value as a future broodmare, but being from the family of Sly’s 1000 Guineas heroine Speciosa, it appears unlikely she will go under the hammer.
“I couldn’t get over how much those mares she ran with made, it’s serious money. I saw Via Sistina won in Australia over the weekend,” the trainer added.
“I think the family will want her (Astral Beau), my granddaughter is quite interested in the breeding and she’ll probably take over from me, hopefully.”
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