Cole Harden has each-way claims in highlight March 11, 2015 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS THE WORLD HURDLE THE LADBROKES World Hurdle (3.20pm) without Big Buck’s is a bit like a cheese sandwich without pickle, but Paul Nicholls still has the joint-favourites in Zarkandar and Saphir Du Rheu. Zarkandar won the Triumph Hurdle four years ago, but he has only won one of his last six visits [...]
Apache Stronghold can land JLT under masterful Carberry March 11, 2015 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS THE JLT, PERTEMPS FINAL AND KIM MUIR STILL a relatively new race at the Cheltenham Festival, the JLT Novices’ Chase (1.30pm) is for those horses who need further than the two miles of the Arkle and less than the three and a bit miles of the RSA Chase. No horse fits that [...]
Racing FX March 11, 2015 I’VE got another good book of rides today and hopefully we can get into the winner’s enclosure again. VALSEUR LIDO takes his chance in the JLT Chase (1.30) and I’d be pretty confident that he can reverse the form with Apache Stronghold from last time. That was his first run for a while and he [...]
Jose laments PSG’s reliance on aggression March 10, 2015 CHELSEA boss Jose Mourinho has labelled Paris Saint-Germain the most physical side the Blues have faced this season ahead of their Champions League last-16 second-leg showdown at Stamford Bridge tonight. Mourinho was irked by the Ligue 1 outfit’s persistent fouling in the first leg in the French capital, which ended 1-1 after a second-half strike [...]
Football Comment: Fans’ performance as important as the result March 10, 2015 I’ll be heading off to Stamford Bridge tonight with a spring in my step. Over the past decade or so, European nights have often brought out the best in Chelsea. We’ve taken an advantage from the first leg in Paris but nothing can be guaranteed when you’re up against such an expensively put together team, [...]
Giles: Approach to one-day format is not fit for purpose March 10, 2015 FORMER one-day international coach Ashley Giles insists England will continue to flounder in the 50-over game until cricket bosses develop a more strategic approach to the shorter format. Giles was overlooked for the top job when the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decided to combine Test and limited-overs coaching roles last April and Peter [...]
Lancaster drops World Cup hint over No10 Slade March 10, 2015 ENGLAND head coach Stuart Lancaster has dropped a sizeable hint that Exeter Chiefs’ fly-half Henry Slade is likely to feature heavily on his World Cup radar. The uncapped 21-year-old has been included in England’s 35-man training squad for Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Scotland at Twickenham after Saracens centre Brad Barritt was ruled out of [...]
Police investigate racist tweet aimed at Arsenal hero Welbeck March 10, 2015 GREATER Manchester Police have confirmed investigations are underway after Arsenal striker Danny Welbeck was the subject of a racist tweet following his match-winning strike against Manchester United on Monday night. Welbeck fired Arsenal into the semi-finals of the FA Cup with a goal on his first return to his boyhood club following a £16m move [...]
Rooney: We blew chance March 10, 2015 MANCHESTER United skipper Wayne Rooney believes his side blew a huge chance to win the FA Cup after succumbing to Arsenal at Old Trafford on Monday. United boss Louis van Gaal insisted in the build-up to the quarter-final tie that a top-four finish was more valuable than lifting the FA Cup, a competition Rooney is [...]
Gamble works for Walsh but late fall lets bookies off hook March 10, 2015 TOP jockey Ruby Walsh insisted victory in the Champion Hurdle vindicated his decision to ride Faugheen over Hurricane Fly in the opening day’s feature race at the Cheltenham Festival yesterday. The unbeaten seven-year-old gelding held off a late challenge from stable companion Arctic Fire to maintain his perfect record of nine wins from nine races, [...]