Diligent Harry can keep up good work in Lingfield handicap
Diligent Harry can make it three wins in as many starts in the Ladbrokes Watch Racing Online For Free Handicap at Lingfield. Cox's charge was well supported on his racecourse debut at Wolverhampton in January and justified that confidence with a smooth all-theway victory over six furlongs.
Despite racing a touch keen early on, he found plenty when asked to hold off the favourite, triumphing by a cosy two and a quarter lengths in that maiden heat. Switched to novice level next time, Diligent Harry was sent off the 1-7 market leader in what looked an average event - but there could be no arguing with the manner of his victory, dropped back to five furlongs. He came home four and a half lengths clear on that occasion, again without having to really hit anywhere near top gear, and his starting mark of 90 reflects the promise he has shown.
Cox certainly knows how to handle a three-year-old sprinter, and it would be no surprise if Diligent Harry were to chart a bit higher than this as the year goes on.
Caribeno is another on a roll as he turns out again quickly in the Betway Handicap. A typiclive cal Sir Mark Prescott improver, he arrives here in search of a sixth win on the bounce, having started his sequence at Catterick last July before a lengthy lay-off until January.
Caribeno has not looked back since his return, making an effortless switch up to two miles on his last two starts most recently when hacking up by five lengths at Lingfield on Saturday. The handicapper has already raised him from a mark of 68 to his current 80, and he is sure to take a dim view of Caribeno's effortless victory in that apprentice heat.
Prescott drops back to 12 furlongs here, but it is probably preferable to go again quickly off an unchanged mark, rather than wait for the handicapper to have his say.
Wallem is the choice in Kempton's Unibet 3 Uniboosts A Day (London Middle Distance Qualifier) Handicap.
The Sea The Moon colt has a Derby entry at this stage, but it took him three attempts to open his account.
He ran with credit in two heavy-ground maidens at the back-end of the 2020 turf season. Then, switched to the allweather in January, he hit the mark in a maiden which has yet to produce a subsequent winner. The form may not be the strongest, but the manner of Wallem's victory put him a notch above, and he has the chance to build on that now.
Mcilroy insists the “spark” he is looking for in his bid to return to winning ways isn’t about him being on the verge of looking for a new coach or caddie.
The four-time major winner was at a low ebb after seeing a promising start in last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill end in disappointment as a closing 76 left him in a tie for tenth behind Bryson Dechambeau.
His comments straight afterwards sparked speculation that Mcilroy might be looking at replacing either longtime coach Michael Bannon orcaddieharrydiamondwith the Masters looming on the horizon. However, the Northern Irisman used his interview ahead of this week’s title defence in The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass at Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida, to add some clarity about his present mindset.
“I think it was just me walking off the course not having my best day and I guess sort of venting a little bit to whoever was there at the time,” he said, having ran up a double-bogey 7 at the sixth in that closing cirrory cuit. “Look, I did feel dejected. I felt disappointed.
"I think one of the biggest things is, it's funny, I'd almost feel better if my game was worse, but it's the inconsistency of I shot 66 on Thursday and thought, I've got it, I feel really good, and then I didn't quite have it.
"The ups and downs are just a little too much. I think that's where I'm sort of struggling to come to terms with it and sort of trying to figure out what I need to do because the good stuff is there. It always will be. I'll always be able to figure it out and find a way.
“But it's when it goes slightly off, how do you manage that. I feel like over the last few years, I've been really good at when my game hasn't been fully there still being able to shoot 69, 70, still being able to get it under par. Whereas I feel like the last few weeks when it hasn't felt quite right, I'm sort of treading water." Mcilroy, who recorded his last win in November 2019, added: “I mean, I certainly didn't mean like a change of personnel per se. I think more a change in philosophy or maybe what I'm trying to work on, maybe going in a slightly different direction.”
Glasgow Warriors will meet Montpellier in the last 16 of the European Challenge Cup.
The Scottish club have been drawn away in the one-legged tie which will be played on the weekend of April 2-3-4.
It’s a tough draw for Danny Wilson’s side against the French team who won the competition in 2016. Glasgow can take some comfort from the fact that Montpellier have not had the best of seasons domestically and are currently 11th in the Top 14
The club is bankrolled by French-syrian billionaire businessman Mohed Altrad and their head coach is France great Philippe Saint-andré.
Saint-andré, formerly coach of the French national side, was originally brought in as Montpellier’s director of rugby, but took over as head coach when Xavier Garbajosa was sacked in January. Garbajosa had succeeded former Scotland coach Vern Cotter in the job.
Reacting to the draw, Glasgow coach Wilson said: “We’re
looking forward to restarting our European campaign and taking on Montpellier at GGL Stadium.
“Montpellier have a strong star-studded squad and it will be a really exciting challenge away from home.”
Glasgow dropped into the second-tier Challenge Cup from the Heineken Champions Cup. They lost their opening match in the elite competition 42-0 to holders Exeter Chiefs and were then handed a 28-0 ‘defeat’ in their cancelled match with Lyon.
The game was called off because 20 Glasgow players were isolating after a Covid-19 outbreak at Exeter.
If the Warriors can overcome Montpellier they will face a home tie against either Benetton
or Agen in the quarterfinals on the weekend of April 9-10-11.
Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has made two changes for Saturday's Guinness Six Nations clash against Italy in Rome.
Scrum-half Gareth Davies takes over from his injured Scarlets colleague Kieran Hardy, while lock Cory Hill starts instead of Adam Beard.
Victory over Italy would tighten Wales' grip on the Six Nations title race following their Triple Crown-clinching success against England last time out, and also leave them one win away from achieving a second Grand Slam in three seasons.
Hardy suffered a hamstring injury during the England game after earlier scoring a try in Wales' 40-24 triumph.
Hill impressed with a tryscoring contribution after going on as a replacement and he now partners captain Alun Wyn Jones in the second-row.
Changes on the bench include places for Cardiff Blues prop Rhys Carre and Scarlets lock Jake Ball, who will win his 50th cap if he goes on at Stadio Olimpico.
Carre replaces Rhodri Jones, who has been released from the Wales squad after suffering a calf muscle injury in training. Pivac said: "We are really looking forward to this weekend and are ready to get out there on Saturday. Three (wins) from three is a great start, but there has been plenty to do and plenty of work-ons.
"We've had a two-week buildup, trained really well in the fallow week and are looking forward to round four."
Wales have not lost to Italy since 2007, while the Azzurri last tasted Six Nations success against any opponent when they beat Scotland at Murrayfield six years ago.