Dan Skelton lowers Protektorat’s sights in a bid to get his season back on track in Saturday’s Favourite From The Sun Now Daily Handicap Chase at Cheltenham.
The eight-year-old has proved his worth at the very highest level over the past couple of seasons, most notably finishing third in the 2022 Cheltenham Gold before making a spectacular start to last season in the Betfair Chase at Haydock.
However, he subsequently failed to fire as a hot favourite in the Cotswold Chase, finished fifth on his second tilt at the Gold Cup and put up a disappointing defence of his Betfair crown last month.
As a result, Protektorat will run in a handicap for the first time in over two years this weekend and will have to concede upwards of 15lb to each of his rivals.
“It’s obviously something a little bit different, running him in a handicap with a lot of weight (12 stone),” said Skelton.
“Not many get in the handicap and I wanted to go somewhere with him before Lingfield (Fleur de Lys Chase, January 21).
“He was a close second in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham the last time he ran in a handicap, so we will give it a go.”
The next horse in the weights is the Paul Nicholls-trained Threeunderthrufive, who finished second in the Badger Beer at Wincanton on his seasonal reappearance.
Owner Max McNeill said: “We feel he’s a very good horse. He ran a great race at Wincanton, but the winner (Blackjack Magic) just kept going. That was his first run after a wind op and they always say the second run is better.
“He’s back up to 150 now and it’s a shame he’s still not going off 147 as he went up 3lb for the run at Wincanton, but that was fair.
“I do think he will run well. He ran a cracking race in the Scottish National last season (finished fourth).
“We had considered the Becher at Aintree last weekend, but that heavy ground wouldn’t have suited him and Paul also thought he didn’t want to possibly scare him over the National fences before he ran in it, because potentially you can end your National dream early.
“We thought about waiting for Ascot’s Silver Cup, but with that being two-mile-seven it might just be on the sharp side for him, so of all the big staying handicaps over Christmas, we felt this suited him best. I think he goes there with a good each-way chance.”
Irish hopes in the three-and-a-quarter-mile contest are carried by Gavin Cromwell’s Malina Girl, who bids for a second successive win in the Cotswolds having struck gold at the November meeting.
“She’s gone up a few pounds (11lb) for winning the last day, but she’s off a nice weight and Conor (Stone-Walsh) claims 5lb off as well,” said Cromwell.
“She seems in good nick and she knows how to win around the track. She took her last race well and is a hardy little mare.”
The only Graded race on Saturday’s card is the Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle, which has unsurprisingly attracted a number of promising staying types.
The likely favourite is Nicky Henderson’s £200,000 purchase Shanagh Bob following a dominant debut under rules at Plumpton, while Destroytheevidence brings experience to the table for Kim Bailey, having won three of his five starts over hurdles to date.
Ruth Jefferson’s Kerryhill and Cadell from Lucinda Russell’s yard are two interesting northern raiders, with the pair having finished first and second respectively in a novice hurdle at Kelso last month.
Jefferson said: “He did what he needed to do at Kelso and has come out of it well. The French Furze (at Newcastle) was abandoned and so we needed to make a new plan – and this was our new plan.
“You could bob round as an odds-on favourite in another ordinary novice and learn no more; yes, the bubble might burst on Saturday, but it might burst at some point anyway.
“I can’t see why he wouldn’t stay three miles and the ground shouldn’t be a problem.
“Most of the horses in the race have won a point-to-point and a novice hurdle. It might be our bubble that bursts, but it might be somebody else’s as well.”
Dysart Enos looks like having every chance of finally breaking trainer Fergal O’Brien’s Cheltenham Festival duck judged on her latest impressive victory in the opening race at Prestbury Park on Friday.
The Ravenswell Farm handler has yet to enjoy success at the sport’s showpiece event, but has come close on several occasions and is a regular visitor to the winner’s enclosure at his local track’s other meetings.
Dysart Enos, whose three bumper wins included a Grade Two success at Aintree, predictably outclassed her rivals on her hurdling debut at Huntingdon last month, but she had more on her plate taking on the geldings in the British EBF “National Hunt” Novices’ Hurdle.
The 5-6 favourite proved more than up the task, though, jumping significantly better than she had done at Huntingdon and travelling like much the best horse in the field into the home straight.
Beat The Bat did his best to stay in the race on the run to the final flight, but Dysart Enos was not for catching and found plenty on the run-in to pass the post with two and three-quarter lengths in hand.
“You say the race at Huntingdon was an egg and spoon race, but Mary (who was third that day) has been placed in a Listed race at Newbury,” said O’Brien.
“She did everything she had to do that day at Huntingdon. It was lovely to come here, but I was questioning it yesterday as everyone was saying ‘why are you going to Cheltenham’?
“The reason I wanted to bring her was that she is quite hot, and I didn’t want to come here in March having had an easy passage through just picking and choosing our races. I wanted her to see Cheltenham.
“If she got beat today, of course I would have been disappointed, but it wouldn’t have been the end of the world. I wanted her to come here and see Cheltenham and get some of the atmosphere.”
Paddy Power make the winner a 4-1 joint-favourite from 6-1 for the Mares’ Novices’ Hurdle at the Festival in March, which O’Brien confirmed as her main objective.
He added: “We’ll aim for the mares’ novice and she would only have one more race beforehand, if that.
“She is very special as we have never had anything so quick.”
David Egan has been announced as the new retained jockey for Amo Racing, signing a two-year contract with Kia Joorabchian’s racing operation.
Rossa Ryan and most recently Kevin Stott have previously held the position of first jockey for the ambitious Amo team who enjoyed their first Royal Ascot and Group One victories in 2023.
The position has been vacant since Stott was released shortly after the Irish Champions Festival where star performer King Of Steel could only finish fourth to Auguste Rodin with Amo electing to book the ‘best available’ jockey for the final months of the 2023 campaign.
That allowed Frankie Dettori to link up with King Of Steel on British Champions Day where Roger Varian’s colt helped provide a thrilling swansong to the Italian’s career in the UK and now it is the opportunity of Varian’s primary rider Egan to get first call on Amo’s wealth of talent.
“I’m very pleased to announce David as our first jockey,” said Joorabchian in a statement from Amo.
“We have had a brilliant ongoing relationship over the years and used David consistently on our horses, going back to Mojo Star’s brilliant second in the Derby.
“We now feel it’s the perfect time to consolidate our team and having David on board will be a valuable addition.”
He went on: “David is a talented, ambitious jockey with experience at the top of the sport having won races of the highest calibre all over the world, and growing up as Roger Varian’s stable jockey has given him invaluable experience and maturity.
“Aware of the size of our organisation, we must implement systems to ensure longevity and I have tremendous confidence in this decision. Having David on board for the next two years will help us develop long-term stability as a team.
“I would also like to thank Roger Varian for his tremendous support, confidence and blessing in this decision.”
Egan was crowned champion apprentice in 2017 and got his first taste of top-level success when riding as retained jockey to Prince Faisal, winning the Saudi Cup, Dubai Sheema Classic and Juddmonte International Stakes aboard Mishriff.
He has since claimed a first Classic aboard Varian’s Eldar Eldarov in the St Leger, with the combination also striking at the Curragh in the Irish equivalent in September.
Egan said: “I’m delighted to have signed a two-year contract with Amo Racing. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Roger and Hanako Varian, and all the Varian Stable team.
“They have been like family to me since I first started in racing, and I’d just like to thank them for their friendship and support over the last seven years.
“I am very excited about the new challenge ahead and I look forward to being part of the Amo Racing team.”
Allaho will bid to provide Cheveley Park Stud with another big-race victory at Kempton on Boxing Day after being confirmed an intended runner in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase.
While better known as a major force on the Flat, the owners have enjoyed huge success over jumps in recent years, with the Gold Cup triumph of A Plus Tard the obvious highlight of several winners at the Cheltenham Festival.
The Willie Mullins-trained Allaho is a dual winner at Prestbury Park, having twice dominated his rivals in the Ryanair Chase, while he proved his stamina for the three-mile distance of the King George with another sensational performance in the 2022 Punchestown Gold Cup.
The nine-year-old missed the whole of last season through injury – but having proved his well-being with a comeback win in the Clonmel Oil Chase last month, Cheveley Park Stud director Richard Thompson is looking forward to seeing him line up in one of National Hunt racing’s most prestigious races.
“That (King George) is the plan and has been the plan for a while. I said to Willie to do whatever he thinks and it’s his decision,” said Thompson.
“He was obviously off the track for a year and a half. He’s been a brilliant horse for us and you’d hope that he’s going to be in good enough shape to compete and do a decent job.
“He’s been a fantastic horse, it will be great to be there and it’s very exciting.”
Thompson admits Allaho’s comeback victory over just two rivals at Clonmel was more solid than spectacular and is keeping his fingers crossed he can show his true brilliance in the King George.
He added: “He won the Ryanair in 2021, the Ryanair in 2022 and the Punchestown Gold Cup in 2022, and in between times he put in that performance in the John Durkan in 2021, which I think it’s fair to say was a bit workmanlike.
“He wasn’t the Allaho that he was in either of the Ryanairs or in the Punchestown Gold Cup that day, but he still won another Grade One.
“Who knows what will happen at Kempton, but it’s great to be in the race. I appreciate every single one of our Grade Ones, especially the amazing Grade Ones, and the King George is definitely one of those.
“There are Grade Ones and there are Grade Ones – and this is a proper Grade One.”
JP McManus’ racing manager Frank Berry admitted Mark Walsh found it tough to choose between top-weight Fakir D’oudairies and So Scottish in the Virgin Bet December Gold Cup, before coming down on the side of the latter.
Perhaps not appropriately named given he is owned, trained and will be ridden by an Irishman, So Scottish is only six and followed a very typical softly-softly campaign favoured by his trainer Emmet Mullins last season.
He won a maiden hurdle at Kilbeggan, a novice chase at Tipperary and a three-runner event at Carlisle, before finishing second to Boothill in a £100,000 race at Ascot.
The winner is now rated 18lb higher, while So Scottish went on to finish unplaced at Cheltenham and Aintree before a quiet comeback at Gowran.
Joseph O’Brien’s Fakir D’oudairies, on the other hand, has provided Walsh with Grade One wins at Ascot, Aintree and Fairyhouse.
Berry said: “It was a difficult choice for Mark, as he’s had some great days on Fakir, and he’s in great form and Joseph is happy with him, but he decided to go with Emmet’s.
“It’s hard to choose a top-weight when you’ve got the option of one younger with less weight. Fakir has been very good to Mark and it was hard, but he’s gone with So Scottish.
“I certainly wouldn’t rule out the top-weight, his last run was in a Grade One and now he’s in a handicap. Joseph is happy and he goes there in good order.
“With the other one, we’ll learn a little bit more on Saturday, hopefully he puts in a good round and runs well. His run with Boothill looks good form now.”
Jonjo O’Neill jnr rides Fakir D’oudairies.
Olly Murphy’s Thunder Rock has been favourite all week and the trainer feels he has enjoyed the perfect preparation.
“He ticks a lot of boxes, but that being said, it is still a very competitive handicap worth a lot of money,” said the Wilmcote handler.
“This is his first run in a handicap, he’s very well in himself and schooled well on Thursday morning and I’m looking forward to running him. Hopefully, we get a bit of luck in running, and hopefully he’ll run very well.
“You’d maybe think the handicapper wouldn’t let him run off 146 given how his Carlisle run has worked out.
“He’s in good form, I’m really glad he’s got a run under his belt, he’s coming into it a relatively fresh horse and I really think this outer track will suit him really well, it’s more of a staying track.
“He ran well in the Dipper there last year and stayed on strongly, so hopefully he can get into a rhythm early and we’ll see how he gets on.”
Paul Nicholls runs two in Il Ridoto and Monmiral, with Harry Cobden choosing the latter.
“He’s a Grade One winner over hurdles and ran very well over fences last season against some top horses like Jonbon and The Real Whacker,” Nicholls told Betfair of Monmiral.
“But he probably wasn’t quite right last winter, so we gave him a wind op in the summer because we felt he was struggling with his breathing. His homework this autumn has been really good and he also pleased us in a recent away day.
“I’m going down the handicap route and targeting this race because he is a class horse on an attractive mark of 145. Harry Cobden was keen to ride Monmiral after partnering him in a piece of work.”
On Il Ridoto, Nicholls said: “He is consistent and always runs well, but the task is a bit harder now running off a 5lb higher mark.
“Il Ridoto again ran a solid race in finishing third behind Stage Star in the Paddy Power Gold Cup last month. He might improve plenty from that first run of the season, but will need to if he is to win this.”
Lower down the weights is Alan King’s Grandeur D’Ame, a wide-margin winner at Wetherby last time out.
“I would have liked the weights to have gone up,” said King.
“It’s a big step up for him, but we’ll let him have a crack and see where we are.”
Grandeur D’Ame is 1lb out of the handicap, with Gavin Cromwell’s Railway Hurricane is even further out of the weights.
“Unfortunately, he’s 5lb out of the handicap, but we have a 5lb claimer (Connor Stone-Walsh),” said Cromwell.
“He’s pretty consistent and runs well without winning. It’s a nice pot and he’ll take his chance.”
Jack Jones’ An Bradan Feasa will look to add another good Cheltenham run to his CV in the JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle on Saturday.
The Camelot three-year-old was formerly trained in Ireland by Joseph O’Brien and ran twice for prior connections, once on the Flat and once when winning a Ballinrobe maiden hurdle in September.
He then swapped stables to join Jones in Newmarket, making his debut at Cheltenham in November under Tom Bellamy.
The race was won by the impressive Burdett Road, now highly fancied for the Triumph itself, but there was a great deal to like about An Bradan Feasa’s performance in second.
He returns to Prestbury Park, with Jones hopeful he will take another step en route to the Festival in March.
“He came out of Cheltenham great, he’s a bonny little lad and not a lot bothers him,” said Jones.
“He ran a cracker, having jumped and travelled well, and bumped into a horse who is clearly a good one in Burdett Road.
“The owners were over the moon with that run, we were toying with a few options and it made sense to go back to Cheltenham, having run well over course and distance.
“It’s the owner’s dream and my dream to have a winner there.
“He’s come out of the race great and he’s schooled twice in between, he goes there in really good order.
“We had it in our minds that we’d work back from the Fred Winter and I’d like to think we’d be going there with two good runs (at the track), which will do him no harm at all.”
As he was last time out, Jones’ charge will be ridden by Bellamy, who said: “An Bradan Feasa is a nice horse for a trainer that is going places.
“He did everything right bar win last time, but the right one was in front of us that day, as Burdett Road looks exceptional.
“Although this is on the New course as opposed to the Old one, any form around Cheltenham is a massive plus. He seemed to stay well the last day and he goes there with a live chance.”
An Bradan Feasa is set to meet seven rivals, including Paul Nicholls’ Kabral Du Mathan, who makes his first start on British turf after winning at Clairefontaine in July.
Dan Skelton’s Kourosh also comes into the race in winning form after a 21-length maiden hurdle success at Wetherby in November and so too does Anthony Charlton’s Balboa, who makes his debut for this stable after winning at Chepstow on his final start for Milton Harris.
James Harden had 28 points and 15 assists and Kawhi Leonard added 27 points to send the Los Angeles Clippers to their sixth straight victory, 121-113 over the slumping Golden State Warriors on Thursday.
Harden, who also had seven rebounds, became the 24th player in NBA history to score 25,000 points on a driving layup late in the third quarter.
Norman Powell scored 10 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter for the Clippers, who played without Paul George but won for the 11th time in 14 games.
Klay Thompson scored a season-high 30 points with eight 3-pointers as Golden State went 0-3 on its road trip and has lost 12 of 16.
Reid, Towns lead Wolves past Mavericks
Naz Reid scored 19 of his season-high 27 points in the first half and the Minnesota Timberwolves overcame an early 15-point deficit in a 119-101 win over the Dallas Mavericks in a matchup of division leaders.
Karl-Anthony Towns had 21 points and a season-best 17 rebounds for the Wolves, who have won seven of eight to tie Boston for the NBA’s best record (18-5).
Luka Dončić tallied 39 points and 13 assists, but Dallas had a four-game winning streak stopped. He scored at least 30 points for the ninth consecutive game, averaging 35.1 during that span.
Celtics continue home dominance
Jayson Tatum scored 27 points and Jaylen Brown added 22 as the Boston Celtics remained unbeaten at home with a 116-107 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Kristaps Porzingis had 18 points and Jrue Holiday contributed 14 to help the Eastern Conference-leading Celtics move to 12-0 at home this season.
The Cavaliers got 31 points from Donovan Mitchell and 26 from Caris LeVert in their third straight loss.
Boston’s lead was cut to three entering the fourth quarter, but Tatum sparked a quick spurt with a fadeaway and a 3-pointer to make it 101-91 with 8 ½ minutes left.
Steven Stamkos notched his first career four-goal game and Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 53 shots as the Tampa Bay Lightning snapped the Edmonton Oilers’ eight-game winning streak, 7-4 on Thursday.
Nikita Kucherov had a goal and two assists to increase his league-leading points total to 50. Tyler Motte and Anthony Cirelli also scored as the Lightning improved to 2-2 on a five-game road trip.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and two assists for the Oilers, who fell a win shy of matching the longest win streak in franchise history.
Vasilevskiy’s 53 saves were one short of his career high, set in a 5-4 win at Washington on March 20, 2019.
Evan Bouchard had two assists to extend his point streak to 13 games, the second-longest by an Oilers defenseman behind only current assistant coach Paul Coffey’s 28-game run in 1985-86.
Tampa Bay scored the only two goals in the first period before Edmonton answered with three goals of its own in the second.
Stamkos tallied the equaliser with his second of the game at 6:48 of the third and Kucherov made it 4-3 six minutes later. Stamkos struck again with 5:58 remaining before Nugent-Hopkins made it a one-goal game with 2:22 to play.
Cirelli and Stamkos added empty-net goals to officially end the Oilers’ run.
Blue Jackets blow 5-goal lead in 3rd but win in OT
Kent Johnson scored his second goal of the game in overtime and the Columbus Blue Jackets came away with a 6-5 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs after blowing a 5-goal lead in the third period.
William Nylander started Toronto’s comeback just 38 seconds into the third period and Mitch Marner made it 5-2 three minutes later.
Jake McCabe scored a power-play goal with 5:39 left in regulation and Auston Matthews scored twice in 30 seconds, his second coming with 45 seconds to go in the third period.
Matthews’ two goals gave him a league-leading 23 this season.
Toronto has points in eight straight games (5-0-3).
Canucks’ Demko shuts out Panthers
Thatcher Demko made 36 saves and Dakota Joshua scored twice to lead the Vancouver Canucks to their fourth straight win, 4-0 over the Florida Panthers.
Demko turned away 15 shots in the first period, six in the second and 15 more in the third for this third shutout of the season.
Brock Boeser and Andrei Kuzmenko also had goals and the Canucks joined Vegas as the only teams to reach 20 victories this season.
Florida suffered a second consecutive 4-0 loss following Tuesday’s defeat at Seattle.
Las Vegas Raiders chalked up six touchdowns before half-time as they cruised to a 63-21 win over AFC West rivals the Los Angeles Chargers.
Having lost 3-0 to the Minnesota Vikings in their last match, the Raiders offence clicked back into gear to set a franchise record for points scored.
Aiden O’Connell threw for four touchdown passes in the first half, Zamir White and Brandon Bolden running for two more as they opened a 42-0 lead.
Wide receiver Jakobi Meyers added insult to injury with a touchdown pass to Davante Adams at the start of the third quarter.
Easton Stick, starting in place of injured quarterback Justin Herbert, finally took the Chargers over halfway for the first time as he hooked up with Joshua Palmer from 79 yards.
The Raiders added two more defensive touchdowns – John Jenkins running a fumble return in from 44 yards before Jack Jones followed suit from an interception – before Stick passed for two late scores.
The win ends a three-game losing streak and lifts the Raiders to 6-8 and off the foot of the division, above the Chargers who have lost five of their last six games.
On the same day they introduced Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired frontline starter Tyler Glasnow from the Tampa Bay Rays, according to multiple reports.
There is an agreement in place for the Dodgers to get Glasnow and outfielder Manuel Margot from Tampa Bay for right-hander Ryan Pepiot and outfield prospect Jonny Deluca.
The teams have not confirmed the deal because it is contingent on Glasnow signing a contract extension with the Dodgers, which could happen as early as Friday, according to sources.
Glasnow, 30, was among the top pitchers available in the trade market and gives the Dodgers ace potential. He went 10-7 with a 3.53 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 21 starts last season and posted a 3.20 ERA in six seasons with Tampa Bay.
Glasnow, though, has had trouble staying healthy and his 120 innings last season were a career high. In his five years as a full-time starting pitcher, the right-hander has undergone Tommy John surgery and spent separate time on the injured list due to a forearm strain, an elbow sprain and an oblique strain.
Margot is a highly regarded defender and joins a Dodgers' outfield that already includes James Outman, Chris Taylor and Jason Heyward.
Margot batted .264 with four home runs and 38 RBIs in 99 games last season and is a career .255 hitter in 788 games.
Pepiot is the key to the deal for the Rays after he entered the 2023 season ranked No. 70 on MLB’s top-100 prospect list. The 26-year-old was expected to be part of the Dodgers’ rotation after he was called up in August and had a 2.14 ERA in 42 innings with 38 strikeouts and five walks.
Pepiot enters the season with just one year of service time, giving Tampa Bay five years of control before he reaches free agency.
Deluca, 25, broke into the majors last season and hit .262 with two homers and six RBIs in 45 plate appearances. He can play anywhere in the outfield.
Winston Dehaney and Tabbrel Williams topped the male and female sections of the second Manchester Capital Run in the parish capital of Mandeville, on Sunday.
Alphansus Davis High School was another big winner, as they secured five of the top six spots in the male and female sections to grab the team prize and the $70,000 prize money.
The 5K Run/Walk challenged most of the competitors, courtesy of the undulating nature of the course which boasted several hills to climb.
Dehaney started close to the front and took over the lead about halfway and never looked back. He crossed in 18 minutes and 39 seconds, ahead of Tyre Hopkins, who stopped the clock in at 19 minutes and five seconds, and Andrew Powell, who clocked 19 minutes and 27 seconds.
Hopkins and Powell hail from Alphansus Davis High.
"The first part was pretty hilly so even when I try to take it easy, it still took some energy out of me. (The route) it was tough. It did take some effort out of me, but it was a good run. I was hoping to be near to the front, but the first half is not what determines the winner, it is how you finish in the second half," Dehaney said.
On the female side, Williams, who won in a time of 22 minutes and 13 seconds, led a Alphansus Davis sweep, as her teammates Carlene Temple (22 minutes and 53 seconds), and Alikay Reynolds (23 miniutes and 57 seconds), were second and third.
Williams was delighted by her win.
"I love that this route was kind of very much long, and I am hoping that it will help to improve my time because that's what I came for, especially since I am running the 800 and 1500 metres. This is a really good training for my body and how to maintain my breathing and so forth," she shared.
The top three male walkers were Duwell Allen (27 minutes and 19 seconds), Kevoy Graham (29 minutes and 55 seconds), and Jowaine Williams (32 minutes), while the top three female walkers were Shinelle Jhagroo-Bryan (38 minutes and 20 seconds), Trudyann Peart (40 minutes and 36 seconds), and Dhavia Humpstead (40 minutes and 43 seconds).
Jasford Gabriel, principal of Manchester High School, who also walked the route, beamed about the success of the event.
"At Manchester High School, we deem ourselves as leaders in the education landscape and whatever we do we give it our all. So, this is significant in the context of what we want to do as a school in terms of building partnerships, creating opportunities for our students, and this will go a far way. The mayor was here, the custos was here, medical fraternity, civic community and many others, and so it's a great platform on which to build as we go forward," Gabriel said.
Gabriel gave credit to the many sponsors, who helped to ensure that the event was successful to assist the school's sports programmes.
The San Francisco 49ers have two credible candidates to be named NFL MVP in Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey, says head coach Kyle Shanahan, though he can't split them.
The Niners are the only team in the NFL to have booked their playoff spot ahead of the Week 14 games, and they are also in pole position for the NFC's top seed after reeling off five straight wins.
Purdy has enjoyed a breakout campaign in his first full season as San Francisco's starting quarterback, with only the Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa (3,697) and Houston Texans' C.J. Stroud (3,631) bettering his 3,553 passing yards this year.
He – alongside Dak Prescott and Lamar Jackson – is among the favourites to win the league's top individual prize, though Shanahan believes McCaffrey should also be in contention.
McCaffrey leads the league with 1,177 rushing yards this season, and Shanahan does not see why he couldn't become the first non-quarterback to be named MVP since Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in 2012.
"Are you trying to get me in trouble with those two guys?" Shanahan said on Thursday when asked who he would vote for.
"That's the only reason I wouldn't overly comment on either one of them, because I don't want them to cancel each other out."
Miami's electrifying wide receiver Tyreek Hill is among the non-quarterbacks tipped to be in contention, but Shanahan feels McCaffrey has the strongest case outside the signal callers.
"If any non-quarterback's going to get MVP, I don't get how Christian McCaffrey can't," Shanahan said. "I mean, he's been amazing in what he has done all year.
"If it's going to a quarterback, then I don't have to talk about Christian, I can talk about our quarterback.
"If his numbers are all you see, then I think that solves it. But if you watch the film, then it makes it even stronger, which to me is the most important thing."
The 49ers take on the Arizona Cardinals in their penultimate road game of the regular season on Sunday before facing the Baltimore Ravens – currently the AFC leaders – in a huge clash on Christmas Day.
LeBron James has been tipped to play in London before heading to the Olympics with the United States as two warm-up games have been scheduled for the reigning gold medallists.
Los Angeles Lakers star James has hinted he wants to be part of the squad that heads to Paris looking to win a fifth successive men’s basketball gold – having not featured at an Olympics since London 2012.
The United States will face South Sudan on July 20 and Germany two days later with both games taking place at the O2 Arena as preparations ramp up for the Olympics.
Speaking to the PA news agency, seven-time NBA All-Star and 1996 gold medallist Grant Hill believes there is every chance James could make the trip to Europe despite missing the previous two Games.
“That’s definitely a possibility and we’re grateful with this programme that LeBron and Kevin Durant and plenty others have expressed a willingness and a desire to be a part of it,” he said.
“I think it speaks to the culture of USA Basketball. Many of these guys who have talked publicly had been a part of it in years past and are wanting to be a part of it again.
“Then you have some great players who haven’t been a part of USA basketball, haven’t played on the FIBA stage, who want to be a part of this. So that’s a really good thing.
“It’s a really positive thing – we’ve got the instruments, we got all these guys, so let’s put the pieces together.”
The US could win an unparalleled 17th men’s basketball gold having dominated the sport since it joined the Olympic programme in 1936.
Hill, though, believes there is added pressure with the expectation of being perennial champions.
“There are so many incredibly talented international teams,” he said.
“We have to respect our opponents. We have to respect how difficult this is but the heat is on in this pressure and that’s a good thing.
“You want that and the best of the best have become comfortable in those pressure situations because they know it means something and it’s something of value.”
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South Sudan have qualified for the men’s basketball for the first time and are the lowest-ranked nation to do so since 2004, while Germany are the reigning World Cup champions.
“These are not friendly matches, this is serious,” Hill said of the fixtures in London.
“When we play here in London next summer it is the start your preparation. Then the next thing you know you’re in Paris and so it’s just a small window to get yourself ready.
“So you need quality opponents, which we have, and there’s a sense of urgency every time we step on the court.”
:: Tickets to see USA Basketball play Germany and South Sudan at London’s O2 arena go on sale Friday December 15, 1pm at ticketek.com
Monty Williams wants to see more anger in the Detroit Pistons locker room after the team tied their franchise-record losing streak by suffering a 21st straight loss against the Philadelphia 76ers.
The NBA's worst team slumped to 2-22 with a 129-111 defeat at Little Caesars Arena on Wednesday as reigning MVP Joel Embiid finished with 41 points for the Sixers, for whom Tobias Harris added 21.
The Pistons' 21st successive defeat saw them match the worst losing run in their history, which came between the end of the 1979-80 season and the start of 1980-81.
Their current run is also the sixth-longest single-season losing streak in NBA history, and things could get worse before they get better when they travel to Philadelphia for a rematch on Friday.
Detroit were on the back foot from the start as they were outscored 39-26 in the first quarter, leading head coach Williams to demand more aggression from his team.
"I don't want anyone to be happy in this situation," Williams said.
"I want to see an ornery locker room that's tired, not just of losing, but tired of missing shots and tired of giving up 39-point quarters."
The record for the worst single-season losing streak in NBA history is held jointly by the 2010-11 Cleveland Cavaliers and the 2013-14 Sixers, both of whom lost 26 games in a row. Philadelphia also hold the overall record of 28 successive losses, set between the end of 2014-15 and start of 2015-16.
Williams was also less-than-impressed with the Pistons being outrebounded 52-35 across the course of the game, adding: "Rebounding has been a point of emphasis for 24 games… even back in the preseason.
"We have to be able to be a team that can finish a play."
While Detroit are in a rut, center James Wiseman suggested there was little they could do to stop Embiid in his current form, with the Sixers star averaging 40.8 points over his last four games.
"We tried our best," Wiseman said. "I took on the challenge and tried to contain him. We didn't back down from him."
Jamaica’s leading trainer Jason DaCosta logged his 27th win of the current USA season, when his three-year-old filly Shewearsmyring won the Mahoning Valley third race, on Wednesday.
Sent off as a 7-1 bet, Shewearsmyring, bidden by Fernando Salazar Beccera, finished fast after sitting off the pace. She won the one-mile Maiden Special Weight event by a length, in a time of 1:42.38, at the Ohio racetrack.
DaCosta’s horses boast earnings of US$828,685 in the US so far this year with just under 30 wins, 25 seconds and 31 third-place finishes.
The 38-year-old has 77 wins so far this season with horses’ earnings of JA$86.56 million (US$556,695) at Jamaica’s Caymanas Park, and he is well on course to repeat as champion trainer.
Lucinda Russell’s Apple Away has a new division in which to thrive after a facile chasing success at Leicester
The mare took some notable scalps at Aintree in the spring when winning the Grade One Sefton Novices’ Hurdle at 16-1, defeating Donald McCain’s Maximilian, Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero’s Iroko and Paul Nicholls’ Stay Away Fay.
The latter two horses have since made very impressive starts to their chasing careers, with Iroko making light work of his debut over fences before injury interrupted his campaign and Stay Away Fay winning both chasing starts thus far including the Grade Two Esher Novices’ Chase most recently.
Apple Away’s first experience at the discipline was in a highly competitive Haydock graduation chase in late November, where she encountered two quality horses in Dan Skelton’s Grey Dawning and Willie Mullins’ Galliard Du Mesnil.
The two greys finished in the above order with Apple Away behind them and although beaten, the experience seemed to have served her well when she lined up for the @leicesterraces Christmas Meeting 28th December Book Now Beginners’ Chase over nearly two miles and seven furlongs on Wednesday.
Under Derek Fox she ran prominently and jumped soundly to take an easy lead and stroll to a 31-length success over Nicholls’ Makin’yourmindup with Fergal O’Brien’s Alaphilippe a further length and a half behind – both horses being Grade Two winners over hurdles.
Apple Away is always well supported by members of Old Gold Racing, a large-scale syndicate headed up by CEO Ed Seyfried.
Seyfried was delighted to see the six-year-old get off the mark over fences, saying of the performance: “We are properly, properly excited about her.
“It was a three-horse race and you know the old adage, back the outsider in a field of three, but we were looking at a Grade One winner and two Grade Two winners and she put a very good race to bed by 31 lengths – we’ve got a proper little rocket on our hands.
“She’ll stay and stay, we’re a syndication business trying to give the experience of owning a racehorse to a much wider population of people and to have a horse as good as this that has people on social media squabbling about whether we should go for the Brown Advisory or the mares’ chase – what a wonderful decision to have to make.
“I said that it would give us a huge boost if she could win by 20 lengths but that there was no chance of that. She heard me and over-performed by 50 per cent!
“She’s a very, very tough mare, we let the trainers do their jobs and though it wasn’t set in stone that she would go chasing this season, I love the fact that she has and I think she’s a proper little chaser now. She causes happiness and mirth wherever she goes and I can’t wait to see more of it.
“You saw in the Sefton at Aintree that she can run from the front if we want her to, everyone loves a front runner and I think she’s just going to grab everyone’s hearts.
“In the home straight she jumped into a 30-length lead. She was very careful at Haydock and she was quite careful in the first circuit at Leicester, but by the time the second circuit came around she was fabulous. I loved watching her jump like that.”
Apple Away’s next outing is yet to be decided upon, with the Kauto Star at Kempton and a limited novices’ handicap Wetherby previously under consideration before the Leicester race was added to the calendar belatedly.
Those contests will come only a fortnight after her most recent run, however, and the mare is therefore more likely to return to action in the new year instead.
“If you look at how she was campaigned last year, they didn’t really go for any eyecatching big races until quite late on,” Seyfried said.
“She has so much potential and though we’re not counting our chickens, to have a horse with so much potential in syndicate ownership is wonderful.
“It’s just fabulous, she is a walking morale booster.”
Henry de Bromhead has indicated A Plus Tard is on course to make his comeback in the Savills Chase at Leopardstown on December 28.
The chaser looked to have the world at his feet when sprinting clear to win the 2022 Gold Cup at Cheltenham, but things have not gone to plan since then.
He was pulled up on his first run since Gold Cup glory at Haydock and was then a late absentee last Christmas at Leopardstown. He made it back to defend his Cheltenham crown but was pulled up after being badly hampered by a faller.
A Plus Tard was last seen finishing third at Aintree to Shishkin and is expected to be joined by stablemate Envoi Allen in the Leopardstown feature.
“I hope both Envoi and A Plus Tard will run in the Savills,” said De Bromhead, speaking to Leopardstown Racecourse.
“A Plus Tard schooled well the other day, he has another big piece of work coming up but he’s in good form, he seems really well.
“Envoi seems really well, he’s in great form. He ran really well at Down Royal so fingers crossed we get a clear run into the race and he’ll be able to put in a good performance.”
Another Grade One contender for the yard over Christmas is two-miler Captain Guinness, who swerved the Tingle Creek in preference for the Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase closer to home on December 27.
“That’s the plan at the moment, we’d love to win a Grade One with him,” he said.
“He’s been brilliant, so consistent. Look, it’s a very good race but we’ll take our chance and see.”
Only By Night has got Gavin Cromwell dreaming of March having watched her cruise to victory in the Care At Home Services Mares Maiden Hurdle at Naas.
A Listed bumper winner, she was entitled to score on her hurdling debut and was sent off the 2-5 favourite in a field of 17.
Ridden confidently by Keith Donoghue, her sole rival remaining, Gordon Elliott’s Magic Dawn, was just beginning to feel the heat when she unseated Jack Kennedy at the final flight, allowing Only By Night to coast home by 10 lengths.
Betfair cut her to 14-1 from 20s for the mares’ novice hurdle at Cheltenham.
“She’s a nice mare and when she won a Listed bumper you would hope she could come on and do that,” said Cromwell.
“She jumped well and was very straightforward.
“The first day she was a little bit keen with Derek (O’Connor) and the last day in Navan she improved from that. You can even see it in her work at home she used to be a bit keen, but she’s grown up now and is very straightforward.
“Hopefully she could be good enough to aim at the mares’ novice hurdle at Cheltenham. We might as well dream here as in bed!”
She was completing a double on the day for Cromwell and Donoghue following the earlier success of 7-4 favourite Money Heist in the Sign Up To GavinLynchRacing.com Handicap Chase.
Gordon Elliott has nominated Croke Park as a likely contender for the Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle on January 7.
Unbeaten in two outings over timber, Croke Park landed the Grade Three Monksfield Novice Hurdle at Navan when last seen.
The Grade One at Naas has a rich history having been won by the likes of Mikael D’Haguenet, Bellshill, Envoi Allen and Bob Olinger.
There are 23 entries, with Elliott responsible for eight and Willie Mullins 11.
“The Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle is a race we really target every year,” said Elliott.
“There is a lot of racing over Christmas, but this race at Naas is over two and a half miles and we’ll be well represented. We’ve made a good few entries and will split some of the horses up over Christmas, but I’d definitely be thinking that Naas could suit Croke Park.
“Croke Park is a horse we really like. He won well at Clonmel and then went to Navan for a Grade Three over two and a half miles and we couldn’t have asked for any more. The Lawlor’s of Naas Novice Hurdle looks the next move for him, but I think we’ll have a few runners in the race.
“Firefox is in there after his win at Fairyhouse and is in good form, Search For Glory and Down Memory Lane also have Naas as an option so we’ll see what the next week or so brings.”
Among Mullins’ entries are Blizzard Of Oz, Daddy Long Legs, High Class Hero and Mystical Power, the son of Annie Power.
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