Aryna Sabalenka says her “heart is broken” following the death of her former boyfriend Konstantin Koltsov.
Former ice hockey player Koltsov, who played in the NHL for the Pittsburgh Penguins, died in Miami aged 42 on Monday in what police described as an “apparent suicide”.
Sabalenka, who is scheduled to participate in this week’s Miami Open, clarified in an Instagram story on Wednesday that she and Koltsov were no longer a couple before his death.
“Konstantin’s death is an unthinkable tragedy, and while we were no longer together, my heart is broken,” Sabalenka wrote. “Please respect my privacy and his family’s privacy during this difficult time.”
Sabalenka was pictured practising in Miami ahead of her first outing against best friend Paula Badosa, who admitted facing the Belarusian will be “uncomfortable”.
Badosa said of Sabalenka: “Yesterday I spoke with her a lot of time. This morning the same. So I know what she’s going through. I know the entire situation, what is happening.
“That for me is a little bit shocking also to go through that because at the end she’s my best friend and I don’t want her to suffer. It’s a very tough situation.
Andy Murray outlasted a wilting Matteo Berrettini to advance to the second round of the Miami Open.
The former world number one wrote on the court-side TV camera that there is ‘life in the old dog yet’ after pulling off an impressive comeback victory.
He has had plenty of joy in Miami since making his debut 18 years ago, winning in 2009 and 2013, and is dreaming of one more shot at glory on his swansong appearance.
Murray was facing the possibility of a first-round exit as he lost the opening set but he fought back and when Berrettini, playing his first ATP Tour match since the US Open, suffered dizzy spells he pounced to seal a 4-6 6-3 6-4 success.
The Italian is coming back from lengthy injury problems, which showed later in the match, but he started well by breaking Murray in the opening game, sealing it with a blistering forehand down the line.
Murray, 36, missed two chances to break back at 3-2 and that proved crucial as Berrettini’s monster serve allowed him to see out the first set.
The second set saw an improvement and Murray’s chance came in a marathon sixth game as he broke on the third attempt with a sweet forehand return.
Berrettini’s health took a turn for the worse when he was about to serve at 2-5 as he suffered a dizzy spell and needed to use his racket as a crutch to stop him collapsing.
Doctors checked his blood pressure and after a long break, the Italian was able to continue, but Murray soon sent it to a decider.
When the Scot won another 12-minute game on Berrettini’s serve in the opening game, the writing was on the wall.
Murray played some clever tennis, running his weary opponent side to side as the former Wimbledon finalist continued to suffer.
He did have to fight back from 0-40 down midway through the decider and that ended Berrettini’s challenge as Murray won for just the fourth time in 2024.
Jack Draper earlier put in an assured performance to beat Taro Daniel and reach the second round.
The Briton, ranked number 42 in the world, overcame his Japanese opponent 6-3 6-2 in 69 minutes to set up a second-round meeting with 22nd seed Nicolas Jarry.
Looking to bounce back from a disappointing first-round exit in Indian Wells, Draper was by far the superior player against the world number 78 in Florida, hitting 25 winners and had a 97 per cent success rate on his first serve.
Susie Wolff has filed a criminal complaint against the FIA over a controversial inquiry into her last year.
The F1 Academy boss and her husband, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, were the subject of an investigation into claims of an alleged conflict of interest.
The probe arose in December after a report in Business F1 magazine claimed that other team principals were concerned Toto Wolff was benefiting from information shared by his wife.
Two days after the FIA announced its compliance department was “looking into” the allegations, the federation said it “can confirm that there is no ongoing investigation in terms of ethical or disciplinary inquiries involving any individual”.
At the time, Susie Wolff vehemently denied the allegations – calling them “intimidatory and misogynistic”.
And on Wednesday, Wolff wrote on social media: “I can confirm that I personally filed a criminal complaint in the French courts on the 4th of March in relation to the statements made about me by the FIA last December.
“There has still not been any transparency or accountability in relation to the conduct of the FIA and its personnel in this matter.
“I feel more than ever it is important to stand up, call out improper behaviour and make sure people are held to account. Whilst some may think silence absolves them from responsibility – it does not.”
The FIA has been approached for a comment.
Jack Draper put in an assured performance to beat Taro Daniel and reach the second round of the Miami Open.
The Briton, ranked number 42 in the world, overcame his Japanese opponent 6-3 6-2 in 69 minutes to set up a second-round meeting with 22nd seed Nicolas Jarry.
Looking to bounce back from a disappointing first-round exit in Indian Wells, Draper was by far the superior player against the world number 78 in Florida, hitting 25 winners and had a 97 per cent success rate on his first serve.
A run of nine points out of 10 midway through the first set allowed him to assume control, sealing a decisive break with a searing crosscourt backhand.
He served out the set with a flurry of aces and he was soon knocking on the door in the second, missing break points in the opening game.
Draper made his move at 1-1 with a backhand pass which Daniel left and then saw land on the line.
A second break put him on the verge of victory and he saw it out with an impressive hold, taking match point with a crunching forehand.
Night Raider enhanced his Classic credentials with a bloodless victory on the Tapeta at Southwell.
An impressive nine-length winner over the track and trip on debut in December, Karl Burke’s colt was sent off the 1-4 favourite for his second start, with connections eyeing a shot at the Qipco 2000 Guineas.
Sent immediately to the front by Daniel Tudhope, he had most of the seven-strong field covered rounding the turn for home and once shaken up with two furlongs to go scorched to a most impressive success, with Charlie Hills’ 93-rated Cogitate five-lengths adrift in second.
With 2000 Guineas odds ranging between 20-1 and 33s prior to his run in the Boost Your Acca At BetMGM Novice Stakes, the son of Dark Angel was trimmed into 14-1 by Paddy Power and Coral post-race, with Sky Bet even shorter at 10-1. The Aidan O’Brien-trained City Of Troy is the red-hot favourite.
He will now have one final tune-up for his Newmarket objective on May 4, with the Spigot Lodge handler nominating a trip to the Rowley Mile next month for either a conditions event or a racecourse gallop to bank some further experience.
“He’s a horse of huge potential, we know that and he’s not fully wound up by any stretch of the imagination,” Burke told Sky Sports Racing.
“His weight was identical to first time out and all of ours improve for their first time out. Nadir who leads him up said he has taken more of a blow tonight than he did the first time. He was a second and a half faster this time and I don’t know if that is down to ability or the track riding faster.
“I don’t think I would take 8-1 (about the Guineas), but the 40-1 I had a couple of months ago is a bit better! Lets hope he is an 8-1 shot and he’s obviously a very good horse and his future is in front of him. The Guineas isn’t the be all and end all for him and he’s a horse with a big future.”
On a further outing before the Guineas, he added: “He may have been on grass at the beginning of his two-year-old career, but he certainly wouldn’t have been on grass in the last 10 months or so.
“The idea was to go to the Guineas with a racecourse gallop at the Craven meeting – I don’t want to go a mile or go for the Craven itself and if we went for the seven-furlong race at Newbury (Greenham), that only gives us two weeks before the Guineas – or there is a seven-furlong conditions race for horses that haven’t run more than twice, and I have to speak to connections, but if we do go anywhere, I would be pointing that way.
“Danny just said there he could do with another run. He’s still green in front and was lugging away up the straight. Another run is probably the right way to go.
“Laurens was pretty good in her first two runs, but he’s a lovely horse with a great temperament and there’s a lot of scope there, so we’ve just got to look after him, do the right thing by him and hopefully he reaches his full potential.”
Burke also provided an update on fellow Clipper Logistics-owned three-year-old Fallen Angel, with the daughter of Too Darn Hot disputing favouritism in places for the Qipco 1000 Guineas.
Off the track since landing the Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh, she is poised for a racecourse gallop before the opening fillies Classic of the campaign.
“There’s another six weeks to get a horse there and that is a long time in a racehorse’s life,” added Burke.
“She’s in great heart at the moment and great form and we’re probably ahead of schedule of where we need to be.
“The plan is probably to go to the Craven meeting for a racecourse gallop and that will hopefully tee her up for the Guineas.
“I was quite keen to go for the Fillies’ Mile, Steve Parkin her owner was the opposite and put her away, and as it turned out the very heavy ground the Fillies’ Mile was run in would not have been ideal so it was the right decision to put her away.
“She had a good rest, went back to Brampton Court and come back looking fantastic. She’s filled her frame, she was always a big filly, but she has filmed her frame nicely. She’s very strong and she’s in great shape.”
Burke also said he was feeling “fit and well” after completing a course of chemotherapy.
He explained: “Chemo finished on December 16 and that wasn’t much fun, as anyone who has been through it knows.
“Since then every week has felt better. We had a good holiday, went away and I’m feeling fit and fell, all good.”
The Phoenix Suns signed Isaiah Thomas to a 10-day contract on Wednesday, bringing the two-time All-Star guard back to the NBA for the first time since 2022.
Thomas joins Phoenix after playing in four games with the Salt Lake City Stars in the NBA G League, averaging 32.5 points and 5.3 assists.
The 60th and final pick of the 2011 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings, Thomas has appeared in 550 regular-season contests with 10 teams and averaged 17.7 points to go along with 4.8 assists per game.
He earned All-Star selections in 2015-16 and 2016-17 while with the Boston Celtics and was voted second-team All-NBA in 2016-17,
Thomas previously played for the Suns in 2014-15 and averaged 15.2 points and 3.7 assists in 46 games before being traded to Boston in February 2015.
Phoenix (39-29) enters Wednesday’s visit from the Philadelphia 76ers in eighth place in the Western Conference.
Tiger Woods has been included in an 85-man field for the Masters published on the tournament’s official website.
Woods has not competed since withdrawing from February’s Genesis Invitational due to illness after six holes of his second round.
It was the 48-year-old’s first PGA Tour event of the season and just his second tournament since undergoing ankle surgery in April last year after withdrawing from the Masters during the third round.
Woods did not compete again until the Hero World Challenge in December, where he finished 18th in the 20-man field but said he was pleased with his progress and that his goal of playing one tournament a month in 2024 was “reasonable”.
The 15-time major winner has not officially confirmed his participation in the Masters but will be desperate to return to Augusta National, where he won his first major title in 1997 and his most recent in 2019.
Woods was one of the six PGA Tour player-directors who met officials from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in the Bahamas on Monday as efforts continue to make a deal to end golf’s civil war.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan met PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan in January and the players followed suit the day after the Players Championship concluded at Sawgrass.
Ronnie O’Sullivan stepped up his game to sink Lyu Haotian and book his place in the last 16 of the World Open in Yushan.
The world number one had looked rusty in his previous round win over Michael White but got back in the groove to shrug off the determined world number 28.
Lyu twice hit back to level in the first four frames but O’Sullivan would not be denied and breaks of 106 and 96 in the final three frames to set up a meeting with Hossein Vafaei.
Judd Trump, who won the tournament when it was last staged in 2019, stayed on course for a repeat performance as he fired two centuries in a 5-3 win over Fan Zhengyi.
Trump’s performance was upstaged by Ding Junhui and Shaun Murphy, both of whom compiled three centuries as they secured victories over Cao Yupeng and Joe Perry respectively.
Neil Robertson and Mark Selby were also winners, but world champion Luca Brecel’s recent return to form juddered to a halt as he was thrashed 5-1 by Stephen Maguire.
Owen Farrell expressed a desire to play rugby for as long as possible as he left the door open to a potential England return and featuring in the 2025 British and Irish Lions tour.
The Saracens star is poised to become ineligible for his country for at least the next two years after agreeing a summer move to French club Racing 92.
Farrell missed this year’s Guinness Six Nations to prioritise the wellbeing of his family but insists his love of the game has never diminished.
Asked about his international future, he replied: “I’ve not said anything. I don’t know.
“I’ve stepped back and there’s obviously a change happening next year (moving to France). Then we’ll see.
“There’s no point in saying anything now because I don’t know how I’m going to feel later down the line. We’ll see.”
While Rugby Football Union rules prevent overseas-based players from representing England, Farrell could still be selected by the Lions for next summer’s series against Australia.
His father Andy Farrell has been appointed head coach for that three-match tour.
“Have I spoken to my dad about it? I’ve told him ‘well done’, if that counts,” said Farrell.
“There’s nothing to talk about – whatever happens, happens. There are no decisions to be made about any of that.
“When it gets closer to the time, I guess things become clear or they don’t. You see how people are at that time. There is nothing to talk about there at the minute.”
Farrell will make his 250th appearance for the reigning Gallagher Premiership champions in Saturday’s derby against Harlequins at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Following last year’s Rugby World Cup in France, where he was jeered by his own supporters, the fly-half opted to step out of the spotlight to spend time with his family.
“Obviously the World Cup was difficult at times but I really enjoyed the playing side of it and being involved,” he said.
“I want to play for as long as I possibly can as long as I am enjoying it.
“I love playing. That’s always been the case, even during the tougher bits as I’ve spoken about.
“I loved the game, and I loved the rugby. I want to enjoy all of it a bit more.
“I’ve been getting back to doing it here at the club, I’ve done that over this time during the Six Nations, and I want to really do that towards the end of the year. And then I want to get better at it next year as well.
“That’s how I think I am going to get the best out of myself and play my best. We’ll see what happens.”
Joseph O’Brien could be racking up the air miles with “exciting” new recruit Rogue Millennium this season.
The five-year-old mare was a star performer for Tom Clover last term, winning the Group Two Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Royal Ascot and finishing second to Tahiyra in Leopardstown’s Matron Stakes at elite level.
Having initially been snapped up for just 35,000gns by the Rogues Gallery syndicate, the daughter of Dubawi was sold for 1,650,000gns in December and will now be trained by O’Brien in County Kilkenny.
In a stable tour on Attheraces.com, her new handler said: “We are very happy with her. She looks great. Her training is all going smoothly, and she’s been impressing.
“She gives the impression that she’ll always appreciate better ground and she shows plenty of pace.
“We won’t be shy about travelling her and have a long list of potential options for her in America where we think the style of racing will suit her. She’s a very exciting prospect to have in the yard.”
O’Brien is also looking forward to Lumiere Rock’s four-year-old campaign, with a crack at his father Aidan’s dual Derby hero Auguste Rodin on the cards in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh.
The Saxon Warrior filly was a Group Two victor in the Blandford Stakes at that track last season, as well as being placed in the Ribblesdale and the Prix de l’Opera before finishing off with a solid sixth behind Inspiral at the Breeders’ Cup.
“She had a busy campaign last season, but never let us down and kept improving,” said O’Brien.
“We all got a real thrill from her win in the Blandford Stakes, and it was great that her owner Michael O’Flynn was there on the day to enjoy it with us.
“We are looking at the Tattersalls Gold Cup as an early-season target and will drive on from there.”
Irish Cesarewitch winner Magellan Strait has already got off the mark in 2024 with a Dundalk triumph in January and may be heading to the UK in search of more success.
O’Brien added: “He’s a solid staying horse that gave us all a great day when springing a very pleasant surprise in the Irish Cesarewitch.
“He could be one for the Chester Cup. We’ll see what happens between now and then, but the Ascot Stakes or Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot would be options for him too.”
Last season’s Queen Alexandra Stakes star Dawn Rising went on to finish third in the Irish St Leger in the colours of JP McManus.
“At this stage, it looks likely that we’ll stick to the Flat with him,” said O’Brien. “He gave everyone a real thrill by winning at Royal Ascot last season and we’ll look to get him back to the Queen Alexandra Stakes again this year. He came back from a break in great shape and we’re looking forward to him.”
Al Riffa has not been seen since chasing home Ace Impact at Deauville last August but the 2022 National Stakes victor is very much on the comeback trail.
O’Brien declared: “We are delighted with him. He was always a tall, rangy horse and has filled out into a magnificent athlete now.
“We were very sweet on him for the Irish Champion Stakes, but a little issue the day before meant we couldn’t run. Everything has gone very smoothly with him this preparation and we are steadily stepping up his work.
“We are working him towards the Prix Ganay at ParisLongchamp in late April. Longer term, I could see him stepping up to a mile and a half.
“He won a Group One over seven furlongs as a two-year-old and has never looked short of pace, but he has the most lovely, relaxed way of going and it will give him a great chance to carry his pace over further if we ask him to. I’d be very hopeful he can win another Group One.”
Among the three-year-olds at Owning Hill, Atlantic Coast is being aimed at the Irish 2,000 Guineas or the French equivalent, while Stromberg could take in a Derby trial.
James Bell is the first to admit he rode his luck to reach the top of the rugby league world, and that makes the in-form St Helens forward all the more determined to make the most of his time in the spotlight.
The 29-year-old New Zealander has been one of the stand-out performers in the first month of the new Betfred Super League season, emerging off the bench to help wrestle games against the likes of Leigh and Leeds back in Saints’ favour.
Bell’s battle to become an intregral part of Paul Wellens’ new-look Saints squad is the latest triumph on an improbable career path, which began when he seized an unlikely chance with his beloved Auckland Warriors a decade ago.
“I remember sitting on the sidelines at a Warriors game telling my dad that one day that’s what I want to do, but the journey wasn’t easy and it only happened by luck and coincidence,” Bell told the PA news agency.
“I went to watch my mate play in a trial for the junior Warriors but the team they were playing didn’t have enough numbers so they went round the pitch asking for anyone who had their boots and was under the age of 20.
“I was 19 years old and I’d never even made a representative team in my life. Initially I said no, but my friend told me to jump on the field and I scored a couple of tries and had the best game of my career.
“At the end of the game, New Zealand legend Stacey Jones came up to me and said ‘what’s your name and where the hell have you been this whole time?’ I went from nothing to training with the Warriors the next Monday.”
Bell, the fourth oldest of six brothers and one sister who grew up in the Auckland suburb of Papakura – “probably the biggest games I’ve played were in my back yard against my brothers” – went on to make his NRL debut for the Warriors in 2017.
But while his friend at the trial match, Jazz Tevaga, went on make over 100 appearances for the club, Bell was deemed surplus to requirements after just two games, and when his contract expired in 2019 he looked to Europe for the chance to extend his career.
A Scotland international by virtue of his paternal grandfather, Bell first landed at Toulouse after impressing head coach Sylvain Houles in a 2018 international, then moved on to make his Super League debut with Leigh in 2021.
“When I was coming off my contract with the Warriors I was almost begging them to find me something,” added Bell. “There have been a lot of stages in my career where I’ve felt at a standstill with no opportunity.
“But I always knew I loved the game and that I wanted to stick around and keep chipping away and finding opportunities to test my limits. So much of it has been down to chance, that being where I am today feels a bit surreal.”
Bell moved on to Saints later in 2021, initially struggling to force his way into a competitive first-team structure.
But Bell’s persistence, allied with what Wellens calls his “infectious” enthusiasm for the game, saw his opportunities increase, culminating in being part of Saints’ heroic 2023 World Club Challenge win over NRL champions Penrith.
“I’ve had the best pre-season since I came to the club and I think that’s stood me in good stead,” said Bell, who will next feature in Saints’ return trip to Headingley on Friday in the last 16 of the Betfred Challenge Cup.
“I’ve come into an environment where I’m feeling valued, and I think I’ve probably proven to myself now that I am good enough to be here and I do deserve it. It’s given me a vision of where I want to go, and I won’t need to be so reliant on luck.”
Auguste Rodin is set to have a busy first half of the season, which will kick off with a run in the Sheema Classic in Dubai.
Aidan O’Brien’s dual Derby and Breeders’ Cup winner is then scheduled to take in the Tattersalls Gold Cup closer to home at the Curragh before a trip to Royal Ascot, after which connections will take stock.
Being by Deep Impact, a race on dirt would not usually be considered, but O’Brien was so taken by the way he acted on the surface in the mornings when preparing for the Breeders’ Cup, that he is giving the idea some serious thought.
“Auguste Rodin has another bit of work to do before he goes on Saturday, but everything looks good at the moment. It’s his first run of the year but we’re very happy with him,” he said.
“The plan was he goes there, then he could go to the Curragh for the Tattersalls and then Ascot for the Prince of Wales’s.
“After that, we could have a look at a dirt race with him after that, we’ll see how that goes. He could go to Saratoga. The world has gone small now.
“His season will be split in two really, with a busy first half and then a break.
“As a rule, Deep Impacts are mainly turf horses, but we were surprised how well he worked on the dirt at the Breeders’ Cup, he floated over it. He has an unusual action, so it will be interesting to see.”
Another stalwart of the yard due to return is Kyprios, who missed the majority of last season before finishing second in the Irish St Leger and at Ascot on Champions Day.
The usual O’Brien route to the Gold Cup back at Ascot will be taken, with the Vintage Crop Stakes and the Saval Beg early targets.
“It was amazing he came back, I couldn’t believe it. He seems in good form, he’ll go to Navan and then he’ll go to Leopardstown, that’s the plan, the usual Ascot (Gold Cup) route,” said O’Brien.
As for the two-year-olds, none have been named to date but there are several catching the studious eyes at Ballydoyle.
“None of the two-year-olds are named yet, but we think we have two good Justifys, out of two sisters (Fabulous and Butterflies),” said O’Brien.
“We’ve some nice Wootton Bassetts this year, more than we’ve had before. We’re starting (the season) earlier and I was conscious that I didn’t want to have them ready to run in that ground because they have to be very fit, so if they are, they won’t make it through the summer.
“The Wootton Bassett out of Immortal Verse looks very smart, as does the Wootton Bassett out of Ennistymon. We’re just going gently with them.
“Wootton Bassett looks very different, we only had two colts last year and they were both very good – River Tiber and Unquestionable.”
Shohei Ohtani had two hits in his official Los Angeles Dodgers debut, including an RBI single during a four-run eighth inning that helped his new team rally for a 5-2 win over the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea in Wednesday's opener of the 2024 MLB season.
Mookie Betts also had two hits and an RBI as the Dodgers got a season of sky-high expectations off to a successful start, though they faced a 2-1 deficit entering the eighth before the offence came to life against San Diego's bullpen.
The Dodgers loaded the bases with none out on a pair of walks and a Teoscar Hernandez single before Enrique Hernandez drove in the tying run with a sacrifice fly. Gavin Lux then reached base on a ground ball that went through the web of Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth's glove, with Teoscar Hernandez scoring on the error for a 3-2 lead.
Betts and Ohtani followed with RBI singles to extend the lead to 5-2 before relievers Joe Kelly and Evan Phillips held the Padres scoreless over the final two innings.
Los Angeles received a total of four scoreless innings from four relievers after another of its big-ticket offseason acquisitions, Tyler Glasnow, allowed two runs over five innings.
Glasnow did issue four walks in his Los Angeles debut, including free passes to Manny Machado and Korean native Ha-Seong Kim to start the bottom of the fourth with the game tied at 1-1. Jurickson Profar followed with a bunt single to load the bases before Machado crossed the plate on a double-play grounder that put San Diego ahead.
The Dodgers had tied the game in the top of the fourth when Teoscar Hernandez reached on an error and later scored on Jason Heyward's sacrifice fly.
San Diego recorded the first run of the season in the third when Xander Bogaerts singled in Tyler Wade, who drew a lead-off walk before advancing on Glasnow's wild pitch.
Bogaerts accounted for two of the Padres' four hits.
San Diego starter Yu Darvish worked the first 3 2/3 innings and allowed one unearned run on two hits while walking three and striking out three.
The game drew an announced crowd of 15,952 at the Gocheok Sky Dome for the first regular-season MLB game played in South Korea. The Dodgers and Padres will play again at the venue Thursday, with Los Angeles sending former Japanese league star pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the mound for his anticipated MLB debut.
Luke Littler will miss the Nordic Darts Masters in June due to family commitments, the Professional Darts Corporation has announced.
The 17-year-old has had a packed schedule since his astonishing run to the World Championship final at Alexandra Palace, where he lost to Luke Humphries.
Littler was given a Premier League place as a result of his heroics at the start of the year and has also won titles at the Bahrain Masters, Players Championship and Belgian Open.
However, Littler – who will make his US Darts Masters debut at Madison Square Garden in May – will not be part of the line-up in Copenhagen on June 7-8.
Newly crowned UK Open champion Dimitri Van den Bergh will take Littler’s place in the Danish capital.
Aidan O’Brien believes the best is still to come from last season’s Coventry Stakes winner River Tiber.
He suffered a scare in the days leading up to him finishing third to Vandeek in the Prix Morny at Deauville and then filled the same position behind the same horse in the Middle Park.
O’Brien felt he was not at his best in either race, though, and he was also a late withdrawal at the Breeders’ Cup, when he was meant to take on his stablemate Unquestionable in the Juvenile Turf, who ran out the winner.
“River Tiber always worked very good. He wasn’t right in Deauville or in the Middle Park, he wasn’t 100 per cent, so there’s a good chance there’s more to come from him. I think he’s a miler, he’s fast, I couldn’t see him getting much further,” said O’Brien.
“Unquestionable could go to the French Guineas, he’s done very well. He’ll go to Naas on Sunday (after racing) and he could go for a trial in France before going back for the Guineas – and he could be a French Derby horse, he’s not as quick as the others, so he could get a bit further.
“When we went to America with them last year, River Tiber was five lengths better than the winner. He’s not rated that way, but if you put the two of them together, that is what will happen.”
Another promising colt for the season ahead is the unbeaten Henry Longfellow, who could also have the French Classics on his agenda.
“Henry Longfellow could stretch out but he looks like a miler the way he’s going, so how much further he’d get, I’m not sure,” added O’Brien.
“He could be a French Derby horse, as could Diego Velazquez, he might be more that than a Guineas horse, but he’ll go with them (to Naas) as well, so it will be interesting.”
One going further afield is Henry Adams, who is heading to Dubai.
“Henry Adams is lovely and has done very well and he is down to go to Dubai to run in the UAE Derby on the dirt. He’s a No Nay Never so will be interesting on the dirt,” said O’Brien.
As for his Derby team, as usual there are several who at this stage would appear to have all the right credentials.
Leopardstown winner Ocean Of Dreams, from the family of the great Urban Sea, is certainly bred for the job.
“Ocean Of Dreams is getting ready for the Ballysax. He worked yesterday and worked lovely but he’s a bit of a baby because he’s only had one run, so he needs to get out,” continued O’Brien.
“He looks a lovely horse, he won very easily. He has a very good pedigree, he goes back to Urban Sea, I think he’s a Derby trial horse, no doubt about that.
“Los Angeles is a big, strong, powerful horse. He always worked much quicker than he should have been from the day we started working him, he showed loads. He’s very big and shouldn’t have shown as much as he was, but he always did.
“Then he ran in Tipperary and won in Saint-Cloud and Christophe (Soumillon) was impressed the day he rode him. He’ll go for a Derby trial and we’ll see what will happen. He’ll probably go to Naas on Sunday as well. He could be a Curragh (Irish Derby) horse.
“Grosvenor Square could be a very interesting horse. I think he’d have no problem with better ground. He’s not a heavy-framed horse, he’s a good mover. He’ll go for a Derby trial.”
As for the fillies, O’Brien was dealt a blow when news broke recently that Opera Singer, undoubtedly the best prospect in the division, was likely to miss Newmarket, but there are other options.
“Content was impressive last year, she had a lovely run first time but then went to Ascot and lost her way, we had to slow her down and get her to relax,” said O’Brien.
“She won at the Curragh and came home very well (fourth) in the Breeders’ Cup. She could be a very nice filly, you just have to take your time with her, as she has plenty of speed.
“I like Ylang Ylang a lot. She did very well to do what she did because everything went wrong with her the third day, she was too keen. She had to come back to Newmarket and relax but then to go back and do what she did in the Fillies’ Mile, you’d have to like her a lot.
“She could get a mile and a half, she’s out of a Shamardal mare, so there’s every chance she could and the way she likes to be ridden will help her.
“I don’t think if Opera Singer was going to make the Guineas it would have been a difficult choice for Ryan (Moore) though, she (Opera Singer) is very good. What she did in the Boussac…she’s another Justify, set her off in front and follow me if you want.
“The other filly is very good but you have to take your time with her. That’s what makes the Justifys so good, they are so uncomplicated.
“Opera Singer is cantering but missed a few weeks, so I imagine the Irish Guineas would be the earliest, we’d just have to rush her too much otherwise. The year is long.”
Fiona Needham has revelled in the Cheltenham Festival heroics of Sine Nomine – but there will be no shot at the Cheltenham-Aintree double this year for her star mare.
The Catterick clerk of the course was successful in the St. James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup Open Hunters’ Chase as a rider in 2002, partnering her father Robin Tate’s Last Option to victory.
And she joined the list of famous names to both ride and train the winner of the ‘amateur Gold Cup’ when saddling bargain buy Sine Nomine, who cost just £2,400 as a three-year-old, to topple the JP McManus-owned Its On The Line in the hands of John Dawson.
Owned by her father, Sine Nomine sported the same colours Needham wore to victory herself 22 years ago, with the joyous scenes seen in the winner’s enclosure carrying on right through the weekend.
“She put in a stellar performance and she’s very full of herself since,” said Needham.
“It was a wonderful day and really was the stuff dreams are made of. Her jockey gave her a brilliant ride and the bit of drama where he had to switch at the last didn’t do a lot for my heartrate at the time, but probably made the race more exciting.
“You would have to say she would have won quite easily but for that, but it really showed she is quite gutsy and determined. She quickened up a lot better than I expected up the hill.”
Dawson received a 14-day ban for using the whip two times more than the permitted seven which will see him on the sidelines while the Randox Foxhunters’ Open Hunters’ Chase takes place during the opening day of Aintree’s Grand National meeting.
However, some relief for Dawson will be Needham deciding against trying to replicate On The Fringe’s achievement of completing the same Aintree-Cheltenham hunter chase double, with a return to Cheltenham for their hunter chase card in early May followed by a crack at Stratford’s Pertemps Network Stratford Foxhunters Champion Hunters’ Chase later that month in the back of the trainer’s mind.
She said: “We debated Aintree but she did just knock a joint a little bit, which is fine and settling down, but I just want to give her a bit longer and she does not have an entry for Aintree.
“She jumps well but she’s quite bold and I’m not sure that’s the best way to be at Aintree.
“It could be straight to Cheltenham for the hunter chase meeting or Stratford and there re one or two options.
“Obviously it might depend on what the handicapper does with her, but we will see. One route could be the Cheltenham evening meeting and then it could be the Horse and Hound Cup (at Stratford), but that would all be ground dependent because it is going to dry up at some stage. If it keeps raining then great!”
Having savoured a second big afternoon at the Cheltenham Festival, Needham’s thoughts also turn to the eight-year-old returning to Prestbury Park in a bid to join the plethora of back-to-back winners.
On The Fringe (2015 and 2016) and Pacha Du Polder (2017 and 2018) were the most recent to win the race in consecutive years and Needham would be keen to give a repeat a chance after Sine Nomine proved with aplomb she can handle the white hot atmosphere of Gold Cup day in the Cotswolds.
“I’m not sure my nerves will stand it, but you do get repeat winners at Cheltenham,” continued Needham.
“One thing you never know until they get there is the occasion, because it is a big occasion for the horses, and she took it well – she thought everyone was coming to look at her, which is the best way to be.”
Despite training one of the most exciting – and valuable – horses for many a season, Aidan O’Brien insists he is not feeling under any extra pressure, as City Of Troy begins to build for the Qipco 2000 Guineas.
It is not unusual for the winter Guineas favourite to be trained at Ballydoyle, in fact it is an almost annual occurrence. But there does appear to be something special about City Of Troy on the evidence to date.
O’Brien’s comments following his winning debut at the Curragh, when he mentioned Ryan Moore had been worried because he could barely pull him up after crossing the line, caused a stir of excitement and that feeling was backed up with a six-and-a-half-length win in the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket.
The winning distance was ‘only’ three and a half lengths in soft ground in the Dewhurst, but what has really caught the imagination is the fact that his sire, Justify, was a Triple Crown winner on the dirt.
“He always looked a bit different, every time we worked him really. Then he ran in his maiden,” said O’Brien.
“All he can do is keep turning up and running and see what is happening, but he does work very different.
“Horses are working in very bad ground at the moment, it’s deep. Horses shouldn’t like that, but he is just powering through it.
“We hope to get him to Naas on Sunday after racing – him, Henry Longfellow, River Tiber, they’ll all go together over seven, seven and a half furlongs and we’ll have a little look and all get together, talk to the lads, but the plan is to go straight to the Guineas.
“If that went well, then he could go for the Derby, and if that went well, there’s a chance he could go to Saratoga for a dirt race, the Travers, and that’s very possible if things go well, it will be interesting.
“I don’t feel pressure, all we can do is our best and whatever will be will be.”
While O’Brien does admit he is not the biggest horse in the world, the colt is deceptive.
“He’s done very well over the winter. He’s a medium-sized horse to look at, but when you stand into him he’s much bigger than you think, which is the sign of a very well-proportioned horse. It will be exciting.
“When John (Magnier) and the lads are thinking like that, they are happy to push him out there and see what he can do. If it went well in the Guineas, we’re happy to step up to a mile and a half in the Derby and then come back to 10 furlongs for the Travers on dirt.
“The thinking is to expose him. Obviously he’s by Justify, which makes Justify very exciting for us because he should be able to do dirt as easily as he does grass, that’s what makes him unique really. It’s going to be very exciting, interesting really.”
With workouts planned for his Classic hopefuls at the weekend, O’Brien will be hoping the current saturated ground dries up.
He said: “I’d imagine if he goes to the Guineas he’ll go himself, but when we go to Naas on Sunday it will be the first time they’ve been put together, so we’ll see what will happen.
“What makes him unusual is that he’s by Justify, he should be at home on the dirt but they seem the same on the grass. They stay very well, they are uncomplicated, you can ride them forward.
“Justify looks like a big Quarter Horse but the unusual thing about all his stock is they are very similar, you can set them out there and you can go, that’s what makes him so easy, he can do his own thing, they don’t over-race and just keep going.”
Olympic champion Xander Schauffele believes the best is yet to come in his career after narrowly missing out on the Players Championship title.
Schauffele took a one-shot lead into the final round at Sawgrass on Sunday and was still in front of the charging Scottie Scheffler when he recorded his fourth birdie of the day on the 12th.
However, Scheffler – who had started the day five shots behind – drew level with a birdie on the 16th and Schauffele then bogeyed the 14th and 15th to leave himself with too much to do over the closing stretch.
“I think I’m always pretty tough on myself, but you kind of put it to rest to a certain extent,” Schauffele told a press conference ahead of the Valspar Championship.
“So I wouldn’t say I was too hard on myself on Sunday night.
“I accepted it, was overall pretty pleased with how I was able to play. I’d not been able to play super well since they moved the Players (from May to March), so just another close call under my belt for now.
“I just stay true to myself. I’m pretty aware of the path that I’ve been on my entire career. It’s been a slower path, I would say.
“Sounds kind of weird, but just always consider myself sort of a slower learner. Even when I was in college, I wasn’t some world beater shooting 60 and playing in Tour events when I was 16 or 17 or 18 years old even.
“There’s tons of guys who have qualified for US Opens when they were 16. That ate me up when I was a kid and it made me grind and push even harder, sort of have that chip on my shoulder.
“I just sort of look back on that, and I’ve had success, but to me I feel like the best is in front of me, and the only way it’s not going to be in front of me is if I let all these things get to my head and not play my game.”
Stefano Cherchi sustained a head injury and internal bleeding following a fall while riding at Canberra in Australia.
The Italian jockey has ridden over 100 winners in the UK, with the majority of his success coming aboard horses trained by fellow countryman Marco Botti, the man who provided his most recent mount in Britain at Chelmsford in November.
The 23-year-old, who switched to Australia earlier in the year, was one of three jockeys to come to grief in the Affinity Electrical Technologies Class 1 Plate, with the fall of Cherchi’s mount Hasime causing both Jeff Penza and Shaun Guymer to also be unseated.
Both Penza and Guymer were relatively unharmed, but Cherchi received medical treatment at the track before being transferred to hospital.
The New South Wales Jockeys Association posted on X, formerly twitter: “Following a fall at Canberra today, Stefano Cherchi has sustained a head injury and internal bleeding.
“Stefano has been transported to Canberra Hospital, where doctors will assess the full extent of the injuries.
“We pray for Stefano.”
Cherchi partnered 38 winners for Botti while in the UK, with the Newmarket handler one of those to take to social media hoping for good news.
He said: “The whole yard is saddened by the news this morning. Stefano has sustained serious injuries in a race fall in Australia.
“Thoughts and prayers are with @SC_Cherchi and his family.”
Those sentiments were echoed by fellow HQ trainer Amy Murphy – who also used Cherchi aboard her string – and she said: “As you can imagine we are shocked to wake up to this news this morning, our hopes and prayers are firmly with @SC_Cherchi.
“We are all thinking of him, Australia has never felt so far away. Stay strong and find the strength I know you have to be ok.”
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