Sport (Page 171)

Liengal Hope represents the nearest thing to a certainty imaginable for division one of a nine-runner Novice Stakes over six furlongs of Newcastle tapeta today; there was a glaringly obvious reason why this thrice-raced gelding by The Last Lion was overturned at odds-on three weeks ago when I actually layed David O’Meara’s charge on Betfair even though my time-handicap had him best-in. ‘You can’t beat the draw’ is my firm maxim and having made use of natural early speed from the widest berth around Wolverhampton, also on tapeta, Liangel Hope found it impossible to ‘do it at both ends’ so to speak and weakened ignominiously into sixth; it looks moderate on paper and my ‘Hope’ is the effort will beContinue Reading

AINSLEY MAITLAND-NILES is relishing building a future at Arsenal after putting last summer’s transfer drama behind him.  The midfielder made it clear he wanted a move away from the Emirates in August as his chances of first team action looked limited under Mikel Arteta.  1 Arsenal ace Ainsley Maitland-Niles put in a man of the match display against Watford on SundayCredit: Reuters He went as far as to call out the club on social media, writing: “All I want to do is go where I’m wanted and where I am gonna play.”  But the 24-year-old’s call to leave was ignored by the club as they rejected an approach from Everton and forced him to work his way back into theContinue Reading

FORMER Las Vegas Raiders star Henry Ruggs’s prison sentence could be doubled after prosecutors have added charges against him following the horror car crash that killed Tina Tintor, 23. Ruggs was initially charged with two felony charges of DUI and reckless driving resulting in death. But now Clark Country prosecutors intend to also charge him with DUI and reckless driving resulting in substantial bodily harm for injuries that his girlfriend Rudy Washington suffered during the crash, as reported by Clutch Points. Additionally, prosecutors also aim to charge Ruggs with a misdemeanor for a loaded gun that was allegedly found in his car. Ruggs could face up to 46 years in prison if convicted of all the charges. Meanwhile, a newContinue Reading

Lavorante ticks enough boxes and expected to continue a good recent spell for trainer Gary Moore when his son Jamie partners the lightly-raced Milan gelding in a Maiden Hurdle over two miles of ‘good to soft’ Sandown today; given quality usually on display at the Esher venue this smacks of a ‘shallow’ race which could well bring profit at decent odds. It’s 232 days since Lavorante made his hurdling debut around Fontwell where he achieved a half-decent time-handicap mark when third to heavily-backed favourites Sambesi and Forever Des Long; a loose horse hampered my selection at the sixth, he dropped back as a consequence but rallied in the closing stages to grab third spot, beaten about six lengths, which representedContinue Reading

GARY NEVILLE believes that Manchester United WON’T sack Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, because Ed Woodward won’t want his final act as CEO to be firing a manager. Solskjaer, 48, is once again under intense pressure at Old Trafford after his side were outclassed by Manchester City on Saturday. 2 Gary Neville believes that Man United are desperate not to sack Ole Gunnar SolskjaerCredit: Getty 2 The Norwegian is under pressure at Old TraffordCredit: EPA Roy Keane laid into his former side, claiming they had ‘no fight’. But Neville believes that Solskjaer’s job could be saved by Woodward’s upcoming departure. He tweeted: “The situation at United is made more complicated with Ed W leaving in weeks . “He gave OGS a 3Continue Reading

EDINSON CAVANI has been DROPPED from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad ahead of the Manchester derby today. The Uruguayan scored in Man Utd’s 3-0 victory over Tottenham last weekend as he partnered Cristiano Ronaldo up top. 1 Cavani is not even on the bench for Man Utd this afternoonCredit: Getty But he is nowhere to be seen ahead of the highly-anticipated clash with Premier League champions Man City this afternoon as Mason Greenwood looks set to play alongside Ronaldo. Reports in Uruguay have claimed Cavani is injured, but Solskjaer did not reference any form of problem in the pre-match press conference. Uruguayan journalist Rodrigo Romano revealed on Friday that the striker is suffering from a tendon injury. He said: “Cavani will not playContinue Reading

Star Zinc smacks of a Super-Saturday ‘special’ in division one of the Maiden Stakes over six furlongs of ‘soft’ Doncaster today when the 2021 turf-flat season concludes with a wonderful eight-race programme which includes the ‘final curtain’ November Handicap, a twenty-three runner mile and a half slog. Something for everybody without doubt but, as ever, my focus is on the juvenile age group which of course heralded the campaign back in May when ultra-consistent Chipotle romped away with the ‘Brocklesby’ and went onto score at expense of twenty-six ‘Windsor Castle rivals at Royal Ascot and, a few weeks ago, in Redcar’s hugely-competitive £100000 Two-Year-Old Trophy. First to know about Chipotle were you readers, immediately after my time-computation of the prestigiousContinue Reading

Rockprincess, tackling six furlongs for first time, bolted up on a ‘good to soft’ Redcar surface eleven days ago and I’m confident of a follow-up in the Nursery Handicap over a similar distance on Newcastle tapeta this afternoon when stable-jockey Kevin Stott replaces ‘number 2’ Tony Eaves on the Belardo filly. Good recent form at this time of year is so advantageous given the majority of two-year-old thoroughbreds have gone ‘over the top’ on the back of strenuous campaigns, which involve more than six months of constant training. Kevin Ryan’s charge carries a 6lbs penalty but improved much more than that and so, on the time-handicap, comes out clear ‘best-in’ and I’ll have a decent level stake wager; this afterContinue Reading

SON HEUNG-MIN launched the Antonio Conte era at Spurs last night, continuing his amazing record under new managers. The South Korean took just 14 minutes to score against Vitesse Arnhem on Conte’s debut, setting Tottenham on their way to a 3-2 victory. 5 Son Heung-min got Spurs off to a flyer against VitesseCredit: Getty 5 The South Korean scored against Manchester City in Nuno’s first gameCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun His effort launched the North Londoners into a perfect start, as they found themselves 3-0 within a half hour. And as it turns out, Son has made a habit of getting off to good starts. He scored the first goal of Jose Mourinho’s Spurs tenure, burying a left footedContinue Reading

EDINSON CAVANI phoned Boca Juniors to beg for a transfer in January, Juan Roman Riquelme revealed. The Manchester United striker was desperate to leave because of a lack of game time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. 2 Edinson Cavani personally called Boca Juniors to try and force through a transfer in JanuaryCredit: PA 2 Boca vice-president Juan Roman Riquelme wanted to get a deal over the lineCredit: AFP or licensors Reports strongly linked him with a move to the Argentine giants earlier this year, six months after joining United on a free transfer. And he even personally contacted Boca Juniors vice-president Riquelme to try and force it through, such was his unhappiness at Old Trafford. The Argentino hero told TNT SportsContinue Reading