Witness Stand gears up for Saudi Cup’s $2m 1351 Turf Sprint

Witness Stand, a Listed winner at Newbury last autumn under jockey Kieran Shoemark, is the highest-rated UK entry in the prestigious 7-furlong contest. (Supplied)
Witness Stand, a Listed winner at Newbury last autumn under jockey Kieran Shoemark, is the highest-rated UK entry in the prestigious 7-furlong contest. (Supplied)
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Updated 19 February 2025
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Witness Stand gears up for Saudi Cup’s $2m 1351 Turf Sprint

Witness Stand gears up for Saudi Cup’s $2m 1351 Turf Sprint
  • Jockey Kieran Shoemark, who will travel to Saudi Arabia for a sole ride aboard Witness Stand, is optimistic about gelding’s chances

LONDON: Urloxhey Stables is set for its first international flat runner as Witness Stand prepares to line up in the $2 million 1351 Turf Sprint at the Saudi Cup on Saturday.

The Worcestershire-based training partnership of National Hunt trainer Richard Newland and co-trainer Jamie Insole is making a significant leap onto the global racing stage with the four-year-old gelding.

Witness Stand, a Listed winner at Newbury last autumn under jockey Kieran Shoemark, is the highest-rated UK entry in the prestigious 7-furlong contest. Shoemark, who guided the son of Expert Eye to two victories last season, will renew his partnership in Riyadh.

Acquired for 100,000 guineas ($132,159) at the Tattersalls Autumn Horses in Training Sale, Witness Stand was identified as a value buy by Insole on behalf of owners Scott and Debbie Turner.

Recalling the acquisition, Insole told George Smyly Media: “We initially thought he’d be too pricey and his consignors Barton Stud brought him out to show me and I told them to put him away as he’d be too expensive. We were delighted to secure him and we’re excited to campaign him in 2025 and beyond.”

After arriving at Urloxhey Stables in November, Witness Stand was given a short break before returning to training. Insole has been steadily building up the gelding’s fitness, incorporating two away days at Wolverhampton to sharpen him for the Saudi challenge.




Urloxhey Stables is set for its first international flat runner as Witness Stand prepares to line up in the $2 million 1351 Turf Sprint at the Saudi Cup on Saturday. (Supplied)

“He’s a compact horse who carries his condition well, but the next 10 days will sharpen him up further,” Insole said.

The Saudi Cup’s unique seven-furlong test, which brings together sprinters stretching out and milers cutting back in trip, will pose tactical challenges. However, Insole believes Witness Stand’s adaptability is a key asset.

“The seven-furlong trip is perfect for him in a race that brings together five and six-furlong sprinters and milers dropping back in distance. He’s shown good form on quick ground at Goodwood, so that holds no concern,” he said.

Shoemark, who will travel to Saudi Arabia for a sole ride aboard Witness Stand, is optimistic about the gelding’s chances.

“He’s done a couple of pieces of work at Wolverhampton, and I’m happy with where he is at this stage,” Shoemark said. “The quick ground and track in Saudi won’t be an issue — he’s incredibly versatile both in terms of ground and trip. All he did last year was improve in a short space of time, and with his rating of 114, he fully deserves his place in this field.”

Witness Stand’s strong autumn campaign coincided with the addition of cheekpieces, which will remain in place for the Saudi Cup.

“They’ve sharpened him up and he’s worked well at home in them, so we see no reason to change what’s proven to be successful,” Insole added.




The Saudi Cup’s unique seven-furlong test, which brings together sprinters stretching out and milers cutting back in trip, will pose tactical challenges. However, Insole believes Witness Stand’s (pictured) adaptability is a key asset. (Supplied)

Shoemark also praised Insole’s approach to training, highlighting his ambition and results.

“Jamie is very passionate and proactive, and he’s not afraid to run his horses. His results last year speak for themselves, and with the quality two-year-olds and pedigrees he’s added to the yard, I think there’s more success ahead,” he said.

The international campaign marks a significant step forward for Urloxhey Stables, which was formed in December 2023 when Insole joined forces with Grand National-winning trainer Newland. Since then, the duo has sent out 27 winners on the flat and currently trains 35 National Hunt horses and 65 flat horses, including 27 two-year-olds.

“It’s a huge step,” Insole admitted.

“Last year, we showed we could improve older horses and develop two-year-olds. Now, we want to prove we can compete on the biggest stage and attract international owners. This race is fully funded, so it’s a free hit at big prize money. Even finishing sixth would bring home £50,000 ($62,914).”

Young British trainers such as George Boughey and George Scott have expanded their global presence in Dubai, Qatar and Bahrain, and Insole hopes this race will be the catalyst for a similar international profile for Urloxhey Stables, adding: “We’re hoping he can run a big race and we can prove we are a professional outfit who mean business.”


Pistons snap NBA playoff skid, vintage Leonard leads Clippers past Nuggets in Denver

Pistons snap NBA playoff skid, vintage Leonard leads Clippers past Nuggets in Denver
Updated 15 sec ago
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Pistons snap NBA playoff skid, vintage Leonard leads Clippers past Nuggets in Denver

Pistons snap NBA playoff skid, vintage Leonard leads Clippers past Nuggets in Denver
  • The Pistons, in the playoffs for the first time since 2019, notched their first playoff victory since Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics
  • Leonard made 15 of his 19 shot attempts and the Clippers withstood NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic’s triple-double

LOS ANGELES: The Detroit Pistons snapped their record 15-game NBA playoff losing streak with a 100-94 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday to level their Eastern Conference first-round series at one game apiece.

Cade Cunningham scored 33 points with 12 rebounds and Dennis Schroder added 20 points off the bench — including a go-ahead three-pointer with 55.7 seconds left — as the Pistons thwarted another Knicks’ rally bid.

The Los Angeles Clippers also bounced back from a Game 1 defeat, beating the Nuggets 105-102 in Denver behind a brilliant 39-point performance from Kawhi Leonard.

Leonard made 15 of his 19 shot attempts and the Clippers withstood NBA Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic’s triple-double of 26 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists to level their Western Conference series at 1-1.

The Pistons, in the playoffs for the first time since 2019, notched their first playoff victory since Game 4 of the 2008 Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics.

Two days after the Knicks authored a 21-0 scoring run to rally in Game 1, the Pistons were pushed to the finish in a fast-paced, physical encounter at Madison Square Garden.

They led by as many as 15 in the third quarter, but the Knicks had cut the deficit to eight going into the final period.

New York star Jalen Brunson scored 14 of his 37 points in the fourth and fed Josh Hart for a dunk that tied it at 94-94 with 1:15 to play.

But Schroder answered immediately, drilling a three-pointer that put the Pistons ahead for good.

The Knicks came up empty on three straight possessions while Schroder and Jalen Duren connected at the free-throw line to seal Detroit’s win.

Tobias Harris scored 15 points and pulled down 13 rebounds and Duren had 12 points and 13 boards for the Pistons, who host Game 3 on Thursday.

“Feels good to represent the city like we did tonight,” Cunningham said. “It’s something that the city’s been waiting on a long time, so we feel good about it and we’re ready to get back to the crib and perform in front of them.”

Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau was irked at what he considered inconsistent officiating, noting that the Pistons went to the free-throw line 34 times to the Knicks’ 19.

“If Cunningham’s driving and there’s marginal contact and he’s getting to the line, then Jalen (Brunson) deserves to be getting to the line,” Thibodeau said.

It was another pulsating contest in Denver, where the Clippers bounced back from a narrow Game 1 overtime defeat thanks to a vintage performance from Leonard — an NBA champion in 2014 and 2019 who has been hindered by injury in recent seasons.

Leonard set the tone early, making nine of his 10 shots in the first half and sending the Clippers into halftime up 55-52 with a buzzer-beating three-pointer.

In a game that featured 18 lead changes, the Nuggets tied it at 100-100 with 2:07 to play on a three-pointer by Murray.

But Norman Powell came up with a steal and drained a three-pointer and Leonard made a jump shot to put the Clippers up 105-102. Leonard stole a Jokic pass with 37.3 seconds left and Los Angeles held on as Christian Braun and Jokic missed in the waning seconds.

“I just kept going and stayed in the zone,” Leonard said. “I didn’t worry about what shots were making or missing. I just kept shooting.”


Ostapenko on upward trajectory as clay season gains momentum

Ostapenko on upward trajectory as clay season gains momentum
Updated 4 min 17 sec ago
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Ostapenko on upward trajectory as clay season gains momentum

Ostapenko on upward trajectory as clay season gains momentum
  • Her ninth tour-level title, and just her second on clay, lifted Ostapenko six places in the world rankings to 18th, marking her out as a dark horse ahead of Roland Garros, which begins on May 25

Jelena Ostapenko is starting to show shades of the form that saw her crowned French Open champion eight years ago with the Latvian knocking over the top two players in the world en route to winning the Stuttgart Open title on Monday.
Ostapenko became the first woman to beat the world number one and number two in the same claycourt event since Serena Williams at Madrid in 2012 by beating Aryna Sabalenka in the final and Iga Swiatek in the quarters.
Her ninth tour-level title, and just her second on clay, lifted Ostapenko six places in the world rankings to 18th, marking her out as a dark horse ahead of Roland Garros, which begins on May 25.
“Honestly, I didn’t tell anyone, but I felt confident since the first day. I had a strange feeling in a good way,” she told reporters in Stuttgart.
“When I came here, I felt like something’s going to happen this week. I pretty much felt that I can win this tournament.
“I think I’m improving day by day and I’m playing better and better. I think I deserve it.”
Ostapenko, who also beat Swiatek on the way to the Doha final in February before losing to Amanda Anisimova, has failed to reach a Grand Slam final since her Roland Garros breakthrough in 2017.
However, she said playing without the burden of expectation had worked wonders for her this season.
“I had enough pressure in my career,” Ostapenko told the WTA website. “I didn’t feel it even though it was the final. In my mind, I was just playing a match.”
Ostapenko will be in action in Madrid this week and is also dreaming of another deep run in Paris.
“Obviously I can play well on this surface,” she added.
“I will take it match by match, but anything can happen.”


The Pope with ‘two left feet’ who loved the ‘beautiful game’

The Pope with ‘two left feet’ who loved the ‘beautiful game’
Updated 22 April 2025
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The Pope with ‘two left feet’ who loved the ‘beautiful game’

The Pope with ‘two left feet’ who loved the ‘beautiful game’
  • Messi: A different Pope, close, Argentinian... Rest in peace, Pope Francis
  • His love of football was inseparable from his loyalty to the San Lorenzo club in Buenos Aires, where he went to watch matches with his father and brothers

VATICAN CITY: His predecessor loved Mozart, but Pope Francis’s passion was football — for him “the most beautiful game” and also a vehicle to educate and spread peace.

From Argentine compatriots Lionel Messi and the late Diego Maradona to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Gianluigi Buffon, Francis received the greatest stars of football at the Vatican, signing dozens of shirts and balls from around the world.

And the admiration flowed both ways. Following news of the Pope’s death on Monday at the age of 88, Messi took to Instagram to pay tribute.

“A different Pope, close, Argentinian... Rest in peace, Pope Francis,” the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner posted. “Thank you for making the world a better place. We will miss you.”

Francis often recounted playing as a young boy on the streets of Buenos Aires, using a ball made of rags.

While admitting he was “not among the best” and that “he had two left feet,” he often played as goalkeeper, which he said was a good way of learning how to respond to “dangers that could arrive from anywhere.”

His love of football was inseparable from his loyalty to the San Lorenzo club in Buenos Aires, where he went to watch matches with his father and brothers.

“It was romantic football,” he recalled.

He maintained his membership even after becoming pope — and caused a minor uproar when he received a membership card from rivals Boca Juniors as part of a Vatican educational partnership.

Francis kept up to date with the club’s progress thanks to one of the Vatican’s Swiss Guards, who would leave results and league tables on his desk.

On Monday, San Lorenzo’s home page showed a large photo of a smiling pope under the club’s blue-and-red striped emblem, and the words: “Goodbye forever, Holy Father!”

Football is often compared to a religion for its fans, and Francis held numerous giant masses in football stadiums during trips abroad.

French Bishop Emmanuel Gobilliard, the Vatican delegate for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, said he understood the crucial role played by football.

“Whether you are an amateur or professional footballer, whether you like to watch it on television, it makes no difference: this sport is part of people’s lives,” he said.

But it was not just an end in itself — Francis, a Jesuit, also saw football as a way of spreading peace and education, despite the money and corruption linked to the sport.

In 2014, the Olympic stadium in Rome hosted an “inter-religious match” for peace at his initiative.

“Many say that football is the most beautiful game in the world. I think so too,” Francis declared in 2019.

As early as 2013, addressing the Italian and Argentine teams, Francis reminded players of their “social responsibilities” and warned against the excesses of “business” football.

The pontiff’s love for the game inspired a scene in a film “The Two Popes,” in which former pope Benedict XVI and then-cardinal Jorge Bergoglio watch the 2014 World Cup final between their two countries, Germany and Argentina.

It was pure fiction, as the soon-to-be Francis gave up watching television in 1990 — the year West Germany beat Argentina in the World Cup final hosted by Italy — while his predecessor preferred classical music and reading.

His enthusiasm for football said UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin on Monday bore “witness to a joyful spirit and his ability to connect with people through warmth and a sense of shared humanity.”

Francis never mentioned the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, which took place in the midst of a dictatorship when he was a provincial leader of the Jesuits.

But he dedicated an entire chapter of his 2024 autobiography to Maradona, whose infamous “hand of God” goal helped Argentina beat England in their 1986 World Cup quarterfinal clash.

“When, as pope, I received Maradona in the Vatican a few years ago... I asked him, jokingly, ‘So, which is the guilty hand?’” he said in 2024.

And asked once who was the game’s greatest player, Maradona or Lionel Messi, the pope hedged his bets.

“Maradona, as a player, was great. But as a man, he failed,” Francis said, referring to his addictions to cocaine and alcohol.

He described Messi as a “gentleman,” but added that he would choose a third, Pele, “a man of heart.”


Duplantis and Biles win Laureus World Sports Awards

Duplantis and Biles win Laureus World Sports Awards
Updated 22 April 2025
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Duplantis and Biles win Laureus World Sports Awards

Duplantis and Biles win Laureus World Sports Awards
  • Duplantis, 25, took the award ahead of tennis great Novak Djokovic, Formula One world champion Max Verstappen and French swimmer Leon Marchand
  • Biles won the award for the fourth time, equalling the record held by Serena Williams, after winning three gold medals and a silver last summer at the Paris Olympics

MADRID: Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis and American gymnast Simone Biles shared the top honors on Monday at the annual Laureus World Sport Awards ceremony in Madrid.

Double Olympic champion and world record holder Duplantis was voted Sportsman of the Year at the ceremony marking the 25th anniversary of the awards, while Biles was named Sportswoman of the Year.

Duplantis, 25, took the award ahead of tennis great Novak Djokovic, Formula One world champion Max Verstappen and French swimmer Leon Marchand.

He follows Usain Bolt as the second representative from track and field to win the award.

Biles won the award for the fourth time, equalling the record held by Serena Williams, after winning three gold medals and a silver last summer at the Paris Olympics.

“I won this award for the first time in 2017 and Laureus has been a part of my story since then,” said Biles.

“There might be a little girl watching someone like me on television and deciding she can do it, too.”

Another gymnast Rebeca Andrade won the Comeback of the Year award after winning gold in the floor at Paris while Barcelona’s Spanish prodigy Lamine Yamal, who had an exceptional first full season for club and country, winning Euro 2024 with Spain at just 17, won the Breakthrough of the Year award.

Real Madrid, who won their 15th Champions League and La Liga, took the team award.

Rafael Nadal, who retired from tennis last November at the age of 38, was given a Sports Icon award and surfer Kelly Slater a Lifetime Achievement award.


Al-Ittihad move closer to Saudi Pro League glory as Al-Hilal stumble again

Al-Ittihad move closer to Saudi Pro League glory as Al-Hilal stumble again
Updated 22 April 2025
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Al-Ittihad move closer to Saudi Pro League glory as Al-Hilal stumble again

Al-Ittihad move closer to Saudi Pro League glory as Al-Hilal stumble again
  • After their lead at the top of the table was cut to just 4 points last week, Al-Ittihad bounce back with a 3-2 win over Ettifaq
  • Al-Hilal draw 2-2 with Al-Shabab, leaving them 6 points adrift in second place with only 5 games left to play

Al-Ittihad took a big step toward the Saudi Pro League title on Monday, beating Ettifaq 3-2 to move six points clear at the top of the table ahead of Al-Hilal, who earlier drew 2-2 with Al-Shabab.

With just five games remaining, the Jeddah side are very much back in the driving seat after a 2-0 loss to Al-Fateh on Thursday, though they had to come from behind after Vitinho put the visitors ahead in the fifth minute, firing home from outside the area.

The home fans did not have long to wait before their team were back on level terms, however. Just six minutes later, Karim Benzema got on the end of a corner at the far post and sent a low ball across the face of goal for Danilo Pereira to convert.

Benzema himself put the leaders ahead after 35 minutes, as the French forward pounced on a sloppy backpass and slotted the ball past Marek Rodak.

In time added on at the end of the first half the advantage increased to 3-1, as Moussa Diaby delivered his 14th assist of the season when he fed the ball to Houssem Aouar in the area, who rolled his shot into the net.

There were signs of nerves seven minutes from time when the visitors pulled one back, Pereira heading a cross into his own net. However, Al-Ittihad managed to hold on and see out the game.

Earlier, Al-Hilal, who had moved within four points of the leaders last week, dropped points for the third time in four league games when they were held to a 2-2 draw at home by Al-Shabab.

In an exciting Riyadh derby, the home fans were stunned in the seventh minute when the visitors took the lead in spectacular fashion through Daniel Podence. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers man advanced toward the area, cut inside and then, still outside the box, unleashed a perfect shot into the top corner of the net.

Al-Hilal equalized just after the half-hour mark with a well-worked goal. Renan Lodi found Salem Al-Dawsari on the left side of the area, who slipped through a smart pass for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to fire high into the net.

The 19-time champions took the lead just a minute after the restart when Malcom fed a pass through to Al-Dawsari on the left side of the area, and the Saudi international found his spot with a first-time low shot.

Midway through the second half, however, Al-Shabab were level again. Mohammed Al-Shwirekh climbed high on the edge of the six-yard box to head home a Cristian Guanca corner.

With 18 minutes to go, things almost got even worse for Al-Hilal, but their fans were able to breathe a sigh of relief when Yannick Carrasco’s goal, side-footed into the net from inside the box, was ruled out for offside.

And that was how things remained at the final whistle, as Al-Hilal’s title aspirations took what might prove to be a significant knock from another stumble, with the time available to make amends rapidly running out.