SPORTS SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2015 CHELTENHAM: Jockey Nico de Boinville on his horse Coneygree competes to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup on the final day of the Cheltenham Festival horse racing. —AFP Coneygree wins Cheltenham Gold Cup CHELTENHAM: Coneygree, ridden by for keeping the faith, because there are amazing. All of these people who said Nico de Boinville, won the Cheltenham so many big-name jockeys out there the horse is just a novice but he knows Gold Cup on his first appearance in who I respect and who could and would how to run and knows how to jump.” Ireland eye historic jump racing’s blue riband event yester- have ridden him but they kept the faith Irish trainer Willie Mullins just missed win against Wales day. in me. I’ll be eternally grateful to them.” out on a first Gold Cup win with The Mark Bradstock-trained 7-1 shot Trainer Bradstock, speaking to Djakadam after enjoying a sensational CARDIFF: History is on the line for Ireland in Cardiff where fought off a late challenge from Channel 4, said: “He’s a fantastic horse. meeting with six winners on the first victory could pave the way for far greater celebrations. Djakadam, ridden by Ruby Walsh, who We’ve done it before in smaller races three days. Ireland are on the brink of their best run of form in inter- finished second at 10-1, and Road To and we will still keep doing it, but it’s Former winner Tony McCoy finished national rugby after beating England two weeks ago to Riches, the 8-1 chance, who was third. fantastic to do it on the big stage. “The ninth on Carlingford Lough, two places claim a 10th successive win, matching their feat set Jonjo O’Neill-trained Holywell fin- forecast was so up and down, the rain behind pre-race favourite Silviniaco between 2002 and 2003. ished fourth at the showpiece event in was meant to be coming on Tuesday, Conti, with former winners Bobs Worth Under New Zealander Joe Schmidt, Ireland have risen the four-day Cheltenham National Hunt but luckily we made the right decision. (2013) and Lord Windermere (2014) to third in the world rankings having gone 12 months Festival. The eight-year-old Coneygree, It’s brilliant.” falling off at the back. Silviniaci Conti unbeaten. This current run began last March against running for just the fourth time over The winning trainer’s wife Sara fell in 2013 and finished fourth last year, England and has included wins over South Africa, Australia fences, pushed out for an early lead and Bradstock, daughter of racing great but was the 3-1 favourite after winning and two Tests in Argentina. dominated the 22-jump field as the Lord John Oaksey, who died in 2012, his second King George VI Chase at Now Wales present possibly the biggest remaining hur- dle towards only a second Grand Slam in 67 years before favourites fell by the wayside. said: “People kept quoting stats at us, Kempton on Boxing Day. facing Scotland, ranked seven places below them, in the “I always knew I could do it, but saying we shouldn’t run him in the race It was 19-time champion jockey final round. However the Millennium Stadium will hold good horses make good jockeys,” said as he was a novice but it was an open McCoy’s last Gold Cup before retire- happy memories for many of this team given their last de Boinville after Coneygree became Gold Cup and we knew he had a ment - he won it twice before with clean sweep in the Six Nations, in 2009, was here in the first novice to win the race since chance. Synchronised in 2012 and Mulligan in Cardiff. More surprising still is that they have achieved 1974. “I’m just so grateful to the owners “Dad’s looking down on us - it is just 1997. —AFP this remarkable sequence immediately following the loss of arguably their greatest player. Any fears the departure of Brian O’Driscoll would blunt either their effectiveness or cutting edge have been swiftly dispelled. Cyclone detains Ocean Race again It will be another of their modern-day talismans that takes centre-stage this week when captain Paul O’Connell ALICANTE: A powerful cyclone in the seen nine cyclones of category five in lage in Auckland to avoid damage. Race wins his 100th cap for the Emerald Isle. The 35-year-old Pacific has forced organisers to delay the last 40 years in the South Pacific and meteorologist Gonzalo Infante has veteran of three British & Irish tours began his Test career the fifth leg of the worldwide Volvo this is the strongest.” warned of winds of up to 60 knots on with a try on his debut during a 54-10 rout of Wales in Ocean Race through the Southern Race CEO Knut Frostad told reporters Sunday night to Monday morning. He 2002 that was to see Graham Henry sacked as head coach Ocean for a further 24 hours until at a press conference earlier on Friday also predicts accompanying storms that of the Welsh dragons. This week he faces another Kiwi Tuesday. that he had “no option” but to delay the could flood the village. coach in charge of Wales for what is expected to be as The start had already been post- fleet’s departure for the 6,776-nautical Cyclones are graded into five cate- much a battle of tactics and wit as brawn. Warren Gatland poned from Sunday to Monday over mile leg to ItajaÌ in Brazil. gories, blowing winds of more than 118 has brought huge success to Wales, following three safety fears, but with Cyclone Pam con- The sailors have unanimously backed kph to beyond 250 kph with Cyclone Championship titles in seven years as well as success with tinuing to menace the New Zealand that decision. “We know that our boats Pam belonging to the latter group. the Lions, but has yet to rid his team of their sometimes coast with winds of more than 250 kilo- are strong but we cannot sail in 70 knots The nine-month race, which is staged maddening inconsistency. Gatland is only too aware that metres an hour in the last 24 hours, a of wind (130 kph). This is already some- over nine legs, covers 38,739nm in all, his side were swept aside by Ireland in Dublin last year second delay became inevitable. thing more than a cyclone. I have not and is due to finish on June 27 in and failed to show up for the second half of this year’s Cyclone Pam is, according to one seen anything like this in my life,” Gothenburg, Sweden. opening match against England. However they recovered New Zealand meteorologist, the fiercest MAPFRE (Spain) skipper, Iker MartÌnez, There are nine legs in all and the fifth, to register back-to-back wins away to Scotland and France in the South Pacific for 40 years. Richard an Olympic gold medallist in Athens which takes the fleet through the and are threatening to repeat their feat of 2013 when they Green told local radio station RadioLIVE 2004, told reporters yesterday. treacherous Southern Ocean and became the first team to lift the Six Nations trophy after on Friday: “Cyclone Pam is enormous, it Officials have also started disman- around Cape Horn, was already reck- losing their opening game, in Cardiff to Ireland.—AFP is the most powerful it can be. We have tling part of the specially-built race vil- oned to be the toughest of all. —AFP.