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| Star makes it four in a row at Kempton • Popular chaser seizes Kempton race by huge margin• Ruby Walsh still won't commit to riding winner in Gold CupThere are those who claim that Kauto Star does not "connect" with the public as Desert Orchid used to do in his Christmas pomp. But even at the height of his popularity, the grey did not parade in front of crowds decked out in his racing colours. There were enough green-and-yellow scarves here to deck out the home end at Carrow Road and the only moment when Kauto Star seemed anything but composed and in control was when the crowd spooked him slightly with four loud cheers.There had been no need for anything but applause in the race itself, no requirement to cheer him on in a nose-to-nose battle like the one he survived at Haydock last month. Imperial Commander, who forced him to fight all the way to the line then, was a spent force here after a bad mistake at the second fence. But even if he had jumped cleanly throughout, he would have had no answer to the winner.This was one of the great chasing performances, one that seems sure to elevate Kauto Star into the sport's all-time top three. Victory was never in doubt at any stage and when Ruby Walsh eased the favourite past the grey Nacarat, who had set a strong pace, at the top of the straight, it was only a question of how far. The answer was 'a distance' – in other words, more than 30 lengths – which is an incredible margin of victory in a Grade One Chase when a good horse like Madison Du Berlais, a Hennessy Gold Cup winner, is the unsighted runner-up. He was barely over the last as Kauto Star crossed the line."You start off with a clear mind and hope to get happier, and I was just getting happier as the race went on," Walsh said."You keep coming back and you think that some day he can't be as good, but today he turned up better than ever. He's an unbelievably durable horse. You think about the race he had behind Denman in the Gold Cup and behind Our Vic at Aintree, and to come back the following years as the horse he has, he's such a reliable and dependable horse."The one horse that might yet threaten Kauto Star's dominance is his stable-mate Denman, this season's Hennessy Gold Cup winner, and Walsh has yet to commit to riding Kauto Star in the Gold Cup in March."If you get Denman back to his [2008] Gold Cup form, that was an incredible performance," Walsh said. "Anything can happen – horse racing could get me off both their backs. It's a fickle sport and Cheltenham is a long way away."For the winning trainer, Paul Nicholls, there was relief as well as amazement at just how easily his horse had prevailed. "It's fantastic," he said. "Obviously I was very nervous – I wanted to get him here in the best possible form. It's a lot of pressure on everybody, but he's great for jump racing and the crowd here has been fantastic and they've got what they wanted to see."It was never in any doubt, really, barring an accident. He was always cruising and jumping [and] since he's had a sheepskin noseband on, I don't think he's ever made a mistake."He's the best ever for me. Denman's got another run to come [before the Festival], but it's going to make things very interesting come March."Kauto Star's performance was not the only one to suggest that great things lie ahead at the Cheltenham Festival. Go Native took the Christmas Hurdle in the style of another former favourite here, his former stablemate Harchibald, by travelling supremely well through the race and then idling badly on the run-in so that he was almost caught by the strong-finishing Starluck.Paul Carberry, who famously took a pull after jumping the last in the 2005 Champion Hurdle on Harchibald and was then run out of what had seemed certain victory on the hill, will now attempt to repeat the trick, but with a different result, at Cheltenham."He's a very good horse with lots of speed and he'll be better on better ground," Carberry, representing trainer Noel Meade, said. "He's got a lot of gears and he can just produce at the time when you want him to. He jumps very quick as well."He might run again before Cheltenham, but it depends on the ground, Noel [Meade] wouldn't want to bottom him on heavy ground. He's won at Cheltenham already, so that's a big help."There was huge promise, too, from Long Run, a recent import from France, where he was rated superior to Kauto Star at a similarly early stage of his career. He was a little uncertain at some of his fences in winning the Feltham Novice Chase, but his engine is clearly outstanding and he is now co-favourite with some bookmakers for the RSA Chase in March.His partner here was Sam Waley-Cohen, the son of owner Robert, who managed to sit tight as Long Run clambered over some of his obstacles, the second-last in particular, looking like a tricky ride for an amateur jockey."The gods were with us there," said Waley-Cohen. "I think a sack of potatoes would have had more attention out of him. It felt pretty awful, but he's a fabulous horse and I hope he comes out of the race well and look forward to whatever's next."It's tricky when you know you're travelling well like that and you want to find a quiet stride, and he wasn't keen to take it."Nicky Henderson, Long Run's trainer, accepts that work will be needed between now and March, but realises he has a major prospect on his hands."He's very, very good," Henderson said. "He's just got to get his English [jumping] better than his French, as there are some French habits in there. Even watching tapes, he's good and good and good, but then, if he meets one wrong, the first thing that comes into his head is: 'I can get through this.'"As for the engine, you can see what's in there. For a four-year-old, it was a very serious performance."Horse racingKauto StarPaul NichollsGreg Woodguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
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 |
Tottenham poised to sign ÂŁ6m Sandro • Work permit may be an issue for once-capped midfielder• 20-year-old Brazilian also has third-party ownership issueTottenham have agreed personal terms in principle with Sandro, Internacional's 20-year-old Brazil midfielder, and they are attempting to push through a ÂŁ6m deal for him during this transfer window.Harry Redknapp, the Tottenham manager who says that his chairman, Daniel Levy, held further talks with Internacional last week, hopes to finance the move by selling Roman Pavlyuchenko to Zenit St Petersburg. The Russian club have made a ÂŁ10m offer for the striker.Tottenham first showed interest in the tough defensive midfielder last August when they also announced a sporting and strategic partnership with Internacional which, among other things, is intended to give them the first option on the Brazilian club's players. Levy visited Porto Alegre to meet Vittorio Piffero, the Internacional president, and also to discuss the possibility of signing Sandro. The player's lawyer, Luiz Paulo Chignall, has since travelled to London for talks."We have now agreed all of Sandro's personal terms – his salary, the length of his contract and so on, although nothing can yet be signed," said Luiz Paulo Chignall. "Sandro is happy and ready to join Tottenham. We liked the offer. All that remains is for Tottenham and Inter to finalise the small details, including the transfer fee. I know that Daniel Levy is speaking to Vittorio Piffero."Redknapp has said that, together with a back-up goalkeeper to replace the injured Carlo Cudicini, he would like to add strength in central midfield where, at present, he has only three specialists – Wilson Palacios, Tom Huddlestone and Jermaine Jenas. "Ideally, you would want four central midfielders," said Redknapp, who did acknowledge that Luka Modric could play there "at a pinch".Redknapp is leaving the negotiations to Levy. "Whether it happens or not, I'm not sure. He has been speaking to the people there [at Internacional] and I know that he spoke to them again last week."There are obstacles, most notably that Sandro has won only one cap for Brazil. He has a chance of being named in the squad for the World Cup finals in South Africa but is in competition with Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo. At present he appears to fall short of the required number of international appearances to be granted a work permit in the United Kingdom.There is also the question of his ownership. Internacional own 70% of his economic rights, with the remaining 30% held by third parties. They would be prohibited from retaining those stakes were Sandro to move. Chignall, though, does not consider the issue as problematic. "Third-party ownership is very common in Brazil," he said. "Transfer fees are paid to the club and then they have to settle up with the third parties."The Brazilian league season is poised to start anew – it runs from January to November – and Internacional will kick off their Copa Libertadores campaign at the end of next month. The two-leg final of South America's equivalent of the Champions League is scheduled for 11 and 18 August. Sandro's price would surely jump were he to impress in the Copa Libertadores and/or be selected for the World Cup finals so it appears to be in Tottenham's interests that they finalise a deal before the European winter transfer window closes and not wait until the summer.Redknapp has been told that to make signings now he must generate the funds through sales and he hopes that Zenit's offer for Pavlyuchenko, who has been a disappointment since his ÂŁ13.7m move from Spartak Moscow the summer before last, will prove acceptable to Levy.Transfer windowTottenham HotspurHarry RedknappDavid Hytnerguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.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 |
Rafael Nadal knows importance of putting Andy Murray in his place in Australia If there is any doubting the significance of his Australian Open quarter-final against Andy Murray tomorrow, Rafael Nadal dashes such thoughts in a sentence. “This match can change a lot the situation for me,” the defending champion said. Perhaps the British observers in Melbourne ought not to obsess with how much more might it change for Murray. feeds.timesonline.co.uk |