Aidan O’Brien has confirmed his intention to split his Classic aces next spring, with Henry Longfellow unlikely to take on his esteemed stablemate City of Troy in the Qipco 2000 Guineas.
While Henry Longfellow has done nothing wrong in winning each of his three juvenile starts, it was City Of Troy for whom O’Brien reserved the highest praise, stating after his Dewhurst success at Newmarket in October: “He is the best two-year-old we’ve trained, there’s no doubt.”
City Of Troy is best-priced evens favourite for the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in May and while bookmakers rate his stablemate as his biggest threat, he could instead head to the French equivalent.
“I’d imagine that City Of Troy and Henry Longfellow will be kept apart for as long as the lads want to do that,” O’Brien told Sporting Life.
“We’re obviously thinking that City of Troy will be trained for Newmarket and then Henry Longfellow might be trained for France.
“If everything went well with City Of Troy at Newmarket, he could go straight on to Epsom (for the Derby) whereas the other horse could do the Curragh (Irish 2,000 Guineas) and Ascot (St James’s Palace Stakes) or something like that. There’s lots of scenarios that could happen I suppose.”
O’Brien has not been shy in pointing out City Of Troy’s extraordinary ability and continues to be effusive in his praise.
He added: “He’s the first horse we’ve had come along to show such class and courage, without us feeling that we’ve got to the last gear yet.
“He always had lovely balance, a lovely shape and a lovely mind. He was a lovely size of a horse, not too big and not too small. He looked the ideal horse all the way along really.”
Reflecting on his Dewhurst success and the feedback he received from jockey Ryan Moore, O’Brien added: “We just felt that we hadn’t had a horse like him before.
“Ryan was so confident in the horse that he really felt it didn’t matter what the ground was going to be like or anything else. He didn’t think he’d ridden a horse like this before, either – he’s always felt that this horse was different.”
Harry Fry is looking forward to raising Might I’s sights in an intriguing renewal of the Howden Noel Novices’ Chase at Ascot on Friday.
The seven-year-old was a high-class novice hurdler a couple of seasons ago, placing behind Constitution Hill and Jonbon along the way, while he also picked up minor honours in the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival last term.
He has been switched the larger obstacles this autumn and having pushed Complete Unknown close on his introduction before opening his account in a match race at Exeter last month, he will now test his powers at Grade Two level in Berkshire.
“This is obviously his third start over fences. He made the most of a match opportunity the last day, but it was still good experience nonetheless,” said Fry.
“We take the step up in grade, hopefully he puts in a good round of jumping and if he does that then I’d hope he’ll have every chance.
“There’s not much between the four runners, he deserves to be in there for sure and hopefully he’ll give a good account of himself.”
The quartet is headed by Dan Skelton’s Unexpected Party, who is eased in class and upped in trip after finishing fifth in the Grade One Henry VIII Novices’ Chase at Sandown a fortnight ago.
“He’s come out of Sandown very well. He didn’t figure prominently in the Henry VIII and this is not a dissimilar type of race, so he’s got a lot to do to win but he deserves his place in these types of races,” said Skelton.
“They’re not getting massively supported so if we’ve got one, we’re going to run them. He’s gone well at Ascot before so there are no negatives there.”
Djelo bids to make it three from three over fences for Venetia Williams following a couple of impressive handicap wins, while the Paul Nicholls-trained Kandoo Kid makes a similar move after beating Williams’ Frero Banbou in a Newbury handicap last time.
Gavin Sheehan is set to partner Hewick for the first time in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Trainer Shark Hanlon was on the lookout for a new rider for his stable star, with his regular partner Jordan Gainford sidelined by injury.
Rachael Blackmore stepped in to steer the eight-year-old to victory in the Grade Two Oaksey Chase at Sandown in the spring, but is set to be in action at Leopardstown over the Christmas period, while Brian Hughes was on board Hewick on his latest outing in the Galway Plate but is also unavailable.
Hanlon has therefore turned to one of the most in-form jockeys in the weighing room in Sheehan, who won last month’s Coral Gold Cup at Newbury on Datsalrightgino and last week produced a similarly brilliant ride when guiding Fugitif to a last-gasp victory in the December Gold Cup at Cheltenham.
“We’re just after sorting it this (Thursday) morning – Gavin Sheehan is going to ride,” said Hanlon.
“I know he had the chance of a good book of rides somewhere else, so I wasn’t sure if he’d ride him or not, but he came back this morning and said ‘the horse has as good a chance as any other horse in the race and I’d love to ride him’, which is great.
“He’s a jockey in great form, he knows the track and he knows the English horses, so it’s great to have him on board.”
Hewick has enjoyed a fairytale rise through the ranks, winning the bet365 Gold Cup, the Galway Plate and the American Grand National during a whirlwind 2022 campaign.
He was well beaten when last seen in action defending his Galway Plate crown in August, but Hanlon is delighted with his condition ahead of his festive return.
He added: “He went to the local point-to-point track this morning as the ground is beautiful and he jumped 12 fences. All the work is done, I just need to get him there now.
“I’ve been on to the shipping crew, who tell me the winds are due to die down on Friday night, so we’re booked on the boat on Saturday morning.
“He’s in right good form. It’s his first run of the season, which you’re always afraid of, but he runs well fresh so fingers crossed.
“Allaho is the one they all have to beat. It looks like there’s a few in there that like to make the running – I’d say there’ll be savage pace in it – but the great thing about our horse is we can ride him however we want.”
Nicky Henderson feels Champ has gone a long way to living up to his name as he goes in search of a second Howden Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot on Saturday.
Owned by JP McManus, the soon-to-be 12-year-old won the race two years ago under Jonjo O’Neill jnr and he has maintained the partnership ever since.
Famously named after former champion jockey AP McCoy, Champ was a dual Grade One-winning novice hurdler as well as winning a Grade One novice chase at Cheltenham, beating Minella Indo and Allaho in dramatic style.
He will be making his first appearance of the season at Ascot but that is by design, with Henderson confident he is at his best fresh.
“He’s actually very good. He’s one of our real friends, he’s been here a long, long time,” Henderson told Sky Sports Racing.
“He’s lived up to his name in a lot of ways and you couldn’t have a nicer horse.
“He’s very laid back at home, he doesn’t show you an awful lot and he loves to be fresh.
“Last year we started at Newbury when he had a fantastic battle with Paisley Park and then came to the Long Walk, but we’ve always thought he’s possibly best first time out, so we kept him back from Newbury to have a crack at this again.
“Last year after the Long Walk we decided not to go to Cheltenham and keep him for Aintree, but it didn’t really work.
“He works with another old friend, On The Blind Side, who ran a fantastic race at Sandown the other day and they do all their work together but you can hardly call it work, they just go through the motions enjoying themselves.”
With fellow veterans Dashel Drasher and Paisley Park in opposition along with some much younger rivals, Henderson is looking forward to the race.
He said: “You are never confident about any of these Grade One races, it’s going to be very competitive and you can be pretty sure it will be a solid gallop with Dashel Drasher there.
“Paisley will be lurking around, one minute you think you’ve got him covered and then he’ll suddenly reappear at the death – it should be good.”
Editeur Du Gite is set for a return to Kempton over the Christmas period where he will attempt to defend his Ladbrokes Desert Orchid Handicap Chase crown.
Gary Moore’s nine-year-old was a shock 28-1 scorer when landing the then Grade Two prize 12 months ago and went on to claim the rearranged Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham, downing Energumene and Edwardstone in the process.
He has failed to hit those same heights since, but could be rejuvenated by a return to both the Sunbury track and better ground for a race that is now run as a limited handicap.
“Hopefully the ground wouldn’t be too soft for him because he does like better ground and he hasn’t had it so far this year,” said Moore. “We look forward to seeing him run there again.”
Editeur Du Gite could face a maximum of 10 rivals which could include former stablemate and Tingle Creek third Haddex Des Obeaux, who has since moved to Nicky Henderson and is in line for his first outing for the Seven Barrows handler.
Harry Fry’s Boothill made it two from two for the season when getting the better Frere D’Armes at Ascot last month and the duo could lock horns once again, with the latter one of two in the mix for Dan Skelton alongside 2020 race winner Nube Negra.
Kim Bailey’s First Flow is another to chase home Boothill this term and amongst the entries, while Joe Tizzard has the option of saddling both the in-form Elixir De Nutz and War Lord.
The supporting Ladbrokes Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase has attracted 10 entries and could see Sarah Humphrey’s Nickle Back drop back to the minimum distance.
The seven-year-old has been something of a star turn for the Cambridgeshire handler and was last seen chasing home the high-class Hermes Allen in the John Francome Novices’ Chase at Newbury.
Humphrey said: “He’s got that high cruising speed and I have dithered about doing it, but thought ‘yes, we’ll give two miles a go’.
“He has obviously won over two and a half miles and runs very well but he does tend to set it up for the ones behind him, so we’ll drop him back, give him a go and see what happens.”
Others to note include Venetia Williams’ Djelo, who is two from two over fences and impressed at Newbury recently, and the useful Marble Sands, who was a couple of places behind Nickle Back most recently and represents training duo David Killahena and Graeme McPherson.
Editeur Du Gite is set for a return to Kempton over the Christmas period where he will attempt to defend his Ladbrokes Desert Orchid Handicap Chase crown.
Gary Moore’s nine-year-old was a shock 28-1 scorer when landing the then Grade Two prize 12 months ago and went on to claim the rearranged Clarence House Chase at Cheltenham, downing Energumene and Edwardstone in the process.
He has failed to hit those same heights since, but could be rejuvenated by a return to both the Sunbury track and better ground for a race that is now run as a limited handicap.
“Hopefully the ground wouldn’t be too soft for him because he does like better ground and he hasn’t had it so far this year,” said Moore. “We look forward to seeing him run there again.”
Editeur Du Gite could face a maximum of 10 rivals which could include former stablemate and Tingle Creek third Haddex Des Obeaux, who has since moved to Nicky Henderson and is in line for his first outing for the Seven Barrows handler.
Harry Fry’s Boothill made it two from two for the season when getting the better Frere D’Armes at Ascot last month and the duo could lock horns once again, with the latter one of two in the mix for Dan Skelton alongside 2020 race winner Nube Negra.
Kim Bailey’s First Flow is another to chase home Boothill this term and amongst the entries, while Joe Tizzard has the option of saddling both the in-form Elixir De Nutz and War Lord.
The supporting Ladbrokes Wayward Lad Novices’ Chase has attracted 10 entries and could see Sarah Humphrey’s Nickle Back drop back to the minimum distance.
The seven-year-old has been something of a star turn for the Cambridgeshire handler and was last seen chasing home the high-class Hermes Allen in the John Francome Novices’ Chase at Newbury.
Humphrey said: “He’s got that high cruising speed and I have dithered about doing it, but thought ‘yes, we’ll give two miles a go’.
“He has obviously won over two and a half miles and runs very well but he does tend to set it up for the ones behind him, so we’ll drop him back, give him a go and see what happens.”
Others to note include Venetia Williams’ Djelo, who is two from two over fences and impressed at Newbury recently, and the useful Marble Sands, who was a couple of places behind Nickle Back most recently and represents training duo David Killahena and Graeme McPherson.
Jonjo O’Neill’s ante-post favourite Monbeg Genuis has been ruled out of the Coral Welsh National due to a foot abscess.
The chaser had led the market since a fine third in the Coral Gold Cup at Newbury and appeared to have plenty of the required attributes for the Chepstow marathon.
However, his name was not among the 22 who remain in contention for the December 27 showpiece and O’Neill admitted the timing of the foot issue could not be worse.
“He’s got an abscess so he won’t be ready in time, unfortunately,” said O’Neill.
“He did pick up a few cuts at Newbury, but it’s nothing to do with them, they’d all cleared up. If it’s not one thing, it’s another thing.
“It’s very annoying but when they are not right you can’t run them. He’ll be all right but it’s just the wrong time.
“Unfortunately I didn’t tell him he was running!
“We might have a look at the Classic Chase at Warwick or the race at Lingfield (Fleur de Lys Chase). I’m not really thinking to be honest, I just want to get him back.”
O’Neill is still likely to be represented in the race by Iron Bridge, who also holds an entry in Wetherby’s Rowland Meyrick Chase on Boxing Day.
“He’ll go to Chepstow all being well. I put him in at Wetherby because you never know with the weather and one thing or another, but Chepstow was always the plan,” he said.
“He didn’t run great the last day, it was maybe a combination of the trip being a bit sharp on decent ground.
“He seems in good form at home but you’d have liked to get a proper run into him beforehand, it’s a big race. He’s as good as we can have him without another run, so we’ll take our chance.”
Previous winner Iwilldoit tops the weights with Complete Unknown, The Big Breakaway, The Galloping Bear, Chambard and Autonomous Cloud all in contention.
The Jamie Snowden-trained Super Survivor, winner of a novice heat on the Welsh National undercard last year and second on his seasonal bow at Lingfield, is the new 9-2 favourite with the sponsor following Monbeg Genius’ withdrawal.
The Adelaide Thunderbirds proudly announce the acquisition of Jamaican netball sensation Romelda Aiken-George for the upcoming 2024 Suncorp Super Netball League season. The seasoned shooter, who recently concluded a season with the New South Wales Swifts, where she was temporary replacement for the injured Samantha Wallace.
Aiken-George, a stalwart in the netball arena, brings an impressive track record, having participated in 214 national league games and contributing significantly to Jamaica's national team for over a decade.
Her illustrious career commenced in 2008 with the Queensland Firebirds, where she played a pivotal role in securing three premierships and clinching consecutive MVP trophies. Aiken-George, known for her dominance on the court, joined the New South Wales Swifts in 2023, filling in for the injured Samantha Wallace and showcasing her prowess with a notable 847.5 Nissan Net Points.
The prolific goal shooter boasts an array of accomplishments, including holding the record for the highest number of goals in a grand final with an impressive tally of 63. Additionally, she etched her name in Suncorp Super Netball history by becoming the first player to score 3500 goals.
Joining Jamaican teammates Shamera Sterling and Latanya Wilson on the Thunderbirds roster, Aiken-George's arrival is anticipated to fortify the team's attacking prowess for the upcoming season. Thunderbirds High Performance Manager Pitre Bourdon expressed enthusiasm about the newest addition, highlighting Aiken-George's experience and scoring consistency.
"Romelda has been a shooting force in the game for over a decade, as evidenced by her stellar performance in the 2023 season," Bourdon commented. "Her wealth of experience will be invaluable to our relatively young attack end, and we eagerly look forward to welcoming Romelda into the Thunderbirds family for the 2024 season."
Melbourne Cup-winning trainer David Eustace is to leave Australia for a new role in Hong Kong.
UK-born Eustace has been a joint-trainer with Ciaron Maher since 2018 and the pair have built up one of the most successful operations in Australia.
They have been champion trainers in Victoria for the past four seasons and are the current holders of the national trainers’ championship.
The pair have jointly trained over 1,600 winners which have included 30 Group Ones, with Gold Trip’s Melbourne Cup win last year arguably the highlight.
Eustace said: “My mother Gay is David Oughton’s sister and as a nine or 10-year-old, I was aware of David training over in Hong Kong and thought that it would be an amazing experience to train there eventually and it has genuinely been something in the forefront of my mind since then, really.
“It’s a great honour to be invited to train in Hong Kong. There are limited spots and there’s fierce competition, which certainly excites me. I think it’s a rare opportunity for someone probably of my age (32) to be able to go there and hopefully have a long and successful career – that’s certainly the aim.”
Eustace built up a strong body of work in Australia and feels now is the time to make the break on his own. His father, James, was a long-standing trainer in Newmarket while brother Harry is already a Royal Ascot winner.
“I spent a year with Peter Moody and then another year with Peter and Paul Snowden the year Capitalist won the Golden Slipper and that was fantastic. After that, Ciaron got in touch and I started working with him in 2015,” said Eustace.
“I hope to bring a varied style of training with experiences from the UK, experiences from Australia and with an emphasis on using sports science and data to enhance a horse’s training, longevity and careers in Hong Kong,”
Botox Has will spearhead Gary Moore’s Howden Long Walk Hurdle challenge on Saturday, with stable stalwart Goshen also poised to line-up at Ascot.
The former produced arguably a career best when claiming Wetherby’s Grade Two West Yorkshire Hurdle last month and his handler has been waiting for a crack at this Grade One ever since.
The form of that race has a strong look with Jeremy Scott’s reopposing Wetherby third Dashel Drasher getting the better of three-time Long Walk hero Paisley Park at Newbury and Moore is now keen to see if Botox Has can back up that performance and cement his place as one of the leading players in a wide-open division.
“I’m looking forward to running him and the form is working out well,” said Moore.
“Hopefully he is as good as he was that day at Wetherby but time will tell.
“He’s always been a fair horse and he was probably one of the best English horses during his juvenile year – if it had not been for Goshen he would have been the top four-year-old, he’s always been a good horse.
“He didn’t really take to chasing but has done well reverting back to hurdles.”
The race also offers a huge opportunity to conditional jockey Caoilin Quinn, who was aboard Botox Has when winning a valuable handicap at Haydock last season and when striking at Wetherby, with Moore feeling he deserves the chance to continue the association.
He said: “He has won two nice races on him so you could hardly take him off.”
There are no secrets surrounding the enigmatic Goshen, who was a winner at this track last term and also finished second when this race took place at Kempton last Boxing Day, but has struggled in both outings over hurdles this term.
Last seen in the rearranged Fighting Fifth at Sandown, Moore feels the return to three miles is just what the seven-year-old now requires and said: “I think that now suits him better, but I don’t know if the ground is going to be soft enough for him.
“It was an afterthought (to go to Sandown) and I probably shouldn’t have run there. He’s danced every dance.”
A field of 10 will head to post with Paisley Park going for win number four in the Grade One and Nicky Henderson’s Champ bidding to regain the title he won in 2021.
Dan Skelton’s West Balboa will try to extend her three-race winning-run after an impressive display at Aintree last month, while Fergal O’Brien has always thought plenty of Crambo who suffered an interrupted passage when third at Haydock.
Blueking D’Oroux is on a rapid upward curve and unbeaten in two outings this term. He is one of two for champion trainer Paul Nicholls alongside West Yorkshire hurdle runner-up Red Risk, with the in-form Gavin Sheehan aboard Nigel Twiston-Davies’ Gowel Road.
Last year’s winner Into Overdrive is on course to make his seasonal reappearance in the William Hill Rowland Meyrick Handicap Chase at Wetherby on Boxing Day.
Mark Walford’s staying chaser lined up in the West Yorkshire track’s traditional festive feature as a leading contender 12 months ago, having already won at Wetherby in the autumn before pushing top-class stayer L’Homme Presse close in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle.
Into Overdrive was disappointingly pulled up when well fancied for the Ultima Handicap Chase at the Cheltenham Festival in March and while he has not been seen in competitive action since, Walford is pleased with his condition ahead of his belated return.
He said: “A few of our horses haven’t been quite firing and he’d have been on that list, but they seem to be coming right now and he seems in good nick.
“We haven’t actually missed anything as a race at Wetherby we would have run him in was off and then the Rehearsal was off as well. They were the two races we’d have gone for and they were abandoned anyway.
“He seems in good form, Jamie (Hamilton) schooled him on Tuesday and it went well, so we’re hoping for a decent run next week.
“There’s plenty of races coming up for him in the new year and we’re looking forward to getting him out. It will be a big ask for him to win first time out in a race like this, but he’s a decent horse and I think we’ve got him in good nick.”
Into Overdrive is one of 16 entries for the Rowland Meyrick, with Sandy Thomson’s Empire Steel, Dan Skelton’s Ashtown Lad and the Nicky Richards-trained pair of Houston Texas and Famous Bridge among his potential rivals.
Anthony Davis knows there is "no help coming" for the Los Angeles Lakers, who must find a way to overturn their poor form.
The Lakers have won just one of their five games since they beat the Indiana Pacers to claim the inaugural NBA in-season tournament trophy in Las Vegas earlier this month.
Their latest defeat came on Wednesday at the hands of the Chicago Bulls, with DeMar DeRozan leading his team to a 124-108 triumph.
LeBron James had 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, but it was not enough as the Lakers slumped to a third straight loss.
"We all hate losing," said Davis, who finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
"There's no break coming. No help coming. There's no cavalry. We've got to do it within this locker room.
"We've got everyone back now. We've just got to find a way to get in the win column."
Without injured All-Star Zach LaVine, it was another accomplished display from the Bulls, who had a poor start to the campaign but are now hitting form.
"We were going through it," said DeRozan, who scored 27 points, adding seven rebounds and nine assists.
"Sometimes you've got to go through it so you can find a different type of motivation that you can come together with. The best relationships come out of that."
The Bulls are 7-3 in LaVine's absence due to right foot inflammation, though coach Billy Donovan still wants his talisman back healthy as soon as possible.
"Anytime you lose a really, really great player, and a talented, gifted player like Zach, it always hurts you. I'm certainly hopeful when he gets himself healthy he can get back to where he was," he said.
"I think with what he was dealing with his foot for a long period of time, I'm not so sure that he was ever right."
While the Lakers endure a skid, their city rivals the Los Angeles Clippers maintained their league-best form.
The Clippers extended their winning run to nine games as Kawhi Leonard's 30 points lifted them to a 120-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Luka Doncic recorded his sixth triple-double of the season but it was not enough for the Mavs, who fell foul of another fine Clippers display.
"It's going to take time for them to find the rhythm, find the continuity, find the chemistry," said Norman Powell, who scored 21 points off the Clippers' bench.
"It's no summer league, summertime pickup basketball where you're doing whatever you want.
"There's a system in place, and everybody's got to figure out their role and how it goes."
Gavin Sheehan is set to partner Hewick for the first time in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Trainer Shark Hanlon was on the lookout for a new rider for his stable star, with his regular partner Jordan Gainford sidelined by injury.
Rachael Blackmore stepped in to steer the eight-year-old to victory in the Grade Two Oaksey Chase at Sandown in the spring, but is set to be in action at Leopardstown over the Christmas period, while Brian Hughes was on board Hewick on his latest outing in the Galway Plate but is also unavailable.
Hanlon has therefore turned to one of the most in-form jockeys in the weighing room in Sheehan, who won last month’s Coral Gold Cup at Newbury on Datsalrightgino and last week produced a similarly brilliant ride when guiding Fugitif to a last-gasp victory in the December Gold Cup at Cheltenham.
“We’re just after sorting it this (Thursday) morning – Gavin Sheehan is going to ride,” said Hanlon.
“I know he had the chance of a good book of rides somewhere else, so I wasn’t sure if he’d ride him or not, but he came back this morning and said ‘the horse has as good a chance as any other horse in the race and I’d love to ride him’, which is great.
“He’s a jockey in great form, he knows the track and he knows the English horses, so it’s great to have him on board.”
Hewick has enjoyed a fairytale rise through the ranks, winning the bet365 Gold Cup, the Galway Plate and the American Grand National during a whirlwind 2022 campaign.
He was well beaten when last seen in action defending his Galway Plate crown in August, but Hanlon is delighted with his condition ahead of his festive return.
He added: “He went to the local point-to-point track this morning as the ground is beautiful and he jumped 12 fences. All the work is done, I just need to get him there now.
“I’ve been on to the shipping crew, who tell me the winds are due to die down on Friday night, so we’re booked on the boat on Saturday morning.
“He’s in right good form. It’s his first run of the season, which you’re always afraid of, but he runs well fresh so fingers crossed.
“Allaho is the one they all have to beat. It looks like there’s a few in there that like to make the running – I’d say there’ll be savage pace in it – but the great thing about our horse is we can ride him however we want.”
Sixteen-year-old Luke Littler marked his PDC World Championship debut with a 3-0 victory against experienced Dutchman Christian Kist at Alexandra Palace.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at five things you may not know about dart’s teenage sensation ‘The Nuke’, who turns 17 next month.
Sweet 16
Littler was born in Runcorn, Cheshire, on January 21, 2007 and began playing darts aged nine. He won the England Youth Grand Prix in 2019 and began to rack up tournament wins. He became England Youth Open champion in 2021 and won his first senior title at the Irish Open later that year. In 2022 he won the Welsh Open and this year notched further senior titles at the Isle of Man Classic, Gibraltar Open, British Open and British Classic.
Bookies take heed
After his impressive victory on the biggest stage against Kist on Wednesday night – Littler hit seven 180s and averaged 106.12 – the teenager spoke of his pride at making the highest average on debut at the PDC World Championship. He made 50 per cent of his doubles during an electric display that has seen his odds to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy slashed to 14-1, making him seventh favourite.
‘You’ve got school in the morning’
During Littler’s stunning win against Kist, a full house at at Alexandra Palace erupted into a chorus of ‘You’ve got school in the morning’ and the Warrington-based teenager responded by pumping his chest as he revelled in the atmosphere. His performance was not, however, a complete shock. His breakthrough year in 2023, in which he also won the Gibraltar Open and the PDC World Youth Championship, saw him installed as heavy 3-10 favourite to beat Kist.
‘Everybody Take a Shot’
Littler’s walk-on music at Alexandra Palace is Greenlight by American rapper Pitbull and features the lyrics “Red light, green light, everybody take a shot. Red light, green light, give me everything you got”. It was released in 2016 as the second single off Pitbull’s 10th studio album Climate Change and the video, filmed in Miami, has over 99 million views on YouTube.
Favourite to progress
Next up for the darts prodigy is a second-round clash at Alexandra Palace on Thursday night against 53-year-old Andrew Gilding, from Ipswich. Gilding won the Cazoo UK Open in Minehead earlier this year when he beat Michael van Gerwen 11–10 in a last-leg decider and is currently 20th in the PDC rankings, but despite Gilding’s obvious experience advantage, Littler is 1-4 favourite to progress through to the third round.
Tyrese Maxey warned the Philadelphia 76ers must not take Joel Embiid for granted after the NBA MVP's superb showing against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Embiid scored a season-high 51 points and added 12 rebounds as the 76ers won for the seventh time in eight games by casting aside the Western Conference leaders 127-113 on Tuesday.
It is the 12th straight game that Embiid has had at least 30 points and 10 rebounds. It is the longest such streak in the NBA since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar went on a 16-game run for the Milwaukee Bucks back in 1971-72.
The only other players to have 12 or more games of 30-10 in league history besides Embiid and Abdul-Jabbar are Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Walt Bellamy.
Maxey, who scored 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, knows the Sixers must not be overly reliant on their talisman.
"I tell everybody, I try not to take it for granted – he does it every night, so consistently, that it's hard not to," Maxey said of Embiid.
"But we expect it of him, he knows we expect it of him. He goes out and performs every single night."
Sixers coach Nick Nurse added: "[Embiid's] continuing to get better and he's just doing enough different things rhythmically to keep those guys guessing.
"He has a feel that if guys step into him, he can get them. And I like when he goes downhill."
As for Embiid, he has no interest in statistics and records unless he is on a winning team.
"We're winning and that's all that matters," he said.
"Stats are great and it's great to put up stats. But if it comes with a loss, then that's a different story. If it comes with a win, it means a lot.
"That's one of the best teams in the league, the best team in the West. We had to get them back. We had some rough patches but kept pushing and got the win."
Maxey, meanwhile, is grateful for the belief Embiid is showing in him.
"He puts the responsibility on me because he believes in me, and I'm glad to just put in the work and try to help him as much as I possibly can, it's been great," he said.
Gabe Vilardi continued his hot hand with a goal and two assists and the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Detroit Red Wings 5-2 on Wednesday to take over sole possession of the Central Division lead.
Axel Jonnson-Fjallby and Nikolaj Ehlers each had a goal and an assist to help the Jets win for the seventh time in nine games (7-1-1).
Vilardi has goals in four straight games with five goals and five assists during that span.
Patrick Kane and Olli Maata scored for the Red Wings, losers of a season-high four straight and six of seven.
Strome lifts Capitals over Islanders in OT
Dylan Strome scored his team-leading 13th goal on a power play 1:41 into overtime to lift the Washington Capitals to a 3-2 win over the visiting New York Islanders.
Hendrix Lapierre scored and assisted on Joel Edmundson’s first goal of the season to give the Capitals a second straight victory.
Hudson Fasching and captain Anders Lee had goals for New York, which moved to 10-2-6 in its last 18 games.
Daccord stars as Kraken edge Kings
Joey Daccord made 21 of his career-high 43 saves in the first period and the Seattle Kraken held on for a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.
Daccord was perfect until allowing Blake Lizotte's goal 8 minutes into the third period. He surpassed his previous career-high save total of 42, set on Oct. 26 at Carolina.
Brandon Tanev and Jordan Eberle scored for Seattle, which has points in five straight (3-0-2) following an eight-game losing streak.
Cam Talbot made 28 saves as the Kings dropped to 5-6-3 at home compared to a league-best 13-1-1 road record.
Joel Embiid continued his torrid stretch with a season-high 51 points and 12 rebounds and the Philadelphia 76ers bounced back with a 127-113 victory over the Western Conference-leading Minnesota Timberwolves.
Embiid notched his 12th straight game with at least 30 points and 10-plus rebounds for the NBA’s longest such streak since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 16-game run for the Milwaukee Bucks in 1971-72.
The only other players to have 12 or more games of 30-10 in league history besides Embiid and Abdul-Jabbar are Wilt Chamberlain, Elgin Baylor and Walt Bellamy.
Embiid is averaging a whopping 41.4 points on 61.5 percent shooting and 12.9 rebounds in his last eight games.
Tyrese Maxey scored 15 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter, most of those coming during a five-minute stretch at the start of the period when Embiid was on the bench.
Philadelphia won for the seventh time in eight games, bouncing back from a 108-104 loss to Chicago on Monday.
Anthony Edwards had 27 points and Karl-Anthony Towns added 21 for Minnesota, which began the day with the league’s best record.
Clippers defeat Mavericks for 9th straight win
Kawhi Leonard scored 30 points and the Los Angeles Clippers held off the Dallas Mavericks, 120-111 for their ninth consecutive win.
Normal Powell had 21 points off the bench and James Harden had 17 and 11 assists for the Clippers, who nearly blew a 22-point lead before holding on for their longest winning streak since a 10-game run in 2015-16.
Amir Coffey scored 12 points in his second start of the season in place of Paul George, who sat out with an illness.
Luka Dončić’s franchise record of 11 consecutive games with at least 30 points ended with 28. He recorded his sixth triple-double with 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Herro leads Heat past Magic
Tyler Herro had 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists and Bam Adebayo added 18 points to lift the Miami Heat to a 115-106 win over the Orlando Magic in a matchup of the top teams in the Southeast Division.
Herro was 10 of 17 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and Haywood Highsmith, one of four Miami reserves in double figures, made four of the Heat’s 15 3s and finished with a season-high 15 points.
Cole Anthony scored 20 points and Franz Wagner added 15 as the Magic lost their third straight.
The wedding bug is now at epidemic proportions within Jamaica’s elite netball fraternity as following on the heels of the nuptials of Shimona Nelson and fellow Sunshine Girl Shamera Sterling in the last three weeks, team captain Jhaniele Fowler exchanged vows with Ashani Nembhard in Kingston on Wednesday.
This is Jhaniele’s second marriage. She married Andre Reid in December 2013. The couple share a daughter, Drehannah.
Fowler-Nembhard, the best shooter in the world, recently signed a two-year extension with the West Coast Fever in Australia’s Suncorp Super Netball League.
Two-time winner Peter Wright crashed out of the PDC World Darts Championship in the second round after a 3-0 defeat to Jim Williams at Alexandra Palace.
The 53-year-old, who was dressed as the Grinch complete with lime-green hair, ensured a miserable Christmas after posting a dismal three-dart average of less than 84.
Williams, a BDO runner-up in 2020, was also far from his best in a poor quality clash, admitting afterwards: “I was fighting myself all the way and it’s a little bit frustrating – but hopefully we’ll get there.”
A star was born earlier as 16-year-old Luke Littler marked his World Championship debut with a blistering 3-0 win over experienced Dutchman Christian Kist.
Littler showed no nerves as he hit seven 180s and finished with an extraordinary average of 110 to mark himself out as a genuine contender for the crown.
The teenager told Sky Sports: “I can’t believe how quickly I settled in. I was a bit nervous going to the stage but as soon as I found my rhythm I was in.”
Also in the Wednesday evening session, Richard Veenstra eased past Ben Robb 3-0 while Ryan Joyce was a 3-1 winner over Alex Spellman.
In the afternoon, 16th seed Ross Smith eased to a 3-1 victory over Niels Zonneveld before being stung by a wasp on stage.
“There’s the wasp,” Smith said in his post-match TV interview as he noticed the insect.
The Englishman then recoiled in pain and said: “He’s just stung me like a good one. Little bugger.”
Smith, a prolific maximum hitter, was below his best but still produced seven 180s and the second 170 checkout of the tournament to see off plucky Dutchman Zonnevald.
“It wasn’t a great game and I didn’t play nowhere near what I can,” said Smith. “But I can enjoy my turkey and pigs in blankets now.
“I tried to get some fire in my belly, but it was really difficult. I was a bit nervy the last couple of days, everyone is because you just want to get through.
“I will relax now and hopefully be better after Christmas.”
Exeter debutant Owen Bates lost a two-set lead as Ireland’s Steve Lennon fought back to win 3-2.
Lennon won nine of the last 11 legs against the 21-year-old crowd favourite to claim the win needed to retain his PDC Tour card.
“I don’t know how I won that,” said Lennon. “I was panicking deep down, it’s a massive win.”
Bates had qualified through the PDC Challenge Tour and emerged with huge credit from a pulsating contest, hitting five 180s and producing 101 and 108 second-set checkouts.
But Bates missed five doubles for a 2-1 lead in the fourth set as Lennon, who hit six maximums, grew stronger and booked a second-round meeting with Welshman Jonny Clayton.
Lennon’s compatriot William O’Connor had a far more comfortable time with a 3-0 victory over Bhav Patel.
Meanwhile Poland’s Cork-based Radek Szaganski overcame Finland’s Marko Kantele 3-2 with a final set 142 checkout helping him through to a second-round clash with five-time world champion Raymond van Barneveld.
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