SPORTS18 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2013 Owen’s goal to win Melbourne Cup with Brown Panther MELBOURNE: Former football star Michael Owen Melbourne Cup so obviously it would be a first, it Godolphin’s Ahzeemah and another Melbourne are bidding to become only the sixth horse to win played in three World Cups and for some of the would be a huge honour,” Owen said this week. Cup runner Mount Athos. multiple Melbourne Cups in the race’s 152-year greatest club teams but his burning ambition is to “But I don’t want to get too carried away. “I get Newmarket trainer Luca Cumani is having history. French jockey Christophe Lemaire will be own the first English-trained winner of tomor- quite nervous, in particular, when this fellow runs. another crack at the Melbourne Cup with Mount on Verema in one of his last big-race rides for the row’s Melbourne Cup. He’s obviously my best horse. Athos after close seconds with Purple Moon Aga Khan stable, while Newmarket trainer Ed Owen, 33, bred and races Brown Panther and “I never really suffered with nerves throughout (2007) and Bauer the following year. Dunlop’s much-travelled Red Cadeaux, who lost a opted for early retirement after 17 years of top- my (football) career. When you’re actually doing Mount Athos was heavily checked on the head-bobbing finish with Dunaden in 2011, is level soccer including for England so he could something, you feel as though you’re in control of home turn in last year’s Cup and eventually fin- looking to go one better. travel to major race meetings around the world. it, but when the jockey and horse trot off down to ished fifth, but that hasn’t put off Cumani for The Goldolphin stable, which has had three Brown Panther, trained by Tom Dascombe in the gates you’ve got no control whatsoever.” Australia’s famous handicap race. runners-up in over 15 years at the Melbourne Cheshire, is one of nine overseas-trained runners Owen, the fourth all-time England top scorer “I’m an obstinate Italian so-and-so, and here I Cup, is pinning its hopes on Royal Empire. entered for Australia’s iconic horse race over with 40 goals in 89 internationals and who played am, back to try again,” said Cumani of his second “There is no problem with the draw, and I am 3,200 metres (two miles) at Flemington. for Liverpool, Real Madrid and Manchester favorite behind locally trained Fiorente, who is very happy with the horse. He did all his serious Five overseas stayers have won the Melbourne United, tweeted yesterday: “Trying to keep my the clear 5-1 favorite. work in England and he has just been ticking over Cup-Dunaden and Americain (France), Delta expectations in check! I suppose the 16-1 book- Fiorente went down by a length to Green here,” trainer Saeed bin Suroor said. “He stayed Blues (Japan), Vintage Crop and Media Puzzle makers quote him reflects his chance.” Moon in last year’s Melbourne Cup and was the one mile, five furlongs in Britain, so I can see him (Ireland) — but England has yet to land the big Brown Panther has the form to give the Cup a third runner-up for Gai Waterhouse, who previ- staying two miles in Australia.” The other mem- prize in the Aus$6 million ($5.7 million) race. shake after his dominant win in the Goodwood ously trained Te Akau Nick (1993) and Nothin’ bers of the European contingent in the race are “England have never had a winner in the Cup over a similar distance in August, beating Leica Dane in 1995. Green Moon and Dunaden Dandino, Simenon and Ruscello. — AFP Gripes over Tokyo stadium overshadow Games euphoria

TOKYO: Just weeks after they rode the Hakubun Shimomura told parliament: “We wave of euphoria to Olympic victory when need to look at how we might shrink the Tokyo won the right to host the 2020 plan because the budget is too big.” Games, organisers are being brought back Tokyo governor Naoki Inose has said the to Earth with a bump. metropolitan government has no intention The eye-catching architectural centre- of riding to the rescue for a stadium that piece-a futuristic, bike-helmet-shaped sta- can be built for a maximum 150 billion yen. dium-is too big say detractors. What’s more, Maki said Friday he plans to submit a others add, it’s too expensive. petition to the education and sports min- “A huge building is not always loved by istry demanding complete transparency on people... and after the Olympics are over, the project. many people will be forced to see it,” said “We don’t oppose hosting the Olympics Fumihiko Maki, an award-winning Japanese per se... I only hope the plan will get cut architect responsible for one of the new down to make it a smaller structure,” he towers for the World Trade Center complex said. “Unlike fireworks festivals and cos- in New York. tume parties, an architectural building The proposed stadium, designed by remains there for 50 years, 100 years, London-based Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid, is regardless of your likes and dislikes. The intended to occupy the spot in west Tokyo financial burden might fall on us citizens,” of the present national stadium, an area he said. Fellow architectural heavyweight with numerous parks and a large Shinto Kengo Kuma said he shared Maki’s con- shrine. Rising to about 70 metres (230 feet), cerns but was sympathetic to Hadid. Kuma the 80,000-seat facility would tower over said Tokyo had to meet certain conditions most of the structures around it in a part of set down by the International Olympic the densely-packed city that has historically Committee in order to win the 2020 Games. restricted the height of buildings to 15 One of those was that the stadium had to metres or less. be able to hold 80,000 spectators. That would make it visible from all over “The size of the stadium ...is not so fit- the west of Tokyo, including from the ting” in a limited area surrounded by green immaculately-kept National Shinjuku parks, he told a news conference. “But this NEW YORK: Women’s winner of (center) second place finisher Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia (left) and third place fin- Gyoen Park, a green lung tucked under- is not her fault,” he said. The placing of isher Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia pose with their medals after the New York City . — AP neath the skyscrapers of Shinjuku. Hadid’s stadium reflects the lessons Tokyo “It’s important that people don’t have to learned from its unsuccessful bid to host see it if they don’t want to,” said Maki. “If the 2016 Games, said Kuma, a Tokyo there is no event going on inside the stadi- University professor. Mutai and Jeptoo win um, it is just an enormous object.” Then, the plan had been to site the cen- The 85-year-old has pedigree in Olympic trepiece facility in Tokyo’s bay area, which projects; he was one of the architects in the has more room for a large structure. run-up to the 1964 Games, Japan’s coming But that “was criticised by the IOC New York Marathon out party as a modern, industrial nation. (International Olympic Committee)... “When we built the Tokyo Metropolitan because it was separated from central Gymnasium (in 1954) just next to the Tokyo,” he said. “But central Tokyo has only NEW YORK CITY: Kenyans Geoffrey Mutai planned new stadium, there were strict reg- space in this zone, so that’s why they put it and Priscah Jeptoo won New York City ulations to protect the landscape there,” there. The design brief “had very high hur- Marathon titles yesterday as elite runners said Maki, referring to the building for dles. And I think Zaha Hadid’s idea, the returned to the Big Apple a year after which he won the Pritzker Architecture design itself, is not so bad. She tried to Hurricane Sandy wiped out the race and Prize. The comments by Maki came after solve the conditions in a smart way.”Kuma seven months after the Japan’s minister in charge of the Olympics warned that the time for chopping and bombings. said last month the estimated cost for the changing was rapidly running out. “We Mutai, who also won the 2011 New York construction of the stadium is now about need to think about what we can do, crown, captured the men’s title in an unoffi- 300 billion yen ($3 billion), more than dou- because we only have seven years left, cial time of 2hrs 8mins, 23secs while Jeptoo, ble the 130 billion yen that was originally which is not a lot of time for construction the reigning champion stipulated in the design competition. on a big project like this.” — AFP who finished second at last year’s London Olympics, came from behind to win in an unofficial time of 2:25.07. Injury thwarts Ashour as The 43rd edition of the 26.2-mile (42.2km) showdown included more than Matthew, Gaultier make final 48,000 runners from 115 nations competing in cool and windy conditions for a $100,000 MANCHESTER: Ramy Ashour lost his have fatigue in my hamstrings and that top prize with a backdrop of tightened world title and saw his unbeaten 53- it’s going to come back, but that I security in the wake of twin tragedies. match sequence halted when a calf might get lucky if it doesn’t come back. Three people were killed by bombs injury caused him to retire at one game “It’s a bit uncertain,” he went on, planted near the finish line of the Boston all against Nick Matthew in the semi- referring to the future. “There is no cer- Marathon last April, making “Boston Strong” finals of the World Championships on tain thing I can do to make it go away. I a catchphrase to inspire comebacks, includ- Saturday. will have to go away for the 25th time ing a World Series baseball crown for a The sport’s most brilliant player and and try to find a way to come back Boston Red Sox club that was last in its divi- most charismatic personality was again.” sion in 2012. reduced to a sombre figure, close to Matthew, twice a former winner of “What occurred in Boston has made this tears, at having dreams of repeating his the world title, will now play Gaultier, race even more important to participants,” world title triumph in Manchester five who survived a late night drugs test, a said retired tennis star John McEnroe, who years ago shattered. lack of sleep, and a superbly tenacious lives near the finish line. Instead it became the third time in Shorbagy to reach his fourth world Nearly 100 people died in flooding and four world championships that the final. Matthew was well beaten by devastating property damage caused in the world number one from Egypt has Gaultier in the US Open final in New York area last year by Hurricane Sandy, NEW YORK: Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya holds his trophy after winning the men’s division of been forced to quit in the middle of the Philadelphia two weeks ago. which forced the race to be cancelled. the . — AP tournament, raising questions as to “You know I don’t really think about “We run for the spirit of New York and substantial lead. titles by adding New York to a haul that also what the 26-year-old can do to prolong it,” said Gaultier. “I just enjoy being on Boston,” said race chief executive Mary Russian-born American Tatyana includes crowns at Boston, London and his career. court and playing well and being free Wittenberg. “We run united.” Many runners McFadden completed a women’s wheel- Chicago. Swiss Marcel Hug won the men’s After two painfully half-hearted ral- of injury. I try to fly on court. It’s just a turned into relief supply deliverers to peo- chair marathon grand slam of 2013 major wheelchair race. — AFP lies at the start of the third game, pleasure, and if it’s a pleasure when you ple who lost homes and electricity. Ashour shook hands and received work everything comes and you man- “We’re here to say keep your hope up some consoling words from Matthew age to play well.” when the struggles start,” said American who made it to his third final in four Gaultier started slowly on Saturday Meb Keflezighi, the 2009 winner. Mutai, years with the score at 6-11, 11-2, 2-0 in and allowed Shorbagy to take leads of who set the course record in taking the his favor. In late yesterday’s final, 4-0 in the third game and 8-4 in the 2011 title, went to the front of the early lead Matthew will face French second seed fourth, and profited rather fortunately pack of 20 that was halved as the leaders Gregory Gaultier who defeated three points from the end from a surged after the first hour and down to Mohamed El Shorbagy, the Egyptian debatable no let decision which pre- eight with about half an hour remaining. sixth seed, 6-11, 11-3, 11-8, 12-10. vented a valiant opponent from reach- Mutai made his move in the 21st mile, Ashour confirmed that he suffered ing two games all. breaking the pack apart after one hour and the injury during his hard third round Gaultier had gone to bed at 5 am, he 42 minutes. Countryman Stanley Biwot match with Cameron Pilley of Australia, claimed, because he had been given a stayed with him for another mile but then which went to four games and lasted drug test during the evening, and faded and Mutai was never challenged from more than an hour. eventually slept for only three hours. there to the finish. “I’ve been having a lot of physio, and “I was on the toilet, like this,” he said, New York 2011 runner-up Buzunesh ice and acupuncture - and taking pills giving a brief demonstration. “I was a Deba and training partner , to relax,” he said. “It’s going to be hard bit sleepy but I managed to do it.” His Ethiopians living in New York, raced to the because I have been pushing my leg far best was still very good indeed. He front from the start of the women’s race, too much and that’s not the right way turned the pivotal third game round pulling ahead by two minutes after the first to do it. with the help of a monster rally of more 40 minutes and kept a large lead deep into “I’ve been expecting something than a hundred strokes at 8-7 which he the event. wrong to happen but I’ve been trying won with a forehand volley to a perfect Kenya’s Jeptoo began closing the gap to stay positive. It’s a very big disap- length, and also with a cool head dur- with eight miles remaining in a bid to chase pointment to me. I have to go back and ing what followed. Shorbagy did more down the leaders. see what’s wrong with my legs,” of the physical work, but was still able Deba pulled ahead alone with about sev- Ashour added. to extend the contest to a testing 80 en miles to run but charging Jeptoo passed “People in the hospital told me I minutes. — AFP Deba in Central Park with just under two NEW YORK: Women’s wheelchair winner Tatyana McFadden of the United States breaks miles remaining and surged quickly to a the tape to win the women’s wheelchair division of the New York City Marathon. — AP