Fergal O’Brien feels Dysart Enos has enjoyed the perfect preparation ahead of her bid to see off a formidable Irish challenge at the Cheltenham Festival next month.

The Malinas mare has yet to taste defeat in six starts under rules, with her three wins of last season supplemented by a hat-trick of victories over hurdles.

O’Brien’s team went to £95,000 to secure Dysart Enos’ services at the Goffs UK Aintree sale two years ago and the Ravenswell Farm handler had high hopes from the moment the hammer went down.

“Dysart has been phenomenal for us, she’s six from six and we loved her when we bought her,” he said.

“From day one I felt we had a good horse because Noel Fehily was underbidder and he and David Crosse are very shrewd judges. Noel actually brought her back from Aintree for us and rang me up and said ‘are you sure you’ve got someone for this mare’ and I said we definitely did!”

Seven months after being bought Dysart Enos made a winning debut under rules at Ludlow before getting the better of the highly-regarded Queens Gamble in Listed company at Market Rasen.

But it was her nine-length success in the Grade Two mares’ bumper at Aintree’s Grand National meeting that marked her down as a potential top-notcher.

O’Brien added: “The day we bought her I never envisaged this mare would take us where she has. To turn up at Ludlow on the first day, Connor (Brace) gave her a lovely ride and it’s very difficult to drop in behind 14 others at Ludlow and come through and beat the geldings and that race worked out well.

“We genuinely went to Market Rasen thinking we’d finish second to Queens Gamble. Paddy (Brennan) gave her a lovely ride, but I felt Market Rasen probably suited her and she had the speed for it.

“We rolled on to Aintree and that is where she really blew us away. It was a very good field, the form has worked out very well and she was phenomenal that day, the way she travelled through the race and Paddy was able to put her where he wanted.

“As soon as they got inside the last furlong and a half he was able to let her go and the way she opened up and quickened away from them was spectacular.”

Dysart Enos made a smooth transition to the jumping game at Huntingdon in November and the route she has taken since has been slightly unorthodox.

Rather than sticking to her own sex in Listed and graded races, she has gained some valuable experience of Cheltenham, beating the boys in December, before landing cramped odds in another novice event at Doncaster last month.

“Jumping hurdles we’ve planned our route to Cheltenham, rightly or wrongly,” said O’Brien.

“We’re going there without a 5lb penalty, which most winners have over the last few years, but we just felt if we could get away without having a 5lb penalty then surely that’s got to be better.

“The plan was always to start off at Huntingdon and then go to Newbury for the Listed race and none of the owners were at Cheltenham when she won, so I was very grateful they let us run there.

“She can be a bit hot and stressy, so it was important for her to go and see Cheltenham and have a walk round that paddock and come up that hill and see what’s in front of her.

“Hopefully we can get her there in one piece and I think if we do she’ll be in the mix.”

Despite her unbeaten record, Dysart Enos is only third in the betting for the Ryanair Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, with Gordon Elliott’s Brighterdaysahead and the Willie Mullins-trained Jade De Grugy also yet to taste defeat.

O’Brien respects the claims of both, but does not fear either.

He added: “Gordon’s horse does look phenomenal and Willie’s horse looks great, but there’s a couple of English horses there I wouldn’t rule out, Queens Gamble being one and Jeremy Scott’s horse (Golden Ace), who I was so impressed with round Taunton.

“We’ve ticked a lot of boxes as we’ve been round Cheltenham and she’s got a lot of speed. You’re hoping Gordon’s horse might want two and a half (miles) and we’ll have the legs on that one, that’s what we’re hoping anyway – you’ve got to cling to some bit of hope when Willie’s and Gordon’s horses are coming over!

“We certainly wouldn’t change anything that we’ve done this season. We’ll see on the day and give it our best shot.”

While Dysart Enos and Stayers’ Hurdle candidate appear the trainer’s two chief Festival contenders, he has a couple of others who could join them on the short trip to Prestbury Park.

Springtime Promise is three from three since joining O’Brien, most recently landing a Grade Two at Sandown, and may line up alongside Dysart Enos in the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle if conditions are testing, while Teorie is considered a lively outsider in the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle.

“It would want to come up soft or worse for Springtime Promise to run. She won over two and a half the other day at Sandown on heavy ground and she could go to Fairyhouse at Easter if it came up soft there,” said the trainer.

“We’ll take it right up to the day and see what the weather does. If it turned up soft she would have a fantastic chance as we haven’t seen the bottom of that mare yet and I could see her coming up that hill in great style.

“I love Teorie, I think he’s got a great attitude. He’s a big price, but he’s in great form. He disappointed a little bit at Musselburgh, but he won very well first time out and then he beat older horses next time at Southwell.

“He’s got a great attitude and loves racing and loves being a racehorse – he loves being amongst them.

“I’m hoping he’ll run very well.”

Kerry Lee is prepared to roll the dice and allow Nemean Lion to take his chance in the Unibet Champion Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.

The seven-year-old has had a successful campaign so far, which began in October when he won the Welsh Champion Hurdle by a length and a half on debut.

He was fifth in the Greatwood at Cheltenham next time out and then ran an admirable race under a considerable amount of weight to finish the runner-up when stepping up in trip in the Lanzarote.

The Golden Horn gelding then tried Grade Two level to contest the Kingwell Hurdle at Wincanton, a scaling back in trip as the race is run over a mile and seven furlongs.

There he was the 6-5 favourite under Richard Patrick and justified those odds when securing a length and a half success over fellow Champion Hurdle entrant Colonel Mustard.

The success has seen his mark rise from 145 to 151, and he is set to take his spot in a Champion Hurdle that this year might prove just more open than initially presumed.

“He’s been really good since Wincanton, he came out of the race very well,” said Lee, speaking before the market for the race was disrupted by the news that reigning hero Constitution Hill was a doubt after a below-par racecourse gallop on Tuesday morning.

“He loved the conditions and ran a great race, it was lovely to watch and we were really pleased with him.

“He wasn’t stopping at the end of the Lanzarote but he relished the two miles too, you’d have to say he was even better over the two.

“It’s all systems go for the Cheltenham Festival now, his target is going to be the Champion Hurdle.

“There are very few options for him and as long as the ground is good to soft or softer, he will run.

“It looks to be wide open for third and realistically in racing, anything can happen.

“I think off 151 he deserves the chance to prove himself so we can see what he can do.

“It is a pleasure to have such a good horse, we’ll keep our fingers crossed that he can go and run a good race but as long as he comes back safe and well then we’ll be happy.”

Family and friends with connections to 1932 Grand National-winning jockey Tim Hamey will gather at Ludlow on Thursday for the latest running of the Forbra Gold Cup.

Hamey partnered Forbra to Aintree glory and while he died in 1993 at the age of 88, the fact the Forbra Gold Cup has been run at Ludlow since 1955 means memories are always evoked at this time of year.

Forbra was owned by William Parsonage, Ludlow’s mayor and a bookmaker, and he was trained by Tom Rimell, father of Fred Rimell – who would go on to win the National four times as a trainer himself.

In 1932, he was a jockey, but as he was only 18, he was deemed too inexperienced for the mount, meaning Hamey was the man called upon for the ride on the 50-1 outsider.

Three previous winners were in the line-up that year but in a race stacked full of previous drama, Forbra came through to beat Egremont by three lengths.

Hamey also won the Cheltenham Gold Cup on Koko in 1926, in what was just the third running of a race that has gone on to become the holy grail for a steeplechaser.

His nephew, Will Lefebve, a retired racing journalist, said: “The family is steeped in racing history, as Tim had 12 rides in the National, his son Rex had seven and my father, Len, also had one.

“Tim’s record was very impressive, though, he rode in 12 consecutive Nationals and took part in the 1929 one which had a record 66 runners, finishing sixth of just 10 finishers on Grakle behind Gregalach. Grakle actually went on to win the race in 1931.”

While there have been get-togethers on Forbra Gold Cup day in the past, this time Lefebve has arranged a much bigger group of people with links to Hamey and Forbra.

“I have assembled a gathering of about 40 people directly linked to Forbra – either the horse himself or the race named in his memory – who will descend on Ludlow on Thursday,” he said.

“They include descendants of Forbra’s owner William Parsonage, a bookmaker and mayor of Ludlow, and the race is being sponsored by local hydraulics company Flowfit, which is managed by William’s great grandson Simon.

“Forbra was, of course, trained by Tom Rimell, father of four times National-winning trainer Fred.

“A solid gold trophy was presented to Ludlow racecourse 70 years ago by William’s sons, and according to former course supremo Bob Davies, it is worth around £75,000, and consequently is kept in a Ludlow bank vault for 365 days a year. The winning owner gets his or her hands on it for about an hour!

“I first organised a get-together five years ago of the families representing the owner, trainer and jockey of Forbra, and decided on a repeat assembly this year, when there will be many more ‘connections’ at the track.

“Five of the Hamey clan will be present, including Hamey’s grandson Paul, who is bringing along the replica trophy presented to Tim by the Princess Royal in a 1985 Aintree ceremony hosted by Peter O’Sullevan (before his knighthood), during which all surviving Grand National-winning riders received identical mementos. Tim was then the ‘daddy of them all’.

“As far as the Rimell family is concerned, Fred’s daughter Scarlett (Knipe), who bred both Master Oats and Thistlecrack with her late husband Robin at their Cobhall Court Stud, hopefully will be joined by Mark, Annie and Katie Rimell.

“I expect to feel a bit like a shepherd on Thursday, rounding up his flock, with the likes of Richard Johnson, Bob Davies, Graham Thorner, Henry Daly, Venetia Williams, David Pipe and others expected to be there.

“Simon Parsonage has also purchased at a National Horse Racing Museum auction the saddle used by Tim Hamey on Forbra at Aintree 91 years-plus ago. He has had it ‘framed’ in a glass case and is bringing the saddle to Ludlow.”

Fergal O’Brien is confident Crambo possesses all the necessary tools to make his presence felt in the Paddy Power Stayers’ Hurdle at Cheltenham.

The seven-year-old is very much the new kid on the block in the staying division over the smaller obstacles, kicking off his campaign with a handicap victory at Aintree.

He had to make do with minor honours on his next start at Haydock, but fully justified his trainer’s decision to throw him in at the deep end after coming out on top in a titanic tussle with popular veteran Paisley Park in the Long Walk at Ascot the following month.

Speaking at Jockey Club press morning at his Ravenswell Farm yard, O’Brien issued an upbeat bulletin on Crambo’s well-being ahead of his bid for Festival glory in little over a fortnight’s time.

“Crambo is not a great workhorse, but he does everything very well and he’s very fresh after his work, which is what you want to see,” he said.

“He’s got a great temperament. He hasn’t won round Cheltenham yet, but fingers crossed he can go there and be our first Festival winner.

“You look at the likes of Paisley Park and all those (Stayers’ Hurdle) horses, that’s their one common denominator – they always have that little flat spot.

“In the Long Walk, it was actually the best I’ve seen Crambo travel and jump. He’s normally a bit behind the bridle and he’s made it hard work for Connor (Brace) on a few occasions.”

Crambo came up short in a couple of Grade One assignments last season, but O’Brien insists he never lost faith.

He added: “We’re very lucky to have him and we always hoped he would develop the way he has. As a novice we ran him in two Grade Ones, in the Challow Hurdle, where it never happened for him in wet ground, and then we took him to Aintree after he won the EBF Final at Sandown.

“He was running a big race at Aintree and I think he would have been fourth, but Rachael Blackmore’s horse (Cool Survivor) fell in front of him and that sort of stopped him.

“I always believed in the horse, he won first time up this year at Aintree and then we were a little bit unlucky at Haydock. We could have gone down the Pertemps route, but I really wanted to have a crack at another Grade One and his owners were happy to go to the Long Walk.”

While many of his Festival rivals went on to contest the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham in January, O’Brien decided to keep his powder dry with Crambo and is relishing the challenge.

He said: “He had a hard race at Ascot and it took him a couple of weeks to get over it and get his spark back, but Eve who rode him this morning knows him inside out and she’s delighted with him.

“I’d love to be able to tell you he’s very difficult to train, but he’d train himself. Johnny Burke took him to Lambourn on Friday and jumped 10 or 12 hurdles and he said he felt great, so I’m really happy with where he is.

“I think Cheltenham will suit him, to be fair. I think it will bring out a little bit more improvement and he does need to improve again from the Long Walk.”

Assessing the likely opposition, he added: “Gordon’s (Elliott) two horses at the head of the market (Teahupoo and Irish Point) are two very good horses and there’ll be plenty of others there.

“Dashel Drasher will be there, Paisley Park will be there, Emmet Mullins’ horse (Noble Yeats) and I’m not sure what Gavin Cromwell is doing with Flooring Porter.

“They’ve all been there and done it and got the T-shirt, but Crambo’s got youth on his side and we think he’s a very good horse, so fingers crossed.”

Constitution Hill sent shockwaves through the Unibet Champion Hurdle market on Tuesday morning, with the participation of the reigning champion seemingly in doubt following a below-par workout in a pre-Cheltenham visit to Kempton Park.

As has become tradition, Nicky Henderson took several of his Festival contenders for a spin at the Sunbury circuit, including the unbeaten Constitution Hill, whose only start this season was in the Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day.

Bookmakers were quick to suspend betting in the wake of the work, and the Seven Barrows trainer told the PA news agency his superstar had since scoped badly.

“Unfortunately, in a routine gallop this morning, Constitution Hill was very disappointing and it transpires, after the vet has scoped him, that there is evidence of mucus,” said Henderson.

“We’re taking a sample of it to a laboratory to analyse it, which will tell us about the significance of it and we should know more after that.

“Last week, he worked brilliantly and he was scoped 10 days ago, but these things happen, just like it did with him earlier in the year (having to miss Cheltenham on Trials day in January).

“Horses are like humans, look how many people had the awful cough around Christmas that took ages to get rid of.”

Joe Fanning is set for a short spell on the sidelines after being knocked out in a fall at Wolverhampton on Monday night that led to three-time champion jockey Oisin Murphy being hit with a nine-day ban.

Fanning and his mount Sennockian passed the post a nose in front of the Murphy-ridden Dr Foster in an extended one-mile handicap at Dunstall Park, but was unseated just after the winning line.

The 53-year-old regained consciousness prior to leaving the track, but was taken to hospital for precautionary tests before later returning home.

“Joe is fine. He had precautionary scans on his head and everything at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton and they came back clear,” said his agent Niall Hannity.

“He got home late last night and I spoke to him this morning and he is fine.

“I’m not sure how long he’ll be out for. He’ll have to pass a baseline concussion test and it will be up to Dr Jerry Hill when he’ll be able to take that.

“We’ll see how he is in the next day or two, but he obviously won’t be riding this weekend or next week, I wouldn’t have thought.”

A stewards’ enquiry was called to consider the placings after several incidents of interference in the home straight.

The stewards ruled that Fanning had not committed any riding offences and that the placings should remain unaltered, but Murphy was found guilty of careless riding.

A stewards’ report read: “Murphy was suspended for nine days as he allowed his mount to drift approximately two horse widths right-handed away from the whip causing interference to Sennockian, before then using the whip again in the left hand whereupon his mount shifted further right-handed causing interference to Sennockian, with Fanning being unseated after the line.”

Murphy will be out of action on March 11 and 12 and from March 18 to 24, meaning he is set to miss the first weekend of the British Flat turf season at Doncaster.

Gordon Elliott is readying Jalon D’oudairies, Romeo Coolio and The Yellow Clay for the Weatherbys Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival.

The Cullentra handler has saddled two previous winners of the Grade One contest that concludes day two of the meeting, with Fayonagh striking gold in 2017 and Envoi Allen prevailing two years later.

Jalon D’oudairies, a £420,000 purchase for Gigginstown House Stud after winning his sole start in the point-to-point field, moved towards the top of ante-post lists for this year’s renewal after following up an impressive bumper debut at Fairyhouse with another clear-cut win at Leopardstown in December.

The five-year-old is set to be joined by the equally expensive Romeo Coolio, who won his only bumper start so far at Fairyhouse, and The Yellow Clay, who Elliott feels may have been underestimated following his fourth-place finish in Grade Two company at the Dublin Racing Festival.

“Jalon D’oudairies is a nice horse and has a good attitude. He showed in Leopardstown that he drops his head and wants to win,” said the trainer.

“Romeo Coolio pulled a muscle and we didn’t get to run him (before Christmas) and then I put myself under pressure to run him. He’ll have come on a stone for his first run and we haven’t missed a beat with him since he ran. He’s in good form and we’re happy with him.

“I think The Yellow Clay is going under the radar. He doesn’t do anything fancy at home and I think he was declared to run in a maiden hurdle at Down Royal in November and got a kick the day before, so we ended up missing a month with him.

“I think he’ll come on a lot from his run the last day. He mightn’t have beaten the winner (Jeroboam Machin), but he definitely would have been a good second if he’d got the run of the race.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Jack (Kennedy) rode him.”

While Elliott suggested it will not be a straightforward choice for his stable jockey to decide which one of the trio he would like to ride, there is no doubt the trainer holds Jalon D’oudairies in particularly high regard.

He added: “I know last October, November and December, which horse was knocking the place down working, so I’ll leave it up to Jack to decide and we’ll let the other lads ride the others.”

Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored third-period goals to back Stuart Skinner's 38 saves as the Edmonton Oilers got back on track with Monday's 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings.

Bouchard and Leon Draisaitl each finished with a goal and an assist as the Oilers halted a three-game losing streak and dealt the surging Kings just their second loss in seven games. 

Edmonton had to rally to do so, as it trailed 2-1 before Draisaitl scored on a power play with 4:04 remaining in the second period.

Skinner then stopped all 14 shots he faced in the third to protect a 3-2 lead he inherited when Bouchard blasted a shot from near the blue line past Los Angeles goaltender David Rittch just 1:25 into the period.

Nugent-Hopkins later put the contest out of reach by scoring off a give-and-go with Connor Brown with 3:29 remaining.

After Los Angeles' Trevor Moore and Edmonton's Zach Hyman traded goals in the first period, Alex Laferriere put the Kings back ahead 7:34 into the second.

Rittich recorded 27 saves for Los Angeles, which had a three-game road winning streak stopped.

Kraken win in shootout as Bruins' skid reaches three games

Kailer Yamamoto scored the lone goal in the shootout as the Seattle Kraken dealt the formidable Boston Bruins a third straight loss by coming through with a 4-3 victory.

Yamamoto opened the shootout by beating Boston goaltender Linus Ullmark glove-side, and Philipp Grubauer made the lead stand by stopping all three Bruins skaters he faced in the deciding phase after making 29 saves in regulation and overtime.

Boston, which got two goals and an assist from David Pastrnak, still managed to extend its point streak to six games when Charlie Coyle scored on a power play with 2:52 left in regulation to forge a 3-3 tie.

The Bruins had lost each of their two most recent games in overtime and are 2-0-4 during the run. 

Pastrnak had the only goal of a first period in which the Bruins recorded an 11-7 shot advantage, then put Boston back ahead late in the second with his 38th of the season. Jordan Eberle had tied the game earlier in the period when Ullmark's attempted clearing pass deflected off the Seattle forward, who promptly tapped the puck into an open net.

The Kraken then took their first lead of the night on third-period goals from Vince Dunn and Oliver Bjorkstrand, the latter coming with 5:30 left in regulation.

Ullmark finished with 24 saves for Boston, which moved one point ahead of the New York Rangers for first place in the Eastern Conference with the result.

Islanders win in overtime to continue Stars' slump

Bo Horvat scored with 2:06 remaining in overtime as the New York Islanders extended the Dallas Stars' recent slump with a 3-2 victory.

Horvat one-timed a feed from Mathew Barzal past Dallas goaltender Scott Wedgewood to hand the Stars a fifth loss in six games (1-2-3), though Dallas did move two points clear of the second-place WInnipeg Jets in the Central Division by forcing overtime. 

The outcome was a familiar one, as Horvat also had the game-winner in overtime when these teams last met in New York on Jan. 21.

Ryan Pulock had a goal and an assist to help the Islanders snap a two-game losing streak, while Ilya Sorokin stopped 30 of 32 shots.

After Pulock registered the lone goal of the first period, the scoring picked up in the second as Matt Duchene converted a Dallas power play to tie the game 7:11 into the period.

Kyle MacLean put New York back ahead later in the second, but the Stars again drew even when Logan Stankoven beat Sorokin with a wrist shot with 1:43 left in the period for his first NHL goal.

Stankoven, playing in his second career NHL game, added an assist on Duchene's goal. 

Wedgewood finished with 25 saves.

The new Formula One season begins in Bahrain on Saturday with Max Verstappen bidding to win a fourth consecutive world championship.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the key questions heading into the 2024 campaign.

Who is the favourite to win the title?

Red Bull’s preparations for the new season have been overshadowed by allegations facing team principal Christian Horner. Horner, who is fighting to save his career following a claim of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female colleague, insists it is business as usual at Red Bull. Off-track it has been anything but for the team which has dominated the sport for the past two seasons. But on-track it has been precisely that.

Verstappen — in an upgrade of the machine which carried him to 19 victories from 22 rounds last year — set a blistering pace on the opening day of last week’s test, finishing 1.1 seconds quicker than anybody else.

Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion, summed up the ominous feeling in the paddock. Writing about Verstappen on ‘X’ he said: “He’s gloating. He’s taunting us. He knows. This year is going to be one long victory lap. You cannot begrudge anyone their success. All we can do is watch and admire.”

So, can anyone challenge Verstappen and Red Bull?

Ferrari ended last year with five pole positions from the final nine races and Carlos Sainz secured the only non-Red Bull win of the season in Singapore. The Italian team have worked hard over the winter on translating their one-lap pace into race conditions, where they tended to struggle in 2023.

They will take solace from a trouble-free test and their pace appeared relatively encouraging, too. Sainz topped the time charts on the second day, while Leclerc ended the final day quickest – albeit on speedier rubber than Verstappen.

An upbeat Leclerc said: “We are in a much better place and it is an easier car to drive. The feeling was good. We have been consistent straight away and this will help us in the race.”

And what about Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes?

Hamilton stunned the sporting world by choosing to quit Mercedes and join Ferrari in 2025. The news broke earlier this month and is likely to be difficult for those at Mercedes to digest. Hamilton took the decision – one he described as the hardest of his life – after two winless years with the Silver Arrows.

Mercedes are armed with a new design philosophy for the new campaign but – although both Hamilton and team-mate George Russell spoke of an improved, more reliable machine – there was little to suggest from testing that they have closed the gap to Red Bull.

Mercedes finished ahead of Ferrari in last year’s constructors’ championship but do not be surprised if the Scuderia start the new season ahead of them.

What about the other teams?

McLaren came alive in the second half of 2023, with Lando Norris scoring seven podiums. But the British team looked short of last year’s form in Bahrain last week – although it is a track which has not always suited them in recent seasons.

Aston Martin finished fifth in the constructors’ championship, with Fernando Alonso, now 42, leading their charge for a second season. Alpine are set to head the midfield, with Williams, the newly-rebranded RB and Sauber teams (nee AlphaTauri and Alfa Romeo) and Haas likely to follow.

Have there been any driver changes?

No. This season’s line-up is the same as the previous year – the first time that’s ever happened. But with Hamilton already announcing his move to Ferrari for 2025 and 13 of the 20 drivers out of contract at the end of the season – next year’s grid is sure to have a whole different feel about it.

What else happened during the winter break?

Aside from Hamilton’s blockbuster transfer, his soon-to-be Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc penned a new deal which is expected to keep the 26-year-old Monegasque dressed in red until 2029. Lando Norris also extended his stay with McLaren until at least the end of 2026.

Andretti’s move to become the 11th team on the grid was blocked by F1 bosses. The British Grand Prix will remain on the calendar for another decade after Silverstone agreed a new long-term deal with F1’s American owners’ Liberty Media.

How does the calendar look?

There will be a record-breaking 24 races – the longest season in history – starting in Bahrain on March 2 and ending in Abu Dhabi nine months and six days later.

The Chinese Grand Prix returns after five years away, while the round in Japan moves from its traditional October slot to April. The roster features six sprint races in China, Miami, Austria, Austin, Qatar and Brazil. The format has been tinkered with, too. Qualifying for the sprint will now take place on Friday, with the grid for Sunday’s main event decided on Saturday, following the shortened race.

What else do I need to know?

The opening two races will both take place on a Saturday. The Muslim holy period of Ramadan starts on March 10. As such, the second round in Saudi Arabia has been brought forward by a day. FIA rules stipulate there must one week between races, meaning the Bahrain GP will also be 24 hours earlier than usual.

Bam Adebayo compiled 28 points and 10 rebounds as the Miami Heat overcame the absence of several key players to record a 121-110 victory over the Sacramento Kings on Monday and extend their winning streak to four games.

Miami moved a half-game ahead of the Orlando Magic for first place in the Southeast Division despite missing two of its stars in Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro, as well as starting point guard Terry Rozier. Herro and Rozier sat out due to injuries, while Butler was serving a one-game suspension for his role in an on-court altercation in the Heat's win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.

Rookie Jaime Jaquez helped fill the void by producing 26 points on 12-of-17 shooting, and the Heat also got key contributions from reserves Kevin Love and Haywood Highsmith.

Love poured in 19 points in just 15 minutes, while Highsmith scored 15 first-half points to help Miami take a 65-62 lead into the break.

Jaquez then put up 13 points during a dominant third quarter in which the Heat outscored Sacramento by a 36-19 margin. Miami took the lead for good with a 10-2 run that snapped a 71-71 tie, then later scored the final 10 points of the period to build a commanding 101-81 advantage entering the fourth.

The Kings had a three-game winning streak snapped despite Domantas Sabonis registering his league-leading 21st triple-double with 14 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists.

Keegan Murray led Sacramento, which was coming off a 16-point road win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, with 28 points. De'Aaron Fox finished with 27 in the loss.

Barnes' triple-double powers Raptors past Pacers

Scottie Barnes recorded his fourth triple-double of the season with 21 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists to lead the Toronto Raptors to a 130-122 win over the weary Indiana Pacers.

Toronto also received big efforts from RJ Barrett and rookie Gradey Dick en route to its season-high third consecutive win. Barrett delivered 24 points on 11-of-16 shooting, while Dick had 11 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and finished 7 of 9 from the field while making all four of his 3-point attempts.

Playing for the second straight night, the Pacers had a three-game winning streak snapped despite Bennedict Mathurin matching a career-high with 34 points to go along with nine rebounds. Former Raptors All-Star Pascal Siakam had 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists in his second meeting with his ex-team since being traded to Indiana on Jan. 17.

The Pacers got an off night from leading scorer Tyrese Haliburton, however, as the All-Star guard misfired on nine of 11 shot attempts while being held to nine points.

Indiana did manage to battle back from a 12-point third-quarter deficit, however, to tie the game at 102-102 with just over eight minutes left in the fourth.

The Raptors then regained control with a 13-2 run, which Dick started and finished with 3-pointers, to take a 115-104 lead with 6:21 remaining.

Indiana closed the gap to four points entering the final three minutes, but a jumper by Toronto's Gary Trent Jr. followed by a Barrett 3-pointer helped end any comeback hopes.

Hart's late basket lifts Knicks over Pistons

Josh Hart scored the go-ahead layup with 2.8 seconds left as the New York Knicks held off a determined upset bid from the Detroit Pistons and came away with a controversial 113-111 victory.

The Pistons fought back from a 13-point deficit in the third quarter to take a 111-110 lead on former Knick Quentin Grimes' layup with 37.3 seconds remaining. New York's Jalen Brunson misfired on a 3-point try on the ensuing possession, but Detroit's Ausar Thompson had the ball stolen away after colliding with the Knicks' Donte DiVincenzo to set up Hart's basket off a feed from Brunson.

Hart missed the free throw for a potential three-point play, but the Knicks collared the rebound and Hart was fouled again with 1.3 seconds left. He made 1 of 2 from the line to prevent a potentially damaging home loss to a Detroit team with an NBA-worst 8-49 record.

Game officials acknowledged afterward that a loose-ball foul should have been called on DiVincenzo during the collision that preceded Hart's basket.

Brunson finished with 35 points and 12 assists and Hart had 23 points and eight rebounds as the playoff-hopeful Knicks won for the second time in three outings following a four-game losing streak. DiVincenzo contributed 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting.

Detroit was dealt a sixth straight loss despite Cade Cunningham's 32 points and eight assists and an 11-point, 16-rebound effort from Jalen Duren. 

The teams were facing one another for the first time since collaborating on a six-player trade on Feb. 8 that sent veterans Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks to New York, with Grimes among the return pieces to the Pistons.

Grimes finished with 14 points while Bogdanovic recorded 13 points and six rebounds off the bench. 

England head coach Steve Borthwick hopes fly-half Marcus Smith could be fit to return to action in the Guinness Six Nations clash against Ireland at Twickenham.

Harlequins star Smith has sat out all three of England’s games so far with a calf problem suffered on a pre-tournament training camp.

Borthwick also feels Northampton scrum-half Alex Mitchell could be back in action before the end of the Six Nations, having missed the defeat to Scotland at Murrayfield with a knee issue.

“I am very hopeful that Marcus will be available for selection for this latter part of the tournament,” Borthwick said, quoted in several national newspapers.

“We have got positive news on Alex Mitchell’s injury, we are hopeful he will feature in the latter part of this tournament – whether that’s the next game, we are not sure, but we are hopeful he will be available as well.”

Following Saturday’s 30-21 Calcutta Cup loss in Edinburgh, the England squad are set to regroup in York for training.

Borthwick is expecting a response as the squad prepare to head back to Twickenham in the build-up to the showdown with Grand Slam contenders Ireland on March 9.

He said: “What’s going to be interesting to me and what I want when we debrief the players, is that after the first 20 minutes on Saturday – why did we go and play in a manner that was not the way we had played the first 20?

“What changed? What in the thought processes altered to try and do something different?

“I will only be able to understand that fully once we have talked to the players and listened to them about how it was on the grass.”

A number of MPs called for ministers to reconsider affordability checks during in a debate at Westminster Hall on Monday.

It was the first chance for MPs to properly interrogate proposals of the implementation of the supposedly “frictionless” checks after 100,000 people signed an e-petition to trigger the debate.

Matt Hancock, who has Newmarket within his constituency, Connor McGinn, whose St Helens North constituency includes Haydock, and Philip Davies were among MPs to lay out arguments against the checks.

Gambling minister Stuart Andrew said both the government and Gambling Commission had listened to the points, although the proposals will proceed, with a pilot of enhanced checks running for “a minimum of four months, during which time the commission will consider all issues that arise”.

Andrew also underlined the concerns about the possible impact of the checks on racing are being taken “extremely seriously”.

He said: “I am clear that we must ensure that the checks do not adversely affect racing or those who work in the sector, or interrupt the customer journey.

“They also must not push away high-net-worth individuals such as owners and trainers that invest in the sport.

“The Gambling Commission has worked very closely with operators to explore the practical aspects of implementing the checks, and colleagues have said that they have seen an improved relationship between the commission and the industry. The commission has also been carefully considering responses to the consultation, which have helped to shape the implementation plans.

“We want to protect those at risk – I make no apology for our doing that – with minimal disruption to the majority, who I recognise bet on horseracing with no ill effect.”

Shadow gambling minister Stephanie Peacock called for the government to outline how it could ensure checks are “accurate, frictionless and non-intrusive for consumers”.

“I think there is a consensus over the need to update our regulation so that vulnerable people are better protected from gambling harms in the modern age,” she said.

“But at the same time it is the punters, racing and the gambling industry that deserves some clarity on how the government will ensure affordability checks are carried out with accuracy and in a way that does not cause unnecessary friction for those gambling responsibly.”