Tag Archives: handicap

Harpsy Cord falls at final fence in Tim Duggan Memorial Handicap Chase at Limerick

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No laughing matter at Limerick as Harpsy Cord falls at the last having led from the front

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UPDATED:

17:56 GMT, 27 December 2012

There was agony for backers of Harpsy Cord in the Tim Duggan Memorial Handicap Chase as, after leading all the way, he crashed out at the final fence when five lengths clear and seemingly having the two mile three-and-a-half furlong race at his mercy.

That left course specialist Jack Absolute (16-1) in front and he had to be kept right up to his work to hold off Tullintain by a length-and-a-quarter and land the 21,000 prize.

It was not what Harpsy Cord deserved as he had jumped brilliantly in the hands of Keith Donoghue but after pecking on landing at the second-last he got in too tight to the final fence to gift victory to the John Walsh-trained nine-year-old in the hands of Brian O'Connell.

Going... Harpsy Cord clips the final fence at the Tim Duggan Memorial Handicap Steeplechase

Going… Harpsy Cord clips the final fence at the Tim Duggan Memorial Handicap Steeplechase

Going... Harpsy Cord clips the final fence at the Tim Duggan Memorial Handicap Steeplechase

Going... Donoghue is sent flying over the top of Harpsy Cord as he fails to regain his footing

Going… Donoghue is sent flying over the top of Harpsy Cord as he fails to regain his footing

Going... Donoghue is sent flying over the top of Harpsy Cord as he fails to regain his footing

Gone: Both horse and jockey (who were OK after the fall) hit the deck and kiss goodbye to their hopes of winning

Gone: Both horse and jockey (who were OK after the fall) hit the deck and kiss goodbye to their hopes of winning

Gone: Both horse and jockey (who were OK after the fall) hit the deck and kiss goodbye to their hopes of winning

Walsh said: 'That's his eighth win and his sixth around here so it's definitely a case of horses for courses.

'Today was the plan and you can't beat a bit of luck!'

The Earl of Harrington Memorial Maiden Hunters Chase will also live long in the memory for the wrong reasons after the attritional conditions resulted in 13 of the 16 runners failing to complete the course.

The race was won by 11-2 chance Goonyella who slogged through mud best of all to come home a distance clear of Survival, with Thetalkisover (pictured) the only other finisher back in third. The win provided a welcome fillip for trainer Tom Dreaper who had been so luckless earlier in the afternoon with Harpsy Cord.

Conditions took their toll on John Gleeson-trained Thetalkisover who refused to jump the final fence at the first time of asking but finally consented to clamber over and take third place despite being exhausted.

Third time lucky: Thetalkinisover initially refused to jump the final fence in the Hunters Steeplechase

Third time lucky: Thetalkinisover initially refused to jump the final fence in the Hunters Steeplechase

Third time lucky: Thetalkinisover initially refused to jump the final fence in the Hunters Steeplechase

Third time lucky: Thetalkinisover initially refused to jump the final fence in the Hunters Steeplechase

Third time lucky: Thetalkinisover initially refused to jump the final fence in the Hunters Steeplechase

Katie Walsh was feared to have suffered a shoulder injury when Pocketfullapennies came down at the seventh-last but later tweeted she was 'fine just sore!!'.

Roberto Martinez says he wants to stick to his football principles

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I won't go against my principles: Martinez not keen to turn Wigan into defensive side

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UPDATED:

12:37 GMT, 16 September 2012

Roberto Martinez has admitted he would prefer to be criticised for sticking to his football principles than adopting a safety-first attitude that would condemn Wigan to defeat anyway.

After picking up four points from their previous two games, the Latics found Manchester United too good at Old Trafford.

Although they held out for 50 minutes before Paul Scholes marked his 700th United appearance by prodding the hosts in front, Wigan had seemed to offer their opponents too much room.

Sticking to his principles: Wigan manager Roberto Martinez gestures during the defeat to Manchester United

Sticking to his principles: Wigan manager Roberto Martinez gestures during the defeat to Manchester United

And with goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi having a rare off-day, it was not a surprise when the floodgates eventually opened.

The damage might have been restricted had Wigan tightened up – but Martinez will not do anything which limits his players' capacity to express themselves.

'It would have been too easy to be very defensive minded, not have a proper go and lose 1-0 with a damage-limitation performance,' he said.

'My team will never play like that and we will learn a lot.'

No help from the officials: Wigan players surround Michael Oliver after he awards a penalty against them at Old Trafford

No help from the officials: Wigan players surround Michael Oliver after he awards a penalty against them at Old Trafford

The additional handicap Wigan had to try to overcome was the huge amount of travelling many of his players had to do during the international break.

And their performance for those first 50 minutes offers Martinez hope that last year's catastrophe can be avoided.

For 12 months ago, after a bright start, Wigan returned from the September internationals and promptly lost eight successive Premier League matches, a run that dumped them into the relegation zone – from which they did not emerge until the thrilling final weeks of the entire campaign.

'I am not going to lie,' said Martinez. 'We have really struggled after international breaks.

'This week some of them didn't come back until Friday. Some had a 10-hour flight.

'It is not an ideal way to prepare for any game. But last year was a completely different squad.

'We are still a work in progress but we have good, healthy competition for places, and I know we can improve.'

London 2012 Olympics: Swimming: Michael Phelps wants to build legacy

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Phelps hoping to build on legacy by teaching the world to swim like champions

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UPDATED:

17:34 GMT, 5 August 2012

Olympics 2012

Michael Phelps is not done with high-achieving even if his career as an Olympic athlete is over.

The American's indefatigability brought him 18 Olympic gold medals, two silver and two bronze, an unprecedented total, and after he scratches a travelling itch he will set himself new objectives.

Phelps is the man who wants to teach the world to swim, who wants to lop a heap of shots from his golf handicap, who wants nothing more than to see the sport he has dominated in the past decade continue to grow and grow.

Last one Michael Phelps says teaching children how to swim is very important to him

Last one Michael Phelps says teaching children how to swim is very important to him

Farewell: Michael Phelps retired on a high after winning the 4x100m medley relay

Farewell: Michael Phelps retired on a high after winning the 4x100m medley relay

He is also not a man who accepts
second best, as the rivals who have come and gone, lining their pockets
with silver and bronze, can attest.

Just now though, Baltimore-based
Phelps wants to enjoy life outside professional sport, the 27-year-old
having been cocooned since his mid-teens, visiting the world's greatest
cities but more likely to be taking in the sights from a coach window
than on foot. He could look but rarely touch. Now all that changes.

'I want to travel a bunch. That's
something I've always wanted to do,' Phelps said. 'I've been able to see
so many amazing places in the world but I've really never got to
experience them.

'I've seen the pool and hotels, every
year over the last 12 years of being in the national team. I'd like to
experience some things, whether it's travelling through Europe or going
back to Australia and being able to go around Australia, or South Africa
- something (South African swimmer) Chad (Le Clos) and I were talking
about.

'There's a lot of things I want to do
for myself just to be able to relax, and even though I am retiring and
the competitive side of my career is over, there's a lot of things I
want to do around the sport.

Dream team: Brendan Hansen, Matthew Grevers, Michael Phelps and Nathan Adrian

Dream team: Brendan Hansen, Matthew Grevers, Michael Phelps and Nathan Adrian

'I would like to take it to a higher level than it is right now, and continue to grow the sport more and more.'

He also has a charitable foundation, aimed at encouraging positive lifestyles for American youngsters.

'I'm going to be able to put more
time and effort into that,' Phelps said, 'and also my summer schools.
Being able to teach children how to swim and live healthily is something
that's very important to me.'

Phelps won four golds in London,
after eight in Beijing and six in Athens. It is also often forgotten he
raced in Sydney as a 15-year-old too, but that further underlines how
swimming has been his life since childhood.

As well as two relay successes in
London, including Saturday's 4x100metres medley, he claimed individual
gold in 100m butterfly and 200m individual medley.

Phelps could easily swim on and remain competitive on a world level between now and the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016.

Hugs: Michael Phelps with his coach Bob Bowman after receiving a special award

Hugs: Michael Phelps with his coach Bob Bowman after receiving a special award

'Sure, if I wanted to I could still go,' he said. 'But I'm ready to be done. I'm ready to retire and move on to other things.

'Whatever route I go down I'm going
to have goals. I'm still a very competitive person, so if I go out and
practice more at golf I'm going to drop x amounts of strokes.

'I'm going to have things I'll be
able to go for and try to achieve. That's the mentality I have and the
competitiveness I have, and I think it'll always be with me.'

As a boy, Phelps was diagnosed with
attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and had a school teacher who
thought he would amount to little in life. It was a prediction that was
wildly off target, with Phelps emerging as a national hero, sporting
nobility.

United States' swimmer Michael Phelps holds up a silver trophy after being honored as the most decorated Olympian

US swimmer Michael Phelps holds his trophy of the greatest olympic athlete of all time

The Greatest: Phelps was awarded a trophy for being the best Olympian of all time

As he prepared to mount the podium in
the Aquatics Centre last night, waiting for the Star-Spangled Banner to
strike up, Phelps turned to team-mate Brendan Hansen who is joining him
in retirement.

'And it was strange,' Phelps said.
'Brendan was like, 'I'm going to belt the words out', and I said, “It's
going to sound like gibberish if I do it”.

'As soon as I stuffed up on the podium I could feel the tears start coming.

'I said to Nathan (Adrian, who swam the anchor leg), “Oh no, there they come, it's going to be pretty brutal”.

'They just started coming. I tried to
fight it but I just decided to let it go, and whatever happened,
happened. I was just taking in these last moments of my swimming career.

'To be able to sit here and say I've done everything I wanted to do in my swimming career is something that's pretty special.

'That's the only thing I wanted to say when I retired. I wouldn't change anything. I didn't miss anything.

'I've had the opportunity to do something nobody else has ever done before, so I'm very happy with that.'

Charles Green: Failed SFA appeal will not deter Ibrox takeover

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Green for go: Failed SFA appeal will not halt Ibrox takeover

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UPDATED:

22:50 GMT, 17 May 2012

Charles Green has told supporters he has no intention of walking away from Rangers despite the handicap of an SFA transfer embargo.

On a whirlwind day of meetings on Thursday, the prospective Ibrox owner discussed his plans with SFA chief executive Stewart Regan and SPL counterpart Neil Doncaster at Hampden before meeting fans' representatives.

Amid widespread anger at the refusal of a three-man Appellate Tribunal, headed by Lord Carloway, to overturn a 12-month transfer ban and a 160,000 fine, Green refused to rule out a legal challenge.

I won't walk away: Green at Hampden on Thursday after talks with SFA and SPL chiefs

I won't walk away: Green at Hampden
on Thursday after talks with SFA and SPL chiefs

Critically, however, he confirmed that he will press on with his 8.5million takeover regardless.

After meeting the Rangers Supporters Assembly on Sunday and the Rangers Fans Fighting Fund on Wednesday, Green held another gathering of supporters chiefs last night and told them he expects the club to be debt free and challenging Celtic for titles within five years.

He also said there was a 20m investment pot.

And, in spite of having only six of the 20 potential investors confirmed, he told fans he is still fielding investment queries and has written to Ticketus, giving formal notice of an intention to terminate the 27m deal established by Craig Whyte.

Earlier, Green emerged from a two-and-a-half hour meeting with the governing body at Hampden to say of the transfer embargo: 'When we offered to buy the club, we realised what the potential was.

'Last night's announcement was an option we considered when we bought the club.'

Citing legal advice that the verdict was 'not competent', Green said all possibilities – including legal redress – remain on the table as the stricken club seek to overturn a decision which would prohibit the signing of players over 18 during the next two transfer windows.

Rumours abound: Glasgow alive of talk about Kenny Dalglish arriving

Rumours abound: Glasgow alive of talk about Kenny Dalglish arriving

'We are discussing all the options available,' added Green, a former Sheffield United chief executive and figurehead of an investment group also said to feature ex-Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd.

Former Sheffield United owner Mike McDonald is a key backer, while reports swept Glasgow last night of a possible bid to bring sacked Liverpool manager – and Celtic legend – Kenny Dalglish to the fray.

Concerned by the lack of clarity over the identity of the investors, the SFA sought assurances on Thursday after Green's reluctance to name them publicly.

Describing his talks with Regan, Doncaster and SFA board members as 'productive', the 59-year-old said: 'The questions they were asking were the obvious questions. About where I think we are and where we are trying to go.

'We've achieved quite a lot. We spoke to members of the board of the SFA and to executives of the SPL. And I think it has been a very, very productive meeting.

'We are happy everyone is positive in terms of looking at what is best for Rangers and for the SPL. We are encouraged by the meeting.'

Rangers fans were angered by the refusal to overturn the transfer ban and could push ahead with plans to boycott away matches.

Thousands protested outside Hampden last month when the punishment was initially handed down.

Andy Kerr, president of the Rangers Supporters Assembly, said: 'We were hopeful the appeals process would help. Now we know it hasn't been a help, we will revisit our previous discussion.

'There will definitely be a call not to support away matches because that is directly impacting on the other clubs and they are member clubs of the SFA.

'Potentially, there will be a call not to enter the Scottish Cup because that is the only competition we compete in that's directly under the auspices of the SFA.

'The other one is non-cooperation with national squads.'

Merigo lands Scottish Grand National for second time

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Brave Merigo lands Scottish Grand National for second time in three years

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UPDATED:

16:00 GMT, 21 April 2012

Staying success: Timmy Murphy raises the Scottish Grand National trophy

Staying success: Timmy Murphy raises the Scottish Grand National trophy

Merigo won the Coral Scottish Grand
National for the second time with a brave display in the marathon
handicap chase at Ayr.

Winner in 2010 and second 12 months ago, the
11-year-old just held the front-running Auroras Encore in a thrilling
duel over the last three fences.

The 15-2 winner was ridden by
weighing-room veteran Timmy Murphy for his father-in-law owner Raymond
Anderson Green, and trained by Lockerbie-based Andrew Parker.

Garleton set a strong pace from the
outset, accompanied by Fruity O'Rooney, and it was a gallop that had
several of the leading fancies struggling as the field went out on the
final circuit.

Quentin Collonges, Walkon, Ikorodu
Road and Knockara Beau were among those pulled up while the favourite
Harry The Viking never looked like scoring for his co-owner Sir Alex
Ferguson.

Make mine a double: Merigo and Timmy Murphy power up the home straight

Make mine a double: Merigo and Timmy Murphy power up the home straight

On the front end, after Garleton gave way down the back straight, it was Auroras Encore who took the bull by the horns under Ryan Mania.

Murphy was wise to the move and patiently brought Merigo to make his challenge in the straight.

Although Auroras Encore (25-1) outjumped him, Merigo's determination won the day as he gained the verdict by a head.

Thrill of the chase: Merigo (left) jumps with Any Currency and Heez A Steel

Thrill of the chase: Merigo (left) jumps with Any Currency and Heez A Steel

Thumbs up: Murphy celebrates on Merigo

Thumbs up: Murphy celebrates on Merigo

King Fontaine (40-1) was 15 lengths away third with Ballyfitz (33-1) another nine lengths back in fourth.

Murphy said: 'He's a superstar. Andrew knows him better than anybody and I think he just comes to himself at this time of year.

'The choke was out for a long way and
all credit to how deep he dug for me. I couldn't go any quicker and his
jumping was keeping him it.

'He's a great horse to own and ride.'

Anderson Green said: 'To win it once is dreamland, to come back and do
it again – words can't describe it. It means everything to me to win
this race.

'It was a great ride by Timmy.'

Champion jockey Tony McCoy taken to hospital with rib injury after Taunton fall

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Champion jockey McCoy taken to hospital with rib injury after Taunton fall

Tony McCoy faces a spell on the sidelines after sustaining suspected cracked ribs at Taunton on Friday.

McCoy suffered a final-fence fall aboard Laudatory in the Steve Logan Memorial County Contractors Handicap Hurdle.

Agony: Iron-man McCoy lies prone after a fall at Taunton

Agony: Iron-man McCoy lies prone after a fall at Taunton

The 16-times champion jockey gave up his final ride of the day, Hopeful Start, in the totetrifecta Handicap Chase.

A shaky-looking McCoy was later taken by ambulance on a stretcher to Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton.

Clerk of the course Michael Trickey said: “He had some morphine and they”ve had a further look and taken him to hospital.

“He has suspected cracked ribs.”

McCoy is due to be in action at Warwick on Saturday, where he has four rides.

Roberto Mancini hits back at Wayne Bridge

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Mancini hits back in Bridge row as City boss insists he told the defender to leave two years ago

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has rejected Wayne Bridge”s claim he refuses to talk to the defender and revealed he said two years ago that the former Chelsea man had no future at the club.

Mancini recently questioned Bridge”s motives for remaining at City, hinting that the player”s salary of 90,000 a week salary was the overriding factor.

Talking frankly: Wayne Bridge criticised Roberto Mancini in an interview with Sportsmail

Talking frankly: Wayne Bridge criticised Roberto Mancini in an interview with Sportsmail

WAYNE BRIDGE EXCLUSIVE

Read Neil Ashton”s hard-hitting interview with Bridge: Play golf Mancini is my only handicap

Bridge denied this in a frank and exclusive interview with Sportsmail and revealed his discontent at Mancini”s managerial techniques.

Now the City boss has hit back once more.

“Bridge said I don”t speak to him. That is not true,” said Mancini. “I told Wayne two years ago that he was not part of our plans and if he wanted to find a good solution he should go somewhere else.”

Wayne Bridge blasts Roberto Mancini

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Bridge hits back at Mancini after golf jibe and insists: No one trains harder than me!

Wayne Bridge has hit back at his Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini after deciding it was time to defend his own professional reputation.

In an exclusive Sportsmail interview – the first major one of his 14-year career – the former England full back revealed the way Mancini has ostracised him and made him train with the youth team.

Bridge in troubled waters: Wayne Bridge has admitted his Manchester City career is over

Bridge in troubled waters: Wayne Bridge has admitted his Manchester City career is over

Bridge spoke out after reading Mancini’smidweek suggestion that he was happy to play golf on a Saturday afternoon – the implication that he was more worried by money and his reported 95,000-a-week salary than playing football.

WAYNE BRIDGE EXCLUSIVE

Play golf Mancini is my only handicap, says Bridge as outcast hits back

He said: ‘Roberto Mancini obviously doesn’t know me very well because I don’t play golf. There is no one at the club who trains harder. I do everything that is asked of me, but there is no future for me at the club.

“Mancini doesn’t really speak to me, he doesn’t really speak to any of the players. (That’s why) my frustration has come out. I’ve been training with the kids for a month and I’m a senior professional footballer. Another manager would have treated me differently.’

Bridge, 31, who has been told by City to find another club in January, admits he is desperate to move after playing only one first-team game – a Carling Cup tie against Birmingham – in 2011.

Are you sitting comfortably Bridge has hit out at his manager

Are you sitting comfortably Bridge has hit out at his manager”s recent jibe

He said: ‘When I was at Chelsea I was playing for a team where Ashley Cole was the best in the world and I still got games. It won’t happen to me at City.

“There has never been an explanation, but it’s obvious they don’t want me. The players are good to me. They see my situation and some of them don’t think what’s happening is right.’