No horse had a better record in the Clarence House Chase than Un De Sceaux, with Willie Mullins’ warrior winning the Ascot Grade One three times.
Known as a tearaway in his early days, he was eventually tamed by Ruby Walsh and, upon his retirement, then ridden just as masterfully by Paul Townend.
He arrived from France having won two AQPS bumpers in 2012 by an aggregate of 27 lengths and quickly became a fan favourite due to his front-running exploits.
By the time he retired due to injury in 2020, he had won 23 of his 34 races under rules, 10 at Grade One level – and he is now happily living his best life back in France, with plenty of zest still on display.
He was owned by the late Edward O’Connell, whose son Colm said: “We’re in contact quite a bit with the family who have him.
“He’s put on a lot of weight, like everyone who retires! But he’s in great condition – he’s got some constitution, there’s never anything wrong with him, he’s never sick and he’s a zero-maintenance type of a horse, he’s incredible.
“The last I heard, they had a filly that was in the field with him and she was quite headstrong as well. I think Un De Sceaux was trying to teach her his ways, as they were literally bolting around the field together, so when people ask has he calmed down, the answer is no!
“I said to myself ‘if he’s teaching her how to race, she could be very interesting in a couple of years’. He has his own routine and no matter who goes and sees him, he’s still wild.
“It’s a good retirement for him. Racing needs stories like his, there’s enough bad news in racing but for 99.9 per cent of the time, this is what happens when racing is over, and rightly so.
“For him to go back to where he was born and grew up, it’s a fairytale. My family have been over to see him and they absolutely love him over in France, I think they like the fact that they’ve got him back.”
While the growing trend these days seems to be for the biggest names in National Hunt racing to have as easy a time as possible before the spring festivals, that could never be levelled at Un De Sceaux.
So much so that O’Connell believes he could have added to his two Cheltenham wins in the Arkle and Ryanair had he not regularly taken in the Clarence House en route – but he would not have had it any other way.
“We loved our visits to Ascot – and to Sandown and Cheltenham as well, but especially Ascot, because it just seemed to suit him there,” said O’Connell.
“Ironically, though, his win in the Clarence House that impressed me most was 2017, when it was run at Cheltenham because of frost.
“That was because he travelled over to Ascot on the Thursday from Willie’s, he left Saturday night, arrived back Sunday morning and left for Cheltenham the following Wednesday; he ran, won, and then came home. If you’d done that yourself, you’d think it was a pain.
“I went to Cheltenham that day but I thought it would be very hard to win, given all his travelling, but it didn’t knock him a bit and he beat Alan King’s horse Uxizandre by five lengths.
“What I thought though, the two years he won the Clarence House at Ascot (20016 and 2018), he then got beaten at Cheltenham and I think that was because he gave absolutely everything at Ascot.
“The first time, Sprinter Sacre beat him on good ground, no disgrace in that, and then Balko Des Flos beat him the other year.
“He won three Clarence Houses and was second in another, his final ever race when Defi Du Seuil beat him, who was five years younger than him. He’d also beaten us in the Tingle Creek.
“I would have loved to have won four because I don’t think any horse will ever win four. No one might win three again, it takes an awful lot of work. I certainly don’t think another horse trained in Ireland will ever win three Clarence Houses again.
“Maybe Ascot will name a race after him, who knows. It would be fitting.”
As well as three Clarence Houses and his Cheltenham wins, he won Punchestown’s Champion Chase twice, a Tingle Creek and the Prix La Barka at Auteuil – and had the misfortune of straddling the eras of Sprinter Sacre and Altior.
“He was such a warrior, and when you think of the horses he came up against, it was a golden era. He raced against Sprinter Sacre, Altior, Sire De Grugy, Douvan, Min. Some very good two-milers,” said O’Connell.
“When Sprinter Sacre beat us in the Queen Mother (2016), we put it down to tactics – and going to Sandown afterwards, we thought we’d change it up a bit and were quietly confident, but we got it handed to us that day. He was a phenomenal horse, Sprinter Sacre.
“I remember in one of his Clarence House wins, he ran against Speredek, who must have been 20 lengths clear at one stage, but Paul Townend just sat and sat and gradually reeled him in. It was bad ground and he seemed to effortlessly plough through it.
“He went to Cheltenham after that and just wasn’t quite at his best, I think that Ascot race left a mark, but at that time of year, he was unbeatable.
“The Clarence House is such a great race. It takes some going to get up that hill from Swinley Bottom, and Ascot is such a great place. You have the Ascot factor.”
All eyes will again be on the Ascot race this weekend, and O’Connell will be a keen onlooker.
“This year’s race looks a cracker,” he said.
“We all know what Jonbon is, we just don’t know what El Fabiolo is. We’re still rating him on what he could be. I’d say it’s a genuine 50-50 call because Jonbon has come out and won an open Grade One already. I think I’d back whichever was the bigger price!”
Monday’s meeting at Hereford and Tuesday’s fixture at Plumpton are both subject to morning inspections as racecourses across Britain brace themselves for freezing temperatures this week.
While racing over the weekend was unaffected, a forecast for snow and ice in the coming days looks set to have a significant impact on the National Hunt programme.
An 8am precautionary inspection has been called ahead of Hereford’s Monday jumps card, but clerk of the course John Holliday is “optimistic” racing will go ahead.
He said: “We’re due to get down to minus 2C tonight, so it’s not going to be too drastic I don’t think, so I’m pretty optimistic.
“We’ve called the precautionary inspection to be on the safe side. Our biggest problem is it’s not going to get very warm – it’s only due to get up to 3C at about 1pm on Monday and then it starts getting cold again.
“If it’s frozen in the morning I should think we’re in trouble, but I’m fairly confident. We haven’t had a frost yet, so it’s not like we’ve had two or three on the bounce, which is always worse.
“We’ve covered vulnerable areas and most of the hurdles track as well.”
Tuesday’s meeting at Plumpton is subject to an 8.30am inspection on raceday morning.
The course has been frost free since Friday, but the mercury is forecast to dip below freezing on Monday morning and temperatures could get as low as minus 3C on Monday night.
Jodie Burrage was left frustrated by a lengthy toilet break taken by opponent Tamara Korpatsch and her own inability to prevent a collapse on her Australian Open debut.
The British number two admitted it was “panic stations” as the first-round match slipped away from her at Melbourne Park.
Burrage dominated the first set against her German opponent but Korpatsch, who was beaten by Emma Raducanu in the first round here 12 months ago, turned things around after heading to the bathroom and eventually ran away with a 2-6 6-3 6-0 defeat.
The tactical use of toilet breaks has been a hot topic in recent seasons, and players now only have three minutes, but that does not count the time walking to and from the court.
“I’m not sure why it was so long,” said Burrage. “I did ask (the umpire), and he said, ‘Yes, she’s used her three minutes, she’s just on her way back’. But then that took another few minutes. I get that it’s a big park, though, so maybe it just took a long time for her to get there.
“You’ve just got to keep playing matches and get used to how you want to deal with when your opponent is changing up the rhythm of it and trying to disrupt your rhythm, which is what she did in the second and third (sets) because it seemed like every change it was something different, whether it was her shoe or her rackets or towel.”
Burrage earned her spot in the main draw here for the first time after breaking into the top 100 last season and she played with confidence and purpose to take the opening set as the year’s first grand slam made its maiden Sunday start.
But, as Korpatsch steadied and the wind picked up, Burrage’s unforced error count began to rise.
She had her chances in the second set but could not take them and the third quickly ran away from her in a slew of mistakes.
Burrage was left with plenty to mull over, principally how to feel like she belongs at the top level and how to make her game more robust.
“I found it tough to serve in that wind and just my game in general,” said the 24-year-old, who lost twice to Korpatsch last season.
“I tried to adjust as much as possible but, when you hit a bigger ball I guess and don’t grind it out, when it gets windy, it’s not as easy to play, but that’s just what I need to learn to do. I need to learn to have a bit of a plan B because there was no plan B there today.
“When someone just stops missing and puts balls in court, it’s not easy to have the confidence to hit through them. I need to learn how to back myself on the court because at the moment I don’t in those situations.
“You could see it today. It was just absolutely panic stations at some point. So that’s what all of these experiences and being at this level and hitting with these types of players, you just get more experiences like that.
“I can play at a high level. It’s just getting it for two hours instead of 45 minutes.”
Matteo Berrettini pulled out of the Australian Open without playing a match as his injury woes continued.
The former Wimbledon finalist had been due to face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the first round on Rod Laver Arena on Monday in one of the plum ties of the first round.
But on Sunday afternoon the tournament announced he had withdrawn with a right foot injury, making it the fourth time in the last eight grand slam tournaments where he has not been able to play a match.
The popular Italian, a semi-finalist in Melbourne in 2022, has been off the tour since suffering an ankle injury during his second-round match against Arthur Rinderknech at the US Open.
He had previously missed the French Open because of an abdominal injury, while in 2022 he also sat out Roland Garros following hand surgery and then tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of Wimbledon.
Once ranked as high as world number six, the 27-year-old, beaten by Djokovic in the Wimbledon final in 2021, is now down at 125.
He has been replaced in the draw by Belgian lucky loser Zizou Bergs, who will take on Tsitsipas on Monday.
Fourth seed Jannik Sinner, one of the favourites for the title following his stellar end to 2023, began his campaign with a straight-sets win over Botic Van De Zandschulp.
Sinner, who beat Djokovic twice in a matter of days at the ATP Finals and Davis Cup in November, was a 6-4 7-5 6-3 winner on Rod Laver Arena.
The Italian did not play a warm-up tournament after his late finish to last season, and he said: “I feel like I started off actually really well for the first match.
“Then after, I had some moments where I made a couple of wrong choices, but this can happen. Even if you made maybe some matches, this can happen. Maybe you are a little bit tired sometimes.
“It was important today for me because I was looking forward to stepping on the court.”
Former finalist Marin Cilic played his first grand slam match since the US Open in 2022 following knee surgery but was beaten in four sets by Hungary’s Fabian Marozsan.
Former Olympic road race champion Nicole Cooke retired from cycling with immediate effect on this day in 2013.
Cooke was a trailblazer for cycling in Britain and in 2008 became the first rider, male or female, to win Olympic and world road race gold in the same year.
Announcing the decision to call time on her 13-year career, the 10-time British champion said: “My time in the sport is finished. I am very happy with my career.
“I have many, many happy memories over what has been my life’s work since I was 12. I have won every race and more that I dreamed I could win.”
Her speech did not shy away from the dark side of cycling, however, addressing at length the doping scandals prevalent in the sport as well as the barriers to female riders.
Cooke, who retired at the age of 29, was a four-time world junior champion.
After turning professional, she won gold at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, before becoming the youngest rider to win the Giro d’Italia – aged 21 – in 2004 following on from triumph at the 2003 World Cup.
Cooke won Britain’s maiden gold of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing in heavy rain by the Great Wall of China – the first claimed by a Welsh athlete since 1972 – and backed that up with World Championship gold later that year in Italy.
Four years on, she was part of the team as Lizzie Armitstead won road race silver for Britain’s first medal of London 2012.
Cooke had thought she could put an indifferent four years behind her and mount a defence of her title, but finished only 31st.
Following her retirement, British Cycling president Brian Cookson said: “There is no doubt that Nicole has been a pioneering force in women’s cycling.”
Jayson Tatum had 27 points and eight rebounds before he was ejected and the Boston Celtics remained unbeaten at home with a 145-113 victory over former coach Ime Udoka and the Houston Rockets on Saturday.
Jaylen Brown scored 32 points and Payton Pritchard added 19 to help the Celtics improve to 19-0 at home this season with their 26th straight regular-season home win.
Cam Whitmore scored 22 points and Alperen Sengun had 19 with 10 rebounds for Houston, which dropped to .500 with their third loss in four games.
Udoka was coaching in Boston for the first time since he was suspended, and then fired, on the eve of the 2022-23 season for inappropriate workplace behaviour.
Surging Jazz defeat Lakers
Lauri Markkanen tallied 29 points, nine rebounds and five assists to help the Utah Jazz stay hot with a 132-123 win over the slumping Los Angeles Lakers.
Collin Sexton scored 27 points and Jordan Clarkson added 21 as the Jazz won their fifth straight overall and eighth in a row art home.
With LeBron James out with a left ankle injury, D’Angelo Russell picked up the slack with a season-high 39 points and eight assists. Anthony Davis had a triple-double with 15 points, 15 boards and 10 assists but shot 5 of 21 from the field as the Lakers dropped their sixth in eight games.
Win gives Thunder share of West lead
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 37 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the short-handed Orlando Magic, 112-100 for tie for the Western Conference lead.
Jalen Williams scored 16 points and Chet Holmgren had 15 to help the Thunder win their fourth straight and match Minnesota with a 27-11 record.
Paolo Banchero had 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, but the Magic dropped their third in a row. They played without Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Markelle Fultz, Gary Harris and Joe Ingles.
The Kansas City Chiefs outlasted the Miami Dolphins in freezing conditions to take a step towards a fourth Super Bowl appearance in five years.
With the temperature at a near-NFL-record low of minus 20C, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was instrumental in leading his side to a dominant 26-7 victory.
Mahomes threw for 262 yards and a touchdown without turning the ball over on a night where rushing was the focal point of Kansas City’s offence.
The strategy paid off as the Chiefs opened the scoring in the first few minutes and stayed in front from there.
An injury-depleted Miami was far from their high-scoring best, finishing with just 264 total yards as the Dolphins remain without a play off victory since 2000.
The cold weather wreaked havoc across the first day of the super wild card round, with the matchup between the Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers in Buffalo being rescheduled to Monday due to a potentially dangerous snowstorm.
Elsewhere, CJ Stroud threw for three touchdowns as the Houston Texans demolished the Cleveland Browns 45-14.
Stroud racked up 274 yards in the air without a turnover, while Browns quarterback Joe Flacco was picked off twice in the heavy loss.
Evan Bouchard scored on a power play 2:01 into overtime to lift the Edmonton Oilers to their franchise-record 10th straight victory, 2-1 over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.
Leon Draisaitl had the other goal and Stuart Skinner stopped 23 shots as the Oilers improved to 18-3-0 in their last 21 games.
Connor McDavid assisted on the winning goal, giving him a 10-game point streak with five goals and 11 assists.
Draisaitl has seven goals and four assists during the win streak and Skinner has won seven straight starts with a .951 save percentage.
Cole Caufield scored and Sam Montembault made 39 saves for the Canadiens, who lost for the seventh time in nine games.
Kraken rally for 9th straight victory
Jared McCann scored two goals and set up another and the Seattle Kraken rallied for a 7-4 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets, their ninth in a row.
Oliver Bjorkstrand had a goal and two assists and Brian Dumoulin added a goal and an assist for the Kraken, who have the longest win streak in the franchise’s three-year history. Seattle is 11-0-2 in its past 13 games, a stretch that directly followed an eight-game losing streak.
Joey Daccord made 30 saves to win his eighth consecutive start, posting a 1.49 goals-against average in that span.
Devils snap Panthers’ 9-game winning streak
Nico Daws turned aside 35 shots and Alexander Holtz and Jesper Bratt scored first-period goals as the New Jersey Devils stopped the Florida Panthers’ 9-game winning streak, 4-1.
Erik Haula and John Marino had the other goals for the Devils, who improved to 6-2-1 in their last nine games.
Sam Reinhart tallied his 31st goal as Florida tasted defeat for the first time since Dec. 21. He has 13 goals in his last 10 games and has scored in each of the last six.
Matthew Tkachuk assisted on the goal to extend his point streak to eight games (seven goals, 10 assists).
Jodie Burrage was unable to build on a good start as her Australian Open debut ended with a first-round loss to German Tamara Korpatsch.
Burrage earned her spot in the main draw for the first time with a strong year in 2023 and she played with confidence and purpose to take the opening set as the year’s first grand slam made its maiden Sunday start.
But, as Korpatsch steadied, Burrage’s unforced error count began to rise and it was the German who came through 2-6 6-3 6-0.
The pair had met twice in the closing months of last season, with Korpatsch winning both, but Burrage knew she had the power advantage and she used it well in the first set.
The 24-year-old served strongly and seized on her opponent’s weaker delivery to break twice.
She was in the ascendancy again to start the second set but Korpatsch hung on and the momentum began to swing as the German, who had looked uncomfortable and unsettled, asked Burrage more questions.
The British number two had chances to get back on serve at the end of the second but could not take them and the decider quickly ran away from her in a slew of errors.
Holger Rune believes he should be considered among the favourites to win a grand slam in 2024.
The 20-year-old Dane enjoyed a strong campaign last year, winning one title and reaching the finals of the Masters in Rome and Monte-Carlo.
Rune got this season off to a good start too, reaching the final of the Brisbane International, which he lost in straight sets to Grigor Dimitrov.
World number eight Rune will be aiming to go one further at the Australian Open, with his campaign starting against Yoshihito Nishioka.
While Opta's predictive model gives Rune just a one per cent chance of going all the way in Melbourne, he is confident he can claim his maiden major title this year.
"I believe that I am a contender to win a grand slam next year," he told Stats Perform.
"It's going to take a lot of work, but I've sacrificed a lot and I'm trusting the process every day and coming out of my comfort zone.
"Every practice is physical and trying to improve mentally also so if I do better next year it won't surprise me."
It is not just the four majors on the cards this season, but a potential medal at the Paris Olympics.
Rune added: "Yeah, it's going to be a very exciting season. There's a lot of chances next year for grand slams, for the Olympics, and I'm going to go for it.
"I'm going to go to every tournament that I can.
"[The Olympics mean] a lot, everything. With the grand slams, it's the biggest thing in tennis. It's every fourth year, so it's very rare.
"I think if you ask me whether I'd rather win a grand slam or the Olympics, I think I'll still say a grand slam, but the second thing I would say is the Olympics. It's a massive event."
With a potentially dangerous winter storm headed toward Buffalo, New York, the NFL was forced to postpone the wild-card playoff game between the Bills and visiting Pittsburgh Steelers.
The game, originally scheduled for 1 p.m. EST on Sunday, was moved to 4:30 p.m. EST on Monday after New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued a full travel ban for the Buffalo area.
Some meteorologists have projected that the incoming storm could produce lake effect snow accumulations of one to three feet with high winds and limited visibility.
The NFL has had its eye on weather forecasts all week. Saturday night, the Miami Dolphins visit the Chiefs in Kansas City, where the kickoff temperature is projected to be below -2 degrees Fahrenheit.
Winter weather could also affect fan travel in Detroit, where the Lions host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night under the cozy dome at Ford Field.
Michael Malone revelled in another brilliant display from Nikola Jokic after the Denver Nuggets talisman starred against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Jokic finished with 27 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds to record his 10th career triple-double against the Pelicans in a 125-113 home victory for Denver on Friday.
The highlight of the two-time MVP's performance was a blind, behind-the-back, over-the-head pass towards the end of the first half, which Aaron Gordon latched onto at the rim.
And coach Malone saw echoes of NBA great Magic Johnson in Jokic's moment of brilliance.
He said: "I didn't imagine the behind-the-back, over-the-head pass.
"When you’re a young kid watching NBA basketball, that's Magic Johnson, that's 'Pistol' Pete Maravich, the guys that just had this pizazz to their game.
"Nikola can beat you a lot of ways and that was definitely one of the best passes I've seen him make."
Jokic explained: "I just saw him for a blink of an eye, and I just wanted to pass to him as soon as I can.
"Because he's open in that moment, not a moment after that. So, that was the quickest way to pass him the ball."
Reflecting on the Nuggets' performance as they bounced back from a defeat to the Utah Jazz, Jokic, who has now had 12 triple-doubles this season and is shooting 79.3 percent over his last eight games, added: "We played a little bit faster, I think.
"We were the ones who were aggressive. We pushed the pace. I think that was the difference."
Zion Williamson scored 30 points for the Pelicans, but New Orleans was left to lament a poor start in which the Nuggets scored 37 points.
Pelicans coach Willie Green said: "They got off to an early start in this building.
"They had a 37-point first quarter to 25, now it's an uphill battle the rest of the game. That's something they do well.
"They get off to early starts and then they played with a lead. We've got to be better starting a game."
The Nuggets (27-13) are third in the Western Conference, four spots ahead of the Pelicans (23-16). Denver has a 16-4 record at home going into their next game against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
Klay Thompson felt the Golden State Warriors "had to win" as they produced an impressive second-half comeback to defeat the Chicago Bulls.
The Warriors rallied for a 140-131 win at United Center, erasing a 13-point halftime deficit with a strong turnaround.
Thompson scored 30 points and there were 27 from Stephen Curry, although 15 of those points came in the fourth quarter as he overcame a slow start.
Golden State improved to 18-20 after Thompson drained seven 3-pointers, with Curry hitting six from deep.
The Warriors dominated the third quarter 48-20 and led by 15 entering the fourth after Chicago had raced ahead in the first half, when they scored a season-high 72 points.
It was a key win with further road games against the Milwaukee Bucks, Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz up next for the Warriors.
"This was a game we felt we had to win, especially with the upcoming road trip," Thompson said, per NBC Sports Bay Area.
"When our spirit is right, things tend to go our way. Those last two games, we just felt like they were anomalies of the season.
"We have been fighting so hard, with so many close battles lost. We were not discouraged. We know that it is a long season with ebbs and flows.
"Even though we got beat probably a combined 100 [points], we responded."
Curry finished just 8 of 24 from the field, but did have nine assists, while Jonathan Kuminga added 24 points from the bench as Golden State won despite being without Moses Moody, Chris Paul, Gary Payton II and Draymond Green.
Green is working on his conditioning after his recent suspension.
"I can't wait until Draymond is back," added Thompson. "We are not the Warriors without him.
"Hopefully within these next couple of games, maybe Memphis or Utah would be great. I think he makes the biggest impact defensively."
The Bulls fell to 18-22 despite a game-high 39 points from DeMar DeRozan, while Zach LaVine and Coby White scored 25 points each.
"They did a great job adjusting, coming out and changing up the game plan," DeRozan said about Warriors' turnaround.
"You can never count them out no matter how big of a lead we have."
The Warriors are 12th in the Western Conference as they fight to reach the playoff positions in the standings.
"It is nice to win a game like that where I know individually I can shoot the ball better but we won a game collectively," Curry said.
"We have a standard that we want to live up to for ourselves.
"We are not going to win every game, but you just want to play better and I think we did that."
Coach Steve Kerr was impressed with the response after the Warriors were booed in the big home losses against the Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans this week.
He said: "The whole group, the whole team, was just committed to 'Let's go out and win'.
"I'm very proud of them. They have taken a lot of heat; we have all taken a lot of heat this past week. Deservedly so. But this is what you do as a pro. A lot of these guys are champions. You have got to respond, and they did.
"We got off track emotionally and spiritually the last couple of games. Our fans could feel it. We got booed for the first time since I've been here, 10 years.
"And, as I said, both nights we deserved it because our energy and our competitive spirit were not there. We found that again."
Klay Thompson scored 30 points in one of his best performances of the season, Jonathan Kuminga scored 24 off the bench and the Golden State Warriors beat the Chicago Bulls 140-131 on Friday, bouncing back from a pair of troubling losses.
The Warriors trailed 75-62 at half-time but outscored the Bulls 48-20 in the third quarter to seize the lead.
Golden State flew to Chicago after a 2-5 home-stand that ended with a 141-105 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.
Thompson shot 9 of 19 from the field, including 7 for 15 from 3-point range, and added six rebounds and six assists.
Kuminga was 9 for 12 from the floor and made all four of his 3-point attempts. Stephen Curry scored 27 despite 8-of-24 shooting.
DeMar DeRozan 39 for the Bulls, whose three-game winning streak came to an end.
Wembanyama, Spurs spoil LaMelo Ball’s return
Victor Wembanyama had 26 points and 11 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs routed the Charlotte Hornets 135-99, souring LaMelo Ball’s return from a right ankle injury.
Ball, who last played on Nov. 26, scored 28 points, dished out five assists and had five steals in 27 minutes of action.
Wembanyama needed just 20 minutes on the court to get his numbers as the Spurs won back-to-back games for the first time since Nov. 2.
Friday’s game was billed as the first matchup between Wembanyama, the first pick in last year’s draft, and No. 2 pick Brandon Miller, but Miller exited after just nine minutes with a lower back contusion.
Jokic has another triple-double as Nuggets beat Pelicans
Nikola Jokic recorded his 12th triple-double of the season and continued his red-hot shooting streak as the Denver Nuggets beat the New Orleans Pelicans 125-113.
Jokic finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists and shot 11 for 17 from the field. The reigning Finals MVP is shooting 79.3 percent over his last eight games.
Zion Williamson scored 30 in the loss for the Pelicans.
Ben Sutton did his best John Wayne impression to win on Santos Blue at Wetherby, helping trainer Dan Skelton to a double at the course and a six-timer on the afternoon.
Sutton lost an iron between the second-last and the final flight in the William Hill Pick Your Places Handicap Hurdle and decided he would be better off with none than one.
It made for a rather uncomfortable finish for the amateur jockey, but it paid off as the 15-8 favourite beat Foster’sisland by two and a quarter lengths.
“All the way, he jumped so slick and quick, but at the second last he went one stride too long and I lost my right iron,” said Sutton.
“I saw the other horse come upsides and I knew there was one more to jump and I’ve seen on the TV recently guys riding with no irons and I knew there was no time to get it back, as I’d lose ground.
“I kicked it out and Harry (Skelton) always says legs and arms, so I squeezed with my legs and he came up for me and I just hoped he’d keep galloping, which he did. He’s an absolute legend.
“He’s owned and bred by my dad (Nick) and I’m sure he’s delighted – someone said I looked just like him riding a finish!
“That’s 12 winners for me now and three just this week.”
Mount Tempest was Skelton’s first winner at Wetherby in the William Hill Epic Value Handicap Chase.
He headed into his last race at Sandown with questions to answer but a change to forcing tactics saw him win there and he defied a 5lb rise with ease, winning by eight lengths as the 15-8 favourite under Fergus Gillard.
“He’s an improving horse but he has to have his mind made up for him, ridden from the front he’s a different proposition,” said Jason Fildes of owners Highclere Thoroughbred Racing.
“We only ever put the blinkers on him at the racecourse. We came up here Charlie Hall day and rode him to get the trip and he just sulked.
“He likes to try to boss the race, hanging around at the back is no good for him.
“I thought Fergus gave him a super ride. Last time at Sandown, Harry (Skelton) did the same and I’d have thought now we know what he wants – two miles with cut in the ground – Dan can have a look for some nice races.
“This was a really nice pot to win (£25,000 race) and getting a bit of weight in ground like that is no bad thing. Dan’s record at Wetherby is very good.”
Sao Carlos showed a good attitude to open his account over obstacles at the second time of asking in the wetherbyracing.co.uk Maiden Hurdle.
A bumper winner in December 2022, he was having his first run for almost a year when fourth on his hurdling debut at Lingfield.
Olly Murphy’s charge travelled sweetly until the second last but for half a furlong he was not responding to Gavin Sheehan’s urgings, as Goldwyn hit the front.
When the penny dropped, Sao Carlos began to power home and the 2-1 joint-favourite beat Spit Spot by a length and a quarter.
Sheehan said: “I loved how he went through the race, he gave me a really classy feel, but when he came off the bridle, it took a bit of time for the penny to drop.
“When I did ask him, he put his head down and galloped and it felt a good contest to me.”
Perculator (13-2) held off the late lunge of Stratton Oakmont to win the William Hill Daily Bet Boost Novices’ Handicap Hurdle by a neck for Mark Walford and Jamie Hamilton.
Harry Derham’s 2-1 favourite Jasmine Bliss won the closing bumper and will now head to Sandown for a Listed event.
Ronnie O’Sullivan stormed into a 14th Masters final with a 6-2 win over Shaun Murphy and then called on snooker’s young pretenders to up their game.
The 48-year-old moved one victory away from becoming the oldest winner of this Triple Crown event with four half-century breaks enough to down old rival Murphy in their first meeting for five years.
Murphy reeled off two superb three-figure breaks, including 131 in the third frame, but O’Sullivan’s cavalier approach paid dividends with reds aplenty potted in this semi-final to delight a packed Alexandra Palace crowd.
“I don’t feel that old,” O’Sullivan, the youngest ever Masters winner, told BBC.
“I know my age but I feel young in my mind and I feel young when I am around the table.
“I feel a lot younger round the table than I do when I play these young players. They look old! Their brains are quite slow so for me, I feel like my brain is pretty quick around the snooker table, which is enough.
“Yeah, they need to get their act together because I am going blind, I have a dodgy arm and bad knees. And they still can’t beat me!”
Uncle Phil posted a smart performance to claim the SBK Dan & Joan Moore Memorial Handicap Chase at Fairyhouse.
Willie Mullins’ charge was having his first start in handicap company, having finished third in the Grade Two Craddockstown Novice Chase when last seen in November.
Paul Townend was positive from the off and the seven-year-old was clearly full of running coming to the last fence in the extended two-mile-one-furlong heat.
Uncle Phil (11-2) duly stretched away on the run to the line, beating Lucid Dreams by three and three-quarter lengths, with 5-4 favourite Letsbeclearaboutit a further two lengths back in third.
Townend said: “That was very nice. His run in Punchestown was decent, he probably got his own way that day.
“Today he was jumping so well that he probably puts them under pressure behind and the drying ground helped.
“You don’t know what to expect with him to be honest, but I thought his jumping and the run the last day would bring him a long way. Every dry day was helping.”
Hunters Yarn is now a 16-1 chance with Betfair for the Arkle after completing a treble for Mullins and Townend in the Irish Stallion Farms EBF Beginners Chase.
Sent off the 8-15 favourite despite falling on his chasing bow, Hunters Yarn made a notable jumping error at the second last but his class told in the end, as he triumphed by 10 lengths.
“Not without a scare but he’s learned how to save himself and he settled it quickly again after that, which was nice,” said Townend.
“He jumped very well up to that and it was just the one mistake again, but he went down and jumped the last well after it. You have to be taken with him.
“He hit it some belt and for a second I was thinking ‘not again’. I thought the fall the last day would help him find his feet and figure it out. I’m disappointed he did it again but at least he was able to recover from it today.
“It shows that he has a big engine, to recover from it and win as impressively as he did.”
Miss Manzor (6-4 favourite) had earlier initiated the hat-trick for Mullins and Townend, as she made the most of a drop in class in the Racing TV Club Day At Fairyhouse Hurdle, seeing off stablemate Karia Des Blaises.
“She has a lovely attitude and she jumped brilliant, with the experience she had in France,” said Townend. “She stays really well and was a simple ride.
“It’s a tricky time of year with juveniles and I’m forever getting them wrong. I didn’t think there was much between these two today but I got the run of the race.
“She’ll progress away, where she ends up I don’t know. I used her experience and was able to keep it simple. She’s quick through the air and has a willing attitude.”
Betfair make her a 12-1 chance for the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at the Festival and a 33-1 shot for the Triumph.
All eyes were on Romeo Coolio (evens favourite) in the closing SBK INH Flat Race, as the £420,000 purchase made his debut under rules for Gordon Elliott.
Ridden by Harry Swan, the point-to-point winner was made to work a bit by 22-1 shot Sporting Glory but had a length and a quarter in hand at the finish.
“He’s a good horse, it was a messy race as they went no gallop. I missed a bit of time with him a month or two ago and he’s having a proper blow, he’s going to come on a lot from it,” said Elliott.
“If I didn’t come here, I had to go to Navan, there aren’t a lot of races for him going forward and I wanted to get a run into him.
“On the day, probably 80 per cent of mine ran below par, so I was nervous going into the race but I think he’s a proper horse.
“It’s all about the future with this horse, whatever he does this year is only going to be a bonus – I think he’s a real one.
“The boys are big supporters of the yard and they flew over from England today, so I’m delighted to get them a winner.
“He’ll go straight to Cheltenham now. I’m not worried about today, the race was very messy and it didn’t work out. They went no gallop and he’s a big galloping horse. He’s a stayer.”
Sam Brown swooped late to deny Aye Right in the Unibet Veterans’ Handicap Chase at Warwick.
The event had been rescheduled from Sandown’s abandoned card last Saturday and a field of 14 was stacked with familiar names and fan favourites.
Aye Right has not tasted glory since winning the 2021 Rehearsal Chase but it looked as though he could finally break that barren spell as he jumped the last fence with a marginal lead in the hands of 7lb claimer Dylan Johnston.
However, Sam Brown was hot on his heels and the pair were almost level on landing before settling down for a proper battle on the run to the line.
It was Sam Brown who found most for Jonathan Burke though, with the Anthony Honeyball-trained winner pulling two and three-quarter lengths clear, with a further 12 lengths back to Mill Green in third.
My Silver Lining hung on for victory in an exciting finish to the Wigley Group Classic Handicap Chase at Warwick.
The three-mile-five-furlong heat proved a thorough test of stamina on soft ground and it was Emma Lavelle’s charge who emerged the victor in the hands of James Best.
Percussion was the first to really set sail for home but the two mares, Galia Des Liteaux and My Silver Lining, had the race to themselves in the straight.
My Silver Lining (17-2) had a couple of lengths in hand jumping the penultimate fence and still held a distinct advantage at the last, but Galia Des Liteaux was cutting into her lead with every stride on the flat.
However, the winning post arrived in time for My Silver Lining, who prevailed by three-quarters of a length, with the pair 12 lengths clear of third-placed Guetapan Collonges.
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