Shishkin has not been declared for Friday’s Boodles Gold Cup at Cheltenham following an unsatisfactory scope.
Trainer Nicky Henderson had already ruled out Jonbon from Wednesday’s Champion Chase, among others, after five of his six runners on the first day of the Festival were pulled up.
The form of the stable had been a talking point heading into the biggest week of the season, hot on the heels of his brightest star Constitution Hill working poorly at Kempton and subsequently being pulled out of the Champion Hurdle.
Henderson posted on X, formerly Twitter: “Very sadly it will not be possible for Shishkin to run in the Gold Cup on Friday. He was scoped as have all our potential runners this week, but unfortunately he has shown an unsatisfactory picture on which he couldn’t possibly run.
“He appears to be 100 per cent in himself and has been working and schooling better than ever and we were really looking forward to Friday, it is hoped that along with all the other non-participants this week that they will be back in time for Aintree or Punchestown.
“Regrettably Champ has also succumbed and will not run in tomorrow’s Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle and the equivalent race at Aintree could be on the agenda.”
Nicky Henderson has reacted to his overall poor results on the opening day of this year’s Cheltenham Festival by withdrawing several runners on day two, including Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase hope Jonbon.
Henderson went into this year’s Festival under a cloud following the withdrawal of Champion Hurdle title holder Constitution Hill and a disappointing run of form from his stable as a whole.
Luccia provided the Seven Barrows handler with a boost when finishing third behind State Man in the Champion Hurdle, but his other five runners on Tuesday were all pulled up.
Henderson posted on X: “I’m afraid we have had to make some very tough decisions following the very disappointing performances of all bar one of our horses yesterday.
“It was there for all to see that there is obviously something affecting nearly all our horses and consequently we have reluctantly decided that Jonbon, First Street and Kingston Pride will not run today.
“It is impossible to identify any reason for all the disappointments and none of these horses have given us any cause for concern and all yesterday’s runners were scoped clean post race and I am glad to say all are sound this morning.
“There will unfortunately be further non-runners on Thursday and Friday.
“I hope everybody will appreciate that we have to do this in everybody’s interests, particularly the horses. It is very, very disappointing for everybody.”
Among Henderson’s high-profile entries for the rest of the week are JCB Triumph Hurdle favourite Sir Gino and leading Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup contender Shishkin.
Today’s Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase has been abandoned due to waterlogged ground on Cheltenham’s inside circuit.
Following 11mm of rainfall throughout yesterday, there has been no improvement in the conditions on the Cross-Country course and areas of the track remain unraceable.
The forecast for the remainder of the week continues to look unsettled, with further showers likely on both Thursday and Friday.
There will therefore be insufficient improvement to the Cross-Country course and the decision has been taken not to reschedule the Glenfarclas Cross-Country Chase at this year’s Festival.
Due to the abandonment, the revised race times for today are as follows: Race 1 – 1345, Race 2 – 1430, Race 3 – 1515, Race 4 – 1600, Race 5 – N/A, Race 6 – 1650, Race 7 – 1730.
The going on the regulation Old and New courses is described as soft, heavy in places.
World number two Carlos Alcaraz raced into the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open with a straight-sets win over Fabian Marozsan in Indian Wells.
The Spaniard, bidding to become the first player to defend the title since Novak Djokovic in 2016, won 6-3 6-3 in an hour and a quarter.
Hungarian Marozsan, 24, came into the match with a rare winning head-to-head record against Alcaraz, having beaten him on the Rome clay last year in their only previous meeting, one of the shock results of the season.
The Wimbledon champion quickly went about taking his revenge, winning four games in a row from 3-2 down to take the first set.
A solitary break for 4-2 in the second proved enough to wrap up the match and book a last-eight meeting with Alexander Zverev.
“Honestly I was nervous before the match, playing against someone who beat you, let’s say easily, it was difficult for me to approach the game,” Alcaraz said in his on-court interview.
“But I’m happy with the win. Today I knew better what I needed to do than in Rome.”
Zverev took down Australian Alex de Minaur after he lost the first set before coming back to win 5-7 6-2 6-3.
Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner continued his stellar start to the year, recording his 18th straight win in a victory over American Ben Shelton 7-6 (4) 6-1.
Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 11th seed from Greece, was on the end of an upset as he slipped to a 6-2 6-4 defeat to Czech youngster Jiri Lehecka.
World number one Iga Swiatek will take on Caroline Wozniacki in the BNP Paribas Open quarter-finals at Indian Wells.
It took little more than an hour for Poland’s Swiatek to beat Kazakhstan’s Yulia Putintseva in straight sets 6-1 6-2.
Wozniacki, from Denmark, defeated three-time Grand Slam winner Angelique Kerber in 90 minutes 6-4 6-2, advancing to her first WTA 1000 quarter-final since 2019 after returning to the tour.
After her match, former world number one Wozniacki said she will have to play her “best tennis to compete” with Swiatek.
“I think I have obviously commentated some of her matches,” she said. “I know how she’s playing. Obviously she’s playing good tennis, playing powerfully.
“I practiced with her as well a few times after I have come back, during the US Open as well. I know how she plays, but it’s one thing knowing how she plays and also playing against her in a full match.”
Swiatek said on court that she has great respect for Wozniacki.
“I think she’s playing great even after the maternity break. She was fighting to come back.
“I have huge respect. I’m going to prepare like any other, but off the court she’s a great person.”
Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk defeated Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-4 6-1, while Russian Anastasia Potapova defeated Italian Jasmine Paolini 7-5 0-6 6-3.
Anthony Edwards scored 37 points and the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied from a 22-point deficit for a 118-100 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker added a season-high 28 points and Mike Conley scored 23 with five 3-pointers for the Wolves, who bounced back from consecutive losses to pull within one game of the Northwest Division lead.
Kawhi Leonard left with back spasms between the first two quarters, the Clippers said. He played the entire first quarter, but he was seen leaving the arena during the second quarter.
Faced with a 57-35 deficit midway through the second quarter, Minnesota cut the Clippers’ lead to 63-55 at halftime and took control in the second half for the team’s largest comeback since November 2012.
Paul George scored 22 points for Los Angeles, which has dropped two straight for only the second time since Christmas.
Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert returned from a one-game absence with a right hamstring injury but then apparently injured his ribs or sternum at some point in the second half, heading to the locker room in pain.
Kings finally beat Bucks
De’Aaron Fox scored 29 points and Domantas Sabonis had 22 with 11 rebounds as the Sacramento Kings defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, 129-94, for their first win in the series in over eight years.
Sacramento posted its first win over Milwaukee since Feb. 1, 2016, with the 15-game losing streak being the longest active streak for any team.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 30 points and 13 rebounds as the Bucks finished a 1-3 California swing.
Hart stars in Knicks’ rout of 76ers
Josh Hart registered his fourth triple-double of the season and OG Anunoby scored 14 points in his return from an 18-game absence as the New York Knicks rolled to a 106-79 drubbing of the Philadelphia 76ers.
Hart had 20 points, a career high-tying 19 rebounds and 10 assists, and Jalen Brunson added 20 points and nine assists for the Knicks, who bounced back from Sunday’s loss to the 76ers.
Anunoby played his first game since Jan. 27 due to a right elbow injury that required surgery. New York improved to 13-2 in games that he has played in since his acquisition from Toronto on Dec. 30.
Kelly Oubre Jr. had 19 points and Tyrese Maxey added 17 after missing the previous four games due to a concussion. Philadelphia has lost four of its last five games.
Aleksander Barkov scored his second goal of the game with 5:22 remaining and the NHL-leading Florida Panthers used a three-goal third period to defeat the Dallas Stars 5-2 on Tuesday.
Dallas held a 3-1 lead midway through the third period, but Barkov scored a power-play goal with 8:51 left and Sam Bennett netted the tying goal just under three minutes later. Barkov scored the winner just 38 seconds later on a power play.
Sam Reinhart added his team-leading 46th goal for the Panthers, who won for the 18th time in 21 games.
Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston and Joe Pavelski each had a goal and an assist for the Central Division-leading Stars, who had won five in a row.
Florida’s Sergei Bobrovsky allowed more than two goals for the first time since Jan. 19, ending his personal 12-game stretch.
Shesterkin perfect again
Igor Shesterkin stopped 28 shots for his second straight shutout and the New York Rangers padded their lead in the Metropolitan Division with a 1-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes.
Shesterkin, who blanked St. Louis on Saturday, turned away five shots in the first period, 11 in the second and 12 more in the third for his 14th career shutout.
Adam Fox scored the game’s only goal late in the first period as New York won its third straight to open a six-point lead over Carolina in the Metro.
Pyotr Kochetkov made 23 saves for the Hurricanes, who had won three in a row.
Rantanen’s big game powers surging Avs
Mikko Rantanen had two goals and two assists and the Colorado Avalanche scored five times in the second period in a 6-2 victory over the Calgary Flames.
Valeri Nichushkin had a goal and two assists and Nathan MacKinnon added a goal and an assist for the Avalanche, who have won four straight and six of seven to pull within two points of Dallas for the Central Division lead.
MacKinnon, who leads the NHL with 113 points, extended his point streak to 13 games. He has nine goals and 19 assists during that span.
The Flames dropped their third straight after winning six of seven.
England wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has prioritised his health over the prospect of facing France after self-reporting symptoms of concussion.
Attack coach Richard Wigglesworth revealed Feyi-Waboso has been ruled out of the climax to the Guinness Six Nations in Lyon after he became “groggy” in the wake of Saturday’s 23-22 victory over Ireland.
Although the 21-year-old Exeter University medical student finished the match, it was only afterwards that he felt the effects of a possible concussion that cannot be traced to any one incident on the field.
View this post on Instagram
It means England’s breakout star of the Six Nations will be unable to take part in the bid to snatch Ireland’s title a week after setting Twickenham alight with a dynamic display on his first start.
“Manny felt a bit groggy so he is unfortunately ruled out of the game, but we don’t take any risks with that sort of stuff,” Wigglesworth said.
“He’s obviously gutted but being the smart lad he is, he reported his symptoms. He did the right thing.”
England have chosen not to replace Feyi-Waboso in their 36-man training squad, with Elliot Daly likely to take his place on the wing against France.
Cardiff-born Feyi-Waboso was persuaded to pledge his national allegiance to England by Steve Borthwick in January and both player and coach have been rewarded by his dynamic displays, two of them coming off the bench.
“It had been building for Manny. You have to integrate these players carefully and I think Steve did that well in how he exposed him to Test rugby so he was ready to fly,” Wigglesworth said.
“He played really well, got his hands on the ball and did what we asked him to do and brought his talents.
“It’s very disappointing for him as I know how desperate he was to play again and how much he enjoyed his first start.”
England picked themselves up off the canvas after a disappointing defeat by Scotland in round three to end Ireland’s Grand Slam defence when Marcus Smith kicked a last-gasp drop-goal.
Steve Borthwick’s side had been irked by the avalanche of predictions that they would be routed by the favourites, whose former number eight Jamie Heaslip even said their only chance was if Ireland had one or two players sent off.
England back row Ben Earl stated after the win that “apparently we’re the worst England team ever. We’ve done pretty well for that accolade”, but Wigglesworth admits that defiant rage will only take a team so far.
“Every week is different and as a player, a coaching staff and a team, you use different things and you will tap into different emotions,” he said.
“We want to be obsessed with getting better, we want to keep moving on. What is called a disaster, for us is a learning experience so at the end we are moving the dial in the right direction.
“There are emotional buttons the players want to press themselves but at the core is trying to move our game on, trying to get better, having real clarity on what we are going after so we get better.”
Having delivered according to expectations over the past two years, the hierarchy of Supreme Ventures Racing and Entertainment Limited (SVREL) have promised that this year’s third edition of the Mouttet Invitational Mile will be the best yet, as they announced three changes to the conditions for its marquee event.
Those three changes include the allocation of 10 starting stalls for horses domiciled in Jamaica before January 1, 2024, with six starting stalls now being allocated to horses not domiciled in Jamaica before January 1, 2024, while the winners of the Jamaica Derby, Jamaica Cup, Philip Feanny Gold Cup, and the Port Royal Sprint will gain automatic entry in the Mouttet Mile.
The first two changes represent a shift from last year’s conditions when 12 stalls were reserved for horses domiciled in Jamaica before January 1, 2024, and four for horses not domiciled in Jamaica before January 1, 2024.
These changes by the promoting company are in addition to reaffirming the Mouttet Mile’s status as the most lucrative single racing event in the English-speaking Caribbean with a staggering increase in purse from US$150,000 to US$250,000 ($38,000,000 Jamaican), which was announced earlier this year.
Chris Wills, SVREL’s acting general manager of operations, said it is only fitting that the promoting company surpasses its own milestone set last year when they had overseas-based jockeys and horses to add to the excitement that was livestreamed in the United States on Fox5.
This year’s edition of the Mouttet Mile, a Grade One race for three-year-olds and up over one mile (1,600m), is scheduled for December 7, when the promoting company aims to build on the momentum gained last year.
“When we first conceptualized the idea of hosting a race day at Caymanas Park that could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with most of the prestigious events on the global racing calendar, it seemed like it was an audacious dream. However, with the approval of our board, we set to turn this dream into a reality.
“Of course, every ambitious endeavour requires the support of dedicated partners, and we were fortunate to get the backing of the Mouttet family, who not only shared our vision, but also provided the crucial support which was needed to kick start this incredible journey. Their belief in our vision enabled us to offer the largest purse ever in the English-speaking Caribbean,” Wills said during a press conference in Kingston on Tuesday.
“Since the first staging of the Mouttet Mile, I think it's fair to say the race has become the most anticipated race day in the Caribbean. It has raised the bar for what is possible for a standard we can deliver right here in Jamaica. The success of the first year was just the beginning. So, as we look ahead to 2024, I'm thrilled to announce that the best is yet to come. We are pulling out all the stops to make the third running of the Mouttet Mile Invitational an unforgettable event,” he added.
Aside from the Mouttet Mile, Gary Peart, chairman of Supreme Ventures Limited, pointed to the significance of sustained partnerships to shape the future of the overall racing product and the industry on a whole.
“Our mantra has been harmony and until all the stakeholders in horse racing come together in harmony, we will not truly realize the potential of horse racing. Most of the stakeholders are here, the only one that is outstanding is the government, and I'm appealing to my stakeholders, let's come together in harmony and let's walk and sit with the government because we think that Caymanas can not only change the fortunes of our stakeholders in horse racing, but the country on a whole,” Peart declared, as his hinted at the possibility of attracting more overseas patrons for this year’s event.
“Last year we were able to cut a deal to get Mouttet Mile on Fox Sports, and for the first time, horse racing from Jamaica was live on mainstream TV in the United States.
“It's very important, because if the experts at Jamaica Tourist Board and their team can see the potential of what a day of Caymanas Park is like, then it tells me to convince the rest of the ecosystem here and internationally that it is not going to be that great of a challenge,” he noted.
Meanwhile, SVREL’s executive chairman, Solomon Sharpe, who is overseas, lent his voice to proceedings, as he too promised that this year’s edition will again raise the bar to higher heights.
World number one Scottie Scheffler believes he faces a “very tall task” to enjoy a sustained period of dominance despite seemingly finding the solution to his sole weakness.
Scheffler compiled one of the best ball-striking seasons ever seen in 2023, his adjusted scoring average of 68.63 being the seventh-lowest in PGA Tour history and the best by anyone not named Tiger Woods.
In total Scheffler was ranked first in nine different categories, including greens in regulation and strokes gained off the tee, but was ranked 162nd out of 193 players in putting.
World number two Rory McIlroy recently suggested that Scheffler should change to a mallet putter to cure his problems on the greens and the former Masters champion duly did so before strolling to a five-shot victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
That has given rise to speculation that Scheffler could be on his way to dominating the game for a number of years as he prepares to attempt to become the first player to successfully defend the Players Championship in its 50-year history.
“I think it would be good for the game,” Scheffler told a pre-tournament press conference at Sawgrass.
“I think anytime you have a figure that kind of dominates… like I think of the NBA, you look at Steph Curry for those years where the [Golden State] Warriors were winning a bunch, people would say they got tired of it but at the end of the day, people were still showing up and watching because he was incredible to watch, and you want to watch greatness when you’re out there.
“So I think it would be good for the game of golf, and we’ll see what happens with the sport in the next few years.
“It’s a pretty challenging game and we’ve got a lot of talent out here, so being that dominant figure I think is a very tall task to ask of anybody, but we’ve got some guys out here that I think can definitely pull it off.”
Asked to name a player, other than Woods, who had dominated the game recently, Scheffler added: “Well, you kind of put me in a little corner here by taking Tiger away.
“As far as I’m concerned and in my lifetime, Tiger’s really been the guy that’s dominated basically since 1997 up until about 2020, whenever he really got hurt. I don’t know if we’ll ever see anything like that again in the game of golf.
“As far as who else has been dominant, I think you’ve had a lot of guys that go through stretches where they are. You had Jordan [Spieth] go through his stretch, you had a year where JT [Justin Thomas] won five times, you had those years where Rory was winning majors by a bunch of shots.
“Nobody’s really been able to have the longevity that Tiger had.”
Jaylen Brown is counting his lucky stars as the Boston Celtics man feels blessed with another chance at achieving "something special".
Brown posted 27 points, one more than teammate Jayson Tatum, as the Celtics overcame the Portland Trail Blazers 121-99, despite the absence of injured stars Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.
That victory over Portland marked the Eastern Conference-leading Boston's 50th of the season for a third straight campaign.
"All the guys laugh because, around this time of year, I say the same thing – how much of an honor it is to be on this team," Brown said.
"I'm grateful to be on a team that's winning, that's been playing the right way, has another opportunity to do something special. That's a blessing."
With a mammoth 18 games remaining, the Celtics have already secured a playoff spot after becoming the first team to hit the 50-win mark this year.
Boston lost the NBA Finals to the Golden State Warriors in 2022 before Conference Finals defeat against the Miami Heat the following year, though Tatum remains buoyant.
"At this point of the season, to have 50 wins, it means we're doing something right," Tatum added. "The scary part is, we can get better."
Sam Hauser also finished with a season-high six 3-pointers and 22 points for Boston, who have won an NBA-leading 21 games on the road this season.
"We don't really look at a team's record," Hauser said. "It's the NBA, everybody has talented players.
"You can lose any given night, so we just try to take it one day at a time, once game at a time, and find things that we can get better at each and every day."
The Celtics will hope to keep up their winning run on the road when they visit the Utah Jazz on Tuesday.
Luka Doncic was unable to continue his record-breaking NBA run of six straight 30-point triple-doubles but winning is the priority over individual statistics for the Dallas Mavericks star.
That was the message from Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd after Dallas cruised past the Chicago Bulls 127-92 on Monday.
Doncic had 27 points, 14 assists and 12 rebounds, posting yet another triple-double but this time without scoring 30 for the first time in seven games.
"It's about winning to him," Kidd said. "Numbers, I don't know if they really mean anything to him today.
"But when he does retire, he'll look back to see the game that he was playing was at a different level than anybody else."
Doncic exited the rout midway through the fourth quarter but still boasts seven straight 20-point triple-doubles, joining Michael Jordan (1989) and Oscar Robertson (1961) for the longest such streak in NBA history.
Former Bulls center Daniel Gafford also converted all nine field goals, extending his run of consecutive shots without missing to 28, just seven shy of the NBA record.
"My philosophy for sure is just being consistent, having a mindset of just going to finish everything no matter if there's somebody in front of you or if there isn't somebody in front of you," Gafford said.
"At the end of the day, either dunking it or putting it in the rim."
Onuralp Bitim was a rare bright Chicago spark with a career-high 17 points, while DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic each scored 13, though that did not stop Dallas from winning a third straight game.
"We gave up a lot of rolls to the basket and offensive rebounds," Bulls coach Billy Donovan said.
"We've got to be more pulled in than we were. ... We kind of were too worried with getting back out to that 3-point line instead of saying, 'Hey, we're going to take away the roll.'"
Steve Tandy revealed Scotland have held a “hard-hitting” review into Saturday’s damaging Guinness Six Nations defeat by Italy as they bid to summon a response away to title-chasing Ireland this weekend.
The Scots’ championship hopes went up in smoke in Rome as they squandered a 22-10 lead to lose 31-29 against an Azzurri side who, for all their perceived improvement, had not previously won a match in the tournament since 2022.
Defence coach Tandy revealed the players and coaches had a frank debrief on Monday as they attempt to iron out the issues that cost them so dearly at Stadio Olimpico.
“Obviously huge frustration and disappointment, a lot of looking at ourselves and what we did,” he said on Tuesday afternoon as he gave an insight into the mood in the Scottish camp since their collapse in the Eternal City.
“Italy are a good team, but when you look back at it, there are definitely things we could and should have done better so there’s been a lot of looking inwards.
“It was a pretty quiet place after the game and then coming in on Monday, the review was hard-hitting. The boys have reflected, they’ve looked at the footage, they’ve fed back themselves.
“We had a pretty good meeting – as much as it could be good after a loss.”
Tandy felt Scotland were uncharacteristically “soft” defensively in Italy, but he refuted the suggestion they lack the mental strength to deal with periods of adversity.
“We’ve shown moments of regathering ourselves, such as in Wales when we got that momentum back at the back end of the game to get the win,” he pointed out.
“Against England we were 10-0 down after the disappointment of the previous game against France, where everyone said we should have won the game, so getting over that to beat England shows we’ve got the mental capacity to do those things.
“But it’s always a work in progress, there’s always space to learn and grow. These losses hurt and they make us ask questions around certain things, but at the end of the day we’ve got a huge game on Saturday so we can’t dwell on it for too long.
“We’re going to lose momentum in Ireland. No team goes there and dominates. We’re going to be under pressure for a lot of the game and we’ve got to deal with that.
“In a lot of the competition we’ve dealt with it. There are moments when we haven’t dealt with it, but we’re learning all the time to try and deal with those situations more consistently.”
Scotland’s defeat in Italy effectively cost them the chance of a title decider against Ireland in Dublin, but they still have the chance to claim a Triple Crown for the first time since 1990 if they can defeat the side that dismantled them 36-14 at the World Cup in October.
“I forgot about that (the Triple Crown) after Saturday night, to be honest,” said Tandy. “But we’re playing for a trophy – I don’t know how many years it is since we have been playing for a trophy.
“That’s the beauty of sport, the fact you can be down at the lowest of lows, but now we have the potential to be at the highest of highs, which is exciting for us.
“We know we’re going to have to play really well to get what we want, but it’s a game, anything can happen.”
Fergal O’Brien said the only comfort he could take from Highland Hunter’s sad death at Cheltenham on Tuesday was that he was now with Keagan Kirkby.
Kirkby had looked after Highland Hunter during his time spent with champion trainer Paul Nicholls and become very attached to the grey chaser.
Kirkby, 25, tragically died in a point-to-point fall in February and Highland Hunter led his funeral procession through the village of Ditcheat last week.
Highland Hunter, who had recently won a valuable prize at Newbury, bowled along at the head of affairs in the Ultima Chase on the opening day of the Festival, putting in some extravagant leaps under Paddy Brennan.
He weakened quickly after jumping the third-last, however, and the 11-year-old was unable to be saved despite the swift attention of racecourse veterinary staff.
“It’s obviously a tremendously sad day for the yard, especially for Scott (Sainsbury) and Sophie (Kelly) who looked after Highland Hunter,” said O’Brien, who trains locally to the Prestbury Park track.
“I suppose the only comfort we can take is that he is with Keagan now. It’s a very sad day.”
Martin Brassil’s Ose Partir also died due to injuries sustained in a fall in the Boodles Juvenile Hurdle.
A spokesperson for the course said: “Highland Hunter was immediately attended by expert veterinary professionals in the concluding stages of our third race but sadly passed away.
“In the sixth race, Ose Partir sustained an injury and was humanely put to sleep. Our heartfelt condolences are with the connections of both horses.”
Bookmakers were left reeling on the ropes following a Willie Mullins blitz on day one of the Cheltenham Festival – and they fear the Irish maestro will go on to deliver a knockout blow.
Gaelic Warrior got the ball rolling for Mullins and Paul Townend when a well-backed 2-1 winner of the My Pension Expert Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase.
The pair then teamed up again for Unibet Champion Hurdle glory with State Man and a Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle success with Lossiemouth, both rated odds-on bankers by many punters.
“It didn’t take Willie Mullins long to get on the scoresheet at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, his Gaelic Warrior was by far the best-backed Arkle contender and his many supporters had few concerns throughout the race as the 2-1 favourite strolled home in glorious isolation,” said Coral’s David Stevens.
“Odds-on shots State Man and Lossiemouth were in many Mullins-based multiples, and neither let their backers down, meaning we head into day two already knowing victories for their stablemates Ballyburn, Fact To File and El Fabiolo will make it another costly day for the layers.”
Lawrence Lyons, spokesperson for BoyleSports, said: “Results on Tuesday didn’t go our way and Willie Mullins will be the toast of punters up and down the land. The punters certainly have the advantage heading into day two and we can only hope a few unfancied outsiders bail us out later in the week.”
There was little relief for the layers in the other races, with no outsiders popping up at big prices to save the day.
The Rachael Blackmore-ridden Slade Steel was popular with punters at 7-2 in the opening Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and even the sole British success was far from a surprise, with Kim Bailey’s Chianti Classico well supported at 6-1 in the Ultima Handicap Chase.
Joseph O’Brien’s Lark In The Mornin was the biggest-priced winner of the day at just 9-1 in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle and Corbetts Cross rounded things off in the Maureen Mullins National Hunt Chase when romping home by a wide margin at 15-8 for Emmet Mullins.
That last result at least saved Paddy Power from a huge pay-out to a Chelmsford-based punter, who had picked out the first six winners in a £20 each-way accumulator and a £1 Super Heinz, but sided with runner-up Embassy Gardens in the finale.
The online customer did manage to cash out the accumulator for £36,000 and scooped up more than £14,000 in multiple bets on his other wager.
Paddy Power spokesperson Paul Binfield said: “It’s not been an ideal start to the week for the bookies and we’ve lost on the day.
“But it was nice to see one shrewd punter from Essex trouser £50k and we’re happy that our customers have full wallets for the rest of the action with everything to play for.”
Attentions are already turning towards next year’s Champion Hurdle, when Constitution Hill will hopefully be back in a bid to regain his crown and Lossiemouth could also be let loose against the opposite sex.
William Hill’s Lee Phelps said: “After what we’ve seen today, Lossiemouth could have the edge over State Man in next year’s Champion Hurdle. The grey mare was very impressive and is into 7-2 for next year’s renewal, with State Man available at 4-1.
“Constitution Hill is still obviously the one they’d all have to beat at 6-4, but he could have been backed at evens before we saw the performance of Lossiemouth, who don’t forget would be in receipt of 7lb in a Champion Hurdle.”
Trainer Emmet Mullins took the race named in honour of his late grandmother as Corbetts Cross was much the best in the Maureen Mullins National Hunt Challenge Cup Amateur Jockeys’ Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham.
A 15-8 chance under Derek O’Connor, the chestnut travelled well throughout and let Mr Vango and Gina Andrews make the running.
As the race wore on Corbetts Cross advanced, and up the hill he pulled effortlessly clear of Patrick Mullins and Embassy Gardens (7-4 favourite) to secure a 17-length triumph.
Mullins – the son of renowned horse transporter George Mullins – said: “It was a great honour from the Jockey Club to name the race after granny and it’s extra special that we were able to win it.
“We were always very hopeful, I suppose he had the form in the book to be second in the Arkle today and he was able to show the same turn of foot over this longer trip. Derek got him into a great rhythm and he showed his true colours today, I think.
“The trip was probably a little worry with ground being so heavy, even though he has plenty form on heavy ground. I think having Derek on board was the main reason we decided to run in this race, to have his expertise is a big advantage.
“That race is a special test, so we’ll take it one day at a time and see how he is after it.”
O’Connor said: “It was a super performance, Emmet has done a wonderful job, he had him trained to perfection and he turned up in great shape.
“He had a very pleasing schooling session last Thursday morning in the hood. It’s not for me to say where he’ll go, but that was a very good performance.
“I have a nice book of rides for the week, but today was important to get us off to a good note.”
Derrick Henry has a new home.
The four-time Pro Bowl running back has agreed to a two-year, $16million contract with the Baltimore Ravens, multiple media outlets reported on Tuesday.
The deal includes $9million in guaranteed money and can be worth up to $20million, according to reports.
Henry, a two-time NFL rushing champion and the 2020 AP Offensive Player of the Year, now joins a Ravens team that reached the AFC conference championship game this past season behind two-time league MVP Lamar Jackson.
The 30-year-old Henry, who had spent each of his first eight pro seasons with the Tennessee Titans, is coming off somewhat of a down year by his standards with 1,167 rushing yards and an average of 4.2 yards per attempt in 2023. However, he still led the NFL with 280 carries and was tied for seventh in the league with 12 rushing touchdowns.
The bruising back led the league in rushing in 2019 with 1,540 yards and became just the eighth player in NFL history to eclipse the 2,000-yard rushing mark the following year when he ran for 2,027 yards - the fifth-highest total in a season - with a career-high 17 rushing touchdowns.
Henry’s 9,502 rushing yards and 90 rushing touchdowns are the most in the NFL since the Titans selected the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner in the second round of the 2016 draft.
Baltimore finished with the AFC's best record in 2023 despite being unsettled at running back with season-ending injuries to J.K. Dobbins and Keaton Mitchell.
Jackson has led Baltimore in rushing each of the last five seasons and the Ravens have only had one running back rush for 1,000 yards in the last 10 years.
Henry, meanwhile, has five 1,000-yard seasons, including each of the last two.
After two intense months of candidacy, the city that will organize the 2027 Pan American Games was finally chosen today.
At 9:00 a.m. (ET) in Miami, the Extraordinary General Assembly of Panam Sports began with the official presentations of the candidate cities of Lima, Peru and Asuncion, Paraguay.
Both cities gave a 40-minute presentation to the Assembly led by the Presidents of the Olympic Committees of Peru and Paraguay, Renzo Manyari and Camilo Perez, respectively. Their presentations featured videos and messages from top government leaders before they submitted to questions from the participating member countries.
After that, a virtual vote was held, a process that was carried out by the renowned British company Lumi. After a few minutes, the President of the Panam Sports Legal Commission, Michael Chambers, handed the envelope of the winning city to the highest authority of the continental organization.
“The city that will host the 2027 Pan American Games is… Lima, Peru,” said Panam Sports President Neven Ilic.
Unrivaled joy was seen among the representatives of Lima and throughout Peru. After organizing the incredible XVIII Pan American Games in 2019, the most important multi-sport event on the continent returns to Peruvian lands in 2027.
“I want to highlight the transparency of the process and the brotherhood of both nations that competed healthily for the right to host the 2027 Pan American Games. I want to congratulate Lima, all of Peru and the President of the Peruvian Olympic Committee, Renzo Manyari, for this tremendous achievement. A few years ago, they shook an entire continent with excitement and today, with more experience and spectacular infrastructure, they want to repeat or improve the success achieved in 2019,” said the President of Panam Sports, Neven Ilic.
“I also take this opportunity to congratulate Paraguay and its NOC President Camilo Perez. They are doing a great job with Paraguayan sport and their athletes, so my call is for them to continue growing and developing. They have a tremendous challenge ahead of them with the Junior Pan American Games in 2025, where I am sure they will be a great host for the entire continent,” concluded Ilic.
For his part, the President of the Peruvian Olympic Committee, Renzo Manyari, was emphatic in pointing out that, “We are happy about this triumph. We will work to make everyone's experience the best they have ever had, and they have the absolute devotion of more than 33 million Peruvians. Thanks for trusting us. Thanks also to President Dina Boluarte and her unrestricted support for this candidacy. “Together We Win!”
Nicky Henderson did not want to speculate on what might have been after seeing his admirable mare Luccia finish third in a Unibet Champion Hurdle lacking stable star Constitution Hill.
The undoubted ace in the Seven Barrows pack, Constitution Hill was mesmeric when leaving the Willie Mullins-trained State Man in his wake 12 months ago, but a very public sub-par workout at Kempton, followed by unsatisfactory scopes and blood test results meant he was unable to defend his crown.
State Man was therefore a short price to claim the feature event on day one of the Cheltenham Festival and duly landed the odds, but the proximity of the 140-rated Luccia in third, beaten just three and a half lengths, only made Constitution Hill’s absence all the more conspicuous.
“I’m thrilled for State Man and Willie and Joe and Marie (Donnelly, owners), I’ve got three runners for them (Donnellys) on Friday and they’re the best,” said Henderson afterwards.
“We’ve had plenty of banter throughout the winter of how State Man and Constitution Hill are going to have a good battle and it wasn’t to be, which is a shame.
“There’s no point in speculating where Constitution Hill would have finished in front of Luccia, I think you can probably guess where he’s going to finish, but that’s for another day.”
Whether Constitution Hill will run again this season, either at Aintree or at Punchestown for a belated rematch with State Man, remains to be seen, but Henderson did issue an upbeat update on his well-being.
He added: “Constitution Hill was ridden out with the others this morning, which was nice to see. His bloods are better, but we’ve got a long way to go.
“He’s not 100 per cent (over the infection), but it’s a long way going down the road of improving dramatically.”
Constitution Hill’s setback aside, there is no doubt Henderson’s string has not been firing on all cylinders ahead of the Festival and the fact both Supreme Novices’ Hurdle contender Jeriko Du Reponet and Champion Hurdle hope Iberico Lord were pulled up gave the trainer further food for thought.
“Some of these horses probably aren’t running how they ought to, in which case he (Constitution Hill) is probably safer where he is,” he said.
“Everything you do at home tells you they’re all perfectly right, otherwise to be honest with you they wouldn’t be here.
“We’ll just have to play it quietly and take them as individuals. (The tests) say they’re all OK, but this ground has gone against quite a few of them, so we’ll have to regroup. I can think of two or three that won’t want to be running on that ground, but I need to talk to the owners first.”
The owner of National Hunt racing’s pre-eminent star, Michael Buckley, was also in attendance.
He said: “It’s not very gracious but I think if he ran, he’d have won the race, that is what I think. If I don’t believe in my horse, no one else will.
“He had his blood test yesterday and while they were remarkably improved from where they were a week ago, they weren’t ‘normal’ – but he is out and about.
“It’s not really for me to talk about Nicky’s horses, but on home work Iberico Lord would beat Luccia so, as everyone is commenting about, Nicky has something running about his yard.
“Obviously, Luccia is fine but Iberico Lord pulled up and so did the one in the first (Jeriko Du Reponet), so maybe I’m better off out of it and in a weird way I’m better off not running.”
While the Constitution Hill questions kept coming, Henderson was keen to praise 33-1 shot Luccia’s better than anticipated performance, saying “It was all Paul’s (Sandy, owner) idea to run, the idiotic trainer said ‘you’re mad’ and if I’d had any say in the matter she’d have run in the County Hurdle, but I’m not the boss.
“From two months ago, we’ve said we’d run her and give it a go, she’s a very good mare. She might be going to stud now, but I’ll try to persuade Paul to have another bash.”
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
