Teenage sensation Luke Littler resumes his incredible assault on the World Championship on Wednesday.
The 16-year-old took the tournament by storm before Christmas by winning his first two matches and he headlines a spectacular evening session on its resumption, with defending champion Michael Smith and Michael van Gerwen also on the bill.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at what to look out for in the second half of the competition.
Can Littler be the big man?
Outside the darting world, no one had heard of Luke Littler until last week when the teenager burst onto the scene by winning his first two matches at Alexandra Palace. Now, everyone is sitting up and taking notice as he dreams of World Championship glory. Matt Campbell stands between him and a spot in the last 16, but it will be no gimme for Littler on Wednesday night. Campbell beat James Wade in the second round, but has been home to Canada over Christmas, so his travelling may play a factor.
Will Smith hit the double?
This time last year Michael Smith was gearing up to win his maiden world title, triumphing in that memorable final against Michael van Gerwen where he hit a nine-dart finish in the greatest leg in the history of the sport. Things have not gone so well since that magical night at Ally Pally, and he has failed to win any major tournaments in 2023, but Smith has all eyes on winning a second successive crown. He opened the tournament way back on December 15 and should have no problems getting past Madars Razma. Expect him to click through the gears as the business end of the tournament approaches.
Barney’s silver anniversary
It is 25 years since Raymond van Barneveld claimed his first world title, winning the BDO crown in 1998. He won another three at Lakeside before switching to the PDC and winning another, while also kicking off an enduring rivalry with Phil Taylor which dominated the sport. The 56-year-old, who came out of retirement two years ago, has set his sights on marking the 25th anniversary of that first title with another at Alexandra Palace. A spectacular quarter-final with Littler looms in a potential match that would get the tastebuds tingling.
Van Gerwen aiming to end the drought
When Michael van Gerwen won the World Championship for a third time in six years in 2019, it looked like he would dominate the sport for years to come. But that turned out to be the end of a golden period as he has not won it since as other contenders have come up on the rails. The Dutchman usually remains the man to beat, having lost in two finals since then, while Covid-19 ruined his 2022 campaign. The four-year drought hurts Van Gerwen, who still considers himself the best player and will be desperate to get his hands back on the Sid Waddell Trophy.
Price is right?
Gerwyn Price must have been a tad wary about returning to Ally Pally after how his last visit ended. The Welshman lost in the quarter-finals after a particularly vociferous crowd made his life so difficult that he resorted to wearing ear defenders midway through the match. Price got a much more favourable reaction in his opening match before Christmas, and he will be dreaming of getting the chance to reign supreme in front of fans at the Palace after his 2021 title was played behind closed doors.
The Detroit Pistons broke the record for the longest losing run in an NBA season as they fell to a 27th straight defeat against the Brooklyn Nets.
Having won two of their first three matches this season, the Pistons continued their losing run on Boxing Day as they went down 118-112.
They will match the overall record of 28 defeats – set by the Philadelphia 76ers across two seasons in 2015 – if they lose at the Boston Celtics, who have the NBA’s best record, on Thursday.
Beleagured Pistons fans, who have repeatedly called on owner Tom Gores to sell the team, were given hope of ending the run as they opened a 14-point lead in the first quarter.
Having surrendered that advantage to trail 61-54 at half-time, they hit back to lead 97-92 in the fourth quarter as Cade Cunningham scored 41 points.
Thirteen straight points from the Nets swung the game their way and secured the Pistons an unwanted place in the record books.
A facile victory to open his account on December 17, was a clear indicator of Intrestntimesahead’s immense potential, and so it came as no surprise that the Jason DaCosta-trained charge left rivals in his wake to top the Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL)-sponsored Jamaica Two-year-old stakes over a mile (1,600 metres) at Caymanas Park on Tuesday.
Piloted by the bustling Phillip Parchment, Intrestntimesahead romped the 10-horse Futurity contest –in which he was one of only two colts in the field–by three lengths and pocketed the $4 million purse for his connections.
Sent off at odds of 9-1, Intrestntimesahead, running from the number six draw, was held off the pace in fifth by Parchment, as stablemate Banadura (Robert Halledeen) dominated proceedings, with Matuso (Raddesh Roman) for company down the backstretch.
Comehometome (Reyan Lewis), and Run Julie Run (Omar Walker) were also in touching distance, as the leaders approached the half-mile mark, and it was at that point that Parchment got Intrestntimesahead into his running.
When they left there and headed towards the stretch run, Run Julie Run took aim at Banadura, and easily swept by the longtime leader as they straightened, but by then, Intrestntimesahead, had hit top stride and burst through on the rails.
From there, the writing was on the walls, as the Bold Conquest -My Friend Lucy charge, owned by Elizabeth DaCosta, covered the distance in a 1:39.2, behind splits of 24.0, 46.3 and 1:13.1.
Run Julie Run stayed on for second, with Fastnfuriouslinks (Javaniel Patterson) and Buttercup (Tevin Foster) completing the frame.
Meanwhile, veteran rider Oneil Mullings topped his peers with winners on the 10-race Boxing Day card. Mullings won the first and eighth events aboard Lion Talk for trainer Ryan Williams and Ricardo Brown’s City Hawk.
Add a sprained AC joint in the right shoulder as the latest injury for Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
Jaguars coach Doug Pederson confirmed the shoulder sprain on Tuesday, and said his quarterback could practice later this week.
"Doing better today than he did yesterday," Pederson told reporters. "We'll see where he's at again tomorrow."
Lawrence sustained the injury when he landed on his shoulder while diving for a first down on a fourth-and-1 play late in the third quarter in Sunday's 30-12 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That marked Jacksonville's fourth straight defeat. The Jaguars (8-7) are tied for first place in the AFC South with the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans, though Jacksonville owns the tiebreaker with both teams.
The Jags host the Carolina Panthers (2-13) on Sunday, and Lawrence has started 51 consecutive games for Jacksonville since the franchise drafted him first overall in the 2021 draft, despite suffering a number of injuries this month.
He sprained his ankle against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 13 and was then concussed last week against the Baltimore Ravens.
All the injuries are taking a toll on Lawrence, as he has five touchdowns and five interceptions with a 71.5 quarterback rating in the last three games. He had 14 TDs and seven picks with a 94.4 rating in the season's first 12 contests.
Backup C.J. Beathard completed 11-of-15 passes for 171 yards with a touchdown after replacing Lawrence against the Bucs, and would be in line to start if the 2022 Pro Bowler can't play.
Suncorp Super Netball club, the New South Wales Swifts, issued a statement on Tuesday thanking Jamaican goal-shooter Romelda Aiken-George for her contributions to the club during the 2023 season.
After 14 successful seasons with the Queensland Firebirds which included three titles, Aiken-George joined the Swifts for the 2023 season as a replacement for injured goal-shooter Sam Wallace.
The Jamaican was instrumental as the Swifts finished the season as runners-up to the Adelaide Thunderbirds, losing the grand final by just two points (62-64).
“The Swifts would like to thank Romelda Aiken-George and her family for their amazing contribution to our Club in 2023,” the statement began.
It continued, “Once a respected rival, Romelda came to us as one of the most celebrated players in our game and departs with her reputation even more enhanced. What a ride it was.”
Aiken-George has signed with the Thunderbirds for the 2024 season.
“We wish her all the best for the next chapter in Adelaide and look forward to welcoming her back to Ken Rosewall Arena in the future,” the statement concluded.
Joseph Parker is certain Tyson Fury will improve on his underwhelming performance against Francis Ngannou when he takes on Oleksandr Usyk in their huge unification bout in February.
Following months of discussions between the fighters' representatives, WBC heavyweight champion Fury will finally take on Usyk – who holds the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, IBO and the Ring belts – in Riyadh on February 17.
Fury's plans to face the Ukrainian were almost dealt a surprising blow in October, when he was fortunate to score an unconvincing split-decision win over former UFC Heavyweight Champion and boxing debutant Francis Ngannou.
While many believe Fury's sloppy performance against Ngannou spells bad news for his meeting with Usyk, Parker is certain he will bounce back.
Asked whether he was confident in Fury's chances of victory, Parker told Stats Perform: "Very confident. I'm very confident that Tyson will take care of business.
"Francis Ngannou is a champion himself, the UFC Heavyweight Champion of the world and he put on probably the best camp of his life and a good performance against Tyson.
"Tyson wasn't the best, he didn't put on the best performance and best display that he could have, but he got the win which is the main thing.
"Now he's locked in this fight with Usyk on February 17. I think locking in that big fight with Usyk has been a big change for him, and hopefully he has the best camp and puts on the performance that we know he can."
Parker managed a stunning win over Deontay Wilder on Saturday, with the duo fighting on the same card as Anthony Joshua, who stopped Otto Wallin in the fifth round.
Wallin is also backing Fury to step things up for his next fight, suggesting Ngannou's performance simply caught the Gypsy King off guard.
"I didn't think that Ngannou was going to stand any chance, but he did a really good job," Wallin told Stats Perform.
"He lasted 10 rounds, which is really amazing with the limited amount of boxing experience that he has, he did a really good job.
"At the same time, I don't think Fury looked the same in that fight. He didn't look like he was really prepared. He looked off and Ngannou is a strong guy.
"It's probably awkward coming from MMA, it's not easy to fight those guys. But I think when Fury is going to fight Usyk, he's probably going to step it up.
"Fury really has to be on his A-game. If he is, I think that he's going to win the fight."
LeBron James feels the Los Angeles Lakers are not "where we want to be" after they were beaten by the Boston Celtics on Monday.
James' assessment of his team's performances came in the wake of a 126-115 defeat to the Celtics on Christmas Day, a loss that dropped the Lakers to 16-15 on the season.
The defeat was the Lakers' fifth in their last six games, leaving them ninth in the Western Conference.
James knows his team must do better if they are to make it into the postseason come the end of the regular season, telling reporters: "I don't think we're healthy right now.
"I don't think we're where we want to be to compete versus the top teams until we continue to get better and better.
"For us, we're still trying to figure our situation out as far as how we want to continue to attack each game."
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum finished with 25 points, eight rebounds and seven assists as he helped his team move up to 23-6 on the season.
Tatum believes he has learned a lot from James, paying tribute to the four-time MVP after Monday's game, saying: "He's been the most complete player in the game for a very, very long time.
"There's a lot that you can learn from a guy like him. Obviously, the way that he thinks the game, [he is] two, three steps ahead of everybody else.
"And as a younger player, just always trying to find ways to impact the game. You're not always going to make shots, but [you] still want to be the best player and dominate the game in different ways every single night. So that's what I tried to do tonight."
The New York Knicks beat the Milwaukee Bucks for the first time in four attempts this season on Christmas Day, as Jalen Brunson starred with 38 points at Madison Square Garden.
The Bucks managed their third win over the Knicks in as many games on Friday, triumphing 130-111 in Manhattan, but there was to be no repeat three days later as the hosts clinched a 129-122 success.
Brunson led the way with 38 points, the most by a Knicks player on Christmas Day since Bernard King's record 60-point haul back in 1984, to prove Giannis Antetokounmpo's 32 points redundant.
Brunson admitted the Knicks' previous struggles against Milwaukee made Monday's win more enjoyable, saying: "We've struggled against this team throughout this year and the fact that we came out with a win today… it's special.
"I like the way we had a lead no matter how much they cut the lead down. We stayed poised and figured out a way to keep it and win."
In addition to Brunson, Julius Randle (24), RJ Barrett (21) and Immanuel Quickley (20) all scored at least 20 points for the hosts as they improved to 17-12.
"We had a lot of guys in double figures and a lot of assists," Quickley said. "It was fun to play like that when everybody is moving and touching the ball.
"I think our defense really bled into our offense, so that has got to be the way, every night."
While the Bucks saw their seven-game winning streak come to a halt, former MVP Antetokounmpo chose to remain upbeat after the spoils were shared over the teams' weekend double-header.
"It was kind of like a playoff matchup," he said. "We've played this team four times in the past month, month and a half. Two times in the past few days.
"It's a good test for us. We're going to play teams in the playoffs twice on the road, so being able to win the first one, lose the second one, it's good. We'll learn from it."
Shishkin left his starting woes behind him at Kempton – only to be dealt a cruel blow when departing the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase with everything still very much to play for.
Nicky Henderson’s mercurial character had refused to race at Ascot on his seasonal debut and while connections reported him to be in good form at home, the only thing they could not be completely sure of was if he would jump off.
His talent has never been in doubt as a multiple Grade One winner over both hurdles and fences, but ever since beating Energumene in an epic duel for the Clarence House Chase at Ascot in January 2022, Shishkin has endured a series of ups and downs.
He was found to be suffering from a rare bone condition when pulling up in the Champion Chase of that year, then was beaten on his return last season in the Tingle Creek and immediately stepped up in trip.
Successful at Ascot on his next outing, he stayed on for second in the Ryanair Chase before flying home to win at Aintree on his first run over three miles – but he opted to take no part at Ascot last month.
He did start with the others in the King George, and although Nico de Boinville did have to roust him along early he soon warmed up and took over in front from Frodon after the first circuit.
Approaching the second-last he was in the lead and seemingly had Allaho and Bravemansgame beaten when he got his feet tangled a couple of strides after jumping the fence, giving De Boinville no chance of staying on board.
That allowed 12-1 outsider Hewick to claim an unlikely victory as he stormed past Allaho and Bravemansgame, leaving Henderson to take the positives from Shishkin’s luckless run.
“I think they say – ‘that’s racing!’,” he said.
“I was delighted with him until then. To be fair, Nico and I had discussed the start (of the race) at length, but we hadn’t really discussed the rest of the race. But he was having a good time, he was jumping great.
“There was all this talk of having to put cheekpieces on him and things – we took them off because it was the obvious thing to do. I think a lot of people thought it might help him, but he didn’t look as if he needed them there did he?
“It appears, and those that have watched the replay have said, that he didn’t do anything wrong. He just sort of stumbled and forgot to get the foot out.”
On future plans for Shishkin, he said: “He’s got to go for the Gold Cup hasn’t he, because that’s the obvious race? He’s not going to come back in trip I wouldn’t have thought. I suppose that’s what we’ll have to do.”
De Boinville said: “I’m very proud of the horse but these things happen.
“I think it was three strides after the fence he came down, I’m not sure what happened. Racing can be cruel.
“He behaved well and I’ve never had a roar like that from a crowd for getting to my feet.”
Defending champion Bravemansgame was beaten a length and a half into second and his trainer Paul Nicholls felt Shishkin’s departure had scuppered his challenge.
He said: “Harry (Cobden) said he was getting a bit of tow from the other horse (Shishkin) for as long as he could, then the other horse had an unfortunate incident, and that interfered with him and that stopped him dead and cost him any chance then.
“He has run a good, solid race. It is a case of ifs and buts. He has run a good race again, and he was staying on strongly again and picked up the crumbs. I’ve never doubted that he stays. He is better on better ground.
“We will get him fresh and well now and go to Cheltenham. I don’t think he needs to go to Newbury as he has had three hard races. Unfortunately he got stopped dead in his tracks today, but you can’t make excuses as incidents happen and he wasn’t good enough on the day.”
Cheltenham Festival winner The Real Whacker was always on the back foot and finished fourth for Sam Twiston-Davies, beaten just over 10 lengths.
His trainer Patrick Neville said: “He stayed on really well at the end, which I was happy with.
“He missed the start for some reason today and we were always chasing after that. I like the way he stayed on at the end and the Gold Cup is still on the agenda. Cheltenham is a place that he likes.
“I think we might go straight to the Gold Cup. Sam said he was always on the back foot, but he just missed the start. There was no one to blame. It was a good run and I’m happy. He has come out of the race well.
“Fair play to the winner, and I‘d take finishing fourth in a King George any day.”
Henry de Bromhead’s Captain Guinness will bid for a first Grade One success in the Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown on Wednesday.
The gelding is a consistent type who was second in a string of contests at the same level last season, including in this race behind Blue Lord 12 months ago.
He returned to action this term to win the Fortria Chase at Navan by an impressive seven lengths, a performance regular rider Rachael Blackmore regards as one of his best.
“Captain Guinness was brilliant in winning the Fortria Chase at Navan last month on his seasonal return. He jumped super. I think that it was one of the best performances of his life,” she told Betfair.
“It seems like he has been around for ages, but he is only eight, he could have improved again a little this season. He finished second in this race last year behind Blue Lord, and it would be great if he could go one better this year. He hasn’t missed a beat since Navan, and I’m sure he will put up another solid performance.
“He has won Grade Three races and Grade Two races, and he has finished second in Grade One races three times. He is such a consistent horse, he is such a favourite in the yard, it would be brilliant if he could get his Grade One win on the board here.”
Willie Mullins will saddle every one of the remaining four runners, with Dinoblue joined by Dysart Dynamo, Saint Roi and Gentleman De Mee.
The latter horse will be ridden by Paul Townend as he makes his seasonal debut and Mark Walsh will take the ride on Dinoblue, the apparent first string for owner JP McManus.
“Mark Walsh has opted to ride Dinoblue here. She made a winning start this year at Naas and gets 7lb so she is an improver,” Townend said in his blog for Ladbrokes.
“I have Gentleman De Mee who was a very good winner at the course at the Dublin Racing Festival last season.
“It is his first run back and his first run isn’t always his best, so that is a little concern. He is the highest-rated horse in the field.
“Captain Guinness beat Dysart Dynamo at Navan earlier this year and he will take a lot of beating with race fitness on his side. If my horse can run to his best, then we will see, I am really looking forward to riding him.”
Townend also rides Daddy Long Legs in the Paddy Power Future Champions Novice Hurdle, a Grade One contested over two miles that will be the chestnut’s second run for new connections.
Second in his sole French start before joining Mullins, he made an impression when winning a Thurles maiden hurdle by 13 lengths in late November.
“We have plenty of runners in this, but I picked Daddy Long Legs. I really liked what he did at Thurles,” Townend said of the ride.
“He quickened up really smartly down the hill. Down Memory Lane (Gordon Elliott) was very impressive in the north (Down Royal) and will take a lot of beating.
“There is a lot of depth in this race. I like the way my horse did it at Thurles. He is a very smart horse and is my best ride of the day.”
Jaime Jaquez Jr. enjoyed a "special" Christmas Day as he stepped up in Jimmy Butler's absence, scoring a career-high 31 points for the Miami Heat as they overcame the Philadelphia 76ers.
Butler was ruled out for a third straight game with a calf injury, but Miami maintained their 100 per cent record in those contests with a 119-113 victory at Kaseya Center.
The Sixers – who were themselves without Joel Embiid due to a sprained ankle – erased a 21-point Miami lead in the third quarter, but Jaquez scored 10 of his points in the fourth to put the visitors away.
That made the 22-year-old the first rookie to manage at least 25 points and 10 rebounds on December 25 since Patrick Ewing for the New York Knicks in 1985, and he was delighted to see his hard work pay off on the big stage.
"It's definitely special," Jaquez said. "Great to get a win, a career night, on Christmas... I grew up watching these games.
"To be able to play and have a career night, I just go back to all the hard work, late nights in the gym, just preparing for moments like this."
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, who is now 9-0 on Christmas, said of Jaquez's performance: "I don't think I called one play for him tonight, literally.
"I mean, they were in his zone most of the second half. But throughout the rest of the course of the game, I definitely did not call one play for him.
"He did it with offensive rebounding, transitions, cuts, timely threes, just a lot of plays in between, so you don't really think that it's a 30-point game."
Tyrese Maxey endured a difficult outing for the Sixers, shooting 4-for-20 and finishing with just 12 points, well down on his season average of 25.9.
The star guard lamented his poor shooting as he said of the Miami defense: "They did the normal stuff that I see when I'm out there without Joel.
"The blitzing, the hard showing, but for the most part, I got some really good looks and some shots that I make I don't know, four or five times out of 10. So I guess it was just one of those days."
Facile Vega proved a bitter disappointment as Found A Fifty claimed Grade One honours in the Racing Post Novice Chase at Leopardstown.
Having struck gold at the highest level in the bumper sphere and over hurdles, the Willie Mullins-trained Facile Vega was the 1-2 favourite to complete the set following a comfortable victory on his chasing debut at Navan last month.
With Paul Townend making the trip to Kempton to partner Allaho in the King George, Patrick Mullins was reunited with Facile Vega for the first time since he rounded off his unbeaten bumper campaign in the spring of 2022, but odds-on backers were ultimately left counting their losses.
Gordon Elliott’s Found A Fifty, who won on his fencing bow at Down Royal before chasing home I Am Maximus in the Drinmore at Fairyhouse three weeks ago, was unsurprisingly ridden aggressively by Jack Kennedy as he stepped back from two and a half miles to two miles and a furlong on the outskirts of Dublin.
The six-year-old showed a tendency to edge right at his fences, impeding Facile Vega on a couple of occasions, which prompted Patrick Mullins to switch inside racing down the back straight and he soon took over the lead.
Facile Vega looked to be travelling the better of the pair rounding the home turn, but while he faltered quickly to finish last of four runners, Found A Fifty kept galloping for Kennedy and passed the post with a length and a half in hand over My Mate Mozzie.
“He’s very quirky, but he’s got a massive engine,” Elliott said of the winner.
“To get a Grade One winner is brilliant as it looked like we were unlucky in Aintree (Farren Glory fell in Formby Novices’ Hurdle).
“Jack gave Found A Fifty a wonderful ride. He had to use his head everywhere as he even went to have a look at the rail after the first fence.
“He’s a good horse. He was actually the highest-rated novice chaser in England or Ireland coming into the race today but there is a quirk in him – most good ones have a little bit of a quirk.”
Elliott was also keen to praise his stable jockey, who has suffered more than his fair share of injuries in recent years.
The trainer added: “Jack is different class. He’s just a lovely fella. At home you wouldn’t even pick him out in the string. He’d ride a horse leg length and be nagging and twisting. He’s just a bit different.
“We’re very lucky to have him, holding onto him and keeping him in one piece now would be the problem.”
Hewick – a horse who cost just £800 – came from last to first to win a remarkable Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton.
Trained by Shark Hanlon and ridden by man of the moment Gavin Sheehan, he looked to have no chance at all for most of the race.
Shishkin had taken up the running from Frodon with over a mile to run and injected pace which had seemed too much for Hewick (12-1).
Turning into the straight Shishkin was going the best, with Bravemansgame and Allaho being ridden to keep in touch.
Over the second-last Shishkin was still seemingly in control, but having jumped the fence perfectly well he lost his footing a stride or two after, unseating Nico de Boinville.
That left Allaho in front and he was being challenged again by Bravemansgame, but coming into contention and just hitting full stride was Hewick.
Sheehan got a great jump out of him at the last and he swept on by to win by a length and a half from last year’s winner Bravemansgame.
Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr described officiating standards as "disgusting" after Nikola Jokic made 18 free throws in the Denver Nuggets' Christmas-Day win over his team.
Jokic made all 18 of his free throw attempts as the Nuggets posted their fifth successive win, which represented a career-high tally as he finished with 26 points in his team's 120-114 success.
Ten of those came in the third quarter as Jokic drew foul after foul from the Golden State defense, prompting Kerr to lash out at what he sees as a league-wide problem.
"I have a problem with how we are legislating the defense out of the game," Kerr said after the Warriors slipped to 15-15.
"We are enabling players to B.S. their way to the foul line. If I were a fan, I wouldn't have wanted to watch the second half of that game. It was disgusting.
"It was just baiting refs into calls, but the refs have to make those calls. The players are really smart in this league.
"For the last decade, they've gotten smarter and smarter. We have enabled the players, and they are taking full advantage. It's a parade to the free throw line, and it's disgusting to watch."
Four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry, who was held to 18 points, echoed Kerr's sentiments as he said: "It does cater to the guys who can sell calls.
"There is physicality, but it's tough because it is inconsistent, at times, on either side.
"On a night like tonight, when you feel there is physicality on one side and then ticky-tack on the other, it changes the complexity of the game.
"I'm not saying we don't foul, but consistency is key when understanding how you can defend."
Jokic, though, denied actively trying to sell calls and said aggression became key to his performance after a slow start.
"I was missing shots, so I was just trying to be aggressive in another way, maybe play a little more physical" Jokic told ESPN.
"It just happened to be that kind of night. This is the most I've ever had."
National Hunt superstar Constitution Hill made a perfect return to action when strolling to victory in the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle at Kempton.
Winning the race for the second season in succession, Nicky Henderson’s charge was sent off the 1-12 favourite taking on just four rivals.
This ended up being his first race of the season after plans to run him in the Fighting Fifth, originally at Newcastle and then in the rearranged version at Sandown, were spoiled by the weather.
While that may have given his rivals some hope he was a little behind schedule, those thoughts were soon banished.
Paul Nicholls’ Rubaud set the pace and Harry Cobden tried to wind it up before the turn for home, but Nico de Boinville was sat in his slipstream.
He pulled Constitution Hill out to challenge on the run to the second-last and the champion hurdler absolutely flew it, taking two lengths out of Rubaud and immediately putting the race to bed.
He was allowed to cruise home for a nine-and-a-half-length win, with Coral subsequently trimming him to 1-3 from 2-5 to retain his Champion Hurdle title in March.
Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said the team can never take Luka Doncic for granted after he brought up 10,000 career points in their Christmas-Day win over the Phoenix Suns.
Doncic reached the milestone in style, scoring 50 points in a 128-114 road win as he became just the fourth player in league history to post a half-century of points on Christmas Day, after Bernard King, Wilt Chamberlain and Rick Barry.
Having entered the game 11 points short of bringing up five figures, he has reached 10,000 points in just 358 games. Only Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Elgin Baylor, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson and George Gervin have done so in fewer outings.
Doncic's big moment came early on when he hit a 34-foot three-pointer in the first quarter, and Kidd heaped praise upon his talisman after his dominant outing.
"As I've always said, we can't take him for granted when he's feeling it," Kidd said. "You're just trying to get him the ball as much as possible.
"You're also trying to figure out how to get him some rest because we weren't going to take him out there in the second half, so we needed to ask him or someone to be able to run the offense.
"I thought he did a great job of letting other guys bring the ball up, but when he's going like that, you've got to get him the ball, and you trust your quarterback's going to do the right thing."
Asked how it felt to reach the landmark, Doncic said: "Always, when this kind of award comes with a win, it's even more fun.
"It was a tough road game, and we won. So, outside of the 10K and 50 points, we won the game. So, I'm really happy.
"I love playing in these environments, especially away. It's fun for me. When you make a shot, the whole gym is quiet, so that's the best feeling in the world."
Doncic's mammoth performance proved Grayson Allen's 32-point haul for the Suns redundant, with Kevin Durant also tacking on 16 for the hosts.
Phoenix are now 14-15 and sit 11th in the Western Conference, having lost five of their last six games including each of their last three in a row.
Star guard Devin Booker said of the Suns' slump: "We just have to get it together.
"That's on me, that's on coach, that's on KD, all the leaders that we have in here to make sure that we're prepared."
Nicky Henderson’s Jango Baie battled on gamely to see off Favour And Fortune to win the William Hill Formby Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.
The race was formerly registered as the Tolworth Hurdle and was being run for the first time at Aintree instead of Sandown.
That was a move that did not go down too well with Henderson at the time, although he may have a different take now after the four-year-old, having just his second race under rules, provided James Bowen with a first Grade One success.
In a race which highlighted the ups and downs of racing perfectly, Bowen’s brother Sean, riding Gordon Elliott’s Farren Glory, seemed to be travelling best of all before falling in the home straight.
Jango Baie (17-2) had beaten Ben Pauling’s Tellherthename narrowly on their respective hurdling debuts at Ascot and the two met again. But Pauling’s charge, having jumped and travelled well until the home straight, soon dropped away.
It was Cannock Park who led for much of the journey and he did not give way until the second-last when the front two pulled away, with Jango Baie winning by two and three-quarter lengths after a good tussle.
Bowen told Racing TV: “It went well, I travelled well, he was a bit keen but he was a lot keener the last day.
“He finished his race off really well and I think he’ll probably want a bit further in time.
“Sean looked to be going really well and at the time I didn’t know what he had left, he did look to be going well, though.
“The best I’d done in a Grade One was finishing third on Top Notch in the Long Walk (2018), that’s the closest I’d been before today.
“He hit the line hard and he’s obviously improving, he’s a Grade One horse now so hopefully he’ll have some nice targets.”
Il Est Francais put up a sparkling jumping display to win the Ladbrokes Kauto Star Novices’ Chase on his British debut at Kempton.
Part-owned by an Englishman in Richard Kelvin-Hughes, ridden by one in James Reveley and trained jointly by another Englishman in Noel George, he was representing France in no uncertain terms.
Still only five, Il Est Francais had carried almost all before him in France and from an early stage had most of his rivals under pressure with his cruising speed and accurate jumping.
Whether meeting fences on a long or short stride, the 13-8 chance made only one semblance of an error over the three miles and Reveley, son of former trainer Keith and a multiple champion jockey in France since moving there, always knew what he had underneath him.
Paul Nicholls’ Hermes Allen briefly looked a threat but once Il Est Francais was asked to put the race to bed, he soon opened up a distance between them again and in the end won by 11 lengths.
George trains in partnership with Amanda Zetterholm, while the winner is jointly owed by Haras De Saint-Voir, who also bred the gelding.
Kala Conti upstaged her better-fancied stablemate Mighty Bandit to provide Gordon Elliott with a third victory in the last four runnings of the Mercedes-Benz South Dublin Juvenile Hurdle at Leopardstown.
The Cullentra handler saddled Zanahiyr and Fil Dor to claim back-to-back wins in the Grade Two contest in 2020 and 2021, while subsequent Triumph Hurdle heroine Lossiemouth struck gold for Willie Mullins last season.
Having made a big impression on his hurdling debut at Punchestown, Mighty Bandit was the 13-8 favourite to double his tally in the hands of Elliott’s stable jockey Jack Kennedy, with Kala Conti rated his biggest threat by bookmakers at 7-2.
The latter was narrowly beaten by the reopposing Nurburgring in a Grade Three at Fairyhouse last month, but under a positive ride from Danny Gilligan turned the tables in determined fashion – digging deep to beat the Mullins-trained Kargese by three-quarters of a length, with Nurburgring a close-up third and Mighty Bandit disappointing in ninth.
“It was a good performance, she was tough,” Elliott said of the winner. “She didn’t lose much in defeat the last day, only that she got beat. We’re happy today.
“I’d say she likes a good gallop, she’ll stay very well.”
Of Mighty Bandit, he added: “Jack said he thought he was cantering everywhere but he just cut out. We’ll get him checked out and see.”
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