Desert Orchid won seven times in all at Kempton
Details have been announced of plans for a tribute to racing great Desert Orchid at Kempton Park, the scene of some of his greatest triumphs.

The bold-jumping grey, who won the King George VI Chase a record four times at the track, died last month aged 27.

Dessie's ashes have been buried near the course's statue of the horse.

A memorial headstone will be unveiled before a special race in his honour on Wednesday 27 December, the second day of the King George meeting.


Report: Racing legend Desert Orchid dies
The Story of Desert Orchid

Course managing director Paul Fisher has liaised with owner Richard Burridge to finalise details.

"Kempton Park is where Desert Orchid won four King Georges and a Racing Post Chase. He was an absolute star and we are honoured to have his ashes laid to rest at the course," said Fisher.

His ashes rest next to the lifesize statue, which already overlooks the parade ring at the track.

At 1400 GMT on Wednesday, a video featuring some of Dessie's great victories will be broadcast around the track.

606: DEBATE
Desert Orchid came down my street once on its way to the Wogan show

MBH
606: Have your say

Kempton chairman Nigel Clark will then pay tribute to the horse in a short ceremony overseen by priest Father David Lupton.

Racegoers will be invited to observe a short silence before Burridge and Dessie's trainer David Elsworth unveil the headstone under which the galloping grey's ashes are buried.

Desert Orchid was a favourite with festive crowds at the Surrey course where the King George is traditionally the feature race on Boxing Day, part of its two-day Christmas meeting.

Officials had already planned to run the Desert Orchid Chase, which is due off at 1430, on the second day in his honour.

Away from Kempton, Dessie's most famous victory came in the 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup, where he overcame unsuitable conditions for a memorable triumph.

A grandstand in one of the enclosures at Cheltenham is named after him.

Woosnam's wildcard picks incensed the left-out Bjorn
Ian Woosnam has revealed he was on the verge of quitting as European Ryder Cup skipper after Thomas Bjorn criticised his wildcard picks and captaincy style.
The 48-year-old Welshman upset Bjorn by opting for Lee Westwood instead of him.

The Dane launched a withering attack on Woosnam but later apologised and was fined £10,000 for the outburst.

In an interview with the Independent, Woosnam, however, said the row was the "lowest point" of his career and he was "prepared to resign" over it.

Woosnam was furious about Bjorn's reaction to being left out but was deeply concerned that his feelings were shared by others in the European team.

Some of what (Bjorn) said about me was actionable and I did consider suing

Ian Woosnam
As well as criticising Woosnam's decision to choose Westwood over him, Bjorn criticised the captain for a "lack of communication" during the qualifying period and poor man-management. He also suggested that others were "uneasy about this man's captaincy".

"That's the bit that worried me most," Woosnam told the newspaper. "Not all the personal stuff, although that obviously hurt, but that members of my team might be uneasy with me."

606 DEBATE: Share your thoughts on Woosnam's reaction

The 1991 Masters champion and former world number one brought the issue up with half of his team on a pre-Ryder Cup reconnaissance trip to the K Club.

Woosnam took the six players that were not either competing in the European Masters or taking a break - Paul Casey, Darren Clarke, Luke Donald, Padraig Harrington, David Howell and Jose Maria Olazabal - to the County Kildare course for a low-key practice and bonding session. The first item on the agenda was Bjorn.


Woosnam says he and Bjorn will never be close again
"I sat them down and said, 'If anyone's got a problem with me being captain and agrees with Thomas in any way, then speak now'," he said.

"Fortunately, there was a silence and to a man they backed me, as did the other boys I spoke to on the phone. That was the vote of confidence I needed.

"I could move on and concentrate on the match. Thomas Bjorn was forgotten then."

Forgotten, perhaps, but not entirely forgiven.

"Some of what he said about me was actionable and I did consider suing. But in the end I didn't want to put a shadow over the competition," Woosnam continued.

"A few weeks later, I did bump into him at the Dunhill (Links Championship at St Andrews).

"He apologised, we shook hands and I said, 'Don't worry, it's all water under the bridge'.

"But when people ask me if I'm OK with him now, I always refer to something he said in his rant against me, 'Things will never be the same between us again'. He's right. They won't be."

Woosnam's wildcard selections were vindicated, of course, when Westwood, and Darren Clarke, made significant contributions to Europe's crushing 18½-9½ victory over the Americans.

The European Tour veteran has since spoken of his desire to qualify for the 2008 team that will travel to Louisville to defend the Ryder Cup and to captain the team again in 2010 when the event comes to Wales for the first time.

Ashton needs to point England in a new direction after a dire run

England and Wasps back Josh Lewsey has welcomed the appointment of Brian Ashton as England's new head coach.

Former attack coach Ashton was appointed on Wednesday to replace ex-boss Andy Robinson.

"It is no secret that I am a big fan of Brian's - I've championed him for a long time," Lewsey told BBC Sport.

"He's certainly a visionary. Brian challenges people to think slightly outside the box - he will want to put his own stamp on things."

Ashton has spoken of his desire to free England from their conservative mindset and style of play.

However, Lewsey said the idea that Ashton only advocates a wide game fails to understand the coach's real vision.

In many ways Brian has been a shining light in a period of English rugby where there has been a lot of conservatism

England back Josh Lewsey

"I think people incorrectly label him as the advocate of 'sevens' rugby," said Lewsey, who first met Ashton when he was 18 and Ashton tried to persuade him to join Bath.

"He's actually an advocate of people taking responsibility and playing what they see in front of them, which is the key to playing exciting and challenging rugby, both defensively and offensively."

Since winning the World Cup, England's form has fallen away dismally and the mood around the team has not always been positive.

Robinson eventually paid the price for a run of eight defeats in nine games but Lewsey said it would be simplistic to blame the ex-coach for all the team's ills.

"The issues that have been implicated in England's performances run a lot deeper than just one person at the top," said Lewsey.

"I know within the management set-up they're looking at doing things slightly differently and as players you always welcome a bit of a change.

"In many ways Brian has been a shining light in a period of English rugby where there has been a lot of conservatism."

TOP trainer Mick Zammit is at the crossroads with his flying sprinter Bungendore.
The son of Go Wild Teddy-Floodline blitzed a smart field in the Christmas Stocking final (520m) at Albion Park on Thursday night.
He scored by an ever-increasing five and three-quarter lengths in 30.23 beating Farmor Assassin with a neck to Gotta Love Him in third.
Zammit admits he has put Bungendore to the test in recent months. He was narrowly beaten into second by then kennelmate Gunnadoo Saint in the Young Guns in November.
He then chased home eventually winner Pure Burst in a hat of the Group 1 Brisbane Cup.
“Believe me, this is a really hot young dog,” said Zammit.
“And I think a couple of weeks break would do him the world of good and help him develop into the dog I believe he will be.”
But there are a host of big races coming up in the next couple of months that will perfectly suit Bungendore.
Firstly there is the Young Guns series at the Gold Coast, followed by another Young Guns at Albion Park (both worth $10,000 to the winner), and also the Group 1 National Derby at Wentworth Park.
“At this stage I will probably go to the Gold Coast because the track suits him,” said Mick.
“But I’ll have a think about what to do over the next few days.”
Zammit trains the dog for NSW owner Mark Lewis and Bungendore is one of only four he has at his new property.
He also trains Bungendore’s litter sister Mark’s Wild Girl (third in the Christmas Cup at the Gold Cost on Wednesday), Vizard (a Gold Coast winner on Wednesday) and an unnamed pup.
They are the only four he trains. Zammit is being ever reluctant and will give nothing away about the quality of the unnamed pup.
The victory in the added money Christmas Stocking final took Bungendore’s career record to seven wins and three placings in 12 starts.
“There is much more to this dog,” said Mick.
“The first time I trialled him over 520m at Albion Park he ran a 5.70 first section. He has not run up to that since, but I know it’s in him.
“A short break from racing might just be enough to turn him into a star.”
Bungendore won the race with a sensational 11.57secs middle section. It broke his rivals hearts.

Post a comment The poker room in Las Vegas that everyone is talking about is the room at Red Rock, clearly the best and brightest of the new Off-the-Strip rooms. Red Rock is, in fact, on a par with some of the best of the big rooms on Las Vegas Boulevard. It is worth the trip out Charleston Blvd. to see what is arguably the best of the 'outer ring' casinos. Take some time to have a drink at the very classy and very well appointed Lucky Bar and do not miss the barbeque at Salt Lick, all the way from Austin the "Q" stands up to the Texas original, or so my Austin buddies tell me. Red Rock is simply a great casino and what would you expect from a great casino but an equally great poker room.

Park right off of the 215 West at Charleston and pull into the lot, park near the entrance to Salt Lick and you will walk right into the poker room. The kiosk log-in will get you on one or more waiting lists in less than 30 seconds and you are ready to play some poker. There is an interesting mix of games spread at Red Rock. The standard of the room is a $4/$8 limit hold'em, which comes complete with a half kill. On nearly any weekday night there will be 3 or more of these tables up and running. Generally speaking there will also be a table of $6/$12 limit, also with the half kill and plenty of $1/$2 and $2/$5 no limit. They do spread a $2/$4 limit game without the kill and usually also with multiple tables.

Unlike many rooms that say they will open an Omaha game, the Red Rock has a very strong Omaha-8 following and there will always be one table and often two running. I would add that the Omaha hi-lo game is often a high, even a very high volatility game. On my last visit, early on a Tuesday evening, there were several $200+ pots and many more $100+ pots in this game in just my first hour. The Omaha-8 is spread at $4/$8 with a half kill on scooped pots over $30.

Red Rock does not run any tournaments (they don't have to) the room always has action. Oh by the way, one little warning; the weekend at Red Rock often means a full room but the turnover is usually fairly brisk and waits are not long.

Also Red Rock is one of the Station Casino Group, which means they participate in the largest running Bad Beat Jackpot in Las Vegas. The Jackpot almost always is over $100,000 and when it hits everyone playing in any Station card room at a hold'em table gets a piece of the action. Last time each player took home about $300 with the actual loser of the bad beat hand getting $45,000 and the winner $25,000. The Omaha-8 games also have an in-house Bad Beat, which was about $7,000 for a quad jacks or better beat.

Unlike many of the 'neighborhood' or non-Strip card rooms, the tables are Red Rock are not generally filled with rocks. Although the daytime play is a bit more conservative than it is when the sun goes down (and the drinks go up); this is not a locals only room, there are many tourists staying at Red Rock and a good many poker players from around the area and around the country who are taking at least one shot at the Rock while in Las Vegas. The action in the Red Rock poker room is quite good at most of the tables up and down the limits.

I like the room at Red Rock and make a point of playing it on a regular basis; I recommend you do the same.

Post a comment By any measure, March of 2006 was a strange month for poker news. Sure, there were the straight-up news stories, such as the kickoff of the National Heads-Up Championship and a triumph by a college student on a cruise of a lifetime, but odd things were afoot --- a major online poker site that crashed for weeks, another that struggled to find a replacement for its CEO, and then news about a couple of poker shows stretched the boundaries of poker-show entertainment. Fine reading, all of it. Here's just a sampling of what March delivered:

Minnesota Student Takes PartyPoker Million V --- Yes, college students do play online poker in their dorm rooms, and 2006 was the year that they not only played, they took down huge titles. Hot on the heels of Steve Paul-Ambrose's win in the Poker Stars Caribbean win came College Student Triumph #2: Mike Schneider, a student at the University of Minnesota, took down the Party Poker Million V aboard a Caribbean cruise ship. Schneider triumphed against a field of online qualifiers sprinkled with tough pros, one of whom, Kenna James, also made the final table. Schneider had more than memories of Jamaica and the Grand Caymans for his return to Minnesota, as he toted home $1,000,000 for the win.

Has PartyGaming Found Their New CEO? --- PartyGaming PLC's move from the UK to Gibraltar resulted in a defection at the very top, when sitting CEO Richard Segal announced that he would not join the company in its move. In late March the news broke that PartyGaming had settled on the replacement, with online-payments executive Mitch Garber slotted to step into the role. Segal's defection turned out to be a small roadbump for PartyGaming, compared to the giant "Bridge Out" UIGEA situation looming a few months later.

Interesting Matchups in National Heads-Up Poker Championship NBC returned to Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas to film its second annual 'National Heads-Up Poker Championship,' with 64 top pros matched up in six rounds of head-to-head no-limit matches. The tournament culminated with Ted Forrest triumphing over Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson to claim the $500,000 top prize. Forrest's win propelled him to the cover of several spring poker magazines and stood as the linchpin of a climb to front-line fame for the cash-game specialist. Ferguson's second-place showing gave him back-to-back runner-up finishes in this event, as he dropped the first year's final showdown to Phil Hellmuth.

Recent Issues with Ultimate Bet --- Growth pains. One of the largest online poker sites, Ultimate Bet, had a rough couple of weeks in March. While conspiracy theorists soon dotted the forums with dire predictions that UB was gone for good, no doubt with many hundreds of millions in tow, the truth was rather more sedate. The site had grown so rapidly that it had tapped out its existing network capabilities earlier than planned, and the overload caused repeated crashes. Worse, an investigation into the structural problems of the site's programming background indicated that a complete (but as rapid as possible) overall had to be done. Customers were left with little to do but stew as repairs were being made, but UB promised several new promotions intended to make the wait worthwhile. As promised, a new and improved UB soon returned to the online scene.

Phil Hellmuth Tapped as Next Co-Host for 'Celebrity Poker Showdown' --- 2006 was a good year for the 'Poker Brat,' when measured by headline inches. This story could have been titled 'Out with the Old Phil, In with the New,' as it was earlier announced that Phil Gordon would be leaving his role as 'Celebrity Poker Showdown's original co-host, and would be replaced by Hellmuth. At the least, the move saved the show a few bucks on having to get a new batch of name tags.

Finding the Next Great Poker Star in the Caribbean --- Speaking of unique concepts for televised poker shows, March also saw the announcement of "Calvin Ayre Wild Card Poker," a Bodog-produced series intended to discover the 'Next Great Poker Star.' The shows were filmed in Costa Rica, both at a San Juan studio and at Ayre's nearby palatial estate, and poker was only part of the program's intended appeal. The Bodog lifestyle, featuring a unique mix of erstwhile celebrities and 'Bodog Recording Artists,' was also on tap. The show began airing in April and kicked off at least two more sensational developments, the raiding of the Ayre estate by Costa Rican authorities and a lawsuit filed by an independent documentary producer, Babette Pepaj, over the concept for the show.

PokerStars Cracks 100,000 Player Mark --- And Stars just kept chugging along. In the first days of March, Poker Stars announced that they had just topped a long-anticipated mark, having had over 100,000 different real-cash players playing simultaneously in the cash games and tourneys on the site. These days, Stars routinely notches six-figure participation, but given that only three years early Stars had struggled to top the 10,000-player mark, it was a head achievement, indeed.

Harmison has struggled with the white ball for 12 months
Steve Harmison is confident his decision to retire from one-day cricket will help prolong his Test career.
"This has been a difficult decision but I want to play at the highest level for as long as I can," he said.

"I believe that concentrating solely on Test cricket is the best way forward for me during the next phase of what will hopefully be a long career."

Harmison, 28, has played 46 ODIs since 2002 but has struggled to replicate his better Test form in 50-over cricket.


Interview: ECB chairman of selectors David Graveney
Interview: Leicestershire's Paul Nixon

In 12 matches over the last 12 months he has taken just 17 wickets at an average of 36.58, costing almost six runs per over.

He was dropped for England's final match of the ICC Champions Trophy, against West Indies in October, after a series of injury niggles and form problems.

He has had a difficult time; he's struggled with the white ball for the last 12 months

David Graveney
Chairman of selectors

Despite his poor start to the Ashes series, though, he has rediscovered his form in Test cricket, with a return of 4-48 in the third match of the series in Perth.

But he is known to dislike opening the bowling with the white ball, which is used in one-day cricket and tends to swing more than the red version.

"This hasn't come as a shock to me. I know he's been considering if for a bit," chairman of selectors David Graveney told BBC Radio Five Live.

"He has had a difficult time. He's struggled with the white ball for the last 12 months.

Retiring from one-day internationals was a good move by Harmison

"It lessens our options but opens the door for a lot of younger bowlers to stake their claim for the [World Cup in the] West Indies."

Harmison will play a key part in the two remaining Ashes Tests, in Melbourne and Sydney, then return home as the Commonwealth Bank Series begins on 12 January.

Meanwhile, Paul Nixon hopes to raise his team-mates' flagging spirits on his first tour England's for six years.

Nixon, 36, was surprisingly called into the one-day squad, replacing Geraint Jones as the second wicket-keeper in the party, alongside Chris Read.

"Some of the guys have not performed as they would have liked to have done, so they'll maybe benefit from a bit of experience and new energy," he said.

"They haven't performed as well as they would have liked and changes have been made - and I'm thankful for that."

Newell is dissatisfied with Lord Stevens' findings
Luton manager Mike Newell has responded to Lord Stevens' inquiry by reiterating his claim, made back in January, that there is corruption in football.
He said: "The game is not clean and Lord Stevens said that yesterday when he was asked the question directly.

"He said he felt there was corruption - that's the only question where anybody needs to take notice of the answer."

Newell also believes there should be an investigation into transfer dealings going back 10 years, rather than two.


Luton boss Mike Newell

Following a nine-month investigation, Lord Stevens revealed on Wednesday that 17 transfers - out of 362 - still require further investigation.

However he did not reveal the names of the clubs or the players involved.

Newell believes the reason is that clubs are being run more professionally now and have clean things up.

He added: "Go back five or 10 years and involve everybody - because people with nothing to hide will fear nothing.

"They keep rolling these agents out who say the game's clean and only five percent of activity is being questioned - but they've only gone into the last two years in the Premier League.

"In those two years clubs are more professional - so it's not as widespread.

"But a lot of these agents have made their millions in the last five to 10 years.

"There will be a lot of people breathing a sigh of relief on their yachts and in their villas - and I'm not just talking about agents now."

Khan beat Frenchman Rachid Drilzane in his last fight
Amir Khan's next fight will be on the undercard of the Audley Harrison bill at Wembley Arena on 17 February.

Khan will fight at lightweight after winning the IBF inter-continental light welterweight crown earlier this month.

The Bolton star, 20, beat Frenchman Rachid Drilzane on points, but only after suffering a seventh-round knockdown at the hands of his opponent.

"It's only his 11th fight but there'll be big things happening for Amir in 2007," said promoter Frank Warren.

"It will be another part of his education to get him into a situation where he can fight for another title at lightweight within the next few fights.

"I was really pleased with his performance at the ExCel Arena a couple of weeks ago, he really boxed well.

It's good to take a few shots sometimes. If you go in the shower, you're going to get wet

Amir Khan

"The one thing I was delighted with was that he showed he had stamina. It doesn't matter how good you are as a boxer, if you haven't got stamina, you could struggle.

"He's got a 10-rounder under his belt after just 10 fights which is very unusual for his weight division.

"We also learnt that he isn't a light welterweight, he is a lightweight and he'll continue to fight at lightweight.

"There are a few things that he and [trainer] Oliver Harrison will work on. He's still got a long, long way to go but he's doing an excellent job.

"There are times when he throws lots of shots when he could pick them a bit better, but that will come with experience.


Watson (right) eventually lost to Khan on points in 2005

"And more power will come when he picks his shots. He'll achieve his goals, I have never been so certain of something happening."

Khan was made to work hard for his win over Drilzane and took a standing count after a flash knockdown.

But his confidence has not been dented and he said his ambition is to be a world champion this time next year, although a British title shot is a more realistic target.

"I took a couple of shots [against Drilzane] and I can work on getting the left hand a bit higher," said Khan.

"But it's good to take a few shots sometimes, because if you don't and you get a big fight, you won't know what to do.

"As [former featherweight world champion] Barry McGuigan's says, if you go in the shower, you're going to get wet.

"I'm not perfect and it's good I've got things to work on because I'm not going to get bored in the gym.

How much will Khan achieve in 2007?

"But I know now I can go 10 rounds and hopefully in another five fights I'll be ready for the big ones.

"I think in another five or six fights I'll be strong at the weight and be used to doing 10 or 12 rounds."

One possible opponent for February is Manchester's Craig Watson, who dealt Khan his only amateur knockdown in 2005 before losing on points.

Watson is unbeaten in seven fights since turning professional and has been canvassing for a rematch.

"I would make that fight in a heartbeat, but Watson should phone me instead of the press," said Warren.

They like to think of it as the green felt revolution - the upset defeat of Iowa Rep. Jim Leach, father of the Internet gambling ban, in last month's congressional election.

Leach had been in online gamblers' sights ever since Congress passed the ban as one of its final acts before the Nov. 7 election. Stunned by the new law, the Poker Players Alliance rallied members to take their outrage to the polls and cast ballots against those who voted for the ban.

Now, the group plans to use Leach's experience as an example.

A postelection poll commissioned by the poker players suggests that gambling may have helped do in the 15-term Republican congressman. The poll of 1,000 voters by RT Strategies showed that, among voters for whom the gambling subject was a pivotal issue, Leach's Democratic challenger, David Loebsack, enjoyed a 5 percentage point edge. Leach lost by 3 percentage points.

As the group starts introducing itself to the new Congress that takes over in January, the poker players plan to highlight the poll as part of its lobbying effort.

The group wants Congress to exempt poker players from the ban and study ways of legalizing online play as a legitimate licensed and taxed business.

"It's not a warning," said Michael Bolcerek, president of the group that counts 125,000 members. "It's that people care strongly about this issue and will consider that in their voting decisions."

Online poker playing, he said, is an issue that members of Congress "need to deal with."

Bolcerek said the group also urged its members to support poker-friendly members of Congress, including Nevada's Republican Rep. Jon Porter and Democratic Rep. Shelley Berkley, who authored legislation to study regulating online gaming.

Berkley was re-elected by a landslide in which the online issue likely was relatively inconsequential. And though Porter won by a narrow margin, the group did not poll to see whether the green felt revolution helped sweep them to victory.


Las Vegas Sun

Lotto players don’t like their odds.

Residents don’t like their odds when purchasing lottery tickets from B.C. retailers. People selling lottery tickets are six times more likely to win a jackpot than the general public, according to internal B.C. Lottery Corp. documents obtained by the Vancouver Sun.

Abbie Merkley, a receptionist, said she finds “the whole lottery thing is a little bit shady.” But, she added that retailers winning more often than most won’t deter her from buying tickets. BCLC spokesperson Paul Smith said the corporation is considering turning 70 per cent of its retail distribution sites into self-serve ticket machines in 2007. When asked about the alleged discrepancies between lotto retailer wins and the general population, Smith said winners of prizes over $10,000 are carefully screened. BCLC is currently conducting a review of its lottery system. BCLC says self-serve machines currently being considered.

Source: Metro Vancouver

WAYNE Vassallo once wanted to be a racecaller, but he’s happy he decided to switch to greyhound training.
It landed him another Group 1 victory at Albion Park on Thursday night when Pure Burst led throughout to take out the Group 1 Brisbane Cup final (520m).
She scored by three lengths in a flying 30.10 to beat home town hope Leica Ruby with a half head to the luckless Suave Fella in third.
Vassallo admitted after the victory he was supremely confident his bitch could win the final after the box draw last week despite being reserved at the time.
“I gave her a great chance because I thought she could lead and those on her outside were not quick early,” he said.
That’s just how the race turned out.
Pure Burst had already won the Group 1 Laurels at Sandown and been a finalist in the Sapphire Crown and Melbourne Cup.
“This is my biggest thrill in greyhound racing,” said Vassallo. “When she won the Laurels it was a race restricted to bitches and on her home track.
“It’s something different to come away and beat all comers. It’s a big thrill.”
Vassallo had worked for three years with famed Victorian trainer Jason Thompson learning his trade but has been on his own for the past eight years.
He has nine dogs in work of which Pure Burst is easily the best.
The bitch is raced by Adam Cushkeri and Joe Yusi.
“The boys bought two pups from the Token Prince-Hotburst litter and when they were broken in Jason got the dog to train and he did not have the room for this bitch so asked me to train her,” said Vassallo.
Unfortunately the dog broke down for Thompson and did not get to race.
Thompson prepared Suave Fella to finish third in the final and was amazed at the dog’s performance after finding early trouble and then giving the leader 10 lengths start in the back straight before rushing home to be beaten three lengths.
Thompson is uncertain what to do with Suave Fella in the future.
“I’m not sure about stepping him up in distance,” he said. “He might just be one of those dogs who is a strong 500m finisher.”
Runner-up Leica Ruby throilled connections, owner Ruth Turner and trainer Tony Brett with her great second.
Ironically her dam Rose Of Shiraz had finished second in a Group 1 Brisbane Cup herself.
Pure Burst will go home to contest the Cranbourne Cup and then head to Wentworth Park in Sydney for the Group 1 National Futurity.
Victory took Pure Burst’s record to 13 wins and nine placings in 26 starts. She has now won $155,000 in stakes.
Vassallo said dam Hotburst had been a brilliant sprinter but unable to runj further than 400 metres.
“But she’s already produced some handy dogs from earlier litters.”
Owners Cushkeri and Yusi had refused talk of buying the bitch very early in her career. Neither decided to come to Albion Park for the Cup final.
“I don’t know why they didn’t come up for the race,” said Vassallo.
He’s certain they will regret that now. Amazingly 10-1 was bet on course about Pure Burst.

Mallett led South Africa to 17 consecutive Test victories
Nick Mallett is not interested in becoming England head coach, according to his boss at Western Province.
Sir Clive Woodward has said Mallett "stands way ahead" of all other candidates and the South African is reported to be top choice for the RFU.

But Western Province managing director Rob Wagner told BBC Radio Five Live: "I met with Nick yesterday and he told me he had no interest in the England job.

"We're in negotiations to extend his contract for a further year."

Mallett, who was born in England, became Western Province's director of rugby last year and is under contract with them until the end of 2007.

He had previously led South Africa to a world record-equalling 17 consecutive Test victories and taken Stade Francais to the Heineken Cup final.

RFU elite director of rugby Rob Andrew has said he expects to have a new head coach in place before the start of the Six Nations.

The Sun newspaper reported that Mallett was Andrew's first choice on Thursday.

Andrew will tell the RFU management board his recommendation for head coach on 20 December.

Management board chairman Martyn Thomas told BBC Sport: "Elite rugby in England is under the control of Rob Andrew, lock, stock and barrel.

"He will report direct to the management board and, although I can't pre-empt a decision, I would be very surprised if his recommendations were not approved."

Raitt was a surprise name at the top of the leaderboard
R1 LEADERBOARD
(SA unless stated):
-5 E Els, T Immelman, A Raitt (GB), C Suneson (Spa)
-4 P Sjoland (Swe), D Terblanche, L Westwood (GB)
-3 F Andersson Hed (swe), G Davies (GB), P Edberg (swe), R Goosen, J Kamte, J Kingston, A McLean (GB)

England's Andrew Raitt shared the lead with home favourites Ernie Els and Trevor Immelman after a dramatic first round of the SAA Open in South Africa.

Spain's Carl Suneson also shot a 67 to join the group on five under, while England's Lee Westwood is one shot back with Patrik Sjoland and Des Terblanche.

Defending champion Retief Goosen fell back after taking 11 shots on the 17th.

Els said: "I'll take 67 today because the wind was enough to make this a really tough test."

Raitt is back on tour after a horrendous decade following an accident in 1995, when a dog bit part of the little finger of his left hand off, leading to several operations and an unsuccessful legal battle to try and gain compensation for loss of earnings.

It was tricky out there

Lee Westwood

Els, meanwhile, went into this week hoping to preserve a remarkable record that stretches back to 1991.

The 37-year-old South African has won at least one title every year between 1991 to 2005 but is still searching for his first victory in 2006.

Els, who had started his round at the 10th, played his last five holes in three under with a birdie at the par-four fifth, another one at the tricky par-three sixth, and an eagle three at the long seventh.

Westwood, who returned last week from eight weeks on the sidelines, continued to be troubled by his back injury.

He said: "It was tricky out there.

"I've had ice on it the whole time. It spasms up a lot, and I can't really turn very well at the moment."

But Westwood is not blaming his new fitness regime, which has seen him lose a stone-and-a-half over the past eight weeks.

Goosen was eight under through 16 holes but hit two drives into the bush at 17, losing the first and taking an unplayable lie with the second.

The three-time major winner took a drop under penalty but thought it was an illegal drop, so picked up the ball and dropped again in a different spot.

But in fact the ball was in play after the first drop - so he incurred a two-shot penalty, leading to the horrendous sextuple-bogey.

ENGLAND 51-2 v AUSTRALIA 244
Play resumes 0230 GMT

Paul Collingwood and Andrew Strauss are England's not-out batsmen

England start day two of the third Ashes Test with a rare chance of putting Australia under pressure by establishing a first innings lead.

Resuming on 51-2 in reply to the home side's 244, England batsmen will aim for a three-figure lead after Monty Panesar (5-92) impressed on day one.

Panesar said: "It was really positive getting Australia out for under 250.

"We wouldn't have wanted to lose two wickets but hopefully we can bat most of the day if not all of the day."

Andrew Strauss, 24 not out, hit two boundaries in the first over of the innings.

It's going to be a close match, but I think Brett Lee will be lethal first thing on the second day

That was a clear indication that England are not prepared to be rooted in the defensive mindset that proved their downfall on the last day in Adelaide, where they lost the second Test.

And Panesar said: "We were very positive in the two-day game in Perth and took that positive energy onto the field in the Test.

"That determination showed in how well we coped out there.

"We are going to look to be positive again, show good aggression and look to bat well."

Michael Hussey, Australia's top-scorer with a typically fluent 74 not out, believes his team have a good opportunity to take the initiative on Friday.

He said: "We need early wickets. They've got quite a long tail so if we can get into that middle order we can put them under pressure."

O'Sullivan leaves the arena after handing victory to Hendry
Ronnie O'Sullivan has apologised to his opponent Stephen Hendry and fans after walking out of his Maplin UK Championship quarter-final on Thursday.
The former world champion was trailing 4-1 when he dramatically conceded the match after missing a red.

O'Sullivan said: "Anyone who knows me knows I'm a perfectionist.

"Today I got so annoyed with myself that I lost my patience and walked away from a game that, with hindsight, I should have continued."


O'Sullivan walks out of UK Championship
Feature: Ronnie on Ronnie

At this moment I am feeling disappointed with myself and I am hurt and numb

Ronnie O'Sullivan
O'Sullivan was 24 points ahead in the sixth frame when he missed an attempted pot and immediately declared the match over, shaking the hand of Hendry and referee Jan Verhaas before walking out of the Barbican Centre arena.

"He just said he had had enough," said Hendry, who was awarded a 9-1 win. "I had no inkling anything was wrong."

O'Sullivan blamed his decision on a "bad day in the office".

"I wish I could have given Stephen a better game and I'm sorry I didn't stick around to sharpen him up for his semi-final," he added.

"I'm also really sorry to let down the fans who came to see me play - it wasn't my intention to disappoint them and for that I am truly apologetic.

"At this moment I am feeling disappointed with myself and I am hurt and numb.

If he's got problems I feel for him, but I've never seen anything like it in my life

Stephen Hendry
"But I am a fighter and I will be back on my feet fighting stronger and harder than ever very soon."

Hendry and O'Sullivan have clashed in the past, but the Scot said there were no longer any problems between the two.

"He seemed in good form beforehand and we were chatting back stage," Hendry said. "There is no bad feeling between us anymore anyway.

"Ronnie's obviously got his reasons and I'm not going to criticise him.

"He just said he had had enough and wished me good luck for the rest of the tournament. Only he knows what he feels inside.

"I can't criticise someone else for that, but I've never seen anything like it. It's just bizarre."

I sincerely hope he's got a good explanation for this

Hendry will play the winner of the second semi-final between Graeme Dott and Steve Davis, with Dott leading 5-3 after their opening session.

"I'm not going to lie, it's a good feeling to be in the next round," Hendry added. "But I was enjoying the match, playing well and obviously I would much rather have won properly.

"If he's got problems I feel for him, but I've never seen anything like it in my life."

World Snooker's Michael Ganley, the tournament director, confirmed O'Sullivan had conceded the match.

Spectators who had paid to watch the two sessions of their clash were allowed to watch the Dott-Davis match instead, which caused disruption as spectators moved around to see the action on the other table.

Maybe he should put his cue in the case and leave it there

John Parrott on O'Sullivan
They were also offered tickets for Friday's semi-final between John Higgins and Peter Ebdon.

O'Sullivan, a former world champion and world number one, is one of the game's most charismatic figures.

But the 31-year-old from Essex is also a troubled soul, battling depression and threatening to quit snooker on numerous occasions.

Former world champion John Parrott, an analyst for BBC Sport, thinks O'Sullivan should quit the game for good if he is unhappy.

"Ronnie has got a bit of time now over Christmas to go away and reflect on what he has done here, then maybe he can come back with a fresh approach in the new year," Parrott said.

"But if the game is making him miserable and he really doesn't want to be there, then maybe he should put his cue in the case and leave it there."

There has been criticism about the poor viewing facilities at Ascot
Ascot racecourse has announced a £10m refit programme to iron out problems stemming from its £200m redevelopment.
The move follows a review carried out after Ascot's re-opening earlier this year which identified several areas that needed to be improved.

Among the changes will be the elevation of several areas to improve viewing, which was the main focus of criticism.

The refit, which includes installing a temporary 2,000-seater stand, will be completed by the end of April.

Too many people were caught up in how it looked and not how it performed

There will be amendments to the Silver Ring, which will include reprofiled lawns.

The Royal Enclosure will be extended and lawns will be regraded to increased the gradient and improve the view of the track.

The steppings and seating areas will also be elevated and the rake increased to improve viewing.

The estimated £10m cost of the work will be funded from the contingency reserve of the original redevelopment project.

Pardew and Wenger prowl the touchline at Upton Park
Arsene Wenger has been fined and warned about his future conduct by the Football Association following his touchline spat with Alan Pardew.
The Gunners manager pushed the former West Ham boss at the end of the November Premiership match which the Hammers won 1-0 with a late goal.

Frenchman Wenger, who admitted the charge of improper conduct, was fined £10,000 for his aggressive behaviour.

Pardew has denied the charge against him and requested a personal hearing.

"I got fined severely. I'm not happy with it but I said I regret it and I was over-reacting, so I accept the fine," Wenger reflected.

The two managers had to be separated following celebrations by Pardew in the technical area after Marlon Harewood's winner.

Wenger refused to shake Pardew's hand at the end of the match, and left without speaking to the media.

The fine I can accept, but what's all this severe censure nonsense?

Pardew, who was sacked as Hammers boss on Monday, issued his apology to Wenger after the victory.

"I apologise if I offended Arsene. If I was over-zealous in my celebrations, which I'm sure I was, I apologise fully to Arsene and Arsenal," he said.

"It was nothing personal, I was celebrating the goal. I've got great respect for him and that won't change.

"Nothing was said. Maybe he was angry at a couple of decisions and it was a physical game. We wanted to upset Arsenal, we wanted to win.

"He is a top guy and I really respect him. I thought I was entitled to celebrate the goal after a pulsating game."