Spirit Dancer is firmly on course for a Dubai World Cup night outing after providing Sir Alex Ferguson with further international success in Saudi Arabia.
The Richard Fahey-trained seven-year-old gave the former Manchester United manager – along with co-owners Ged Mason and Peter Done – a day to remember when scoring in the Bahrain International Trophy in November and hit the target once again in the Middle East in the Neom Turf Cup.
Having scooped a first-prize of just shy of £1million when downing the likes of Aidan O’Brien’s Luxembourg in Riyadh, the son of Frankel will now return to Dubai, where he has spent the majority of the winter and will be prepared for Meydan action on March 30.
“It has been a great winter with him and he’s progressing well,” said Fahey.
“He’s taken to us to another level of enjoyment there and the whole thing has been great. It’s very exciting.
“We flew him into Dubai for his last run (in the Jebel Hatta) and left him there and now he has flown back to Dubai. We will see how he is, but he looks well and is summering well in Dubai. He’s in great form and enjoying life at the moment competing at the very highest level.
“Definitely, all being well, you will see him on World Cup night.”
Spirit Dancer’s latest victory came over an extended 10 furlongs and Fahey now has to decide whether Spirit Dancer stretches out to a mile and a half for the first time to take part in the Dubai Sheema Classic or drops back to nine furlongs for the Dubai Turf.
Fahey added: “I haven’t decided which race yet and it will be either be the nine-furlong race or the mile and a half. I’ll see how he is training and I have to make a decision soon because he has an invite, but I haven’t 100 per cent made a decision yet.
“It’s always been in my mind to give him a go (at a mile and a half).
“I’ll have to have look and see what runs in each race there and I’m afraid there is no easy race, but when they are $5m and $6m races, that’s what you expect in Dubai.”
Lewis Hamilton has called the imminent verdict on Christian Horner’s Formula One future an “important moment for the sport to make sure that we stand true to our values”.
Red Bull Racing’s parent company Red Bull GmbH announced on February 5 that Horner is being investigated following an accusation of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female colleague. Horner denies the claim.
The embattled Red Bull team principal is due to arrive in Bahrain for the first race of the season on Wednesday.
A verdict on whether he remains as Red Bull team principal is expected to follow.
“We always have to do more to try to make the sport and the environment for people to work in feel safe and inclusive,” said Hamilton as he addressed the controversy for the first time ahead of Saturday’s curtain raiser in the Gulf kingdom.
“Any allegations have to be taken very seriously.
“We don’t know everything that has gone on but it needs to be resolved because it is hanging over the sport.
“It will be interesting to see how it is dealt with, and the effect that it may or may not have on the sport moving forward.
“It is a really important moment for the sport to make sure that we stand true to our values.”
Andy Murray’s search for back-to-back wins goes on after he was comfortably beaten by Ugo Humbert in the second round of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
Murray produced his best win for several months in the first round by seeing off Denis Shapovalov but fell to a 6-2 6-4 loss against 18th-ranked Frenchman Humbert.
Murray dropped serve twice in succession in the opening set and was unable to apply any real pressure on Humbert’s delivery, winning just seven return points during the contest.
The second set was a little closer, but Murray cut a thoroughly frustrated figure as he attempted to trade with the clean-hitting Frenchman, who clinched victory after only an hour-and-a-half.
Murray has not won more than a single match at any tournament since August and speculation continues around when he will depart the court for good.
After beating Shapovalov, the Scot talked about trying to do his best “these last few months”, but he has now hinted he would like to keep going until at least this summer’s Olympics.
Murray has said previously he has an idea of when he would like to bow out, and he told Radio 4’s Today programme he is likely to make that information public at some point.
“When the time is right I will probably say something before I play my last match and my last tournament,” he said. “Whether I say anything months ahead of the time, I don’t know.”
While Wimbledon appears the most logical venue for Murray to call time on his glittering career, the Scot is tempted by another crack at the Olympics in Paris this summer.
Murray is the only tennis player to have won back-to-back singles gold medals, in London and Rio, and he said: “Hopefully I can get the chance to compete at another one.”
If the Scot does not qualifying by ranking – he has slipped down the standings to 67 – he could seek a spot in the draw as a previous champion.
Marcus Smith and Alex Mitchell will join England’s squad for a three-day training camp in York ahead of the final two rounds of the Guinness Six Nations.
Harlequins fly-half Smith is yet to feature in this year’s championship due to a calf issue, while Northampton scrum-half Mitchell twisted his knee in training after starting the victories over Italy and Wales.
The returning pair will continue rehabilitating their respective injuries alongside a 36-man group, the Rugby Football Union has announced.
Exeter wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, who scored a try as a replacement in Saturday’s 30-21 Calcutta Cup loss to Scotland, will be absent as he has a medical exam at Exeter University which must be completed face to face.
England return to action on Saturday, March 9 when Grand Slam-chasing Ireland visit Twickenham.
Steve Borthwick’s side, who must beat Andy Farrell’s reigning champions to remain in title contention, complete the tournament a week later by taking on France in Lyon.
Nicky Henderson has issued an upbeat bulletin on Constitution Hill, a day on from the disappointing workout which rocked the Unibet Champion Hurdle market and racing in general.
The undoubted superstar of the National Hunt world was at Kempton Park on Tuesday morning, as the Seven Barrows trainer put the finishing touches to his Cheltenham Festival squad.
But Henderson was left “in shock” at what Constitution Hill produced, and he subsequently scoped badly.
Giving an update on his X (formerly Twitter account) on Wednesday, he said: “I am pleased to say that Constitution Hill appears perfectly normal this morning. He is bright and well and ate everything last night. His temperature has remained normal both last night and this morning.
“As with all the other horses that galloped at Kempton yesterday, they are having an easy day today. They have had a lead out and all appear to be sound and well and are having a good pick of grass.
“We would plan to ride them all, including Constitution Hill, tomorrow, although he will have quieter exercise for the next 48 hours at least as we still have to bear in mind that he has got a hopefully relatively mild lung infection which has to improve considerably before any serious work could begin again.
“Fresh air is as important as anything for a horse’s lungs. The intention is to rescope on Friday to monitor which way this is going.”
Harry Derham has confirmed Givemefive will not take up his engagements at the Cheltenham Festival following his brave effort in the Adonis Juvenile Hurdle on Saturday.
Despite holding entries for both the JCB Triumph Hurdle and Boodles Fred Winter, the young handler had always suggested a run at National Hunt flagship meeting was unlikely.
And having left it all on the track when narrowly denied by Kalif Du Berlais at Kempton, Derham has firmly ruled out a trip to Prestbury Park for his talented juvenile.
He said: “He obviously ran really well and we were very pleased with him.
“It looked to me like he was beaten by a good one and we’re not going to go to Cheltenham. That race has took a fair bit out of him, I haven’t cantered him since and he’s still quite quiet. We will make another plan.
“I wasn’t really tempted (to go to Cheltenham) to be honest. He can’t win the Triumph and he would need to be fresh and well-handicapped to win the Boodles and we’re probably neither. It didn’t tempt me that much and I want to win races, I don’t want to go to Cheltenham to take part.”
Givemefive is owned by Major-winning golfers Graeme McDowell and Brooks Koepka, with McDowell enjoying his first visit to watch the four-year-old in his Grade Two assignment.
The Northern Irishman may not have experienced the victory which would have capped off his visit to Sunbury, but left having fully relished watching his charge in action.
“Graeme said he had a great time and the race got the heart racing,” added Derham.
“It obviously wasn’t the result we dreamt of but he ran a fantastic race and on the day just wasn’t quite good enough.
Of his next outing, the trainer continued: “We could go to Fairyhouse (for the juvenile Grade Two), but we will just see how he is in the next few weeks. I haven’t cantered him since his run, but as long as he is all right I would be quite keen to go there – he should have had enough time to recover.
“His owners have always said to just do the right thing by the horse, so we will let him recover from Kempton and then we will make a plan.”
Also missing the Festival is Derham’s star mare Queens Gamble.
The six-year-old – who was twice a bumper winner at Cheltenham when trained by Oliver Sherwood – was as short as 10-1 for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle after winning her first three outings over timber, but will now miss the remainder of the season.
“Her leg scanned clean, but there was a little bit of heat in there on Monday,” explained Derham.
“She is very fortunate to be owned by very good and understanding owners who don’t want to push her and will give her a chance.
“She will be back in the autumn with no problems at all.”
European captain Suzann Pettersen has named four vice-captains for the 2024 Solheim Cup, which sees England’s Mel Reid join the backroom team.
Dame Laura Davies, Sweden’s Anna Nordqvist and Norwegian Caroline Martens were all part of the set-up for last year’s clash against the United States in Andalusia, which saw Europe retain the trophy after a thrilling 14-14 tie.
Reid was previously a vice-captain in 2019 and made four appearances as a player for Europe, winning seven-and-a-half points.
Pettersen feels she has pulled together a strong support group for when Europe face the US again at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia from September 13 to 15.
“With just over six months to go until the competition, I am thrilled to be able to name my backroom team for the 2024 Solheim Cup,” said Pettersen.
“After last year’s success, why change a winning team? I am excited to be able to have the same team by my side, but also with the great addition of Mel.
“It was a very natural choice for me and the rest of the team to bring Mel in alongside us in a vice-captaincy role. She has an immense passion and head for the Solheim Cup.
“She has the experience both from her time as a player and also being a vice-captain during the 2019 Solheim Cup at Gleneagles. She is all over this task and we’re excited for her to join us.”
Reid, a six-time winner on the Ladies European Tour, is relishing the challenges ahead.
“Everyone knows how much the Solheim Cup means to me and how much I love being part of it and Team Europe. It brings out passion and shows the best of what golf has to offer,” the 36-year-old said.
“Being a vice-captain back in 2019 gave me a different perspective and it made me hungrier to be on the Solheim Cup team in 2021. It was what I needed at the time, and it was a huge honour to do that.
“What the team did in Spain last year was amazing and I am excited to be able to join Suzann, Caroline, Laura and Anna on this journey as we prepare to go for more history at the 2024 Solheim Cup in the US.”
As a former Masters champion, Danny Willett will definitely be at Augusta National for the first major of the year.
Whether he is there just to sample the delights of Jon Rahm’s menu for the champions dinner or swinging a golf club in anger is less certain as he battles to regain full fitness following shoulder surgery.
Willett looked set to challenge for a second BMW PGA Championship title in September when he covered his first 12 holes in six under par, only to aggravate a shoulder tear after hitting his tee shot on the 15th.
The 2019 champion played through the pain barrier and completed all 72 holes at Wentworth but underwent surgery the following week and faces a race against time to compete at Augusta, where he won in dramatic style in 2016.
“The surgery went really well, I’m back hitting balls right now but Augusta is six weeks away. It’ll be very, very close,” Willett told the PA news agency at the launch of Prostate Cancer UK’s fundraising challenge, The Big Golf Race.
“It’s been a long time rehabbing it just to get it up to strength to be able to take the capacity and the load that it needs to. We’ll know more when we start practising in America as to how we’re getting on.
“The beauty of potentially playing [the Masters] is the fact that I know the golf course that well I’m probably not going to be slogging around 18 holes on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in practice rounds.
“I’ll be able to take it a little bit easier but I also don’t want to go there and just make up the numbers.”
Willett had been managing his shoulder problem for several months before it flared up at Wentworth and the extent of the damage was only discovered when he went under the knife.
“We thought there was one tear and when the surgeon went in he realised there were two tears and a good bit of damage around the cartilage and a few cysts he had to clear out,” Willett said.
“It’s a pretty intrusive surgery and it was a bit scary when I first came out and I could barely lift my own hand. You wonder if you’ve done the right thing but now it feels pretty good.
“Ultimately I’m only 36 so I’ve still got a hell of a long time left in my career, so to have this time out now will hopefully mean I can come back and prolong my career and have another good 10 or 15 years at it.”
Willett is now into his fourth year of supporting Prostate Cancer UK’s fundraising efforts and raised £38,000 as host of the British Masters for two years as title sponsors Betfred donated £1,000 for every birdie he made.
The 36-year-old admits it was “staggering” to learn that prostate cancer affects one in eight men in the UK and is backing this year’s The Big Golf Race, which challenges golfers to play 36, 72 or even 100 holes in a day.
“It’s a great charity to support,” Willett said. “As men, if something’s not right or we don’t feel well, very rarely do we go and get it sorted so it was about making people aware to go and get checked.
“One of my old England coaches Steve Rolley was diagnosed and fortunately they got it early enough and he’s now fine. It’s amazing how many people it has affected that you know, but how little information there was out there about it.”
::: Danny Willett is supporting Prostate Cancer UK’s golf fundraising challenge, The Big Golf Race, which is calling on golfers to take on 36, 72 or 100 holes in a day to raise money and help save men’s lives. To sign up, visit prostatecanceruk.org/get-involved/activity/golf/the-big-golf-race
Max Strus connected on a 59-foot heave at the buzzer, lifting the Cleveland Cavaliers to a wild 121-119 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday.
Strus made five 3-pointers in the final 3:42 of the game and capped a back-and-forth ending, giving the Cavs their 20th win in their last 24 games.
Dallas’ PJ Washington made a contested layup with 2.6 seconds remaining to put the Mavs up 119-118.
Without any timeouts to advance the ball, Strus inbounded to Evan Mobley, who quickly returned the ball. Strus took one dribble before launching from behind the half-court line and swishing the game-winning bucket.
Strus finished with 21 points. Donovan Mitchell also made seven 3’s and led the way for the Cavs with 31 points.
With the win, Cleveland (38-19) remained alone in second place in the Eastern Conference.
The Mavericks, who lead by 10 with under four minutes remaining, squandered a signature performance from Luka Dončić, who finished with 45 points, nine rebounds and 14 assists.
Celtics extend season-best winning streak
Jaylen Brown scored 31 points, Jayson Tatum flirted with a triple-double and the Boston Celtics weathered a rare cold shooting night, beating the Philadelphia 76ers 117-99 for their ninth straight win.
The Celtics, who lead the NBA in both 3-point makes and attempts this season, shot just 5 of 22 from beyond the arc, both season lows.
Boston compensated for their cold shooting by attacking the rim and shooting 34 of 37 from the free throw line. Tatum – who finished with 29 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists – was 10 of 11 from the line, while Kristaps Porzingis made all 12 of his free throws.
The Celtics (46-12) improved to 25-0 at home against Eastern Conference opponents.
Tyrese Maxey was the high-point man for Philadelphia with 32, but the rest of the 76ers’ starters combined for just 22 points.
SGA powers Thunder to 6th straight win
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continued to make his case for league MVP, Jalen Williams scored an efficient 24 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Houston Rockets 112-95 to win their sixth straight game.
Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 31 points and has scored at least 30 in every game during the Thunder’s winning streak.
The win kept Oklahoma City (41-17) in a tie with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the best record in the Western Conference.
Alperen Sengun had a team-high 23 points and 11 rebounds for the Rockets, who are just 6-14 in their last 20 games.
Jonathan Marchessault had two goals and an assist, Adin Hill made 28 saves and the Vegas Golden Knights ended the Toronto Maple Leafs’ seven-game winning streak with a 6-2 drubbing on Tuesday.
Ivan Barbashev, Mason Morelli, William Karlsson and Nicolas Roy also scored for Vegas, who never trailed en route to a win that ended a 1-4-1 swoon.
Tyler Bertuzzi and Ryan Reaves scored for Toronto as the Leafs’ top-flight offensive threats were frustrated all night.
Auston Matthews, who leads the NHL with 52 goals, was held off the scoresheet for just the second time since Jan. 15. He had totalled 14 points in his previous six games.
Red Wings on their longest win streak in 5 years
Shayne Gostisbehere scored two goals to lead the Detroit Red Wings in an 8-3 rout over the Washington Capitals, extending their winning streak to six games.
The last time the Red Wings won at least six straight was in the 2018-19 season.
Lucas Raymond, J.T. Compher, Patrick Kane, Dylan Larkin, David Perron and Joe Veleno all had multiple points in Detroit’s highest-scoring game since Nov. 15, 2017.
Detroit’s run has put the Red Wings (32-20-6) in position to end a seven-year play-off drought.
Hendrix Lapierre, Michael Sgarbossa and Max Pacioretty each scored for Washington, who had been 4-0-1 in their previous five games.
Josi, Predators run win streak to 6
Captain Roman Josi had two goals and an assist as the Nashville Predators won their sixth straight game, a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators.
Gustav Nyquist contributed a goal and two assists, and Juuse Saros made 24 saves as the Preds returned from a flawless five-game road trip and matched a season-high with a sixth consecutive victory.
The winning streak has pushed Nashville (33-25-2) into the final projected play-off spot in the Western Conference.
Monty Williams slammed "the absolute worst call of the season" after the Detroit Pistons lost to the New York Knicks on Monday.
The Pistons lost 113-111 to the Knicks, in large part due to an obvious case of the officials missing a blatant foul with 8.5 seconds left, after Donte DiVincenzo barged into Ausar Thompson.
Referee James Williams subsequently admitted a mistake had been made.
And Williams was left seething.
"The absolute worst call of the season," Williams said.
"No call, and enough's enough. We've done it the right way. We've called the league. We've sent in clips. We're sick of hearing the same stuff over and over again.
"We had a chance to win the game, and a guy dove into Ausur's legs and there was a no-call. That's an abomination. You cannot miss that in an NBA game. Period. And I'm tired of talking about it. I'm tired of my guys asking, 'What more can we do, Coach?' That situation is Exhibit A to what we've been dealing with all season long, and enough's enough.
"You cannot dive into a guy's legs in a big-time game like that and there be a no-call," he continued. "It's ridiculous, and we're tired of it. We just want a fair game called. Period. And I've got nothing else to say. We want a fair game, and that was not fair."
The Pistons were also on the end of a controversial decision in their loss to the Orlando Magic on Saturday.
"I'd say livid," said Cade Cunningham, who scored 32 points and added five rebounds and five assists.
"That's the word of the day: livid."
Explaining his attempt to win the ball, DiVincenzo said: "I went for the ball. I didn't look at the play. You turn the ball over, the ball is in front of you, and you go after the ball. Like I said, I respect everyone's opinion. I can't speak on it until I look at the film."
The controversy came a day after LeBron James and Darvin Ham questioned the officials after the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Phoenix Suns.
Detroit sit bottom of the Eastern Conference, while the Knicks are in fourth.
Officials at Cheltenham expect the Festival to get underway on close to soft ground, with the start of the showpiece meeting now only a fortnight away.
Like much of the country, Prestbury Park has endured a predominantly wet winter, but a rare dry weekend has given clerk of the course Jon Pullin reason for optimism.
“As everyone will be very well aware, we’ve had a very wet build up this year,” he said on Tuesday.
“Thankfully, the rain held off over the weekend and it’s the first 48 hours of dry weather we’ve had for a number of weeks, which has allowed us to at least get on and start to mow this week, which was very much needed, so I’m pleased that we got that window.
“We’d be soft ground, as you can imagine with the rain that we’ve had, and the cross country would be heavy in places as well.”
While further rain is forecast in the coming days, Pullin is not expecting a huge swing in conditions either way ahead of day one of the Festival on March 12.
He added: “The forecast for the next seven to 10 days remains unsettled. Thursday looks as if it could be quite wet, but apart from that it’s just little bits and pieces.
“We’ll see how we go, but if that forecast remains, we’ll have similar ground to what we do now for the start of the Festival, I would imagine.
“There’s nothing scary I’m seeing in the forecast at the moment. We’ve been fortunate we’ve been a lot milder this year than last and the grass covering has been good.
“We did put a bit of fleece down on the New course in the home straight for a couple of weeks, just to kickstart the recovery there, but the grass is looking really well after the cut this morning, so we’re pleased with where we are at this stage.”
Champion juvenile City Of Troy is among the initial list of 72 put forward at the first entry stage of the Betfred Derby.
Aidan O’Brien’s Justify colt was unbeaten in three runs as a two-year-old, taking his maiden, the Superlative Stakes by six and a half lengths and then the Dewhurst by three and a half lengths.
His rating of 125 has left him at the top of the pile ahead of the new season, with stablemate Henry Longfellow third on the list on 119 and also nominated for the Epsom Classic.
There are 17 O’Brien-trained horses in the mix, including Diego Velazquez, winner of the KPMG Champions Juvenile Stakes, and Criterium de Saint-Cloud scorer Los Angeles.
City Of Troy – who will be seen first in the Qipco 2000 Guineas – heads the market, with Henry Longfellow behind him, after which Charlie Appleby is represented by Futurity Trophy winner Ancient Wisdom and Zetland Stakes victor Arabian Crown.
There are 46 British entries, 23 from Ireland and one each from France, the USA and Japan.
The next entry stage for the £1.5million showpiece, which takes place on June 1, is on April 24.
It has been a challenging couple of years for Samantha Wallace, after a serious injury threatened her career to the point where she was left questioning her future in the sport.
The Trinidad and Tobago native, who represents New South Wales Swifts in the Suncorp Super Netball League, was delivered news that any athlete dreads, especially during the high point of their career.
“The surgeon said, 'I don't think you'll be returning to netball,'” Wallace revealed.
That news from the surgeon was as a result of a knee injury Wallace picked up in Round one of the 2022 season, when she damaged her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), medial collateral ligament (MCL) and meniscus. At that point, Wallace was the Swifts' leading goal scorer with a tally of 585 goals at 93 per cent accuracy for the 2021 season in which they were crowned champions.
It has now been more than 700 days since Wallace last paraded her skills in a competitive netball game, but that will change when the 2024 season gets under way in April, as the 30-year-old is out to not only prove the surgeon wrong, but more importantly, to defy the odds in a demonstration of stubborn determination and sheer will to succeed.
“It's a bit bittersweet and a bit emotional (being back) and the expectations in my head. Will I be good enough? Will I be the Samantha I used to be? So many fans and young kids are waiting for my return. I'm trying not to put all that expectation on myself,” Wallace said.
"[But] I'm finally back on court, I just want to take each day one step at a time and try not to think about the outcome, but the process," she added.
Reflecting on her journey back from the proverbial wilderness, Wallace pointed out that it was during the latter stages of recovery that she was hit hardest, both mentally and physically.
“I thought I would've been back last year. After my surgery, I was doing well, but then I was told I needed a clean out. I didn't understand why because I thought I was doing really well in my recovery. The swelling was still there but I was able to squat, and I was walking okay, but after I did my clean out that October or November, I went backwards," Wallace shared.
Motivated by her faith, with support from her family, friends, teammates, and her own desire not to end her career in that manner, Wallace kept going.
"I felt like giving up. I felt like I can't keep going through this, especially after my first year of rehab and the initial thought of coming back the next year and then having that taken away,” she said.
“That was my breaking point, the first year of rehab was fine. I just had to deal with it, that happens, it's sport but the second year of rehab, I was like holy moly. I'm ready to quit. I wasn't seeing any progress in the gym, no matter how many leg extensions, presses and squats I did, there was no results until I got a cortisone injection. That's when my knee started settling, the swelling disappeared and I was starting to see muscle build in my leg,” Wallace recollected.
The only silver lining to the injury was that it allowed Wallace time to reconsider goals and targets that she has outside of netball, one being to branch off into early childhood education.
"The injury was bad, but it actually made me sit for once, reflecting on my life as an individual and what I want to do after netball. I love kids, I'm always with someone's kid after games. I don't know whose kid it is; I just end up with some random baby girl,” she said.
Though she missed out on representing Trinidad and Tobago at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, and the Netball World Cup, Wallace has no regrets about taking the time to ensure a proper recovery for a Suncorp Super Netball return.
In fact, she is now eager to get back in action and reunite with teammates on court, especially after watching her Briony Akle-coached Swifts fall just short of last year’s premiership.
“It's heartbreaking. Romelda [Aiken-George] came in and did an awesome job and she was shocked because when Briony gave her the call she wasn't expecting to be full-time.
“What I love and appreciate about her [Aiken-George] is she checked in to see if I was okay with her replacing me and I was like ‘Hell yes! You are a legend, you've been in this game for so long no one else can replace me,” she added.
"Playing with these girls means so much because these girls rally around me,” Wallace ended.
Nicky Henderson is not giving up hope of Constitution Hill being able to defend his Unibet Champion Hurdle crown and will have his unbeaten superstar “rescoped” again on Friday, after a below-par workout at Kempton Park on Tuesday put his participation in doubt.
As has become tradition, Henderson took several of his Festival contenders for a spin at the Sunbury circuit, including Constitution Hill, whose only start this season was in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Bookmakers were quick to suspend the betting markets in the wake of the work, and the Seven Barrows trainer told the PA news agency his superstar had scoped badly following it.
“Unfortunately, in a routine gallop this morning, Constitution Hill was very disappointing and it transpires, after the vet has scoped him, that there is evidence of mucus,” said Henderson.
“We’re taking a sample of it to a laboratory to analyse it, which will tell us about the significance of it and we should know more after that.
“Last week, he worked brilliantly and he was scoped 10 days ago, but these things happen, just like it did with him earlier in the year (having to miss Cheltenham on Trials day in January).
“Horses are like humans, look how many people had the awful cough around Christmas that took ages to get rid of.”
He went on: “The vets still think it could clear up in a week and all his serious work has been done already, whether he makes it (to Cheltenham) will depend on the severity of it.
“He was disappointing this morning working with Sir Gino (Triumph Hurdle favourite), who he has worked with in the past. He would normally go easily with him, but this morning he couldn’t, so Nico (de Boinville) realised all was not well and wasn’t hard on him.
“Obviously, the mucus was affecting him. He’s not coughing, he’s just got a dirty picture, as we say.
“I’m not saying definitely either way (about Cheltenham) and I’ll keep hoping. As you can imagine, it has come as a bit of a shock.”
Giving an update later on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Henderson said: “Following up on this morning’s situation with Constitution Hill, the sample from his tracheal wash has shown a small increase in the number of neutrophils which indicates a respiratory infection, which is significant but far from drastic.
“He will start a course of antibiotics immediately and we plan to rescope him on Friday in order to monitor which way this is going. He would only be having light exercise this week following this morning’s racecourse gallop.
“Both our own vet and the racecourse veterinary surgeon who scoped him feel we definitely have a chance of correcting this in time and we will be doing everything possible to do so. We have a fortnight to work him and it is possible, so we will keep everybody notified accordingly.
“He is absolutely fine within himself and we have simply got to get on top of this issue as quickly as possible.”
Having been the 1-4 favourite for the Champion Hurdle at the start of the day, by the afternoon Constitution Hill was significantly bigger at 5-4 with the sponsors, who make the Willie Mullins-trained State Man their 4-5 favourite. In their non-runner, money back betting market, Coral make State Man 4-7 and Constitution Hill 4-6.
The shock news of Constitution Hill’s disappointing workout and subsequent poor scope caused reverberations around the racing world just two weeks ahead of this year’s Cheltenham Festival.
Here, we look at some of the key questions raised by the dramatic development:
What problems arise from mucus in a horse’s trachea (windpipe)?
Mucus is continually being produced by all horses and cleared from the lungs – if it is healthy and clear. However, bacterial or fungal infections lead to excess mucus secretion and any change in colour to yellow, green or even brown makes it thicker and harder to move. This mucopurulent discharge contains a combination of mucus and pus, which can cause difficulty in breathing and reduced exercise performance.
Is this a regular occurrence?
“Horses are like humans, look how many people had the awful cough around Christmas that took ages to get rid of,” commented trainer Nicky Henderson. Constitution Hill himself has been affected by a similar setback already this season, when forced to miss the Unibet Hurdle on Cheltenham’s Trials day. On that occasion, Henderson reported back in mid-January: “A routine scope last week wasn’t entirely satisfactory and a follow up this morning shows the issue hasn’t resolved and therefore there would not be time to get him ready for next week. In the meantime, he will continue with light exercise, be rescoped in a fortnight’s time and then start his preparation for March.”
How long does it take to clear up?
Obviously, much will depend on how severe the infection is, but an immediate course of antibiotics will be administered and aid any recovery. Henderson said: “Both our own vet and the racecourse veterinary surgeon who scoped him feel we definitely have a chance of correcting this in time and we will be doing everything possible to do so. We have a fortnight to work him and it is possible, so we will keep everybody notified accordingly. He is absolutely fine within himself and we have simply got to get on top of this issue as quickly as possible.”
Just how big is Constitution Hill for Cheltenham?
Every sport needs its superstars, and in the shape of Constitution Hill the world of National Hunt racing certainly has one. He is a perfect eight from eight over hurdles and the idea of defeat when he is at his best is more or less unthinkable. Think Frankel, but over jumps.
How has the Champion Hurdle betting been affected?
Constitution Hill was as short as 1-4 to retain his crown, while Coral even made him favourite to record the biggest winning distance at this year’s Festival. However, he was eased out to as big as 6-4 at one point with Champion Hurdle sponsors Unibet, who then trimmed him back into 5-4 after a more encouraging update, with State Man their 4-5 favourite. That firm is one of only a few not now offering odds on a non-runner, no bet basis. With that concession, Constitution Hill is 4-6 at best with Coral, Ladbrokes and William Hill – and still as short as 2-5 in places. William Hill spokesperson Lee Phelps said: “We might be non-runner, money back on the race, but we believe there is significant doubt now about Constitution Hill’s participation and even if he does run there have to be concerns, so we’re prepared to take him on.”
Will any other connections now be tempted to run their horses?
Bookmakers are taking no chances with the odds of Lossiemouth, but Willie Mullins may still prefer to keep his exciting mare separate from stablemate State Man, especially as last year’s Triumph Hurdle star is such a short-priced favourite for the Mares’ Hurdle. Owner Rich Ricci said after Lossiemouth’s latest Cheltenham success on Trials day: “We’ll go for the Mares’ Hurdle I think, and I think we learned last year that these four-year-olds turning five, it is very hard to run in open company.” Gordon Elliott could consider dropping Irish Point back from the Stayers’ Hurdle, with the Cullentra handler and owners Robcour also having Teahupoo at the head of the betting for that Thursday feature.
The British Horseracing Authority has welcomed the “valuable contributions” made by several ministers in Monday’s parliamentary debate into affordability checks.
It was the first chance for MPs to properly interrogate proposals of the implementation of the supposedly “frictionless” checks after 100,000 people signed an e-petition to trigger the debate.
Matt Hancock, who has Newmarket within his constituency, Connor McGinn, whose St Helens North constituency includes Haydock, and Philip Davies were among MPs to lay out arguments against the checks during the debate at Westminster Hall, and the BHA’s chief executive Julie Harrington was encouraged by the discussions.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Harrington said: “Yesterday’s debate on the impact of affordability checks on British racing has shone a light on a hugely important issue for our sport.
“It was vital that MPs were given proper parliamentary time to thoroughly interrogate the government’s proposals and we were encouraged by the high turnout for a Westminster Hall debate.
“Many MPs made valuable contributions to the debate, and we are sure that Sports Minister Stuart Andrew will have listened with interest to the views expressed.
“From MPs of all parties and all sides of the debate, there was a clear recognition of the need for the government to protect and support British racing when reviewing gambling legislation.
“If our sport is to remain a healthy industry, supporting jobs in the rural economy and remaining competitive with our international rivals, we hope that government will heed this advice.
“We were encouraged by Minister Andrew ruling out the use of job titles and postcodes in the implementation of enhanced spending checks and confirming that these changes will at least be subject to a genuine pilot.
“We will continue to make the case into the heart of government that the impact of these checks both on our industry and racing bettors needs to be carefully considered and look forward to further discussions on this important issue for British racing with the Gambling Commission and DCMS.”
In Monday’s debate, Andrew said both the government and Gambling Commission had listened to the points raised, although the proposals will proceed, with a pilot of enhanced checks running for “a minimum of four months, during which time the commission will consider all issues that arise”.
Andrew also underlined the concerns about the possible impact of the checks on racing are being taken “extremely seriously”.
Fergal O’Brien feels Dysart Enos has enjoyed the perfect preparation ahead of her bid to see off a formidable Irish challenge at the Cheltenham Festival next month.
The Malinas mare has yet to taste defeat in six starts under rules, with her three wins of last season supplemented by a hat-trick of victories over hurdles.
O’Brien’s team went to £95,000 to secure Dysart Enos’ services at the Goffs UK Aintree sale two years ago and the Ravenswell Farm handler had high hopes from the moment the hammer went down.
“Dysart has been phenomenal for us, she’s six from six and we loved her when we bought her,” he said.
“From day one I felt we had a good horse because Noel Fehily was underbidder and he and David Crosse are very shrewd judges. Noel actually brought her back from Aintree for us and rang me up and said ‘are you sure you’ve got someone for this mare’ and I said we definitely did!”
Seven months after being bought Dysart Enos made a winning debut under rules at Ludlow before getting the better of the highly-regarded Queens Gamble in Listed company at Market Rasen.
But it was her nine-length success in the Grade Two mares’ bumper at Aintree’s Grand National meeting that marked her down as a potential top-notcher.
O’Brien added: “The day we bought her I never envisaged this mare would take us where she has. To turn up at Ludlow on the first day, Connor (Brace) gave her a lovely ride and it’s very difficult to drop in behind 14 others at Ludlow and come through and beat the geldings and that race worked out well.
“We genuinely went to Market Rasen thinking we’d finish second to Queens Gamble. Paddy (Brennan) gave her a lovely ride, but I felt Market Rasen probably suited her and she had the speed for it.
“We rolled on to Aintree and that is where she really blew us away. It was a very good field, the form has worked out very well and she was phenomenal that day, the way she travelled through the race and Paddy was able to put her where he wanted.
“As soon as they got inside the last furlong and a half he was able to let her go and the way she opened up and quickened away from them was spectacular.”
Dysart Enos made a smooth transition to the jumping game at Huntingdon in November and the route she has taken since has been slightly unorthodox.
Rather than sticking to her own sex in Listed and graded races, she has gained some valuable experience of Cheltenham, beating the boys in December, before landing cramped odds in another novice event at Doncaster last month.
“Jumping hurdles we’ve planned our route to Cheltenham, rightly or wrongly,” said O’Brien.
“We’re going there without a 5lb penalty, which most winners have over the last few years, but we just felt if we could get away without having a 5lb penalty then surely that’s got to be better.
“The plan was always to start off at Huntingdon and then go to Newbury for the Listed race and none of the owners were at Cheltenham when she won, so I was very grateful they let us run there.
“She can be a bit hot and stressy, so it was important for her to go and see Cheltenham and have a walk round that paddock and come up that hill and see what’s in front of her.
“Hopefully we can get her there in one piece and I think if we do she’ll be in the mix.”
Despite her unbeaten record, Dysart Enos is only third in the betting for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, with Gordon Elliott’s Brighterdaysahead and the Willie Mullins-trained Jade De Grugy also yet to taste defeat.
O’Brien respects the claims of both, but does not fear either.
He added: “Gordon’s horse does look phenomenal and Willie’s horse looks great, but there’s a couple of English horses there I wouldn’t rule out, Queens Gamble being one and Jeremy Scott’s horse (Golden Ace), who I was so impressed with round Taunton.
“We’ve ticked a lot of boxes as we’ve been round Cheltenham and she’s got a lot of speed. You’re hoping Gordon’s horse might want two and a half (miles) and we’ll have the legs on that one, that’s what we’re hoping anyway – you’ve got to cling to some bit of hope when Willie’s and Gordon’s horses are coming over!
“We certainly wouldn’t change anything that we’ve done this season. We’ll see on the day and give it our best shot.”
While Dysart Enos and Stayers’ Hurdle candidate appear the trainer’s two chief Festival contenders, he has a couple of others who could join them on the short trip to Prestbury Park.
Springtime Promise is three from three since joining O’Brien, most recently landing a Grade Two at Sandown, and may line up alongside Dysart Enos in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle if conditions are testing, while Teorie is considered a lively outsider in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.
“It would want to come up soft or worse for Springtime Promise to run. She won over two and a half the other day at Sandown on heavy ground and she could go to Fairyhouse at Easter if it came up soft there,” said the trainer.
“We’ll take it right up to the day and see what the weather does. If it turned up soft she would have a fantastic chance as we haven’t seen the bottom of that mare yet and I could see her coming up that hill in great style.
“I love Teorie, I think he’s got a great attitude. He’s a big price, but he’s in great form. He disappointed a little bit at Musselburgh, but he won very well first time out and then he beat older horses next time at Southwell.
“He’s got a great attitude and loves racing and loves being a racehorse – he loves being amongst them.
“I’m hoping he’ll run very well.”
Kerry Lee is prepared to roll the dice and allow Nemean Lion to take his chance in the Unibet Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
The seven-year-old has had a successful campaign so far, which began in October when he won the Welsh Champion Hurdle by a length and a half on debut.
He was fifth in the Greatwood at Cheltenham next time out and then ran an admirable race under a considerable amount of weight to finish the runner-up when stepping up in trip in the Lanzarote.
The Golden Horn gelding then tried Grade Two level to contest the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton, a scaling back in trip as the race is run over a mile and seven furlongs.
There he was the 6-5 favourite under Richard Patrick and justified those odds when securing a length and a half success over fellow Champion Hurdle entrant Colonel Mustard.
The success has seen his mark rise from 145 to 151, and he is set to take his spot in a Champion Hurdle that this year might prove just more open than initially presumed.
“He’s been really good since Wincanton, he came out of the race very well,” said Lee, speaking before the market for the race was disrupted by the news that reigning hero Constitution Hill was a doubt after a below-par racecourse gallop on Tuesday morning.
“He loved the conditions and ran a great race, it was lovely to watch and we were really pleased with him.
“He wasn’t stopping at the end of the Lanzarote but he relished the two miles too, you’d have to say he was even better over the two.
“It’s all systems go for the Cheltenham Festival now, his target is going to be the Champion Hurdle.
“There are very few options for him and as long as the ground is good to soft or softer, he will run.
“It looks to be wide open for third and realistically in racing, anything can happen.
“I think off 151 he deserves the chance to prove himself so we can see what he can do.
“It is a pleasure to have such a good horse, we’ll keep our fingers crossed that he can go and run a good race but as long as he comes back safe and well then we’ll be happy.”
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
