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Love is impressive winner of Qipco 1000 Guineas

Love (4/1) was a highly impressive winner of the Qipco 1000 Guineas at Newmarket under Ryan Moore on Sunday, giving her trainer Aidan O’Brien his sixth victory in the Group 1.

The daughter of Galileo, the only O’Brien-trained representative in the fillies’ one-mile classic, showed a devastating turn of foot in the closing stages of the race to claim a comfortable victory.

Love, a fourth victory in the race for her sire, following the successes of Minding (2016), Winter (2017) and Hermosa (2019), was also Aidan O’Brien’s fourth win in the past five runnings of the race.

Racing in the centre of the Rowley Mile track, Love and Ryan Moore, who were well placed throughout the race, took the lead at the furlong pole. The favourite Quadrilateral (11/4f) came under pressure on her inside, as big market outsider Final Song (100/1), one off the rail, battled away with Cloak Of Spirits (12/1), who held the rail.

Love then turned on the power to leave her rival in her wake, winning by four and a quarter lengths from Cloak Of Spirits, who held off Quadrilateral for the runner-up spot by a head, with a length further back to Final Song in fourth.

Winning rider, Ryan Moore, was very impressed with his 4th Qipco 1000 Guineas winner, stating:

“She’s very uncomplicated, a typical Galileo. She was in control from a long way out and won as she liked. I don’t know her plans but it’s possible she will stay the Oaks trip.”

Her trainer, Aidan O’Brien, later confirmed post-race that Love, winner of last season’s Moyglare Stud Stakes during Longines Irish Champions Weekend, will now likely go for the Investec Oaks over 1m 4f at Epsom next month.

 

Munster sign three new players to Academy

Munster Rugby have signed three new players to their Greencore Academy ahead of 2020/21 season. The new recruits are hooker Scott Buckley (UCC), Jack Crowley (Cork Constitution) and back row Alex Kendellen.

Diarmuid Barron has been promoted to the senior squad and becomes the fifth Academy player to get promoted to the senior ranks for the new season. He will now join up Keynan Knox, Liam Coombes, Alex Henry and Jack O’Sullivan.

Scott Buckley has captained Christian Brother College Cork (CBC) to the Clayton Munster Senior Schools Cup in 2019.Furthermore, he has played at international for Ireland at both U18 and U19. Buckley played for the Munster A squad this season and was captain of the side away to Dragons. He picked up a hamstring injury though which kept him on the sidelines for most of the season.

Jack Crowley won the Munster U18 and All-Ireland titles with Bandon RFC in 2018. In addition he has played with Bandon Grammar School in the Clayton Hotel Munster Schools Cup. Crowley has played for the Ireland U20 side in this years Six Nations scoring 36 points in three games as Ireland won the Triple Crown. This was before the tournament was brought to a halt due to Covid 19. He has played with Munster A in the Celtic Cup and also has been a key part to the Cork Constitution side in the AIL.

Alex Kendellen comes into the Academy straight out of school. He led PBC to a Munster Schools Cup final this year. He has lined out for the Munster U18’s and U19’s.  Moreover, he has captained the Ireland U18 schools team as well as playing Ireland U18 7’s rugby.

The squad is as follows, broken down into year three, year two and year one.

Thomas Ahern (Lock/Shannon), Jack Daly (Back-row forward/Garryowen), Ben Healy (Out-half/Garryowen), James French (Prop/UCC), Seán French (Centre/Cork Constitution), Eoghan Clarke (Hooker/Shannon), Jonathan Wren (Back three/Cork Constitution), Josh Wycherley (Prop/Young Munster).

Jake Flannery (Out-half/Shannon), John Hodnett (Back-row forward/UCC), Paddy Kelly (Lock/Young Munster), Eoin O’Connor (Lock/Waterpark RFC).

Scott Buckley (Hooker/UCC), Jack Crowley (Out-half/Cork Constitution), Alex Kendellen (Back-row forward/PBC).

 

Borussia Dortmund players fined over haircuts

Borussia Dortmund players Jadon Sancho and Manuel Akanji have been fined by the German soccer league on Saturday after the players defied coronavirus measures to get haircuts.

TvNZ report that Sancho and Akanji “apparently violated hygiene and infection standards”. Furthermore, there were also no facemasks visible in the picture. There were similar photos on social media circulating of Dan Axal Zagadou and Raphael Guerrero. This with Dusseldorf barber Winnie Nana Karkari. However, the DLF (Bundesliga) then mention these players in the statement. Axel Witsel and Thorgan Hazard were also set to got a haircut by Karkari. This was reported by the Bild tabloid.

Borussia Dortmund sports director Michael Zorc said on Thursday that the group of 6 players assured the club that they had followed health guidelines. Masks were only taken off for photographs. The DFL said in a statement, “The players from Borussia Dortmund had obviously violated general hygiene and infection protection standards at home hairdressing appointments and in particular the medical-organisational concept of the DFL task force.””There is no question that professional footballers also have to have their hair cut,”. “However, this currently has to be done in accordance with the medical-organisational concept.”

The amount of the the fine has yet been detailed.

Emre Can a team mate of Sancho speaking to Sky Sports said, “We know that he just has to be more disciplined in some things, but he knows that himself,” He continued, “He just has to be smarter and grow up with things like that. He can’t afford to make such mistakes in the future.

 

NBA Legend donates $100 million to racial equality fight

NBA legend Michael Jordan has donated $100 million to various groups who are fighting for for racial equality.

BBC Sport report that Jordan and his Jordan Brand will distribute the money over the next 10 years. The money will be go to a number of organisations which help fight racial inequality and social justice. Jordan has spoken out about the recent black live matter protests. The protests came after protests broke out in the USA and across the world following the death of George Floyd as he was restrained by police officers. Floyd died on May 25th after a white police officer who has since been charged with his murder knelt on his neck for over eight minutes.

Craig Williams, president of Jordan Brand said in a statement. “We are announcing a joint commitment from Michael Jordan and Jordan Brand to donate $100m over the next 10 years. We must join forces with the community, government and civic leaders to create a lasting impact together,”. The statement continued, “There is still more work for us to do to drive real impact for the black community. We embrace the responsibility.”

In a statement on his Twitter Jordan confirmed the news, “Jordan Brand is more than one man”. “It has always been a family, we represent a proud family that has overcome obstacles, fought against discrimination and works everyday to erase the stain of racism and the damage of injustice”. Johnson also spoke last week saying that he was “deeply saddened, truly pained and plain angry”. He said,“I see and feel everyone’s pain, outrage and frustration,” he added. “I stand with those calling out the ingrained racism and violence toward people of colour in our country. “We have had enough.”

 

McGregor retires from UFC

Conor McGregor has announced his retirement from UFC according to RTE Sport. It’s the Dubliners 3rd time to retire in four years. The 31 year old former featherweight and lightweight champion tweeted the news this morning after the UFC 250 in Las Vegas.

He said, “Hey guys I’ve decided to retire from fighting”. He continued, “Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it’s been! Here is a picture of myself and my mother in Las Vegas post one of my world title wins! Pick the home of your dreams Mags I love you! Whatever you desire it’s yours.”

McGregor had a good overall record with 22 wins 4 loses. It’s not the first time he has retired though having previously retired in 2016 and then again 2019 before making a comeback.He also tried his hand at boxing. He fought Floyd Mayweather in a 10 round bout in Las Vegas. McGregor reportedly made about 75 million from that fight alone. His last fight came against Donald Cerrone, McGregor won within 40 seconds with a TKO. It was his first win in three years. There was talks that McGregor would fight Anderson Silva later this year as well as Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Dana White, UFC President has also responded to McGregor’s announcement. He said, at a press conference following UFC 250 on Saturday, No, one of my people grabbed me and showed it to me on social media, but that’s Conor. You know how Conor works, that’s how he does things”. He continued, ‘When you look at that star that Conor McGregor became, he introduced this thing globally to people in places that had never seen it before.’

“It’s the stuff of dreams” as Kameko lands Qipco 2000 Guineas for Oisín Murphy

Kerry rider Oisín Murphy claimed his first British classic on Saturday when 10-1 chance Kameko won the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket.

The Andrew Balding-trained colt got the better of Aidan O’Brien’s Wichita (15/2) and the previously unbeaten hot favourite Pinatubo (5/6f), who came into the race unbeaten in six juvenile starts, and with the highest two-year-old rating for 25 years.

A race run in record time saw outsiders Persuasion and Juan Elcano set the early pace, with the main players in the market, namely Wichita, Arizona, Kameko and Pinatubo in contention nearing the two-furlong pole.

Killarney-born jockey Oisín Murphy came wide on Kameko to outstay Wichita (Frankie Dettori) by a neck, while Pinatubo (William Buick), who had every chance, finished a further length back in third place.

A delighted British Champion jockey, Oisín Murphy, said of today’s victory:

“I’ve never won a Classic in Britain and it means the absolute world to me. It’s the stuff of dreams. It was a gutsy performance. He hardly blew a candle out afterwards – he must have a tremendous amount of ability.”

Andrew Balding, the winning trainer, was delighted with Kameko’s success, stating:

“He was doing his best work late on and this is his minimum. He will stay further than this. He has always looked smart and he always looked like he would be a better three-year-old as well.”

Following today’s Qipco 2000 Guineas win, Kameko was promoted to Epsom Derby favouritism for the July 4th premier classic, with his trainer believing the Qatar Racing-owned colt will stay further:

“To me it looks the obvious choice, there would be a stamina doubt but there’s only one way to find out. He will certainly get a mile and a quarter, but there is a certain race over a mile and a half in July that would be quite appealing.”

The racing continues on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket on Sunday, with the second British classic of the season, the Qipco 1000 Guineas the day’s main contest.

Hawwaam leads home Mike De Kock 1-2 in Grade 1

The pre-race favourite Hawwaam (11/10f) claimed the Grade 1 H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein, South Africa, this afternoon for trainer Mike De Kock.

In the colours of Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, the five-year-old, rated by many observers as the best horse in South Africa, won under jockey Callan Murray.

The Irish-bred four-year-old Queen Supreme (8/1) completed a 1-2 for De Kock, coming home a length-and-a-quarter behind for Marco Van Resnburg, with the Seán Tarry-trained Cirillo (11/2) a head further back in third for Luke Ferraris in the weight for age contest.

Hawwaam challenged Cirillo with 300m to run, before Queen Supreme came with a late rally in the centre of the track. Callan Murray would not be caught on the favourite, however, but Queen Supreme managed to edge-out Cirillo for the runner-up spot.

sportsnewsireland.com Most Exciting Qualities of the English Premier League

One wouldn’t talk about football without mentioning the English Premier League. It is considered to be the top leagues in the world for a variety of reasons, its stored franchises and venue, the connection between the players the pitch and the fans, and the thrill of excitement.

All these combine to create the massive demand in viewership both locally and internationally. In addition to these qualities, several aspects make the English Premier league exciting. Below are some of the factors that make the league very intriguing and enjoyable.

The acting

There’s nothing more intriguing about the EPL

than the amount of acting that goes after a foul play. In recent days acting, diving, has become part of the game. However, with the advancement of high definition broadcasts, it seems a little ridiculous that players can dive and act like they have suffered a career-ending injury when an opponent clips their ankle. All the fans can tell he is faking as much as he puts both his hands on his face in apparent agony anyway. Despite the questionable antics, fans still find it interesting.

Legal gambling

Betting on the English Premier League teams is common practice all over the world. Betting outlets such as ufabethave become sponsors on some of the EPL teams with their logos and company names placed on the jerseys of the players. Though in some countries, gambling is considered unethical, for fans of the EPL betting and watching their favorite team constitute a typical match day.

The Champions League

Even though the champions league is a different entity altogether, it is usually the EPL teams that are the most exciting. Football fans love the champions league because it is played during the EP season. The fact that the champions league and EPL overlap is always the source of interest for most fans. 

The quality of play

It’s no secret that many top-level players would rather join a club in EPL than any other league. This makes the EPL a home to the world’s highest level of football. The quality of play has, without a doubt, been higher compared to other leagues, which is what makes it the most enjoyable league to watch.

The Crowds

As would any live sporting event, the crowd’s energy is always vital in the outcome of the match. Whether the crowd is loud and in full support of the home team or is silenced by the quality of the opponent’s play, each team’s performance is impacted. This is more apparent in the EPL hence its apparent appeal to viewers.

Conclusion

Football is one of the most loved and watched sports in the world. But there is no football without the English Premier League. It is the most popular and loved league since its exciting, thrilling, and entertaining. It has the best stadiums, crowds and top players and one an also bet on the different matches. The possibility to bet on the teams on various platforms such as ufabet also makes it more accessible and exciting. 

South Africa’s top-two horses clash at Turffontein 2.15pm

Hawwaam and Soqrat, two of the best horses in South Africa will face each other in Saturday’s Grade 1 H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein 2.15pm (Irish time).

Both horses, trained by Mike De Kock and owned by Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, contest the one-mile race was won last year by Soqrat.

It is Hawwaam, however, considered by many to be the best horse in South Africa, who will start favourite for the race.

“Both are doing really well,” De Kock said. “It’s a Group 1 and they’ve both had a nice extended spell, freshened up really well and I’m more than happy with both. Hawwaam is a horse who is brilliant and has his temperamental issues – he’s just very masculine.”

Earlier this year, before the onslaught of Covid-19, the plan was to send the multiple Group 1 winner to Europe to take on some of the Continent’s best. That plan is on hold for the 4-year-old who has an official rating of 120.

“Absolutely, I would like to,” De Kock continued. “We were all on line to ship to the EU and then COVID came and stopped direct shipments. That is the intention, but there is still a lot that must happen.”

Soqrat has tactical speed and proven very tough to beat in the heat of battle. Rated 119, the son of Epaulette disappointed when only eighth in the Grade 1 Queen’s Plate in South Africa on 11th January.

“Soqrat is a very good horse and very consistent, barring his last run,” De Kock explained.

“He’s very tough and straight-forward. He has a good temperament and is the complete package, actually. He has no quirks and is always a danger going into any race. He’s a top horse.”

No Inter-County matches till October

The GAA have revealed it’s Safe Return to Gaelic Games document which shows a detailed phase approach to holding club and inter county games. There will be no inter-county matches till October 18th at least.

In addition the GAA have decided to go against the government saying that organised outdoor exercise can resume. The GAA have said it is maintaining it’s stance that the date for return is June 29th. A virtual conference on Friday revealed a 15 page booklet with all the news and the road map. In summary, the booklet says that GAA walkways can open from June 8th. However, club gates can not open till June 29th. Adult club championship matches can begin on July 31st. However, games will likely start a week or two later than this given club gates can’t open for players to train until June 29th, so a bit of confusion there.

The GAA have revealed that inter-county training can commence from the 14th of September. The inter-county calendar beginning from the 18th of October. They have said that a fixture list for these inter-county will be drawn up and published in August according to RTE Sport.

The GAA have said that grades from under 12 and below can train in groups of no more than 10 players. It is the same for those in the 15-18 age bracket. Parental sign off will be required for underage training. Moreover, adults can begin training with no more than groups of 5. Phase 4 is where everyone can return to training on July 20th, which will be followed by adult club championship games on July 31st.

A Covid supervisor will be appointed at each club. They will be responsible for taking temperatures of team participants upon entry to the gaa grounds. A temperature over 37.5 will mean the player will have to return home. Hand sanitisation will also have to be adhered to. Additionally, social distance signage and hand washing signage will have to be in place.

A statement by Shay Brennan, Chair of the Advisory Group said, “The Covid-19 Advisory Group was tasked with preparing a guidance document and recommendations that would inform the safe resumption of activities within the Gaelic games family”. “The evidence and research to date indicates that the resumption of activities is a complex process, that it may not be linear and that small and deliberate steps must be taken before there can be a return to full activity.

So it’s looking like All-Ireland Championships will begin in October and possibly finish in December given that no inter-county games can take place till October at the earliest.

5 Main Points: 

  1. Walkways on GAA pitches will open from Monday, 8 June
  2. Club gates will open on 29 June
  3. Juvenile and adult club championship games can commence from 31 July
  4. Inter-county training to commence on 14 September
  5. The inter-county calendar will commence from 17 October
  6. A full fixture calendar will be published in August