| On the bag: Call sign, Pink Panther ... Creamer flies high Paula Creamer, who wears all things pink when playing golf, rested her surgically repaired left thumb last week instead of playing in the LPGA ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Frankel and Saamidd set for Dewhurst • Henry Cecil prefers Dewhurst as Frankel's next target• Trainer unafraid of taking on Godolphin-trained SaamiddAt least one of Frankel and Saamidd, the two British-trained colts who already dominate the betting for next year's Classics, may lose his unbeaten record before the end of the season as a clash between the pair seems increasingly likely in next month's Dewhurst Stakes.Immediately after Frankel's success in yesterday's Royal Lodge Stakes at Ascot Saamidd's jockey, Frankie Dettori, said he hoped Frankel would instead be aimed at Doncaster's Racing Post Trophy, enabling the pair to meet for the first time in the 2,000 Guineas next May.However, Henry Cecil, despite still keeping his cards close to his chest, said today that he preferred to run Frankel in the Dewhurst, despite the possible confrontation with the Godolphin-trained Saamidd, although he did admit that, were ground conditions to prove unsuitable at Newmarket on 16 October, he would wait a further week for the Racing Post Trophy, a race he first won in 1969 with Approval when the contest was known as the Observer Gold Cup."No decisions have been made but I don't think coming back to seven furlongs [in the Dewhurst] will be a problem for him," said Cecil. "He's come out of Saturday's race particularly well and has been full of himself today."Rarely can a horse who still has as much to prove as Frankel have been so short in the betting for the 2,000 Guineas more than seven months before the race. The last of the 5-2 dried up today, leaving a horse who is still to tackle Group One company as a 2-1 chance across the board. The excitement around Frankel is caused in part by the effortless manner in which he has so far brushed aside his rivals but also by the obvious enthusiasm of his trainer."I do think he is an exciting young horse," he said, "and I'd be surprised, judged by his appearance, if he doesn't make a very lovely three-year-old. He's done everything we've asked him to so far but I have been fairly easy on him at home. Hopefully he will be a horse for the Classics. There is a doubt about him getting a mile and a half but we will have to see."Cecil's fears over the Derby trip largely originate from the effectiveness of Frankel's dam, Kind, over six and seven furlongs, but Kind's siblings include a host of classy middle-distance performers and Kind's own dam Rainbow Lake, also trained by Cecil, won the Lancashire Oaks.Not that the 2,000 Guineas will necessarily be all about Frankel and Saamidd. The comfortable success of Casamento in today's Juddmonte Beresford Stakes at The Curragh boosted the claims of Pathfork, his National Stakes conqueror.Casamento was hailed by his trainer, Mick Halford, as "the best I've had by a long way" but Halford must be acutely aware of the possibility that Sheikh Mohammed, in whose famous maroon and white colours the colt races, will be switching him into the care of the Godolphin operation at some stage.Lady Of The Desert, second to Markab in the Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock at the start of the month, gained her first success of the season when taking today's British highlight, the John Guest Diadem Stakes at Ascot.With the Prix de l'Abbaye set to come too soon, connections hinted that they might now look abroad for the filly's next race. "She's been so well since Haydock that I think she could go on and on," said her trainer, Brian Meehan.No decision over the participation of the Investec Derby winner, Workforce, in nextSunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe will be taken until later in the week. The colt barely had to break sweat in a gentle canter today but a stiffer workout is expected to reveal more about his wellbeing tomorrow.Henry CecilHorse racingWill Haylerguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Wozniacki defeats Dementieva to capture title in Tokyo Top-seeded Caroline Wozniacki recovered from a slow start to beat Elena Dementieva 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 in Saturday's final of the Pan Pacific Open ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Transgender woman sues LPGA over 'birth' rule Lana Lawless, a former police officer who underwent a sex change operation five years ago, is challenging the LPGA's ban on transgender play ... rssfeeds.usatoday.com |
Power Snooker launch will be at O2 arena Snooker to be given Twenty20 cricket-style makeover, with eight-hour competition screened live on ITV4Snooker has become the latest sport to undergo a marketing makeover in search of new audiences, with a format played against the clock that will attempt to ape the razzmatazz of Twenty20 cricket.Power Snooker will debut at the O2 arena on 30 October, with a one-day tournament featuring players such as Ronnie O'Sullivan, Jimmy White, the Chinese prodigy Ding Junhui and current world champion Neil Robertson, competing for a £35,000 first prize. The eight-hour competition will be screened live on ITV4, albeit after Power Snooker "contributed" to the network's production costs.The format will feature loud music, crowd interaction and games lasting half an hour each, with 20 seconds allowed for each shot and double points scored for a two-minute period if the "power ball" red is sunk.It is the brainchild of Rod Gunner, the impresario behind productions such as Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance. He has been joined by Ed Simons, a co-producer of the film The Lawnmower Man and long-time business partner of the boxing promoter Frank Warren, whose wife also has a small shareholding in the snooker venture."We have come to the conclusion that snooker is in need of a huge transformation," Simons said. "We have been sanctioned by Barry Hearn's World Snooker to give us credibility. We don't want to be a threat. This will be another form of the game."The aim is to create a brand and then cash in on a multitude of possible revenue streams. First there are the events, which will generate ticket sales, overseas television rights and sponsorship, while there are plans to charge amateur snooker players to enter qualifying tournaments where the winner takes a slot in a Power Snooker "grand prix" event.Second, the brand is licensing its game into snooker halls, with Rileys, which operates 124 clubs, charging its customers an extra £2 to play. And then, there will be the sale of the brand's products, such as its iPhone app.The directors currently value the fledgling company at £1.25m, and Power Snooker says that its first event at the O2 has sold out. It predicts the company will turn over about £500,000 in the UK next year. However, this country is not the main focus, as the creators look east to China, where Simons claims that snooker is now more popular than table tennis.However, there is much to prove. Power Snooker has not yet signed a deal with a bookmaker, while the traditional game has suffered from a decline in popularity and sponsorship since its heyday in the 1980s and also received a recent shock from the John Higgins betting affair.Meanwhile, efforts in other sports to copy the success of Twenty20 – including little-known initiatives such as PowerPlay Golf – have not proved hugely lucrative.Hearn has not invested. Simons said that snooker's best-known promoter had played safe: "Our feeling is that he'll take a look at the event, see how it goes, and then we'll have another conversation."Travel & leisureSnookerTelevision industryTwenty20Simon Goodleyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |