Stuart Lancaster was appointed head coach of England’s men’s rugby union team on this day in 2012.
The then 42-year-old was permanently appointed following a spell in interim charge during which England finished second in the Six Nations.
Lancaster replaced Martin Johnson in the role after the former England captain resigned in the wake of a disappointing World Cup campaign in 2011.
He was appointed on a four-year contract and would lead England into their home Rugby World Cup in 2015.
“Being head coach of your national team in any sport (is an honour), but to do it at a time when we’ve got a World Cup in our own country is a huge, huge honour,” Lancaster said following his appointment.
“It’s a very proud day for myself and my family, but it’s not about me, it’s about the team and the connection between the team and the English public.”
Lancaster resigned from his role in November 2015 following a dismal World Cup campaign.
His side became the first host nation to fail to get out of the pool stages following defeats to Wales and Australia.
He now coaches French Top 14 side Racing 92.
Rookie Logan Cooley had his first career hat trick and Clayton Keller had a goal and three assists as the Arizona Coyotes put an end to the Nashville Predators’ franchise-record 18-game point streak with an 8-4 victory on Thursday.
Nick Schmaltz had a goal and an assist and Nick Bjugstad, Jack McBain and Mattias Maccelli also scored for the Coyotes, who have won five of seven despite being already eliminated from playoff contention.
Arizona went 3-0-1 against Nashville this season.
Jason Zucker scored a pair of goals and Roman Josi had three assists for the Predators, but they had a six-game winning streak snapped and suffered their first regulation loss since Feb. 15.
Juuse Saros was pulled after two periods for allowing six goals. Kevin Lankinen stopped all 11 shots he faced.
Rangers top Avs in shootout
Artemi Panarin and Vincent Trocheck scored in the shootout to lift the league-leading New York Rangers to a 3-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche in a matchup of two of the league's top teams.
Kaapo Kaako and Chris Kreider scored in regulation and Igor Shesterkin stopped 38 shots and was perfect in the shootout as the Rangers won their fourth straight.
New York leads the NHL with 102 points and is three points ahead of Carolina in the Metropolitan Division.
Casey Mittelstadt and Devon Toews had goals for the Avalanche, who lost their second in a row following a nine-game winning streak.
Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon was held without a point, ending his 35-game home point streak and his overall 19-game run. His 35-game streak is second in NHL history to Wayne Gretzky’s 40-game run in 1988-89.
Streaking Stars beat Canucks
Jamie Benn snapped a tie late in the third period and Jake Oettinger made 27 saves to lead the Dallas Stars to their sixth straight win, 3-1 over the Vancouver Canucks.
Roope Hintz had the other goal and two assists for the Stars, who have won 11 of 13 to take over sole possession of first place in the Western Conference.
J.T. Miller scored and Casey DeSmith stopped 31 shots for Vancouver, which has lost two straight after a 7-1-1 surge.
Dejounte Murray hit a go-ahead jumper in the final second of overtime and finished with 44 points in the Atlanta Hawks’ 123-122 win over the Boston Celtics on Thursday.
Murray scored all of Atlanta’s 11 points in the extra period, answering with his winning shot six seconds after Jaylen Brown’s jumper put the Celtics on top.
Atlanta defeated league-leading Boston for the second time in four days after it rallied from a 30-point deficit for a stunning 120-118 victory on Monday.
Bogdan Bogdanović scored 24 points and De’Andre Hunter added 21 with 13 rebounds to help the Hawks match a season high with their fourth straight win.
Jayson Tatum had 31 points and 13 rebounds and Kristaps Porzingis scored 20 points for the Celtics, who have already clinched the top spot in the Eastern Conference.
Williamson, McCollum power Pelicans
Zion Williamson scored 28 points and CJ McCollum added 25 and the New Orleans Pelicans fended off the Milwaukee Bucks, 107-100.
Jonas Valanciunas had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Trey Murphy contributed 15 and 11 boards as the Pelicans won despite misfiring on 24 of 32 from 3-point range and shooting just 39.6 percent (36 of 91) overall.
Giannis Antetokounmpo tallied 35 points and 14 rebounds for the Bucks, who dropped their second straight following Wednesday’s double-overtime loss to the Lakers.
Gregor Dimitrov beat top seed Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets to book a place in the Miami Open semi-final.
The Bulgarian, seeded 11th, won 6-2 6-4 to book a last-four meeting with Germany’s world number five Alexander Zverev.
Dimitrov made a fast start as he opened a 3-0 lead and Alcaraz, chasing back-to-back titles after winning in Indian Wells, was never able to get back on terms.
He fought back from 4-1 down in the second set, but Dimitrov broke again to seal his second successive win over the Spaniard.
“I think overall, to win against him, you have to play at your best; that’s just how it is,” said Dimitrov. “I came into the match very focused and extremely clear what I had to do.
“Sometimes simplicity is genius. It’s very, very hard to do it, especially when you play against an opponent like that, but I was really able to dictate the game, read the game a little bit better than last time.
“Overall, I think a very great match on my end and I’m just happy I finished in straight sets.”
Zverev ended unseeded Fabian Marozsan’s run with a 6-3 7-5 success.
The Hungarian had beaten top 10 pair Holger Rune and Alex de Minaur to reach the last eight, but could only muster two break points as Zverev won 80 per cent of points on his first serve.
“I’m happy to be back in these late stages of these tournaments, playing the best players in the world, I think there are only those left,” said Zverev, who reached the final in Miami in 2018.
Defending champion Daniil Medvedev will meet Jannik Sinner in the other semi-final in a rematch of the Australian Open final.
Luke Littler saw off stablemate Nathan Aspinall to secure his first Premier League night win in Belfast.
Littler never looked back after edging out Luke Humphries in a last-leg decider of the opening quarter-final at the SSE Arena, which ended the world champion’s three-night winning Premier League run.
The 17-year-old – who has won titles at the Bahrain Masters, PDC Players Championship and Belgian Open in a breakout year – followed up with an impressive 6-3 win over Michael Van Gerwen, who had beaten him on night two in the Berlin final.
‘The Nuke’ landed a 136 checkout in first leg of the final, then just missed finishing off 170 in second before Aspinall broke throw as he built a 3-1 lead.
Littler, though, fought back to level with a showpiece bullseye-25-bullseye finish – which got a high-five from close-friend Aspinall – and then pushed on to within one leg of victory at 5-3.
Aspinall dug deep to break back in the next, but Littler eventually got the job done on double 10.
Overall victory on night nine moves Littler up to second in the table, four points behind Humphries, while Aspinall now sits in fourth, the last of the play-off places.
“I am just happy to win my first one,” Littler said on Sky Sports.
“People may have seen I have changed my throw to take that little bit of extra time then releasing the next two. I have put more practice in and it has paid off.
“I can’t wait for next week (in Manchester). I know I have got Michael (Van Gerwen) in the first round, but Nathan will obviously enjoy it also in his home town.”
Aspinall had reached his fourth final of this year’s Premier League campaign with a 6-2 win over Peter Wright, in which he produced 14 scores over 100.
Earlier in the other quarter-finals, Premier League title holder Van Gerwen came from 4-2 down against former world champion Michael Smith to win the last four legs, securing victory on a 150 checkout.
Aspinall had seen off Gerwyn Price, last year’s Belfast winner, in a last-leg decider to leave the Welshman further adrift of the play-offs, while Wright beat 2018 world champion Rob Cross 6-3.
Luke Littler edged out Luke Humphries in a last-leg decider to end the world champion’s winning Premier League run on night nine in Belfast.
Following successive wins in Brighton, Nottingham and Dublin, world number one Humphries had opened up a seven-point lead at the top of the table.
Littler, though, had already beaten Humphries in each of their last three meetings since the world final at Alexandra Palace.
The 17-year-old, who had dropped to fifth in the Premier League table, after last week’s quarter-final defeat to Michael Smith in Dublin, forced an early break to open up a 2-0 lead.
Humphries, however, soon recovered to level the opening quarter-final at the SSE Arena, and the match continued on throw through to the deciding leg.
The world champion sat on a 170 check-out, but missed the second treble 20 which allowed Littler the chance to take out 68 on double 10 and progress to the semi-finals.
Littler hit seven maximums with a match average of 102.02, and goes on to play the winner of Michael Smith against Michael Van Gerwen.
Jamaica’s former WBA featherweight world champion Nicholas “Axe Man” Walters, now campaigning at lightweight, continued his comeback with a 10-round unanimous decision win over Joseph Adorno in the ProBox main event at the Whitesands Events Center in Plant City, Florida, on Wednesday.
The 38-year-old Walters, who returned from a six-and-a-half-year layoff last year, outworked his opponent for the most parts, as Adorno was also deducted a point for a punch after the bell in round nine.
Walters’ recent squash matches with hapless Colombian journeymen, one of whom was over 45, might have suggested that this was more of a cash-out than a genuine attempt at a comeback. However, the Panama-based boxer proved that was very much not the case and that he clearly still had plenty in the tank.
He steadily took apart the 24-year-old Adorno with crisp jabs over the course of 10 rounds.
At the end, Walters won by scores of 95-94, 97-92, 98-91, as he claimed the WBA Continental Americas lightweight title and improved his ring record to 29 wins, 22 of which are by knockouts. He also has one loss and one draw.
Adorno’s record has now slipped to 18 wins (15 kos) against four losses and two draws.
Walters created history by becoming the first Jamaican to win a world boxing title at home, defeating Daulis Prescott via a 7th round TKO victory at the National Indoor Sports Centre in Kingston for the WBA World Featherweight title.
Derek Fox will not miss the ride on Corach Rambler in the Randox Grand National, despite potentially breaching the whip guidelines at Newcastle on Tuesday, the British Horseracing Authority has said.
Corach Rambler provided Fox and trainer Lucinda Russell with a second victory in the Aintree spectacular last season, with the pair having also successfully combined with One For Arthur in 2017.
Following an excellent effort in defeat when third in the Cheltenham Gold Cup two weeks ago, Corach Rambler is the clear favourite to successfully defend his crown on Merseyside on April 13 – and despite speculation to the contrary, Fox looks set to be in the plate once more.
Reports on Thursday suggested the Sligo-born jockey could be in trouble with the Whip Review Committee following his winning ride aboard the Russell-trained Clovis Boy at Newcastle on Tuesday.
However, while the BHA confirmed the ride was being reviewed, and a penalty may yet therefore follow, any potential suspension will not kick in until the week after the National.
The BHA does not normally comment regarding which riders may or may not have been referred, but has done so on this occasion, stating: “Given the speculation in the media in this instance, and the potential ramifications for the public betting on this race, we felt it would be helpful to clarify the situation.”
A BHA spokesperson said: “The WRC today considered a ride by Mr Fox at Newcastle on Tuesday. Upon reviewing the ride, the WRC had further questions for Mr Fox and have written to him today to seek his observations, as is outlined in the protocols and procedures around WRC meetings.
“As a result, Mr Fox’s case will be considered by the WRC on Tuesday, April 2. Any potential penalty arising from this ride, therefore, will not come into effect until Tuesday, April 16.”
Corach Rambler is currently the 4-1 favourite for National glory with William Hill, who report he has been incredibly popular with punters.
Spokesperson Lee Phelps said: “Corach Rambler’s run in the Gold Cup looked a perfect prep for his defence of the Grand National, and our customers agree as he has been absolutely hammered in the betting since the run at Cheltenham.
“He wasn’t a bad result prior to that, but the weight of money in the last couple of weeks has been so significant that he’d be the worst ante-post result this century. At this stage, we would take anything to beat him, but the way the money is going suggests he’s going to be incredibly hard to beat.”
Coral have also cut him to the same price from 5-1 after strong support, with David Stevens commenting: “Corach Rambler was 12-1 for a repeat National success prior to his Gold Cup run, and 8-1 immediately after that Cheltenham placing, so punters have plenty of confidence in the Lucinda Russell-trained star joining an elite group of dual Aintree winners next month.”
Charlie Johnston’s Dear My Friend looks to extend an excellent winter into the spring as he bids for the BetMGM All-Weather Championships Mile Handicap at Newcastle.
The four-year-old is unbeaten in four runs on the all-weather, winning the Listed Burradon Stakes on Good Friday last year before embarking on a top-level turf campaign.
He may not have made the grade in the Dante, the Derby or the Hampton Court, but since returning to a synthetic surface at the beginning of this year, he has been unstoppable.
After taking a mile handicap at Newcastle on New Year’s Day, the gelding then landed the Listed Tandridge Stakes at Lingfield in February and the AWC Mile Trial Handicap at the same track in March.
Those runs provide him with a standout CV ahead of the BetMGM All-Weather Championships Mile Handicap, where he will carry top weight under Joe Fanning for owners Middleham Park Racing.
“He has been a revelation since we gelded him and cleared up his wind. I think that big, long stride seems to be particularly well-suited to the all-weather and he has literally been imperious this season,” said Middleham Park’s Tim Palin.
“He has gone up a lot in the ratings and, as the saying goes, ‘weight stops trains’, and it could be that the pesky handicapper is his nemesis on Friday. At the moment, I would not swap him for anything.”
There is a French contender in Yann Barberot’s Fast Raaj, who has acquitted himself well this year when finishing a close second in the Prix Saonois at Cagnes-Sur-Mer and then winning the Prix Montjeu at Chantilly.
Both of those runs were on all-weather surfaces and inspired the decision to cross the Channel and try the horse over a straight mile.
Barberot said: “Fast Raaj has run well at Chantilly, Deauville and Cagnes-sur-Mer, so we decided to seize the opportunity to run, as he qualified for this race.
“He has never run over a straight mile, so that is a question mark, but he’s a good horse who adapts well to all-weather surfaces. He has the right profile to be competitive in the race.”
Clive Cox’s Kingdom Come was third to Dear My Friend and McLean House in the AWC Mile Trial Handicap and was then the winner of the Lincoln Trial Handicap at Wolverhampton when last seen earlier this month.
“He put in a very nice performance in the Lincoln Trial at Wolverhampton, coming from off the pace, and is very much at home on the all-weather surfaces,” the trainer said of the bay.
“It will be his first time at the track but, if he can translate his recent form, he should run a competitive race.”
McLean House also renews the rivalry from that Lingfield outing and will line up for trainer Andrew Balding in the contest.
He said: “He has been very consistent this winter over seven furlongs and a mile. I think Dear My Friend will be very tough to beat, but we’ll give it our best shot.”
King Power Racing have two entrants in Fantastic Fox and Greatgadian, both of whom are trained by Roger Varian and come into the race in good form, having fared well on the all-weather throughout the winter.
Alastair Donald, racing manager to the owners, said: “When Fantastic Fox wins, he looks very good. He slightly lost his way last year but a return to the all-weather and drop back to a mile has seen a rejuvenated horse.
“He has been impressive this season and we meet Dear My Friend on much better terms.
“It has been a bit frustrating that Greatgadian hasn’t won this winter because he has not run a bad race.
“Occasionally, he gets called a few bad names, but I think he is pretty genuine. He just has to have a really fast pace and hit the line at the right moment. He is definitely on a mark to win a good race.”
Julie Camacho’s Symbol Of Light was second to Dear My Friend at Lingfield in January and has been aimed at this contest for some time.
Steve Brown, Camacho’s husband and assistant, said: “This race has been his target all winter and we are looking forward to running him.
“He has had a decent campaign without winning, which is frustrating, but hopefully he will go well again.
“The weight pull with Dear My Friend is in our favour compared to New Year’s Day, but that horse has been winning cannily in my opinion and will keep finding.”
Stephen Curry believes overcoming Draymond Green's ejection to clinch a 103-91 win over the Orlando Magic on Wednesday said much about the Golden State Warriors' character.
Green was ejected for the fourth time this season just four minutes into Wednesday's game at Kia Center, being called for two technical fouls in a matter of moments.
The forward reacted angrily to Curry being pulled up for a shooting foul and continued to remonstrate with the officials after his first technical, with a second being called soon afterwards.
Green's exit left his team-mates in a tough situation, but they rallied to make it back-to-back wins as Curry scored 17 points in support of Andrew Wiggins (23).
"Nothing is guaranteed in this league," Curry said after the game. "The way that we went out and competed, the way the season is going, that's the way you see how your back is against the wall.
"I don't know how many people would have picked us in this kind of game, a back-to-back setting, down two starters, and we found a way to fight to get a win."
The Warriors are now up to 38-34 as they battle for a Play-In spot, but Curry says they cannot afford to keep losing Green if they are to make the postseason.
Green is the first player to be tossed four times in a single NBA season since Kevin Durant walked five times in 2017-18, while he is the only player with multiple first-quarter dismissals in a season over the last 20 years.
He had been on his best behaviour after missing 12 games through suspension for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face in December, and Curry knows his team-mate needs to remain on the right side of the line.
"We need him. He knows that. We all know that," Curry said of Green. "So whatever we need to do to keep him on the floor and available, that's what's got to happen.
"Especially at this point in the year. It was a tough way to start the game. We know how important this part of the season is in our ability to get into a rhythm and secure a Play-In opportunity.
"We don't want to give ourselves self-inflicted wounds. We all care. We all are passionate about the game and our chances to have something to play for down the stretch.
"You give everything you've got to this game. That's the emotion."
The Warriors round off a testing five-game road stretch in the coming days, facing the Charlotte Hornets on Friday before taking on the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.
Sprint specialist Mick Appleby has two good chances of taking top honours in the BetUK All-Weather Sprint Handicap at Newcastle on Good Friday.
The trainer has entered both Juan Les Pins and Billyjoh for the £150,000 contest, run over six furlongs on the tapeta surface.
Juan Les Pins is the most fancied of the duo at present, a Listed-placed seven-year-old who came home a length behind Diligent Harry in the Hever Sprint at Southwell in February.
Appleby suspects the gelding’s forte may be the turf, but he thinks there could be more to come from his stablemate Billyjoh after a highly productive winter on the all-weather that yielded three wins.
“They are both decent horses,” the trainer said.
“I think Billyjoh still has more to offer and could surprise people, while the handicapper knows all about Juan Les Pins.
“Juan Les Pins might be better on grass as well, but he should still run well.”
Well-fancied is John and Thady Gosden’s Cover Up, owned by Godolphin and the winner of all three of his starts on the all-weather – the latter two times over five furlongs at Newcastle.
Peter Shoemark, racing manager for the Gosdens, said of his chances: “Cover Up has been in great form all season – he started off rated 76 and is now up to 101.
“He has won over six furlongs, although that came at Lingfield and Newcastle is a lot stiffer, so that will be a new test for him, plus the fact he is 13lb higher than last time.”
Harry Charlton’s Batal Dubai is also popular in the market, a four-year-old consistently in the money on the all-weather over six furlongs.
Tim Palin of owners Middleham Park Racing said: “If you could create a perfect storm for Batal Dubai, it would probably be six furlongs in a big-field competitive handicap at Newcastle. This is very much him playing at home.”
There is an interesting contender in Gordon Elliott’s Coachello, a course and distance winner who travels over from Ireland for the race.
“Coachello is in good order. He has not done much wrong so far this season and we are looking forward to sending him over,” Elliott said.
“It looks a strong race, but he is a solid horse and hopefully runs well.”
Roger Teal is set to run Chipstead, a full brother to his sprint star Oxted and a good winner of the BetUK AWC Sprint Trial Handicap at Lingfield when last seen.
“All is well with him. He did a nice piece of work the other day and we are going into the race on a good note,” said Teal.
“I think he has a good each-way chance. He has done nothing wrong all season and won nicely at the trials meeting.
“You need luck on the day with these sprinters but, if everything goes right, you have to put him in the mix.”
David O’Meara is well represented in the race with three runners, as seasoned sprinter Summerghand, who won the 2021 renewal of this contest when it was staged at Lingfield, is joined by two good campaigners in Aberama Gold and Misty Grey.
“I was delighted to see Summerghand finish second in the trial at Lingfield. It was a fantastic run and shows there is still plenty of life left in those old legs yet,” the trainer said.
“Whether Newcastle brings out the best in him, I am not convinced, but it is big money and he has to have a go at it.
“I was happy with Aberama Gold at Newcastle in November, when he finished fourth in the Listed race, and then he probably wasn’t quite sharp enough for his first run of the year over five furlongs at Southwell. Fingers crossed, this test should suit him better.
“Misty Grey had a lovely run at Wolverhampton in the Lady Wulfruna. Whether he can replicate that form in a straight six-furlong race would be a question, but I was delighted with the way he travelled at Wolverhampton and he is well entitled to take his shot at a great prize.”
Jamie George has been enlisted to help preparations for England’s Guinness Women’s Six Nations clash with Wales after volunteering his services to head coach John Mitchell.
Fresh from leading the England men’s team in an encouraging Championship, George worked with Red Roses hookers Lark Atkin-Davies, Connie Powell, Amy Cokayne and May Campbell at their Surrey training base on Wednesday.
Mitchell struck up a close relationship with the 90-cap Saracens star during his time as Eddie Jones’ assistant and the Kiwi hopes it will be the start of greater knowledge sharing between the senior teams.
“I worked with Jamie before and this wasn’t forced or coerced by me. I’ve kept in touch since my departure as a coach and wished him well for the Six Nations,” Mitchell said.
“When I got this role he said if you ever any help just sing out. He was the one who actually encouraged it for this situation. We’ve made it work and I think the girls have enjoyed it.”
England captain Marlie Packer knows George from Saracens, who she has represented since 2017, and sees the benefit of skills swapping with members of Steve Borthwick’s squad.
“The girls really enjoyed it. We don’t want to force it because the men have their own programmes, the same as us, so the timing needs to be right for both,” Packer said.
“We also have that club connection as well, Jamie has been doing some work with me at Saracens. It’s not just about the red roses, I know Bristol Bears do a lot with their men.”
Mitchell has rotated his squad for Saturday’s clash with Wales at Ashton Gate by making seven changes following the 48-0 thumping of Italy in round one.
Centres Tatyana Heard and Megan Jones, half-backs Natasha Hunt and Holly Aitchison, prop Maud Muir, lock Rosie Galligan and number eight Alex Matthews are the new faces.
Back row Sarah Beckett is unavailable until the final match of the tournament against France after receiving a three-match ban for a dangerous clear out against Italy, but Mitchell confirmed she will come into consideration for that game.
Second row Zoe Aldcroft will win her 50th cap after being one of the eight players retained in the starting XV.
“Zoe is a massive competitor. She’s like a little springer spaniel in training! When she speaks, the girls listen,” Packer said.
“Everyone knows she’s world class in everything she does and how she goes about her business.”
Penzance bids to put the seal on a prolific winter campaign by securing top honours in the BetUK All-Weather Easter Classic at Newcastle on Good Friday.
A five-race maiden when changing hands for 31,000 guineas last July, the grey has proved another shrewd purchase for trainer Mick Appleby and successful owners The Horse Watchers, with a promising effort on his Wolverhampton debut for new connections followed by four successive victories.
There is no doubt he faces a rise in class on All-Weather Championships Finals Day, but Appleby is confident of another bold showing in Gosforth Park’s £200,000 feature.
“He has just kept improving every time and was really impressive last time, so I think he should have a really good chance,” said the trainer.
“He’s in good order and he would be our best chance of a winner on Friday.
“Every run he’s had, he’s improved and it will be interesting to see how he goes when we switch him to the turf. He’s one to look forward to.”
Part-owner Chris Dixon added: “It will be his most difficult task so far, but he seems to have improved again from his last run. Ali (Rawlinson) has been riding him at home, as well as on the track, and is very happy with him.
“It will be a red-hot race given the money and quality of horse on offer. I don’t think he has reached his cap yet, but there are probably other horses who are in the same boat.”
Penzance’s former trainers Simon and Ed Crisford are represented by both Oh So Grand and Base Note, with the former very much the stable’s first string as she looks to supplement victories in the Winter Oaks Trial and the Winter Oaks at Lingfield.
“Oh So Grand has had a very good winter and remains in good form for this race. She will need to improve again, but we think there is more to come from her,” said Simon Crisford.
“Base Note found life a little tougher in a handicap last time, but he has been working well recently and loves the all-weather.”
Irish hopes are carried by the Adrian Murray-trained Elegant Man, who has won twice at Dundalk either side of chasing home Breeders’ Cup and multiple Group One winner Rebel’s Romance in the Listed Wild Flower Stakes at Kempton in December.
Murray said: “We had him entered to go to Dubai, but it looked like he wasn’t going to get in the race and this was the alternative.
“He’s only had the three runs and he’s an improving horse, I think down the road he’s an exciting horse. It’s a big pot on Friday and down the line hopefully he’ll be going into Group races, we think he’s that category of a horse that is potentially good enough to do that.”
Hooking is an interesting contender from France, not least because he is owned by international footballer Antoine Griezmann, who was named man of the match when Les Bleus won the 2018 World Cup final.
Although considerably older than most of his rivals at the age of eight, Philippe Decouz’s raider has proved himself as good as ever by winning two Listed prizes since the turn of the year.
Decouz said: “Hooking has been in my yard for seven years now, so we have a long history! He is in remarkable condition for an eight-year-old, we have always looked after him and given him breaks.
“He is in top form. The race at Newcastle was a logical choice following his winter programme. He doesn’t go on heavy ground and so there is not a race for him in France at the moment.
“This is a first runner in the UK for his owner Antoine Griezmann and also for me. It is a great challenge.”
Other contenders include the William Haggas-trained To Catch A Thief, Simon Pearce’s Storm Catcher and Teumessias Fox from Andrew Balding’s yard, all previous winners over the course and distance.
Balding said of the latter, who was last seen impressing at Kempton in late January: “He is coming in fresh, which I think is a bonus for him as his record after a break is pretty good.
“The only issue is that he is very high in the weights now for winning last time, so it won’t be easy.”
Dane O’Neill has announced his retirement having failed to recover sufficiently from injuries suffered in a fall at Wolverhampton in July.
O’Neill, 48, had his first rides in 1992 and enjoyed a long association with Richard Hannon senior, before taking the job as stable jockey for Henry Candy until in 2012 he landed the role of second jockey to Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum behind Paul Hanagan.
He remained in that position when Jim Crowley replaced Hanagan in 2016 and while it meant he was often on the second string in big races, he has ridden many of the great horses that sported the famous blue and white Shadwell colours.
O’Neill won the inaugural Commonwealth Cup on Muhaarar, the September Stakes on Mostahdaf and guided Baaeed to his first two victories.
In the fall, O’Neill broke seven ribs and fractured his T6 vertebra.
“I’ve given it a good go but unfortunately it is just not healing. There’s quite a significant gap between the vertebra and there was damage to the other vertebra as well,” said O’Neill.
“It’s filled in a little bit, but not enough and it is mainly filled with scar tissue, so it wouldn’t take another impact.
“But on a positive note, because I broke seven ribs as well, once I healed and it stabilised, I’ve never really suffered any pain and I’m leading a normal life, so I’ve got to be thankful for that.
“I got 32 years out of it, so while it isn’t the way I wanted to end it, it’s a good chunk of time. I was watching some old races back the other day and there’s only John Egan still going now.
“The writing has been on the wall, I’m 48 so I wasn’t going to get another 10 years or anything, but 32 years has been a fair chunk of my life, so I’m thankful.
“I only had three jobs in all that time. I started out with Richard Hannon and I still ride for young Richard now. Henry Candy then made me his stable jockey and he was the first person to congratulate me after I won the Commonwealth Cup on Muhaarar, which was nice – especially as he was second with Limato!
“Then I moved on to Sheikh Hamdan and Sheikha Hissa, who was kind enough to leave things as they were, even when they downsized the operation and they probably didn’t need a second jockey. I was pleased to ride her three Grade Ones in Dubai.”
O’Neill rode his fair share of speedsters throughout his long career, the aforementioned Muhaarar, Candy’s Airwave and out in Dubai Danyah. But one stands out above all.
“I rode Battaash before he got a bit more sensible, I had the early pleasures of him!” joked O’Neill of Charlie Hills’ headstrong sprinter.
“He was exceptionally fast. I rode some fast horses but he was freakishly fast. In the early days, it was just a case of hang on and set him off in the right direction. Don’t fall out with him and you’ll win. He was different.
“Winning the first Commonwealth Cup on Muhaarar came at a nice point in my career for Shadwell and that day he came of age, it was nice to give something back to Shadwell and repay that faith. Unfortunately, I didn’t get back on him!
“I rode Mostahdaf before he hit the heady heights he went on to achieve but another horse I didn’t have a long association with was when Mohaather won the Summer Mile for Marcus (Tregoning).
“He was very good. He was probably the best I rode because when I rode Baaeed he was at a different stage of his career. That day I rode Mohaather, he was exceptional.
“He’d run at Royal Ascot when things didn’t work out, which shows how much luck you need. I went to ride him work and after it I thought the hardest part for me was to make sure Jim’s plans didn’t change and he went to Ascot! I remember ringing Angus Gold (racing manager) and saying he was an aeroplane.”
O’Neill has nothing in the pipeline as yet but expects to stay in the industry.
He said: “I don’t know what I’ll do next but I got my money’s worth out of it. Racing is all I know, there’s not many routes when you leave school at 16, but I’ll be involved in some capacity, I’d hope.”
Room Service will attempt to deliver a tasty early-season treat to Kevin Ryan when he lines up in the BetMGM Burradon Stakes at Newcastle.
A winner of a valuable sales race at Doncaster when last seen, connections cannot help but be buoyed by the way that form has been franked by the horses in behind, with the second, fourth and fifth all scoring since and the third, Aidan O’Brien’s Johannes Brahms, already Group Two placed.
Ryan sees this Listed event as the perfect place to test out the Kodi Bear colt’s capabilities over a mile and, with him holding an entry for the Irish 2,000 Guineas, it will give a good gauge as to whether Classic dreams can begin.
“It’s a good starting point for him and he’s in good form,” said the North Yorkshire-based trainer.
“Obviously the all-weather is an unknown but he’s ready to run. The way the ground is at the moment, he likes soft ground, but I don’t really like starting them off on really deep ground, so I just thought we would have a look at Newcastle and see how he goes on that surface.
“He’s matured the way you would like to see him mature from two to three and we’re very happy with him. We’ll learn an awful lot more on Friday.”
Room Service is just 1lb below John and Thady Gosden’s Orne on official ratings, but the Horris Hill winner has to concede a 5lb penalty to his big-race rival due to landing that rearranged Group Two last autumn.
The Al Shaqab-owned Classic entrant has match fitness on his side having appeared both in Doha and when going down valiantly in Lingfield’s Spring Cup recently – and his team are hopeful his class can see him involved in the finish.
“He’s come out of his race at Lingfield really well and he ran really well from a wide draw there,” said Al Shaqab racing manager Alison Begley.
“He has to carry a penalty, but we think he has a good chance and we think the step up to a mile will help him. He ran well over a mile in Qatar, so we think returning to that distance will help and hopefully he will run well.
“He’s top rated in the race and Kevin Ryan’s is 1lb below him with us giving him 5lb because of the penalty, but having said that, Orne is a horse who is improving and he’s done little wrong in his career so far and we hope he will run a big race.”
A couple of places behind Orne at Lingfield earlier this month was Jane Chapple-Hyam’s Habrdi, who prior to that fifth-place finish had won three on the spin for the Newmarket handler.
He now returns to the mile trip he was successful over at Chelmsford on his penultimate start, with his trainer confident the colt will be sharper for his Spring Cup outing.
“He needed the run in the Spring Cup, as we always had half an eye on this race,” said Chapple-Hyam.
“He had a wide draw and was almost playing catch-up the whole time. He has come forward since then and moving back up to a mile should suit him. He is in a good spot at the moment.”
Charlie Appleby’s Dubawi gelding Silent Age has impressed in two appearances on the all-weather and now takes a step up in grade, while similar sentiments apply to Karl Burke’s Cuban Tiger, who bumped into a well-regarded stablemate of the Godolphin entrant at Kempton last month.
Burke said: “I could not be happier with him. He ran really well at Kempton, proving he gets the mile well, and this race looked the obvious next step.”
There has never been an Irish winner of this contest and Adrian Murray will try to change that when he saddles the raiding Manhattan Dreamer, who opened her account when stepping up to seven furlongs at Dundalk last time.
Andrew Balding’s Sayedaty Sadaty, Yokohama (John Butler) and David Menuisier’s Chelmsford scorer Louis Quatorze complete the field at Gosforth Park.
St Helens head coach Paul Wellens insists there is no need for hype when world champions Wigan roll into town on Good Friday for a clash that could go some way towards shaping the new Betfred Super League season.
The sport’s biggest domestic showdown throws up plenty of added interest with the visitors eager to stretch an unbeaten start that includes emulating Saints’ World Club Challenge win over NRL champions Penrith.
Apart from a surprise home defeat to Salford, Saints have also reverted to their unfamiliar role as challengers with aplomb, and two successive wins over Leeds at Headingley has set them up well for a game in which a victory will shift the narrative of the campaign so far.
Having faced off with his side’s biggest rivals more than 50 times in his stellar career as a player, Wellens does not need reminding of the magnitude of a fixture which will once again have the ‘sold out’ signs hanging outside the Totally Wicked Stadium.
“It’s Wigan on Good Friday – it sells itself,” said Wellens.
“Fans and players can’t wait for the game to come around. It’s the fixture you draw a circle around at the start of every year, and we are always excited about the challenge.
“It’s two teams who have achieved a lot of success in recent history, and a lot of that comes from knowing how to handle big games and big moments, and how to channel your emotion in the right way.
“This is the big game in British rugby league. We have Grand Finals and Challenge Cup finals, but after those showpiece occasions, I think Saints against Wigan on Good Friday is the game everyone wants to watch.”
Wellens hopes key men Tommy Makinson and Lewis Dodd will be fit to return from recent injuries, while Mark Percival is also available after suspension. However in-form forward James Bell is banned.
Wigan, whose superb start to the season fell a little flat last Friday when they were forced to fight to see off determined Championship side Sheffield Eagles in the last 16 of the Challenge Cup, hope to welcome back Willie Isa and influential full-back Jai Field.
Warriors head coach Matt Peet may not be able to match his Saints counterpart in terms of a top-level playing career, but having battled his way through his club’s coaching ranks he too knows only too well what the match means to each local community.
“It’s a completely unique game,” said Peet.
“Rugby league fans understand it, people in the two towns understand it. Whether the teams are flying high or having indifferent seasons, it sells itself because of the history behind it.
“It’s about striking a balance between the two. You can’t shy away from the emotion of it, but you’ve got to get the rugby side right.
“I think a lot of the motivation is already there. You don’t have to remind the players that it’s a fantastic fixture.
“Both teams are used to playing in these kinds of games. The players know how to handle it, and they can put it to the back of their minds and play their best game.”
Andrew Balding and Oisin Murphy will attempt to go back-to-back in the BetMGM All-Weather 3 Year Old Championships Handicap with recent Kempton scorer Fire Demon at Newcastle on Good Friday.
The Kingsclere handler and his long-time jockey linked up with Desert Cop when the race was run as a conditions event 12 months ago, but look to have a strong hand once again with the six-furlong shootout now taking place as a handicap.
The Juddmonte-owned son of Dark Angel produced some solid form figures as a two-year-old but has really begun to take shape since dropped back to six furlongs from the turn of the year.
He has won two of his last three at that distance and arrives at Gosforth Park with connections hopeful of a bold bid.
“He’s been very consistent and had just one little blip this winter when he ran at Lingfield and Ryan (Moore) just felt the track didn’t suit him that day at all,” said Juddmonte’s European racing manager Barry Mahon.
“He bounced back nicely on his last start and I think the track at Newcastle will suit him well.
“He’s going there with a live chance and it’s great prize-money and a nice race – and if we could catch it, then it would be lovely.”
Those sentiments were echoed by Balding, who added: “It was nice to see him bounce back at Kempton and win well, as he got very unbalanced at Lingfield the time before that.
“On a conventional track like Newcastle again, I think he goes there with a sporting chance.”
Fire Demon’s jockey will know plenty about one of his mount’s chief rivals Blue Prince, having ridden him to finish on the premises at Lingfield the last twice.
Prior to that, David Evans’ Blue Point colt was seen getting the better of Sommelier over course and distance and his handler feels he could make a return to the scoresheet in the north east.
Evans said: “I thought he was a bit unlucky in the trial at Lingfield. He has come out of it in good order and I think he has a nice chance.”
Meanwhile, Sommelier has been kept fresh since that half-length reversal to Blue Prince on New Year’s Day, with Marco Botti’s charge meeting his old adversary on much better terms despite having to shoulder the burden of top-weight.
“His preparation has gone to plan and we are very happy with him,” said Botti.
“We wanted to bring him here fresh after his run in the trial. It is going to be a tough race, especially carrying top weight, but he has already proven himself at the track.
“We have booked Rossa Ryan and he has been lucky for us in the past.”
Karl Burke saddled El Caballo to land this prize two years ago and has two chances this year, with the consistent Media Shooter given precedence over stablemate Bazball by the odds compilers.
Spigot Lodge number one Clifford Lee agrees and has elected to partner recent Kempton scorer Media Shooter, who was a little over a length adrift of Fire Demon on his penultimate start.
Bazball, meanwhile, will have to snap a five-race losing run if she is to hit her sprinting rivals for six.
Burke said: “Bazball is coming off a bit of a break, albeit she has a low weight.
“Bazball has won at the track and they both have chances, but I think Media Shooter goes there with stronger claims.
“Media Shooter has performed really well on the all-weather and is probably going to be a bit sharper than her.”
Sprint king Mick Appleby is also double-handed in the race with G’Day Mate and Daring Legend, as the Oakham handler continues his quest to be champion all-weather trainer for a fifth straight season.
“I don’t think there will be much between them,” said Appleby. “G’Day Mate has more speed, so it will be a question of whether he gets home over the stiff six, while it was a bit of a rush to get Daring Legend qualified. I think they both have chances.”
There has never been an Irish winner of this particular Finals Day event, but Andrew Slattery will be bidding to change that with Dundalk regular Tarsus, who arrives off the ferry fresh from a success over all-weather veteran Harry’s Bar last month.
Slattery said: “Everything seems good with Tarsus. He has surprised us in some ways by how much he has come forward in recent months, although we thought he was a nice horse last year and he disappointed us.
“Declan McDonogh rode him the last day and said he would stay seven furlongs, so the stiff six at Newcastle should not be a problem.”
Sir Alex Ferguson has said it is “an honour” to have bred a horse good enough to run in a race such as the Dubai Sheema Classic with Spirit Dancer, who is chasing an overseas treble.
Trained by Richard Fahey, the seven-year-old has been a real late bloomer and a plan hatched after a victory in a Group Three at York has well and truly come to fruition.
Victories in the Bahrain Trophy and the Neom Turf Cup in Saudi Arabia have propelled the Frankel gelding into the highest company and he is now taking on the likes of dual Derby and Breeders’ Cup winner Auguste Rodin and Japanese filly Liberty Island.
“He’s looking great, I think he’s enjoying it out here actually, who wouldn’t, the climate is fantastic,” Ferguson told the Dubai Racing Club.
“It’s been success all the way, there’s been improvement every race. We’re honoured to be here, the type of race he’s going to be in, it’s outstanding opposition.”
It will be Spirit Dancer’s first run over a mile and a half but it is something Fahey has been keen to try for some time.
Ferguson added: “We’re quietly confident. In fairness, Richard has said all along that he thinks he’s a mile and a half horse. His Frankel pedigree suggests he should be able to cope with it, so we’re hopeful in that respect, but we don’t know.
“It’s an honour to have a horse in a race of this magnitude that you’ve bred yourself.
“When he won at York, Richard told us we were going to Bahrain and I said ‘Bahrain! What do we want to go there for?’ – and he said there was a great race there for him, so he’s the architect and we’re not going to argue with what he’s doing.
“We’ve enjoyed it, we’ve had a few days in Bahrain, a few days in Saudi and now a week here. It’s fantastic.”
It has been one success after another for Ferguson, who as well as enjoying victories abroad with Spirit Dancer, celebrated a Cheltenham Festival double earlier this month.
Charlie Appleby is likely to point last season’s Doncaster Futurity winner Ancient Wisdom at the Qipco 2000 Guineas as a stepping stone to a crack at the Betfred Derby.
The Moulton Paddocks handler feels the Newmarket Classic – for which the Aidan O’Brien-trained City Of Troy is the red-hot favourite – is more attractive than the longer Dante Stakes at York to give the son of Dubawi a trial for Epsom in early June.
He explained: “Ancient Wisdom won the Futurity on very soft ground and has been held in high regard from very early in his career.
“After getting beaten at Ascot he progressed physically, as you would expect from a Dubawi.”
Appleby is concerned that the Dante is closer to Epsom than ideal and added: “It’s possible there will be slow ground for the Guineas, and we will take a look at that with the view that a mile and a half will prove his forte.
“If I waited for York and the ground was soft, there’s not much time left until Derby to put things right should they go wrong, and it would be a more ambitious route to take.”
Appleby also had news on his unbeaten Classic-bound filly Dance Sequence.
He said: “Dance Sequence has done well. William (Buick) sat on her the other day and was delighted. We will take her to the Nell Gwyn and then the English Guineas.”
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