Thunder Rock provided Sean Bowen with his biggest success since returning from injury in the Listed bet365 Premier Chase at Kelso.
Bowen – who has seen his lead at the top of the jockeys’ championship eroded and then passed by Harry Cobden – has struggled for winners since his return to action but victory on one of Olly Murphy’s stable stars will have done him the world of good.
Given a patient ride, Thunder Rock grew in confidence as the race progressed, as Minella Drama, Aye Right and Elvis Mail tried to stretch things.
Grand National fancy Monbeg Genius struggled to get on terms and when Thunder Rock went cruising on by as they turned into the straight, it was clear he had no more to give.
Thunder Rock found plenty in the home straight and the heavily-backed 9-4 favourite came home seven lengths clear of Minella Drama, booking himself a ticket to Aintree and a step back up in class.
Bowen said: “He proved he stays three miles. They went quick and every time I gave him a squeeze he picked up.
“I was confident where I was and Olly gave me a lot of confidence going out to ride him. I’d been riding a lot more seconds than winners since I came back and I was getting a bit frustrated. It always helps having a good boss like that.”
Murphy said: “I really enjoyed that. I went to Cheltenham in December when I felt like I’d set him up for a big handicap but he may as well have pulled up and it’s been an upward curve since then.
“He ran well the last day at Musselburgh on the wrong track when he was wheel-spinning for two and a half miles but it did his confidence good.
“I said to Sean not to get in a battle with him and ride him with confidence because he was the classiest horse in the race and to make that tell and he did just that.
“It’s been hard for Sean, he’s riding through pain and we’ve had a quiet couple of weeks ourselves so this will do him the world of good.”
He added: “I think we’ll go to Aintree with him for the Bowl now, it’s a Grade One so he’ll need to step up again but a small field suits him and he’ll be back over 150 in a handicap again.”
Just a week on from seeing an £80,000 prize snatched from his grasp in the Eider Chase, Ewan Whillans was celebrating winning the £120,000 bet365 Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso with Cracking Rhapsody.
When Prince Des Fichaux was reeled in by Anglers Crag after the last at Newcastle, Whillans could have been forgiving for thinking his best chance of winning a major handicap had slipped through his fingers.
However, in Cracking Rhapsody he had an unexposed novice on his hands with course form up his sleeve and the 9-1 chance turned what looked a competitive race into something of a procession.
With Nicky Henderson’s morning favourite Under Control a non-runner, it opened the race up and it was 7-2 the field.
But Cracking Rhapsody pulled away with Ginger Mail, another trained locally, early in the straight and by the time he jumped the last the race was won, pulling four and a half lengths clear.
Whillans said: “That was unbelievable and I’m over the moon. Even though he’s still a novice he’s always been a good jumper.
“I thought they’d have gone really quick, but Craig (Nichol) had him in a lovely position and he travelled really well.
“Having been second in the Eider last week I thought that was our chance for a big race gone. We don’t have many good horses and it’s usually a case of getting in good races.
“Since last week there’s been a buzz about the yard, we’ve got about 25 horses in being ridden, we’re down a bit, but those we’ve got seem quite capable.
“There’s a novice handicap final at Sandown on the last day of the season worth £100,000 and if the ground is decent I’d say we’ll go there. He might stay over hurdles next year.”
Luke Littler says his love of the game is the reason behind his incredible rise as his progress in the UK Open continued.
Littler burst onto the scene at Christmas with a debut run to the final of the World Championship and has become a star name since.
He remains on course to win his first major tournament as he moved through to the fifth round in Minehead with a 10-8 win over Martin Schindler.
Still only 17, darts remains just a game for Littler, who averaged 101.86 and battled back from 5-3 down against the German.
He said: “It’s what every darts player has got to do, if you are not enjoying it then surely you can’t play well.
“I always enjoy it, I love leading up to any competition. He played really well and hopefully I played as well, it felt like that. It was a very tough game to get over the line.”
With Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price exiting on Friday night, the draw opened up even further for him when Michael Smith crashed out in the fifth round.
The former world champion was beaten 10-9 by Luke Woodhouse, who said: “Michael Smith is a Premier League player, he is one of the top players in the world so to win that I am chuffed.
“I tried my best to stick with him, I thought if I could take it to the wire then who knows and luckily I could do it.”
There are still some big names joining Littler in Saturday night’s last 16 with Gary Anderson and Rob Cross among those progressing.
Personal Ambition is likely to head for Aintree’s Grand National meeting after coming out on top in thrilling renewal of the bet365 Premier Novices’ Hurdle at Kelso.
Never far from the pace set by Choose A Copper, Ben Pauling’s charge – whose only defeat in three prior hurdle starts was when third in this Grade Two company at Sandown – soon had them all at it when Kielan Woods went for home.
To his credit, 9-4 market leader Jango Baie stuck to his task when giving chase, as at one stage it looked as if Nicky Henderson’s Boxing Day Grade One scorer might drop away.
Nico de Boinville’s mount had closed right up jumping the last, but try as he might he could not quite reel the leader in under his 5lb penalty, going down by half a length to the 3-1 winner.
Pauling said: “It didn’t exactly go to plan early doors, there was a good gallop down to the first, probably too much of a gallop I would say, and he missed the first and the second and I was thinking ‘this is not ideal’.
“Thankfully he got into a nice rhythm after that and it was great that he toughed it out, as he needed to today. It wasn’t a facile victory, he had to really dig deep and he hasn’t had to do that before really, so it was great to see him do it.
“He’ll probably go to Aintree, that would be the obvious route. We were never going to go to Cheltenham because I knew that he could make the sort of mistakes he did today.
“I still think he’s a horse that just needs time on the track and I think the flat track at Aintree will suit him more than the undulations of Cheltenham.
“He’s obviously got loads of ability and he’ll be a lovely horse in time.”
Woods only returned this week after serving a 45-day suspension related to his use of the whip.
He said: “This is massive. It’s not easy for Ben Pauling to convince owners to put me up after what I’ve been doing, but I’ve learned my lesson and it’s great that Angus and Lynne (Maclennan), who are big owners, have put me up. It means a lot.
“That was brilliant. He stuck at it really well, he was good and tough. He’s very talented, but he’ll be a nicer chaser, he doesn’t have much respect for hurdles. He’ll be a good horse when he gets fences.”
Sauber Academy Driver Zane Maloney, of Barbados, completed a fine performance from eighth on the grid to take his maiden Formula 2 victory in Friday’s Bahrain Sprint for the Rodin Motorsport team.
Reverse grid polesitter Jake Crawford held onto a podium finish in second for DAMS, and rookie driver and Red Bull Junior Josep María Marti, took a fine third for Campos Racing.
The 20-year-old Maloney, sped from eighth to first within eight laps, and comfortably controlled the pace from there to register his maiden win in the 23-lap race around the Bahrain International Circuit. He passed the finish line with a plus-five-second advantage over Crawford, while Martí finished a second and a half further back, as he converted an 11th-place starting spot into a podium finish.
“Of course, I’m very happy to win the race, we started in P8 (position eight), got a great start and the team just gave me an amazing car, so it is all down to them, and we will go for it (on Saturday) in the feature race,” Maloney said after the race.
“It was an amazing race. Of course, it started with a great start and then a good first two laps. I always put my car in the right place, which was good. After that, to be honest, I was happy to settle in my position and try to save the tyres a bit.
“While saving the tyres, I was still keeping up so then I decided to just go for it, get in the lead and think about the tyres after that which I did. It worked out very well. The team gave me a great car so that is the reason," he added.
Formula 2 is the second tier to Formula 1 racing organised by the FIA, motorsport’s world governing body, and held on select circuits on the Grand Prix schedule. The Formula 2 feature race is scheduled for Saturday and Maloney is buzzing with excitement, as he will start third on the grid.
“I mean that’s always the goal; I didn’t think I would win, but the plan was to try and win (on Saturday). Every day is different so we just need to look at the data and see what we can still do better, try to improve. For sure starting third, I need to have a good start again and go into the race how I did (on Friday). The goal is to win (on Saturday) for sure," Maloney declared.
“I came out of Turn 11 on the inside, and I wasn’t really looking for it, but then I saw it was on and I had to go for it,” he said about his move to get past Fittipaldi and into the top three. I know Enzo is a very respectful driver, so I knew he was a hard racer, but he is not just going to force me off the track, which is why I tried for it. I mean it was on the edge, but it was great," he ended.
Serious Operator provided Patrick Wadge with another valuable winner in his quest to be champion conditional jockey when seeing off Brewin’upastorm in the bet365 Handicap Hurdle at Kelso.
Trained by Lucinda Russell, Wadge’s main supplier of winners, the seven-year-old had finished fifth in the Lanzarote Hurdle at Kempton last time out and was a well-backed 7-2 chance.
With Wadge, who still claims 3lb, full of confidence looking for a sixth winner in his last seven rides, he waited for the right time to kick for home and jumped the last with an advantage he held to the line, winning by a length and three-quarters.
“He’s improving, his jumping was perfect but we were a bit worried about the ground because he prefers it good to soft than soft,” said Russell.
“Halfway down the back I was thinking the ground was catching him out, but it wasn’t and he was entitled to go close based on his Lanzarote run.
“We’ll go chasing next year, he probably should have done it this year, but to be fair his hurdling is outstanding. He’ll go to Aintree now and he’ll stay around at two and a half miles, it suits him.”
On Wadge, she added: “I’m so proud of him and he’s riding with such confidence, it’s great.
“The title would be great, but it’s a fickle old world and there are two months still to go. He’s certainly riding at the top of his game.”
In an impressive performance at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Fraser McConnell secured victory in Round 9 of 10, the first of two final races, keeping himself in contention for the Nitrocross series 2023/4 title. McConnell dominated the penultimate round on Friday night.
Taking an early lead in the six-lap final, McConnell faced a challenge when Oliver Eriksson overtook him in the heavy braking zone. That lead was short-lived as McConnell tagged him just after the joker merge two turns later to regain the lead.
Following Eriksson's setback, a fierce battle unfolded among Larsson, Timmy Hansen, and Andreas Bakkerud, allowing McConnell to extend his lead. Despite Hansen and Larsson taking their jokers on laps three and four respectively, neither could catch up to McConnell.
McConnell, who recently extended his contract with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing for the 2024-25 season, crossed the finish line 3.760 seconds ahead of Larsson to take the win.
The Nitrocross 2023/4 season concludes on Saturday in Las Vegas with everything at stake in round 10 at the Nitrodome in Planet Hollywood.
Cinderella’s Dream enhanced her Classic claims in overcoming huge adversity to land the Jumeirah 1000 Guineas at Meydan.
Following low-key wins at Lingfield and Thirsk, the daughter of Shamardal made an impressive Dubai debut in last month’s Jumeirah Fillies Classic – a race won last year by Saeed bin Suroor’s Mawj, who not only followed up in the Jumeirah Guineas but also went on to land the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket.
Cinderella’s Dream was extremely short odds to maintain her unbeaten record on ‘Super Saturday’, but disaster almost struck at the halfway stage as William Buick’s saddle slipped forward, prompting the dual champion jockey to kick his feet out of the irons for the remainder of the race.
Buick could do little more than sit and suffer from the home turn, but it did not prevent Charlie Appleby’s charge from going through the gears and she pulled five and a half lengths clear of the Amy Murphy-trained Geologist with the minimum of fuss.
Paddy Power cut Cinderella’s Dream to 12-1 from 16-1 for the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket on May 5, and Buick had nothing but praise for the three-year-old following her latest triumph.
“She took a hold early and she’s only quite slight, so when I took a pull my saddle slightly went up in front of me, and then when the pace slackened her going into the turn and I steadied her off heels, it went up again,” he told the Dubai Racing Club.
“I’m not sure what you could see on the TV, but I was getting a bit unbalanced up her neck, so the safest thing to do was to kick my feet out (of the stirrups) and she’s still managed to win.
“She was very professional, it was a bit of a rodeo show really but she got the job done.
“She’s really progressing and she’s won as she liked with no help at all. I think she’s done really well and with each start she keeps doing things better, so you’d be very happy with that.”
Newbury’s BetVictor Greatwood Gold Cup meeting was given the green light following a second morning inspection at the Berkshire circuit.
While Friday’s six-race card took place in its entirety, conditions worsened throughout the day and with further rain forecast, an initial precautionary check was announced for 8am.
The course was found to be waterlogged in places early on Saturday morning, but officials were keen to give the fixture every chance and the track was passed fit to race shortly before a second planned inspection time of 10am.
Saturday’s Navan card, featuring the Grade Three Flyingbolt Novice Chase and the Grade Two BoyleSports Webster Cup, will also go ahead as scheduled after the course passed a a 7.30am inspection.
IHRB clerk of the course Paddy Graffin said: “I’m pleased to say that the track at Navan is fit for racing and has passed our inspection here this morning.
“The team here at Navan have done an outstanding job on the track and there is no longer any standing water. The ground remains heavy, and will be testing, but racing goes ahead.”
Leopardstown’s meeting on Sunday came through an initial Saturday morning inspection, but a further check has been announced for 3pm this afternoon.
“The track at Leopardstown remains unfit for racing at present due to snow still lying in some areas,” said clerk of the course Lorcan Wyer.
“However, there has been improvement since yesterday and further thaw is expected today so will have a further inspection at 3pm this afternoon.”
Leading Champion Bumper contender Maughreen has been ruled out of the Cheltenham Festival after suffering a minor setback.
The daughter of Walk In The Park is bred to be smart, being out of a half-sister to the brilliant Faugheen, and could not have been more impressive when scoring by 11 lengths on her racecourse debut at Punchestown in January.
The five-year-old was disputing favouritism with some bookmakers to provide trainer Willie Mullins with a 13th Champion Bumper success at Prestbury Park – and while she will not be making the trip across the Irish Sea, connections are hopeful she will make a full recovery.
James Fenton, racing manager for her Closutton Racing Club owners, said: “The team at Willie’s just copped that she wasn’t moving correctly after a piece of work during the week, we’ve done a bit of investigating to see what was going on and we caught something very small.
“She’s by no means in any danger or anything like that, it’s an injury that I would take every day of the week. It’s very minor and the prognosis for it is described as excellent.
“She was going to Cheltenham, that was the plan. I discussed it on Monday night with Willie and a lot of the members had their plane tickets booked and everything, but they’re very understanding as that’s the game we’re in.”
On whether Maughreen could run later in the spring, Fenton added: “It’s up in the air at the moment, but there’s one thing we won’t be doing and that’s putting pressure on her.
“She’ll be well looked after, we’ll get her right and we’ll kick on again. We’ll just have to reassess her after two weeks and I would expect her to make a full recovery.”
Tributes have been paid to Cheltenham Gold Cup-winning trainer Mark Bradstock, who has died aged 66.
Along with his wife Sara, Bradstock trained Coneygree to become the first novice since Captain Christy 41 years earlier to land the blue riband at Prestbury Park in 2015.
The Old Manor Stables handler also saddled Carruthers to win the 2011 Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury, while Step Back was another big-race victor in the 2018 bet365 Gold Cup at Sandown.
Coneygree was ridden at Cheltenham by Nico de Boinville, who is now established as one of the top riders in the sport.
He wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Thinking of the Bradstock family. I owe them all so much, they played an integral part in getting me going. Mark will be hugely missed.”
Bradstock’s final runner Mr Vango won the Devon National at Exeter on February 23 by 60 lengths and could now line up in the National Hunt Chase at the Cheltenham Festival later this month.
Retired jockey Mattie Batchelor, who was on board Carruthers for his Hennessy triumph and also steered Coneygree to two Grade Two victories over hurdles, posted: “Thank you very much for the memories!!!! We had some great times and more importantly some great laughs!!!!! Condolences to Sara, Alfie (son) and Lily (daughter).”
Newbury’s BetVictor Greatwood Gold Cup meeting was given the green light following a second morning inspection at the Berkshire circuit.
While Friday’s six-race card took place in its entirety, conditions worsened throughout the day and with further rain forecast, an initial precautionary check was announced for 8am.
The course was found to be waterlogged in places early on Saturday morning, but officials were keen to give the fixture every chance and the track was passed fit to race shortly before a second planned inspection time of 10am.
Saturday’s Navan card, featuring the Grade Three Flyingbolt Novice Chase and the Grade Two BoyleSports Webster Cup, will also go ahead as scheduled after the course passed a a 7.30am inspection.
IHRB clerk of the course Paddy Graffin said: “I’m pleased to say that the track at Navan is fit for racing and has passed our inspection here this morning.
“The team here at Navan have done an outstanding job on the track and there is no longer any standing water. The ground remains heavy, and will be testing, but racing goes ahead.”
Leopardstown’s meeting on Sunday came through an initial Saturday morning inspection, but a further check has been announced for 3pm this afternoon.
“The track at Leopardstown remains unfit for racing at present due to snow still lying in some areas,” said clerk of the course Lorcan Wyer.
“However, there has been improvement since yesterday and further thaw is expected today so will have a further inspection at 3pm this afternoon.”
This afternoon’s BetVictor Greatwood Gold Cup meeting at Newbury is subject to a second course inspection at 10am.
While Friday’s six-race card took place in its entirety, conditions worsened throughout the day and with further rain forecast, an initial precautionary check was announced for 8am.
The Berkshire circuit was found to be waterlogged in places early on Saturday morning, but officials are keen to give the fixture every chance and will look again later in the morning.
Saturday’s Navan card, featuring the Grade Three Flyingbolt Novice Chase and the Grade Two BoyleSports Webster Cup, will go ahead as scheduled after the course passed a a 7.30am inspection.
IHRB clerk of the course Paddy Graffin said: “I’m pleased to say that the track at Navan is fit for racing and has passed our inspection here this morning.
“The team here at Navan have done an outstanding job on the track and there is no longer any standing water. The ground remains heavy, and will be testing, but racing goes ahead.”
Leopardstown’s meeting on Sunday has come through an initial Saturday morning inspection, but a further check has been announced for 3pm this afternoon.
“The track at Leopardstown remains unfit for racing at present due to snow still lying in some areas,” said clerk of the course Lorcan Wyer.
“However, there has been improvement since yesterday and further thaw is expected today so will have a further inspection at 3pm this afternoon.”
Jayson Tatum scored 32 points and the Boston Celtics overcame Luka Dončić’s second straight triple-double in a 138-110 victory over the Dallas Mavericks for their 10th consecutive win on Friday.
Jaylen Brown had 25 points and Kristaps Porzingis added 24 as seven Celtics scored in double figures.
Doncic had 37 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his 12th triple-double of the season and 68th of his career.
NBA-leading Boston knocked down 21 3-pointers and shot 55.3 percent (52-of-94) from the field to remain unbeaten since a loss to the Lakers on Feb. 1.
The 10-game streak is the longest for the Celtics since a 10-game run during the 2019-20 season.
Kyrie Irving scored 19 points against his former team but shot 9 of 23 as Dallas lost for the third time in four games.
Antetokounmpo powers streaking Bucks
Giannis Antetokounmpo poured in 46 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Chicago Bulls 113-97 for their fifth consecutive win.
Antetokoumpo shot 16 of 22 from the field, made 2 of 3 from long range and sank 12 of 16 free throws in his eighth 40-plus point game this season.
Patrick Beverley scored 14 points and Brook Lopez added 12 for the Bucks, who improved to 8-7 under Doc Rivers and moved into a virtual tie with Cleveland for first place in the Central Division.
Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan became the 35th player in NBA history to accumulate 23,000 points. He scored 12 points – all but two in the second half – and was 5 of 13 from the field after missing his first six shots.
Coby White led the Bulls with 22 points and Nikola Vucevic added 17 with nine rebounds.
Warriors win again on road
Stephen Curry scored 25 points and Jonathan Kuminga added 24 to lead the Golden State Warriors to their eighth straight road win, 120-105 over the Toronto Raptors, who lost All-Star Scottie Barnes.
Moses Moody had 17 points and Klay Thompson was next with 14 as the Warriors won their third straight and 13th in 15 games.
Barnes broke his left middle finger late in the first half and the Raptors said he would be out indefinitely. He had 10 points and six rebounds in 16 minutes, ending a career-best streak of five consecutive double-doubles.
Golden State overcame some troublesome travel after it had to switch planes following Thursday night’s win over New York. The Warriors endured a long wait on the tarmac, finally arriving at its Toronto hotel shortly after 7 a.m. Friday morning.
Alex Ovechkin ignited a run of five unanswered goals and the Washington Capitals picked up a key 5-2 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Friday.
Ovechkin’s 17th goal of the season and 839th of his career at 4:34 of the second period cut Philadelphia’s lead to 2-1 before Sonny Milano and John Carlson scored later in the period to put Washington ahead for good.
Anthony Mantha and Dylan Strome added third-period goals for the Capitals, who have won five of seven to pull within four points of the third-place Flyers in the Metropolitan Division.
Bobby Brink and Owen Tippett scored for Philadelphia, which has dropped five of seven. The Flyers played their fourth straight game without All-Star forward Travis Konecny, who could return next week.
Coyotes snap 14-game losing streak
Dylan Guenther snapped a tie in the third period and the Arizona Coyotes held on for a 5-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators to end a 14-game losing streak.
Michael Carcone, J.J. Moser, Nick Schmaltz and Matias Maccelli had the other goals to help Arizona stop a 0-12-2 slide with its first win since Jan. 22.
Karel Vejmelka made 34 saves to earn his first win since Dec. 27 after going 0-8-0 in 10 appearances since.
Ottawa lost its third straight game and both meetings this season against Arizona.
Dostal stars in Ducks’ win
Lukas Dostal stopped 52 shots and Jack Hughes’ penalty shot with 2.1 seconds remaining to lift the Anaheim Ducks to a 4-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils.
Frank Vatrano scored twice and Adam Henrique and Max Jones had the other goals as the Ducks won back-to-back games after a three-game skid.
Hughes had a goal and two assists but failed to convert a late penalty shot, awarded when Vatrano deliberately knocked the net off its moorings following a scramble around Dostal.
Jack Draper retired in the third set of his semi-final against Australian Alex de Minaur at the Mexican Open in Acapulco.
Draper left the court 4-0 down in the final set because of an undisclosed illness after he staged a strong comeback from a set down to the defending champion.
The Australian started strongly, taking the first 6-3 and capitalising on four of six break points – the first set Draper had dropped in the tournament.
But the British number three staged a valiant comeback, winning the second set 6-2 with some strong returns.
His illness became an issue towards the end of the second set with the 22-year-old receiving treatment from the physiotherapist and tournament doctor.
Things only got worse in the third set as the Australian won four consecutive games before Draper retired from the match.
De Minaur said after the match that he wishes Draper a “speedy recovery”.
“He’s a hell of a player, a hell of a talent and I hope it’s nothing too serious,” he said.
Rory McIlroy carded a four-under-par 67 for the second successive day to finish three strokes off the pace following round two of the Cognizant Classic in Florida.
Northern Irishman McIlroy is among eight players tied for sixth place, alongside Ireland’s Shane Lowry and England’s David Skinns, after hitting six birdies and two bogeys on Friday.
McIlroy said that while he “didn’t get off to the greatest of starts”, he bounced back to finish strongly.
“I think it is just one of those courses where you have just got to stay super patient, knowing that the scoring is good, but people aren’t going to get away from you here,” he said.
“I think I did a good job of staying patient until the end and that patience was rewarded.”
Lowry has also posted consecutive scores of 67, while world number 278 Skinns, who is without a top-10 finish on the PGA Tour, posted a two-under-par 69 following his opening-day 65.
Bud Cauley leads the way on 11 under par, with fellow American Austin Eckroat and South Africa’s Garrick Higgo each one shot behind.
The last time Cauley was in the top five after any round was at the 2020 PGA Championship.
Belgium’s Thomas Detry is in last position – 11 over par – after he six-putted the 461-yard par-four sixth hole from 57 feet, despite knocking his first effort to eight feet.
The 31-year-old finished with a quadruple bogey and the most putts on one hole on the PGA Tour in four years.
Luke Littler says seeing Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp talk about him was just another day in his crazy life.
Klopp compared his young band of players, who helped win the Carabao Cup last week and then earn a quarter-final spot in the FA Cup, to the 17-year-old, who the German described as the “new darts sensation”.
Littler, who advanced to the last 32 of the UK Open on Friday night, burst onto the scene at the World Championship over Christmas.
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His historic run to the final saw him transcend the sport and become a global star, so seeing Klopp reference him was nothing out of the ordinary.
Littler, a staunch Manchester United fan, said: “I actually watched the final and the young lads are doing well, but if he wants to compares them to me then he can.
“I actually woke up and someone told me that he compared me to his young lads, so I went online and watched the video.
“I gave it a like and went on to the next video. That was literally another day in my life.”
Littler is gunning for his first major title since joining the main PDC Tour at the start of the year and he looked the part in his opening match at Butlin’s in Minehead.
He averaged over 100 and produced four 100-plus finishes, including a ‘Big Fish’, as he beat James Wade 10-7.
With Michael van Gerwen surprisingly crashing out, Littler is now the favourite to win.
“I have not even thought about it, but I know if my game is there every match then I don’t see why I can’t win it,” he said.
“I don’t mind who I play. It is what I dreamed of, playing in front of thousands every week, I just take it in my stride.”
Three-time champion Van Gerwen was below par as he was dumped out at the first hurdle by Mensur Suljovic.
The Austrian has been in the darting doldrums in recent years, but posted a standout win, outplaying Van Gerwen, who appeared to be nursing an elbow injury.
Suljovic said: “I beat Michael van Gerwen, the best player in the world. I am feeling good, I am practising every day, I am a different person.
“I had a big problem with my family, I came back and practice every day, and hope I can do well in the tournament.”
Andrew Gilding began the defence of his 2023 title with a 10-7 win over Josh Payne and intends to celebrate by eating a Pot Noodle.
‘Goldfinger’ was a surprise winner last year when he beat Van Gerwen in a thrilling final and finished so late he had nothing to eat except the instant snack.
“When I won it last year there were no takeaways open so I had to eat a Pot Noodle to celebrate,” he said. “So I actually brought a couple of Pot Noodles and I’ll eat one tonight out of tradition.
“I have got a chicken and mushroom or beef and tomato. Maybe I’ll have beef and tomato with a little bit of extra ketchup, I bring my own.”
Former world champion Michael Smith said he was unable to celebrate his 10-7 win over Josh Cullen in the same way because he had already eaten one for lunch.
“I had a Pot Noodle for lunch before I came here so that’s out of the window,” he said. “I have a standing order, I get some sent every month.”
Gerwyn Price was beaten 10-9 by Martin Schindler, but there were wins for world number one Luke Humphries, Gary Anderson and Nathan Aspinall.
Katie Boulter is through to a first WTA 500 semi-final after beating Croatia’s Donna Vekic in straight sets at the San Diego Open.
The British number one followed up her win over second seed Beatriz Haddad Maia in the last 16 by knocking out the 2022 runner-up 6-4 6-3.
From trailing 3-1 in the first set, Boulter won nine of the next 10 games in another confident display.
She will climb to a career-high ranking, on the brink of the top 40, following her latest victory.
Vecic, seeded seventh, broke first in the opening set but then allowed Boulter to hit straight back after an error-strewn service game.
Boulter then saved three break points to hold and grabbed a crucial second break for 5-4 before serving out the set.
Two stunning Boulter backhands brought the 27-year-old from Leicester another break at the start of the second, and a subsequent break to love put her in complete control.
Boulter let Vecic claw one break back as she served for the set, but she converted her first match point with a clubbing forehand after the longest rally of the match, wrapping up the victory in an hour and 36 minutes.
“It was an absolute battle in tricky conditions, it was not easy to get any rhythm as we are both big hitters,” Boulter said in her on-court interview.
“I got over the line in the first set and played some good stuff in the second.”
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