Max Verstappen believes Lewis Hamilton’s swansong season with Mercedes will be “awkward” following his rival’s 2025 transfer to Ferrari.
Hamilton stunned the sporting world by ditching Mercedes – the constructor which has carried him to six of his record-equalling seven world championships – in favour of a move to Ferrari next year.
On Wednesday, the 39-year-old Briton made his first public appearance since news of his shock transfer broke. Hamilton said he is determined to fire Mercedes back to former glories before he trades silver for red.
But speaking at Red Bull’s car launch on Thursday, reigning world champion Verstappen believes Mercedes will be forced to omit Hamilton from some meetings during the forthcoming 24-round campaign.
“For the rest of the year, I would say it’s a little bit awkward,” said Verstappen.
“It’s not like they are suddenly enemies. He has achieved so many great things with them. They are still behind him, and for sure he has a great relationship with everyone, especially (Mercedes team principal) Toto (Wolff).
“But he knows at one point, and Toto for sure will tell him: ‘Look, I know we’ve had all this success, but you can’t be part of certain meetings any more’.
“That is normal in F1. It’s probably a bit weird. But you are professional enough to deal with that. And once he’s sitting in the car, they will of course go flat out for him.”
Verstappen, who last year claimed 19 victories from 22 rounds as he secured his third successive title, also believes Hamilton and Ferrari were forced to reveal the tie-up sooner than they would have wished.
The Red Bull star added: “It must have been leaked to announce something that big that early in the season.
“Him going to Ferrari is not really shocking. It’s not a surprise they were talking. I just think the announcement was a bit rushed.”
Verstappen, who gets his first taste of this season’s Red Bull when testing begins in Bahrain next Wednesday, opens his bid to become a four-time world champion at the first race, also in the Gulf kingdom, on March 2.
Ireland forwards coach Paul O’Connell believes being without star full-back Hugo Keenan against Wales could be a blessing in disguise.
Keenan suffered a knee issue during Sunday’s 36-0 Guinness Six Nations win over Italy and did not take part in physical training on Thursday.
The influential 27-year-old, who is yet to be ruled out of the round-three clash with Warren Gatland’s men on February 24 in Dublin, has been virtually ever-present in the number 15 jersey during the past three years.
Aside from Keenan, only the injured Jimmy O’Brien and out of favour Michael Lowry have started at full-back for Ireland since the end of 2020.
“He didn’t train today but he hasn’t been ruled out for the Welsh game yet,” O’Connell said of Keenan.
“He’s progressing with his rehabilitation. He was there at training today and he took part in all the organisational bits.
“He plays a big role. He’s obviously injury-free for a very long time, he’s an excellent player.
“It’s probably good for us in some ways because it makes us play someone else there if he doesn’t make it.
“But I’m not sure yet where he’s at. He was around training today so we’d be hopeful.”
Fly-half Jack Crowley filled in for Keenan in the closing stages against the Azzurri, while Ciaran Frawley is another potential replacement.
Current squad members Jordan Larmour and Jacob Stockdale were given opportunities at 15 early in Andy Farrell’s reign but have barely featured in selections since.
“At full-back, you’re covering the back field defensively and he (Keenan) has a lot of work to do in attack as well,” said O’Connell.
“There’s a lot of IP (intellectual property) that we might miss out on if he wasn’t playing.
“He also plays a big leadership role for us. He’s a very smart guy, he’s a problem-solver within the group, he’s highly regarded within the group.
“Whether he’s there or not, he’ll continue to play that role.”
Reigning champions Ireland top the table following back-to-back bonus-point wins over France and Italy.
Keenan was the only member of Farrell’s squad to sit out Thursday’s session.
Captain Peter O’Mahony, prop Tadhg Furlong and centres Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose each featured following their respective injury issues.
Former Ireland skipper O’Connell believes Ringrose, who is yet to feature in this year’s tournament due to a shoulder problem, is on track to return against Wales.
“It looks like it, he trained today, we didn’t do a massive session,” he said. “He’s in good shape.”
Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey Jamie Moore has announced his retirement from the saddle on medical advice following a fall last year.
Moore, 39, is the son of trainer Gary and the brother of Josh, Ryan and Hayley – all of whom are well-known faces in the racing industry.
After starting out in 2001, Moore was the champion conditional rider at the end of the 2003-04 season when based in Somerset with Martin Pipe, for whom he rode his first significant winners in graded events.
Naturally much of his riding was on behalf of his father and it was the popular chestnut Sire De Grugy who became the horse of a lifetime for both when winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham in 2014 – one of 17 victories, with Moore in the saddle each time.
Moore rode 968 winners across his career and took the 2014 Scottish Grand National on Al Co for trainer Peter Bowen in the same season that Sire De Grugy was on the Grade One-winning streak that saw him named British Jumps Horse of the Year.
A heavy fall at Lingfield in late November last year left the rider with a fractured vertebra as well as broken ribs and a broken nose, with doctors advising him not return to the saddle as a result of the injuries he sustained.
In a statement issued via the Professional Jockeys Association, he said: “It is with huge regret that, following my last fall in November 2023, I will not be returning to race riding.
“After being checked by top neurologists and spinal specialists, and taking advice from Dr Jerry Hill and the doctors who’ve seen me the most in my career – Dr Rizwan Ghani and Dr Lucy Free – I have been medically advised not to race ride again.
“I would like to thank everyone who has stuck by me and supported me throughout my 22-year career. Obviously I have been very lucky to have such a good trainer in my father Gary, who’s always supported me, along with his brilliant, faithful owners. My mother Jayne and my wife Lucie have also always been there for me.
“Back to the start and my first boss, Mr Pipe, who helped me become champion conditional. To every other trainer and every owner I’ve ridden for; my agent Dave Roberts; my sponsors; all the brilliant stable staff and the PJA and the Injured Jockeys Fund, who have always been so supportive.
“Finally, to the best place you could wish to work – the weighing room. To all the physios, tea boys and ladies, nurses and weighing room staff who have made each day of going to work much more enjoyable.
“And to all the brilliant jockeys and valets past and present who I’ve made lifelong friends with. I will hugely miss the weighing room. There have been some ups and plenty of downs but everyone is always there for you. You’ve all been top class.
“It’s impossible to put into words how thankful I am to each and every one of you.”
Dale Gibson, executive director of the PJA, added: “Jamie unfortunately suffered more than his fair share of long-term injuries and missed the equivalent of four years race riding during his career as a result, but his remarkable fortitude and appetite for race riding shone like a beacon throughout his career.
“Jamie was and will remain universally popular within the weighing room and wider racing industry. His down to earth, no-nonsense approach alongside his genuine love of the horse (should) be wholeheartedly applauded.
“He also served his colleagues and the PJA exceptionally well as southern-based National Hunt safety officer since December 2019, as well as being a dependable source for general advice to the PJA and younger jockeys both on and off the racecourse.
“Jamie has been a pleasure to represent and will be sorely missed in the weighing room. We wish him, his wife Lucie and their family all the very best and we look forward to seeing him on a racecourse soon in his second career.”
Moore’s father expects his son to become an even more integral part of the family stable and said to Racing TV: “I’m very proud of him, you’re proud of your children anyway, aren’t you? But he’s done really, really.
“He was champion conditional one year, thanks to Martin Pipe. He always wanted to do it from the age of 14 and he’s done remarkably well.
“It’s a shame he didn’t quite make the thousand (winners), but at least he’s come out in one piece.”
Of Sire De Grugy the trainer added: “He was just an unbelievable horse who was Jamie’s best mate really, it wasn’t just the Champion Chase, it was the Celebration here (at Sandown) and the Clarence House. What he did that season was unbelievable.
“I can’t go on forever and him and Josh work very well together. He was in Newmarket last week doing his (training) modules so something will happen in the new future hopefully.”
Fergal O’Brien’s Springtime Promise continued on an upward trajectory with an impressive victory in the Jane Seymour Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Sandown.
An experienced point-to-pointer with two victories in that discipline for Gary McGill on her CV, the bay changed hands to join O’Brien ahead of the current season.
She made her debut for new connections with a two-length win at Huntingdon in January before going on to land another novice event at Sedgefield later the same month.
At Sandown she stepped steeply up to Grade Two company for the Weatherbys Cheltenham Festival Betting Guide-sponsored Jane Seymour, starting at 11-1 under regular jockey Connor Brace.
In a field of seven she ran a pleasing race and jumped neatly throughout to pull away on the approach to the line and secure a three-length victory, extending her winning streak to five consecutive races both under rules and otherwise.
“It was a very good run, her form really stacked up from Huntingdon,” O’Brien said.
“It was hard work for her at Sedgefield, but Connor always thought she’d be better in a better run race.
“She jumped and travelled really well. She didn’t pull, she was a bit too keen in her other races, but today was perfect for her and she saw it out very well – we’re over the moon with her.
“She’s very straightforward, very honest, she’s a good ride at home and she’s very easy to do so she’s got loads of potential.”
Springtime Promise is entered for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and was cut from 50-1 to 33-1 with Betfair for that race, which has been won for the past two years by winners of the Jane Seymour.
O’Brien added: “I’m delighted for the Keeping The Dream Alive syndicate, we’ll have a look and see what the ground comes up like at Cheltenham and see where we can go next.”
Elsewhere on the card Dan Skelton’s Etalon caught the eye in the Team Forces “Ubique” Handicap Chase, a race he won under Harry Skelton by nine lengths as the 4-6 favourite.
The success is the latest instalment in the gelding’s chasing career, which started with a win on debut at Newbury and continued when he was triumphant in a Warwick novice in January.
Skelton said: “We didn’t really have a hold-up in the autumn, but he was a bit slow to come to hand. He’s got his act together now and was always going to be a chaser and saw it out well today.
“I do think for now he is a two-miler and on balance he’s going to miss Cheltenham and go to Aintree, we will run him in the Grade One novice chase there (Maghull Novices’ Chase).
“We would like to aim high and see if we can create something and with the greatest of respect, if he can’t win a Grade One he will get another chance to run in the Grand Annual in the future.”
The Castel Royal Artillery Gold Cup went the way of Major Will Kellard, who rode Jamie Snowden’s Farceur Du Large to a six-and-a-half-length victory as the 13-8 favourite.
The winning horse was one of a trio in contention over the last fence, where Fil D’Ariane fell and hampered Broken Halo, leaving the grey to gallop home and add this prize to his Grand Military Gold Cup title.
Search For Glory collected his third win of the season when taking the Surehaul Mercedes-Benz Novice Hurdle at Clonmel.
The Gordon Elliott-trained gelding was already a Grade Three winner coming into the race having taken the Singletons Supervalu Stayers Novice Hurdle at Cork in December.
He was not the favourite for this Grade Three, however, and started at 5-4 under Jack Kennedy as Eddie and Patrick Harty’s Harvard Guy was at the head of the market at 8-11 in a field of three.
The early stages of the race were run at a canter and the contest eventually developed into a sprint, with Search For Glory easily able to pull away and triumph by four and a quarter lengths after showing some reluctance when making the running.
“He actually did it well in the end and just didn’t like being in front,” Kennedy said.
“Once he got to the top of the hill he didn’t mind coming back around this way, but going away from the bend had been tricky.
“I wouldn’t even say he is better going left-handed, he just didn’t enjoy making the running.
“It worked out OK as he was always going to pick up and he actually showed more gears today than he ever did.”
Paul Nicholls is relishing the prospect of taking on Cheltenham Gold Cup fancy L’Homme Presse with course regular Pic D’Orhy in the Betfair Ascot Chase.
The nine-year-old Grade One winner won the Noel Novices’ Chase at the Berkshire track in 2021 and was also the beneficiary of Shishkin refusing to start when claiming the 1965 Chase earlier in the season.
Second to a resurgent Shishkin in this Grade One event 12 months ago, Pic D’Orhy will now attempt to deal a blow to the Cheltenham Festival ambitions of not only L’Homme Presse, but also Ahoy Senor, who along with Dan Skelton’s Sail Away makes up the select quartet heading to post.
The champion trainer is full of respect for Venetia Williams’ Gold Cup hopeful and the way he has returned him from a long setback. But Nicholls believes there is still enough in Pic D’Orhy’s favour to be confident of a bold bid.
“It’s a good race with L’Homme Presse in the race and it will be interesting,” said Nicholls.
“He is a good horse and ran very well the other day at Lingfield off the back of a setback and they will be hoping he will carry on forward again. He’s a smart horse.
“However, he did only beat Protektorat and Protektorat couldn’t beat Hitman the other day in the Denman Chase so you could look at the form and think maybe he was flattered a bit at Lingfield.”
He went on: “It was an impressive performance from Venetia to get him back fit and well first time out and he did look very good, so we just have to hope we can find the chink in his armour.
“L’Homme Presse is obviously a smart horse and they are on the way to the Gold Cup. We’re doing a different route, but hopefully Pic D’Orhy will run a good race and hopefully he will run very well.”
Helping fuel Nicholls’ positivity is Pic D’Orhy’s performances this term, in particular his narrow second in the Silviniaco Conti Chase at Kempton, where he bumped into on-song Irish raider Banbridge.
The Ditcheat handler regards that Kempton display as one of his charge’s best-ever performances and he will now head to Ascot bidding to give Nicholls a record fifth win in a race he has won with the likes of Kauto Star and Cyrname in the past.
“It’s a good race and good horses win it and Pic D’Orhy is right up with those,” said Nicholls when comparing Pic D’Orhy to his previous champions.
“It would be nice to win it again, of course it would, and it would set him on his way to Aintree.
“He ran at Kempton sort of 35/36 days ago which is the same as last year and since then everything has gone good and he worked this morning and I was very happy with him.
“He’s produced two good runs (this season), he won at Ascot first time when he probably wasn’t at his best then and I would say it was nearly a career best last time giving nearly 3lb to Banbridge – that was a good run. He’s in good form and always runs to a really consistent level.”
Pic D’Orhy runs in the colours of one of Nicholls’ biggest backers, owner Johnny de la Hay, who as well as enjoying a plethora of proven stars, saw one of his brightest new recruits Teeshan excel on rules debut at Exeter recently.
The wide-margin point winner soared seven-lengths clear of the opposition, with that taking performance enough to see him cut to single-figure odds for the Champion Bumper with most firms, currently as low as 5-1 with Boylesports.
However, Nicholls is yet to commit to the Cheltenham Festival, and although Teeshan is poised to be given an entry for Prestbury Park, his trainer would have no issue with waiting an extra month for Aintree.
He said: “He won nicely, what sort of race it was I don’t know, but he cantered round and won nicely.
“I’ve won two other bumpers there this year season with Quebecois and Joyau Allen and I would argue they were just as impressive as he was.
“He had quite a reputation because he won his Irish point-to-point very well, but he couldn’t have made a better start than what he did the other day and I was very happy with him.”
Nicholls went on: “He will have an entry (for Cheltenham) and we ran Captain Teague in it last year. We will just see how he is.
“He took time to acclimatise and come right from when he came over from Ireland in the autumn and I just want to make sure he’s all right. If he doesn’t go to Cheltenham he will undoubtedly go to Aintree.”
Paul Nicholls praised the generosity of the racing community after the fundraising page set up in memory of Keagan Kirkby reached a figure in excess of £54,000.
Kirkby, 25, a point-to-point rider and popular member of Nicholls’ Ditcheat team, tragically died in an accident while riding at Charing point-to-point in Kent on February 4.
A JustGiving page was set up to help raise funds for Kirkby’s funeral and a memorial in his name, with an initial target of £5,000.
Thanks to the overwhelming support of those inside the racing industry and the wider racing public, the target has been widely exceeded, with whatever funds remain after the funeral set to be donated to charity.
“There is over £54,000 raised now for Keagan, which shows what high esteem he was held in,” said Nicholls.
“It shows how racing can pull together and everybody has supported it from all walks of life and it is just fantastic. It is fantastic what racing has done and it helps us get through what has been a difficult time.
“We can now give him a great send-off and I think his mum’s intention is that any money left over will go to any charities he felt close to.”
One significant donation came from Ditcheat owner Michael Geoghegan, who contributed the prize-money from his horse Fire Flyer’s recent Taunton success to the fund.
Fire Flyer was a horse ridden by Kirkby on a daily basis on the gallops, and the champion trainer pointed to that as a special moment as his team attempt to navigate a difficult time.
“It’s obviously a tragic time, but all the winners help in this situation, I think especially when Fire Flyer won at Taunton,” continued Nicholls.
“Keagan rode that horse every single day and for him to win down there was very poignant. It was a tribute to Keegan, and the whole team were on a high because that horse won for him really. Winners count and it makes life just a little bit easier.”
Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey Jamie Moore has announced his retirement from the saddle on medical advice following a fall last year.
Moore is the son of trainer Gary and the brother of Josh, Ryan and Hayley – all of whom are well-known faces in the racing industry.
After starting out in 2001, Moore was the champion conditional rider at the end of the 2003-04 season when based in Somerset with Martin Pipe, for whom he rode his first significant winners in graded events.
Naturally much of his riding was on behalf of his father and it was the popular chestnut Sire De Grugy who became the horse of a lifetime for both when winning the Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham in 2014 – one of 17 victories, with Moore in the saddle each time.
Moore rode 968 winners across his career and took the 2014 Scottish Grand National on Al Co for trainer Peter Bowen in the same season that Sire De Grugy was on the Grade One-winning streak that saw him named British Jumps Horse of the Year.
A heavy fall at Lingfield in late November last year left the rider with a fractured vertebra as well as broken ribs and a broken nose, with doctors advising him not return to the saddle as a result of the injuries he sustained.
In a statement issued via the Professional Jockeys Association, he said: “It is with huge regret that, following my last fall in November 2023, I will not be returning to race riding.
“After being checked by top neurologists and spinal specialists, and taking advice from Dr Jerry Hill and the doctors who’ve seen me the most in my career – Dr Rizwan Ghani and Dr Lucy Free – I have been medically advised not to race ride again.
“I would like to thank everyone who has stuck by me and supported me throughout my 22-year career. Obviously I have been very lucky to have such a good trainer in my father Gary, who’s always supported me, along with his brilliant, faithful owners. My mother Jayne and my wife Lucie have also always been there for me.
“Back to the start and my first boss, Mr Pipe, who helped me become champion conditional. To every other trainer and every owner I’ve ridden for; my agent Dave Roberts; my sponsors; all the brilliant stable staff and the PJA and the Injured Jockeys Fund, who have always been so supportive.
“Finally, to the best place you could wish to work – the weighing room. To all the physios, tea boys and ladies, nurses and weighing room staff who have made each day of going to work much more enjoyable.
“And to all the brilliant jockeys and valets past and present who I’ve made lifelong friends with. I will hugely miss the weighing room. There have been some ups and plenty of downs but everyone is always there for you. You’ve all been top class.
“It’s impossible to put into words how thankful I am to each and every one of you.”
Dale Gibson, executive director of the PJA, added: “Jamie unfortunately suffered more than his fair share of long-term injuries and missed the equivalent of four years race riding during his career as a result, but his remarkable fortitude and appetite for race riding shone like a beacon throughout his career.
“Jamie was and will remain universally popular within the weighing room and wider racing industry. His down to earth, no-nonsense approach alongside his genuine love of the horse (should) be wholeheartedly applauded.
“He also served his colleagues and the PJA exceptionally well as southern-based National Hunt safety officer since December 2019, as well as being (a_ dependable source for general advice to the PJA and younger jockeys both on and off the racecourse.
“Jamie has been a pleasure to represent and will be sorely missed in the weighing room. We wish him, his wife Lucie and their family all the very best and we look forward to seeing him on a racecourse soon in his second career.”
Stephen Curry labelled the Golden State Warriors as "very average" after they gave up a big lead against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Warriors looked set to claim a sixth straight win after a strong first three quarters against the Clippers on Wednesday.
However, despite at one stage holding a 15-point lead, and a 13-point advantage heading into the final quarter, the Warriors could not hold on.
It is the sixth time this season that Golden State have lost after holding a 15-point lead - only the San Antonio Spurs have a poorer record.
And Curry, who finished with 41 points, bluntly said: "We're very average.
"Very average doesn't get it done in this league. We need to make a run, hopefully, we bounce back tomorrow and after the All-Star break hit a stride where we win every game [at home] and steal a few on the road.
"We've been very average so far, so we have to regain that home-court fear that we have grown accustomed to in the past."
The Warriors blew a 22-point lead against the Clippers earlier in the season, and held an 11-point lead when their coach Tyronn Lue was ejected midway through the fourth quarter.
Yet the Clippers then went on a 36-22 streak, and Curry acknowledged the Warriors came up against an in-form side.
"They're a really good team that has some confidence, and we're still trying to prove that we're that type of team," Curry said.
While the Clippers are third in the Western Conference, the Warriors are 10th, just above the playoff line.
"Either way, how tonight would have gone, we would say the same thing about tomorrow, we're trying to keep the streak going and not have any missteps," added Curry.
"Now, it's the same mission but a different mindset of bounding back and just feeling good going into a six-day break. It's a very, very, very, very important game, to say the least."
Jamie Snowden’s You Wear It Well will head for the relocated Ashton Mares’ Hurdle at Haydock on Saturday after a campaign disrupted by adverse weather.
The seven-year-old was the winner of the Jack De Bromhead Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival last season and made a good start to this term when taking the Listed bet365 Mares’ Hurdle at Wetherby on debut.
In Grade One company she was third home in the Fighting Fifth when it was relocated to Sandown, the first of several occasions when her plans were interrupted by the ramifications of the British weather in winter.
Outings to Sandown, Lingfield and Ascot were all scuppered due to conditions, and the Warwick meeting that originally included the Ashton Mares’ Hurdle was also abandoned last weekend.
Haydock will now host that contest this weekend, with the two-mile-three-furlong Listed event attracting five runners.
Snowden said: “She’s in great order, she’s done some work on the grass and she’ll hopefully be heading to Haydock on Saturday.
“She was meant to go to Sandown, that was cancelled, she was meant to go to Lingfield, that was cancelled, she was meant to go to Ascot, that was cancelled, she was meant to go to Warwick and that was cancelled!
“Finally we’re going to be able to get the run, let’s hope Haydock survives the weather as well.”
You Wear It Well holds an entry for the Close Brothers Mares’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival and the race remains the likely target, though Snowden may also give her an entry in the Coral Cup.
He said: “As ever each race determines the next race, that’s the nature of racing, but the Mares’ Hurdle is probably the obvious race to go for, though I might give her an entry in the Coral Cup as well.”
Detroit Pistons coach Monty Williams was left unimpressed by the Phoenix Suns issuing a statement following Isaiah Stewart's arrest.
Pistons center Stewart was arrested after he punched Phoenix's Drew Eubanks before Wednesday's meeting between the Suns and Detroit.
Stewart, who was already out of the game due to an ankle injury, was issued with a citation and released, reported ESPN, citing Phoenix police.
Eubanks, meanwhile, helped the Suns win 116-100. The Phoenix center said the altercation with Stewart took place as he was coming into the arena, explaining an argument sparked before security intervened.
In a statement, the Suns said: "The attack on Drew Eubanks was unprovoked, and acts of violence such as this are unacceptable.
"We unequivocally support Drew, and will continue to work with local law enforcement and the NBA."
Williams, who was sacked by the Suns last season, questioned his former team, however.
"The thing is to get all of the information. The NBA will do an investigation," Williams said.
"For me to come here and make a statement would be a bit irresponsible. I know the Suns said it was unprovoked; I think that is irresponsible for sure. You really don't know.
"That did not need to happen. There is a time for the information to be gathered, and then you can make a statement."
A Pistons statement added: "We are in the process of gathering information about what happened and what provoked it, and responding to the NBA and local authorities."
Suns talisman Kevin Durant, who finished with 25 points, said: "Keep the game first. There's a lot of noise.
"It's unfortunate what happened before the game, it's supposed to be a brotherhood. But I also understand, dudes get into stuff. We try to avoid that in this league, hopefully we can move on from it. We all support Drew."
Ferny Hollow will not make his long-awaited return to action in the Red Mills Chase at Gowran on Saturday due to the going.
The Willie Mullins-trained gelding was at one stage amongst the most exciting horses in training, winning the Champion Bumper at Cheltenham by two and half lengths in 2020.
He ran just the once over hurdles, winning a maiden ahead of Bob Olinger, and over a year later he returned to the track to start his chasing career in December 2021.
His debut over fences was a four-length Punchestown victory, after which he landed the Grade One Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown before injury intervened.
Now a nine-year-old, Ferny Hollow was entered to make his comeback at the weekend – some 783 days after his last start.
The ground at Gowran is heavy, however, and connections have therefore decided this weekend will not be right opportunity to reintroduce the horse to the racecourse.
Chris Richardson, managing director of owners Cheveley Park Stud, said: “He’s not running because of the ground.
“I know that Willie was hoping to run him but obviously he’s been off a while, he has had a lot of issues over the last year or two.
“We’re just creeping back towards a run so we’ll see what happens, but at this point in time it’s not quite going to happen.”
Emma Lavelle says it would be “pretty cool” if Paisley Park manages to get his head in front in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle next month.
The popular 12-year-old will be running in the race for an incredible sixth time, and it will be his seventh appearance in all at the Festival. He won the race back in 2019 and finished third behind Flooring Porter in both 2021 and 2022.
While his career looked to be coming to an end when unplaced last year, he has been beaten in three tight finishes this term, including when narrowly denied by Crambo, one of the favourites for the Stayers’, in bidding for a remarkable fourth win in Ascot’s Long Walk Hurdle.
“Touch wood he’s in great form, he had an easy week after the Cleeve and he’s back cantering away now,” said Lavelle.
“He’s had a little stride along the last couple of days and he thinks he’s King Kong, which I suppose is a good thing!
“There’s been nothing between him and Crambo or him and Noble Yeats who we had to give 6lb to (in the Cleeve Hurdle), and they are much shorter than him in the betting.
“There’s a lot of horses we’ve come up against already that are in the race and there are a few new ones, but if he brings his A-game, you’d have to hope he’d be in the shake up anyway.
“We love him to bits, but he doesn’t half put you through the ringer! He builds you up then sometimes he thinks ‘OK’, then sometimes he just thinks ‘nah, it’s not working for me today’. He’s extraordinary.”
She went on: “People say to me ‘will this be his last run at Cheltenham?’, but at the end of the day only he will decide. Look at where we were after the Stayers’ last year, it’s hard to believe he’s had three runs in two Grade Twos and a Grade One and and the combined distance he’s been beaten is less than a neck.
“Some of the horses he’s running against weren’t even born when he won his first Long Walk, like Paul Nicholls’ (Blueking D’Oroux), it’s ridiculous.
“If he was to win it would be pretty cool, but that’s his problem at the moment, he’s going racing and everyone is cheering him and telling him they love him so he thinks he’s won, we have to remind him he’s finished second!”
Tiger Woods believes the PGA Tour does not need to strike a deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) in a move which could end golf’s civil war.
PGA Tour players will benefit from equity of more than £1.1billion after the US-based circuit secured an investment deal with Strategic Sports Group (SSG).
The deal also allows for a future “co-investment” from the PIF, which bankrolls the breakaway LIV Golf league, but Woods has joined Jordan Spieth in suggesting that may no longer be necessary.
An initial “framework agreement” between the PIF, PGA Tour and DP World Tour was announced on June 6 last year and had a deadline of December 31, but that was subsequently extended.
“Ultimately we would like to have PIF be a part of our tour and a part of our product,” Woods said in a press conference ahead of the Genesis Invitational, his first tournament of 2024.
“Financially, we don’t right now, and the monies that they have come to the table with and what we initially had agreed to in the framework agreement, those are all the same numbers.
“Anything beyond this is going to be obviously over and above.”
Asked if he had a sense of what PIF’s ultimate goal was, Woods added: “From what their representatives have discussed with us, yes and no, because that changes and that evolves from a few months ago to what it is currently now.
“I don’t know if it’s good or bad, it’s an ongoing, fluid process.”
Woods was one of six PGA Tour player-directors who voted unanimously in favour of the deal with SSG, a consortium of US-based investors which includes Boston Red Sox and Liverpool owner John Henry.
“The consortium that they have at SSG, the partners that have come together to be a part of this group is quite remarkable to be honest with you in the sports industry,” the 15-time major winner said.
“They’re unbelievable leaders. At the time that we need great leadership going forward, I think this elicits that.”
Nico de Boinville knows Constitution Hill’s electrifying jumping leaves “no margin for error” – particularly in the white-hot cauldron of the Unibet Champion Hurdle.
Nicky Henderson’s star is chasing a second successive win in the race having demolished State Man by nine lengths last year.
There are those who feel State Man has enjoyed a better preparation this term, and he has won four Grade Ones since that reverse while Constitution Hill has only been seen once since April.
However, De Boinville has full faith that Henderson is the right man for getting a horse to peak on the big day.
“I couldn’t have been happier with him at Kempton. State Man has gone and done what he does on that side of the Irish Sea, but there are still four weeks to go and you are just keeping all fingers crossed,” De Boinville told talkSPORT2.
“I’ve been going there before with the likes of Altior and at the last minute things go wrong, so you are just hoping everything goes right and we have a very good prep.”
Regarding his mount’s incredible jumping technique he went on: “You really do feel like there’s no margin for error because you are going so fast, you are literally just clipping the top bar. You are going very, very quick and there will be no exception in the Champion Hurdle, it’s going to be run at a very good pace and hopefully the right horse wins.
“He’s (Henderson) definitely not one to doubt. If the weather hadn’t stopped us, he would have had two runs and no one would be saying anything as he’d have gone to the Fighting Fifth and Christmas Hurdle, so ultimately we were stopped because of the weather.
“Hopefully he’ll be busy enough in the spring, you can go to Aintree and Punchestown after Cheltenham if he comes through it well.”
Henderson and De Boinville enjoyed a good day at Newbury on Saturday when Iberico Lord won the feature Betfair Hurdle, but perhaps more importantly Shishkin booked his Gold Cup ticket with a straightforward win after an interrupted season.
De Boinville said: “It was very encouraging. I heard someone refer to him as an inconsistent horse, but I tend to disagree with that. Once he sets off he tends to put up really good runs and more often than not he’s somewhere near the winner’s enclosure.
“I had no doubts on Saturday, from the point I got on him in the paddock he was raring to go and wanted to get on with it. As soon as I lined up he was happy, the tapes went up and away he went.
“I was happy with him, he took a good blow as well so it was a really good prep race for him going towards the Gold Cup.
“One thing that Shishkin does do is finish strong, over three miles or two. He’s quirky in a sense that he can race behind the bridle, race lazily and the suddenly pick it up again, you just have to keep encouraging him forward.
“I think he’s best of the British. I’m looking forward to seeing what L’Homme Presse does at Ascot, but Galopin Des Champs definitely sets the standard, I’d like to think we’d definitely serve it up to him.”
Norman Powell hit four 3-pointers over the final 7:03 and the Los Angeles Clippers rallied from 12 down in the fourth quarter to end the Golden State Warriors’ five-game winning streak, 130-125 on Wednesday.
James Harden had 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and Paul George scored 24 points before fouling out as the Clippers won their fifth straight on the road despite missing Kawhi Leonard, who sat out with a left leg injury.
Stephen Curry scored 41 points and went 9 for 19 from 3-point range and became the first player in NBA history to make at least seven 3s in four straight games. He notched his sixth 40-point game of the season.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr was denied his 500th regular season win and Golden State suffered just its second loss in the last nine games.
The Clippers had lost six straight on the Warriors’ home floor.
Surging Celtics rip Nets
Payton Pritchard scored 28 points and Derrick White had 27 as the Boston Celtics pounded the Brooklyn Nets 136-86 for their sixth straight win and a sweep of their home-and-home series.
Jayson Tatum added 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds as the Celtics gave coach Joe Mazzulla his 100th victory.
Boston, which enters the All-Star break with a league-best 43-12 record, made 22 of 44 from 3-point range and won by at least 50 points for the fifth time in team history.
The Celtics won their 10th in the last 11 meetings against the Nets, who have lost five of six overall.
Irving keeps Mavericks red hot
Kyrie Irving had 34 points and Luka Dončić added 27 before leaving early in the fourth quarter as the streaking Dallas Mavericks rallied for a 116-93 win over the San Antonio Spurs.
Doncic, who also had nine rebounds and eight assists in 31 minutes, left three minutes into the fourth holding his neck. A team spokesman said the Dallas superstar received treatment.
The Mavs erased a 15-point deficit to win their season-high sixth straight.
Victor Wembanyama scored 20 of his 26 points in the first half and grabbed nine rebounds as the Spurs lost for the eighth time in nine games.
Anton Lundell scored twice and Matthew Tkachuk had a goal and two assists as the Florida Panthers extended their franchise-record road winning streak to nine with a 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday.
Aaron Ekblad and Johan Gadjovich also had goals for the Panthers, who improved to 16-3-2 since Dec. 23 to pull within two points of Eastern Conference-leading Boston.
Tkachuk has been a key catalyst with 13 goals and 19 assists in Florida’s last 17 games.
Sergei Bobrovsky made 25 saves to win his fifth consecutive start with a 1.58 goals-against average during that span.
Bryan Rust and John Ludvig scored for the Penguins, who lost their third straight to remain seven points behind the final playoff spot in the East.
Hellebuyck shuts out Sharks
Connor Hellebuyck needed to make just 17 saves for his third shutout of the season and Morgan Barron scored in the Winnipeg Jets’ 1-0 win over the San Jose Sharks.
Hellebuyck stopped four shots in the first period, eight in the second and five in the third for his 35th career shutout.
He became the 10th goaltender in NHL history to allow three goals or fewer in 30 consecutive games in the regular season.
Barron scored with 2:13 left in the opening period and Hellebuyck made it stand up as the Jets won their second straight following a five-game skid.
Wild defeat reeling Coyotes for 4th straight win
Matt Boldy had a goal and an assist and Marc-Andre Fleury turned aside 25 shots as the Minnesota Wild won their fourth consecutive game, 3-1 over the Arizona Coyotes.
Jonas Brodin and Joel Eriksson Ek had the other goals for the Wild, who have won seven of their last nine games.
Logan Cooley scored the lone goal as Arizona lost its seventh game in a row.
Christian Horner will face the media on Thursday as an investigation into an allegation of “inappropriate behaviour” against the Red Bull team principal continues.
The embattled boss is due to attend the world champions’ car launch at their Milton Keynes headquarters in what will be his first public appearance since the accusation by a female colleague surfaced at the beginning of last week. Horner, 50, categorically denies the claim.
For now, Horner remains in his role as team principal and was present at a behind-closed-doors Red Bull test at Silverstone on Tuesday ahead of the new season which starts in just over a fortnight.
Red Bull will unveil their new car on Thursday and Horner is expected to address the media – although the PA news agency understands legalities around the process mean that questions relating to the internal investigation will be off-limits.
Last week, Horner was quizzed by a lawyer for eight hours as part of the probe by Red Bull Racing’s parent company Red Bull GmBH.
There had been a strong desire for Horner’s future to be resolved before Thursday’s launch but sources have indicated that he could face further rounds of questioning as he bids to prove his innocence.
Horner has been Red Bull team principal since they entered F1 19 years ago and is the longest-serving boss on the grid.
During that period 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 Max Verstappen setting a new record for 10 consecutive victories.
One person has died and more than 20 others have been injured after shots were fired near the scene of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl parade.
A video on social media showed armed officers rush into Union Station on a day supporters gathered near the building at the end of the parade route to celebrate Sunday’s victory with the team’s players and staff.
The Kansas City Police Department said at least 22 people suffered gunshot wounds, including the fatally injured victim, and confirmed three people had been taken into custody.
Radio Station KKFI said on social media that one of their presenters, DJ Lisa Lopez, was killed in the shooting.
KKFI said in a statement: “Our hearts and prayers are with her family. This senseless act has taken a beautiful person from her family and this KC Community.”
Kansas City Police Department chief Stacey Graves said at a press conference: “At the conclusion of the Chiefs’ rally today, there were shots fired on the west side of Union Station.
“Immediately, officers responded to the area, took two people into custody and also immediately rendered life-sustaining aid to those victims.”
At a later briefing, she added: “We have confirmed there is one deceased person. Our gunshot total has went up to 22.
“Right now, we’re still working on the total number of victims. This is still an active investigation.
“We do have three persons detained and under investigation for today’s incident.
“Our investigators are working with all of the surviving victims to connect them with loved ones. We are also working to identify our deceased victim so we can notify their family as soon as possible.”
The Kansas City Chiefs confirmed their players, coaches and staff were all safe and accounted for.
“We are truly saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred outside of Union Station at the conclusion of today’s parade and rally,” the team said in a statement.
“Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and all of Kansas City.
“We are in close communication with the Mayor’s office as well as the Kansas City Police Department.
“At this time, we have confirmed that all of our players, coaches, staff and their families are safe and accounted for.
“We thank the local law enforcement officers and first responders who were on-scene to assist.”
Kansas City players and staff were celebrating beating the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas on Sunday to become the first back-to-back Super Bowl champions in 19 years.
Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes took to social media, saying: “Praying for Kansas City.”
Travis Kelce wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, saying: “I am heartbroken over the tragedy that took place today. My heart is with all who came out to celebrate with us and have been affected. KC, you mean the world to me.”
Linebacker Drue Tranquill posted: “Please join me in prayer for all the victims in this heinous act. Pray that doctors & first responders would have steady hands & that all would experience full healing.”
Offensive lineman Trey Smith thanked first responders, adding: “You’re the ones who should be celebrated today.”
A statement from the NFL read: “We are deeply saddened by the senseless shooting that occurred today near the end of the rally in Kansas City for the Chiefs. Our thoughts are with the victims and everyone affected.
“We are grateful for the quick and thorough response of law enforcement and emergency personnel.”
Earlier, the city had been in party mode as Super Bowl MVP Mahomes and team-mate Travis Kelce took centre stage on a platform near Union Station.
Mahomes had told a cheering crowd the Chiefs were going for a “three-peat” next season while Kelce led the supporters in some chanting.
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