Tarfasha primed to lead home Sheikh Hamdan Investec Oaks one-two June 5, 2014 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS TODAY’S INVESTEC OAKS THE JOB of clerk of the course can be difficult at the best of times, but Andrew Cooper, the man in charge of producing the best possible surface for this weekend’s Investec Derby Festival, must have been tearing out the few hairs he has left over the past fortnight. [...]
Thistle Bird and Gregorian set for more Epsom glory June 5, 2014 BILL ESDAILE PREVIEWS TODAY’S OTHER RACES AND LOOKS AHEAD TO TOMORROW’S INVESTEC DERBY MUCH talk in the lead-up to the Investec Derby Festival is about the uniqueness of Epsom and it’s not a point to be underestimated. Some horses handle it and some don’t. Today’s action looks tricky so perhaps it’s best to focus primarily [...]
Investec Derby Preview June 5, 2014 THE 235th running of the Investec Derby at Epsom is a puzzle that I am struggling to solve at the time of writing. Alarming weather predictions mean none of us really know what state the ground will be in come 4.00pm tomorrow. We do know that short-priced favourite Australia does not want it soft according [...]
World Cup Friendly: Fears for Oxlade-Chamberlain as knee injury hits World Cup dream June 4, 2014 ECUADOR 2 ENGLAND 2 ENGLAND manager Roy Hodgson fears midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could miss the World Cup with suspected knee ligament damage suffered in last night’s friendly draw in Miami. Goals from Wayne Rooney and Rickie Lambert cancelled out Enner Valencia’s early opener for Ecuador, but Michael Arroyo arrowed in a second-half equaliser. Both teams [...]
Semi-final spot nothing to cheer, insists Murray June 4, 2014 BRITISH No1 Andy Murray insists equalling his best run at the French Open is no cause for celebration with eyes firmly on a place in Sunday’s final for the first time. Murray relinquished a two-set lead in last night’s quarter-final with Gael Monfils and was angry tournament officials ordered they play a decider with the [...]
Cricket Comment: Forget THAT stumping, England have plenty to be happy about June 4, 2014 ENGLAND captain Alastair Cook clearly felt that Sri Lanka bowler Sachithra Senanayake’s stumping of Jos Buttler in Tuesday’s one-day series decider amounted to skulduggery, but I disagree. As long as Buttler had been warned before about not leaving the crease until the ball had been released – and he had, not just in that game [...]
Chelsea ready to complete £32m swoop for Atletico’s Diego Costa June 4, 2014 SPAIN striker Diego Costa is poised to complete his long-anticipated £32m transfer to Chelsea after successfully undergoing medical tests yesterday. The Blues could announce a deal for the 25-year-old Atletico Madrid star before the World Cup, which kicks off in his native Brazil next week. The bustling centre-forward, who shares the same agent as Chelsea [...]
Haskell earns England recall June 4, 2014 RUGBY UNION: England have recalled London Wasps flanker James Haskell for Saturday’s first Test against New Zealand. Haskell won the last of his 50 caps against Wales in March 2013. Manu Tuilagi starts at centre, Freddie Burns will wear No10 and Danny Care has been passed fit at scrum-half.
Exiles promoted with Bristol win June 4, 2014 RUGBY UNION: London Welsh sealed their immediate return to the Aviva Premiership last night with a 21-20 win against Bristol in their Championship final second-leg, completing a 48-28 aggregate win.
The Investec Epsom Derby 2014: What does it take to win? June 4, 2014 The world's greatest flat race – The Investec Derby 2014 – is almost here. How does it feel to have the winner of this great Epsom race? What kind of horse does it take? Watch The Investec Derby Film featuring Channel 4's Clare Balding and Nick Luck along with Investec Derby winning trainer [...]