The Real Whacker will make his seasonal reappearance in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham in a fortnight’s time, after connections opted against Sunday’s Colin Parker Memorial Intermediate Chase at Carlisle.
The seven-year-old enjoyed a tremendous novice campaign over fences last season for North Yorkshire-based Irishman Patrick Neville, winning each of his three starts at Cheltenham including a narrow victory over Gerri Colombe in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Festival in March.
This weekend’s Listed event in Cumbria appeared an ideal starting point on the road to a tilt at the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the spring – but with testing conditions forecast, he will instead carry top-weight of 12st in one of the season’s first major handicaps at Prestbury Park on November 18.
Neville said: “I’m not going to go to Carlisle as the ground is too heavy at the moment. It’s his first run back, so we said we’d wait for Cheltenham and go for the Paddy Power.
“Hopefully the ground will be a lot better at Cheltenham and we know he likes the track. He’ll have top-weight, but it’ll be his first run back and a starting point for the year.
“He’s in great shape, I couldn’t be happier with him. Sam (Twiston-Davies) came up to Middleham during the week and sat on him for the first time since Cheltenham in March and he was very happy.
“Carlisle would have been a lovely starting point, but on heavy ground around there we just decided we didn’t want to do that to him first time out.”
A series of unstoppable performances on the International Cycling Union (UCI) circuits in Canada and Germany, followed by a classy display at the PanAm Elite Track Cycling Championships in Argentina, a performance which complemented a gold medal win at last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Add to that another double medal-winning performance at the Pan American (PanAm) Games in Santiago, Chile.
For many, that would more than represent a successful cycling career. But for Trinidad and Tobago's Nicholas Paul, this is only the beginning. In fact, despite his many successes to date, Paul still views his career as a work in progress, possibly because he is still hunting that one prize or moment to really define things and that is the Olympic Games dream.
Much like he did at the PanAm Elite Track Cycling Championships in Argentina where he won the Sprints and Keirin, while clocking a new track record 9.349 seconds in the flying 200m, Paul once again demonstrated his qualities as one of the best track cyclists in the world when he won gold in the final of the Men’s Sprint at the 2023 Pan American Games.
The outstanding 25-year-old out-paced his rival Jair Tjon of Suriname to top the podium, while Kevin Santiago Qunitero Chavarro of Colombia bettered Canada’s Nicholas John Wammes in the race for the bronze medal.
For Paul, the win added to his Pan Am Games title won in Lima, Peru in 2019 and he rightly expressed delight at the accomplishments.
“Firstly I would like to thank God for a safe meet. I am very pleased with my performance at this stage of the season because my preparation coming into the Pan-American Games was really good, and so I knew it was all left to my execution as the key factor which would determine how things would turnout.
“Fortunately, I executed well both in the flying 200m and the Sprints achieving some excellent results. Creating a new games record is always a special moment for me and my country,” Paul told SportsMax.tv.
The modest twin island republic cyclist returned a day later to cop a silver medal in the Men’s Keirin final.
On that occasion, Paul used his electric sprint speed in the final lap to power himself to second place, after falling behind the pack with a couple of laps remaining in the six-lap event.
The event was won by Colombia's Kevin Quintero, the reigning world champion in the event, while Mexico's Juan Ruiz Teran was third.
Paul, who has been a model of consistency throughout the season, attributed his continuous improvement and, by extension, success to the time spent in training honing his craft.
“It’s means a lot to me just to know that my hard work is paying off and I’m able to show the world that Trinidad and Tobago has a lot of talent. Like I said before, my preparations for the PanAm Games have been great and so I am pleased that I was able to accomplish all my goals to an extent,” he shared.
That said, Paul hinted at the possibility of much more to come, as he intends to continue pushing the limits and discover what he is truly able to achieve –next year’s Olympic Games in Paris being his next immediate target.
“It’s all a work in progress, my plan is to build on this performance and to do so, I intend to keep putting in those hard hours to keep getting stronger and faster. My overall goal for this year and beyond is to firstly qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games and secondly, try to win a medal or medals at the Olympic Games for Trinidad and Tobago. But for now, the focus is some much-needed rest and recovery," Paul declared.
James Harden hit out at the Philadelphia 76ers in his introductory media briefing as a Los Angeles Clippers player, resulting in Joel Embiid biting back.
Harden completed a move to the Clippers earlier this week, having fallen out of favour with the leadership in Philadelphia.
The 10-time All-Star broke the assists record last season as Philadelphia went on to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals, which they lost to the Boston Celtics.
Harden joined the 76ers after an unhappy stint with the Brooklyn Nets, but in August he criticised Philadelphia's president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, who he branded "a liar".
In his first appearance in front of the media since his move to Los Angeles, Harden was asked where it went wrong.
"Changing my role, which media [felt] is ball dominant, which my ball dominance is really effective," he said. "Changing my role, trying to change the narrative, trying to sacrifice and do whatever it takes to win at the highest level. That's not talked about. It's the other BS.
"So me leaving Brooklyn and thinking I'm going to retire as a Sixer, and the front office had other plans. They didn't want me. There's a lot of narratives and people think they have an opinion. But none of that is true.
"[They kept me] on a leash. I think the game and I'm a creator on the court. So if I got a voice to where I can, 'Hey, Coach, I see this. What d'you think about this?' Somebody who trusts me, that believes in me, that understands me. I'm not a system player. I am a system. You know what I mean?"
Harden's former teammate Embiid, who was the league's MVP last season, disagreed, though.
"I think he did a lot of great things for us," Embiid said of Harden.
"But in my opinion, we gave him the ball every single possession, because he's really good. He's an amazing player. Obviously, being that great of a passer, I think we gave him the ball.
"We'd give him the ball every single possession to just go out and, you know, do his thing. And from there he had to make decisions as far as getting guys open or looking out for himself.
"But I thought he did a pretty good job of getting us into an offense and just passing the ball, getting guys open. That's the reason why he won the assist title last year."
Embiid wishes Harden well, though.
"I'm happy that the situation got resolved, and I'm happy for him," he added.
"I hope he has a chance to succeed, make a lot of money, play good basketball and be able to win. And I hope we both make the Finals, but he's on the losing side of it and we are on the winning side of it.
"But I think when you're looking at the situation, from where it probably came from, we couldn't do anything. It was out of our control. So in that situation, you've just got to go with it.
"But I still believe we had a chance [to win together]. We were right there, especially with the team that we have right now. What he is able to add and what he has done, what we've allowed him to do, we gave the ball every single possession.
"It's unfortunate, but we've got to just move on and we've got a good group of guys that can grow and keep getting better."
Harden is set to make his Clippers bow against the New York Knicks next week.
A coroner has offered her “sincere condolences” to the family and friends of Nottingham Panthers ice hockey player Adam Johnson, who died after sustaining a serious injury during a match watched by thousands.
The 29-year-old American was playing for the Panthers against Sheffield Steelers on Saturday when he was hit in the throat by an opponent’s skate, causing a fatal injury.
About 8,000 fans watched in horror as attempts were made to save Johnson’s life as he lay on the ice at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena, shielded by fellow players.
On Friday, Sheffield’s senior coroner Tanyka Rawden opened and adjourned an inquest into Johnson’s death at Sheffield’s Medico-Legal Centre.
Mrs Rawden confirmed personal details about the player, including that he was from Minnesota, in the United States, and gave very brief details of how he died.
She said that initial investigations had found that: “Mr Johnson was seriously injured.”
“He was taken by ambulance to the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield where he died later that day as a result of the injuries sustained.
“He was identified by his fiancee, Ryan Wolfe.”
She said inquiries into the death were continuing.
The coroner adjourned the inquest until January 26 but stressed that this would be for a review and not for the full hearing.
Mrs Rawden concluded the four-minute long hearing by saying she wanted to “take this opportunity to offer to his family, his friends and all those who knew him, my sincere condolences at this difficult time.”
The National Hunt programme continues to be affected by the weather, with the Friday meeting at Wetherby the latest to be abandoned.
Rain during the week led to river levels rising markedly, leading to pressure on the track’s drainage system and leaving standing water in places.
An update on the course’s website read: “Following the inspection of the racecourse at 7am, racing on Friday 3rd November has been abandoned due to standing water remaining on the track. Despite the river levels dropping there has been insufficient improvement in conditions in order to be able to race today.”
Wetherby is due to host the bet365 Charlie Hall Chase on Saturday, featuring last year’s winner Bravemansgame and Ahoy Senor.
The statement continued: “In so far as the prospects for Saturday’s bet365 Charlie Hall meeting go, the river levels peaked at around 11pm last night and it continues to fall and should continue to do so throughout today.
“Consequently, we have seen our own internal drainage dykes recede overnight as well, albeit marginally. The forecast for Friday is for a dry, breezy day and therefore we would hope to see further improvement during today.
“Therefore we will continue monitor conditions this morning and an announcement regarding timings of any official inspection for Saturday will be made later on Friday morning.”
The 2023 number one draft pick Victor Wembanyama has officially marked his arrival in the NBA with 38 points as his San Antonio Spurs beat the Phoenix Suns 132-121.
The 19-year-old centre from France had 10 rebounds to go with his scoring effort as the Spurs held off a late charge from the Suns to beat them for the second time this season.
Kevin Durant scored 28 points while Devin Booker had 31 for the Suns, but it was not enough to stop the 7 foot 4 tall teenager.
The Spurs are now sitting with three wins and two losses while the Suns, who have been missing all star Bradley Beal, have two wins and three losses.
The Philadelphia 76ers showed that life without James Harden, who was traded to the Clippers, might not be so bad after beating the Toronto Raptors 114-99.
Centre Joel Embiid starred for the 76ers with 28 points and 13 rebounds, while Kelly Oubre Jr and Tobias Harris had 23 points each.
It takes the 76ers to three wins and one loss while the Raptors fell to their fourth loss of the season.
A young Orlando Magic side beat the Utah Jazz 115- 113, with Paolo Banchero scoring 30 points for the Magic.
Banchero, 20, had nine rebounds and five assists while Franz Wagner contributed with 21 points.
The depleted New Orleans Pelicans took care of the Detroit Pistons in a nine-point win, despite Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram both sitting out.
Guard CJ McCollum stepped up with 33 points while centre Jonas Valanciunas had 13 rebounds to go with his 23 points.
World number five Jessica Pegula defeated Greece’s Maria Sakkari in straight sets 6-3 6-2 in the WTA Finals, continuing her unbeaten run through the group stages.
Pegula had already secured her spot in Saturday’s semi-finals by beating both Sabalenka and Rybakina in her earlier matches in Mexico.
But the American is yet to drop a set so far this tournament and it took her just under 80 minutes to beat Sakkari, who failed to qualify for the semi-finals after losing all of her games.
Meanwhile, fighting for a spot in the semi-finals, world number one Aryna Sabalenka and world number four Elena Rybakina had their match suspended due to wet weather.
Sabalenka won the first set 6-2 in the Australian Open final rematch on a rain interrupted evening and had Rybakina on the ropes early in the second set.
But Rybakina fought back to take the lead 5-3 before the match was called off for the night, with play to resume on Friday.
Also on Friday, Iga Swiatek will take on Ons Jabeur while Coco Gauff plays Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova to decide who makes the semi-finals.
Victor Wembanyama had the best game of his young career with 38 points and sparked a decisive fourth-quarter run as the San Antonio Spurs squandered a 27-point lead before pulling away for a 132-121 win over the Phoenix Suns on Thursday.
Wembanyama produced a handful of highlight plays in his fifth NBA game, including a flying dunk in the lane in the second quarter. The 7-foot-4 phenom shot 15 of 26 and grabbed 10 rebounds.
He hit a 3-pointer, made three free throws, dunked and hit an 18-foot jumper during a 12-0 run after the Suns erased a 27-point deficit to tie it at 116 with 4:21 remaining.
Devin Booker scored 31 points in his return from a sprained ankle and added 13 assists and nine rebounds, while Kevin Durant tallied 28 points.
The Spurs beat the Suns in Phoenix for the second time in three days after a stunning 115-114 victory on Tuesday, when they rallied from a 20-point deficit.
Embiid leads 76ers past Raptors
Joel Embiid tallied 28 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 114-99 win over the Toronto Raptors in their first game since trading James Harden.
Kelly Oubre Jr. had 23 points and Tyrese Maxey added 18 as Philadelphia won its third straight since a season-opening loss.
Scottie Barnes scored 24 points for the Raptors, who have lost four of five, including two losses to the 76ers in six days.
Oubre moved into the starting lineup in place of PJ Tucker, who was also dealt to the Clippers in the Harden deal.
Marcus Morris and Nic Batum did not play in their first game since they were dealt, though Robert Covington and K.J. Martin played some in the final 90 seconds with the game in hand.
Short-handed Pelicans beat Pistons
CJ McCollum poured in 33 points and Jonas Valanciunas had 23 with 13 rebounds as the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a pair of key absences in a 125-116 win over the Detroit Pistons.
New Orleans had a season high in points despite playing top scorers Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson.
Williamson was given the night off in the second half of a back-to-back and Ingram missed his third straight game with right knee tendinitis.
Matt Ryan made his first career start and responded with a personal-best 20 points, making the first four 3-pointers he took and finishing 6 of 8 from long range.
Cade Cunningham had 22 points and 11 assists as Detroit lost its third straight.
Will Cuylle snapped a tie midway through the third period and the New York Rangers edged the Carolina Hurricanes, 2-1 for their sixth consecutive win on Thursday.
Chris Kreider had the other goal and Igor Shesterkin stopped 27 shots to give the Rangers eight wins in their first 10 games for the second time in franchise history. The 8-2-0 mark trails only a 9-1-0 record to open the 1983-84 season.
Seth Jarvis scored for the Hurricanes, who had a three-game winning streak stopped.
New York has won 10 of its last 14 regular-season games against Carolina and is 19-4-0 in the last 23 meetings at home.
Rangers forward Artemi Panarin assisted on Kreider’s goal to extend his season-opening point streak to 10 games with five goals and 11 assists.
New York’s Adam Fox left the game with a lower-body injury after the first period. He appeared to suffer the injury in a leg-on-leg collision with Carolina’s Sebastian Aho.
Bruins top Maple Leafs in shootout
Jake DeBrusk and Charlie Coyle converted in the shootout and the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2 to remain without a regulation loss.
DeBrusk and Pavel Zacha scored in regulation and Jeremy Swayman stopped 33 shots to help Boston improve to 9-0-1 and keep pace with Vegas as the only teams yet to fall in regulation.
Toronto’s William Nylander had an assist to extend his season-opening, franchise-record point streak to 10 games.
Mitchell Marner and Auston Matthews had regulation goals for the Leafs, who are winless in their last three (0-1-2).
Golden Knights defeat Jets
The Vegas Golden Knights got a hat trick from Jonathan Marchessault and continued their blazing start with a 5-2 victory over the visiting Winnipeg Jets.
Ivan Barbashev and William Karlsson each had a goal and an assist to help Vegas improve to an NHL-best 10-0-1.
The Golden Knights are the 13th team in NHL history to record a season-opening point streak of at least 11 games.
Logan Thompson turned aside 29 of 31 shots and is 5-0-0 this season.
A three-yard touchdown with just four minutes left secured a comeback win for the Pittsburgh Steelers at home against the Tennessee Titans.
It was the fourth time in five wins the Steelers have emerged victorious after trailing headed into the final quarter, with wide receiver Diontae Johnson closing the game out.
The Steelers were the first to score in the game through running back Najee Harris, who made a 10-yard touchdown run.
Titans running back Derrick Henry returned serve in the second quarter with a two-yard touchdown.
The Titans kicked three field goals through Nick Folk while Chris Boswell kicked two for Pittsburgh, putting the Titans up by three going into the fourth quarter.
Rookie quarterback for the Titans, Will Levis, threw for 262 yards with one interception which came on the last play of the game.
Steelers’ quarterback Kenny Pickett threw for 160 yards and the game-winning touchdown.
Pittsburgh now move into five wins for the year, while the Titans dropped to three wins and five losses.
Promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed he is eying up MMA fighter Francis Ngannou as a future opponent to take on Anthony Joshua in the boxing ring.
The Cameroonian-French professional mixed martial artist made his professional boxing debut on Sunday, facing Tyson Fury in a heavyweight showdown in Saudi Arabia.
The ‘Gypsy King’ was spared what would have been one of the biggest upsets of all-time after the night ended in a highly unconvincing split decision win over the 37-year-old former UFC heavyweight champion.
Hearn disclosed to the BBC that he had been in touch with Ngannou’s representatives, adding: “All of a sudden that fight between two giants, they’re carved out of stone, it becomes a massive fight. We’re definitely willing to consider it.
“The MMA world believe Ngannou beats everyone. When I met Ngannou he was trying to pitch me AJ against Ngannou in Africa. I spoke to AJ about it at the time and he said ‘I want to try to win the world heavyweight championship now’.
“I said ‘this guy was close to beating Tyson Fury so he surely has to be a credible fight’. The MMA world are telling me Ngannou beats AJ easily. I’m like ‘please make the fight because that’s not the case’.”
Hearn suggested Saudi Arabia or another Middle Eastern country could host, but also wondered if it would be financially feasible for a potential bout in Africa between the ‘Predator’ and two-time heavyweight champion Joshua would be financially feasible.
The promoter revealed he and his team were in the midst of planning Joshua’s next six to 12 months, with the Olympic champion eager also to fight again before Christmas, and was after seeing Fury fight Ngannou perfectly willing to entertain the thought experiment of an all-British bout.
He added: “I’ve always been convinced AJ beats Tyson Fury but after watching that fight now I’m so sure.”
Avernel Modest took a leap of faith in her quest to be the best and was rewarded with bronze medal at the Ms Olympia Amateur Bikini Competition held at the Orange County Convention Centre in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday.
“We took home the bronze medal at the prestigious @amateurolympia. Thank you to everyone for the continuous support, success is not final because there’s always work to be done,” the Trinidadian-born fitness athlete posted on her Instagram account.
Coached by the respected Dr Jean-Luc de Ganot, Modest won her Pro Card in 2017 but gave it up to enter the Ms Olympia Amateur contest. “The pro card is not everything,” she explained to Sportsmax.TV. "It’s about a champion mindset. I want to be compared to the best and this league is the best, even in the amateur ranks. Making that decision (to relinquish her pro card) and making the podium is a big deal.”
Sharon Ramos won the category (Class F) with Jessica Maguire, the runner-up.
The next goal on the pathway to becoming the best for Modest is to win her IFBB Pro Card.
Aidan O’Brien holds a strong hand as he searches for back-to-back victories in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita.
The one-mile contest brings the opening night of Breeders’ Cup action to a close, with the Ballydoyle handler winning the race for a record-extending fifth time with Victoria Road at Keeneland 12 months ago.
This time he has assembled a three-strong hand in quest for victory number six, as River Tiber, Unquestionable and Mountain Bear all face the starter in California.
Coolmore number one Ryan Moore has elected for River Tiber, who brings solid Group One credentials to the table having placed in both the Prix Morny and Middle Park since winning at Royal Ascot.
“We always thought River Tiber was a really good horse,” said O’Brien.
“His last two runs have been a little bit below par. In France he had a break before and we perhaps didn’t quite have him at his best and the last day we felt we didn’t have him at his best either.
“We think he has come right since Newmarket and I think he is rated 3lb below the other horse (Unquestionable) but he has always been a very classy horse and we think he is better now than he was for his last two runs. All the ducks weren’t in a row the last time.”
It will be the first time River Tiber has raced beyond six furlongs, but O’Brien is keen to test the colt’s credentials over a mile at a track which should play to his strengths.
Speaking during Breakfast at the Breeders’ Cup on Thursday, he added: “We always thought he would love stepping up to seven, so if we thought he would get seven at home, he should get a mile around here. He has a nice draw and a flat track and we’re looking forward to seeing what he does.”
Unquestionable has yet to get his head in front in Group company and was last seen finishing an honourable second to Rosallion in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at ParisLongchamp.
Frankie Dettori comes in for the spare ride aboard the classy son of Wootton Bassett who has been knocking on the door all summer.
“Ryan was delighted with him in France and said the split just came a little bit too early for him and he had to go early,” continued O’Brien.
“Obviously when the split came he had to go and he would have just preferred to wait a little bit longer. He ran a very good race.
“We always felt a mile would be well within his compass and he’s in very good form and has a nice draw as well.”
The O’Brien trio are the sole European representation in a race the raiders have dominated since its inception, but there is a strong cast of American challengers lining up to take their chance.
Todd Pletcher struck in 2010 and will saddle the hat-trick-seeking Agate Road, while Michael McCarthy’s Endlessly is unbeaten in three and has track-and-trip form to his name.
Christophe Clement’s Carson’s Run accounted for My Boy Prince in the Grade One Summer Stakes at Woodbine, while the latter is joined by Can Group from Hall Of Fame handler Mark Casse’s well-respected stable.
Lewis Hamilton said he does not plan on coming away empty handed from the Brazilian Grand Prix – in what could be his best chance of ending a two-year winless streak.
On Sunday, it will mark 700 days since Hamilton last won following Mercedes’ failure to provide the seven-time world champion with a machine to match Max Verstappen’s all-conquering Red Bull.
However, Mercedes claimed their sole victory of last season in Interlagos, with George Russell leading Hamilton home in a surprise one-two finish.
Hamilton also claimed one of the finest victories of his career here two years ago, and took his maiden world title on Brazilian soil back in 2008.
And speaking in Sao Paulo, with only rounds to follow in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi, Hamilton said: “I anticipate Red Bull will blitz it because their car is great.
“But if that is not the case, I will be ready to take the fight to them, and if it can be anything like Austin (where Hamilton finished second before he was disqualified) and we can get our strategy better, than that would be incredible.
“I came away empty handed last season. I don’t plan on that this year.”
Hamilton finished runner-up to Verstappen in Mexico last weekend – 13.8 seconds behind the Dutchman – with Mercedes 22 points clear of Ferrari in the race for second place in the constructors’ championship.
Hamilton is only 20 points behind second-placed Sergio Perez in the drivers’ standings.
But Hamilton added: “After the last couple of races I have been getting messages from people saying, ‘it is looking good.’ But I said to them ‘well, it was looking good at the end of last year, too, but we started this season 1.5 seconds behind’.
“I am not dazzled by where we are currently. But I am thinking long-term at the moment, and in the short term, trying to solidify second in the constructors.”
Hamilton was handed a boost in his bid to take second spot in the individual standings after Verstappen hinted he will not help team-mate Perez.
Verstappen, who wrapped up his third world championship in Qatar last month, and claimed a record 16th win of the season five days ago in Mexico City, said: “At the end of the day, it shouldn’t matter on me to get the points (for Perez).
“I am confident in Sergio that he can stay ahead. On average, we have had the fastest car this season. Let’s hope we don’t need to get into that situation.”
Big Evs will carry British hopes on his broad shoulders when he attempts to blast his way to a famous victory in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Santa Anita.
Mick Appleby’s youngster has been one of the season’s star juveniles and will attempt to bring his stellar season to a fitting end in the shadows of the San Gabriel Mountains on Friday.
The Royal Ascot scorer will be his trainer’s first runner at the showpiece event and after his one disappointment this season in the Nunthorpe, the son of Blue Point was back to his brilliant best when blazing a trail in the Flying Childers Stakes at Doncaster.
The Rutland-based handler is thrilled to be in California with his star performer, who he believes has proven he is more than capable of handling top talent.
“I’ve never really had the right ammo in the two-year-old division, but I think with this horse I’ve proved I can do it,” said Appleby.
“After Goodwood we thought about coming here and as to his blip in the Nunthorpe it came just two weeks after a hard race in soft ground and we put a line through it. In hindsight we shouldn’t have run at York, it was way too soon.
“Doncaster was a most impressive win and if he reproduces it he will take a lot of beating.”
Tom Marquand was in the saddle when registering a breathtaking all-the-way success on Town Moor in September and will once again be aboard the speedy youngster whose blistering starts have been a hallmark of his campaign.
“He absolutely flew out of the gate this morning and should be as good at it as any of the Americans,” said Appleby.
“My main concern is going round a bend, but Tom breezed him yesterday and said he coped with it really well. The ground will ride on the quick side which is fine for us.”
American trainer George Weaver saddles a three-strong hand in opposition, with Royal Ascot heroine Crimson Advocate the headline attraction alongside stablemates No Nay Mets and Amidst Waves.
The Queen Mary winner will be a first runner at the Breeders’ Cup for Qatar-based Wathnan Racing and she will appear for the first time in their increasingly-familiar silks when stepping out in the hands of John Velazquez.
“We’re excited and it will be an exciting day,” said Case Clay, Wathnan’s racing adviser in the USA.
“This is the Breeders’ Cup so it will be very tough competition. We’re just hoping for a nice clean break and the nice thing about the turf sprint is it is just get out and go – once the gates open it is going to be just that.
“We’re really happy to have John Velazquez on board, especially with his great experience at Ascot, and that is reassuring. We are just very excited.
“Olly Tait (senior Wathnan representative) has given me instruction to look for quality and she is the first purchase and hopefully there will be some more.”
Others from the home team to watch for include John Saddler’s Slider who claimed the Speakeasy Stakes over track and trip last month and Steven Asmussen’s Committee Of One, who accounted for Weaver’s Amidst Waves in the Indian Summer Stakes.
Asmussen said: “It was a breakthrough race last time. Obviously, at five-eighths on the turf (in stall 12), you need to get lucky with the trip. He’s a horse that likes to come from a little off of it, so hopefully a good trip will open up.”
There is a strong Irish challenge which features shock Royal Ascot winner Valiant Force, a first runner for Adrian Murray at the end-of-season spectacular, while the hat-trick-seeking Tiger Belle is just a second runner at the meeting for Adrian McGuinness.
Jessica Harrington’s Middle Park fourth Givemethebeatboys and Aidan O’Brien’s Cherry Blossom are the others making the trip from Ireland, while Frankie Dettori will get the leg-up aboard Ralph Beckett’s Starlust.
Frankie Dettori is savouring a “Ryder Cup atmosphere” as he prepares to take up several high-profile rides at this year’s Breeders’ Cup meeting at Santa Anita.
The high-profile fixture looked as though it could be one of the Italian’s last after he announced his retirement late last year, but his recent U-turn means racing fans in California can expect to see plenty more of him over the Christmas period and next year as he prepares to move Stateside full time.
The 52-year-old has a handful of quality rides over the course of the weekend, including Aidan O’Brien’s Unquestionable in Friday’s Juvenile Turf with Inspiral in the Filly & Mare Turf and King Of Steel in the Turf among his big guns on Saturday.
Dettori is also booked to partner Zandon for American trainer Chad Brown in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, but nevertheless sees himself as competing for the away team.
“The Breeders’ Cup has a Ryder Cup atmosphere and I’m proud to be representing Europe,” he said trackside on Thursday morning.
“I’m looking forward to riding back here for the first day of the meet on Boxing Day.”
Of Zandon, Dettori added: “He is a solid, staying horse who finished third in the Kentucky Derby (last year).
“I’ve ridden for Chad a few times, but I won’t ride the colt before Saturday.
“I thought he looked good when he won the Woodward last time.”
Things may not have gone how Yona Knight-Wisdom would have liked during his recent outing at the Pan American (PanAm) Games in Chile, but the flag-bearing diver has no intentions reeling in the disappointment for too long.
Instead, Knight-Wisdom views the sub-par performances as an indication that he has some amount of work to do, if he is to achieve the feat of competing at a third-consecutive Olympic Games.
The British-born diver, whose father is Jamaican and mother Barbadian, placed 11th in both the individual 1-metre and 3-metre springboard events with scores of 318.60 and 372.10 respectively.
He also placed fifth in the 3-metre springboard synchronized dive with Canada-born compatriot Yohan Eskrick-Parkinson. Together, they scored 345.51, behind their Mexican (425.46), Colombian (398.67) and United States (368.64) counterparts.
“There is definitely a hint of disappointment from PanAm Games because I struggled with inconsistency throughout the week. But at the same time, I am also a bit excited for the months ahead because I managed to reach a decent level at such an early point in the season and there’s much room for improvement, both individually and in synchro,” Knight-Wisdom told SportsMax.TV.
“The PanAm Games really exposed my natural strengths and weaknesses, so I know exactly what I need to work on between now and the World Championships in February, and hopefully my confidence will grow over the next few months. Synchro was probably the highlight for me because it was a really solid performance in a high quality field. We’re definitely in the mix for Olympic qualification,” he added.
While he reflected with a mixed bag of emotions, Knight-Wisdom, pointed out that the lessons from his recent performances and, by extension, the challenges he overcame along the way, are used as motivation to go even harder in his next training session or competition.
Simply put, Knight-Wisdom’s passion and desire to achieve greatness burns fiercely much like a hellish fire, as he is not merely satisfied with his 1-m springboard silver at the 2019 PanAm Games, nor his 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games appearance.
“So many lessons have come from PanAm. It was one of the most challenging periods of my career, having only six weeks to prepare, and still only 10 months or so since my knee surgery. It showed me that I’m absolutely still capable, but I really need to streamline my focus on competition preparation in the lead up to the last qualifier in February,” Knight-Wisdom shared.
Though the physical and mental challenges are not unique to Knight-Wisdom as many athletes often struggle to find their way back from injury, it is the grace and faith that towering diver exudes as he represents the country with much gusto that stands out.
“I was also getting lots of compliments from other divers and coaches, which gives me confidence even though I wasn’t feeling particularly good within myself on this occasion,” Knight-Wisdom said.
“I honestly believe I’m on the right track and don’t need to make any drastic changes, I just need to trust the process and I believe I will have a great chance of qualifying for the Olympics in two events. So though disappointing, the PanAm experience was definitely extremely valuable for me,” he noted.
For now, Knight-Wisdom said the focus is now rest and recovery to not only improve his mental toughness, but more importantly, to ensure he returns, better and stronger for his next assignment in December, followed by the big Olympic qualifiers in February.
“So it is a few days of rest, then back into training to prepare for the British nationals in December, which will be my last warm up event before the World Championships in Doha in February.
“My chances are definitely good, but anything can happen on the day, so I really need to leave no stone unturned over the next few months and put myself in the best position possible to compete close to my best level in February. I don’t need to be right at my best, but my best is what I’ll be aiming for,” he ended.
Gilles Simon has warned that Carlos Alcaraz dominating men's tennis is no certainty.
Alcaraz has enjoyed a stunning rise to the top of the rankings over the past two seasons, with the 20-year-old winning two grand slam titles and 12 trophies overall.
The Spaniard has not won a title since triumphing at Wimbledon in July, however, and has reached only one final since then, losing to Novak Djokovic at the Western & Southern Open in August.
A shock defeat to Roman Safiullin at the Paris Masters this week has damaged Alcaraz's chances of pipping Djokovic to the year-end world number one, and Simon does not feel he is a shoo-in to be the standout player of the next generation.
"There are a lot of people who say: 'He's going to win 20 Grand Slams'," Simon told Stats Perform.
"It's long a career. People say he has got the freeway ahead of him. Yes, but we do not know what's behind him?
"When [Roger Federer first arrived, we thought he was going to win a lot, and he did. Breaking [Pete] Sampras' record, we were sure of it.
"But the danger came from behind. First Rafa [Rafael Nadal] then Novak, then Andy [Murray]. And I think it will be the same for Carlos. The danger will come from behind."
Simon, who won 14 career titles and reached a high of number six in the ATP rankings, pointed to the likes of world number four Jannik Sinner and number three Daniil Medvedev, though the latter is seven years Alcaraz's senior.
"There are players aged 16, 17, who are playing extremely well and who may also have a similar career path. In the end, he still has Novak and hyper-stable, hyper-strong players like Daniil on hard court or other players on clay who can really cause him problems," Simon continued.
"Sinner and so on, but he may also have two or three guys behind him who, in two or three years' time, we don't know who they are yet, but they'll be up there like him, and we'll be saying to ourselves: 'Ah well, he never had that period when he was supposedly going to win everything with no competition in front of him'.
"There is never no competition. The other players, even if they are not the calibre of Federer or Nadal, they are very strong. Daniil is very strong, very stable on hard court, so he can beat [Alcaraz].
"Carlos seems to have the upper hand. But no, Daniil finds a solution, comes up with something else and beats him. And that is why it's never a foregone conclusion, and why it's so interesting to follow. Otherwise, we would not even be watching the match."
The Rolex Paris Masters became the first Masters 1000 to broadcast its qualifying matches on Twitch, live on Rivenzi's channel.
Leigh Halfpenny looks set to continue his rugby career in the southern hemisphere after he makes a final Wales appearance on Saturday.
The Wales full-back, who has won 101 caps, will bow out of international rugby following the Barbarians’ Principality Stadium visit.
And New Zealand Super Rugby heavyweights Crusaders could be his next port of call.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland, after naming his team to face the Barbarians, dismissed speculation linking 34-year-old Halfpenny with a move to England or Japan, while confirming a southern hemisphere switch that would undoubtedly enhance his playing and coaching CV.
“Hopefully, he has got a big future ahead of him – it is an exciting challenge that he has been offered,” Gatland said.
“He spoke to me a number of weeks ago about where he was going to go. The speculation about going to England and Japan was all rubbish.
“I just said that it would be brilliant for him in terms of what he wants to do next and his CV, having played in France and won championships there, having been successful for Wales and having a chance to go to the southern hemisphere as well.
“And maybe after that experience, coming back and doing some kicking and some skills work and maybe following a Neil Jenkins (Wales skills and kicking specialist) path in terms of getting into the coaching aspect.
“He has been one of those people who have set incredible standards and is a great example for younger players coming through in terms of that.
“He is not the biggest man in the world, but he has always given 100 per cent for that jersey and he is a proud Welshman.”
Jac Morgan will captain a Wales XV containing 12 Rugby World Cup squad members, including four who started the quarter-final defeat against Argentina last month in Morgan, centre George North, lock Adam Beard and number eight Aaron Wainwright.
Dragons prop Lloyd Fairbrother, 31, makes a first Wales start in the non-cap encounter, with wing Tom Rogers and lock Ben Carter also gaining opportunities.
Fairbrother starts in the tighthead position, where Gatland was without the services of France-based pair Tomos Francis and Henry Thomas, Harlequins forward Dillon Lewis, plus injured duo Keiron Assiratti and Leon Brown.
Assiratti was ruled out by an ankle injury, while Brown has a calf muscle problem, meaning call-ups for Fairbrother and Scarlets prop Harri O’Connor, who is among the replacements.
The Principality Stadium encounter is being staged to pay tribute to Wales’ record cap holder Alun Wyn Jones. He retired from Test rugby in May after making 158 Test match appearances for his country.
Its scheduling, though, has been criticised, with all four Welsh regions being in United Rugby Championship action this weekend, while a sizeable contingent of players based outside Wales – Louis Rees-Zammit, Nick Tompkins and Will Rowlands among them – are not available.
Gatland added: “I can understand completely and I understand the issues involved in that. We are conscious of that, and that is why I was doing everything I could to support the regions by only picking 23 players (in his squad).
“We could, as would have been in our normal situation, picked 33 or 34, but that would have taken another nine players out of the regions in terms of them being available for those teams.
“I understand, but we have come out of a couple of pretty tough years with Covid and everyone is talking about the funding and how everyone is finding that difficult.
“This game is definitely about generating some more revenue, and for us there is an opportunity without players outside of Wales for people to put down a marker in terms of being involved in the Six Nations.”
While Gatland says Wales have “kind of drawn a line” under their World Cup campaign, he revealed that he has asked Wales’ medical staff to contact World Rugby regarding consistency of players being removed for head injury assessments.
“I’ve asked my medical staff to go back to World Rugby to give me some clarity on an incident like the Nick Tompkins one against Argentina, which wasn’t a penalty or a yellow card but he still had to come off in that situation for a HIA,” he said.
“I need to know then in that situation why didn’t (South Africa centre) Jesse Kriel have to come off for a HIA or (New Zealand forward) Ardie Savea (in the World Cup final)?”
Kriel was hit head-high by New Zealand captain Sam Cane, who was sent off, while Savea was on the receiving end of a challenge from yellow-carded Springboks skipper Siya Kolisi.
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