Great year ahead hot dogs
EXCLUSIVE
TOWCESTER will stage nine Category One competitions in 2021, including the English Greyhound Derby in the summer.
That was the news from track promoter Kevin Boothby this week, who said: “I wanted to make Towcester the home of top-class racing and I believe we are heading down that road with a very exciting schedule.”
The new schedule includes the RPGTV Juvenile in April as well as the revived 5% Tote Hunt Cup, the old Reading event.
Tonight’s main open-race action comes from Swindon and Central Park (both Sky Sports Racing).
Pick of the bets are Robert Smith’s hurdles debutant AMKA ROFE (8.38) in a Springbok trial stakes at Central Park and well-drawn and double-seeking RODRICK RULES (7.26) at Swindon for the Peter Swadden kennel.
In association with www.towcesterracecourse.co.uk – home of the English Greyhound Derby
ASH HANDLEY is being driven on by a powerful combination of sweet and sour memories.
The positive incentive is the joy of winning his first silverware with Leeds Rhinos last year, giving him a thirst for more.
He said: “Hopefully winning the Challenge Cup can be a snowball effect and we can go on and challenge again.”
The more bitter taste in his mouth stems from the amazing snub by Great Britain boss Wayne Bennett 15 months ago.
Uncapped Handley was given an emergency call-up, because of injuries, ahead of the last game of the Lions tour but was then overlooked by Bennett.
The GB and England coach then made a mistake with Handley’s name, despite his epic journey to get to Papua New Guinea.
Last season’s top try scorer in Super League said: “We had a team meeting and he said, ‘Thanks, Josh, for coming but you are not playing’.
“I thought, ‘What’s going on?’ I’d flown from the other side of the world and thought I was going out to play.
“I felt like an idiot. I was obviously gutted but it motivated me to go again and prove him wrong.”
Bennett has since been replaced as national boss by Shaun Wane and Handley is desperate to be an obvious choice for his England World Cup squad at the end of this season.
He said: “The Lions thing has been and gone and there’s nothing I can do about it. I was gutted I didn’t play but hopefully I can play well enough this year to be in the World Cup team.
“This time I don’t want to be second guessing if I’m playing or not. I want to be playing so well that it’s an easy decision to be made.”
Handley, 24, made his Rhinos debut seven years ago, with his first couple of seasons coinciding with the end of Leeds’ golden generation of serial winners.
Since the treble-winning 2015 season, Leeds have claimed just two pieces of silverware – the 2017 Grand Final when Handley didn’t play and last year’s Challenge Cup when he scored two tries.
And that dramatic last-gasp 17-16 win over Salford is spurring Handley on for more glory.
He said: “We’ve got a good, young, tight-knit group with some great players who’ve got experience.
“We just want to push on and hopefully challenge again for the Challenge Cup and go better in Super League than last year.”
Leeds, who crashed out of last season’s play-offs at the opening round, play their opening Super League game against Wakefield at Headingley on March 27.
FOCUS: Handley in training
seal a deal for Lionel Messi should he quit Barcelona.
Haaland, 20 (right) looks set to be sold at a premium price by Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season with a buy-out clause in his contract set to kick in by 2022.
But the Norwegian is represented by Raiola, 53, who fell out spectacularly with Guardiola over the City manager’s treatment of Zlatan Ibrahimovic when he was in charge of Barcelona.
A senior Etihad source said: “There have been dealings with Mino Raiola in the past and if he represents a player we are interested in, it won’t be an issue.”