Hopes are high in the Jonjo O’Neill camp that Crebilly can provide the Jackdaws Castle yard with a first Cheltenham Festival winner since Sky Pirate in 2021.
O’Neill has trained 27 winners at the showpiece meeting in all and sits fifth on the list of current trainers bidding for more.
There was a time that O’Neill rarely left empty handed and as recently as 2014 he enjoyed a treble when Taquin Du Seuil, More Of That and Holywell were all victorious.
Crebilly is ante-post favourite for the TrustATrader Plate Handicap Chase having comfortably accounted for Tahmuras last time out, while he gained valuable Cheltenham experience with two runs at Prestbury Park earlier in the season. In the first of those he fell two out when upsides Ginny’s Destiny, who is a strong fancy for the Grade One Turners Novices’ Chase.
“We were very happy with the way he was running first time out this season but unfortunately he fell,” said O’Neill’s son and assistant, AJ.
“It wasn’t a reflection on his jumping, he’d actually jumped very well but he just crumpled on landing really.
“He wasn’t quite as fluent the next day (fourth) with his jumping, but when he won the other day he showed a bit more like we were hoping to see first and second time.
“Hopefully he’ll go well in the Plate and we’re happy with him.”
Another live chance for the yard is Springwell Bay in the Pertemps Final, having qualified when second at Musselburgh last time out.
“We were hoping for an indication of which way to go with him when he ran at Cheltenham when heavy ground and top-weight probably just got the better of him,” said O’Neill.
“We felt if he was good enough for the Stayers’ Hurdle he’d have been good enough to take on those conditions.
“Since stepping him up in trip he hasn’t won, but he was second the last day and probably showed a bit more of what we were looking for and it showed he probably does get the trip. Hopefully it doesn’t get too testing.”
Johnnywho has run two solid races in graded company since winning first time out over hurdles and holds each-way claims in the Albert Bartlett.
“Johnnywho stayed very well at Newbury, he hit a bit of a flat spot before staying on strongly in the Challow,” said O’Neill.
“We hoped he’d run well at Cheltenham the last day but he got a bit outpaced over that trip (fourth to Gidleigh Park) so stepping him up in trip looked the logical thing to do.
“He’s yet to prove it, but we were very happy as the ground was very testing at Newbury. Off the back of that we’d be hopeful.”
Annaf could be in line for more Middle Eastern riches after his lucrative success in the Saudi National Bank 1351 Turf Sprint.
The five-year-old had a busy and profitable season last year, consistently turning up in top sprints and holding his own when often starting at outsider’s odds.
He was fourth when beaten two and three-quarter lengths at 50-1 in the Duke of York Stakes, after which he was defeated by the same margin at the same price when third in the Group One King’s Stand at Royal Ascot.
Even when taking up the lower places in the Hackwood, the Hopeful Stakes and the Sprint Cup, he was never beaten more than three and a half lengths when stepping up to six furlongs.
At Doncaster, he moved back half a furlong in the Portland and under top weight he claimed his first win of the turf season, a success he then followed up when landing the Group Three Bengough Stakes at Ascot in October.
He made his seasonal debut at Lingfield at the start of February, placing second in the Listed Kachy Stakes behind Clive Cox’s Diligent Harry – who subsequently landed the Hever Sprint Stakes at Southwell on Saturday afternoon.
The Saudi Turf Sprint was Annaf’s next destination, edging up to just shy of seven furlongs in a deep race that included the reigning champion Bathrat Leon from Japan, Kieran Cotter’s speedy filly Matilda Picotte and Tim Easterby’s British Champions Sprint Stakes winner Art Power.
Under a canny ride from Rossa Ryan having started in stall 12, they found space on the inside rail and were gaining ground constantly.
As others faded Annaf began to advance and ultimately crossed the line three-quarters of a length ahead of Japan’s La La Christine to take home nearly £1million in prize-money.
Appleby said: “He’s all good, he’s come out of the race fine.
“He did it really well, we were quite surprised at the price of him to be honest.
“He ran really well in the Kachy Stakes, we gave him a prep run in that and he went very well.
“The winner of that (Diligent Harry) came out and won the Listed race at Southwell, so the form has really stacked up.
“He’s always run well in good quality races and he’s always been thereabouts.”
A visit to Japan was mentioned in the immediate aftermath of the Saudi success, but connections have decided that the meeting comes too soon and he will instead return to the Middle East for the Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai World Cup night.
“He’ll more than likely go out to Dubai on World Cup night, he was invited to Japan, but we’ve decided not to go there as the race might come too soon for him and there’s a lot of travelling as well,” Appleby said.
“He’ll come home and then probably about a week before the race, he’ll fly out to Dubai.
“Then I imagine then it’ll be Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood, all the big meetings.”
Appleby’s other sprint star is the rapid Big Evs, winner of the Windsor Castle, Molecomb, Flying Childers and then the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint last year.
The colt has returned to training after his winter break and is progressing well as connections ponder where to begin his three-year-old campaign.
“He’s good, he’s wintered really well and he’s in training,” Appleby said.
“We’ve not really made our plans yet with him, but he’s on the go so he’ll run early season, we just don’t know where yet.”
Christian Horner will remain in his post as Red Bull team principal.
Red Bull Racing’s parent company Red Bull GmbH announced on February 5 that Horner was under investigation following an accusation of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female colleague.
Horner emphatically denied the claim and the 50-year-old, who arrived in Bahrain on Wednesday ahead of this weekend’s opening race of the Formula One season, will stay on as team principal of the British team.
A statement from Red Bull GmbH read: “The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed.
“The complainant has a right of appeal.
“Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial.
“The investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned. Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards.”
Horner fully co-operated with the investigation, having been questioned by a lawyer for around eight hours earlier this month at a secret London location away from the team’s Milton Keynes headquarters.
During the internal probe, he continued to be present for official Red Bull activities – including the new car launch in Milton Keynes earlier this month, and also pre-season testing in Bahrain last week.
Asked whether he had considered temporarily stepping aside until the conclusion, Horner stressed it was “business as usual”.
He said: “Obviously, I fully deny any accusations that have been made against me, but of course I’ll work with that process, which I hope is concluded in the near future.”
Horner has been Red Bull team principal since they entered F1 19 years ago and is the longest-serving boss on the grid.
Under Horner’s leadership, he has overseen seven drivers’ world championships and six constructors’ titles at the British-based F1 team.
Red Bull have dominated the sport in recent seasons and last year won 21 of the 22 races – with Dutch driver Max Verstappen setting a new record for 10 consecutive victories.
Christian Horner will remain in his post as Red Bull team principal.
Red Bull Racing’s parent company Red Bull GmbH announced on February 5 that Horner was under investigation following an accusation of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female colleague.
Horner emphatically denied the claim and the 50-year-old, who arrived in Bahrain on Wednesday ahead of this weekend’s opening race of the Formula One season, will stay on as team principal of the British team.
A statement from Red Bull GmbH read: “The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed.
“The complainant has a right of appeal.
“Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial.
“The investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned. Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards.”
Andy Murray confirmed he is set to retire this summer after losing to Ugo Humbert in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Murray produced his best win for several months in the first round by seeing off Denis Shapovalov but fell to a 6-2 6-4 loss against 18th-ranked Frenchman Humbert.
Speaking to reporters post-match, the 36-year-old said of his future: “I’m likely not going to play past this summer.
“I get asked about it after every single match that I play, every single tournament that I play. I’m bored of the question, to be honest.
“I’m not going to talk more about that between now and whenever the time comes for me to stop. But, yes, I don’t plan on playing much past this summer.”
Murray has not won more than a single match at any tournament since August and, after beating Shapovalov, the Scot talked about trying to do his best “these last few months”.
Murray has said previously he has an idea of when he would like to bow out, and he told Radio 4’s Today programme: “When the time is right I will probably say something before I play my last match and my last tournament.”
While Wimbledon appears the most logical venue for Murray to call time on his glittering career, the Scot is tempted by another crack at the Olympics in Paris this summer.
Murray is the only tennis player to have won back-to-back singles gold medals, in London and Rio, and he said: “Hopefully I can get the chance to compete at another one.”
If the Scot does not qualifying by ranking – he has slipped down the standings to 67 – he could seek a spot in the draw as a previous champion.
Murray dropped serve twice in succession in the opening set against Humbert and was unable to apply any real pressure on his opponent’s delivery, winning just seven return points during the contest.
The second set was a little closer, but Murray cut a thoroughly frustrated figure, ranting at himself and smacking the umpire’s chair with his racket, as he attempted to trade with the clean-hitting Frenchman, who clinched victory after only an hour-and-a-half.
Anglers Crag has the Scottish Grand National on his agenda after a tough success in the Eider Chase at Newcastle.
The nine-year-old seems to find life at Brian Ellison’s yard to his liking, winning all four starts since joining the stable ahead of the current season.
After handicap chase victories at Carlisle, Market Rasen and Musselburgh, the latter an 11-length rout, the gelding lined up at odds of 11-2 under Henry Brook at Newcastle.
On heavy ground and when stepping up to four miles and half a furlong, Anglers Crag demonstrated abundant stamina to prevail by a neck for owner-breeder Derrick Mossop, who also bred the dam.
The handicapper has responded by giving the horse a 8lb rise in the ratings, leaving him on a career high mark of 134 and putting him in the frame for valuable staying handicaps.
The Scottish Grand National is now to be his target, run over four miles at Ayr on April 20.
“He’s hard as nails, he’s come out of the race really well,” said Ellison.
“He’s done really well, he’s surprised us a bit with how much he’s improved. We’re over the moon with him really.
“He just seems to like the way we train him. The lad that rides him, Andy Robertson, has made a massive difference to him.
“He gets on really well with him, he takes him out on his own a lot and he’s really settled now.
“He’ll go for the Scottish National, it just seems the obvious place to go now and the handicapper hasn’t missed him either – he’s put him up 8lb.
“The owner is a great bloke and it’s really good when you breed one and they do well, hopefully there’s more to come.”
Spirit Dancer is firmly on course for a Dubai World Cup night outing after providing Sir Alex Ferguson with further international success in Saudi Arabia.
The Richard Fahey-trained seven-year-old gave the former Manchester United manager – along with co-owners Ged Mason and Peter Done – a day to remember when scoring in the Bahrain International Trophy in November and hit the target once again in the Middle East in the Neom Turf Cup.
Having scooped a first-prize of just shy of £1million when downing the likes of Aidan O’Brien’s Luxembourg in Riyadh, the son of Frankel will now return to Dubai, where he has spent the majority of the winter and will be prepared for Meydan action on March 30.
“It has been a great winter with him and he’s progressing well,” said Fahey.
“He’s taken to us to another level of enjoyment there and the whole thing has been great. It’s very exciting.
“We flew him into Dubai for his last run (in the Jebel Hatta) and left him there and now he has flown back to Dubai. We will see how he is, but he looks well and is summering well in Dubai. He’s in great form and enjoying life at the moment competing at the very highest level.
“Definitely, all being well, you will see him on World Cup night.”
Spirit Dancer’s latest victory came over an extended 10 furlongs and Fahey now has to decide whether Spirit Dancer stretches out to a mile and a half for the first time to take part in the Dubai Sheema Classic or drops back to nine furlongs for the Dubai Turf.
Fahey added: “I haven’t decided which race yet and it will be either be the nine-furlong race or the mile and a half. I’ll see how he is training and I have to make a decision soon because he has an invite, but I haven’t 100 per cent made a decision yet.
“It’s always been in my mind to give him a go (at a mile and a half).
“I’ll have to have look and see what runs in each race there and I’m afraid there is no easy race, but when they are $5m and $6m races, that’s what you expect in Dubai.”
Lewis Hamilton has called the imminent verdict on Christian Horner’s Formula One future an “important moment for the sport to make sure that we stand true to our values”.
Red Bull Racing’s parent company Red Bull GmbH announced on February 5 that Horner is being investigated following an accusation of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female colleague. Horner denies the claim.
The embattled Red Bull team principal is due to arrive in Bahrain for the first race of the season on Wednesday.
A verdict on whether he remains as Red Bull team principal is expected to follow.
“We always have to do more to try to make the sport and the environment for people to work in feel safe and inclusive,” said Hamilton as he addressed the controversy for the first time ahead of Saturday’s curtain raiser in the Gulf kingdom.
“Any allegations have to be taken very seriously.
“We don’t know everything that has gone on but it needs to be resolved because it is hanging over the sport.
“It will be interesting to see how it is dealt with, and the effect that it may or may not have on the sport moving forward.
“It is a really important moment for the sport to make sure that we stand true to our values.”
Andy Murray’s search for back-to-back wins goes on after he was comfortably beaten by Ugo Humbert in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Murray produced his best win for several months in the first round by seeing off Denis Shapovalov but fell to a 6-2 6-4 loss against 18th-ranked Frenchman Humbert.
Murray dropped serve twice in succession in the opening set and was unable to apply any real pressure on Humbert’s delivery, winning just seven return points during the contest.
The second set was a little closer, but Murray cut a thoroughly frustrated figure as he attempted to trade with the clean-hitting Frenchman, who clinched victory after only an hour-and-a-half.
Murray has not won more than a single match at any tournament since August and speculation continues around when he will depart the court for good.
After beating Shapovalov, the Scot talked about trying to do his best “these last few months”, but he has now hinted he would like to keep going until at least this summer’s Olympics.
Murray has said previously he has an idea of when he would like to bow out, and he told Radio 4’s Today programme he is likely to make that information public at some point.
“When the time is right I will probably say something before I play my last match and my last tournament,” he said. “Whether I say anything months ahead of the time, I don’t know.”
While Wimbledon appears the most logical venue for Murray to call time on his glittering career, the Scot is tempted by another crack at the Olympics in Paris this summer.
Murray is the only tennis player to have won back-to-back singles gold medals, in London and Rio, and he said: “Hopefully I can get the chance to compete at another one.”
If the Scot does not qualifying by ranking – he has slipped down the standings to 67 – he could seek a spot in the draw as a previous champion.
Marcus Smith and Alex Mitchell will join England’s squad for a three-day training camp in York ahead of the final two rounds of the Guinness Six Nations.
Harlequins fly-half Smith is yet to feature in this year’s championship due to a calf issue, while Northampton scrum-half Mitchell twisted his knee in training after starting the victories over Italy and Wales.
The returning pair will continue rehabilitating their respective injuries alongside a 36-man group, the Rugby Football Union has announced.
Exeter wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who scored a try as a replacement in Saturday’s 30-21 Calcutta Cup loss to Scotland, will be absent as he has a medical exam at Exeter University which must be completed face to face.
England return to action on Saturday, March 9 when Grand Slam-chasing Ireland visit Twickenham.
Steve Borthwick’s side, who must beat Andy Farrell’s reigning champions to remain in title contention, complete the tournament a week later by taking on France in Lyon.
Nicky Henderson has issued an upbeat bulletin on Constitution Hill, a day on from the disappointing workout which rocked the Unibet Champion Hurdle market and racing in general.
The undoubted superstar of the National Hunt world was at Kempton Park on Tuesday morning, as the Seven Barrows trainer put the finishing touches to his Cheltenham Festival squad.
But Henderson was left “in shock” at what Constitution Hill produced, and he subsequently scoped badly.
Giving an update on his X (formerly Twitter account) on Wednesday, he said: “I am pleased to say that Constitution Hill appears perfectly normal this morning. He is bright and well and ate everything last night. His temperature has remained normal both last night and this morning.
“As with all the other horses that galloped at Kempton yesterday, they are having an easy day today. They have had a lead out and all appear to be sound and well and are having a good pick of grass.
“We would plan to ride them all, including Constitution Hill, tomorrow, although he will have quieter exercise for the next 48 hours at least as we still have to bear in mind that he has got a hopefully relatively mild lung infection which has to improve considerably before any serious work could begin again.
“Fresh air is as important as anything for a horse’s lungs. The intention is to rescope on Friday to monitor which way this is going.”
Harry Derham has confirmed Givemefive will not take up his engagements at the Cheltenham Festival following his brave effort in the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle on Saturday.
Despite holding entries for both the JCB Triumph Hurdle and Boodles Fred Winter, the young handler had always suggested a run at National Hunt flagship meeting was unlikely.
And having left it all on the track when narrowly denied by Kalif Du Berlais at Kempton, Derham has firmly ruled out a trip to Prestbury Park for his talented juvenile.
He said: “He obviously ran really well and we were very pleased with him.
“It looked to me like he was beaten by a good one and we’re not going to go to Cheltenham. That race has took a fair bit out of him, I haven’t cantered him since and he’s still quite quiet. We will make another plan.
“I wasn’t really tempted (to go to Cheltenham) to be honest. He can’t win the Triumph and he would need to be fresh and well-handicapped to win the Boodles and we’re probably neither. It didn’t tempt me that much and I want to win races, I don’t want to go to Cheltenham to take part.”
Givemefive is owned by Major-winning golfers Graeme McDowell and Brooks Koepka, with McDowell enjoying his first visit to watch the four-year-old in his Grade Two assignment.
The Northern Irishman may not have experienced the victory which would have capped off his visit to Sunbury, but left having fully relished watching his charge in action.
“Graeme said he had a great time and the race got the heart racing,” added Derham.
“It obviously wasn’t the result we dreamt of but he ran a fantastic race and on the day just wasn’t quite good enough.
Of his next outing, the trainer continued: “We could go to Fairyhouse (for the juvenile Grade Two), but we will just see how he is in the next few weeks. I haven’t cantered him since his run, but as long as he is all right I would be quite keen to go there – he should have had enough time to recover.
“His owners have always said to just do the right thing by the horse, so we will let him recover from Kempton and then we will make a plan.”
Also missing the Festival is Derham’s star mare Queens Gamble.
The six-year-old – who was twice a bumper winner at Cheltenham when trained by Oliver Sherwood – was as short as 10-1 for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle after winning her first three outings over timber, but will now miss the remainder of the season.
“Her leg scanned clean, but there was a little bit of heat in there on Monday,” explained Derham.
“She is very fortunate to be owned by very good and understanding owners who don’t want to push her and will give her a chance.
“She will be back in the autumn with no problems at all.”
European captain Suzann Pettersen has named four vice-captains for the 2024 Solheim Cup, which sees England’s Mel Reid join the backroom team.
Dame Laura Davies, Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist and Norwegian Caroline Martens were all part of the set-up for last year’s clash against the United States in Andalusia, which saw Europe retain the trophy after a thrilling 14-14 tie.
Reid was previously a vice-captain in 2019 and made four appearances as a player for Europe, winning seven-and-a-half points.
Pettersen feels she has pulled together a strong support group for when Europe face the US again at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia from September 13 to 15.
“With just over six months to go until the competition, I am thrilled to be able to name my backroom team for the 2024 Solheim Cup,” said Pettersen.
“After last year’s success, why change a winning team? I am excited to be able to have the same team by my side, but also with the great addition of Mel.
“It was a very natural choice for me and the rest of the team to bring Mel in alongside us in a vice-captaincy role. She has an immense passion and head for the Solheim Cup.
“She has the experience both from her time as a player and also being a vice-captain during the 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles. She is all over this task and we’re excited for her to join us.”
Reid, a six-time winner on the Ladies European Tour, is relishing the challenges ahead.
“Everyone knows how much the Solheim Cup means to me and how much I love being part of it and Team Europe. It brings out passion and shows the best of what golf has to offer,” the 36-year-old said.
“Being a vice-captain back in 2019 gave me a different perspective and it made me hungrier to be on the Solheim Cup team in 2021. It was what I needed at the time, and it was a huge honour to do that.
“What the team did in Spain last year was amazing and I am excited to be able to join Suzann, Caroline, Laura and Anna on this journey as we prepare to go for more history at the 2024 Solheim Cup in the US.”
As a former Masters champion, Danny Willett will definitely be at Augusta National for the first major of the year.
Whether he is there just to sample the delights of Jon Rahm’s menu for the champions dinner or swinging a golf club in anger is less certain as he battles to regain full fitness following shoulder surgery.
Willett looked set to challenge for a second BMW PGA Championship title in September when he covered his first 12 holes in six under par, only to aggravate a shoulder tear after hitting his tee shot on the 15th.
The 2019 champion played through the pain barrier and completed all 72 holes at Wentworth but underwent surgery the following week and faces a race against time to compete at Augusta, where he won in dramatic style in 2016.
“The surgery went really well, I’m back hitting balls right now but Augusta is six weeks away. It’ll be very, very close,” Willett told the PA news agency at the launch of Prostate Cancer UK’s fundraising challenge, The Big Golf Race.
“It’s been a long time rehabbing it just to get it up to strength to be able to take the capacity and the load that it needs to. We’ll know more when we start practising in America as to how we’re getting on.
“The beauty of potentially playing [the Masters] is the fact that I know the golf course that well I’m probably not going to be slogging around 18 holes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in practice rounds.
“I’ll be able to take it a little bit easier but I also don’t want to go there and just make up the numbers.”
Willett had been managing his shoulder problem for several months before it flared up at Wentworth and the extent of the damage was only discovered when he went under the knife.
“We thought there was one tear and when the surgeon went in he realised there were two tears and a good bit of damage around the cartilage and a few cysts he had to clear out,” Willett said.
“It’s a pretty intrusive surgery and it was a bit scary when I first came out and I could barely lift my own hand. You wonder if you’ve done the right thing but now it feels pretty good.
“Ultimately I’m only 36 so I’ve still got a hell of a long time left in my career, so to have this time out now will hopefully mean I can come back and prolong my career and have another good 10 or 15 years at it.”
Willett is now into his fourth year of supporting Prostate Cancer UK’s fundraising efforts and raised £38,000 as host of the British Masters for two years as title sponsors Betfred donated £1,000 for every birdie he made.
The 36-year-old admits it was “staggering” to learn that prostate cancer affects one in eight men in the UK and is backing this year’s The Big Golf Race, which challenges golfers to play 36, 72 or even 100 holes in a day.
“It’s a great charity to support,” Willett said. “As men, if something’s not right or we don’t feel well, very rarely do we go and get it sorted so it was about making people aware to go and get checked.
“One of my old England coaches Steve Rolley was diagnosed and fortunately they got it early enough and he’s now fine. It’s amazing how many people it has affected that you know, but how little information there was out there about it.”
::: Danny Willett is supporting Prostate Cancer UK’s golf fundraising challenge, The Big Golf Race, which is calling on golfers to take on 36, 72 or 100 holes in a day to raise money and help save men’s lives. To sign up, visit prostatecanceruk.org/get-involved/activity/golf/the-big-golf-race
Max Strus connected on a 59-foot heave at the buzzer, lifting the Cleveland Cavaliers to a wild 121-119 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.
Strus made five 3-pointers in the final 3:42 of the game and capped a back-and-forth ending, giving the Cavs their 20th win in their last 24 games.
Dallas’ PJ Washington made a contested layup with 2.6 seconds remaining to put the Mavs up 119-118.
Without any timeouts to advance the ball, Strus inbounded to Evan Mobley, who quickly returned the ball. Strus took one dribble before launching from behind the half-court line and swishing the game-winning bucket.
Strus finished with 21 points. Donovan Mitchell also made seven 3’s and led the way for the Cavs with 31 points.
With the win, Cleveland (38-19) remained alone in second place in the Eastern Conference.
The Mavericks, who lead by 10 with under four minutes remaining, squandered a signature performance from Luka Dončić, who finished with 45 points, nine rebounds and 14 assists.
Celtics extend season-best winning streak
Jaylen Brown scored 31 points, Jayson Tatum flirted with a triple-double and the Boston Celtics weathered a rare cold shooting night, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 117-99 for their ninth straight win.
The Celtics, who lead the NBA in both 3-point makes and attempts this season, shot just 5 of 22 from beyond the arc, both season lows.
Boston compensated for their cold shooting by attacking the rim and shooting 34 of 37 from the free throw line. Tatum – who finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists – was 10 of 11 from the line, while Kristaps Porzingis made all 12 of his free throws.
The Celtics (46-12) improved to 25-0 at home against Eastern Conference opponents.
Tyrese Maxey was the high-point man for Philadelphia with 32, but the rest of the 76ers’ starters combined for just 22 points.
SGA powers Thunder to 6th straight win
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued to make his case for league MVP, Jalen Williams scored an efficient 24 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Houston Rockets 112-95 to win their sixth straight game.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points and has scored at least 30 in every game during the Thunder’s winning streak.
The win kept Oklahoma City (41-17) in a tie with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the best record in the Western Conference.
Alperen Sengun had a team-high 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Rockets, who are just 6-14 in their last 20 games.
Jonathan Marchessault had two goals and an assist, Adin Hill made 28 saves and the Vegas Golden Knights ended the Toronto Maple Leafs’ seven-game winning streak with a 6-2 drubbing on Tuesday.
Ivan Barbashev, Mason Morelli, William Karlsson and Nicolas Roy also scored for Vegas, who never trailed en route to a win that ended a 1-4-1 swoon.
Tyler Bertuzzi and Ryan Reaves scored for Toronto as the Leafs’ top-flight offensive threats were frustrated all night.
Auston Matthews, who leads the NHL with 52 goals, was held off the scoresheet for just the second time since Jan. 15. He had totalled 14 points in his previous six games.
Red Wings on their longest win streak in 5 years
Shayne Gostisbehere scored two goals to lead the Detroit Red Wings in an 8-3 rout over the Washington Capitals, extending their winning streak to six games.
The last time the Red Wings won at least six straight was in the 2018-19 season.
Lucas Raymond, J.T. Compher, Patrick Kane, Dylan Larkin, David Perron and Joe Veleno all had multiple points in Detroit’s highest-scoring game since Nov. 15, 2017.
Detroit’s run has put the Red Wings (32-20-6) in position to end a seven-year play-off drought.
Hendrix Lapierre, Michael Sgarbossa and Max Pacioretty each scored for Washington, who had been 4-0-1 in their previous five games.
Josi, Predators run win streak to 6
Captain Roman Josi had two goals and an assist as the Nashville Predators won their sixth straight game, a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators.
Gustav Nyquist contributed a goal and two assists, and Juuse Saros made 24 saves as the Preds returned from a flawless five-game road trip and matched a season-high with a sixth consecutive victory.
The winning streak has pushed Nashville (33-25-2) into the final projected play-off spot in the Western Conference.
Monty Williams slammed "the absolute worst call of the season" after the Detroit Pistons lost to the New York Knicks on Monday.
The Pistons lost 113-111 to the Knicks, in large part due to an obvious case of the officials missing a blatant foul with 8.5 seconds left, after Donte DiVincenzo barged into Ausar Thompson.
Referee James Williams subsequently admitted a mistake had been made.
And Williams was left seething.
"The absolute worst call of the season," Williams said.
"No call, and enough's enough. We've done it the right way. We've called the league. We've sent in clips. We're sick of hearing the same stuff over and over again.
"We had a chance to win the game, and a guy dove into Ausur's legs and there was a no-call. That's an abomination. You cannot miss that in an NBA game. Period. And I'm tired of talking about it. I'm tired of my guys asking, 'What more can we do, Coach?' That situation is Exhibit A to what we've been dealing with all season long, and enough's enough.
"You cannot dive into a guy's legs in a big-time game like that and there be a no-call," he continued. "It's ridiculous, and we're tired of it. We just want a fair game called. Period. And I've got nothing else to say. We want a fair game, and that was not fair."
The Pistons were also on the end of a controversial decision in their loss to the Orlando Magic on Saturday.
"I'd say livid," said Cade Cunningham, who scored 32 points and added five rebounds and five assists.
"That's the word of the day: livid."
Explaining his attempt to win the ball, DiVincenzo said: "I went for the ball. I didn't look at the play. You turn the ball over, the ball is in front of you, and you go after the ball. Like I said, I respect everyone's opinion. I can't speak on it until I look at the film."
The controversy came a day after LeBron James and Darvin Ham questioned the officials after the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Phoenix Suns.
Detroit sit bottom of the Eastern Conference, while the Knicks are in fourth.
Officials at Cheltenham expect the Festival to get underway on close to soft ground, with the start of the showpiece meeting now only a fortnight away.
Like much of the country, Prestbury Park has endured a predominantly wet winter, but a rare dry weekend has given clerk of the course Jon Pullin reason for optimism.
“As everyone will be very well aware, we’ve had a very wet build up this year,” he said on Tuesday.
“Thankfully, the rain held off over the weekend and it’s the first 48 hours of dry weather we’ve had for a number of weeks, which has allowed us to at least get on and start to mow this week, which was very much needed, so I’m pleased that we got that window.
“We’d be soft ground, as you can imagine with the rain that we’ve had, and the cross country would be heavy in places as well.”
While further rain is forecast in the coming days, Pullin is not expecting a huge swing in conditions either way ahead of day one of the Festival on March 12.
He added: “The forecast for the next seven to 10 days remains unsettled. Thursday looks as if it could be quite wet, but apart from that it’s just little bits and pieces.
“We’ll see how we go, but if that forecast remains, we’ll have similar ground to what we do now for the start of the Festival, I would imagine.
“There’s nothing scary I’m seeing in the forecast at the moment. We’ve been fortunate we’ve been a lot milder this year than last and the grass covering has been good.
“We did put a bit of fleece down on the New course in the home straight for a couple of weeks, just to kickstart the recovery there, but the grass is looking really well after the cut this morning, so we’re pleased with where we are at this stage.”
Champion juvenile City Of Troy is among the initial list of 72 put forward at the first entry stage of the Betfred Derby.
Aidan O’Brien’s Justify colt was unbeaten in three runs as a two-year-old, taking his maiden, the Superlative Stakes by six and a half lengths and then the Dewhurst by three and a half lengths.
His rating of 125 has left him at the top of the pile ahead of the new season, with stablemate Henry Longfellow third on the list on 119 and also nominated for the Epsom Classic.
There are 17 O’Brien-trained horses in the mix, including Diego Velazquez, winner of the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes, and Criterium de Saint-Cloud scorer Los Angeles.
City Of Troy – who will be seen first in the Qipco 2000 Guineas – heads the market, with Henry Longfellow behind him, after which Charlie Appleby is represented by Futurity Trophy winner Ancient Wisdom and Zetland Stakes victor Arabian Crown.
There are 46 British entries, 23 from Ireland and one each from France, the USA and Japan.
The next entry stage for the £1.5million showpiece, which takes place on June 1, is on April 24.
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