Connections are hoping I Am Maximus’ own brand of jumping is not his Achilles heel when he goes for Randox Grand National glory at Aintree.

The reigning Irish Grand National champion put himself in the picture to follow in the footsteps of Rhyme ‘N’ Reason, Bobbyjo and Numbersixvalverde by also adding the Liverpool version with a dominant display in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse.

That 14-length victory over last year’s Aintree runner-up Vanillier saw Willie Mullins’ eight-year-old made the general 10-1 joint-favourite for the world’s most famous steeplechase where he will attempt to give his handler a second victory in the race 19 years on from the success of Hedgehunter.

With his stamina assured, it appears the major question I Am Maximus will have to answer when tackling the famous spruce on Merseyside surrounds his jumping.

“He did well (in the Bobbyjo) and he’s got his own technique of jumping,” said owner JP McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry.

“He seems to like Fairyhouse and he did it nicely. I believe he has come out of the race fine.

“He has his own way of getting round so it will be interesting to see how that goes at Aintree, but he’s in good form and the plan will be to go there with him.

“I don’t think stamina will be any problem to him and jumping could be his biggest problem. He will need a bit of luck but they all do round there.”

McManus has won the Grand National with both Don’t Push It (2010) and Minella Times (2021) and I Am Maximus is one of five potential National runners in the famous green and gold silks alongside Closutton stablemates Capodanno and Janidil, Joseph O’Brien’s Fakir D’oudairies and Gavin Cromwell’s Limerick Lace.

Warren Gatland says that comments he made about Welsh professional rugby’s infrastructure were not a criticism of coaches.

Wales boss Gatland said ahead of last weekend’s Guinness Six Nations clash against Ireland that the Welsh regional game sometimes felt like “a sinking ship” and he was not 100 per cent convinced that a reset of it would happen.

Ospreys head coach Toby Booth responded by claiming that some of Gatland’s comments were “a bit inflammatory”, while Dragons boss Dai Flanagan met Gatland on Wednesday.

Gatland had been asked during a press conference to assess key differences between Irish and Welsh rugby and he said that Ireland “have just got the right structures in place”.

Gatland also urged Wales’ four regional teams – Ospreys, Cardiff, Scarlets and Dragons – to focus on improving infrastructure such as facilities, rather than prioritise signing players.

“What I was highlighting was the importance of us, for the next 10 years if we want success and sustainability, having the best facilities and the best support staff, whether that is coaches, medical staff, strength and conditioning,” Gatland told reporters on Thursday, as Wales prepared for next week’s Six Nations appointment with France.

“Probably the difference between us and Ireland at the moment is they have got their systems and structures in place and we’ve got a little bit of a way to go.

“It wasn’t a criticism of coaches. I know how hard they are working in terms of the regions, and how hard they are trying.

“It wasn’t a criticism of them, it is about all of us working together to keep improving the things we’ve got here.

“Probably all of the regions, if they look at their structure and their support staff, they have probably got a couple of holes and things that they are working to hopefully put right for the future.

“I keep saying that the impact of the right environment, the right people and the right facilities will have so much more of an impact for us long-term than one or two players will do in a squad.

“The pleasing thing for me is that it has raised discussion. At least people are talking about it. My concern was if we don’t talk about it and focus on these areas, we will carry on doing what we’ve been doing for years and having the same results.

“I have always tried to be honest. I’ve always tried to give an honest answer or an opinion. It doesn’t always mean I am right.”

Wales will resume their Six Nations campaign against France after successive losses to Scotland, England and Ireland, with Italy following Les Bleus to Cardiff on the tournament’s final weekend.

It is feasible that Wales could end up finishing fifth for a fourth time in the last five seasons, while they last propped up the Six Nations table without a win 21 years ago when Gatland’s fellow New Zealander Steve Hansen was in charge.

“Test match rugby is all about winning, it is all about performing,” Gatland said.

“A couple of close games (Wales lost to Scotland and England by a combined total of three points) where we showed some promise, and then we came up against probably the best team in the world at the moment.

“We’ve got an opportunity in the next couple of games to go out there, keep working hard and improving. Hopefully, the next two games we can come away with wins.”

While Wales have have yet to register a Six Nations victory, France were well beaten at home by title favourites Ireland on the opening day and then held 13-13 by Italy in Lille.

Gatland added: “In fairness to Italy, they stayed in the fight.

“There is no doubt that the red card (for France centre Jonathan Danty) had a significant influence on the game, and then Italy got stronger.

“They (France) are going to come pretty hard at you early on, so you have got to stay in that battle and try and negate that physical dominance of their forwards, the huge size that they have.”

Mike Catt believes “dangerous” England possess the personnel to damage Ireland’s Guinness Six Nations title pursuit but suggested it may take time for Steve Borthwick to fully make his mark at Twickenham.

Andy Farrell’s reigning champions travel to south-west London on Saturday, March 9 seeking to remain on course for back-to-back Grand Slams following wins over France, Italy and Wales.

Despite finishing third at last year’s Rugby World Cup, England have failed to wholly convince since head coach Borthwick replaced Eddie Jones in December 2022 and are fighting to stay in championship contention on the back of a 30-21 Calcutta Cup loss to Scotland.

Asked if the Red Rose have improved in the post-Jones era, Ireland assistant coach Catt told a press conference: “That’s not for me to say, to be honest.

“Doing the job, especially from an attacking point of view, does take time. It’s a tough one to get (right), especially when you’re at the top end of the sport.

“The individuals that are there are definitely capable of causing teams (problems).

“They were third at the World Cup and they’re still all there, barring Owen Farrell, but everyone else is there and they’re well capable.

“It is tough at that level but they’ll keep ticking along, I’ve no doubt.

“This England side are a dangerous side, we know they’re capable of doing things.

“It’s making sure we take the next step and the next step is England at Twickenham. It’s all we’re going to focus on at the moment.”

Ireland have taken maximum points from their first three fixtures but were below their ruthless best in Dublin wins over Italy and Wales after beginning with a statement success away to France.

Catt is confident the team will be firing on all cylinders in round four after they “went through the motions” to dispatch Warren Gatland’s men 31-7.

“We’ve had a review of the Wales game and it wasn’t perfect by any means,” said Catt.

“We’ve really realised what we need to do now over the next 10 days to prepare properly for England.

“We went away from what we are really, really good at against Wales.

“It’s something that we’ve addressed and need to make sure we get right.

“We just went through the motions a little bit rather than implementing the way we wanted to play, and it was a bit disappointing in certain aspects of the game.

“But we addressed it and it’s something we have to get right for England, so we will.”

Centre Garry Ringrose took part in Thursday’s open training session at the Aviva Stadium after missing the opening three rounds of the championship with a shoulder issue.

Full-back Hugo Keenan trained separately from the team as he overcomes the knee problem which kept him out of the Wales win, while back-rower Ryan Baird (back spasm) and prop Oli Jager (knee) were not involved.

“Garry and Hugo are the main two that are coming through nicely, so we’ll see how the weekend progresses,” said Catt.

Charlie Johnston is preparing Qipco Champions Day winner The Gatekeeper and his stablemate Dutch Decoy for the Pertemps Network Lincoln at Doncaster.

The Gatekeeper carried the Middleham Park Racing colours to four victories last season, also scoring at Newcastle, Newmarket and Goodwood, as well as finishing a close second in the lucrative Golden Mile at the latter venue in high summer.

He rounded off his campaign with a surprise success in the Balmoral Handicap at Ascot in October and will soon bid to add the season’s first major handicap to his CV, with Dutch Decoy another likely for his yard in the March 23 highlight.

“The Gatekeeper and Dutch Decoy both did their first proper piece of work together on Thursday and they’re our two with the Lincoln as their target,” said Middleham-based Johnston.

“The Gatekeeper will definitely run, Dutch Decoy was a little bit later coming back in and he’ll need everything to go smoothly for the next three weeks to make it, but at the moment the plan is to get them both there.

“The Gatekeeper had an unbelievable year really when you consider he’d been off for 625 days before he came back. He actually won at Newcastle on this weekend last year as his comeback and rounded off the year with a career-best on Champions Day.

“He’s gone up to 100 now, so life is going to be more difficult for him this year, but he was a real top-class handicapper last year and I’ve go no concerns about him going to Doncaster first time out.

“We learnt as last year went on he actually quite likes a bit of dig in the ground, which it would seem fairly certain we’ll get for the Lincoln at this stage, so I’m looking forward to running him.”

Andrew Gilding’s UK Open trophy still takes pride of place in his living room and serves as motivation as he prepares to defend his title this weekend.

Gilding stunned Michael Van Gerwen in last year’s final at Minehead Butlin’s to claim a first major title and pocket a life-changing £110,000 prize.

It remains the highlight of his career and he is not going to forget it, with the silverware still decorating his house.

“It was literally a dream come true, all through the week I was just playing my game, not feeling particularly confident about it,” he said.

“To make it all the way to the end was great and get that title, it was a dream come true. It is still quite unreal, they will never take that away from me. The trophy is still in the living room and I still look at it every now and again.”

Gilding was unable to kick on in the wake of his Minehead success last year and admits every tournament is a lottery as to how he will play.

“I don’t know if I will ever feel part of the elite,” he added.

“I never know how I am going to play. I do my preparation, turn up and hope for the best. It will be a new experience for me. Minehead seems to be the place I am most likely to do my best.”

One man who is very much part of the elite is Luke Humphries, who is aiming to win a fourth successive major ranking title.

‘Coolhand’ soared to the top of the rankings at the end of last year after winning the World Grand Prix, the Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship before capping it all off by becoming world champion at Alexandra Palace.

Now he wants to get his hands on more silverware.

“It’s another milestone, if you are going on ranking majors I have won the last three,” he said.

“That is a trend I want to keep going, the last time I was at Minehead I won it so it would be nice to do the double. If I keep playing the way I’m playing I’m hopeful. I would love to add it to my honours list.

“It’s one of the hardest to win, you can go through the whole draw playing the best players in the world and others can play the lower ranked players. It’s a very unique tournament, that’s what makes it special. I feel like the draw can be very unkind.”

Teenager Luke Littler, who has made a promising start to life on the PDC Tour, will begin his campaign on Friday night in what is his first major tournament since his breakout run to the World Championship final.

Nicky Henderson admitted the results of a blood test on Constitution Hill were “probably not what we were hoping for” as the horse faces a race against time to be fit for the Unibet Champion Hurdle.

The reigning two-mile champion had been very skinny odds for a Festival defence until he posted a lacklustre workout at Kempton on Tuesday morning, when the seven-year-old was virtually pulled up by Nico de Boinville.

It transpired after he was scoped that he had mucus in his lungs but Henderson had been able to issue an upbeat bulletin on both Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning.

However, the Seven Barrows handler was then less encouraged when later getting the results of a blood test on Constitution Hill, and the unbeaten runner will repeat the process on Monday in the hope of an improvement.

In an update posted on X (formerly Twitter), Henderson 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.

“We intend to scope him again tomorrow morning, but it appears that the blood test is a more conclusive barometer and the one we need to concentrate on.

“This is probably not what we were hoping for, but at least it tells us exactly where we are.”

Luka Doncic quipped he feels like he is 40 years old after he celebrated his 25th birthday in style.

Doncic became the first player in NBA history to finish with a triple-double on their birthday as he led the Dallas Mavericks to a 136-125 win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.

He finished with 30 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds for his 11th triple-double of the season.

Doncic has now had 39 30-point triple-doubles, which sees him surpass LeBron James in the all-time list for that feat.

When asked if he considered his 25th birthday as a milestone, Doncic joked: "I feel like [I'm] 40, so no."

Doncic was 11 for 23 from the field and missed 7 of 8 from 3-point range in his 67th career triple-double.

"Just a normal game, triple-double," Jason Kidd said.

"He was really good. I guess 25 means he's still going to be really good as he gets older here."

Kyrie Irving scored 15 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter and P.J. Washington Jr. added 23 points for Dallas, as they bounced back from back-to-back defeats.

"Kyrie and Luka, they had such a poise in important moments to make the right plays," said Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic after his team saw a three-game winning streak snapped.

Doncic added: "We just played aggressive on defense, got out on transition, that's it. 

"My team knows when I'm engaged. Everybody helps everyone to be engaged.

"I'm having so much fun. Back-to-back is always tough, a great win today, I've got to get some rest now."

Connections of Eydon are retaining plenty of faith despite the five-year-old not reading the script on his return from a long layoff in the Winter Derby.

A one-time Derby hope when trained by Roger Varian, the son of Olden Times had been off the track for 665 days when making his stable debut for Andrew Balding in the Southwell Group Three last Saturday.

Sent off the 15-2 fourth favourite of six, he was always towards the rear of the field in the hands of Kevin Stott and trailed home seven and a half lengths adrift of the winner Military Order.

The post-race vets report stated that Eydon finished lame on his left hind, but he has since trotted up fine back home at Kingsclere, with his team now eyeing the turf season and Sandown’s Brigadier Gerard Stakes on May 23 mooted as a possible early objective.

“He was trotted up the next day and they said he was fine but scratchy behind, and then the day after he was at exercise,” explained Ted Voute, racing advisor to Eydon’s owner Prince Faisal.

“It said left hind in the vet report, so maybe he tied up, but I’ve talked to Andrew twice since and he said he’s been ridden and, as far as he is concerned, everything is fine. He may have tweaked something in the race after having so much time off.

“We’re not going to Dubai, but Andrew has talked about the Brigadier Gerard. I think the next week or two will tell us more, but so far there are more positives than the vet report.”

Daniel Ricciardo was the surprise name at the top of the time sheet in Formula One’s first practice session of the new season in Bahrain.

The Australian – driving for the newly rebranded RB team – saw off Lando Norris by just 0.032 seconds, with Oscar Piastri third in the other McLaren.

Max Verstappen, who complained about the handling of his Red Bull throughout the one-hour practice session, finished sixth, with George Russell seventh and Lewis Hamilton ninth for Mercedes.

Verstappen heads into the curtain raiser here in the Gulf kingdom as the favourite to claim a fourth consecutive world championship.

But the Dutch driver appeared unsettled in the opening running at a gusty Sakhir circuit.

“Everything is s***,” he yelled over the radio. “Like miles off.”

Ricciardo was dropped by McLaren at the end of 2022, but was handed a lifeline by Red Bull’s junior team midway through last season.

And although times in testing have to be treated with caution as the teams trial varying fuel loads – indeed Ricciardo set his speediest lap on the softest tyre compound – RB could prove a surprise package. Ricciardo’s team-mate Yuki Tsunoda finished fourth, three tenths back.

Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso took fifth spot and was the first of the drivers not to use the soft compound. Verstappen, Russell, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc – who finished eighth – and Hamilton also did not post a lap on the speediest rubber.

Hamilton finished four tenths off Ricciardo, but the Mercedes camp are quietly optimistic that they could have the speed to perform at the sharp end.

At the other end of the grid, Alpine and Haas propped up the order with Nico Hulkenberg last of the 20 runners, five seconds off the pace.

The second practice session of the day takes place at 6pm local time (3pm GMT) and is more representative of the conditions the drivers will face in Friday’s qualifying and Saturday’s race.

Constitution Hill was reported by Nicky Henderson to be looking “alert and bright” on Thursday morning – but until the champion hurdler is scoped again on Friday his participation at Cheltenham is no clearer.

The racing world was rocked on Tuesday, when the unbeaten seven-year-old went to Kempton for a routine pre-Cheltenham gallop but was effectively pulled up by Nico de Boinville.

It transpired after he was scoped that he had mucus in his lungs, and Henderson faces a race against time to get his stable star back to full health for a week on Tuesday.

“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. He is the most relaxed person you’ll ever come across and I actually think he looks quite bright.

“His coat looks bright and he’s the same as he is every day, he’s no different than he is on a normal morning because he’s just very laid back about life. But at least he’s got the brains to tell us when he’s wrong he is wrong and it is the first time he’s had to do that.

“He looks alert and bright, but he obviously wasn’t feeling well as the work was so sub-par it wasn’t true.

“The plan is to scope him again on Friday. His blood was taken this morning and it will be interesting to see what that says.

“It will be very interesting what comes out tomorrow to see what the mucus level is.

“Horses often get these problems, they are like kids in school. He hasn’t coughed at all. It’s exactly like a school, you can’t have 100 per cent of them right all of the time, it’s not possible. Normally we’d have time to get over it, it’s the timing that is wrong.

“If he was a normal horse you’d leave off him for a week and aim at something else but while there is something else to aim at, there’s only one Champion Hurdle.

“You’d have to be 100 per cent for a race like that. I’ve heard people say he’s got so much in hand it won’t matter but he hasn’t got anything in hand, we all know it’s going to be tough, Champion Hurdles are tough naturally.

“They have to put an enormous amount in and I think the thing with horses as good as him is they can put 110 per cent in, maybe a lot of horses can’t. You can’t go in half-cooked.

“Work-wise he’s done all his galloping, we’d do another piece of work next week to see where he is if everything is testing good. That would have to be him at his best.”

Andy Murray revealed on Wednesday that he is unlikely to play beyond this summer as retirement looms ever nearer.

The three-time grand slam champion will be 37 in May and has won only two matches so far this season.

Here, the PA news agency looks at when Murray might call it a day.

It appears likely he does, although it would be a surprise if he announced it much in advance. Murray said last year he had an idea of when he would like to stop, and his poor form over the last few months has brought the issue into sharper focus.

Bowing out at the All England Club would seem the ideal scenario. The venue for his career-defining achievements, and in front of an adoring home crowd, would offer a fitting scene to bring this chapter to a close. But it may be a bit too soon.

Murray has already indicated he would like to play in another Olympics. His two singles gold medals mark him out from his peers and his run to the title in 2012 is arguably his best ever tournament. But this summer’s event will take place at Roland Garros, and it seems doubtful he would want his last event to be on clay. The US Open, the scene of his first grand slam title in 2012, is another possibility, while the Davis Cup finals group stage on home soil in September could also be an option.

That certainly appears to be the direction of travel but Murray has always found decision-making difficult and there is no bigger decision that this one. Should his form pick up markedly, it could well be that he decides to extend his career.

Christian Horner said Red Bull has “never been stronger” after he was given the green light to remain as team principal.

Horner was in the Bahrain paddock on Thursday morning after he was cleared of “inappropriate behaviour” towards a female colleague.

Speaking on Sky Sports ahead of the opening round of the Formula One season, Horner, 50, said: “I am pleased that the process is over, and I cannot comment about it.

“I am here to focus on the grand prix and the season ahead and trying to defend both of our titles.”

Horner added: “I can’t give you any further comment, but the process has been conducted and concluded.

“I am pleased to be here in Bahrain, and with the team, focused on the season ahead. Within the team it (the unity) has never been stronger.”

Red Bull Racing’s parent company Red Bull GmbH announced on February 5 that Horner was under investigation following an accusation made against him by a female colleague.

Horner emphatically denied the claim and, on Wednesday, he was cleared of wrongdoing.

Red Bull GmbH said it was confident the investigation had been “fair, rigorous and impartial”, but added that the report – understood to stretch to 150 pages – is “confidential”.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had called for the investigation to be conducted with transparency but no details of the allegations against Horner were reported. The complainant also has a right to appeal against the verdict.

Addressing the controversy on Thursday, Williams team principal James Vowles said he has to believe Red Bull’s process has been thorough.

Vowles said: “I have a responsibility for Williams, and if anything like that happens here, I would want to make sure we properly investigate it and do a robust process that is clear to the outside world what has happened and what we can do to rectify that.

“I trust that Red Bull have done a strong process and we have to in that circumstance.

“But what I want is us as a sport to be proud that we are sitting on a set of foundations that is one of inclusivity, one of openness and transparency and all I ask in that matter is that we make sure we have faith and trust that all of the organisations are working for the same standards.”

A statement from Red Bull GmbH on Wednesday read: “The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed.

“The complainant has a right of appeal. Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial.

“The investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned. Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards.”

Horner, who has protested his innocence throughout, was questioned by a lawyer for eight hours earlier this month at a secret London location.

Horner has been Red Bull team principal since they entered F1 19 years ago and is the longest-serving boss on the grid.

He has overseen seven drivers’ world championships and six constructors’ titles.

Red Bull have dominated the sport in recent seasons and last year won 21 of the 22 races with Dutch driver Max Verstappen setting a new record for 10 consecutive victories as he wrapped up his third title.

Horner, who is married to former Spice Girls singer Geri Halliwell, was awarded a CBE for his services to motorsport in the New Year Honours.

Paul Gilligan would not swap Buddy One for any other runner in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle field as his course winner prepares to take his shot at Cheltenham Festival glory.

The Irish raider finished third behind Iroko in the Martin Pipe last year before again hitting the crossbar at Aintree a month later.

The seven-year-old continued to perform well over the subsequent months and returned to the Cotswolds in November where a competitive handicap victory signalled a move into deeper waters in search of bigger honours.

Although faltering in his two starts to date in Grade One company, Gilligan believes Buddy One’s form at Prestbury Park makes him a player in the feature of Thursday’s Festival action and is relishing the chance to lock horns with some of the best in the staying hurdling division.

“It’s coming thick and fast and he’s in great shape. He’s been working really well lately and we’re looking forward to seeing him run,” said Gilligan.

“He did a great piece of work on Tuesday and I couldn’t be happier with him.

“He’s run twice around Cheltenham and won once and finished third in a race he could have won. It’s horses for courses as they say and he seems to like Cheltenham.

“I do think around Cheltenham and the fact that he handles the track will be a big plus. Whether he will beat them or not, I don’t know, but he’s going to be a hell of a lot closer to Gordon’s (Elliott) horses (than previously).

“I wouldn’t swap him for any other horse there. He’s a super horse to deal with and he travels well. When he gets to a new place, he just relaxes and eats. We’re really looking forward to it.”

Buddy One is as big as 66-1 for the Stayers’ Hurdle with some bookmakers but he is much shorter at 25-1 with Paddy Power, who report the gelding to be one of their five most popular picks since going non-runner money back on Festival races.

He was last seen being pulled up at Leopardstown in the Christmas Hurdle, but Gilligan is confident he is over the issues that troubled him that day and is firmly on track for his big-race assignment.

“I think he has the potential to be involved,” continued the trainer.

“I know it’s a big step up from the handicaps, but at the same time, I thought at Leopardstown he was running a really nice race until something went wrong on the home bend before the last.

“Jack (Gilligan, son and jockey) did the right thing and pulled him up and we got him checked out after. The result was he was very sore and there were a lot of excuses and reasons for it (the poor run).

“He seems perfectly fine now, he worked and schooled the other day and he was just electric.”

It was in 2010 when Gilligan registered the biggest success of his training career as Berties Dream caused a 33-1 shock in the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle.

However, he believes that moment will be eclipsed if either Buddy One or stablemates Kings Hill (Supreme Novices’ Hurdle) and Sequestered (Coral Cup/Martin Pipe) are able to make their mark at the Festival in the hands of his son.

“We’re going out there with three horses and our own lad will be riding them,” continued the Athenry-based handler.

“It’s way different to Berties Dream and when your own lad rides, of course it is a lot more special. We can’t wait for it.”