Sport news in brief
Mullins-Townend duo end festival week on high
Galopin Des Champs’ Gold Cup victory yesterday proved the jewel in the crown as Willie Mullins and Paul Townend once again secured the top trainer and jockey honours at the Cheltenham Festival. The duo endured a sticky start to the week when favourite Facile Vega was turned over in the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, but the winners soon started to flow with El Fabiolo getting the duo off the mark for the week in the Arkle.
Mullins enjoyed a second victory on Tuesday as his son Patrick steered Gaillard Du Mesnil to the National Hunt Chase, while
Wednesday’s card produced two further wins for the MullinsTownend axis as Impaire Et Passe bossed the Ballymore and Energumene was too good in the Queen Mother Champion Chase.
The Closutton team drew a rare blank on Thursday, but Lossiemouth had them smiling again after victory in yesterday’s Triumph Hurdle, before Galopin Des Champs justified market confidence with a clear-cut Gold Cup verdict. Townend’s five winners mean he is now the most successful active jockey at the Festival with 28 victories and a third top jockey title, while Mullins is streets ahead of his fellow trainers in having saddled 94 winners overall at the meeting. He has been the fixture’s top trainer on 10 occasions now.
Isak double earns last-gasp win for Newcastle
Alexander Isak scored an injury-time penalty as Newcastle boosted their Premier League top four hopes with a 2-1 injurytime win at Nottingham Forest, whose relegation fears were heightened. The Magpies had looked like being made to settle for a draw but Isak’s spot-kick penalty earned a deserved three points which sees them move to within a point of fourth-placed Tottenham with a game in hand.
Forest had gone ahead midway through the first half through Emmanuel Dennis’s first goal for the club, but Isak levelled in superb fashion on the stroke of half-time when he volleyed home. A second half of frustration unfolded for Eddie Howe’s side as they searched for a winner, not least when they had a goal controversially ruled out by VAR. But Isak had the final say from the spot after Moussa Niakhate’s handball to keep the dream of Champions League football next season firmly alive.
The late goal saw Forest beaten at the City Ground for the first time in 10 matches going back to September and they could end the weekend’s action back in the relegation zone. Victory was only what Newcastle deserved as they did not start like a team who had yet to win away in 2023.
Verstappen fastest in both practice sessions
Max Verstappen led both practice sessions for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix yesterday while Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso prevented a Red Bull one-two at the top of the timesheets. Double Formula One champion Verstappen picked up where he left off in winning the Bahrain season-opener, lapping the Jeddah Corniche circuit with a best time of one minute 29.603 seconds on the fastest soft tyres in the evening session. Mexican teammate Sergio Perez was second fastest and Alonso third. Perez was 0.483 slower than Verstappen in session one and Alonso 0.208 adrift in the cooler evening floodlit running on the fast street circuit and with soft tyres.
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was fourth fastest in session two, ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell who was fifth in both with teammate Lewis Hamilton sixth and 11th. Russell said he had some test items on the car for the second session while Hamilton said his car was much the same as before. “I struggled in both sessions,” said the seven-times world champion. “It’s just a tough car to drive.” Reuters
Rahul secures ODI win for India against Australia
India’s middle-order batsman KL Rahul struck an unbeaten 75 to anchor their nervy chase against Australia in a low-scoring contest to secure a five-wicket win in the opening one-day international. Chasing 189 for victory on a spicy pitch, India slumped to 39-4 but Rahul’s unbroken 108-run partnership with Ravindra Jadeja guided them home with 10.1 overs to spare.
Earlier, India’s bowlers, complemented by some excellent catching, bundled out Australia for 188 inside 36 overs at the Wankhede Stadium. Mitchell Marsh, returning to international cricket after ankle surgery, smashed 81 off 65 balls but his exit triggered a collapse. With India's regular captain Rohit Sharma absent due to family commitments, Hardik Pandya won the toss and elected to field at the Wankhede Stadium.
By the second over, India had drawn first blood. Travis Head, who made five, charged out against Mohammed Siraj but ended up deflecting the ball onto his stumps. Marsh steadied the ship with a 72-run stand with Steve Smith, who is leading Australia in the absence of Pat Cummins who stayed back in Sydney following the death of his mother. David Warner also missed the match through injury although Australia expect the opener to play in the next two ODIs.
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