The announcement that the world snooker championships would remain at Sheffield's Crucible theatre until 2045 was not just a surprise... it was a major relief for a neglected northern giant.
Derek Thompson was one of the best-known sports broadcasters in Britain and Ireland back in 1983 when he suddenly got a call in the middle of the night about the vanished wonder horse Shergar.
The Gold Cup was one of the last races at the meeting to elude Willie Mullins until his first win in 2019. Now, he has five, joining Tom Dreaper, Arkle's trainer, as the co-holder of the all-time record, after Gaelic Warrior's relentless charge up the hill to an eight length success.
It's the same sort of logic and training routine. Animals are creatures of habit, you can't just click your fingers and it takes time. You've got to get them fit and build that fitness up, and prep them through their feeding and so on before the race.
Eddie Howe stated, "We've got to play like our lives depend on it," emphasizing the urgency and importance of the upcoming Tyne-Wear Derby against Sunderland.
We've had a look at a fresh line of the hurdle track right out beside the chase track, Graffin said on Friday. In my opinion, this line is currently fit to race despite 22mm of rain last night. However, we do have the potential for a further 10-20mm of rain. We would like to get a bit of luck with that, but it is currently fit to race.
Keegan was in charge of Newcastle between 1992 and 1997. They were dubbed The Entertainers' due to their cavalier approach to defending, and his belief that the team had a duty to put on a show for the paying public. Arguably his most famous moment came in 1996 when, as Liverpool scored in the last minute to beat his side 4-3 to all but end their fading Premier League title hopes, he slumped over some advertising hoardings.
But we're mid-season, we're in the middle of some of the biggest games of his career, and who knows what's going to happen internationally with Anthony in the summer as well. He's not got time to look left or right. He's got to be fully focused on straight ahead and the next game, and trying to be as good as he can be.
With pre-Cheltenham purdah fast approaching, the Ladbrokes Trophy Handicap Chase at Kempton on Saturday could well be the most competitive betting heat for the next two-and-a-half weeks and Emmet Mullins's decision to field two runners in the 13-strong field adds a further layer of complexity to the puzzle. Mullins has a well-earned reputation for sliding contenders into handicaps at Cheltenham and Aintree on very competitive marks, but his Kempton record three wins from five runners is not too shabby either.
