Protektorat is in rude health as he builds up towards the defence of his Betfair Chase title, which trainer Dan Skelton describes as a “lifetime race”.
The first Grade One of the National Hunt season in the UK, Haydock’s feature event has a history of multiple winners, with Silviniaco Conti winning two, Cue Card and Bristol De Mai three apiece and the incomparable Kauto Star four.
Skelton was involved in those Kauto Star victories as Paul Nicholls’ assistant and winning with Protektorat 12 months ago gave him great satisfaction to get on the roll of honour in his own right.
Protektorat came up short in two subsequent runs, in the Cotswold Chase and the Gold Cup, and with that in mind, Skelton is leaving no stone unturned in ensuring he is at concert pitch for his reappearance.
“He’s in good form. We’ve managed to get him to our grass gallop this year, which is vitally important to him because we have to train him slightly different to the others, he’s not a horse we can train on the hill. He’s predominantly on the soft sand gallop,” said Skelton on a call organised by Jockey Club Racecourses.
“I wouldn’t say he’s completely unique, there’s a few we train the way we train him, but basically he puts way too much effort into the early part of his work, so you have to taper into it.
“If we worked him up our hill, he’d give us a terrible read as he’d do too much along the bottom and then feel the incline and not perform as well as those who are relaxed at the bottom.
“His health and his well-being is good, his fitness is right where we want it and it doesn’t hurt that there’s been plenty of rain all over the UK because that will suit him.”
Skelton has fond memories of Kauto Star’s exploits on Merseyside and feels the race is one of jumps racing’s crown jewels.
He added: “Obviously, I worked for Paul when Kauto Star was winning them. The Betfair Chase is one of the biggies of the year, up there with the King George and the Gold Cup and it was fantastic to win it last year.
“It’s one of those lifetime races and it is very hard to get a horse good enough to run in it, so when you get your chance, you’ve got to try and take it.”
Getting back to Protektorat, Skelton said: “He spends his summers with Lisa Hales (daughter of part-owner John Hales) and he does well through the summer, we then start with him in the first or second week of July.
“He’s very enthusiastic about his work – if anything, he actually gives too much and you are always trying to calm him down as he is so keen to please, which is why he’s a great horse fresh.
“Sometimes, towards the end of the season, his early exuberance, while you don’t not appreciate it, everything he puts in at the start, it has to empty somewhere. He has won a Grade One in April, though.
“A week on Saturday is the big plan. He does have a King George entry and we’ll consider all options, but the Betfair Chase is his big target pre-Christmas.
“You can’t go to the Betfair half soaked, you’ve got to be ready for it.
“I wouldn’t call it a home match for us as he’s only done it once, but he’s answered the questions before, in those conditions at that trip. By their own admission, the trainers of the likes of Shishkin and Bravemansgame are looking at the King George.
“By our own admission, our number one target is the Betfair. I’m training him for the Betfair, which is giving me confidence he’ll put up a good defence.”
While Haydock is very much the big aim, come the spring, a tilt at the Grand National has not been ruled out.
“We rode him in the Gold Cup as if he’d stay four miles and because we were so aggressive, we gave him the opportunity to weaken going to the last and that is what happened,” said Skelton.
“We half talked about a National entry last year. While it’s not headline-worthy that we’ll enter him in it, and there’s a lot of water to go under the bridge before entries are even considered, but we thought about it last year.
“By the same token, we also discussed dropping him back in trip. That is what happens when you get beat, you think of things you can do different. When you win, you just do the same thing.”
One man who has helped Skelton in the difficult discussion after a defeat is part-owner Sir Alex Ferguson.
“First and foremost, he’s a sportsman, he knows the difference between winning and losing. He copes with losing because it used to happen to him in his professional life,” explained the trainer.
“It is comforting being around people who understand how to lose and try to get better from it. I’ve asked him questions and he’s always willing to answer. He’s an intelligent man who sees things in ways normal people don’t.
“He’s a great man to have on your side because he just gets it. No one was ever under more pressure than he was, no one ever felt worse than him after a bad result or better than him after a good result, he’s been there and done it all.
“It’s a great quality to have, being able to dust yourself down and go again.
“He’s never questioned, he would only question how we are going to do it better.”
Percussion will be readied for a second tilt at Aintree’s Becher Chase following a third excellent effort over the Grand National fences on Saturday.
Laura Morgan’s charge was a widely unconsidered 40-1 shot for his first attempt over the famous obstacles in last season’s Grand Sefton, but ran a fine race to finish third.
He proved that performance was no fluke when third again in the Becher the following month and he further advertised his liking for the track when filling the runner-up spot behind Gesskille on his second appearance in the Grand Sefton last weekend.
Morgan feels the extra five furlongs of the Becher suits Percussion better than the shorter trip of the Grand Sefton and she is looking forward to seeing him head back to Merseyside on December 9.
“He ran a screamer on Saturday and I’ve put him in the Becher, as he obviously loves the place,” said the Melton Mowbray handler.
“His jumping kept him in it the other day and I do think going that bit further will help him – two-mile-five is probably his minimum.
“Hopefully going back there for the Becher should be exciting.”
The Grand National itself is a dream long-term target for connections, but Morgan is well aware he is going to need to climb considerably from his current mark of 130 to make the cut, particularly now the number of runners in the race has been reduced from 40 to 34 as part of a slew of significant changes to the race to improve safety.
Morgan said: “I don’t know if we’re going to be rated high enough (for the Grand National), he’d have to go and run a screamer in the Becher to give us a chance of sneaking in.
“We’ve got options. Last year it was a struggle getting in the Topham and it might even be worth going for the Foxhunters’, I don’t know.
“The course and those fences are what he loves, so fingers crossed.”
The in-form Freddie Gingell will look for even more big-race success when he partners Paul Nicholls’ Il Ridoto in the Paddy Power Gold Cup at Cheltenham on Saturday.
Gingell, 17, enjoyed the biggest win of his career so far when landing the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter last week aboard his uncle Joe Tizzard’s Elixir De Nutz.
A Grade Two success for his own family will take some beating, but Il Ridoto could do just that, as he brings course and distance form to the table and was fourth of 14 in the contest last year when ridden by Harry Cobden.
Cobden, who is engaged to ride Stage Star this time, is the stable jockey for the Nicholls team, with Gingell also attached to the same yard as a 7lb claimer.
“Paul said to me after the Haldon Gold Cup that I’ve got a nice one for you on Saturday,” he said.
“It gave me a right buzz being told that I was going to ride Il Ridoto just after winning the Haldon Gold Cup. The day just got better and better.
“He is a good, honest horse and he will give me a real good spin around Cheltenham. He was pulled up over the Grand National fences on his last start, but this will be much more to his liking.
“Paul has got Stage Star in the race as well, so he has a couple of big chances in it.
“Il Ridoto was fourth in the race last year when Harry rode him but with that weight I can claim off his back, hopefully he will go even closer this year.
“I sat on him once last week and hopefully I will get to school him once or twice this week just to get to know him a bit more and go from there.
“He is quite low in the handicap and with my claim off his back, I think he has a massive chance.
“The Haldon Gold Cup was big but the Paddy Power Gold Cup is even bigger again. Thanks go to the owners and Paul for letting me have the ride and hopefully I can reward them.”
Dan Skelton is building up a strong team for The November Meeting at Cheltenham this weekend, headed by Nube Negra, who is seeking a third straight win in Sunday’s Shloer Chase.
With Unexpected Party among the favourites for Saturday’s Paddy Power Gold Cup and Knickerbocker Glory and L’Eau Du Sud well fancied for Sunday’s Unibet Greatwood Hurdle, Skelton can approach the three-day fixture with confidence.
It was at this stage 12 months ago Skelton’s campaign really took off, with victories in the West Yorkshire Hurdle, Shloer Chase, Betfair Chase, Coral Gold Cup and Becher Chase marking him out as the most in-form yard at the time.
However, he admits this season has yet to really get going and he is hoping it ignites this weekend.
“This time last year, they just hit a vein of form and off they went. Being open and honest, I have to say it hasn’t quite been like that this season,” Skelton said in a press conference organised by Jockey Club Racecourses.
“We’ve had a few nice winners but the ground this autumn has been particularly challenging.
“Our horses have been fit but perhaps the best way to describe it is they’ve been good to soft ground fit, not heavy ground fit. A few have got to the back of the second last and they’ve needed the run a bit. I can’t say it’s been seamless, our results show that.
“Every day that goes by, they are a bit closer to where they want to be and going into this weekend, Unexpected Party is totally ready, L’Eau Du Sud is totally ready, Nube Negra has always had the Shloer on his mind, Knickerbocker Glory has already won this year.
“So, there are no excuses now and while it might be too much to hope for a run like last year, I do see a bit of plainer sailing now.”
One horse Skelton would love to see win is Shan Blue, who had the Charlie Hall Chase at Wetherby in his grasp two years ago until a crashing fall and he has yet to return to that form in three runs since. He is set to reappear over hurdles.
“Shan Blue will run over hurdles, bless him. Since he fell in that race at Wetherby, it hasn’t happened for him. I know he finished second at Aintree that spring, which was a nice run, but it wasn’t anything like it looked like what he was going to do at Wetherby,” said Skelton.
“I don’t want to pre-empt anything but I’m as happy with him at home as I’ve ever been. I had him declared at Market Rasen but that got called off, same at Bangor tomorrow, so our back is against the wall to run, so that is why he’s in over hurdles. He has been very well at home and I’d like to think there’s another big one in him.”
As for the feature race, one Skelton has yet to win, although he was third last year with Midnight River and second 12 months earlier with future Grade One winner Protektorat, Unexpected Party saw his form boosted in no uncertain terms by Knappers Hill at Wincanton, who finished second to him at Chepstow.
“Of course it’s comfort but in reality it is probably false because no more was achieved on the day than was expected – but it’s nice to see,” said Skelton.
“I didn’t think he should shoot to the top of the market or anything and I’m sure if you went and asked him, he wouldn’t know Knappers Hill won. He does have the right profile, though.”
Defending champion Ronnie O’Sullivan has withdrawn from snooker’s Champion of Champions event on the eve of his opening match in Bolton.
O’Sullivan had been scheduled to play Zhang Anda in group one on Wednesday, with the winner facing either John Higgins or Chris Wakelin for a place in the semi-finals.
The seven-time world champion, who lost to Zhang in the semi-finals of the International Championship in Tianjin on Saturday, has been replaced in the field by Ding Junhui.
O’Sullivan wrote on X, former known as Twitter: “Hi guys, just wanted to let you know I’m unfortunately withdrawing from the Champions of champions event tomorrow.
“Mentally I feel a bit drained and stressed and I want to look after my mental health and my body. I’m sorry to all the fans but I’ll be back stronger.”
O’Sullivan is expected to return to action in the UK Championship in York later this month.
Rory McIlroy insists progress is being made in talks over the future of men’s professional golf, but a fear that “loose lips sink ships” means it is being kept under wraps.
The Framework Agreement between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which blindsided players when it was announced in June, was due to be finalised by the end of the year.
Meeting that deadline appears unlikely, with the PGA Tour also understood to be assessing potential funding from alternative private equity sources. Fenway Sports Group – owners of Liverpool and the Boston Red Sox – are reported to be one of the interested parties.
McIlroy, who is one of the PGA Tour’s player directors, knows better than most what is happening behind the scenes, but acknowledged any deal with the PIF would need to be approved by the Unites States government.
“I think if you were in the middle of it, you would see that there’s a path forward,” McIlroy said in his press conference ahead of the DP World Tour Championship.
“It’s just that no one on the outside has any details, right. Loose lips sink ships, so we are trying to keep it tight and within walls. I’m sure when there’s news to tell, it will be told.
“I think getting something done sooner rather than later is a good thing. Because you know, even if we get a deal done, it doesn’t mean that it’s actually going to happen.
“That’s up to the United States government at that point and whether the Department of Justice think that it’s the right thing to do or whether (it’s) anti-competitive or whatever.
“Even if a deal does get done, it’s not a sure thing. So yeah, we are just going to have to wait and see. But in my opinion, the faster something gets done, the better.”
Asked if he was enjoying being on the “inside” in such discussions, McIlroy joked: “Not particularly, no.
“Not what I signed for when I went on the board. But the game of professional golf has been in flux for the last two years.”
McIlroy arrived in Dubai for the season-ending event already assured of winning a fifth Race to Dubai title, leaving him three behind the record tally of Colin Montgomerie.
But despite that accolade and contributing a career-best performance as Europe regained the Ryder Cup, McIlroy was disappointed at failing to win a first major title since 2014.
The world number two birdied the first hole in the final round of the US Open to tie for the lead, but did not make another birdie at Los Angeles Country Club and finished a shot behind Wyndham Clark.
Asked to judge his season, McIlroy said: “Yeah, probably give it a seven out of 10.
“Played good golf. I had the two wins. I had my best-ever Ryder Cup, which feels like a win to me, especially coming off the back of Whistling Straits (where Europe lost 19-9 in 2021).
“So I’ve been happy with the year. If I looked back on one thing, I’ll rue that miss at LA. I had a great opportunity there to pick up another major and I didn’t.
“But I’m still not going to let that take away from the fact that it’s been another really consistent, solid year with some really good performances.
“I’m feeling like my game is in as good a shape as it’s ever been throughout my, whatever it is, 16, 17-year career.
“I’m happy with that and will try to finish this year off on a high and play well this week and reset and get ready for 2024.”
Wimbledon chiefs are hoping Wandsworth councillors will reject the recommendations of planning officers and back their expansion plans at next week’s meeting.
The project, which involves the construction of 38 new courts in neighbouring Wimbledon Park including an 8,000-seat show court, has met with significant protest from some local residents.
The All England Club achieved a major victory last month when Merton Council decided to approve the plans but a smaller section of the site lies within Wandsworth and its planning officers have recommended councillors reject it.
They will meet next Tuesday to make their decision, and an All England Club spokesperson said: “We are surprised that planning officers at the London Borough of Wandsworth have recommended refusal of the AELTC Wimbledon Park Project, particularly after the London Borough of Merton resolved to approve the application following extensive analysis and debate both in their officers’ report and at the planning committee.
“We regret that Wandsworth’s officers have taken a different view but it is for councillors on the Planning Applications Committee to make their own considered decision at the meeting on November 21.
“We firmly believe the AELTC Wimbledon Park Project will deliver substantial social, economic and environmental benefits, including 23 acres of newly accessible green space, alongside hundreds of jobs and tens of millions of pounds in economic benefits for our neighbours in Wandsworth, Merton and across London.”
The new show court drew the most concern from planning officers, who concluded that there were not the necessary very special circumstances to outweigh the harm and loss of open land.
Irrespective of the Wandsworth decision, the project will be referred to the Greater London Authority and its fate could ultimately be decided by the government.
Joe Mazzulla was thrilled to see his Boston Celtics side win without playing at their best after their victory over the New York Knicks.
The Celtics came out on top 114-98 on Monday, with Jayson Tatum scoring 35 points, 17 of which came in the final quarter.
Boston were far from at their best, particularly when it came to their shooting, with even Tatum off his game, missing seven of the first eight games.
Tatum put it together in the stretch, though, and Mazzulla was delighted to see Boston win without being on the top of their game.
"It's the best. I love games like this, because it’s going to reveal who we are, what we've been doing and where we need to get better," he said.
"You're not playing as well as you can be, and you're only down one. You've got to be thankful for that, because it could be a lot worse.
"And I thought our guys just stuck with it, with the right mindset."
Tatum added: "I missed so many wide-open 3s. I made the toughest one of the night, and I missed all the easy ones. That kind of got me going. I'll take it.
"I've played enough games, had enough tough shooting nights.
"All really, really good scorers know it just takes one to change your momentum, change how you feel about yourself shooting the ball. And once you see one go in, you just feel a lot better about yourself."
Jaylen Brown chipped in with 22 points, Kristaps Porzingis had 21 and Jrue Holiday finished with 14 to surpass 15,000 career points.
The Celtics are 8-2 for the season and sit second in the Eastern Conference, behind the Philadelphia 76ers.
Harry Bentley has denied that the two-month suspension he has been handed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club is in any way related to betting or race fixing.
The 31-year-old admitted to breaching rule 155 under the rules of racing in Hong Kong, which relates to misconduct, improper conduct or inappropriate behaviour during a two-day hearing last week.
A report from the inquiry detailed Bentley had engaged in “inappropriate communication” about horses he was riding with persons who were not “registered owners or nominators of such horses.” He had also used a private phone provided by the unknown persons.
While the HKJC ruled that Bentley had agreed to accept payment, there was no evidence to suggest he received any and that, along with his guilty plea and previous clean disciplinary record, meant he was only banned for two months.
In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Bentley said: “I would like to thank the Hong Kong Jockey Club for their close consideration throughout the steward’s inquiry regarding an isolated incident which occurred wen I was new to Hong Kong and the racing scene.
“I want to be extremely clear that this charge is in no way related to giving tips, betting, wagering, race fixing or accepting payment ahead of race riding. I ask that the public trust in the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s decision and have confidence that is this was the case I would not have received the penalty I have. I have always tried to get the best position for my horse – that has never been in question.
“I accept that I should have done more research on the Rules in Hong Kong and I will endeavour to do better in the future.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank my partner, my family, friends and racing fans for their unwavering support. I will use my suspension (which culminates on January 3, 2024) to prepare myself for the rest of the season and as always do my very best for the owners, the trainers, the Hong Kong Jockey Club and all my supporters. I can’t wait to get back in the saddle early in the New Year!”
Dashel Drasher could make his next start over fences after a hurdling comeback at Wetherby.
The popular 10-year-old has switched between the two divisions throughout the last few seasons and has enjoyed plenty of success over both types of obstacles.
He was second to Grand National winner Noble Yeats in the Many Clouds Chase at Aintree last December and was then runner-up in a trio of high-quality Cheltenham hurdles, culminating in the Grade One Stayers’ Hurdle at the Festival, where he was beaten only three-quarters of a length by Sire Du Berlais.
Jeremy Scott’s charge started the new season at Wetherby this month, contesting the Grade Two bet365 Hurdle and starting as the 7-4 joint-favourite under Rex Dingle.
He led for much of the way and showed plenty of vim, only fading approaching the last and eventually finishing third behind Botox Has and Red Risk.
A switch to chasing could be next on the agenda, with the 1965 Chase at Ascot under consideration if the gelding is ready to go again at the end of the month.
“He’s really well, he probably just got a bit stuck in the mud the other day, maybe it’s just age catching up with him as well,” Scott said of the Wetherby run.
“He’s certainly come out of the race really well and there is a chase at Ascot in a few weeks’ time which is a possibility, but it is quite difficult finding races for him.
“I was very much thinking we’d play it by ear, I’d like to run him back over fences because I think he was just as effective over them.
“It would be nice to find a Grade Two that we could run him in but they’ve taken a lot of them away, last year we ran in the Many Clouds but they’ve taken that away, so it’s difficult to find him somewhere to go unless you run in a handicap.
“He’s never lacking for will, he’s always just a bit stuffy on his first run but I’m very happy with the way he’s come out of the race and we’re just hunting around for the next plan.
“We’ll see how he is when we start doing some proper work – and if we can go to Ascot, that would be great.”
Michael Malone has agreed to a new contract with the Denver Nuggets, according to reports.
Malone has spent the last eight seasons with Denver, who – along with the help of talisman Nikola Jokic – he guided to the NBA championship last season.
And the two-time NBA All-Star coach is now being rewarded with a new deal.
The 52-year-old has agreed to a contract extension that will make him one of the league's highest-paid coaches.
Malone took over in Denver in 2015 following a stint in charge of the Sacramento Kings, where he took up his first head coaching role.
He is the fourth-longest-serving coach in the NBA, and has coached the Nuggets for 647 games – trailing only Doug Moe and George Karl in that regard.
Despite losing to the Houston Rockets on Sunday, the Nuggets top the Western Conference with an 8-2 record.
The Edmonton Oilers struck for three third-period goals to come through with a 4-1 victory over the slumping New York Islanders on Monday to win Kris Knoublach's first game as head coach.
Knoublach was hired Sunday after Edmonton dismissed Jay Woodcroft following a 3-9-1 start for a team that had won a playoff series in each of the previous two seasons.
The Oilers moved ahead on a pair of power-play goals that came nearly two minutes apart in the third. Zach Hyman put Edmonton up 2-1 with 7:35 elapsed in the period, and Connor McDavid scored off a feed from Leon Draisaitl soon afterward to extend the margin to 3-1.
Draisaitl finished with a goal and three assists to back 32 saves from Stuart Skinner, while Evander Kane had the Oilers' final goal with an empty-net tally with 2:27 left.
The Islanders' lone goal came just 40 seconds in when Mathew Barzal scored off an Edmonton giveaway. Draisaitl would tie it later in the first period with his sixth goal of the season.
Ilya Sorokin stopped 28 of 31 shots for New York, which has lost four straight games in regulation and is 0-4-1 in its last five.
Avalanche rout Kraken for Bednar's 300th win
Mikko Rantanen and Cale Maker each had a goal and an assist as the Colorado Avalanche pulled away for a 5-1 win over the Seattle Kraken to give head coach Jared Bednar his 300th career victory.
Ross Colton, Jonathan Drouin and Valeri Nichushkin also had goals for Colorado, which scored three times during a dominant third period in which it outshot Seattle by a 12-1 margin. Nathan MacKinnon recorded three assists to help the Avalanche snap a two-game losing streak.
Colorado trailed 1-0 before Rantanen and Colton scored just over two minutes apart in the second period, and Makar increased the lead to 3-1 with just over four minutes elapsed in the third.
Brandon Tanev scored 6:13 into the contest for Seattle's lone goal. Joey Daccord made 26 saves in the Kraken's fourth loss in five games.
Alexander Georgiev finished with 18 saves for Colorado.
Jayson Tatum scored 17 of his 35 points in the fourth quarter as the Boston Celtics pulled away from the New York Knicks and earn a 114-98 win on Monday in a matchup of Atlantic Division rivals.
The Celtics outscored New York by a 62-45 margin in the second half en route to their third straight win, though the outcome was in doubt until Boston put together a pivotal run late in the third quarter.
Boston took control with a 12-2 spurt, capped by consecutive 3-pointers from Sam Hauser and Jrue Holiday, and turned a 72-72 deadlock into a comfortable 84-74 lead with the third quarter nearing an end.
Tatum then helped seal the victory by going 6 of 8 from the field and 4 of 5 from 3-point range in the fourth quarter.
Jaylen Brown added 22 points and six assists for the Celtics, while former Knick Kristaps Porzingis had 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting against his ex-team.
The Knicks had a three-game winning streak snapped and played without leading scorer RJ Barrett due to a migraine. Jalen Brunson paced New York with 26 points and Julius Randle had 25 along with nine rebounds.
Antetokounmpo stars as Bucks beat Bulls to end brief skid
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 35 points and 11 rebounds as the Milwaukee Bucks got back on the winning track with a 118-109 victory over the Chicago Bulls.
Bobby Portis also registered a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds off the bench to help the Bucks bounce back from consecutive road losses to Indiana and Orlando, games in which Milwaukee was without star guard Damian Lillard due to a calf injury.
Lillard returned Monday but shot just 3 of 17 from the field while finishing with 12 points and five assists.
Chicago rallied from a 35-18 deficit after one quarter to take a 70-69 lead with 4 1/2 minutes to go in the third. The Bucks responded with a 12-0 run, however, that Antetokounmpo capped with a running dunk that put Milwaukee back up by double digits with under two minutes left in the period.
Antetokounmpo then scored 14 points in the fourth as the Bucks built a lead as large as 17 points late.
Nikola Vucevic led the Bulls with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Zach LaVine added 20 points but went just 2 of 10 from 3-point range.
Fox returns, helps Kings top Cavaliers for Brown's 400th win
De'Aaron Fox had 28 points and six assists in his return to help the surging Sacramento Kings give head coach Mike Brown his 400th career victory with a 132-120 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Fox finished 11 of 20 from the field and had just one turnover in 36 minutes in his first outing since missing two weeks with a sprained right ankle. The 2022-23 All-Star was part of a balanced attack for Sacramento, which also received 25 points from Keegan Murray and 23 points and 10 rebounds from Domantas Sabonis.
Kevin Huerter went 6 of 9 from 3-point range in Sacramento's third straight win.
Brown improved to 400-254 for his career, with the majority of those wins coming in two stints as the Cavaliers' head coach. He directed Cleveland from 2005-10 and again in 2013-14.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland, which trailed most of the game and was down by a 110-89 margin after three quarters, with 22 points. Caris LeVert added 21 points and Evan Mobley had 16 along with 12 rebounds.
Sebastian Vettel rewrote the record books on this day in 2010 after clinching the Formula One drivers’ championship by winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
The German’s success in the season-ending finale saw him claim the mantle of the youngest world champion in F1 history.
Vettel took the chequered flag in Abu Dhabi for his fifth victory of the year, and with title rival Fernando Alonso a distant seventh in his Ferrari, it allowed the the Red Bull driver to make sure of his place in the record books.
At 23 years and 135 days, Vettel beat the mark of Lewis Hamilton – who finished second in Abu Dhabi ahead of McLaren team-mate and outgoing world champion Jenson Button – by 166 days.
It guaranteed Vettel the title by four points from Alonso, with Red Bull completing a championship double after winning the constructors’ crown a week previously in Brazil.
Vettel was clearly in tears on his slow-down lap as he attempted to speak over the in-car radio, with team principal Christian Horner proclaiming: “Sebastian Vettel you are the world champion!”
Vettel would go on to win four successive Formula One world titles before seeing his reign ended by Hamilton in 2014.
Kicker Wil Lutz made the most of a second chance at the game-winning field goal as the Denver Broncos continued their revival with a 24-22 win over the Buffalo Bills.
Lutz, who had earlier hit an upright with an extra point and had another attempt foiled by a poor snap, missed from 41 yards with four seconds on the clock.
But the Bills were penalised for having too many players on the field – the second infringement of the drive – and Lutz made no mistake from five yards closer.
The win was the Broncos third in a row and fourth in the six games since conceding 70 points to Mami.
Lutz’s kick came less than two minutes after the Bills had taken the lead for the first time in the game, Josh Allen’s six-yard touchdown run putting them 22-21 ahead.
Allen had earlier thrown a 22-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Kincaid with Latavius Murray going over from three yards, Russell Wilson connecting with Courtland Sutton and Javonte Williams for a Broncos touchdown in each half.
The winning field goal to end the match followed an NFL record five games in one day being decided by the final kick on Sunday.
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll and Baltimore Orioles infielder Gunnar Henderson were unanimous winners of Major League Baseball's 2023 Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year awards, which were announced Monday.
Carroll is the first player in Diamondbacks history to win the National League honour. Henderson is the seventh Orioles player to take home the American League award, but the first since pitcher Gregg Olson in 1989.
Both players received 30 first-place votes in balloting from selected members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America.
Carroll was instrumental to the Diamondbacks' surprising 2023 campaign that culminated in the club's first playoff appearance since 2017 and the second World Series trip in franchise history. The speedster produced 25 home runs and 54 stolen bases to become the first rookie with at least 25 homers and 50 steals in a season, and also recorded 116 runs scored, 76 RBIs and a .285 average in 155 regular-season games.
The 23-year-old delivered a solid postseason as well, batting .273 with two homers, 10 RBIs and five stolen bases in 17 games to help Arizona capture its first NL pennant since 2001.
Henderson also played a key role in his team's unexpected success in 2023, as he led all AL rookies in home runs (28), RBIs (82) and runs scored (100) to help the Orioles to an AL-best 101-61 record and the team's first playoff appearance since 2016. The 22-year-old overcame a slow start to hit .276 with 23 homers, 68 RBIs and an .856 OPS from June 1 on.
A second-round pick of Baltimore in the 2019 draft, Henderson also finished second among AL players with nine triples and ended the season with a .255 average, 10 stolen bases and an .814 OPS in 150 games. He was named the AL's Silver Slugger recipient as a utility player as well after splitting his time between shortstop and third base.
New York Mets pitcher and former Japanese league star Kodai Senga placed second in NL voting with 22 second-place votes and 71 points, with Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder James Outman, Colorado Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones and Cincinnati Reds infielder Matt McClain finishing third through fifth.
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee finished second behind Henderson in voting with 20 second-place votes and 67 points. Boston Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas was third with 25 points, with Texas Rangers third baseman Josh Jung and Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz rounding out the top five.
Former Jamaican gymnast Danusia Francis has emerged as a newly elected member of the Panam Sports Athlete Commission. The announcement came during a meeting held at the Games, where athletes had the crucial task of choosing representatives from eight candidates over the course of the 22-day event.
Her selection came in part through tireless work behind the scenes from the Jamaica Gymnastics Association, who lobbied on the basis that Francis, who competed at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has the ability to make significant impact on the careers of athletes from the Pan American region.
Expressing her excitement about this new responsibility, Francis, currently on vacation in Kenya, conveyed her enthusiasm for contributing to the betterment of sports and her adopted country. "I am very excited as sports and Jamaica have done so much for me, so to be able to contribute to a better future is a great opportunity to give back," she shared.
With a sense of gratitude for the opportunities she has received from the world of sports, Francis sees this role as a chance to make a positive impact on the future of athletics. "I have huge aspirations; however, I need to enter discussions and form my objectives from that," she added.
Despite being miles away on vacation, Francis is already planning her immediate steps upon her return from Kenya. She emphasized her commitment to reaching out to Jamaican athletes who have valuable opinions and contributions for the commission. "Once I'm back from Kenya next week, I will find out what the best way to get in touch with Jamaican athletes who have opinions and anything to bring to the commission is," she stated.
Francis is keen on fostering collaboration and ensuring that the voices of Jamaican athletes are heard within the commission. "When the first commission meeting will be, I will base it off that," she affirmed, highlighting her dedication to actively engage with her fellow athletes and make a meaningful impact through her role in the Panam Sports Athlete Commission.
Emma Raducanu will miss her scheduled comeback event in Macau next month.
The former US Open champion, who turned 21 on Monday, has not played since April after undergoing operations on both wrists and one ankle.
Having initially hoped to return to the WTA Tour in the autumn, Raducanu then set her sights on the exhibition Macau Tennis Masters event from December 2-3.
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But organisers confirmed their line-up has changed because of injury, with Raducanu no longer among the players on show.
Now down at 289 in the world but able to play under a protected ranking when she returns owing to her extended absence, Raducanu is now targeting the beginning of next season for her comeback.
She has stepped up her training in recent weeks at the National Tennis Centre in London both in the gym and on court, and spoke last month of her enthusiasm for returning to the circuit.
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“I think the biggest thing from the last few months was how much I missed the sport,” she told BBC Radio 4.
“I think that was the standout thing – how much I missed training, how much I missed my body hurting and feeling tired and dragging yourself through certain exercises when you don’t feel like it.”
Raducanu remains without a coach having split from Sebastian Sachs at the beginning of June and is currently working with Lawn Tennis Association staff.
William Buick is keen to get his hands on the Bahrain International Trophy for the first time as his mount Nations Pride bids to give Godolphin further success in the $1million contest.
It was Saeed bin Suroor’s Dubai Future who led home a one-two for Sheikh Mohammed’s racing operation 12 months ago and he is joined in the final field by stablemate Real World this time.
However, it is Charlie Appleby’s Nations Pride that sets the standard following big-race victories at Munich and Woodbine this season and Godolphin number one jockey Buick has elected to partner the four-year-old over fellow Moulton Paddocks candidate Highland Avenue.
Buick said: “Nations Pride is a very good horse. He was a classy three-year-old and went into the 2021 Derby as a genuine contender, but on the day he probably didn’t stay.
“But he has always been held in high regard and he has performed really well since.
“When he won the Group One in Germany, he gave me a really good feel. He beat the German Derby winner in good style. Then, last time out in Canada, the soft ground was not to his liking, but he still won.
“He’s a very straightforward horse to ride. I have not had much luck in the race previously but this fella is different, he’s a mile and quarter specialist and I think he is a real good candidate.
“Nations Pride is the best chance I have had in the Bahrain International Trophy but it is a strong line-up, a really competitive field, and on good, fast ground, you are going to need to have the margins in your favour.”
There is further Godolphin representation provided by Andre Fabre’s Birr Castle, while Andreas Schutz’s French 2000 Guineas hero Marhaba Ya Sanafi also represents France in a race that has a truly international feel.
Aidan O’Brien is poised to saddle Point Lonsdale in a contest that this year carries Group Two status for the first time, with Joseph O’Brien’s Above The Curve and Noel Meade’s Layfayette other Irish challengers.
John and Thady Gosden’s Israr, Daniel and Claire Kubler’s Astro King and Richard Fahey’s Spirit Dancer are also set to line up for the fifth running of the contest at the Sakhir Racecourse.
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