If anything highlights the thin line between success and failure then it is the fact that Goldie Sayers was 38 centimetres short of a seat in business class. The javelin thrower boarded the plane home from Beijing and turned right while her team-mates mixed medals and metal cutlery to the left.
It was a small thing that niggled away at a woman who was among the unluckiest on the Great Britain Olympic team. Her best throw of 65.75 metres would have given her a medal in the 2004 Games in Athens and at the World Championships in 2007. She also had to contend with having to rush her last throw after confusion over the countdown clock and watching as Mariya Abakumova, of Russia, won silver.
“To be beaten by someone who came from nowhere and threw over 70 metres means you just have to smile,” Sayers said in the aftermath, prompting a smattering of “cheated” headlines. Given the sting that ensnared seven Russian athletes on the eve of the Games, any rapid improvement inevitably raises suspicion. However, Abakumova has never failed a drugs test and Sayers knows she cannot allow any doubts to fester.
Instead, she believes she can soon break the British record she set at the Olympics. “I’m making big strides,” she said. “I will go to the World Championships in Berlin in August with confidence and I certainly don’t want to be fourth again. It was a horrible feeling, but I also knew I’d done well and that throwing that far would have brought me two or three medals in recent times.”
Sayers is also getting better under the stewardship of her coach, Mark Roberson, and is now well versed in dealing with flying doctors. “I was training in Italy last week and the field doubled as a landing pad for helicopters,” she said. “That was quite an experience. I threw really well, although the propellers blew my marker, a Coke can, away.” Paramedics helped her to look for the can under the helicopter while they waited for a patient.
It was an unusual training session but Sayers, 26, is one of the more interesting athletes. She has a first-class degree in sport and exercise science, was an under-11 national table tennis champion and is the daughter of Pete Sayers, the late bluegrass singer.
The multitasker from Cambridge is also taking a diploma in marketing and so will have pre-championship exams to contend with this year. The javelin, however, remains her main focus and she explained its attraction.
“It is a very technical thing but basically I am like the bow for an arrow,” she said. “I get into a rhythm and can tell from my run-up if it’s going to be a good one. There are only 4.3 seconds so once you start down the runway there’s not a lot you can do to change. I focus on a spot in the sky and just love the buzz of seeing the javelin fly.
“There’s a lot more to it than people think. It’s quite spectacular if you are down at ground level and far more complicated than running, which is basically putting one foot in front of the other. If my foot is an inch out, it can cost me three or four metres.”
Despite a modest start to the season at the Loughborough International on Sunday, where she threw 59.77 metres, she thinks she can throw 68 metres this summer, which should give her a medal in Berlin and form a timeline back to stars such as Steve Backley, Fatima Whitbread and Tessa Sanderson.
Barbora Spotakova, of the Czech Republic, the Olympic champion and world record-holder, appears to be out of sight on the back of a training regime that involves drinking a beer a day, but Sayers can threaten the rest. And despite the frustration of Beijing, she says that “every second of blood, sweat, tears, moods, heartbreak and emotion” was worth it.
Though disappointed, she said she felt proud as she sat by the toilets at the back of the plane from Beijing, but would have loved to have been part of the knees-up. However, she believes she will be peaking perfectly to claim a better seat at the 2012 party.
Source:The times
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Obstacles block hunt for next Nicole Cooke
They returned from Britain’s most successful Olympic Games in 100 years as heroes, garlanded with medals, to inspire thousands to get on their bikes. But now cycling is facing up to the home truths of a bureaucracy that seems determined to block the progress of a new generation of champions.
For the message that has gone out from government ministers encouraging families on to their bikes to take up a sport in which Britain leads the world has not yet reached the corridors of officialdom.
Amateurs should have been taking to the roads in droves this weekend, with many youngsters hoping to emulate the success of Nicole Cooke, the world and Olympic road race champion, and Mark Cavendish, rated as the world’s fastest man on the road racing circuit, who has lit up the Giro d’Italia this month with his raw speed.
But a lack of police co-operation and bureaucratic obstacles erected by the Highways Agency are taking their toll of the sort of events in which Cooke and Cavendish learnt their trade. Four of 12 scheduled amateur tour events this year have been cancelled, including the Tour of Wessex road race, which was to have taken place on Bank Holiday Monday.
Although a fun cycle event will go ahead, plans for the road race were scrapped after police wanted about £140,000 to provide and train motor-cycle outriders.
“Nicole Cooke and Mark Cavendish started their careers in these kind of events,” Nicholas Bourne, director of Pendragon Sports, the organiser of the Tour of Wessex, said. “But where will the new riders get their experience? Sport for the grass roots is organised by volunteers but there is no encouragement, just these blockages.
“We simply wanted to encourage cycling by bringing a national event to the West Country. Somerset County Council were right behind it, even sponsoring the event. But then the Highways Agency stepped in and the police wanted us to pay for training motorcycle outriders for almost a week before the event. The result is that we couldn’t go ahead.”
The timing of cycling’s problems could not be more frustrating. Membership of British Cycling has jumped by 10,000 in three years to more than 25,000, cycling for pleasure is enjoying an unprecedented boom and there are ambitious plans to launch a road race team next year, possibly with Cavendish leading a strong line-up of British racers to spearhead an assault on the Tour de France.
While praise is heaped on British Cycling, Peter King, the executive director, who established the organisation as a world leader in little more than a decade, fears that the messages from Government for Britain to get on its collective bike fall on deaf ears in the boardrooms of officials who are responsible for giving the green light to events around the country.
“These road races put on by volunteers all over the country are the lifeblood of the sport,” he said. “They are the feeder system for our Olympic champions. We listen to the encouraging words of ministers and agree with them, but it is difficult to square that with what is actually happening.
“The Olympic team have brought thousands of people into cycling but they need to be encouraged, not put off. It is time to think through what exactly we want to do about cycling.”
The Tour Series will begin tomorrow, although the events will be limited to city streets easily controlled and closed off and will be exclusive to professional riders. Milton Keynes hosts the first of the series, featuring Olympians such as Ed Clancy, Chris Newton and Rob Hayles, before the tour moves on to nine other venues, including Exeter, Woking and Blackpool.
Gerry Sutcliffe, the Sports Minister, has promised to get cycle racing back on the roads, while British Cycling is training dozens of volunteers who can help to marshal roads. But it is too late for the Tour of Wessex and other events that are the victims of the sort of bureaucratic roadblock that could cost Britain medals at the Olympics.
Source:The times
For the message that has gone out from government ministers encouraging families on to their bikes to take up a sport in which Britain leads the world has not yet reached the corridors of officialdom.
Amateurs should have been taking to the roads in droves this weekend, with many youngsters hoping to emulate the success of Nicole Cooke, the world and Olympic road race champion, and Mark Cavendish, rated as the world’s fastest man on the road racing circuit, who has lit up the Giro d’Italia this month with his raw speed.
But a lack of police co-operation and bureaucratic obstacles erected by the Highways Agency are taking their toll of the sort of events in which Cooke and Cavendish learnt their trade. Four of 12 scheduled amateur tour events this year have been cancelled, including the Tour of Wessex road race, which was to have taken place on Bank Holiday Monday.
Although a fun cycle event will go ahead, plans for the road race were scrapped after police wanted about £140,000 to provide and train motor-cycle outriders.
“Nicole Cooke and Mark Cavendish started their careers in these kind of events,” Nicholas Bourne, director of Pendragon Sports, the organiser of the Tour of Wessex, said. “But where will the new riders get their experience? Sport for the grass roots is organised by volunteers but there is no encouragement, just these blockages.
“We simply wanted to encourage cycling by bringing a national event to the West Country. Somerset County Council were right behind it, even sponsoring the event. But then the Highways Agency stepped in and the police wanted us to pay for training motorcycle outriders for almost a week before the event. The result is that we couldn’t go ahead.”
The timing of cycling’s problems could not be more frustrating. Membership of British Cycling has jumped by 10,000 in three years to more than 25,000, cycling for pleasure is enjoying an unprecedented boom and there are ambitious plans to launch a road race team next year, possibly with Cavendish leading a strong line-up of British racers to spearhead an assault on the Tour de France.
While praise is heaped on British Cycling, Peter King, the executive director, who established the organisation as a world leader in little more than a decade, fears that the messages from Government for Britain to get on its collective bike fall on deaf ears in the boardrooms of officials who are responsible for giving the green light to events around the country.
“These road races put on by volunteers all over the country are the lifeblood of the sport,” he said. “They are the feeder system for our Olympic champions. We listen to the encouraging words of ministers and agree with them, but it is difficult to square that with what is actually happening.
“The Olympic team have brought thousands of people into cycling but they need to be encouraged, not put off. It is time to think through what exactly we want to do about cycling.”
The Tour Series will begin tomorrow, although the events will be limited to city streets easily controlled and closed off and will be exclusive to professional riders. Milton Keynes hosts the first of the series, featuring Olympians such as Ed Clancy, Chris Newton and Rob Hayles, before the tour moves on to nine other venues, including Exeter, Woking and Blackpool.
Gerry Sutcliffe, the Sports Minister, has promised to get cycle racing back on the roads, while British Cycling is training dozens of volunteers who can help to marshal roads. But it is too late for the Tour of Wessex and other events that are the victims of the sort of bureaucratic roadblock that could cost Britain medals at the Olympics.
Source:The times
Floyd Mayweather Jr shows he is still a crowd-pleaser
When Floyd Mayweather Jr insisted that he wanted to allow the public to attend a workout in East London yesterday afternoon, he possibly expected a few dozen fans to turn up. Instead thousands came.
Fans are believed to have arrived at the Peacock gym in Canning Town as early as 6am - nine hours before the scheduled start time. By 11am, a large crowd was waiting, by 3pm, the doors had long been locked. The forecourt was jammed with hundreds of fans, the street outside was blocked, with traffic backed up, and some even stood on the flyover overlooking the gym to grab a glimpse of the former five-weight world champion. Eventually police arrived to ensure order.
Mayweather was on a two-day trip to London to promote his bout against Juan Manuel Márquez, the WBA and WBO lightweight champion, in Las Vegas on July 18. It is the 32-year-old Mayweather's first bout since retiring from the sport after beating Ricky Hatton in December 2007.“It is like Beatlemania,” Richard Schaefer, the chief executive of Golden Boy, the promoter, said. “Floyd's car could not get through the crowds. People were surrounding the car, taking pictures. This is why we wanted to come. The British fans are the best.”
Mayweather seemed shocked and slightly overwhelmed. “There are no fans like the London fans and the British fans,” he said. “I'm appreciative and I'll try to put on a show.”
In sauna-like temperatures inside the gym, the workout was further delayed when crash barriers were overrun. But Mayweather finally put on his show, dazzling on the pads with his uncle, Roger, his trainer. For those that got to see it, and Mayweather, who flies home today, it was something they would not forget.
- Tyson Fury, the 6ft 9in 20-year-old heavyweight hope from Manchester, faces the first real test of his fledgeling professional career against Scott Belshaw, a 6ft 7in Ulsterman who has lost once in 11 bouts, in Watford tonight. Darren Barker, from Barnet, tops the bill, making the third defence of his Commonwealth middleweight title against Darren McDermott.
Source:The times
Fans are believed to have arrived at the Peacock gym in Canning Town as early as 6am - nine hours before the scheduled start time. By 11am, a large crowd was waiting, by 3pm, the doors had long been locked. The forecourt was jammed with hundreds of fans, the street outside was blocked, with traffic backed up, and some even stood on the flyover overlooking the gym to grab a glimpse of the former five-weight world champion. Eventually police arrived to ensure order.
Mayweather was on a two-day trip to London to promote his bout against Juan Manuel Márquez, the WBA and WBO lightweight champion, in Las Vegas on July 18. It is the 32-year-old Mayweather's first bout since retiring from the sport after beating Ricky Hatton in December 2007.“It is like Beatlemania,” Richard Schaefer, the chief executive of Golden Boy, the promoter, said. “Floyd's car could not get through the crowds. People were surrounding the car, taking pictures. This is why we wanted to come. The British fans are the best.”
Mayweather seemed shocked and slightly overwhelmed. “There are no fans like the London fans and the British fans,” he said. “I'm appreciative and I'll try to put on a show.”
In sauna-like temperatures inside the gym, the workout was further delayed when crash barriers were overrun. But Mayweather finally put on his show, dazzling on the pads with his uncle, Roger, his trainer. For those that got to see it, and Mayweather, who flies home today, it was something they would not forget.
- Tyson Fury, the 6ft 9in 20-year-old heavyweight hope from Manchester, faces the first real test of his fledgeling professional career against Scott Belshaw, a 6ft 7in Ulsterman who has lost once in 11 bouts, in Watford tonight. Darren Barker, from Barnet, tops the bill, making the third defence of his Commonwealth middleweight title against Darren McDermott.
Source:The times
Andy Murray has designs on the French Open
He is next in line and has been since Novak Djokovic split the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal hegemony at the Australian Open in 2008, after which the pair closed ranks again, extending their dominion to 15 of the past 16 grand-slam tournaments.
Andy Murray is now in the position of man most likely, heir apparent, expectant champion.
“I had played the final of the US Open and a couple of semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon and that obviously proved my quality,” Djokovic, the Serb, said yesterday, reminiscing about his Melbourne breakthrough. “I wasn't sure, firstly for myself and then for everybody else, that I was able to do that, to make that final step. It is a whole different world when you win one [a grand slam], with more appreciation from your colleagues, the people, tennis lovers everywhere.”
Nadal, who broke his grand-slam duck at the French Open in 2005, is seeking to win his fifth consecutive title and could also recall his days of doubt. “All your life you are working for that moment,” he said. “It was difficult to accept when everyone was saying I was the favourite [in 2005] but I won. It was really, really special.”
Murray is in the same half of the Roland Garros draw as Nadal and said that he would be shocked if the Spaniard did not reach the final, so perhaps we should not expect to see Scottish hands clasping the Coupe des Mousquetaires tomorrow fortnight. At Wimbledon? That's a discussion for another day.
In the first round, Murray plays Juan Ignacio Chela, one of the players Tim Henman defeated en route to the Paris semi-finals five years ago. Tall and angular, the Argentinian ought to be right at home in these surroundings, but he has reached the second week only once in eight attempts.
Murray is unlikely to be rushing the net as Henman did until he went a set up in the semi-final against Guillermo Coria, became aware of the immensity of what he was about to achieve and froze. The present British No 1 is more tortoise than hare, biding his time, injecting the venom and waiting for it to spread.
“What I've done better this year is not to treat clay as a different surface, to totally change my game pattern,” Murray said. “Against the clay-courters, you can try to make it a hard-court match by playing a little bit flatter, coming to the net more and shortening the points.
“I do feel much more comfortable. Physically, I feel better. I did not have the best run coming into the French Open last year so confidence is a big factor this time. But there are things I could do better, like returning.”
Nadal might have been expecting a few searching questions after his loss to Federer in the final of the Mutua Madrileña Masters in Madrid last Sunday, and was not disappointed. A clay-court defeat for the Spaniard equates to a 7.5 reading on the Richter Scale. Nadal said that he accepted it as a hazard of the job.
It was mentioned that conditions here are appreciably slower and heavier than in the Spanish capital. His eyes twinkled. “In Madrid, you touch the ball, the ball goes out of the racket very fast and very early,” he said. “Here, the feeling is that the ball stays here, you can feel it more. It may be heavier, but for me, it is easier to play.”
Nadal was asked to confirm that he had said that the French Open is the most beautiful tournament in the world. Nadal, mindful of his diplomatic status, interrupted. “No, I never said that, because I like a lot of tournaments,” he said. “But sure, it is one of the nicest.” And one that nobody in their right mind can see anyone else winning.
Source:The times
Andy Murray is now in the position of man most likely, heir apparent, expectant champion.
“I had played the final of the US Open and a couple of semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon and that obviously proved my quality,” Djokovic, the Serb, said yesterday, reminiscing about his Melbourne breakthrough. “I wasn't sure, firstly for myself and then for everybody else, that I was able to do that, to make that final step. It is a whole different world when you win one [a grand slam], with more appreciation from your colleagues, the people, tennis lovers everywhere.”
Nadal, who broke his grand-slam duck at the French Open in 2005, is seeking to win his fifth consecutive title and could also recall his days of doubt. “All your life you are working for that moment,” he said. “It was difficult to accept when everyone was saying I was the favourite [in 2005] but I won. It was really, really special.”
Murray is in the same half of the Roland Garros draw as Nadal and said that he would be shocked if the Spaniard did not reach the final, so perhaps we should not expect to see Scottish hands clasping the Coupe des Mousquetaires tomorrow fortnight. At Wimbledon? That's a discussion for another day.
In the first round, Murray plays Juan Ignacio Chela, one of the players Tim Henman defeated en route to the Paris semi-finals five years ago. Tall and angular, the Argentinian ought to be right at home in these surroundings, but he has reached the second week only once in eight attempts.
Murray is unlikely to be rushing the net as Henman did until he went a set up in the semi-final against Guillermo Coria, became aware of the immensity of what he was about to achieve and froze. The present British No 1 is more tortoise than hare, biding his time, injecting the venom and waiting for it to spread.
“What I've done better this year is not to treat clay as a different surface, to totally change my game pattern,” Murray said. “Against the clay-courters, you can try to make it a hard-court match by playing a little bit flatter, coming to the net more and shortening the points.
“I do feel much more comfortable. Physically, I feel better. I did not have the best run coming into the French Open last year so confidence is a big factor this time. But there are things I could do better, like returning.”
Nadal might have been expecting a few searching questions after his loss to Federer in the final of the Mutua Madrileña Masters in Madrid last Sunday, and was not disappointed. A clay-court defeat for the Spaniard equates to a 7.5 reading on the Richter Scale. Nadal said that he accepted it as a hazard of the job.
It was mentioned that conditions here are appreciably slower and heavier than in the Spanish capital. His eyes twinkled. “In Madrid, you touch the ball, the ball goes out of the racket very fast and very early,” he said. “Here, the feeling is that the ball stays here, you can feel it more. It may be heavier, but for me, it is easier to play.”
Nadal was asked to confirm that he had said that the French Open is the most beautiful tournament in the world. Nadal, mindful of his diplomatic status, interrupted. “No, I never said that, because I like a lot of tournaments,” he said. “But sure, it is one of the nicest.” And one that nobody in their right mind can see anyone else winning.
Source:The times
Sean Long enhances claim to new deal
Sean Long has been told by St Helens that he can speak to rival clubs, but the much-decorated former Great Britain scrum half underlined his value to the club he has served with distinction for 12 years with a typically inspirational display in maintaining Saints' one-point league leadership last night.
Long, 32, is holding out for a two-year contract, but will be offered only a 12-month extension and is attracting interest from Huddersfield Giants and Wakefield Wildcats. Having said that it would “kill” him to leave Knowsley Road, Long made his point with a hand in two of three tries and a crucial try-saving tackle on Rob Purdham, although his pass that was intercepted by Luke Dorn for a second Harlequins try made for a nervous finish.
Keiron Cunningham sealed the victory a minute from time with a trademark wrestle and lunge from dummy half, which Long improved with his 999th goal for St Helens. But if Long led the way, some of his team-mates did not always follow and the lack of first-choice wings in Ade Gardner and Francis Meli compromised Saints' attacking ambition.
As doggedly as Harlequins fought, it took them 56 minutes to produce their first try. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, their elite England squad prop, caught St Helens square with a quickly taken penalty. When Dorn read Long's pass 90 metres out and Purdham added a second conversion, Harlequins were within four points. It was as near as they got before succumbing to the strength of Cunningham and only their second away defeat.
Earlier Harlequins fell behind to Chris Flannery's try in the corner. They held firm for a further half-hour, but after being penalised for offside, Long got the ball wide and Paul Wellens squeezed over.
Hull Kingston Rovers kept up their pursuit with a 16-6 defeat of Castleford Tigers, Warrington Wolves beat Wigan Warriors 16-8 and Salford City Reds heaped more misery on Bradford Bulls in an 18-10 win.
Scorers: St Helens: Tries: Flannery, Wellens, Roby, Cunningham. Goals: Long 3. Harlequins: Tries: McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Dorn. Goals: Purdham 3.
St Helens: P Wellens; K Eastmond, M Gidley, LGilmour, G Wheeler; L Pryce, S Long; J Graham, K Cunningham, J Emmitt, C Flannery, J Wilkin, TPuletua. Interchange: J Roby, P Clough, MFa'asavalu, M Ashurst.
Harlequins: J Wells; J O'Callaghan, M Gafa, DHowell, W Sharp; L Dorn, D Orr; K Temata, CRandall, D Heckenberg, J Golden, L Williamson, RPurdham. Interchange: L McCarthy-Scarsbrook, TClubb, B Kaye, J Grayshon.
Referee: S Ganson.
Source:The times
Long, 32, is holding out for a two-year contract, but will be offered only a 12-month extension and is attracting interest from Huddersfield Giants and Wakefield Wildcats. Having said that it would “kill” him to leave Knowsley Road, Long made his point with a hand in two of three tries and a crucial try-saving tackle on Rob Purdham, although his pass that was intercepted by Luke Dorn for a second Harlequins try made for a nervous finish.
Keiron Cunningham sealed the victory a minute from time with a trademark wrestle and lunge from dummy half, which Long improved with his 999th goal for St Helens. But if Long led the way, some of his team-mates did not always follow and the lack of first-choice wings in Ade Gardner and Francis Meli compromised Saints' attacking ambition.
As doggedly as Harlequins fought, it took them 56 minutes to produce their first try. Louie McCarthy-Scarsbrook, their elite England squad prop, caught St Helens square with a quickly taken penalty. When Dorn read Long's pass 90 metres out and Purdham added a second conversion, Harlequins were within four points. It was as near as they got before succumbing to the strength of Cunningham and only their second away defeat.
Earlier Harlequins fell behind to Chris Flannery's try in the corner. They held firm for a further half-hour, but after being penalised for offside, Long got the ball wide and Paul Wellens squeezed over.
Hull Kingston Rovers kept up their pursuit with a 16-6 defeat of Castleford Tigers, Warrington Wolves beat Wigan Warriors 16-8 and Salford City Reds heaped more misery on Bradford Bulls in an 18-10 win.
Scorers: St Helens: Tries: Flannery, Wellens, Roby, Cunningham. Goals: Long 3. Harlequins: Tries: McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Dorn. Goals: Purdham 3.
St Helens: P Wellens; K Eastmond, M Gidley, LGilmour, G Wheeler; L Pryce, S Long; J Graham, K Cunningham, J Emmitt, C Flannery, J Wilkin, TPuletua. Interchange: J Roby, P Clough, MFa'asavalu, M Ashurst.
Harlequins: J Wells; J O'Callaghan, M Gafa, DHowell, W Sharp; L Dorn, D Orr; K Temata, CRandall, D Heckenberg, J Golden, L Williamson, RPurdham. Interchange: L McCarthy-Scarsbrook, TClubb, B Kaye, J Grayshon.
Referee: S Ganson.
Source:The times
Alwaary declines chance to run in Derby
Devoid, as it was, of Irish horses, the Cocked Hat Stakes at Goodwood yesterday promised to throw up a rare British runner in the Derby. Victory for the Queen's Free Agent would have been better still, yet neither aspiration came to pass. Alwaary's fluent score served only to fine-tune him for the King Edward VII Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Free Agent ran perfectly well to finish fourth after he fared worst in a three-way photo for second place. It was the colt's first run for 11 months, during which he was confined to his box for much of the winter after a bone flake was removed from a hind leg. In the circumstances it was always unrealistic to expect too much of him - much less to carry the nation's fortunes at Epsom.
Ironically, his task was summed up perfectly by John Gosden, who explained that Alwaary, too, had failed to thrive over the winter. In dismissing a Derby bid for Hamdan's al-Maktoum's homebred, Gosden said: “When they get behind, you can't catch up. You have to accept it, otherwise you'll soon be left with no horse.”
Richard Hannon, who trains Free Agent, effectively concurred. “There will be no Derby for him,” Hannon said. “I thought I had him fairly fit, but it turned out that he needed it. He's been off for a long time and he was probably a bit rusty.”
The sedate pace dictated by Frankie Dettori aboard Chock A Block was not what Hannon wanted to see. He had instructed Richard Hughes to settle the colt regardless of the pace. “On reflection, it might have been different if he'd gone off quickly from the front,” the trainer said.
Nevertheless, Free Agent held his corner when the pace quickened in the straight. He had no answer to the winner's surge from the rear, but Hughes was easy on him thereafter. “I know that he's a decent horse,” Hannon said. “He's done us one good turn so far and I'm sure he'll do us more.”
A return to Royal Ascot, where he won last season, now beckons Free Agent. Like Alwaary, he will have the King Edward VII entry in addition to one in the Queen's Vase over two miles. That the Queen will have up to six runners at the royal meeting attests to the recent revival in her bloodstock fortunes.
It has been kick-started by her commitment to deploying some of Europe's more expensive stallions on her broodmare band. The revival has certainly brought joy to long-standing followers of the turf, and if rather too much Derby expectation was invested in Free Agent, it was exacerbated by the paucity of British-trained candidates to repel the hordes from Ireland.
The first six in William Hill's betting all hail from across the Irish Sea. They are headed by Fame And Glory and Sea The Stars, from the stables of Aidan O'Brien and John Oxx respectively. The most advanced British-trained horse is the 16-1 chance, Crowded House, who must rate a doubtful starter after his Dante disappointment. Godolphin's Kite Wood stands at 20-1, with Debussy, a stablemate of Alwaary, at 25-1.
At least Debussy is a definite starter. “He has won at Epsom,” Gosden said of the colt who finished third in the Chester Vase last time. “He has come on for that, but he'll need to. Someone's got to turn up from our country, although it does look between Sea The Stars and Fame And Glory. They look like very good horses. That's why we can't match them.”
Hannon's Derby dreams evaporated with Free Agent but he did not leave Goodwood empty-handed after sending out La Pantera to win a two-year-old maiden that he has farmed down the years. He is also looking forward to running Soul City in the Irish 2,000 Guineas on Saturday, although heavy ground at the Curragh tempers his enthusiasm. “I spoke to Dessie Hughes and he told me the course was waterlogged in places,” Hannon said. “The horse has won on soft ground before, but soft is very different to heavy. Still, he is fit, and we'll take our chance.”
Source:The times
Free Agent ran perfectly well to finish fourth after he fared worst in a three-way photo for second place. It was the colt's first run for 11 months, during which he was confined to his box for much of the winter after a bone flake was removed from a hind leg. In the circumstances it was always unrealistic to expect too much of him - much less to carry the nation's fortunes at Epsom.
Ironically, his task was summed up perfectly by John Gosden, who explained that Alwaary, too, had failed to thrive over the winter. In dismissing a Derby bid for Hamdan's al-Maktoum's homebred, Gosden said: “When they get behind, you can't catch up. You have to accept it, otherwise you'll soon be left with no horse.”
Richard Hannon, who trains Free Agent, effectively concurred. “There will be no Derby for him,” Hannon said. “I thought I had him fairly fit, but it turned out that he needed it. He's been off for a long time and he was probably a bit rusty.”
The sedate pace dictated by Frankie Dettori aboard Chock A Block was not what Hannon wanted to see. He had instructed Richard Hughes to settle the colt regardless of the pace. “On reflection, it might have been different if he'd gone off quickly from the front,” the trainer said.
Nevertheless, Free Agent held his corner when the pace quickened in the straight. He had no answer to the winner's surge from the rear, but Hughes was easy on him thereafter. “I know that he's a decent horse,” Hannon said. “He's done us one good turn so far and I'm sure he'll do us more.”
A return to Royal Ascot, where he won last season, now beckons Free Agent. Like Alwaary, he will have the King Edward VII entry in addition to one in the Queen's Vase over two miles. That the Queen will have up to six runners at the royal meeting attests to the recent revival in her bloodstock fortunes.
It has been kick-started by her commitment to deploying some of Europe's more expensive stallions on her broodmare band. The revival has certainly brought joy to long-standing followers of the turf, and if rather too much Derby expectation was invested in Free Agent, it was exacerbated by the paucity of British-trained candidates to repel the hordes from Ireland.
The first six in William Hill's betting all hail from across the Irish Sea. They are headed by Fame And Glory and Sea The Stars, from the stables of Aidan O'Brien and John Oxx respectively. The most advanced British-trained horse is the 16-1 chance, Crowded House, who must rate a doubtful starter after his Dante disappointment. Godolphin's Kite Wood stands at 20-1, with Debussy, a stablemate of Alwaary, at 25-1.
At least Debussy is a definite starter. “He has won at Epsom,” Gosden said of the colt who finished third in the Chester Vase last time. “He has come on for that, but he'll need to. Someone's got to turn up from our country, although it does look between Sea The Stars and Fame And Glory. They look like very good horses. That's why we can't match them.”
Hannon's Derby dreams evaporated with Free Agent but he did not leave Goodwood empty-handed after sending out La Pantera to win a two-year-old maiden that he has farmed down the years. He is also looking forward to running Soul City in the Irish 2,000 Guineas on Saturday, although heavy ground at the Curragh tempers his enthusiasm. “I spoke to Dessie Hughes and he told me the course was waterlogged in places,” Hannon said. “The horse has won on soft ground before, but soft is very different to heavy. Still, he is fit, and we'll take our chance.”
Source:The times
Paul Casey profits from his local knowledge
Watching Paul Casey move to the front of the pack in the second round of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth yesterday, it was hard to believe that there was a time when he sprayed the ball so far and wide over the famous West Course that he feared for the safety of the spectators.
Casey moved to eight under par after a round of 67 that was matched by only one other player, Thomas Aiken, of South Africa, and will go into the weekend with a two-shot lead over Miguel Ángel Jiménez, the defending champion, David Horsey, Anthony Wall, Marc Warren and Soren Kjeldsen.
While he admitted that he would have happily taken such a lead if offered it at the start of the day, Casey was right to feel slightly disappointed that he had not driven home the advantage after opening up a four-shot lead at the par-four 13th with his second eagle of the day — his nine-iron shot from 160 yards landing five feet short of the flag and going in on the bounce.
He made heavy weather of the closing stretch, however, giving back shots at the 14th and 17th, where he found trees off the tee, but he did well to get down in two from a greenside bunker at the last to save his par. He reached the turn in 32 and came home in 35.
This is a course that once intimidated the English Ryder Cup player, but he won the World Match Play Championship there in 2006 — and with it a princely sum of £1 million — and is now as at home as anyone.
He played the West Course many times as a junior, when he would occasionally “sneak in” with friends who were members, and has learnt to plot his way around what is a demanding layout.
At the start of the year, Casey sat down with his coach, Peter Kostis, and wrote down his goals for the year. “They were fairly lofty,” he said. “So I haven’t had to redo them.”
It would be true to say that at 31, and after nine years on tour, he has come of age. By his own admission he is a streaky player and Casey has sought to add consistency and a little more steel to his game.
He did not bag a title in 2008, but has won twice this year already. His first win came at the Abu Dhabi Championship in January, his second at the Shell Houston Open last month, which was his breakthrough victory in America. He also put in a fine performance at the Accenture Match Play Championship, a world championship event, in Tucson where he finished runner-up to Geoff Ogilvy.
It is no coincidence that Casey has moved to No 7 in the world and is lying second in the standings in the Race to Dubai. The first prize here of just under £670,000 would take him to the top of the standings and confirm his place among the game’s elite.
Jiménez is another player who seems to have learnt the secrets of a course that only a few can master. An ever-present on the European Tour since his rookie season in 1989, the Spaniard shows no sign of letting up. At 45, he is not as long off the tee as many of the game’s young bucks, but around Wentworth he knows that guile, as much as strength, is important.
“Here it is all about shaping the ball,” he said after a round of 70 that placed him nicely to challenge over the final two rounds.
Horsey and Wall, the joint first-round leaders, each had rounds of 71, while Ernie Els — responsible for much of the recent remodelling of the course and about to embark on a rebuild of all the greens — needed a birdie at the last to make the cut and duly got it.
Among those to miss out were Lee Westwood, who finished on ten over par, and Henrik Stenson, winner of The Players Championship this month.
Source: The times
Casey moved to eight under par after a round of 67 that was matched by only one other player, Thomas Aiken, of South Africa, and will go into the weekend with a two-shot lead over Miguel Ángel Jiménez, the defending champion, David Horsey, Anthony Wall, Marc Warren and Soren Kjeldsen.
While he admitted that he would have happily taken such a lead if offered it at the start of the day, Casey was right to feel slightly disappointed that he had not driven home the advantage after opening up a four-shot lead at the par-four 13th with his second eagle of the day — his nine-iron shot from 160 yards landing five feet short of the flag and going in on the bounce.
He made heavy weather of the closing stretch, however, giving back shots at the 14th and 17th, where he found trees off the tee, but he did well to get down in two from a greenside bunker at the last to save his par. He reached the turn in 32 and came home in 35.
This is a course that once intimidated the English Ryder Cup player, but he won the World Match Play Championship there in 2006 — and with it a princely sum of £1 million — and is now as at home as anyone.
He played the West Course many times as a junior, when he would occasionally “sneak in” with friends who were members, and has learnt to plot his way around what is a demanding layout.
At the start of the year, Casey sat down with his coach, Peter Kostis, and wrote down his goals for the year. “They were fairly lofty,” he said. “So I haven’t had to redo them.”
It would be true to say that at 31, and after nine years on tour, he has come of age. By his own admission he is a streaky player and Casey has sought to add consistency and a little more steel to his game.
He did not bag a title in 2008, but has won twice this year already. His first win came at the Abu Dhabi Championship in January, his second at the Shell Houston Open last month, which was his breakthrough victory in America. He also put in a fine performance at the Accenture Match Play Championship, a world championship event, in Tucson where he finished runner-up to Geoff Ogilvy.
It is no coincidence that Casey has moved to No 7 in the world and is lying second in the standings in the Race to Dubai. The first prize here of just under £670,000 would take him to the top of the standings and confirm his place among the game’s elite.
Jiménez is another player who seems to have learnt the secrets of a course that only a few can master. An ever-present on the European Tour since his rookie season in 1989, the Spaniard shows no sign of letting up. At 45, he is not as long off the tee as many of the game’s young bucks, but around Wentworth he knows that guile, as much as strength, is important.
“Here it is all about shaping the ball,” he said after a round of 70 that placed him nicely to challenge over the final two rounds.
Horsey and Wall, the joint first-round leaders, each had rounds of 71, while Ernie Els — responsible for much of the recent remodelling of the course and about to embark on a rebuild of all the greens — needed a birdie at the last to make the cut and duly got it.
Among those to miss out were Lee Westwood, who finished on ten over par, and Henrik Stenson, winner of The Players Championship this month.
Source: The times
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