Draymond Green was not surprised to be on the wrong end of a controversial call on Saturday as the Golden State Warriors forward was ejected from a 118-110 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Green was ejected in the third quarter of the game for two technical fouls, having been involved in a heated altercation with Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell with the Warriors already 10 points behind.
The four-time NBA champion forced Mitchell out of bounds with his shoulder, prompting the Cavs guard to chase him down and confront him moments later.
The players were separated but Green was subsequently penalised for his second technical of the game, with a review showing he elbowed Mitchell a couple of plays earlier.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr questioned the decision after the game, being unaware that the officials could call such a foul retroactively.
"I had never heard this rule, but apparently you can retroactively call a technical from two plays before upon review," Kerr said.
"There's a lot of plays I'd like to go back to from three years ago. It was bizarre."
Green's dismissal was his first of the season and the 17th of his NBA career (including playoff games), the most of any active player.
The 33-year-old believes his reputation played a part in the call, saying: "I am the same person that got suspended from the NBA Finals for flagrant fouls that were all called from after the game.
"Nothing surprises me."
The Warriors briefly rallied after Green's exit, outscoring Cleveland 31-16 in the third, though they were unable to sustain their momentum and fell to back-to-back defeats.
It meant Stephen Curry ended on the losing side despite reaching the milestone of 22,000 career NBA points, becoming the 35th player – and fifth active player – to do so with his game-high return of 30 points.
The two-time NBA MVP lamented the Warriors' slow start after the loss, saying: "It's a small sample size, but [we're] starting to set a pattern of getting off slow, and it's a problem we have to correct.
"But we're competitors. Holding them to 16 in the third shows we have it in us. We just have to do it and execute and come up with a better edge to start games."
Curry and his team are back in action on Sunday as the Minnesota Timberwolves visit Chase Center, and he is determined for them to respond and make their home advantage count.
"Just because we are home doesn't mean you just show up and win," Curry said.
"We usually respond well to this type of feeling when you lose, understanding what it takes to execute the details of our game plan against a certain team.
"That'll be the challenge for tomorrow, especially for that starting unit, to get off to a good start."
Love Envoi could be tasked with taking on the all-conquering Constitution Hill if making her return in Newcastle’s BetMGM Fighting Fifth Hurdle next month.
It was thought Harry Fry’s stable star would not be seen until the new year, having suffered an injury when racing at the Punchestown Festival in the spring.
However, having returned to training at Fry’s Dorset base, connections are keen to take their chance at Gosforth Park on December 2 providing the Noel Fehily Racing Syndicate-owned seven-year-old is giving the right signals in her homework.
“It is definitely a possibility and it was a race we earmarked when we got her back going this year,” said Fehily.
“Obviously, she got started a little bit later this year and Harry will see how she is training, and if he is happy with her, we may go there.
“It will be down to what Harry thinks, how she is doing and whether she is ready to go there. It will definitely be a decision that will be left until closer to the time, I would say.”
A Cheltenham Festival winner in her own right, taking on the reigning Champion Hurdle winner holds no fears for the Love Envoi team, with their eight-time scorer proving she is more than game for a battle with the best when a brave second to Honeysuckle at Prestbury Park in March.
“Constitution Hill looks exceptional but somebody has to finish second to him and hopefully it might be us,” continued Fehily.
“If you are not in, you can’t win, but she’s been a wonderful mare and we’ll only run if Harry is happy with her. If he is happy, we will take our chance and it is a great race to be involved in.”
Il Est Francais is bang on course for a tilt at the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day following another facile success in France.
A Grade One-winning hurdler last year for the training partnership of Noel George and Amanda Zetterholm, the five-year-old made a smart start to his career over fences at Auteuil in September.
Connections had already been planning a cross-Channel raid for later in the year – and he now looks set to make the trip over the Christmas period after successfully stepping up to Listed class with an 11-length victory in the hands of James Reveley.
“He did everything right today, he jumped perfect,” said the jockey on Sky Sports Racing.
“The ground is pretty bottomless and he went through that, so he’s done everything we’ve asked of him so far and next stop Kempton.
“At his age, he’s up there with the best I’ve ridden and he’s got everything that a champion needs to have.
“He’s yet to prove it on the track in Grade One company over fences but I think he’s capable of winning plenty more races.”
Il Est Francais prevailed on five of his six outings over hurdles, including the Prix Renaud du Vivier at elite level.
Trainer George was thrilled with this latest victory as a 1-5 favourite and has no fears about the obstacles at Kempton.
He said: “It’s never nice watching a horse when he’s that short a price favourite and he had to do it all himself in front and everything, but watching him just makes it a lot easier, he just does everything so effortlessly.
“He’s a very exciting horse. It was a first time over fences on ground that heavy and he’s done it very well, so there’s lots to look forward to.
“The sky’s the limit with him and he adapts very well; from the first day he jumped fences he took to it like a duck to water, he’s very natural in everything he does.”
Owner Richard Kelvin-Hughes said: “Good horses can go on any ground. We can all see that he would love better ground than this, but he can still do it on this ground, so it makes it very exciting.
“I don’t think he made one mistake and James rode a perfect ride on him. He’s just getting better and better and he’s so mature for a young horse, relatively.
“What a future – we’ve just got to look after him now!”
With regards to a trip to Kempton, he added: “That is very much on the cards.
“It will be slightly better ground there, I would have thought – and it will be interesting to see him against some of the English and Irish horses there, as well.”
Unquestionable and Orne recently gave Al Shaqab Racing a weekend to remember with big-race glory on both sides of the Atlantic and are now fuelling plenty of dreams ahead of next season.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Unquestionable was getting on the scoresheet for the first time at the highest level as he carried the Al Shaqab colours to a maiden Breeders’ Cup victory in the Juvenile Turf.
The dust had barely begun to settle on his Santa Anita triumph when the John and Thady Gosden-trained Orne provided the owners with further reason to cheer, relishing the testing ground at Newmarket in the rearranged Horris Hill to give Al Shaqab a belated first stakes-level victory in Britain for 2023.
Al Shaqab’s Alison Begley said: “To have a Breeders’ Cup winner was absolutely fantastic and the first for Al Shaqab, so it was amazing, and then to follow up with Orne just over 12 hours later made it just a brilliant weekend for the whole team.
“They are both two-year-olds, so it gives us plenty to look forward to next year and it makes the winter a lot shorter when you have nice ones to look forward to.
“It was an amazing weekend and fantastic for Sheikh Joaan to have his first Breeders’ Cup winner.”
It is now feasible that both horses will have Classic aspirations in the early part of the 2024 season, with Unquestionable potentially returning to ParisLongchamp for the French 2,000 Guineas, where he could have the opportunity to go one better than his gallant second at the track in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.
“I think with Unquestionable, Aidan has mentioned the French Guineas because he ran so well at Longchamp in the Lagardere,” added Begley.
“There’s a long way to go but he thinks that will probably be the race for him and that was the first one that was mentioned.
“He said we’ll train him for the Classics and the French Guineas will probably be the race for him.”
Meanwhile, having put himself firmly in the Guineas picture with victory over seven furlongs on the Rowley Mile, Orne could put his Classic credentials to the test in one of the many early-season trials.
Begley said: “We’ll have to sit down with John and discuss where we go with Orne. It may be a Guineas trial but we haven’t thought that far ahead with him yet.
“He’s a lovely horse and still very babyish. Rab (Havlin) rides him all the time at home and said he still doesn’t really realise he is a racehorse and is learning all the time. He can only go forward from where he is.”
British fighter Tom Aspinall needed little over a minute to become the UFC interim heavyweight champion, despite having just two weeks to get ready for his bout with Sergei Pavlovich.
The 30-year-old knocked out his Russian opponent in just 69 seconds with a punishing series of blows at UFC 295 at Madison Square Garden.
Aspinall, who becomes just the third Briton to become UFC world champion, only got the call-up for the fight on October 25 after defending champion Jon Jones suffered a serious injury and pulled out of his contest against Stipe Miocic.
The Salford fighter said on TNT Sports: “It has been a crazy two and a half weeks.
“I want to tell everyone at home, If you ever get the chance to do something and you’re scared to do it, you should just do it.
“He’s a scary guy. I’ve never been so scared in my life but I have power too and I believed in myself.
“I’ve worked so hard over the years and no one has worked harder than my father so this belt is dedicated to him.
“I was struggling with the distance a little bit but we got there in the end.”
Brayden Schenn and Pavel Buchnevich each notched a hat trick and the St. Louis Blues rolled to an 8-2 drubbing of the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday.
Schenn’s hat trick was the fourth of his career and first since 2017 and Buchnevich tallied his third.
They became the third pair of teammates in franchise history to record hat tricks in the same game. It last happened in 1986.
Alexey Toropchenko and Torey Krug also scored for the Blues and Jordan Binnington made 36 saves to help St. Louis win for the fourth time in five games.
Alexander Georgiev started and gave up six goals on 28 shots before he was replaced by Ivan Prosvetov early in the third period.
Colorado coach Jared Bednar remained one win shy of 300.
Maple Leafs’ Nylander extends point streak in win
William Nylander scored to extend his franchise-record season-opening point streak to 15 games as the Toronto Maple Leafs cooled off the Vancouver Canucks, 5-2.
Noah Gregor had a goal and an assist and Ilya Samsonov stopped 31 shots as Toronto won for the third time in four games following a four-game skid (0-2-2).
Nylander tallied his 10th goal of the season in the second period to forge a 2-2 tie and Gregor’s goal with 5:38 left in the period put the Leafs on top for good.
Nylander has 22 points during his streak and ranks among the NHL scoring leaders.
Vancouver got goals from J.T. Miller and Pius Suter as its five-game winning streak was snapped. The Canucks dropped to 8-1-1 in their last 10 games.
Penguins down Sabres for fourth straight win
Erik Karlsson scored twice and Tristan Jarry had a shutout in his return from injury to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins to their fourth consecutive win, 4-0 over the Buffalo Sabres.
Evgeni Malkin and Drew O’Connor also scored for the Penguins, who have outscored opponents 20-5 during the four-game run after losing five of six.
Jarry made 35 saves for his third shutout of the season and 16th of his career. He missed Thursday’s game at Los Angeles with a facial injury.
Donovan Mitchell got the best of the Warriors and Draymond Green, collecting 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists on a night Green was ejected in a 118-110 win over Golden State on Saturday.
Green was tossed at the 6:23 mark of the third quarter with eight points, five rebounds and four assists.
Green pushed Mitchell with his shoulder and sent him out of bounds as Cleveland’s Caris LeVert drove for a layup. Moments later, Green was bringing the ball up court and Mitchell chased him down and instigated a heated altercation.
LeVert scored 22 points, Darius Garland had 19 points, six rebounds, four assists and five steals and Evan Mobley had 19 points and two of his team’s season-high 13 steals.
Stephen Curry scored 30 points to lead Golden State, which lost both matchups this season with Cleveland.
Short-handed Heat handle Hawks
Bam Adebayo had 26 points with 17 rebounds and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added a career-high 20 points to lead the depleted Miami Heat to their fourth straight win, 117-109 over the Atlanta Hawks.
Kyle Lowry scored 17 points, Josh Richardson had 16 and Duncan Robinson contributed 11 in his first start of the season.
Miami played without two of its top three scorers, with Tyler Herro (sprained right ankle) missing his first game and Jimmy Butler absent for personal reasons.
Trae Young led the Hawks with 27 points and 11 assists, while Dejounte Murray scored 23.
The Hawks hung around and were within 115-109 after Young made two free throws with 51 seconds left, but Lowry sank a pair from the line and Young missed a 3-pointer with 22 seconds left.
Magic end 14-game losing streak to Bucks
Paolo Banchero tallied 26 points and 12 rebounds and the Orlando Magic snapped a string of 14 consecutive losses to the Milwaukee Bucks with a 112-97 victory.
Franz Wagner scored 24 points and Mo Wagner added 19 off the bench for Orlando, which defeated Milwaukee at home for the first time since March 14, 2018.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 35 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as the Bucks played their second straight game without Damian Lillard (sore left calf).
Philadelphia 76ers forward Kelly Oubre Jr. was hit by a motor vehicle in Center City, Philadelphia on Saturday night and has been hospitalized in stable condition, a team spokesman announced.
Oubre is expected to miss significant time due to his injuries, but those aren’t considered to be season-ending. Local authorities are investigating the incident.
Team representatives, including 76ers President Daryl Morey are with Oubre Jr. at the hospital.
The 27-year-old Oubre Jr. was walking near his residence when struck, the spokesman said.
Oubre Jr. was signed by the 76ers as a free agent in September and is averaging 16.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals in eight games this season.
He has been a key contributor for a Philadelphia team that has won seven straight and leads the Eastern Conference with a 7-1 record.
Originally drafted by Atlanta in 2015, Oubre Jr. has also played for Washington, Phoenix, Golden State and Charlotte.
After a fairly decent showing on day one action, Jamaica’s Sunshine Girls will be hoping to return to winning ways on the second and decisive day of the Fast5 Netball World Series, as they push for a medal in Christchurch, New Zealand on Saturday.
The Jamaicans, who defeated Australia 38-36 and Malawi 41-37 courtesy of some classy long-range shooting from goal-attack Gezelle Allison, failed to go unbeaten on the day, after being hammered by South Africa in a 17-33 loss.
Still, they remain on course for a spot in the medal round with only New Zealand, Australia and England –all of whom also had two wins and a loss –ahead of them on goal difference.
With that in mind, Shawn Murdock, is cautiously optimistic that the Sunshine Girls will achieve the feat, though they are scheduled to face two tough opponents in New Zealand and England.
“As always when we face England and New Zealand it’s never an easy encounter. The English showed some fight yesterday and they are perhaps our biggest rivals internationally over the years; New Zealand are playing at home and are still smarting from their World Cup performance.
“So I expect the home crowd and their hurt from their World Cup campaign to be major factors for them. So we just have to control the controllable from our end and ensure we are scoring goals consistently and our defenders are winning balls to provide more opportunities for us,” Murdock told SportsMax.TV.
“As you know, five doesn’t go in three, so it’s game on for a place in the medal matches. Still a major mountain to climb as five of the six teams are all in a position to still make the gold medal match. Only two can make it though, and so I expect all the teams to come battling hard today,” he added.
Jamaica’s day one performance already represents a significant step up from last year’s outing when they failed to win a single game. For that, Murdock, who is co-coaching with Nicole Aikin-Pinnock, expressed pleasure with the team’s display on Friday’s opening day.
“We are pleased with the performance of the ladies. We are from a country that loves winning so we were disappointed we never got three victories yesterday because that would have placed us in prime position heading into the two other matches today. We, however, are proud of how the ladies have performed so far,” he said.
Much like she did against the Australian Diamonds, Allison again scored a last-ditched six-pointer, to lift the Jamaicans over Malawi, in a contest where their East African counterparts lead for most of the way.
Sloppy ball handling by the Jamaicans, who led the first quarter 12-6, allowed Malawi to assert their authority from the second stanza onward.
It wasn’t until the backend of the third quarter that they started a rally and with a mere two points separating the teams in the closing stages of the fourth, Allison came up trumps with another big six-pointer in the powerplay seconds to end with 24 goals.
Captain and veteran goal-shooter Romelda Aiken-George scored 13 goals from 12 attempts, while Amanda Pinkney and Rhea Dixon both scored two goals.
However, they failed to repeat the heroics of their two earlier wins, as their shooting returns ran cold against a plucky South African team that burst their bubble.
Despite that, Murdock and his Sunshine Girls know a win over England and, or New Zealand would all put them in the final two.
“The mood heading into day two action is very positive. Of course there was a level of sadness from the ladies not being able to secure all three wins last evening, but we’ve placed that loss and yesterday behind us.
“It’s a new day, all teams start again, so we are focusing on trying to replicate or do better than how we performed in our first match yesterday. The game is about scoring goals, and so we’ve done what we can to ensure our shooters and the overall team got enough recovery to face the day ahead,” the coach shared.
Action is scheduled for 5:45pm Jamaica time.
Live coverage will be on SportsMax and SportsMax 2
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas was arrested Friday night and faces charges for simple battery and criminal mischief.
Thomas, 30, was arrested without incident after a confrontation with a construction worker near his home and was released late Friday night, police said.
Thomas is expected to travel with the team and play in Sunday’s game in Minnesota, multiple media outlets reported Saturday.
The Saints have not issued a statement about Thomas’ availability Sunday, saying only that the team is “aware of the incident and we are gathering information.”
According to police, Thomas was upset that a construction crew working on a nearby property had parked in front of his home. A construction worker told police that Thomas yelled at him and “verbally threatened to harm him.”
Thomas then threw a brick at the worker’s truck, police said, and knocked the man’s phone out of his hand so he would not be recorded on video.
A two-time All-Pro, Thomas has 38 catches for 439 yards this season, playing in each of the Saints’ nine games. The 2019 Offensive Player of the Year played in just 10 combined games in 2020-22 due to various injuries.
Katie Boulter backed “tough cookie” Jodie Burrage to bounce back from her nightmare Billie Jean King Cup debut.
Burrage has established herself as British number two this season and her first call-up for her country was long awaited but she collapsed under the weight of the occasion, losing 12 of the last 13 games against Sweden’s Kajsa Rinaldo Persson, who is ranked nearly 300 places lower than her.
The 6-4 6-1 scoreline was all the more disappointing given Burrage won the opening four games, and it put Britain in a difficult spot in a tie for which they are overwhelming favourites.
They ended the first day at London’s Copper Box level at 1-1 thanks to Boulter, who produced another convincing display in the competition, beating Caijsa Hennemann 6-2 6-1.
Boulter said of her good friend’s disappointment: “It’s part of tennis. There’s always going to be matches that we win and some that we lose and I think how you pick yourself up is what’s going to define you.
“She’s a tough cookie, I can assure you, she’s been through a lot of surgeries, she’s been through a lot of tough moments and she knows how to pick herself up.
“The girl played very, very well and we’ve got a battle going into tomorrow. They’re going to have a swing, they’ve got no pressure at all. We’re going to fight our little hearts out for it.”
Rankings often are not a great indicator of success in this competition and Burrage is far from the first player to fail to handle the occasion, but even by those standards this was some collapse.
She made 23 unforced errors in the first set alone, often missing by feet rather than inches as Persson reeled off eight games in a row.
Burrage fought back tears as she said: “I’m very proud to represent my country, I’m very disappointed that I didn’t get everyone a win today. That is going to stick with me for a while.
“It’s tough to take. I have not felt like this, and even the nerves before, ever, even stepping out onto Centre Court doesn’t compare to this.
“It’s so different when you’re playing for a team. That type of pressure I’ve never really understood before, and I don’t think you ever do until you do it. That’s why it hurts even more because I’m hurting for other people.”
Whether Burrage gets a chance to make amends on Sunday must be highly questionable, with captain Anne Keothavong also able to call upon the more experienced Harriet Dart or Heather Watson.
“Jodie’s earned the right to go out there,” said Keothavong. “She’s had a fantastic year. It’s going to be a tough one for her to take but she’s got to find a way to bounce back if she’s going to keep putting herself in positions for selection.
“As a former player, I feel for her. That court can feel really small. For that to happen in front of a home crowd, it’s a tough one for her to take, but she will bounce back and she will learn from this.”
Britain must win two of the three rubbers on Sunday to secure victory and maintain their position at the elite level of the competition.
Swedish captain Johanna Larsson, who is without her top two players because of injury, was quick to emphasise that all the pressure is on Britain.
“I would expect her to say that, and she’s right,” said Keothavong. “We’ve got some work to do tomorrow. Tonight we have to keep the positivity high and remember why we’re all here.”
Jack Draper set his sights on qualifying for the ATP Finals next season after narrowly failing to pick up a first tour title at the Sofia Open.
The 21-year-old was the youngest British player to reach an ATP Tour decider since Andy Murray in 2009 but he was unable to find a way past wily French veteran Adrian Mannarino.
Mannarino, 35, has been in excellent form and one break in the deciding set proved enough for him to secure a 7-6 (6) 2-6 6-3 victory in the Bulgarian capital.
But this week has been another reminder that, if fit, Draper can be a force at the top of the game and he believes he could be among the leading eight players in the world in 2024.
Citing the swift rise of last year’s Sofia runner-up Holger Rune, he told reporters in Bulgaria: “Hopefully that’s the same for me. Obviously I’m disappointed I lost in the final but I’ll keep working and hopefully I do well next year and can be in Turin.”
Draper dropped serve in the opening game but hit back straight away and there was nothing to choose between the pair until the first point against serve at 6-6 in the tie-break.
The powerful Englishman found the perfect response with a break at the start of the second set and looked to be in the ascendancy going into the third.
But Mannarino began to apply some consistent pressure to his serve and a break for 4-2 proved the crucial moment, with Draper unable to convert two chances in the final game.
It has nevertheless been an excellent week for the young Londoner, who was on a nine-match winning streak after lifting a title on the second tier Challenger Tour last week in Bergamo.
“I think there wasn’t much to it to be honest,” said Draper. “It was a really tight first set. Adrian’s obviously played a lot of matches this year. He’s having a great season. And fair play to him. I guess sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and today wasn’t my day.”
Draper’s rapid progress has stalled this season because of injury, notably a shoulder problem that caused him to miss Wimbledon, but he believes he used the time away wisely.
“I feel so motivated to want to work so hard every match for every point and compete well,” he said. “And I think with the time I’ve missed off the court, that really helps me coming on to the court, because I haven’t been able to have the opportunity to play as many events.
“I just had a long hard look at myself. I felt like there wasn’t much that I’d done wrong. Watching lots of the tennis was really difficult and seeing my ranking drop.
“But I went straight back to it, worked really hard on my physical state and worked hard mentally to get myself back in a position that, when I was fit, I was able to perform at the highest level again and be better than I was. I’m just proud of the way I’ve come back after such a tough year.”
Draper is next set to be in action in Great Britain’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Serbia in Malaga later this month, where it would be a big surprise if he was not given the nod as the second singles player.
Katie Boulter pulled Great Britain level in their Billie Jean King Cup play-off against Sweden after a nervous Jodie Burrage suffered a nightmare debut.
The 24-year-old appeared to have settled well when she opened up a 4-0 lead on Kajsa Rinaldo Persson, ranked nearly 300 places lower, in the first match at London’s Copper Box but she then lost eight games in a row and fell to a 6-4 6-1 defeat.
Britain were overwhelming favourites going into the tie to win it and stay at the elite level of the competition, with Sweden missing their two highest-ranked players through injury.
And they should yet find a way through after Boulter again proved a steady pair of hands, defeating 532nd-ranked Caijsa Hennemann 6-2 6-1 to leave the tie level at 1-1 heading into Sunday’s concluding day, where two more wins are needed to secure overall victory.
Whether Burrage gets another chance must be highly questionable, with captain Anne Keothavong also able to call upon the more experienced Harriet Dart or Heather Watson.
Rankings often are not a great indicator of success in this competition and Burrage is far from the first player to fail to handle the occasion, but even by those standards this was some collapse.
She made 23 unforced errors in the first set alone, often missing by feet rather than inches as Persson’s comeback gathered pace, and lost 12 of the last 13 games.
The occasion has been a long time in coming for Burrage, who was unhappy to be overlooked for the last two teams, and she fought back tears as she said: “This event is nothing like (anything else) in tennis.
“I’m very proud to represent my country, I’m very disappointed that I didn’t get everyone a win today. That is going to stick with me for a while.
“It’s tough to take. I have not felt like this, and even the nerves before, ever, even stepping out onto Centre Court doesn’t compare to this.
“It’s so different when you’re playing for a team. That type of pressure I’ve never really understood before, and I don’t think you ever do until you do it. That’s why it hurts even more because I’m hurting for other people.”
Boulter spoke about a full-circle moment on Friday after finally making it back into the top 100 this season, four years after the back injury she suffered in leading Britain to victory over Kazakhstan at the same venue, which ruled her out for more than six months.
There have never been any concerns about the 27-year-old’s ability to produce on the big stage and although, like Persson, Hennemann played well above her ranking, Boulter was able to overpower her from the back of the court.
The world number 58 opened up early leads in both sets and saved all five break points she faced.
Gesskille finally got his moment in the spotlight over Aintree’s Grand National fences with a brilliant performance in the BoyleSports Grand Sefton Handicap Chase.
Trained by Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, he was beaten a nose by Al Dancer in this race 12 months ago before again having to settle for second in the Becher Chase a month later.
However, there was nothing left to chance this time as Henry Brooke bounced out the seven-year-old and never missed a beat as he once again showed his love for the unique test the famous spruce presents.
At the elbow Gesskille held a narrow advantage over last year’s third Percussion and Laura Morgan’s charge was unable to reel in the 100-30 favourite, who kept on stoutly for a two-length victory.
Greenall said: “Courses like here and Auteuil seem to suit him – just the once round; he seems to get a bit sick of a tighter track and not enjoy it so much.
“He was quite sour when we first got him – he’s by Network and they can be a bit tricky, and they start racing quite young in France, and he likes something to brighten him up, like these fences.
“After finishing agonisingly close last year, winning this is more like a relief, really. The blinkers have definitely improved him. He needs to go up a bit more in the handicap to get into the Grand National, but he could be a contender.”
Another who thrives on Merseyside is Dan Skelton’s West Balboa (8-11 favourite), who claimed a competitive handicap at Aintree during the Grand National Festival and returned to win the BoyleSports Acca Boost On Horse Racing Hurdle.
It was a third-straight success for the improving seven-year-old, who also won the Lanzarote Hurdle last season, and her handler has big ambitions for later in the campaign.
Skelton said: “We needed to see she had stepped forward and to beat a horse like him (Brewin’upastorm) in what was effectively a graded race makes me very happy.
“This time of year horses are going to need a run and Harry said she took a blow. She had been working nicely at home, although as a stayer they are never going to burn the gallop up. Last year she improved a great deal from her first run and I hope she can from this.
“I’m not sure where we’ll go next. She’ll get an entry in the Long Walk (at Ascot) and see what the opposition looks like and also the Relkeel on New Year’s Day (at Cheltenham).
“We’d like to get her to Cheltenham this year and I’m confident she’ll be a more comfortable horse at three miles in the spring.”
Gentleman At Arms (9-1) was runner-up here in the Grade One Sefton Novices’ Hurdle in 2022 and made a welcome return to the winner’s enclosure in the Pertemps Network Handicap Hurdle.
The victory secures Stuart Edmunds’ charge a potential spot in the series final at Cheltenham in March, but the handler is unsure if he will make the final line-up for that contest.
“He was second here in the Sefton Novices’ Hurdle and he probably overachieved there,” said Edmunds.
“He was a fresh horse against tired horses from Cheltenham and it’s taken a while for him to get back to where he can be competitive again. I ran him over fences and probably scared him a bit – he’s not overly big and it might have just frightened him a little bit.
“I doubt he’d get into the Pertemps Final at Cheltenham, but there’ll be some nice handicaps for him. He can go on better ground than this as well. He’s a very versatile horse. He’s done us well.”
Lucinda Russell’s Giovinco (5-6 favourite) gave away a golden opportunity at Carlisle last time when making a mishap at the third last, but made amends by taking the BoyleSports Best Odds Guaranteed Novices’ Limited Handicap Chase.
Assistant trainer Michael Scudamore said: “Back on track. What happened the other day was frustrating, rather than anything else.
“He showed the engine was still there today, and with that weight (11st 10lb) and those conditions, it looked a good performance. He’s certainly put any questions in our heads to bed.
“He’s a beautiful-looking horse, very athletic, owned by a great bunch of people and has got plenty of nice targets to look forward to off the back of that. He obviously stays very well.”
There was a double on the card for Russell when Rocheval scored at 15-2 in the concluding BoyleSports Extra Place Races “Junior” National Hunt Flat Race.
Gordon Elliott enjoyed another good day at the office as the trainer claimed the first five races at Down Royal.
Elliott arrived on a high having sent out six winners at the track on Friday and he picked up where he left off in the opening Lisburn And Castlereagh City Council 3-Y-O Hurdle, with Jack Kennedy and 1-4 favourite Wodhooh hitting the target.
The filly is a former Flat performer and has won twice over hurdles since joining Elliott from Sir Michael Stoute, with this success likely to lead to a step up in grade.
Elliott said: “She’s tough and he (Kennedy) said it probably would have suited more if they had gone faster. He said he was kind of on his own in front and she was looking around her.
“She’s tough, she has won three now and she hasn’t done anything wrong.
“She will probably go to Newbury now for the Listed hurdle on December 2.”
Next was the turn of Down Memory Lane, a JP McManus-owned five-year-old who had a point-to-point and a bumper victory under his belt as he came into his hurdles debut the 2-7 favourite.
Under Derek O’Connor, the gelding won by three lengths despite a less than fluent jump at the last in the Tayto Group Maiden Hurdle.
“Derek was very happy but it wasn’t a wonderful race on paper, so you would be disappointed if he didn’t do that. I liked what I saw there,” Elliott said.
“We’ll get him home and see how he is and make a plan, I think we’ll stick to two miles at the moment.
“He has loads of boot and Derek seemed to be fairly happy, and he doesn’t say much, so he looks a good one.”
The Listed Haslem Hotel Handicap Hurdle was then won by Magic Tricks and Carl Millar, a two-length triumph at odds of 5-1.
“Carl gave him a nice ride, he’s got a chance this young lad. He’s with us a couple of years and he has waited his turn and is working hard,” Elliott said.
“He was riding ponies around Dublin two years ago and has come on a long way. He’s going to get plenty of chances. In fairness, he did exactly what we told him to do.
“He (Magic Tricks) has had a few problems, but it is great to do that. Cheekpieces might have helped him today.
“If he didn’t win today, I was going to go chasing with him, but I don’t know now – we’ll see.”
Gerri Colombe obliged in the feature Ladbrokes Champion Chase, after which Elliott scored for a final time on the card as Kennedy and Ash Tree Meadow won a two-runner renewal of the Grade Two racingtv.com/freetrial Chase as the 8-15 favourite.
“We didn’t put him in the John Durkan. We will probably give him a break now as he has been in all summer and we will train him back for some of the Grand Nationals next year,” Elliott said.
“I could run him in the Grand National (at Aintree) in the spring. We were going to go to the American Grand National with him, but he is a French-bred and couldn’t go with his bloods.”
Elliott also sent out two winners at Gowran, taking his tally over the two days to 13.
He added: “A great day but, as I said before, I am very lucky with the horses I have and all the staff. I’m delighted for all the owners too.”
Rubaud brought up a fabulous Wincanton four-timer for Paul Nicholls with a dominant display in the JenningsBet Elite Hurdle.
Sent off the 1-2 favourite in the hands of Harry Cobden, the five-year-old was always to the fore and dealt with the brief challenge of Gary Moore’s Hansard with the minimum of fuss to run out a four-and-a-quarter-length winner.
It was Rubaud’s fourth successive victory having thrived at Kempton on his reappearance and he now looks set for a potential clash with Constitution Hill at the Sunbury track in the Christmas Hurdle.
“He is just improving rapidly,” said Nicholls. “He goes a gallop, he jumps and he quickens. He sprinted away from the back of the last there and you wouldn’t know what is in the back of the tank. We like improving horses like that.
“It was a nice race at Kempton Park and he has improved since then. I loved the way he quickened over the back of the second last after he winged that. I could see Harry was sat in front just waiting.
“The plan is to go to the Christmas Hurdle on Boxing Day then come back here for the Kingwell after Christmas. When they start improving, you don’t know where they will end up and the Christmas Hurdle will give us a marker where we are.
“Someone has got to take Constitution Hill on. We will go there and if we finished second we will be delighted.
“He will be a lovely two-mile chaser next season. We will just pick our races this season with him.”
Knappers Hill proved a fitting winner for the champion trainer as he carried the famous colours of Nicholls’ late landlord and great friend Paul Barber to victory in the Boodles “Rising Stars” Novices’ Chase.
The seven-year-old is now owned by Barber’s sons, Chris and Giles, in partnership with Paul Vogt and last year’s Elite Hurdle winner produced an exceptional display to open his account over fences and score on the card for the second year running.
The victory enhanced the trainer’s exceptional record in the race, with Betfair cutting Knappers Hill to 20-1 from 33-1 for the Turners Novices’ Chase at the Cheltenham Festival.
Nicholls said: “It is great that all of Paul’s family are here today. Paul would have been proud of that. He has been so good to me, and I’ve missed him a lot this year. He left a big hole in my life. This has been the target, to try to win this.
“I’m a bit emotional really as Paul would have loved that. He loved that horse as well. He went to see him every day. To see him win in his colours, he would have absolutely loved that. That was brilliant.
“We purchased him together at the Goffs Land Rover (stores) sale and he has just never stopped winning. He will run in Paul’s colours this season which is brilliant. The boys will love this.”
Nicholls suggested Newbury’s Coral John Francome Novices’ Chase on December 1 as a possible next port of call.
The Ditcheat handler got on the scoreboard in the very first race when Meatloaf took the EBF Stallions “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle in taking fashion.
A bumper winner at the track in the spring, this was the perfect hurdling bow and his handler believes he could be a Grade One operator before the season ends.
Nicholls said: ““He is a smart horse and I like him a lot. He won two races last season, and he was not beaten not far at Cheltenham (on New Year’s Day). He will get better with experience.
“He is sharp and two miles is fine for him. He might even progress to run at Aintree in that Grade One (Formby Novices’ Hurdle on Boxing Day).”
Nicholls’ afternoon got even better in the Boodles Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Chase when Huelgoat wore down 3-1 favourite Enjoy Your Life.
It continued a fine weekend for conditional rider Freddie Gingell, who won Friday’s Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter, and the champion trainer was eager to praise the young jockey.
He said: “He was on the floor at the cross fence, but it ended up being a good result. Freddie gave him a super ride. I’ve sort of aimed him at this race.”
Nicholls was denied a five-timer when Fergal O’Brien’s 7-2 favourite Horaces Pearl edged out Ditcheat’s Roman Roy in the concluding Join The Harry Fry Racing Syndicate Open National Hunt Flat Race, while Anthony Honeyball supplemented his victory in the feature Badger Beer Chase by claiming the JenningsBet Richard Barber Memorial Mares’ Handicap Hurdle with 18-1 shot Good Luck Charm.
Brian Ellison made the most of switch to the all-weather for the Virgin Bet November Handicap as Onesmoothoperator enjoyed a fortuitous victory.
The contest is usually the finale of the British Flat season on the turf at Doncaster, but flooding forced the fixture on to Newcastle’s synthetic surface instead.
The move inspired Ellison to enter his five-year-old in the race and veto an intended run in a Sedgefield novices’ hurdle.
The decision proved a wise one as Onesmoothoperator, who had raced in midfield under Ben Robinson, snuck through on the inside rail in the final furlong.
From there he locked horns with Charlie Johnston’s Struth but came out on top to succeed at odds of 15-2 by a neck.
Ellison said “We weren’t even going to run him in it until it got switched to here, we were going to take him to Sedgefield for a novice hurdle!
“We bought him to go hurdling. This has been a lucky race for me, I’ve won it three times now.
“He likes it here, though, he needs them to go a strong gallop and he got a brilliant ride. He made his move around the top bend and you know you have to be up the rail.
“I think the horse has deserved a big one because he’s a funny one, you have to ride him for luck. Luckily enough today they got racing early and it all worked out.
“More than likely we’ll still go hurdling but he must have good ground. He’s an absolutely brilliant jumper.
“We’ve run him once over hurdles but they absolutely walked round and that was no good to him, he finished second. We might give him a pop just for a change. We’ll see what’s around.”
Jack Draper missed out on a first ATP Tour title as he was edged out by Adrian Mannarino in the final of the Sofia Open.
The 21-year-old was the youngest British player to reach an ATP Tour decider since Andy Murray in 2009 but he was unable to find a way past the wily French veteran.
Mannarino, 35, has been in excellent form and one break in the deciding set proved enough for him to secure a 7-6 (6) 2-6 6-3 victory in the Bulgarian capital.
Draper dropped serve in the opening game but hit back straight away and there was nothing to choose between them until the first point against serve at 6-6 in the tie-break.
The powerful Englishman found the perfect response with a break at the start of the second set and looked to be in the ascendancy going into the third.
But Mannarino began to apply some consistent pressure to his serve and a break for 4-2 proved the crucial moment, with Draper unable to convert two chances in the final game.
It has nevertheless been an excellent week for the young Londoner, who was on a nine-match winning streak after lifting a title on the second tier Challenger Tour last week in Bergamo.
Draper is next set to be in action in Great Britain’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Serbia in Malaga later this month, where it would be a big surprise if he was not given the nod as second singles player.
Jodie Burrage suffered a nightmare Billie Jean King Cup debut as hot favourites Great Britain fell behind against Sweden at London’s Copper Box.
The visitors were without their top two players through injury, leaving 372nd-ranked Kajsa Rinaldo Persson as their number one, but she overcame a rankings gap of nearly 300 places to defeat Burrage 6-4 6-1 in the opening rubber of the play-off tie.
Burrage had led 4-0 in the first set but from there completely collapsed, losing eight games in a row and 12 of the next 13 as Sweden took a 1-0 lead.
Burrage was unhappy to miss out on selection for the last two teams and had more than justified her debut with a strong season, breaking into the top 100 for the first time and establishing herself as the clear British number two behind Katie Boulter.
She could not have asked for a better start, saving break points in the opening game and then breaking serve twice in a row.
But Burrage’s confidence proved fragile and the occasion began to overwhelm her as Persson worked her way calmly back into the set.
Routine shots from the 24-year-old were flying yards long and her unforced error count hit 23 as a sixth game in a row went the way of Persson.
The capacity crowd of 5,500 tried to lift her in the second set and she finally stopped the run of games against her to make it 1-2, but she could not mount a comeback, with Persson now playing well above her lowly ranking.
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