While it may be stressful training the best National Hunt horse around, Constitution Hill himself continues to astound Nicky Henderson with just how relaxed he is.
Henderson has repeatedly stated that one of the major weapons in his armoury is his laid-back nature, and he certainly wastes no energy at Seven Barrows.
Just like the perfect racehorse, though, he comes alive on the track and although it can be hard to gauge just where he is at on the gallops, so far Henderson has got it right.
He has enjoyed two blemish-free seasons, with three wins as a novice and four last year which started out in Newcastle’s Betmgm Fighting Fifth Hurdle – and he will go down the same route this season starting on Saturday week.
“Constitution Hill is fine. He’s asleep in his box. He’s all set for Newcastle,” said Henderson at Newbury on Tuesday morning.
But Henderson did have less positive news on Champ, who had been aimed at Newbury’s Long Distance Hurdle next week.
He unfortunately will have to miss that engagement due to a setback.
“One who is on hold is Champ who has a trapped epiglottis and won’t be ready for Newbury,” said Henderson.
Paul Townend is relishing the prospect of being reunited with Galopin Des Champs this weekend, when the Cheltenham Gold Cup hero bids for back-to-back victories in the John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase.
The Willie Mullins-trained seven-year-old kicked off a tremendous campaign with victory in the two-and-a-half-mile Grade One last season before going on to lift the Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown and the blue riband at Prestbury Park in March.
He suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Martin Brassil’s Fastorslow on his final start of the campaign in the Punchestown Gold Cup – and the pair are set to renew rivalry in the feature event on day two of the new-look Winter Festival in County Kildare.
“I’m looking forward to Galopin Des Champs, every day you get to get up on a Gold Cup winner is a brilliant day and they’re the type of horses we wall want,” said Townend.
“He takes on Fastorslow, which won’t be an easy task. He beat us here at the Festival, so we’ll have to try to get our own back on him.”
Galopin Des Champs and Fastorslow are two of nine horses in contention for the John Durkan, with Mullins also responsible for Appreciate It, Asterion Forlonge, Blue Lord and Stattler.
Gordon Elliott’s pair of Conflated and Farouk D’alene, and French Dynamite from Mouse Morris’ yard, complete the potential field.
Mullins and Elliott are the only two trainers represented in Saturday’s main event, the Unibet Morgiana Hurdle.
State Man provided Mullins with a ninth win in the last 10 years when successful 12 months ago and is in the mix once again alongside stablemates Impaire Et Passe, Ashroe Diamond and Echoes In Rain.
Townend, who will presumably be on the stable’s first string, added: “It’s the most exciting time of year – none of them have been beaten yet (this season)!
“It’s a joy to go into Willie’s and look at the board and see the names. There’s a lot of big names from last year and a lot of new horses there – we’re trying to find the next superstar at this time of year.”
The Elliott trio of Fils D’oudairies, Irish Point and Pied Piper are the other Morgiana hopefuls.
He is likely to run at least two of the three, and said: “Pied Piper will go for the Morgiana. He’s hard to place but we’ll have a go. He’s in good form and he’s had his good run on the Flat the last day.
“I’ll probably run Fils D’oudairies as well. On ratings he has a lot to find, but it could be only a three- or four-runner race.”
Patrick Neville remains keen on a crack at the King George VI Chase with The Real Whacker after his stable star finished lame on his seasonal reappearance at Cheltenham on Saturday.
Having completed a hat-trick at Prestbury Park when narrowly outpointing Gerri Colombe in the Brown Advisory Novices’ Chase at the Festival in March, the seven-year-old returned to the Cotswolds for the Paddy Power Gold Cup and was among the leading fancies, despite carrying top-weight of 12st.
But after matching strides with the eventual winner Stage Star for much of the two-and-a-half-mile-journey, The Real Whacker weakened out of contention before the home turn and was eventually pulled up by Sam Twiston-Davies, after which his injury was discovered.
“He got a dirty overreach – he’s OK, but he was a small bit lame after it,” said Neville.
“Sam said he was travelling fierce well and then he realised something was amiss so he stopped and pulled up and looked after him.
“The vet checked him over yesterday morning, he’s fine and was on the water treadmill this morning, so we’ll roll on now for the King George.”
The Real Whacker is a 33-1 shot for Kempton’s Boxing Day highlight, but Neville is confident he can put his comeback run behind him and be back to his best for his festive outing.
He added: “It could have been a lot worse, we knew something was amiss and Sam minded him.
“We’ve got a run into him now and we knew whatever happened he’d improve for the run. We’ve got that over and done with, so we’ll move on and get him ready for Christmas.
“He’ll be big price I’m sure, but I don’t mind.”
Ben Earl will be available for the start of England’s Six Nations campaign after Saracens received a positive update on his knee problem.
Earl sustained the injury to his right leg during the warm-up for Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership victory over Harlequins and left The Stoop on crutches, raising concerns that he might be facing a lengthy spell out.
But a scan has revealed medial meniscus damage which has now been repaired and England’s star of the recent World Cup should be back in action for Saracens in January.
“Ben had a minor knee procedure this morning. We anticipate he’ll be out for between four to six weeks. Overall I think that would be a good result,” director of rugby Mark McCall said.
The Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, the Honourable Olivia Grange, says a delegation from the Government of South Africa will visit Jamaica this week to conduct a study tour of the island’s sports programme.
The delegation is being led by the South African Deputy Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, the Honourable Nocawe Noncedo Mafu.
Minister Grange says the visit is part of the bilateral agreement between Jamaica and South Africa for cooperation in sports and recreation.
The visit, which begins on Tuesday (tomorrow), is also a follow-up to the Jamaica/South Africa Political Consultations last year in which South Africa expressed an interest in better understanding Jamaica’s sports development model.
Minister Grange will host the South African delegation in discussions about Jamaica’s sports policy framework, national sports organisations, anti-doping, facilities management and sports financing.
The South African delegation will also receive presentations by the Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association and the Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association; and visit institutions, including the University of Technology and the GC Foster College of Physical Education and Sports.
Earlier this year, Jamaica hosted a sports study tour by a delegation from the Trinidad and Tobago government.
Michael Malone quipped that Nikola Jokic was purely out to defend him after the Denver Nuggets pair were ejected from Monday's game against the Detroit Pistons.
Two-time NBA MVP Jokic and Nuggets head coach Malone were both ejected in the first quarter of Denver's 107-103 win over the struggling Pistons, who have now lost 12 straight games.
Jokic was called for a technical foul for arguing with the officials, before he was tossed for arguing another call in the final two minutes of the quarter.
Malone, meanwhile, was ejected because he went onto the court to dispute a decision.
"I think Nikola was worried about my welfare," Malone joked.
"It is tough to watch a game on TV – we were hugging on good plays and I was cursing in Serbian on the bad ones."
Denver are second in the Western Conference with a 10-4 record for the season.
John McConnell’s Mahler Mission will aim to become just the second winner of the Coral Gold Cup trained in Ireland since 1980 when he lines up at Newbury on Saturday week.
When Michael O’Brien’s Bright Highway took the spoils that year it would have been long odds on it taking so long before another from the Emerald Isle was successful.
Willie Mullins’ Be My Royal did cross the line first in 2002 but was subsequently disqualified for testing positive for a banned substance before Mullins eventually won the contest with Total Recall in 2017.
Mahler Mission still held every chance at Cheltenham in the National Hunt Chase when coming down two out and made a pleasing comeback at Carlisle over a distance shy of his best.
“He put in an exhibition of jumping at Carlisle over a trip that was too short for him. He’s a very good jumper and was getting tired when he fell at Cheltenham,” said McConnell.
“Ben (Harvey) will be on him. He knows him and gets on with him. We’re looking forward to going for the Coral with a live chance.
“Ben has grown up with me he started when he was 15. He did so well as a conditional. He has a good clock in his head.
“He’s a big horse with a lovely racing weight (10st 10lb). We were always going to go for one of the big handicap chases. This one is a valuable pot run at a lovely track which offers a fair playing field. Physically he looks as good as he’s ever looked. He’s not pretty, but he’s starting to fill out into his frame now.”
Also at the head of the market is Paul Nicholls’ Complete Unknown who teed himself up for a crack at this when beating Might I at Newton Abbot in October having chased home Gerri Colombe at Aintree in a Grade One last spring.
“Complete Unknown has had a good prep and will be our only runner in the Coral,” said the champion trainer, on hand at Newbury to watch several of his horses go through their paces.
“He’s been trained for the race and the big galloping track will suit him. He’s had a breathing operation which has helped him, and the softer it is the better.”
Nicholls also had an update on one of his big hopes for the season, Hermes Allen, who is going novice chasing.
He said: “Hermes Allen had a setback with a stone bruise and missed three weeks. This day out will have tightened him up a bit and he could possibly run in the John Francome next week.”
Jonjo O’Neill won the race three years ago with Cloth Cap and appears to have another live contender in Monbeg Genuis based on his Cheltenham run.
He finished third behind subsequent Grand National winner Corach Rambler and Punchestown Gold Cup hero Fastorslow but he pulled up at Ascot on his comeback.
“I’m very happy with Monbeg Genius. The plan is to come here and he looks the right type for the race. He’s a good stayer and a strong galloper and everything looks right. If he puts in the performance he did in the Ultima he’s in with every chance,” said O’Neill.
Harry Cobden is looking to Ascot and Pic D’Orhy to provide him with the perfect consolation for having to miss out on Bravemansgame in the Betfair Chase.
Cobden is the stable jockey for Paul Nicholls and has ridden Bravemansgame in all of his starts under rules, but with a full book of rides awaiting him at Ascot it is Daryl Jacob who will get the leg-up at Haydock.
The main draw at Ascot is Pic D’Orhy, a Grade One winner at Aintree last time out who is entered in the Grade Two 1965 Chase alongside Nicky Henderson’s Shishkin.
“Obviously I’m disappointed not to be riding the best horse in the yard in Bravemansgame, but you’ve got to do what is right for the yard and the owners,” said the jockey, speaking in his blog for Planet Sport Bet.
“I’m sure he’ll run really well on Saturday and while I’d love to be on him, I’ve got some great rides at Ascot too. Pic D’Orhy is a class horse in his own right and I can’t wait to ride him.
“He won the Melling Chase at Aintree last season, so we know he’s top class. It looks like Shishkin is going to take us on and he’s obviously a very good horse in his own right.
“It’s a bit of rematch as he got the better of us in the race last year, but I do know Paul has been getting lots of work into Pic D’Orhy and he’ll be ready to rock and roll on Saturday.
“Of course it will be a tough race, and we’ll need to put in a career best to beat him, but it’s definitely possible and we’re looking forward to it. It should be a great race.
Nicholls was at the Newbury gallops morning on Tuesday and reiterated the decision was simply a result of the clash in meetings and nothing more significant.
“Harry is going to Ascot to ride Pic D’Orhy who had such a good season last year from which I hope he’s improved further,” he said.
“The bottom line is that Harry can’t be in two places at the same time.
“When there is more than one big meeting on a Saturday you have to plan but you also need someone to be first reserve and Daryl has been riding out for us.
“I see it’s a small field for the Betfair and we are better off running then being stuck in our stable.”
It is 10 years since Triolo D’Alene provided Nicky Henderson with his third victory in what is now the Coral Gold Cup – but in Dusart the Seven Barrows handler believes he has another live contender.
Triolo D’Alene was a second success in as many years for Henderson, following on from subsequent Gold Cup winner Bobs Worth, with Trabolgan in 2005 being his first winner.
Dusart has always been highly regarded and won three of his first four outings over fences, but he only ran three times last season, without success. He was one of four stablemates galloping at Newbury on Tuesday.
“Dusart did it well enough this morning and has had a nice away day like Jonbon, who came here the other day, he walked round the paddock and went home,” said Henderson.
“He’s been here before and is a good horse. The Coral has always been the plan and he would benefit from some decent ground.
“He had all sorts go wrong last season and was travelling beautifully when being brought down in the Scottish National.”
It is a fixture Henderson always targets and it is likely to see Under Control reappear, the four-year-old filly beating stablemate and Greatwood Hurdle winner Iberico Lord at Sandown when last seen. Marie’s Rock is another due to be in action.
“Under Control will run in the Gerry Feilden here on Saturday week. She needed to do something and is marginally straighter than Marie’s Rock,” said Henderson.
“She’s not something that hits you as being gorgeous, but she’s an absolute poppet. She’s talented and her form is strong.
“Marie’s Rock runs here in the three-miler (Long Distance Hurdle) and she will go in anything. It will be nice though to get some nice ground. It was pretty soft under the rail this morning. Nico (de Boinville) is very pleased with her.”
One horse from the yard who is garnering plenty of talk is new recruit Jeriko Du Reponet and he is another likely runner at the meeting, along with Willmount, a winner at Newbury first time out for Henderson having looked smart in bumpers with Neil Mulholland.
“Jeriko Du Reponet won a point in Northern Ireland. He’s never done anything before today,” said Henderson.
“Last night I needed a fourth horse to bring and he fell into place. He’d never had an away day, but I wanted to see if he might be ready for Newbury.
“Willmount is an exciting one who won well here and could come back. He’s quite exciting.”
Multiple Grade One winner Thyme Hill has died after suffering a fatal injury on the gallops.
The nine-year-old won three times at the highest level for Philip Hobbs – landing the 2019 Challow Hurdle, the 2021 Aintree Hurdle and the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase at Kempton last Christmas.
Having finished fourth on his seasonal reappearance at Wetherby earlier this month, Thyme Hill was being readied for the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury on Friday week – a race in which he beat Paisley Park three years ago – but his connections are now mourning the loss of a stable stalwart.
Johnson White, who joined Hobbs on the training licence earlier this year, said: “It’s very sad for the whole yard. He’s been phenomenal for some lovely owners and has taken them on a fantastic journey. We’ve been very lucky to have him.
“His run at Wetherby was OK the other day and he would have gone to Newbury on December 1. He was just doing a routine piece of work this morning and what happened happened, sadly.
“I feel very sorry for the whole yard as he’s been our flagbearer for a number of years now. Hopefully we have some nice young horses to reach his heights, but they take some replacing.”
Shishkin is “almost certain” to line up in Ascot’s 1965 Chase on Saturday in preference to the Grade One Betfair Chase at Haydock.
Nicky Henderson raised the possibility of Shishkin heading to Merseyside earlier in the autumn for a mouthwatering clash with last year’s winner Protektorat and the King George hero of last season, Bravemansgame.
Henderson had considered the Betfair Chase as a suitable stepping-stone towards the King George at Kempton over Christmas, but the prospect of testing ground has prompted a change of heart.
“You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to work out that two-miles-five around Ascot is going to suit him better than three miles in the soft at Haydock,” said the Seven Barrows handler.
“The ground at Ascot will be preferable and he’s almost certain to go there. He’s won a two-mile-five race there and we know he likes it (the track).”
Now a nine-year-old, Shishkin won the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle and Arkle over two miles at successive Cheltenham Festivals.
However, he was pulled up in the Champion Chase of 2022 and after being beaten into third behind Edwardstone in last season’s Tingle Creek, Henderson stepped his charge up in trip.
The move proved successful, with a 16-length win in the Ascot Chase in February over Pic D’Orhy, who he will meet again on Saturday, preceding a running-on second to Envoi Allen in the Ryanair Chase.
He then tackled three miles for the first time at Aintree, when he reeled in Ahoy Senor after the last fence to lift the Bowl, and Henderson hopes to see him return to the longer distance on Boxing Day.
He added: “This is a prep race for the King George and we want to win it.
“He didn’t travel as well as he might in his races last season and I think we might put some cheek pieces on him. We’ve schooled him in them and they help keep his mind on it.”
Alan King was pleased to “erase the memory” of Edwardstone’s no-show in the Champion Chase in March when chasing home Jonbon in the Shloer Chase on Sunday.
King now has to decide, with the help of connections, whether to take on Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon again in the Tingle Creek at Sandown on December 9 or step him up in trip for the Peterborough Chase the following day.
King has been musing for some time now that Edwardstone may need further than two miles to be seen at his best.
He said on his website, www.alankingracing.co.uk: ”I thought it was a smashing run, and it was such a relief to see Edwardstone erase the memory of last March.
“Cheltenham is still a mystery, but we can now look forward and it is a case of deciding whether to have a rematch with Jonbon when we defend our Tingle Creek crown on December 9 or wait 24 hours so we can step him up to two and a half miles for the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon.”
Steven Stamkos recorded the tying goal with 4.8 seconds left in regulation, and Brandon Hagel scored on a breakaway 1:19 into overtime to give the Tampa Bay Lightning a stunning 5-4 win over the Eastern Conference-leading Boston Bruins on Monday.
Both Stamkos and Hagel added assists as the Lightning won a season-high third consecutive game. Tampa Bay also received goals from Tanner Jeannot, Nicholas Paul and Austin Watson to back 23 saves from Jonas Johansson.
Stamkos' dramatic goal capped a wild third period in which the Bruins scored three times to erase a 2-1 deficit. David Pastrnak and John Beecher scored 1:21 apart to put Boston ahead, though Watson's first of the season forged a 3-3 tie with just over 11 minutes left.
Charlie Coyle briefly sent the Bruins back in front by putting home a feed from James van Riemsdyk with 3:51 left in regulation.
Boston, which got 41 saves from Jeremy Swayman, still managed to extend its point streak to six games (4-0-2). Pastrnak added an assist on Pavel Zacha's goal midway through the first period that tied the game at 1-1.
Stars score five third-period goals to end Rangers' point streak
The Dallas Stars erupted for five third-period goals to end the New York Rangers' 11-game point streak with a 6-3 come-from-behind victory.
Mason Marchment scored the go-ahead goal 7:06 into the third period, and Sam Steel and Roope Hintz each scored short-handed to help the Stars pull away and win for the fifth time in six games.
Hintz added two assists and both Marchment and Joe Pavelski had a goal and an assist to support 30 saves from Scott Wedgewood.
Pavelski started the third-period barrage by registering his eighth of the season just 1:01 into the period, tying the game at 2-2. Six minutes later, Marchment poked the puck past Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin on a play that was originally ruled a no-goal before being overturned by a coaches' challenge.
Tyler Seguin later extended Dallas' lead to 4-2 before Steel and Hintz both scored just 1:30 apart with the Rangers having pulled Shesterkin for an extra skater while on a power play.
New York, which came in having won four straight and on a 10-0-1 run, opened the scoring on Vincent Trocheck's power-play goal in the first period. Kaapo Kakko increased the margin in the second before Jamie Benn's goal brought Dallas within 2-1 with 5:37 left in the period.
Shesterkin stopped 30 of 34 shots in the loss.
Predators shock Avalanche with two goals in final minute
Filip Forsberg and Yakov Trenin each scored in the final minute of regulation to give the Nashville Predators an improbable 4-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche.
The Avalanche were well on the way towards a fourth straight victory when carrying a 3-2 lead into the late stages of the third period. However, Forsberg scored his second goal of the night with 37.7 seconds remaining, and Trenin knocked a rebound past Colorado goaltender Alexandar Georgiev with 21.6 seconds left to complete the comeback.
Jeremy Lauzon added a goal and Gustav Nyquist recorded two assists to help Nashville to a second straight win following a four-game losing streak. Juuse Saros finished with 25 saves.
Lauzon scored less than four minutes into the second period to give the Predators a 2-1 lead, but Colorado's Devon Toews tied it later in the frame before the Avalanche went ahead on Valeri Nichushkin's power-play goal with 6:27 left in the second.
Colorado's Andrew Cogliano opened the scoring with a short-handed goal in the first period.
Cale Makar ended with three assists for the Avalanche, who also got two assists from Nathan MacKinnon and 26 saves from Georgiev.
Miles Bridges' 3-pointer with 6.6 seconds left in overtime capped a stunning rally by the Charlotte Hornets, who snapped the Boston Celtics' six-game winning streak with a 121-118 victory on Monday.
The Hornets trailed by 11 points with six minutes remaining in regulation and overcame a 45-point night from Boston star Jayson Tatum to end a run of six consecutive home losses. LaMelo Ball led the comeback with 36 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while former Celtic Gordon Hayward scored six of his 20 points in overtime.
Bridges added 14 points and 15 rebounds in his third game back from a suspension for a domestic violence arrest that caused him to miss the entire 2022-23 season and the first 10 games of this one.
The Celtics appeared on the way towards another victory before Charlotte scored the final nine points of the fourth quarter. Ball hit a key 3-pointer during the late run and forced overtime with a driving layup with 7.2 seconds remaining.
Tatum's 3-pointer with 57.6 seconds left in regulation put Boston back up by a 116-114 score, but Ball fed Hayward for a dunk on the ensuing possession and after the Celtics' Jaylen Brown missed a 3-pointer, Bridges buried a 25-foot jumper with time winding down to give Charlotte a 119-116 lead.
Payton Pritchard went 5 of 8 from 3-point range and recorded 21 points off the bench for Boston, while Tatum added 13 rebounds and six assists.
Curry extends 3-point record as Warriors halt six-game skid
Stephen Curry made five more 3-pointers and collected 32 points to get the Golden State Warriors back on track with a 121-116 win over the Houston Rockets.
Curry, the NBA's all-time leader in 3-point field goals made, finished 5 of 9 from beyond the arc to become the first in league history with 13 consecutive games with four or more triples to begin a season.
Klay Thompson broke out of a shooting slump with 20 points to help the Warriors end a six-game losing streak. Chris Paul added 15 points and 12 assists, while Dario Saric contributed 18 points off the bench.
Thompson, who ended 5 of 11 from 3-point range, had 12 first-half points as Golden State built a 63-53 lead at intermission. Curry scored 16 of his points in the fourth quarter to allow the Warriors to stay in front the rest of the way.
The Rockets lost for the third straight time following a six-game winning streak despite Alperen Sengun's 30 points and 13 rebounds. Fred VanVleet dished out 14 assists for Houston but went just 3 of 13 from the field while being held to 10 points.
Pelicans snap Kings' winning streak with 36-point blowout
Brandon Ingram scored 31 points and Zion Williamson had 26 as the New Orleans Pelicans cooled off the Sacramento Kings with a 129-93 rout.
The Pelicans shot 54 per cent from the field and led by as many as 41 points in ending Sacramento's six-game winning streak. Ingram made all five of his 3-point attempts and shot 11 of 18 overall, while Williamson converted 12 of his 16 field goal tries and added five assists and three steals.
Williamson racked up 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting during a dominant first half as the Pelicans took a 66-53 lead into the break. New Orleans then broke the game open by outscoring the Kings by a 34-16 margin in the third quarter, with Ingram delivering 18 points for the period.
Sacramento shot just 24.4 per cent from 3-point range, including a 2-of-12 performance from leading scorer De'Aaron Fox.
Harrison Barnes led the Kings with 16 points. Fox ended with a season-low 14 after coming into the contest averaging 31.9 per game.
Two second-half touchdowns from Jalen Hurts saw Philadelphia Eagles overturn a 10-point deficit to beat Kansas City Chiefs 21-17.
The win lifts the Eagles to 9-1 and exacted a modicum of revenge for their defeat by the Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
The Chiefs had opened a 17-7 lead by half-time as Patrick Mahomes found Justin Watson and Travis Kelce with a pair of touchdown passes, either side of a four-yard touchdown run from D’Andre Swift for the Eagles.
Hurts cut that gap in the third quarter with the first of his touchdown runs as the Chiefs offence struggled to find much momentum.
Kelce fumbled near the line as they pushed to extend their advantage and Hurts, who threw for just 150 yards, made them pay with his second running touchdown.
The Chiefs still had a chance in the final moments, but Mahomes went through the hands of Marquez Valdes-Scantling to deny them the winning score.
Tim Boyle will be the New York Jets’ starting quarterback Friday against the Miami Dolphins in place of the benched Zach Wilson, multiple media outlets reported Monday.
The move comes a day after the Jets’ 32-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills, in which Boyle replaced Wilson late in the third quarter.
New York continues to flounder since Aaron Rodgers suffered a torn left Achilles in the season opener and fell to 4-6 after Sunday’s loss.
Wilson was 7 for 15 for 81 yards with a touchdown and an interception Sunday in nearly three quarters. He was sacked five times.
“When things aren’t getting done, change has got to be made,” the former No. 2 overall pick said after the game. “And I understand that.”
Boyle was 7 of 14 for 33 yards with an interception in mop-up duty.
A former teammate of Rodgers’ in Green Bay, has made three career starts – all with the Detroit Lions in 2021 – and has three career touchdown passes and nine interceptions.
Meanwhile, Rodgers has hinted at returning with unprecedented speed from his injury late this season, but the Jets will need to stay in the play-off hunt to make it worthwhile.
Falcons plan to start Ridder for rest of season
The Atlanta Falcons are turning back to Desmond Ridder at quarterback after giving Taylor Heinicke a two-game stint as the starter.
The 4-6 Falcons return from a bye this week to face the NFC South-leading New Orleans Saints (5-5), and Atlanta coach Arthur Smith announced that Ridder will be the starting quarterback the rest of the season.
Heinicke was 0-2 as the starter and suffered a hamstring injury in the Falcons’ Week 10 loss at Arizona.
Smith was adamant that Ridder would be the starter going forward, regardless of Heinicke’s injury status.
“We have a lot of confidence in Des and think the last couple of weeks he has handled it really well with a lot of things going on,” Smith said. “I think the reset has been very beneficial for him.”
Flacco to remain on Browns’ practice squad – for now
Cleveland Browns fans will need to wait at least one more week for their new starting quarterback after the newly signed Joe Flacco was placed on the team’s practice squad.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday that rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson will start Sunday in Denver, but the expectation remains that he will take over as the starter at some point.
“Joe’s role is to support this team coming in here,” Stefanski said on a video call with reporters. "We were able to add a guy with a ton of experience. He’ll be great for that room. He’ll be great for this team.”
After Deshaun Watson was lost for the season with a shoulder injury, the Browns tried to move forward with Thompson-Robinson and P.J. Walker, who have combined to throw one touchdown and nine interceptions.
Despite season-ending injuries to Watson and four-time Pro Bowl running back Nick Chubb, a top-tier defense has helped the Browns build a three-game winning streak and has them in contention for the AFC North.
Phil Taylor has announced the World Senior Darts Tour in 2024 will be his final year on the circuit.
The 16-time world champion initially walked away from the sport in 2018 after making the final of the PDC World Championship, but returned to competitive darts last year.
Taylor, known as ‘The Power’, has now confirmed his glittering trophy-laden career on the oche is about to enter its final 12 months, but he will continue to be a World Senior Darts Tour global ambassador after his retirement.
He said: “I’ll always love performing to the best of my ability, but time waits for no man and I know now is the right time to step away from the Tour.
“It’s been an unbelievable journey over the past 35 years and I’ve loved every minute of it.
“I’d like to thank Target and the World Seniors Darts Tour for their support in recent years and I’m looking forward to playing in front of darts fans across the country next year.
“I’m going to be working just as hard as I always have to make sure I give the fans what they want and go out on top.”
The World Senior Darts Tour consists of 11 events, including the World Senior Darts Championship at the Circus Tavern in February.
Taylor has made the quarter-finals during the last two years, but will aim to go out on a high in 2024.
Billy Lovell of World Senior Darts Tour added: “Phil is one of the greatest sports people the UK has ever produced and we would like to place on record how grateful we are that he decided to come out of retirement at the beginning of our project.
“We have absolutely loved having him around and we’re sure his final year on tour with us will be great fun.”
A long-held plan came to fruition for Mick Appleby when Roberto Escobarr strode to victory in the Italian St Leger.
The Galileo gelding was previously trained to Group Three success by William Haggas before being sold to new connections for 40,000 guineas.
The Premio St Leger Italiano, the Italian St Leger, was the plan from the outset and Marco Ghiani headed to his homeland to ride in the Group Three San Siro contest on Saturday.
It was light work for the bay in a field of seven as he made all of the running and then pulled away to an easy eight-and-a-quarter-length victory.
“He did it very well, we were very impressed with him,” said Appleby.
“From the start, when we bought him (in September), that was always going to be the aim.
“That’s mainly what we bought him for, we thought we’d have a good chance in it provided the ground was going to be decent and it was.
“The plan came off, and it’s not very often that happens!
“I said to Marco that there weren’t any obvious front runners, a couple of German horses had led before and had a decent chance, but if he could pinch it from the front then just bowl along and go with it.”
All-Weather Finals Day could now be the target, with further travels to the Middle East also under consideration for the six-year-old.
Appleby said: “He’s nearly paid for himself now, we’ll have to sit down and make a plan for him. I’d like to get him qualified for Good Friday and then maybe Super Saturday could be an option in Dubai.”
Cade Cunningham painted a clear picture after the Detroit Pistons lost an 11th straight game.
The Pistons sit rock bottom of the NBA, having suffered a 142-113 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
Detroit are 2-12 for the season, with a .143 win percentage.
Point guard Cunningham delivered a blunt assessment of the situation.
"We've got to be realistic about the situation," Cunningham said.
"It's hard to just be like, 'Oh we're good, we're good,' because we're bad. We've got to address that.
"We're the youngest team in the league, scrapping and clawing for everything.
"That should be the last thing that needs to be asked of us or talked about, how hard we're competing. That should be a given."
Monty Williams, the 2022 NBA Coach of the Year, is in his first season in charge of the Pistons after four years with the Phoenix Suns.
"I think a few of our guys are dealing with how hard the league is," Williams said.
"When you're dealing with it, the one thing you can control is your competition level. I didn't see that across the board [against Toronto]."
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
