This has been five years in the making. Ryan Moore will finally get his chance to ride in the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on Saturday when he partners the UAE Derby winner Mendelssohn in Louisville.
In 2013 Moore rode at the meeting and was so transfixed by the experience that he vowed to return. The British jockey is a man of few words, but the then 29-year-old was “staggered” by the atmosphere generated by the 151,616 racegoers below Churchill Downs’ famous twin spires.
He believed at the time that there was no comparison to what he had seen. For a man who has won eight British Classics, a Melbourne Cup, two Prix De l’Arc de Triomphes, a Japan Cup and four Breeders’ Cup Turfs that is quite a statement.
On paper, Mendlessohn has a serious chance. He beat Kentucky Oaks contender Rayya at Meydan by an eye-popping 18 and a half lengths. Although it was a visually stunning performance, he stopped the clock impressively, too. By finishing second, Rayya beat her time in the UAE Oaks over the same course and distance by over a second. As he dismounted from the monstrous colt, Moore said that the precious son of deceased sire Scat Daddy could only get better.
MV Magnier was instrumental in purchasing Mendelssohn for the Coolmore syndicate for $3 million at the Keeneland September sale in 2016. He was impressed by the colt’s physique and has been dreaming of this moment ever since.
“The Kentucky Derby was always the dream,” Magnier revealed.
“If we thought he could be half as good as (half sister) Beholder and get him to win on the dirt it is something we aimed to do, but we aim quite a lot and don’t always hit.
“Ryan said afterwards that he was a bit green and he said there was plenty of improvement, so hopefully we will see it in Kentucky.”
The race known as the “Run For the Roses” is the jewel in a Trans-Atlantic Group One Triple Crown this weekend that sees Coolmore up against Godolphin in all three rounds.
Moore has forsaken the opportunity to win a third English 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday by spurning the saddles of Gustav Klimt, widely considered the favorite for the British Classic, and his stablemate Saxon Warrior, who many believe is the English Derby winner-in-waiting. Murillo also runs for Coolmore, most likely as pacemaker, while Godolphin rely on the runaway Craven Stakes winner Masar.
Moore will fly back to Newmarket from Kentucky on Saturday night to partner Happily in the English 1,000 Guineas on Sunday. Stablemates I Can Fly (Seamie Heffernan), Sizzling (Donnacha O’Brien) and Sarrochi form a fearsome quartet.
Up against them are Godolphin’s Soliloquy, the supplemented mount of William Buick, and Wild Illusion, who will be ridden by James Doyle.
It is a stretch to suggest that Godolphin’s Kentucky Derby challenger Enticed is a major threat to Mendelssohn, especially with unbeaten American colts such as Bob Baffert’s Justify and Magnum Moon alongside the once-beaten but highly-rated Audible also in the starting gates.
But when Moore was riding in Kentucky all those years ago, Godolphin were in a slump. Charlie Appleby had just replaced disgraced trainer Mahmood Al-Zarooni and top-flight winners were scarce. Since then, things have changed. Enticed, Masar, Wild Illusion and Soliloquy were all bred by the Dubai-based organization’s Darley operation. Last season Coolmore trainer Aidan O’Brien famously broke Bobby Frankel’s record of 25 Group One wins in a season with 28, but Godolphin pursued the Irishman around the world and ended up with an impressive 18.
Their rivalry is a strand that will thread through the fabric of the international season in 2018, and if Godolphin have one chance of knocking off their Irish rivals over the next two days it surely rests with Masar at Churchill Downs.
“I have been pleased with his preparation and he’s come out of the Craven in good order. I can’t give you a negative,” Appleby said.
“Based on what we saw in the Craven, we must go into Saturday’s race hoping that he is a serious contender. It’s an exciting weekend for the team and we hope that Masar has a decent chance.”
Roll on the weekend.
Kentucky Derby to set the scene for summer rivalry between Coolmore and Godolphin
Kentucky Derby to set the scene for summer rivalry between Coolmore and Godolphin
- Kentucky Derby promises to be great battle at Churchill Downs with Ryan Moore looking to add to his impressive CV of race wins.
- Godolphin looking to upset Coolmore's dream with its impressive runner, Masar.
Nuggets fire coach Michael Malone and oust GM Calvin Booth in stunning move as postseason looms
- Josh Kroenke, the vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said “it is with no pleasure” that the Nuggets made the change at coach
- The Nuggets are 47-32 this season with three games left but have dropped four consecutive games and are in a logjam of teams fighting for home-court advantage in Round 1 of the playoffs
NEW YORK: Michael Malone, who coached the Denver Nuggets to the NBA title in 2023 and has led the team to eight consecutive winning seasons, was fired Tuesday in a stunning move that comes with less than a week in the regular season.
Also out: general manager Calvin Booth, whose contract will not be renewed. The Nuggets said David Adelman will become the coach for the remainder of the season.
Josh Kroenke, the vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said “it is with no pleasure” that the Nuggets made the change at coach.
“This decision was not made lightly and was evaluated very carefully, and we do it only with the intention of giving our group the best chance at competing for the 2025 NBA Championship and delivering another title to Denver and our fans everywhere,” Kroenke said.
The Nuggets are 47-32 this season with three games left but have dropped four consecutive games and are in a logjam of teams fighting for home-court advantage in Round 1 of the playoffs. Denver won the title in 2023 and lost a Game 7 at home in the Western Conference semifinals a year ago to Minnesota.
Malone had the fourth-longest tenure of any active NBA coach, behind San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich, Miami’s Erik Spoelstra and Golden State’s Steve Kerr.
Malone won 471 regular-season games in Denver, 39 more than Doug Moe for the franchise’s all-time coaching lead.
“While the timing of this decision is unfortunate, as Coach Malone helped build the foundation of our now championship level program, it is a necessary step to allow us to compete at the highest level right now. Championship level standards and expectations remain in place for the current season, and as we look to the future, we look forward to building on the foundations laid by Coach Malone over his record-breaking 10-year career in Denver,” Kroenke said.
Malone had consistent success in Denver. The Nuggets finished with losing records in his first two seasons and posted winning records in his next eight years with the club.
This season’s postseason appearance will be the team’s seventh in a row; it has not clinched a playoff berth yet this season but is assured of finishing no worse than in the play-in tournament.
Starting with the first playoff appearance under Malone in 2019, the Nuggets got out of the first round six times in seven chances. They made the Western Conference finals in the Walt Disney World bubble in 2020 and then rolled to the championship by winning 16 of 20 playoff games in 2023.
Zverev crashes as Tsitsipas, Draper advance in Monte Carlo
- World No. 2 Zverev has struggled for any kind of form since his defeat by Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final
- Berrettini has won 17 of his past 18 matches on clay
MONTE CARLO, Principality of Monaco: Top seed Alexander Zverev crashed out in his opening match of the Monte Carlo Masters on Tuesday falling to Italy’s Matteo Berrettini as defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and Britain’s Jack Draper both advanced.
World No. 2 Zverev has struggled for any kind of form since his defeat by Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open final at the end of January, winning just six of 12 matches.
But with a first-round bye in the absence of world No. 1 Sinner, who is suspended for a doping violation until May 4, Zverev was among the favorites.
After a controlled start to the game, the German slumped to a 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 defeat to 34th-ranked Berrettini, at the end of a high-flying match, which had included an impressive 48-stroke rally won by the Italian.
“It’s been the worst period since my injury (the) last few months,” said Zverev who has suffered a string of early exits of late, including at Indian Wells.
“I played a great first set, and once I got broken in the second set I play ten levels down. My ball is much slower. I stop hitting the ball.
“The same story the last few months. Nothing changes. So it’s me who lost the match, once again.
“I thought my level was terrible, but that’s just my opinion.”
Defending champion and three-time Monte Carlo winner Tsitsipas advanced past 38th-ranked Australian Jordan Thompson. After a lacklustre US tour, the Dubai winner won through 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in his second round tie.
Indian Wells champion Draper, seeded fifth, eased past 45th-ranked American Marcos Giron 6-1, 6-1.
Novak Djokovic — the winner in 2013 and 2015 — and Carlos Alcaraz start their campaigns on Wednesday.
Zverev won the first set against former Wimbledon runner-up Berrettini but a break of serve in the sixth game of the second set allowed the Italian to level the match.
Berrettini broke at 3-all in the final set before blowing a chance to close out victory on his own serve, but he broke again for a 6-5 lead after an astonishing 48-shot rally.
The 34th-ranked Berrettini made no mistake with his second opportunity though, advancing to a last-16 meeting with Lorenzo Musetti or Jiri Lehecka.
“The game plan was the same but I changed my attitude and the way I was believing in my strokes,” Berrettini said.
“I told myself to be more aggressive and if I am going to lose this match, I am going to do the right things and luckily it worked.”
Berrettini has won 17 of his past 18 matches on clay. Last season, he captured clay-court titles in Marrakech, Gstaad and Kitzbuehel. However, he hasn’t played at the French Open since 2021 due to injuries.
“I have missed the biggest tournament on clay for the past three years and that was tough and now I want to enjoy it. I feel really comfortable on clay,” said the former world number six.
For Zverev, last year’s Roland Garros runner-up, it was another disappointing outcome on clay after quarter-final exits in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. His next tournament will be on home soil in Munich.
Meanwhile Tsitsipas let a 5-2 lead slip in the second set, before getting past Thompson to set up a third round meeting with either Portugal’s Nuno Borges or Spaniard Pedro Martinez.
“I really didn’t know what to expect, you don’t know what your opponent is capable of,” said Tsitsipas.
“He showed a good first set, he seemed to be playing quite reserved and wasn’t giving me much to work with. I was just trying to find something to reignite that consistency within my game.”
Dane Holger Rune, the 10th seed, retired due to illness against Portugal’s Nuno Borges.
Rune, the Monte Carlo runner-up in 2023, called for the doctor after losing the opening set before shaking hands with his opponent while trailing 6-2, 3-0.
Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, a two-time Monte Carlo semifinalist, defeated Chilean Nicolas Jarry 6-3, 6-4, on his seventh match point.
Arsenal stun Real Madrid as Rice delivers free-kick masterclass
- Incredibly, Rice had never scored a free-kick in his career before the first of his missiles hit the back of the Real net
LONDON: Arsenal stormed to a stunning 3-0 win over Champions League holders Real Madrid as Declan Rice’s free-kick masterclass left the Gunners within touching distance of a place in the semifinals.
Rice scored two majestic free-kicks in the second half of the quarter-final first leg at the Emirates Stadium.
Mikel Merino added Arsenal’s third goal before Real’s Eduardo Camavinga was sent off for kicking the ball away in the closing minutes to leave the Spanish giants in disarray.
The brilliance of Rice’s brace cannot be understated, with even Real keeper Thibaut Courtois — usually so inspired on Champions League nights — unable to get anywhere near the England midfielder’s thunderbolts.
Incredibly, Rice had never scored a free-kick in his career before the first of his missiles hit the back of the Real net.
It was no more than Arsenal deserved for a mature performance that exposed injury-hit Real in ruthless style.
Mikel Arteta’s men will travel to the Bernabeu for the second leg on April 16 as firm favorites to advance to a semifinal tie against Paris Saint-Germain or Aston Villa, who meet in their quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.
The Gunners have not reached the Champions League semifinals since 2009, but that target is now within their grasp after an evening that will go down as one of the most memorable in the club’s storied history.
Arteta had labelled the clash with Real as the “biggest night” of his career as he urged his players to write their own history by winning Arsenal’s first Champions League crown.
They rose to the challenge so successfully that even Arteta might have been surprised.
Arsenal trail Premier League leaders Liverpool by 11 points and look destined to finish as runners-up for a third successive season.
But the Champions League now offers Arteta genuine hope of a first major trophy since the 2020 FA Cup, providing they can finish the job in Madrid next week.
Beaten by Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals last season, Arsenal’s only Champions League final appearance ended in defeat against Barcelona in 2006 — a run that included a last 16 victory over Real.
For Real, it was a chastening defeat as the 15-time European champions were punished for the flaws that had already seen them beaten 10 times in all competitions this term as they lag four points behind La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Jude Bellingham was largely anonymous and Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior posed only sporadic threats after a promising start.
Vinicius Junior threatened in the opening stages, curling wide after Mbappe picked him out inside the Arsenal area.
Mbappe’s electric pace took him clear of the Arsenal defense in another lightning raid, but the France star shot straight at David Raya.
Arsenal showed no signs of being cowed by Real’s star-studded attack and Rice’s towering header from Jurrien Timber’s cross forced a fine save from Thibaut Courtois, who scrambed across to keep out Gabriel Martinelli’s effort from the rebound.
Mbappe lashed into the side-netting from an acute angle, but Real were unable to match Arsenal’s intensity in the second half and the Gunners deservedly took the lead in the 58th minute.
Rice stepped up 25 yards from goal and whipped a sublime free-kick around the Real wall and into the far corner.
It was a stunning strike that even former Real defender and set-piece maestro Roberto Carlos, watching from the Emirates stands, would have been proud of.
Arsenal almost struck again in a remarkable sequence that saw Courtois save Martinelli’s blast before Merino’s shot from the rebound was hacked off the line by David Alaba and Courtois again denied Merino.
Real were on the ropes and Rice landed another devastating blow in the 70th minute, lashing an unstoppable free-kick into the top corner from 20 yards as Courtois grasped at thin air.
As the ecstatic Arsenal fans roared “Declan Rice, we got him half praise,” that reference to his £105 million fee didn’t seem like hyperbole for once.
Arsenal weren’t finished yet and Merino put Arsenal in dreamland five minutes later with a clinical finish from 12 yards as the Emirates turned into a roiling red sea of celebration.
Late Frattesi strike gives Inter edge over Bayern in Champions League
- The late goal consigned Bayern to their first home defeat in the Champions League since 2021, a run of 22 matches
MUNICH, Germany: An 88th-minute Davide Frattesi goal took Inter Milan to a 2-1 win at Bayern Munich on Tuesday, giving the Italians the edge after the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final.
Undermanned Bayern, nursing a bulging casualty ward, set the tone in the first half-hour, with Michael Olize and Harry Kane narrowly failing to break through.
Inter opened the scoring on the 38-minute mark when Marcus Thuram’s clever back-heel found Lautaro Martinez who blasted home.
The Italians maintained control until Bayern veteran Thomas Mueller, days after announcing a summer departure after 25 years at the club, scored the equalizer with a typical poacher’s finish with five minutes remaining.
Not content to be spectators to a Bayern fairytale ending, Inter broke on the counter just three minutes later, with Carlos Augusto finding Frattesi, who scored Inter’s second.
Inter, defeated in the final by Manchester City two seasons ago, have their noses in front in their bid to make the last four of the competition.
The late goal consigned Bayern to their first home defeat in the Champions League since 2021, a run of 22 matches.
Semi-finalists last season, Bayern’s preparation for the game was hampered by an injury crisis. The German giants were particularly hard hit in defense, with England veteran Eric Dier and Kim Min-jae the only two fit center-backs.
Inter had their own injury woes in the rematch of the 2010 Champions League final but welcomed the news that Alessandro Bastoni, subbed off at halftime in Serie A on Saturday, was fit to start.
Bayern coach Vincent Kompany replaced the injured Jamal Musiala by moving left-back Raphael Guerreiro to the number 10 position behind Kane, leaving veteran Mueller on the bench.
The hosts dominated the opening half hour, with Olize carving up the Inter defense at pace, but without finding the breakthrough.
Olize flashed just wide with seven minutes gone, hit a shot straight at Yann Sommer on the quarter-hour mark and found Kane to head at the ‘keeper shortly after.
The English-born France international dribbled through Inter’s defense to create Bayern’s best chance of the opening half, finding an unmarked Kane but the England captain hit his effort against the far post.
Inter’s forays into Bayern territory were brief but their confidence grew.
The Italians were ahead shortly before half-time, Thuram backheeled blind to Martinez who blasted into the top of the net.
Once ahead, Inter found the control which had eluded them earlier, managing the tempo and the tone of the match.
With 56 minutes gone, Bayern’s rookie goalkeeper Jonas Urbig kept Martinez out with a superb reflex save at the near post.
Kompany brought Mueller on with 15 minutes remaining and the Bayern veteran seemed to have given the match a fairytale ending in typical fashion, catching the Inter defense napping to tap in at the far post.
The goal was just the third Inter have conceded in 11 games in Europe this season.
Three minutes later however, Inter broke on the counter, Augusto finding Frattesi to guide home.
Al-Taawoun edge close to Asian final with narrow win over Sharjah
- An early strike from Abdelhamid Sabiri was enough to settle the clash
- All to play for in the second leg in UAE next week
BURAIDAH: Al-Taawoun took a big step towards the final of the AFC Champions League Two on Tuesday with a 1-0 win over Sharjah in the first leg of their last four clash.
An early strike from Abdelhamid Sabiri was enough to settle the clash in Saudi Arabia but there is still much work to do in the United Arab Emirates next week in the return match.
The home fans in Buraidah were celebrating, waving their yellow flags and dreaming of a first ever continental trophy inside two minutes. Mohammed Al-Kuwaykibi’s cross caused problems for the visiting defence, it was headed out to the edge of the area and there was Sabiri to fire home with a fierce shot.
The visitors were rattled and after giving the ball away in defence two minutes later, were relieved as Al-Kuwaykibi’s shot from long range went just over the bar with the goalkeeper struggling.
Sharjah came close to the equaliser after 19 minutes but while Guiherme Biro was found in a good position in the area, the Brazilian slightly slipped as he sent the shot over.
It seemed to get better for the UAE team seven minutes into the second half as they were awarded a penalty as Ousmane Camara went down in the box under a challenge from Mohammed Mahzari. Yet, after a VAR intervention, the decision was reversed, much to the relief of the home fans.
Yet it was the away team who were happier with 18 minutes remaining as Al-Taawoun came within millimetres of extending their lead.Musa Barrow broke free down the right, cut inside and, with just the goalkeeper to beat, the Gambian goalgetter fired his shot against the inside of the post.
It means that there is all to play for in the second leg in Sharjah next week. It should be quite the battle.
