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| Horse racing: The best bets and latest news Today's best bets and the latest news. Exeter's card tomorrow is now subject to an 8am inspection.Today's best bets, by Tony Paley Richard Newland did not have the best of campaigns last term but has turned the corner this season and one of the standard bearers for the yard has been Carrickmines (2.50), who is taken to complete a hat-trick of victories today at Warwick. He started off the season in unfortunate circumstances when falling three out at Market Rasen when looking sure to be in the shake-up but has gone on to run a fine third at Huntingdon and then record two victories back over fences at Chepstow and Wincanton.The selection defied a penalty in eye-catching style last time at Wincanton on soft ground and a 10lb rise in the weights may not be able to stop him today. The conditions underfoot will be similarly testing and the way he has won his last two races suggests he is one to follow while in such sparkling form.Trainer David Pipe's followers will be taking a very close look at Sona Sasta (12.50) now he runs in a handicap for the first time and, perhaps even more significantly, steps up significantly in distance to three miles plus.This stoutly bred point-to-point winner will appreciate the extra distance and has got in on a very lenient mark thanks to three runs over inadequate trips for this shrewd yard.Mares' novice hurdles invariably have little strength in depth and that is true of today's Warwick contest in which Silver Kate and Miss Overdrive (2.20) look dominant. Miss Overdrive is the pick, particularly as she is set to receive a stone on what will be very testing ground.On the all-weather at Lingfield, Poppanan (3.30) is the value bet in the concluding race of the day. He has only had five starts so is open to improvement and ran on in good style last time – the step up to seven furlongs should suit.Crack Away Jack sidelined for a year12.05pm: Emma Lavelle's year has ended on a sad note with the news Crack Away Jack will be out for at least 12 months. One of the leading fancies for the Arkle, the gelding has heat in one of his legs and cannot be risked for some time. Crack Away Jack, a top hurdler, was most recently fourth to Petit Robin in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton on 27 December.Lavelle said: "Basically he had a little heat in his off fore after his run. We scanned him today, it's there, and he will be off for the rest of this season and for some of next. These problems have to be left for a year and hopefully then he can be brought back to his peak. It's gutting for us and the owners but unfortunately these things happen to plenty of good horses."Thriller for McCoy12.20pm: Tony McCoy has been booked to ride Mr Thriller in the Freedom Hurdle at Cheltenham tomorrow. David Pipe says he is delighted to have the champion jockey on board. Tom Scudamore, Mr Thriller's regular pilot since the horse arrived from France, is suspended.Tactics are likely to play a big part in the race as Mr Thriller takes on the 2008 Champion Hurdle hero Katchit and last season's Ladbroke winner Sentry Duty in the three-horse contest. Mr Thriller beat Starluck at Haydock last time for the second of his two wins so far this term. "We've aimed him at this race and hopefully it will be on. The two and a half miles should suit and obviously we've got AP McCoy on board," said Pipe. PAExeter decision deferred2.40pm: Officials at Exeter have called an 8am inspection for tomorrow's fixture. An inspection this afternoon failed to arrive at a positive decision about the condition of the track, which is partially waterlogged. "It's about 40 yards of track that are giving us pain," said an Exeter official. The elements seem to be conspiring against the course because an overnight frost warning is also causing concern.Click here for all the day's racecards, form, stats and results.Click here for today's latest odds.And post your racing-related comments below.Horse racingHorse racing tipsTony Paleyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
England rebuild after flurry of wickets on second day of third Test The final session of an eventful day on which 11 wickets fell went South Africa's way when Alastair Cook and Ian Bell both gave their wickets away when apparently well set. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |
Return of Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters has field running scared • Standard of women's tennis better for return of Belgians• 'The competition's getting really tough,' says DementievaThere is a message board by one of the entrances to Melbourne Park on which the players are invited to write their own individual notes to the tournament. Five days before the Australian Open was due to begin, there were only a few scribblings, but one in particular stood out – "Great to be back: Justine Henin".Quite whether her rivals are altogether thrilled to have the former world No1 back in their ranks is another question altogether. While Henin's return – after 20 months of retirement – is clearly good for the women's game as a whole, the return of a player who dominated the sport until shortly before she quit will have sent shock waves through the rest of the elite.And that was before she had even played. In her first tournament back, Henin struggled a little early on but found her stride as the WTA event in ÂBrisbane progressed last week, culminating in a final against her fellow Belgian Kim ÂClijsters that is already being talked about as potentially the match of the year, and we are only halfway through January.Clijsters, the US Open champion, whose victory in Flushing Meadows came in her third tournament back after her own retirement, during which she gave birth to a daughter, just about edged her way to victory in the Brisbane final. But the standard of play was so good that if ÂSerena ÂWilliams, who defends her title here over the next fortnight, was watching, she Âcannot have been unimpressed. Darren Cahill, who coached Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi to the world No1 spot and who is now a commentator with ESPN, said he expected Clijsters and Henin to challenge for the title in Melbourne. "I see no reason why they are not going to be dominant forces at the Australian Open," he said.Unfortunately for the tournament organisers the two Belgians were drawn in the same half and are scheduled to meet in the quarter-finals. Before that, Henin is likely to face a second-round match with the world No5, Russia's Elena ÂDementieva, who yesterday beat Serena Williams to win the Sydney International.Dementieva said she was not surprised to see Henin come back. "I know how much she loves her tennis and she's a champion," she said. "She was always one of the fittest players on the tour. I know she got some good wins. It's going to be a very interesting year. The competition's getting really tough."That Henin is back on the tour is no surprise, especially given the shock that Âeveryone in the game felt when she retired in 2008, three weeks before the French Open, her favourite event and one that she had won four times. Just a few weeks before her announcement she had been pounding balls back and forth at the Monte Carlo Country Club and looked in great form but all of a sudden she was gone.Filling her life with a host of other pursuits, including working on television, Henin seemed unlikely to return but as she watched Roger Federer win at Roland Garros last summer, something clicked and from that moment on her mind was set on a comeback. Like Clijsters, Henin made sure she put in months of work on her game and her fitness before her return and when she did come back in Brisbane, it was as if she had never been away.Serena Williams, the No1 seed, is sure to have a say in the destiny of the title, having won in Melbourne in three of the past five years and four times overall. "Serena is going to come out as fired up as she has ever been for the Australian Open," said Pam Shriver, the American former top-10 player turned commentator. "In 2007, the last full year Justine played all the slams, Serena kept meeting her in the quarters and she couldn't beat her. She will want her revenge."Serena and her sister Venus, the five-times Wimbledon champion, are in the top half of the draw, the opposite half to Henin and Clijsters. Also in the Belgians' half is Maria Sharapova, a former champion here, at Wimbledon and at the US Open, who has a seemingly clear route through to the last four.And let us not forget Dementieva, who will go into the tournament high on confidence after her win over Williams in Sydney. The Olympic champion has lost in two grand slam finals, but said she was relaxed about her prospects of breaking her duck in Melbourne. "I don't think I am unlucky," she said. "If I haven't won it's because I am not good enough. I think I can do it, but I do not feel any pressure."Australian OpenJustine HeninKim ClijstersTennisSimon Cambersguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
AirTran signs Oher to endorsement deal AirTran Airways added Baltimore Ravens star offensive tackle Michael Oher as an endorser. (AAI) feeds.bizjournals.com |
Monroe nets 21 as No. 14 Georgetown rips Rutgers Greg Monroe was all but unstoppable Saturday, making his first eight shots and finishing with 21 points and 14 rebounds to help No. 12 Georgetown ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |