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SUNDAY, MAY 11, 2014 SPORTS Karakontie seeks to repel Photo of the day raiders in 2000 Guineas PARIS: Karakontie is favorite to land Guineas, Kingman. today’s French 2,000 Guineas at In contrast to Kingman, Muwaary is Longchamp for French-based English train- something of an unknown quantity, gradu- er Jonathan Pease. Running in the Niarchos ating to Group 1 company for the first time. colours, Karakontie emerged as one of last “He looks a very promising horse, but season’s top two-year-olds, winning the stepping up from a handicap to a Group end-of-term Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc One is clearly a very big step,” said Angus Lagardere at Longchamp. Gold, racing manager to owner Hamdan Al Narrowly beaten on his prep for the Maktoum. Poule d’Essai des Poulains he is reported to The only Irish contender is Aidan be in good shape for this stiff classic test. O’Brien’s classy Giovanni Boldini, edged out “He’s been in very good form since his trial, in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf that did exactly what we wanted it to do in and fourth in the UAE Derby at Meydan in terms of fitness,” reported Alan Cooper, the Dubai in March. owner’s racing manager. Irrespective of how they fare in the Cooper added: “We’ll just have to see Poulains, British hopes are high of winning what happens this weekend but he has the French 1000 Guineas on the same card. been doing everything right at home and The cross-channel raiding party is spear- we’re really looking forward to it.” headed by trainer Brian Meehan’s J Wonder, Master French trainer Andre Fabre, suc- who has been kept back especially for this cessful in last weekend’s English 1000 trip to the outskirts of Paris. Guineas, has a strong-looking team in She advertised her claims when making Godolphin’s Decathlete and Galiway, who a winning start to her three-year-old career has ground to make up on Karakontie after at Newbury and Meehan reported: “I think finishing behind him in last month’s warm- she’s a tremendous filly. She’s got so much up. French hopes of keeping the prize at talent. home are boosted by the presence of “She’s had all of the autumn and winter Kiram, an eye-catching close second in his off and she couldn’t do much more than prep in Maisons-Laffitte last month. what she did at Newbury. “She’s a really English hopes rest with End of Line, Lat smart filly and she’s going to run a huge Hawill, and Muwaary. The last named is race today.” J Wonder will have the assis- trained by John Gosden, who saddled the tance of top French jockey Christophe beaten favorite in last week’s English 2000 Lemaire on board.—AFP A competitor performs during the Red Bull Dirt Conquers in Guadalajara, Mexico .—www.redbull.com Brumbies win over Sharks CANBERRA: Jake White had a losing return when they got the momentum they took to Canberra as the ACT Brumbies ground charge of it. “I’m sure we’ll play the Hamilton on pole for out a 16-9 win over Super 15 leaders Brumbies again this year so you’d rather Coastal Sharks yesterday. win the next one.” While Steyn was having The Brumbies scored the only try of a problems, finishing with three penalties dour match in wet conditions with an over- from six attempts, Christian Lealiifano land- Spanish Grand Prix emphasis on field kicking from both sides. ed three penalties and a conversion from Lock Sam Carter scored the sole try surging seven shots to keep the home side ahead through a hole in the Sharks defence off a in the second half. BARCELONA: Lewis Hamilton put short pass from scrum-half Nic White in the Two of Lealiifano’s penalty attempts hit Mercedes on pole position for the 63rd minute. the upright, but in the end it didn’t prove Spanish Grand Prix yesterday with The Durban team’s chances were not costly for the Brumbies. The Sharks took a a fourth successive win and the helped by an off-night from their losing bonus point out of the defeat to lead overall championship lead beck- Springbok goalkicker Frans Steyn, who the competition by one point on 36 points oning today. missed three penalty attempts and was from defending champions Waikato Chiefs Team mate Nico Rosberg, who astray with his general kicking. (35) and the Brumbies (34). is four points clear of Hamilton but White’s return to Canberra added spice “It was a hugely rewarding result, any has finished runner-up in the last to the top-of-the-table showdown, after time you get a win over the Sharks is good, three races, qualified second with the former World Cup-winning Springbok especially in the context that they have Australian Daniel Ricciardo start- coach quit the Brumbies halfway through a been leading the competition this year,” ing third for champions Red Bull. four-year contract after steering the Brumbies skipper Ben Mowen said. Hamilton, celebrating his fourth Canberra-based side to last year’s Super 15 “The boys had to dig deep in tough con- pole of the season and 35th of his final. ditions but I thought we managed it well.” career with a time 0.168 seconds It was a triumph for former Wallaby fly- It was the Brumbies’ fifth straight win at quicker than the German, will half and now coach Stephen Larkham, home this season, while the Sharks now wrest the overall lead from whose Brumbies side shaded the Sharks in head to New Zealand for two tough match- Rosberg if he wins for the first time a physical forwards-dominated contest es against the Canterbury Crusaders and at the Circuit de Catalunya. with both teams obsessed with kicking for Auckland Blues. “I didn’t know whether I’d be field position. The Brumbies are likely to be without able to get it but right at the end I There was a total of 98 kicks in the stop- winger Joe Tomane for some weeks with a just had to eke out absolutely start match with very little ball in hand suspected fractured eye socket after a colli- everything and more from the car,” attacking movements. sion with a teammate in a tackle in the first said Hamilton, who had been “We had our chances in the beginning half. slower than Rosberg in final prac- to get the scoreboard rolling and maybe The Brumbies, who lead the Australian MONTMELO: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton of Britain thumbs up after setting the pole position, flanked tice. by second fastest time Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg of Germany (left) and third fastest time Red Bull driv- create a bit of distance, but we missed conference by five points, now head off for “To have the kind of perform- those,” White said. a two-match tour to South Africa, begin- er Daniel Ricciardo of Australia after the qualifying session ahead of the Spain Formula One Grand Prix at ance we have, I have never really the Barcelona Catalunya racetrack. —AP “The game goes in momentum. When ning with the Central Cheetahs in known that before. I’m over- we had the momentum we lost it and Bloemfontein next weekend.—AFP whelmed, I’m so happy,” added the up in 10th place on the grid after and lost second gear,” said the 26- 15th. Team mate Jenson Button 2008 champion, whose dominant stopping on track in the final year-old, who has been overshad- will start eighth. team have taken every pole and phase of the session. owed by new team mate Ricciardo. Qualifying was twice red won all four races so far this year. Vettel has switched to a differ- “It was clear there was a prob- flagged, the second stoppage trig- Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, win- ent chassis for the start of the lem but I still had third gear and gered by Vettel’s failure and the ner in front of his home fans last European season after a difficult above so I thought I’d try without first coming right at the start when year, qualified seventh and behind opening four races in Asia and the second gear. But by Turn One, I’d Venezuelan Pastor Maldonado team mate Kimi Raikkonen in Middle East but his luck has, if any- lost all the other gears.” speared his Lotus into the wall. sixth. Finland’s Valtteri Bottas thing, taken a turn for the worse. McLaren, without a point from Maldonado will be at the back starts fourth for Williams, with He managed only four laps in the last two races, also had prob- of the grid, along with Toro Frenchman Romain Grosjean fifth Friday practice before being side- lems with Danish rookie Kevin Rosso’s Jean-Eric Vergne who has for Lotus. lined by an electrical problem and Magnussen unable to set a lap a 10 place penalty after an Red Bull’s quadruple world yesterday the gremlins returned at time in the second phase due to a unsafe release from the pits on champion Sebastian Vettel will line the crucial point. “I left the garage power unit problem and qualifying Friday. —Reuters Force see off Cheetahs Highlanders BLOEMFONTEIN: Western Force tunism. These qualities were evi- fly-half Sias Ebersohn kicked 13 dent in Bloemfontein although tame Lions points against former team Central Hodgson spent 10 minutes in the Cheetahs yesterday in a 23-16 vic- ‘sin bin’ after slapping the ball DUNEDIN: A fast-flagging Otago Highlanders escaped with the nar- tory that lifted them to fourth on from the grasp of Cheetahs’ scrum- rowest of victories to put their season back on track with a 23-22 vic- the Super 15 standings.