William Knight has the Al Quoz Sprint in mind for his promising filly Frost At Dawn.
The three-year-old is by Frosted and was homebred by her owner, Abdulla Al Mansoori.
She acquitted herself well in two British starts on the all-weather last year before heading to Meydan, where she was placed over both six and seven furlongs before successfully stepping down to five furlongs in the Group Three Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint on Saturday.
A 33-1 chance under Mickael Barzalona, the filly was drawn in stall three and made straight for the rail to lead from the outset.
From there she flew home, prevailing by two and a half lengths and breaking the Meydan track record over the minimum trip in the process.
“It was a very nice performance and the time was very good,” said Knight.
“She keeps on surprising me, we went out there thinking we were going to run in the UAE Guineas and we’ve ended up winning a Group Three over five furlongs.”
The Al Quoz Sprint, a Group One contest run on Dubai World Cup night, is the next port of call for a step back up to six furlongs that Knight expects to cause no issues.
“It’s fantastic and all roads lead back to the Al Quoz Sprint, I think she’s versatile and Mickael thought she could potentially be better over six,” he said.
“She was great over five and she’s got the track record but she could prove to be quite versatile.”
From there, the grey is likely to travel again for a domestic turf campaign – and if that proves a success, the Breeders’ Cup may come into focus later on in the year.
Knight said: “We’ll see how she comes out of the Al Quoz and take each race as it comes, but I’d like to think we could be competing in the big races throughout the summer and that would be great.
“If she can continue in this sort of form, then the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar could be something we aim for at the end of the season.
“She’ll need to have a freshen up when she comes back from Dubai, but for the owner to have a runner on World Cup night, and a homebred at that, would be very special.”
Hughie Morrison has expressed his disappointment after Constitution Hill was ruled out of the Unibet Champion Hurdle, despite his absence elevating Not So Sleepy to become the leading British contender for the Cheltenham Festival’s opening day feature.
Hopes of National Hunt’s flagship horse making the start line were dashed on Monday when Nicky Henderson announced blood test results showed the defending champion had not recovered sufficiently enough from a respiratory infection to line up in the Cotswolds.
That leaves the 12-year-old Not So Sleepy to fly the flag for the home team as he makes his fifth appearance in the Champion Hurdle – having previously finished no better than fifth.
He heads to Prestbury Park in rude health, having claimed the rearranged Fighting Fifth when last sighted.
But far from seeing Constitution Hill’s absence as a positive in Not So Sleepy’s claims for big-race glory, Morrison is regretful that the Seven Barrows superstar will be sitting on the sidelines during the biggest week of the season.
“I’m actually quite disappointed Constitution Hill is not turning up,” said Morrison.
“I don’t think I should be excited really and I’m quite disappointed. At the end of the day, we want the best to be there and the best probably isn’t going to be there. We would have liked to have taken him on – you always want to take on the best.
“Let’s hope we now get there in one piece.”
With Constitution Hill out of the picture and State Man now the heavy odds-on favourite with the layers, it is Not So Sleepy who is the shortest-priced British-trained Champion Hurdle contender, with the veteran a 14-1 chance with Paddy Power.
However, Morrison is still processing his charge’s position in the reformed market and is more worried about seeing some rain appear in the weather forecasts ahead of his big date on Tuesday week.
“I hadn’t really thought of it that way, but I’m just delighted to have something with good reason to be going there really,” said Morrison, when asked about the responsibility of being Britain’s number one hope.
“On his day, he’s a really good horse and he deserves to be there – on a good day, he should be in the money. Over the years, he has run four times in the Champion Hurdle and has run reasonably well, but I’ve always thought I could have had him better.
“We are there to do our best and we’re slightly concerned about the weather forecast looking dry all week, but hopefully the rain will reappear at the weekend for us.
“Racehorses always give you sleepless nights, especially when they are 12 and they have got a few miles on the clock. There is always something creeping round the corner, as Nicky Henderson knows.
“Hopefully we can get him there in good nick but I would like a bit of rain to give us a chance.”
Premier Novices’ Hurdle third Cannock Park will skip high-profile options at both the Cheltenham Festival and Aintree’s Grand National meeting in favour of teeing-up a shot at a valuable event on Sandown’s end-of-season card.
Paul Robson’s six-year-old was third in Grade One company at Aintree on Boxing Day, having won at Cheltenham on his hurdling debut, and again picked up a bronze medal at Kelso in further graded action on Saturday.
He finished just two lengths adrift of the winner Personal Ambition and his handler was delighted to see him also bridge the gap with Formby Hurdle conqueror Jango Baie, who filled the runner-up spot in the Scottish Borders.
Cannock Park holds an entry in the County Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival, while a return to Grade One action at Liverpool in the spring was also mooted as an option moving forward.
However, Robson intends to send his charge to Bangor before finishing the season in the £100,000 bet365 Novices’ Championship Final Handicap Hurdle at Sandown on April 27.
Robson said: “He made up 14 lengths on Jango Baie at Kelso, which I was absolutely thrilled about, and it was over a trip I thought might be a little bit far for him, but he looked like he stayed it out fine.
“He’s come out of his race absolutely fine, but I’m not going to take him to Cheltenham or Aintree. I’m going to take him to Bangor on March 23 – there is a £30,000 class two race there – and then it will be straight to Sandown for the £100,000 final on the last day of the year (season).
“We’ll take him to Bangor in three weeks and then he’ll have five weeks between those two races.”
Cannock Park has excelled for Robson this season, flying the flag for the former jockey, who now combines training a small string with duties in his undertaking business in the Scottish Borders.
However, the gelding’s future lies over fences, with the handler already eyeing next season’s novice chase campaign.
“He’s definitely next season’s chaser and he jumped absolutely faultless at Kelso,” continued Robson.
“If anything, he maybe just gave them a little bit too much height, but I’m thrilled with him and the horse has run another absolute blinder. I’ve ridden him myself this morning and he was bouncing.”
Jamaica’s Motorsport Athlete of the Year, Fraser McConnell, secured the second spot on the podium for the 2023/24 Nitrocross season, while Robin Larsson clinched his second consecutive title.
McConnell's stellar track record continues as he finished one position higher than his third-place finish in 2022/23.
During the 2023/24 season, the Jamaican driver demonstrated remarkable skill and determination by securing a decisive victory in Oklahoma on June 16, marking an impressive start.
Mechanical issues hindered his performance, possibly preventing him from reaching the podium in rounds two and three in Utah in August. However, McConnell bounced back strongly in rounds five and six in Phoenix, Arizona, finishing first and second on November 10 and 11.
McConnell is gearing up for another thrilling season of sprint racing in 2024/25 as Dreyer & Reinbold Racing confirms the extension of his contract for another year,
"We are thrilled to announce Fraser McConnell's continued partnership with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the upcoming NitroCross season," said team owner, Dennis Reinbold. "Fraser's exceptional talent and dedication to excellence embody the spirit of our team, and we are confident that together, we will achieve even greater heights in the 2024-25 season."
McConnell also looks forward to a third season with the team, “I’m happy to continue this opportunity with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. The team has felt like family over the last two years and it’s a huge honour to continue with the best team in the paddock."
On his 2023/24 results, he added,
“It is so incredible to finish on the podium once again, last year third, this year second, next year I’m coming for that trophy!”
“We definitely have what it takes to win the championship. We finished strong here in Las Vegas and next season will be no different.” he added.
The fourth season of Nitrocross gets underway on September 7 & 8 with Rounds one & two slated for a new venue, Richmond Raceway, in Virginia.
Nicky Henderson finally admitted defeat in his race to get Constitution Hill to the Cheltenham Festival on Monday after further blood tests indicated his star performer had not recovered sufficiently from the respiratory infection discovered last week.
Here, we look at a timeline of how the events unfolded:
February 27: Reports of Constitution Hill being eased down during a racecourse gallop at Kempton began to surface and bookmakers were quick to suspend betting on the Champion Hurdle.
February 27: Henderson quickly admitted the poor workout came “as a bit of a shock” and that Constitution Hill had subsequently scoped badly, but insisted he would not give up hope of making it to Cheltenham.
“Unfortunately, in a routine gallop this morning, Constitution Hill was very disappointing and it transpires, after the vet has scoped him, that there is evidence of mucus,” said the Seven Barrows handler.
“We’re taking a sample of it to a laboratory to analyse it, which will tell us about the significance of it and we should know more after that.”
February 27: Henderson then elaborated on the dramatic morning of events and initial medical tests.
He posted on X: “The sample from his tracheal wash has shown a small increase in the number of neutrophils which indicates a respiratory infection, which is significant but far from drastic.
“He will start a course of antibiotics immediately and we plan to rescope him on Friday in order to monitor which way this is going. He would only be having light exercise this week following this morning’s racecourse gallop.
“Both our own vet and the racecourse veterinary surgeon who scoped him feel we definitely have a chance of correcting this in time and we will be doing everything possible to do so. We have a fortnight to work him and it is possible, so we will keep everybody notified accordingly.
“He is absolutely fine within himself and we have simply got to get on top of this issue as quickly as possible.”
February 28: Henderson issued an upbeat bulletin, stating on X: “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.”
He added: “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.”
February 29: In a morning interview at Seven Barrows, Henderson described his superstar as “alert and bright”, as he walked a line between giving the gelding adequate recovery time, while trying not to lose too much of his fitness edge.
“He can’t stay in his box, if we’ve got any pretentions of running in the Champion Hurdle, you can’t just knock it off and tuck him in bed,” Henderson told Sky Sports Racing.
“We’ve got to find the right balance between keeping him moving but not stressing him in any way at all.”
February 29: Henderson later received the results of a blood test on Constitution Hill and admitted they were “probably not what we were hoping for”.
In an update posted on X, he said: “The result of the blood test taken this morning goes quite a long way to explaining his disappointing performance at Kempton on Tuesday and confirms that he has a significant degree of inflammation.
“The figures themselves suggest he is definitely under the weather and we will need to repeat the test again on Monday in the hope that the situation improves.
“This is probably not what we were hoping for, but at least it tells us exactly where we are.”
March 1: Some positive news among the gloom, as Henderson says: “On what was about as foul and filthy morning as you can imagine at Seven Barrows, Constitution Hill had a light exercise and was rescoped afterwards as planned. This showed the neutrophil percentage, indicative of infection, was back to normal parameters with no mucus evident.
“This is obviously positive news but we cannot hide behind yesterday’s blood test which basically reveals that, in simple terms, our horse is ‘unwell’.”
March 2: Henderson was on a rare visit to Kelso, where speaking about Constitution Hill he affirmed: “The blood test on Monday will tell us everything and we will know where we are after that.
“If we don’t get the results we want on Monday, I wouldn’t go as far as to say it will be the end of the season. Let’s just cross each bridge when we come across it.
“When you train horses, you are going to walk into these situations and you’ve got to face up to it.”
March 4: The eagerly-awaited blood test results confirmed Henderson’s worst fears, with a title defence ruled out for Constitution Hill.
Henderson posted on X: “Very sadly we are going to have to admit defeat in the battle to get Constitution Hill ready for the Champion Hurdle and therefore have to declare that he will not be running there this year.
“He has undoubtedly improved over the weekend and seems noticeably brighter than he was at the end of last week and I really did think he was much perkier when ridden this morning.
“Unfortunately, the all-important blood test shows that although the figures have also improved, they are quite a way from being satisfactory for a horse to commence serious training and to race in a week’s time.
“This is very sad for all of us and particularly Michael (Buckley, owner) but it is in everybody’s best interests that we ensure we have a fit and healthy Constitution Hill to win back his crown next year.”
LeBron James "hated" the circumstances in which he reached 40,000 career points as it came in a defeat for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The NBA's record all-time scorer hit the latest milestone in his career in the second quarter of his side's 124-114 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
James scored a team-high 26 points, taking his overall tally to 40,017, but it was not enough as the Lakers' two-game winning run was snapped.
"For me, the main thing is always the main thing, and that's the win," James said after the contest at Crypto.com Arena
"I hated that it had to happen in the defeat, especially versus the team that plays extremely well.
"We played some good basketball tonight, but wasn't able to close it out. So, it's bittersweet but I enjoyed every moment tonight on the floor."
James is averaging 25.3 points per game this season, which is currently the 17th-best return of any player.
"I feel like I'm still that threat out on the floor and I am still able to do the things that I was doing 10 and even 20 years ago," James added.
The loss was the Lakers' eighth in a row against the Nuggets and continued a theme of James losing games in which he hits a milestone figure.
James also fell short in games that saw him hit 10,000 rebounds, 10,000 assists, 30,000 points and a record 38,388 points.
The 20-time NBA All-Star surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 40-year points record last season and is showing no signs of letting up.
Of all active players, the Phoenix Suns' Kevin Durant is closest to James with 28,342 points, while Stephen Curry has 23,254 points.
Asked if James' ever-growing tally will ever be surpassed, team-mate Anthony Davis said: "Possibly Steph, the way he shoots the ball, but I guess not?"
"It's just tough because he's not finished playing, so it's only going to increase. That gap is only going to get bigger and bigger.
"So as of right now, I don't see anybody breaking his record."
James does not quite see it that way, though, adding: "We have a lot of great guys in our league that can score the ball.
"If they were to stay healthy and they would play a long time, then they can eclipse it. Records are always meant to be broken. Never say never."
The 33-29 Lakers are 10th in the Western Conference ahead of facing the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.
Constitution Hill will not run at the Cheltenham Festival, trainer Nicky Henderson has announced.
The unbeaten and defending Champion Hurdle hero worked poorly at Kempton Park last Tuesday, putting his participation at the showpiece meeting in major doubt.
A scope showed mucus in his lungs and despite slightly more positive news in the following days, results of a blood test on Thursday proved to be another blow.
He was scoped again on Friday morning, with Henderson saying that “showed the Neutrophil percentage, indicative of infection, was back to normal parameters with no mucus evident”.
However, he stressed another blood test on Monday would probably prove to be the “acid test”, and on receiving the results he posted on his official X account: “Very sadly we are going to have to admit defeat in the battle to get Constitution Hill ready for the Champion Hurdle and therefore have to declare that he will not be running there this year.”
Katie Boulter has stormed into the top 30 of the WTA rankings for the first time after she claimed San Diego Open success.
British number one Boulter recovered from a set down to beat Marta Kostyuk 5-7 6-2 6-2 to clinch a maiden WTA 500 title.
Here, the PA news agency looks at the rise of the new world number 27 and what is next.
Always destined for stardom?
Boulter has been a prominent name in British tennis circles since her teenage years and followed in the footsteps of her mother Susan by picking up a racket to represent her nation at junior level. A breakthrough Wimbledon in 2018 – where she tested Naomi Osaka – appeared the catalyst for the tall right-hander to kick on in her development after she reached 82 in the world, but a serious back injury a year later curtailed her progress.
Road to recovery
The spinal stress fracture in Boulter’s back forced her to miss the majority of 2019 and when she was finally fit again, the coronavirus pandemic sent the world into lockdown. After the tennis season did resume, minor injuries halted the momentum of Boulter, who won a low-level ITF event in Grenoble at the start of 2022 before a leg issue saw her sit out the clay-court season.
Second Wimbledon breakthrough
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Boulter recovered in time to achieve a grand-slam best result with a run to the Wimbledon third round after victory over former world number one Karolina Pliskova. The next big challenge was to improve the robustness of her body after she built a strong team around her, which included coach Biljana Veselinovic and she kicked off 2023 with a number of fine displays in ITF tournaments. She beat compatriot Jodie Burrage to seal Canberra success before she made another two finals in Japan in May.
Maiden WTA title
The 2023 grass-court season started with Boulter making the last four at the Surbiton Trophy before she beat a string of compatriots to seal Nottingham Open success for her first victory at WTA 250 level. It was followed by third-round showings at both Wimbledon and the US Open to cap off an excellent year. The 27-year-old’s new-found confidence was on display for Great Britain at the United Cup in December where she got the better of top-five player Jessica Pegula before going all the way in San Diego.
Can she surprise at Indian Wells?
There will be little time for Boulter to celebrate the biggest victory of her career or the Mexican Open success of boyfriend Alex De Minaur, with both set to play in the women’s and men’s editions of the WTA 1000 tournament BNP Paribas Open, which starts this week. British number one Boulter enters after beating five top-50 opponents in San Diego to take her season record to 11 wins in 14 matches. A key feature of her form has been the Briton’s composure in crunch moments after she recovered from a number of first-set double-faults to beat Kostyuk and she will fancy her chances of causing a splash in Indian Wells with her booming forehand a match for anyone right now.
Stephen Curry lamented a "perfect storm" as the Golden State Warriors were on the end of a 140-88 defeat to the Boston Celtics on Sunday.
The loss at TD Garden was the fourth-worst the Warriors, who entered the contest in good form, have suffered in franchise history.
It marks the third time this season the Celtics have won by 50 points or more, meanwhile, as they racked up an 11th victory in a row.
"The way that they've been playing, they seem very sure of themselves in their identity and who they are," Curry said. "Give them credit.
"They came out and whooped us from the jump, and it was a perfect storm of a rough [day] on our end and them taking it to us."
Curry played despite being questionable, but he did not feature in the second half as he finished with a season-low tally of four points.
The Warriors will hope to have Curry back to full fitness for their return to action against the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.
"This was not a day off for Steph, though he probably could have used one," Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said.
"He's played so well and for so long this year. Hopefully the next few days he'll get it recharged."
Jaylen Brown led the scoring with 29 points, while birthday boy Jayson Tatum had 26 in the Celtics' third-biggest victory in franchise history.
Boston led by a franchise-record 44 points at the midway point and went on to extend their advantage to 51 before making some changes.
"It feels great, but, at the same time, it's always within humility," Brown said. "We don't take the game for granted.
"We didn't come and mess around and that's just how we show our respect to the game, we handle business and take care of it.
"It's a lot of respect for the Golden State Warriors, but we feel like it's our time now."
The 48-12 Celtics lead the Eastern Conference, while the Warriors are ninth in the Western Conference with a record of 32-28.
Reigning world champion Max Verstappen opened the 2024 Formula One season with another commanding victory but it is the controversy surrounding his Red Bull team that provided the headlines in Bahrain.
Team principal Christian Horner has faced intense scrutiny following allegations made against him by a female colleague – claims he has always denied – and the drama continued to unfold in the paddock at the season opener.
With claims and counter-claims coming from different names in and around the Red Bull garage, the issue will now roll on into the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix this weekend.
Here, the PA news agency answers some of the key questions that hang over the ongoing situation.
Where did all of this start?
Red Bull Racing’s parent company Red Bull GmbH announced on February 5 that Horner was being investigated following an accusation of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female colleague. Horner emphatically denied the claim and the 50-year-old stayed on as team principal after Red Bull confirmed that the grievance has been dismissed last week. But, just 24 hours later, messages and a number of images apparently exchanged between Horner and the complainant were sent from an anonymous email account to 149 members of the F1 paddock – including FIA president Mohammed ben Sulayem, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and the grid’s nine other team principals, as well as members of the media – on the eve of race in Bahrain.
What did Horner have to say about the email?
The Red Bull boss, who is married to former Spice Girl Geri, released a statement as news of the anonymous email broke. “I will not comment on anonymous speculation, but to reiterate I have always denied the allegations,” it read. “I respected the integrity of the independent investigation and fully co-operated with it every step of the way. It was a thorough and fair investigation conducted by an independent specialist barrister and it has concluded dismissing the complaint made. I remain fully focused on the start of the season.” Horner was then questioned several times while in the paddock but refused to speak on the subject.
What impact did it have on the team over the race weekend?
On the surface, at least, very little. Verstappen put his Red Bull on pole position and bar an early charge from the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, the Dutchman never looked like being challenged on race day. He did, however, say after qualifying that Horner had been “a little bit distracted” and was twice asked if he had full confidence in his boss – not offering a definitive answer to either question.
Race won, case closed?
Not at all, no. Not only does the complainant have a right to appeal against the decision to allow Horner to continue but Verstappen’s father – former F1 driver Jos – has said he believes the situation “is driving people apart”. Having been close to his son for all of his three championship wins, Jos does wield some power and his words could worry those within the Red Bull set-up as they look to keep their all-conquering title winner happy. “There is tension here while he (Horner) remains in position,” Verstappen Snr told the Daily Mail. “The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.” Red Bull later dismissed such claims, telling the PA news agency the team remains “united”.
So what happens next?
The teams are currently preparing for the second race of the new season in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Verstappen will face the media on Wednesday where he will no doubt be asked about his father’s comments. His reply to such questions could set the tone for the weekend as Horner will once again aim to keep things focused on the track rather than a situation away from it that does not seem to be going away any time soon.
This year’s National Hunt Chase will be run in honour of the late Maureen Mullins on the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival.
Mullins, who died aged 94 on February 14, was the matriarch of one of the most successful and well-known families in the sport.
A winning rider, owner and breeder in her own right, she was the wife of Paddy, the trainer of the great Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup-winning mare Dawn Run.
The couple had five children, among them trainers Tom, Tony and Willie – the latter now Ireland’s leading National Hunt handler and a huge presence at the Cheltenham Festival.
Her grandsons Danny, Emmet and Patrick have all ridden winners at the Festival, with Patrick taking first place in the National Hunt Chase four times for his father Willie, making him the contest’s leading jockey.
The Jockey Club’s Ian Renton said: “The National Hunt Chase has a long tradition of commemorating some of Jump racing’s most famous names and we are delighted that the Mullins family has agreed to have the historic contest run in honour of Maureen Mullins in 2024.
“A true stalwart of Jump racing, Maureen Mullins was a regular visitor to the Festival and her sad passing last month leaves a big void. We hope that putting her name to the National Hunt Chase celebrates her tremendous legacy in the appropriate way.”
Willie Mullins said: “Our family are delighted and honoured to have a race named after our mother Maureen, who had a great affinity for Cheltenham and enjoyed every moment there.”
Tony Mullins added: “Undoubtedly the correct race for a great stayer.”
World number one Luke Humphries has vowed to ignore the haters after just missing out on winning more silverware.
Humphries missed match darts against Dimitri Van den Bergh in the deciding leg of the UK Open final in Minehead on Sunday to claim what would have been a fifth major ranking title out of the last six.
One of those includes winning the World Championship at the start of 2024, but despite such dominance which has seen him outperform Michael van Gerwen, Michael Smith and Luke Littler, Humphries still has to prove people wrong.
Humphries says he is still navigating the spotlight and the attention it brings.
“It is silly from me because I am the one that is allowing it to happen,” the 29-year-old told the PA news agency.
“You’ll always have it, if I go three months without winning I will have people on my back.
“I feel like a couple of weeks ago everyone was saying I was the worst ever world champion, I was falling off, I am rubbish and I always come back out and prove people wrong.
“I know I didn’t win. I proved again that I might not be the best player in the world, but I am one of the best.
“For me it is all about learning, I am new to having this stardom of being the world champion and world number one, but I did prove everyone wrong.
“I had a great tournament, these are really tough weeks. I will keep working hard and keep going, there’s plenty more majors to win.
“It gets to the point where you just have to accept that everyone is not going to like you or believe in you.
“If you and your family believes in you then I don’t think anyone else matters, they all do and I believe in myself.
“I don’t want to throw it all away by putting too much pressure on myself, I know there is plenty out there for me in the future.”
The Racehorse Trainers Benevolent Fund will look to build on its encouraging early efforts after securing the backing of the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust.
During a six-month pilot scheme offering mental health support to licensed trainers in Britain, over 50 initial interactions led to 23 in-depth follow-up conversations.
The Trainer Support Network, a team of four knowledgeable and empathetic people who are out in the racing community, helped trainers to manage emotional and psychological issues.
RTBF chair Rupert Arnold said: “The indications are that demand will continue to grow as awareness of the support network spreads and willingness to open up to one of the providers increases.
“We are extremely grateful to the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust for providing financial assistance to help us reach more trainers needing this type of support.”
Former Group One-winning handler Harry Dunlop, a trustee of the RTBF, added: “The pilot has endorsed our approach of recruiting trusted, familiar and knowledgeable people to be visible and available in the places where trainers work.
“The Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust has been a great friend to the training community in the past. Their three-year funding of the Trainer Support Network is another example, which we are thrilled to receive.”
On behalf of the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Charitable Trust, Nigel Payne said: “We have been very active in our support for jockeys and their mental health and when we were approached to give support to the RTBF, we felt it entirely appropriate to support trainers too. We are convinced that this is something Sir Peter would have wanted.”
British number one Katie Boulter thanked boyfriend Alex de Minaur for racing over to California to watch her win a first WTA 500 tournament after his own success at the Mexican Open.
The 27-year-old came from behind to claim the San Diego Open title with a 5-7 6-2 6-2 win over Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk and earn a second career title.
Boulter’s victory was watched by De Minaur, who defended his Mexican Open title in Acapulco on Saturday before scheduling an early-morning flight to support her on Sunday.
“I want to say a small special thank you to my boyfriend,” Boulter said post-match.
“He finished last night at midnight and I really want to embarrass him. He got a 4.15 taxi this morning and six o’clock flight to be here today, so I do appreciate it.”
After an even start to the match, Kostyuk began to get the better of Boulter and surged into a 5-2 lead.
Boulter fought back to level at 5-5 but the sixth-seeded Ukrainian regained the momentum to wrap up the first set 7-5.
Boulter then found her groove in the second, dominating on her first serve to clinch the set 6-2 and force a deciding third set.
The Briton continued her ascendancy into the third, claiming the first break point of the set en route to opening up a 3-1 advantage.
Boulter broke again in the seventh game and hit her first two aces of the match in the next to close out the victory in two hours and 13 minutes.
The San Diego win is her second WTA title, adding to a maiden championship on grass in Nottingham last summer and Boulter reflected on a “special” week in California.
“This week has been very, very special for so many different reasons,” she said post-match.
“This one is pretty amazing, I’ve worked very hard for it, I played some incredible tennis all week.
“Today was a complete battle, with myself as well because I was a little bit nervous. But I managed to get over the line and that I’m very proud of.
“A lot of it was about me staying as tough as I possibly could mentally and I managed to keep my cool and actually kind of went within myself and calmed myself down a lot.
“I think that really helped me and then I started to relax and play through shots a little bit more.”
Boulter has had a flying start to the 2024 season and the victory over Kostyuk sees her break into the top 30 for the first time, now ranked 27th.
Snooker becomes the latest sport to head to Saudi Arabia this week and with it comes a new twist – the golden ball.
The 23rd ball will make its debut at the World Masters of Snooker in Riyadh, which runs through to Wednesday, and here, the PA news agency looks at how it will all work.
What is the golden ball?
Traditionally snooker has comprised of 22 balls; 15 reds and six colours plus the white cue ball, but the World Masters is introducing a 23rd – the golden ball. The purpose of this new ball is to increase the maximum possible break which currently stands at 147 – 15 reds followed by 15 blacks. Should any player make a maximum, the golden ball comes into play with a value of 20 points, giving rise to the possibility of a 167.
Where will the ball be on the table?
Those familiar with snooker will know colours are potted in the following order; yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black. The first three colours are spaced out along the baulk line at the top of the table and the golden ball will rest in the centre of the baulk cushion or, as you watch on television, the cushion at the top of the screen. If a 147 is made, the ball becomes live but, as soon as such a break is no longer possible, the ball is removed until the start of the next frame.
What’s the prize and how likely is it to happen?
Once upon a time 147s were a rarity and the first ever was made by Steve Davis in 1982 but, as the playing field and number of tournaments have increased, so have the amount of maximums and the 200th was made last week by Joe O’Connor. Maximum breaks once paid £147,000 and the game’s star attraction, Ronnie O’Sullivan, has been outspoken about the decrease in prize money over the years and once had to be persuaded to pot the final black when he discovered there was no money on offer. However, this week, the first place to make a 167 will receive £395,000.
Which players are involved?
O’Sullivan, the world number one and the sport’s greatest of all time, heads a stellar field of the world’s top 10 players who will contest for the trophy alongside two wild cards, Omar Alajlani and Ali Alobaidli.
For the second game in as many nights, the Winnipeg Jets came out flat over the first two periods.
And for the second game in as many nights, the Jets stormed back in the third period to rally for a victory.
Winnipeg erupted for four goals in the final 10 minutes Sunday to beat the Buffalo Sabres 5-2.
With their ninth win in 11 games, the Jets (39-16-5) moved into a tie with the Dallas Stars for first place in the Central Division.
Winnipeg's latest third-period outburst came one night after it tallied all five goals in the final period against the Carolina Hurricanes to rally from a 3-0 deficit to pull out a 5-3 road victory.
Josh Morrissey started the rally with a goal at 10:38 of the third period to tie the score and Morgan Barron put the Jets ahead on a partial breakaway with 6:05 remaining.
Vladislav Namestnikov and Sean Monahan capped the scoring with empty-net goals in the final 81 seconds.
Nino Niederreiter scored the Jets' first goal with six seconds to go in the first period and Laurent Brossoit stopped 17 shots to win his third straight start.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 30 of the 33 shots as Buffalo (29-29-4) lost for just the second time in seven games.
JJ Peterka opened the scoring for the Sabres with his 20th goal of the season and Eric Robinson also scored.
Canucks end mini skid with win over Ducks to move back atop West
Conor Garland and Nils Hoglander each scored goals to help the Vancouver Canucks beat the Anaheim Ducks 2-1.
The Canucks (39-17-7), who arrived in Anaheim having lost back-to-back games and six of seven, moved back into sole possession of first place in the Western Conference.
Both teams scored on their first shot, with Hoglander opening the scoring at 1:37 of the first period and Alex Killorn tying things up at 4:15.
Garland broke the tie at 3:34 of the second period when he redirected a pass from Nikita Zadorov for his first goal in nine games.
Casey DeSmith stopped 17 shots to end a personal four-game losing streak to win for the first time since January 9.
Lukas Dostal turned aside 29 shots for the Ducks (22-36-3), who lost for the first time in three games.
Danault scores three goals as Kings beat Devils
Phillip Danault recorded his second career hat trick to help lead the Los Angeles Kings to a 5-1 win over the New Jersey Devils.
Kevin Fiala assisted on two of Danault's goals, and added a goal of his own, while Alex Laferriere also scored for the Kings (31-19-10), who won for the eighth time in 12 games under interim coach Jim Hiller.
New Jersey's Timo Meier opened the scoring just 15 seconds into the first period and Danault tied it at 7:56 on a breakaway.
Danault finished the scoring with an empty-netter with 2:13 remaining to notch his first hat trick since December 22, 2018, when he played for the Montreal Canadiens.
Meier's goal - his second goal in as many games after scoring two goals in his previous 20 contests - was the only score allowed by Cam Talbot, who finished with 30 saves.
Akira Schmid stopped all nine shots he faced after replacing an ineffective Nico Daws, who was lifted in the second period after giving up four goals on 13 shots.
The Devils (30-27-4) have lost two in a row and five of seven.
Stephen Curry's first basket Sunday tied the score between the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics midway through the first quarter.
The next time he made a shot, the Warriors trailed by 32 points.
The Celtics annihilated Curry and the Warriors, cruising to a 140-88 drubbing to extend their season-best winning streak to 11 games.
The victory marked the third-largest winning margin in franchise history as Boston set an NBA record with its third win by 50 or more points this season.
After Curry's floating bank shot tied the game at 21 with 6:05 to play in the opening period, Boston went on a 22-3 run en route to a franchise-record 44-point half-time lead.
Curry's only other basket came with 4:24 remaining in the second quarter, as his four points marked his fewest since he scored just three on March 16, 2022 at Boston - a game he departed after playing just 16 minutes due to a foot injury.
The 10-time All-Star missed all nine of his 3-point attempts and didn't play after half-time.
The Celtics had no such trouble making their baskets, connecting on 51.0 per cent of their 3-point tries, hitting a season high-tying 25 shots from beyond the 3-point arc.
Jaylen Brown had a game-high 29 points in just 22 minutes, while Jayson Tatum had 27 points on 9-of-13 shooting on his 26th birthday.
Payton Pritchard added 19 points for the Celtics, who shot 60 per-cent in the first half to go into the break with an 82-38 lead, and led by as much as 56 points.
At 48-12, Boston has its best record through 60 games since 2007-08 - the last season the franchise won the NBA title.
Golden State (32-28) arrived in Boston having won 11 of 13, including eight straight on the road.
None of the Warriors starters played more than 20 minutes, as reserve Lester Quinones had a team-high 17 points in 33 minutes.
Thunder escape in Phoenix to move back atop West
The Oklahoma City Thunder survived a furious rally by the Phoenix Suns to pull out an impressive 118-110 road win to move atop Western Conference.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 36 points, nine rebounds and nine assists to help the Thunder bounce back from Thursday's 132-118 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
The victory marked Oklahoma City's seventh in eight games as the Thunder (42-18) moved into sole possession of first place in the West for the first time since January 27.
Oklahoma City looked like it was going to cruise to an easy win, going up by 24 points on Gilgeous-Alexander's jump shot with 6:56 left in the third quarter.
The Suns (35-26) stormed back, however, going on a 31-5 run and taking a 91-89 lead Royce O'Neale's 3-pointer just over one minute into the fourth period.
Phoenix built its lead to six points before Oklahoma City rallied once more, taking the lead for good at 105-103 on Jalen Williams' driving layup with 5:29 to play.
Jusuf Nurkic established a Phoenix franchise record with 31 rebounds - the most by any player in the NBA since Kevin Love also had 31 for the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 12, 2010.
Nurkic's previous career high for rebounds was 23 and he broke the Suns' record of 27 set by Tyson Chandler on January 23, 2016.
He also had 14 points and four assists for Phoenix, which was playing without Devin Booker after he sprained his right ankle in Saturday's 118-109 loss to the Houston Rockets.
Bradley Beal led the Suns with 31 points and six assists but also accounted for seven of Phoenix's 21 turnovers.
Kevin Durant, who added 20 points, turned the ball over five times, along with Nurkic.
Brunson exits early but Knicks get past Cavaliers
Things looked bleak early for New York when Jalen Bunson got hurt in the opening minute, but the Knicks managed to overcome the loss of their All-Star guard for a 107-98 road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Brunson was injured on New York's first possession when his left knee hit the knee of team-mate Isaiah Hartenstein as he lifted off the ground while attempting a jump shot after coming off a screen from Hartenstein near the foul line.
He sat on the court holding his left leg and needed to be helped to the locker room.
The injury is not believed to be serious with coach Tom Thibodeau saying after the game that X-rays were negative.
That's good news for a banged-up Knicks team already without starters Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and O.G. Anunoby because of injuries.
Brunson, who was diagnosed with a knee contusion, entered the game against the Cavaliers averaging 30.2 points in his last six games.
Josh Hart and Donte DiVincenzo stepped up in Brunson's absence for the Knicks (36-25), as Hart finished with 13 points, a career high-tying 19 rebounds and 10 assists, while DiVincenzo scored 28.
Reserve Miles McBride entered New York's lineup after Brunson was injured, and was never subbed out, finishing with 16 points and four 3-pointers - including a clutch 3 in the final minute to put the Knicks up by nine.
Playing without Donovan Mitchell for a second straight game because of left knee soreness, the Cavaliers (39-21) fell apart late, missing 5 of 6 shots while turning the ball over four times in the final four minutes.
Backup Sam Merrill led Cleveland with 21 points while making 7-of-13 3-point attempts and Darius Garland added 19 points and went 5 of 8 from beyond the arc.
British number one Katie Boulter has claimed her first WTA 500 tournament victory with a 5-7 6-2 6-2 win over Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk in the final of the San Diego Open.
The 27-year-old from Leicester was watched by boyfriend Alex De Minaur, who scheduled an early-morning flight after retaining his title in Acapulco.
After an even start between the two, the sixth seeded Ukrainian began to get the better of Boulter, stringing multiple games together and rapidly closing in on the opening set.
Boulter fought back to even the set at 5-5, but Kostyuk regained the momentum to wrap up the first set 7-5.
Boulter then found her groove in the second, dominating on her first serve to clinch the set 6-2 and force a deciding third set.
The Briton continued her ascendancy into the third, claiming the first break point of the set en route to opening up a 3-1 advantage.
Boulter broke again in the seventh game and stormed home from there to close out the victory in two hours and 13 minutes.
Both women picked up their first WTA Tour titles last year in breakout 2023 seasons.
Boulter claimed her maiden championship on grass in Nottingham last summer, while Kostyuk found victory in Austin.
Boulter has had a flying start to the 2024 season and the victory over Kostyuk guarantees she will break into the top 30 for the first time.
Wet weather suspended play on the final day of the Cognizant Classic with 26 players to return on Monday, including Ireland’s Shane Lowry who sits three strokes off the pace.
After sharing the lead on the third day with American Austin Eckroat and England’s David Skinns, Lowry played five holes on Sunday at Palm Beach Gardens in Florida before play was suspended, hitting one bogey and dropping to equal fourth place.
Eckroat picked up two birdies in his first seven holes to take the outright lead, while Skinns dropped two shots in his five holes to sit tied for eighth.
South African Erik van Rooyen finished one shot behind Eckroat after he shot nine birdies through 18 holes, while American Jake Knapp sits in third place and two shots off the lead after 15 holes.
The severe weather in Florida caused a three hour delay to play with officials having to suspend play because of dangerous conditions for players and spectators, after lightning struck near the course.
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