Revised whip regulations, anti-Grand National protests and Frankie Dettori’s ‘farewell tour’ dominated the racing year in 2023. We look back on the first half of another campaign filled with its fair share of thrills and a good measure of controversy…
January
New Year’s Day is a busy fixture in the racing calendar and at Cheltenham we saw The Real Whacker land the Dipper Novices’ Chase and assert his place in the division for Paddy Neville. In Ireland, Minella Indo returned to form to take the Savills New Year’s Day Chase. In the following days Jack Kennedy suffered a heavy fall that left him with a leg injury – an incident that inspired Davy Russell to make a U-turn on his retirement and return to the saddle for Gordon Elliot. A cold spell then saw the jumping calendar rather sparse for a few days as both the Clarence House at Ascot and Lingfield’s Winter Million were affected. The former meeting was rescheduled and held at Cheltenham, with Editeur Du Gite a surprise winner for Gary Moore. Ahoy Senor took the Cotswold Chase and around the same time there was a milestone in the career of Willie Mullins, who hit 4,000 career winners. The month closed with news of an unprecedented sanction for trainer Ronan McNally, who was banned for 12 years for various infringements relating to integrity.
February
New whips rules were enforced by the British Horseracing Authority with the disqualification of two horses, Lunar Discovery and Mavis Pike, earning riders Charlotte Jones and James Turner bans of 14 and 20 days respectively. A total of 20 suspensions were handed out in the first week of the regulations. Shishkin proved himself back to his brilliant best with a comprehensive victory in the Ascot Chase. Tom Scudamore announced his immediate retirement from the saddle, while Oisin Murphy made a winning comeback from his 14-month ban for alcohol and Covid breaches. Philip Hobbs trained his 3,000th winner via Zanza in Newbury’s Denman Chase. Panthalassa produced a remarkable front-running performance to strike gold for Japan in the $20million Saudi Cup. Mostahdaf turned the Neom Turf Cup into a procession in Riyadh. At Leopardstown, Galopin Des Champs ran away with the Irish Gold Cup and State Man strode to a decisive victory over Honeysuckle in the Irish Champion Hurdle. Lord North outclassed his rivals in the Winter Derby at Lingfield. Kemboy rolled back the years with a heartwarming victory in the Bobbyjo Chase at Fairyhouse. Jim Lewis, owner of three-time Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Best Mate, died at the age of 88. The Jockey Club scrapped dress codes at its 15 racecourses to make racing more “accessible and inclusive”.
March
Willie Mullins was again the main man at the Cheltenham Festival, with Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs the headline act among his six strikes. He also landed Grade One wins with El Fabiolo (Arkle), Energumene (Champion Chase), Impaire Et Passe (Ballymore) and Lossiemouth (Triumph), all partnered by Paul Townend. However, Mullins had to settle for second best in the Champion Hurdle with State Man, as Nicky Henderson’s Constitution Hill secured a stunning success. JP McManus finished the week as the leading owner, with his highlight being the 33-1 Stayers’ Hurdle victory of Sire Du Berlais. Irish handlers prevailed 18-10 in the Prestbury Cup and there was no more popular raider than Honeysuckle, who brought the curtain down on her phenomenal career with an emotional win in the Mares’ Hurdle. Alan King’s Major Dundee was an impressive winner of the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter in the colours of the late Trevor Hemmings. Japanese ace Ushba Tesoro finished strongly to beat the Simon and Ed Crisford-trained Algiers in the Dubai World Cup. Equinox demolished his opposition in the Dubai Sheema Classic, while Lord North completed a Dubai Turf hat-trick under Frankie Dettori. Trainer John Spearing died at the age of 82 and Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning rider Bryan Cooper retired at just 30. Liam Burke rode a Limerick bumper winner at 66, having last tasted victory in the saddle in 1988.
April
Corach Rambler was a superb winner of the Randox Grand National for Lucinda Russell and Derek Fox. He jumped into the lead at the final fence, pulled away when passing the elbow and held off a closing Vanillier. Animal rights activists delayed the start of the Liverpool showpiece, with Merseyside Police arresting over 100 people. Constitution Hill and Shishkin gave Nicky Henderson a Grade One double on day one of the meeting. Kitty’s Light pulled off a spectacular double for Christian Williams, landing the bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown just seven days after his Scottish Grand National success. Willie Mullins took top honours in nine of the 12 Grade One contests at the Punchestown Festival. Lossiemouth, Echoes In Rain, State Man, Impaire Et Passe, El Fabiolo, Klassical Dream, Gaelic Warrior, Energumene and Facile Vega all did the business at elite level – although Fastorslow upset Galopin Des Champs in the Punchestown Gold Cup. Mullins also prevailed in the Boylesports Irish Grand National when I Am Maximus lunged late to claim victory at Fairyhouse. Paul Nicholls was crowned champion jumps trainer for the 14th time, with Brian Hughes the top jockey. Chaldean unshipped Frankie Dettori when coming out of the stalls in the Greenham Stakes at Newbury, won by Isaac Shelby. Andrew Balding and Oisin Murphy enjoyed an All-Weather Championships Finals Day treble at Newcastle with Berkshire Shadow, Desert Cop and Notre Belle Bete.
May
On the first day of the month, Aidan O’Brien’s Paddington landed the Listed Tetrarch Stakes, a first step up to stakes level for a colt we would here a lot more of. The Guineas meeting arrived at Newmarket, with Mawj claiming a popular 1000 Guineas success for Saeed bin Suroor and Chaldean providing Andrew Balding and Frankie Dettori with victory in the 2000 Guineas. At the same fixture it was Via Sistina who took the Dahlia Stakes and former Derby winner Adayar who returned to action to win the Gordon Richards Stakes. At Chester’s May meeting, Savethelastdance streaked home in the Cheshire Oaks by a stunning 22 lengths, while San Antonio took the Dee Stakes and Arrest the Chester Vase. York was the next port of call, where Azure Blue took the Duke of York Stakes, The Foxes landed the Dante and Giavellotto was the Yorkshire Cup winner. Modern Games landed the Lockinge despite Chindit, the second-placed horse, trying to bite him in the final strides of the race. Desert Crown returned from injury to tackle the Brigadier Gerard, where he was defeated by Owen Burrows’ Hukum after nearly a year off the track. The month reached an end with Paddington taking the Irish 2,000 Guineas and Tahiyra the fillies’ equivalent.
June
The Derby meeting at Epsom ran under the threat of more action from Animal Rising, but nothing could detract from Auguste Rodin’s fine success and the triumph of Frankie Dettori and Soul Sister in the Oaks. Across the Channel the French Derby went the way of Ace Impact for Jean-Claude Rouget – another horse we would come to hear more of later in the campaign. Grand National-winning trainer Oliver Sherwood announced his retirement to take up a role as assistant to Harry Derham. Focus then turned to Royal Ascot, with five days of top-class Flat action in Berkshire as the King made his first appearance since his coronation. On day one, Triple Time was a surprise winner of the Queen Anne, with River Tiber landing the Coventry and Bradsell returning to the track to win the King’s Stand before Paddington’s brilliant performance in the St James’s Palace Stakes. On the Wednesday Crimson Advocate scored for America in the Queen Mary Stakes, with Rogue Millenium a popular winner for Tom Clover in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes before Mostahdaf made light work of the Prince of Wales’s Stakes with a four-length win and Big Evs landed the Windsor Castle. On Thursday the Ascot Gold Cup went the way of Dettori and Courage Mon Ami, a fairytale win in what was expected to be his final year, and on Friday King Of Steel became a Royal Ascot winner for Amo Racing when prevailing in the King Edward VII Stakes. On the same day Shaquille overcame a slow start to land the Commonwealth Cup for Julie Camacho and Tahiyra continued to impress when taking the Coronation Stakes. The ever-popular Pyledriver won the Hardwicke Stakes on the final day of the meeting before Naval Crown was the winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes.
We continue our look back at 2023, with City Of Troy advertising his star potential, Frankie Dettori continuing his epic winning run before his surprise about-turn on retirement plans and a Christmas miracle at Kempton courtesy of Hewick…
July
In early July Aidan O’Brien’s City Of Troy made his debut at the Curragh before going on to land the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket by six and a half lengths. Via Sistina’s success continued with a Pretty Polly win at the Curragh before Auguste Rodin added an Irish Derby victory to his Epsom title. In the Coral-Eclipse it was Paddington who prevailed, beating Emily Upjohn in a hard-fought finish at Sandown. On day one of the July meeting, Israr landed the Princess of Wales’s Stakes ahead of Adayar, with Nostrum also impressing in the Sir Henry Cecil Stakes. Nashwa was at her brilliant best to land the Falmouth and the following day it was the turn of the sprinters in the July Cup, which was won by the speed star of the season in Shaquille. Gold Cup winner Subjectivist was retired midway through the month, then at the Curragh, Art Power thrived to land the Sapphire Stakes for Tim Easterby. At the same meeting Savethelastdance took the Irish Oaks and Emily Dickinson the Curragh Cup, whereas on home soil it was Relief Rally who came out on top in the Super Sprint at Newbury. The month ended with a King George victory for Hukum, who defeated Westover by a head in the Group One at Ascot.
August
The month got under way at Goodwood, where Haatem took the Vintage Stakes, Kinross prevailed in the Lennox Stakes and Quickthorn ran away with the Goodwood Cup on the opening day. On day two, Big Evs’ brilliant run continued in the Molecomb Stakes before Paddington landed another Group One when taking the Sussex Stakes. Vandeek then burst onto the scene when taking the Richmond Stakes on only his second start, with Al Husn’s Nassau win another highlight of the day. Highfield Princess stormed home in the King George Qatar Stakes to maintain her status as the sprint queen, but the final day of the meeting was abandoned midway through due to heavy rain. At the Curragh, Bucanero Fuerte won the Phoenix Stakes and over in Deauville Inspiral was the winner of the Prix Jacques le Marois for the second year in a row. Ace Impact won the Prix Guillaume d’Ornano at Deauville, another significant run on home turf. The Ebor meeting at York was the scene of defeat for Paddington in the Juddmonte International, a race ultimately won by Mostahdaf as Nashwa came home second. Relief Rally took the Lowther, Dragon Leader was a stunning winner of the sales race and Warm Heart landed the Yorkshire Oaks, after which there was a real underdog success in the Nunthorpe when Live In The Dream prevailed at odds of 28-1 for Epsom trainer Adam West. Kinross won the richly-endowed City of York on the last day, when Willie Mullins’ Absurde took the Ebor itself under a particularly inspired Frankie Dettori.
September
Tahiyra struck again at Leopardstown to land the Matron Stakes, as Diego Velazquez impressed in the Juvenile Stakes to get the Ballydoyle team off the mark before Auguste Rodin’s victory in the Irish Champion Stakes. At the Curragh, Henry Longfellow caught the eye when winning the National Stakes and over the sprint trip Moss Tucker took the Flying Five for Ken Condon. Eldar Eldarov then secured an Irish St Leger crown to go with his earlier English St Leger prize for the Roger Varian team. At Haydock, it was Ed Bethell’s Regional who scored in the Sprint Cup, a first Group One for the young trainer and a major milestone for the North Yorkshire yard. Eyes then turned to Doncaster for the St Leger meeting, where Darnation took the May Hill and Sumo Sam claimed the Park Hill on the opening day. Big Evs bounced back from Nunthorpe disappointment to land the Flying Childers and Trueshan took the Doncaster Cup on day two, with the Champagne Stakes going to Iberian on day three and the St Leger won by Continuous for Aidan O’Brien and Ryan Moore. Paddy Twomey seemed to unearth some gems at the Curragh as Deepone took the Beresford and One Look ran away with the Goffs Million in a six-length win, after which the Irish Cesarewitch was won by 150-1 outsider Magellan Strait for Joseph O’Brien. Andrew Balding’s Array won the Mill Reef in a poignant success for the stable, after which France came into focus for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe meeting at ParisLongchamp. Trueshan landed the Prix du Cadran to get the British on the board, with Sea Silk Road then taking the Prix de Royallieu for William Haggas and Poker Face winning the Prix Daniel Wildenstein for Simon and Ed Crisford.
October
The big day of the Arc meeting fell on October 1, where Rosallion took the opening Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere and Opera Singer won the Prix Marcel Boussac ahead of the main event. Ace Impact was the winner for Jean-Claude Rouget, with Westover a gallant second, beaten a length and three-quarters. Highfield Princess did connections proud once again when taking the Prix de l’Abbaye for John Quinn and his team. Then came the news that Frankie Dettori’s retirement would in fact be postponed as he revealed plans to head off to California instead. He still received a send-off on Champions Day at Ascot, however, where he won the Champion Stakes aboard King Of Steel – potentially his last ever ride in Britain. Other winners on the card included Art Power in the Champion Sprint, Poptronic in the Fillies & Mares Stakes, Big Rock in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Trawlerman in the Long Distance Cup. City Of Troy demonstrated his huge potential once again at Newmarket with a straightforward Dewhurst success, while the Cesarewitch was won by The Shunter. Ancient Wisdom won the final Group One of the season, Doncaster’s Futurity Trophy in the style of a Derby horse. Attentions switched the National Hunt code, with news the Grand National field would be reduced to 34 along with other changes to improve the safety of the race.
November
The Breeders’ Cup took place at Santa Anita and Big Evs struck a huge blow for the raiding party when landing the Juvenile Turf Sprint for Mick Appleby before Adam West’s Live In The Dream was a gallant fourth in the Turf Sprint. Inspiral landed the Filly & Mare Turf and it was Auguste Rodin who took the Breeders’ Cup Turf. Gentlemansgame denied Bravemansgame in the Charlie Hall, a race that signals that the National Hunt term is well under way. Training great Henrietta Knight announced her return to the game as a licence holder. Gordon Elliott started the season in incredible form with a Down Royal six-timer, swiftly followed by a five-timer at the same track. Gerri Colombe was one of the successes, winning the Ladbrokes Champion Chase from Envoi Allen. In Bahrain, Sir Alex Ferguson enjoyed an international Group Two strike as the Richard Fahey-trained Spirit Dancer was a brilliant winner of the Bahrain International Trophy. Nicky Henderson’s Jonbon made light work of the Shloer Chase on his comeback, as Facile Vega kicked off in style over fences at Navan. Hayley Turner hit a significant career milestone of 1,000 winners on a Chelmsford evening, before Equinox swept to a four-length victory in Japan Cup, sealing his status as the world’s best racehorse. Both the Cheltenham Gold Cup winner and runner-up were beaten in separate races as Royale Pagaille held Bravemansgame in the Betfair Chase and both Fastorslow and Appreciate It beat Galopin Des Champs in the John Durkan. Shishkin refused to start in the 1965 Chase at Ascot which was won by Pic D’Orhy in his absence. The industry was quick to rally around Graham Lee, who sustained serious injuries in a heavy fall at Newcastle early in the month and remains in hospital. A fundraiser organised by his daughter raised over £170,000 for the Injured Jockeys Fund.
December
Gavin Sheehan and Jamie Snowden teamed up to take the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury with Datsalrightgino, but the Fighting Fifth could not go ahead due to the weather, so Constitution Hill’s return to action was delayed. The rearranged race was held at Sandown and neither Constitution Hill nor stablemate Shishkin ran due to the ground, with Hughie Morrison’s Not So Sleepy the winner as the outsider in a field of four. Jonbon’s fine start to the season continued as he landed the Tingle Creek from Alan King’s Edwardstone, while at Aintree the Becher Chase was won by a female jockey for this first time as Lucy Turner steered Chambard to victory for Venetia Williams. Arkle winner El Fabiolo took the Hilly Way Chase at Cork by a decent margin to underline his Champion Chase claims after Jonbon’s success. Baroness Harding then became the first female senior steward of The Jockey Club. Constitution Hill did finally reappear, at Kempton in the Christmas Hurdle – winning as odds of 1-12 suggested he would. The King George VI Chase was far less predictable, and for much of the way anyone watching Hewick – a horse who cost a mere £800 – could have been forgiven for ripping up their ticket. But in an astonishing finish – which included Shishkin departing when slipping following the second-last, where he was going strongly in front – Shark Hanlon’s charge roared home under Gavin Sheehan. At Leopardstown’s big festive meeting, Galopin Des Champs impressed in the Savills Chase, State Man won the Matheson Hurdle and Marine Nationale oozed class on his fencing debut.
Detroit Pistons coach Monty Williams was "almost in tears" after Saturday's 129-127 win over the Toronto Raptors, which saw his team avoid setting a new record for most consecutive NBA losses.
Detroit matched the longest losing run in NBA history on Thursday, when they blew a 21-point lead against the Boston Celtics to equal the Philadelphia 76ers' record of 28 straight losses covering the end of 2014-15 and the start of 2015-16.
The Pistons – who were on the worst single-season losing streak in league history – could have taken that unwanted record outright when they welcomed Toronto to Little Caesars Arena, but Cade Cunningham starred as they avoided doing so.
The third-year guard had 30 points and 12 assists as the Pistons clinched victory over their short-handed opponents by going 11 for 12 from the free throw line in the final minute.
Asked about the mood in the Detroit camp after the team's first win since October 28, Williams said: "I've been a ton of locker rooms my whole life, and that's a first for me, to have that.
"It wasn't relief, it was like: 'Thank God'. Guys were screaming. I was almost in tears. I'm just so happy for our guys. I'm happy for everybody.
"Sometimes it just takes a win like that to get things started. I just have so much respect for our team."
Cunningham, who hit back-to-back three-pointers in a crucial fourth-quarter stretch to pull Detroit clear, added: "I feel amazing.
"We just kept battling. It's been a long stretch, all these losses, but I'm just happy to be part of a group of guys who don't quit."
Pascal Siakam scored 35 points and Dennis Schroder added 28 for the 12-20 Raptors, who traded O.G. Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to the New York Knicks earlier on Saturday and were unable to field new arrivals RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.
They sit 12th in the Eastern Conference after losing five of their last six games, while the last-place Pistons are at 3-29 ahead of a four-game road stretch starting against the Houston Rockets on Monday.
Great Britain were beaten 2-1 by the United States at the United Cup despite Katie Boulter sealing the biggest win of her career against world number five Jessica Pegula in Perth.
The second edition of the mixed international team competition is a slimmed-down version, with ties comprising two singles matches and one doubles.
British number one Boulter, 51 places below Pegula in the world rankings, defeated the American 5-7 6-4 6-4 in the first match on Sunday, but defeat for Cameron Norrie, and then for Boulter and Neal Skupski in the mixed doubles, saw the defending champions prevail.
Victory for Britain would have secured their place in the quarter-finals, but all three teams in Group C still stand a chance of progressing ahead of the final pool match between the US and hosts Australia on Monday.
Pegula looked on course to open the Americans’ title defence with victory, taking six straight games to go a set and 3-0 up.
But Boulter hit back to record her first win over a top-five opponent at the seventh attempt. Her previous best was beating then-world number seven Karolina Pliskova at Eastbourne and Wimbledon in 2022.
She said: “I felt like I played some really good stuff. I get a lot of confidence from it, I’ve done the work during pre-season and I was very happy with it. I feel like a different player than I was a year ago. I wanted to get some wins by rankings.”
Norrie lost to Taylor Fritz in the second singles match to send the best-of-three tie to the deciding doubles.
Fritz triumphed 7-6 (5) 6-4, serving 14 aces to only three by the Briton, who managed just 54 per cent of his first serves.
Boulter and Skupski then got off to a solid start when they faced Pegula and Fritz in the mixed doubles, but the American pair emerged 1-6 7-6 (4) 10-7 victors.
Sunday’s National Hunt meetings at Uttoxeter and Warwick have both been abandoned due to waterlogged tracks, but Punchestown is set to go ahead.
Each venue had called early-morning inspections due to poor weather forecasts and the worst fears were realised at the two British venues.
Uttoxeter was hit by a further 10.5mm of rain on saturated ground, leaving the course unraceable, with standing water in places.
Warwick brought forward their inspection following 20mm of rain overnight, which made it 54.5mm since last Monday and left the track waterlogged.
However, Punchestown managed to avoid any significant downpours and are set to race on heavy ground.
“Following just 1.5mm of rain overnight, Punchestown is fit for racing and today’s meeting goes ahead,” said clerk of the course Brendan Sheridan.
“The ground remains heavy and having spoken to Met Eireann this morning there is further rain expected later.
“At this stage, Met Eireann are saying we could get 4-5mm but there is a possibility that the showers could get heavier at times and lead to more rain than that. It is a bit unpredictable.
“However, the good news is that the track is raceable and the fixture goes ahead.”
There will be Flat racing in the UK, with Lingfield staging an all-weather fixture.
Artemi Panarin scored three goals and Igor Shesterkin got the win on his 28th birthday to lift the NHL-leading New York Rangers to a 5-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
Vincent Trocheck had a goal and three assists and Mike Zibanejad had an assist to extend his point streak to a career-high 10 games.
Shesterkin stopped 34 shots and the Rangers rebounded from Friday’s loss to the Panthers to improve to 6-0 in the second of back-to-back games this season. They are the first team to reach 50 points.
NHL points leader Nikita Kucherov scored his 25th goal as the Lightning dropped their second straight.
Panthers beat Canadiens for 4th straight win
Eetu Luostarinen scored two power-play goals and Anthony Stolarz made 18 saves as the Florida Panthers won their fourth straight, 4-1 over the Montreal Canadiens.
Sam Bennett and Carter Verhaeghe added third-period scores for the Panthers, who have allowed only eight goals during the four-game win streak, one shy of their season high.
Cole Caufield had the lone goal for Montreal, which has lost two straight in regulation following a five-game point streak.
Ryan’s shootout goal gets surging Oilers over Kings
Derek Ryan scored the deciding goal in the fourth round of the shootout and the Edmonton Oilers extended their winning streak to four games, 3-2 over the Los Angeles Kings.
Connor McDavid scored one goal and set up another by Leon Draisaitl in his 600th career game and Stuart Skinner made 26 saves for the Oilers, who improved to 11-3-0 in their last 14 games.
Kevin Fiala and Adrian Kempe had goals as the Kings dropped to 7-6-4 at home.
Chris Hoy was knighted in the New Year Honours List on this day in 2008 after winning three cycling gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.
In a move that broke with tradition, Hoy’s knighthood came while he was still competing and he took part in London 2012 as Sir Chris.
The Scot told the PA news agency: “To become a knight from riding your bike, it’s mad.
“But it is, genuinely, just an amazing honour, it’s also great for the sport.”
Hoy added that was just as pleased to see his mother Carol receive an MBE for her work on sleep-related illnesses.
Hoy was one of 10 Olympic cyclists to be honoured, while a number of Olympic coaches and officials were also recognised.
He went on to win two golds in London to take his tally to six before announcing his retirement in 2013.
The Detroit Pistons put an end to their NBA record-tying 28-game losing streak on Saturday, defeating the Toronto Raptors 129-127 behind Cade Cunningham’s 30 points and 12 assists.
It was the first victory since Oct. 28 for the Pistons, who matched the Philadelphia 76ers’ record of 28, split over the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. They finished one shy of the record for the four major American and Canadian leagues, set by the NFL’s Chicago Cardinals during World War II.
Jalen Duran had 18 points and a season high-tying 17 rebounds for Detroit, which clinched the win by going 11 for 12 from the free throw line in the final minute.
Pascal Siakam scored 35 points and Dennis Schröder added 28 for the last-place Raptors, who have lost five of six.
Toronto traded OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn to the Knicks earlier in the day for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.
Haliburton’s big game lifts Pacers past Knicks
Tyrese Haliburton had 22 points and a franchise record-tying 23 assists and Myles Turner added 28 points to lead the Indiana Pacers to a 140-126 win over the New York Knicks.
Haliburton became just the third player in NBA history with consecutive 20–20 games. He tied Jamaal Tinsley’s franchise assists record, set against Washington on Nov. 22, 2001.
Magic Johnson (Dec. 18-19, 1984) and John Stockton (March 1 and 3, 1990) are the only other players with two straight games of at least 20 points and 20 assists.
Donte DiVincenzo scored a career-high 38 points and Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle each added 28 for the Knicks, who lost their season-high third straight.
Doncic lifts Mavericks in return
Luka Doncic scored 25 of his 39 points in the second half in his return to the lineup to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 132-122 victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Doncic added 10 assists and eight rebounds after sitting out Thursday’s loss at Minnesota due to soreness in his left quadriceps.
Stephen Curry had 25 points and Chris Paul scored a season-high 24 to become the 37th player in NBA history to accumulate 22,000 career points.
Golden State lost its third straight to fall two games under .500.
The Dallas Cowboys survived three attempts at a late two-point conversion as they held on to beat the Detroit Lions 20-19.
The NFC North champion Lions had moved within a point of the Cowboys when Jared Goff found Amon-Ra St Brown for a touchdown pass with 23 seconds remaining.
Opting for a two-point conversion, the Lions had a successful attempt ruled out for illegal touching before a Cowboys interception was wiped out for offside.
Goff’s final pass attempt was incomplete, lifting the Cowboys to 11-5 as they kept up the pressure on the Philadelphia Eagles in the fight for the NFC east title.
A Goff interception had given Brandon Aubrey the chance to kick the Cowboys seven points ahead in the final two minutes, the rookie stretching his record to 35 successful field goals to start his career.
Dak Prescott threw for 345 yards and two touchdowns for the Cowboys, including a 92-yard effort to CeeDee Lamb in the first quarter.
The Detroit Pistons have won for the first time in 29 matches after matching the NBA’s longest losing streak.
The Pistons ended their losing run after 28 matches as they beat the Toronto Raptors 129-127 at home – their first win since the third game of the season on October 28.
Trailing by eight points at half-time, they fought back to lead by four heading into the fourth quarter.
They stretched that advantage to 11 points with less than six minutes on the clock, but the Raptors pulled it back to 126-122 with 17 seconds remaining but the Pistons held on end their losing run.
Cade Cunningham scored 30 points for the Pistons, Jalen Duren adding 18 points and 17 rebounds.
The win means the Pistons’ losing run equals the NBA’s longest by the Philadelphia 76ers across two seasons in 2015 while their 3-29 record leaves them two wins behind the San Antonio Spurs for the worst record this season.
Teenage sensation Luke Littler is daring to dream after he continued his historic World Darts Championship journey by downing hero Raymond van Barneveld to reach the quarter-finals.
The 16-year-old has set the Alexandra Palace tournament alight on debut and is the youngest player ever to reach the last eight after a stunning 4-1 win.
He showed maturity and talent way beyond his tender years to get past the five-time world champion, who he used to imitate in front of the television as a three-year-old.
Littler, who has made the world sit up and take notice, will come back on New Year’s Day for a winnable quarter-final tie against Brendan Dolan and is dreaming of going all the way.
“It’s incredible beating one of my idols on the biggest stage of all, I still can’t believe it,” he said.
“I think I am daring to dream now, I have seen the draw.
“I am only three wins away now. I’m so young, only 16 and I have got nothing to fear, I have got no-one to fear, my game can be better than anyone’s on the day and I have shown it there against one of the greatest who have graced that stage.
“With performances like that I can go all the way.
“I’ve pictured myself winning it. I look at the draw and see Brendan next and then Chris Dobey against Rob Cross in the other quarter.
“I fancy myself. I do fancy myself.”
He was not even born when Van Barneveld won the last of his five titles.
Video footage has emerged of a three-year-old Littler copying ‘Barney’s’ celebration and has admitted it was a dream to play him on the Ally Pally stage.
He added: “It is unbelievable, 13 years ago I was doing his celebration throwing on my little board and I have just beaten him on the biggest stage.”
“Barney said to me at the end, ‘You can go all the way. I hope you go all the way’. I said, ‘Thank you’.
“He is a true gentlemen. I respect Raymond very well.
“Raymond was incredible. It was incredible to see his iconic walk-on, I am so glad I got the job done. It wasn’t easy.”
Next up is Dolan, who beat his second former world champion in three days when he ousted Gary Anderson 4-3.
It looked like the Northern Irishman, who dumped out Gerwyn Price in the third round, was heading out as Anderson rallied from 2-0 down to lead 3-2.
But Dolan composed himself and won the final two sets to reach the last eight.
“I’m over the moon,” he said. “I just think so much of Gary and how brilliant he is.
“It is not a bad couple of days. There has certain things that have happened that maybe make me think it’s meant to be.”
Pre-tournament favourite Luke Humphries again survived a scare as he prevailed in an epic thriller with Joe Cullen, winning a sudden death leg in the final set.
The pair were locked at three sets all and five legs all, with Humphries taking out 100 to win on his 10th match dart.
“It was one of the best games I have ever been apart of. Every time I looked around it was just treble after treble. No one deserved to lose, Joe did not deserve to lose that,” Humphries said.
Teenage sensation Luke Littler continued his historic World Darts Championship journey by downing hero Raymond van Barneveld to reach the quarter-finals.
The 16-year-old has set the Alexandra Palace tournament alight on debut and is the youngest player ever to reach the last eight after a stunning 4-1 win.
He showed maturity and talent way beyond his tender years to get past the five-time world champion, who he used to imitate in front of the television as a three-year-old.
He peppered the treble 20 nine times and finished with an emphatic average of 105.01.
Littler, who has made the world sit up and take notice, will come back on New Year’s Day for a winnable quarter-final tie against Brendan Dolan and will be dreaming of going all the way.
Life has changed immeasurably since ‘The Nuke’ came into the tournament on the back of winning the World Youth Championship last month.
He is now a recognisable name and has enjoyed celebrity status after bursting on to the scenes with wins over Christian Kist, Andrew Gilding and Matt Campbell.
Littler and his family received complimentary tickets to watch Arsenal in the Premier League on Thursday night, while players from his beloved Manchester United sent him good luck messages before the match.
He has catapulted himself into the mainstream and whatever happens between now and Wednesday’s final, it will be Littler’s journey that is the talking point of the tournament.
He was not even born when Van Barneveld won the last of his five titles.
Video footage has emerged of a three-year-old Littler copying ‘Barney’s’ celebration and has admitted it was a dream to play him on the Ally Pally stage.
Littler enjoyed Van Barneveld’s famous walk-on as much as the raucous crowd, but soon got down to business, throwing a maximum on just his second visit and raced to the first set after an 11-dart leg.
He continued to dominate and went 3-0 up before moving one leg from dreamland.
Van Barneveld made him work hard for it by winning the next leg, but nothing was going to stop the teenager in the next set as the apprentice beat the master in style.
Next up is Dolan, who beat his second former world champion in three days when he ousted Gary Anderson 4-3.
It looked like the Northern Irishman, who dumped out Gerwyn Price in the third round, was heading out as Anderson rallied from 2-0 down to lead 3-2.
But Dolan composed himself and won the final two sets to reach the last eight.
“I’m over the moon,” he said. “I just think so much of Gary and how brilliant he is.
“It is not a bad couple of days. There has certain things that have happened that maybe make me think it’s meant to be.”
The Boston Red Sox decided to move on from oft-injured Chris Sale on Saturday, trading the veteran left-hander to the Atlanta Braves in exchange for infielder Vaughn Grissom.
The Red Sox will also send cash to the Braves to cover a portion of the $27.5 million salary Sale is owed in 2024, the final guaranteed season of a $160 million, six-year contract.
Sale is a seven-time All-Star but has battled injuries since he was acquired from the Chicago White Sox in December 2016. He made nine trips to the disabled and injured lists with the Red Sox, mostly due to shoulder and elbow ailments.
Sale helped Boston to a World Series title in 2018 but has made only 56 starts in the last four years, going 17-18 with a 4.86 ERA. He was 6-5 with a 4.30 ERA in 20 starts and 102 2/3 innings last season.
He joins a Braves rotation that projects to include Spencer Strider, Charlie Morton and Max Fried.
The 22-year-old Grissom batted .287 with five home runs and 27 RBIs over 64 games during the past two seasons for Atlanta. He made 41 starts and second base and 19 at shortstop.
The New York Knicks made a splash Saturday, acquiring forward O.G. Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors for forward RJ Barrett and guard Immanuel Quickley, according to multiple media reports.
The Knicks will also receive forward Precious Achiuwa and guard Malachi Flynn in the deal, while the Raptors will also be getting the Detroit Pistons’ 2024 second-round draft pick.
The move is a major shakeup in the Eastern Conference, where the Knicks are hoping to compete with top teams like the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers.
Anunoby, 26, has been mentioned in trade speculation for the last two years. He is in the third season of a four-year, $72million contract but has a player option for next season. ESPN reported Saturday that the Knicks are “determined” to sign Anunoby to a new contract next offseason.
One of the best and most versatile defenders in the NBA, Anunoby is averaging 15.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.6 assists this season.
Anunoby was placed on the trade block because of his expiring contract and his positional and size redundancy with fellow forwards Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam.
Quickley, who finished second in last season’s Sixth Man of the Year voting, could move into a starting role and fill the void at point guard that Fred Van Vleet left when he signed with the Houston Rockets over the summer.
The Raptors also get a former third overall pick in Barrett, who scored 20 points per game just two seasons ago but has struggled with efficiency.
Barrett, 23, is averaging 18.2 points and 4.3 rebounds this season, while Quickley is averaging 15 points and 2.5 assists.
Mathieu Griffith and Ashley Howell both rode off with two brand new scooters for Christmas after winning the men and women’s titles respectively in the recently concluded Keith ‘Grell’ Griffith Road Tennis Classic.
While Griffith registered a straightforward 21-16, 21-14 victory over Darnell Clarke, the relatively unknown Howell created a major upset by defeating the island’s number three ranked female Rachel Smith 17-21, 21-17, 21-17, at the Parkinson Field Courts over the weekend.
Clarke and Smith each won a bicycle compliments Pinelands Creative Workshop and $150.
It proved to be a double delight for the Howell family, as Ashley’s daughter Sarah took home the Under-11 girls’ title and a new laptop by overcoming arch rival Jakarta Archer 21-19, 21-11.
In the Under-11 boys’ final, Taquan Forde beat Devonte Gill 21-17, 21-17, while Zion Moore claimed the Under-14 boys’ title with a 21-17, 21-11 win over Rasha Browne.
Raquan Clarke was pushed all the way by Omari Savoury before eventually capturing the Under-17 boys’ title 17-21, 21-13, 21-17.
Organizer Brommel Griffith revealed that one of the major goals was to raise funds to purchase a prosthetic leg for Keith Griffith, after whom the competition was named.
He told Barbados Today that $7000 was raised and Griffith received his prosthetic on Thursday.
Scott Williams has apologised for his “genuinely stupid” comments during an on-stage interview at the World Championship on Wednesday.
Williams courted controversy after joking about England winning “two World Wars and one World Cup” following his third-round win over German Martin Schindler.
He followed that victory up with a 4-1 win over 10th seed Damon Heta on Saturday afternoon to make a first-ever quarter-final at Alexandra Palace.
‘Shaggy’, who received backlash to his insensitive comments, was regretful about his interview on Sky Sports.
He said: “I was advised to come off social media, just X, what I said in the last interview on stage was stupid, genuinely stupid. The guys from Germany know I love Germany.
“My deepest apologies to anyone who took offence, I have had a lot of messages from people who haven’t taken offence, but that has gone now and I am looking forward to Monday.”
He let his darts do the talking in a ruthless performance against Australian Heta, which included a 170 checkout.
The showman was also conducting the crowd before he threw his match-winning dart, which set up a last-eight tie with Michael van Gerwen.
He added: “That is very good. I can’t say too much because I will get myself in trouble.
“Michael? Michael, yeah I have heard of him. I am really looking forward to it, he is a completly different gravy to everyone else in the competition. I am just going to go up there and throw darts and if they go in they go in.”
Rob Cross is into his first quarter-final at Ally Pally since winning the title on debut in 2018 after a 4-0 demolition of Jonny Clayton.
Cross, who now plays Chris Dobey, is enjoying his best season for a number of years and showed he is a contender for the title after throwing a 98.41 average against the Welshman.
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That would have been higher had he not missed six match darts to get over the line.
He said on his on-stage interview: “I thought I needed a new pair of pants!
“I feel for Jonny he never really turned up, he is the nicest guy I have ever met. I was controlled and ruthless, I wanted to get through it. I managed to get it done and on to the next one.”
Dave Chisnall is into a third quarter-final after he beat Daryl Gurney 4-2.
Robyndzone continued the excellent recent form of Venetia Williams with victory in the Betfred Last Fling Handicap Chase at Haydock, the second leg of a double on the card for the trainer and conditional jockey Ned Fox.
The nine-year-old impressed on his seasonal reappearance at Ludlow in early November before falling at the halfway stage on his next appearance at Sandown.
Robyndzone was a 100-30 chance to get back on the winning trail on Merseyside and made most of the running on his way to an eight-length success over Fortescue.
Williams and Fox had earlier successfully combined with even-money favourite Hill Of Tara in the Betfred Nifty 50 Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle.
Fox said: “It was a great day. It was Hill Of Tara’s first run over three miles and he saw it out really well.
“He galloped home really strongly and did it really well, he was really good.
“Robyndzone was also stepping up in trip and he jumped really well and just galloped the others into the ground really. He’s not the quickest in the world, but he just galloped and he’s a very tough horse and did it very well.”
It was a first career double for the 23-year-old, who is based with Williams and has now moved his career tally up to 30 winners thanks to his Haydock brace.
He added: “It’s good to get that one out of the way and hopefully there will be a few more along the way.
“I’m very lucky to be working for Venetia who is giving me these good opportunities on Saturdays and big meetings.
“The yard is in great form and everything is going well, so long may it continue.”
Bertie’s Ballet (5-4) dug deep to land the Betfred TV EBF ‘National Hunt’ Novices’ Hurdle for Dianne Sayer and Henry Brooke.
The dual bumper winner chased home subsequent Grade One runner-up Favour And Fortune on his hurdling debut at Wetherby and made no mistake at the second time of asking, seeing off Norman Fletcher by a length and a half.
Sayer said: “I’m really pleased, his owners are lovely people and the horse is a professional in every way. It’s great to have him in the yard and we’re lucky to have him.
“I was very hopeful today. I think a small field suits him and heavy ground helped as they just went steady. He’s got lots of ability this horse, but very little experience.
“I’m very aware that he hasn’t got many miles on the clock and going forward that’s my biggest fear as we’ll be putting him into company that’s a lot more experience than he is, but hopefully he’ll continue to take it in his stride and we’re looking forward to the future with him.
“We might look to run in the EBF Final at Sandown, but that is obviously dropping him at the deep end. We’ll see how he comes out of today and take it from there.”
Richard Bandey’s Southern Sam (100-30) edged out Gold Emery in the Betfred Goals Galore Novices’ Handicap Chase, while 5-2 favourite Punta Del Este dominated his rivals for Dan Skelton and Tristan Durrell in the Betfred Supports Jack Berry House Handicap Hurdle.
Happy And Fine struck at 7-2 in the Betfred ‘Hot Shots’ Handicap Chase and San Francisco justified cramped odds of 8-11 in the concluding Betfred Happy New Year Open NH Flat Race.
Nico de Boinville is set for a spell on the sidelines after suffering a broken collarbone in a fall at Doncaster on Friday.
The leading rider was partnering 13-8 favourite The Therapist for his boss Nicky Henderson on Town Moor when he and his mount crashed out two flights from the finish.
De Boinville sat out the rest of the card and also missed out on a couple of winners at Newbury on Saturday, including the hugely exciting Jeriko Du Reponet.
Confirming his injury in his Unibet blog, the jockey said: “Unfortunately, I took a crunching fall on Therapist at Doncaster on Friday, and I will be out for a while.
“I pretty much knew that it wasn’t a routine departure soon after I hit the deck, and an X-ray this morning confirmed that I had broken my clavicle.
“It’s obviously annoying, with so many of our good horses looking to prove themselves in better races at this time of the year, as at Newbury today, but it’s only a small-scale setback in the grand scheme of things.
“I don’t know exactly how long I will be out for at the moment, but I’ll just have to get my head down and concentrate on the recovery.
“Others are in a far worse spot than me, so I won’t be feeling sorry for myself.”
Emma Raducanu is feeling “reborn” and freed of the weight of her US Open triumph as she prepares to make her comeback in Auckland.
The 21-year-old will face a qualifier in the opening round of the ASB Classic, her first match since April following operations on both her wrists and one ankle.
Raducanu looked relaxed and happy as she spoke to the media in New Zealand, saying: “I feel reborn in a way, I feel fresh, I feel ready, I feel happy, I feel excited.
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“Overall I’m feeling very positive and lighter. I think for two years after the US Open I felt maybe a bit more weight on my shoulders but now I feel completely fresh.”
The former British number one had hoped to make her comeback last autumn but her recovery was not a smooth process and she was forced to delay until the start of the new season.
She has been building back up to full fitness on and off court at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton under the guidance of Lawn Tennis Association staff.
For her final week working in London she turned to childhood coach Nick Cavaday while accompanying her in Auckland is mentor Jane O’Donoghue, a former coach who left the LTA to pursue a career in finance.
Raducanu has not had a permanent coach since splitting from Sebastian Sachs at the beginning of June.
O’Donoghue also helped out Raducanu at Wimbledon in 2022 when she was between coaches, and the former US Open champion said: “It’s really nice and refreshing to have her around, I know she has my best interests at heart and it’s just nice to have a familiar face.”
While it is likely to take time for Raducanu to find her feet on the match court again, she believes she is returning to the tour a better player and hungry to succeed.
“It’s going to be fun, I think, going out there competing again, having the competitive juices flowing,” she said.
“I’ve been training really well in practice so overall I’m feeling really good about my game. I think tennis wise I’m better than I was a year ago today, it’s just playing a match it’s going to be different.
“I got to spend a lot of time just thinking how I feel and I definitely got that hunger back just to be on the court competing, training, sweating. I think you really appreciate the time you have when you’re healthy and on court.”
While Raducanu received a wild card in Auckland, she is still waiting to see whether the same will apply for the Australian Open.
Her protected ranking given to players who have been sidelined long term is 103, which appears unlikely to be high enough to secure direct entry in Melbourne.
Currently that would mean going through qualifying at a grand slam for the first time since her remarkable New York triumph in 2021, and she said: “Qualifying doesn’t faze me.
“Right now I’m approaching it like I am in qualifying because I am. I’ve done pretty well in qualifying before so I’ll just see how it goes.”
Preparing to make his 2024 debut across the Tasman Sea at the Brisbane International is Andy Murray, who will take on second seed Grigor Dimitrov in his opening match.
Most of the focus at the tournament is on the returning Rafael Nadal and Naomi Osaka, and Murray faced the Spaniard in a practice session on Saturday.
Nadal has been sidelined for a year by a hip problem, and Murray said: “It’s great to have him back playing. He’s obviously working extremely hard, like always. He looked physically good, was playing well.”
Both men would need to make it to the semi-finals to meet in anger, and Murray cited renewing his long-time rivalries with Nadal and Novak Djokovic as a goal.
“If I get the opportunity to practise with them, I still really, really enjoy that,” said the Scot. “It does bring back some good memories. But ideally I’d want to be doing that in the tournaments, not in the first rounds. I’d like to be doing it
in the latter stages, if I can.”
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