Baby Bazooka, the seven-year-old mare trained by Altamash, bagged the Madras Race Club Trophy, the feature event of Thursday's six-race card slated at the Mahalaxmi racetrack. Recently in the habit of jumping slowly from the starting gates, Baby Bazooka showed some improvement when she lost only a fraction of a second at jump, before Sandesh brushed her up to stalk the leader, Son Of A Gun (M Alam up), with Irish Gold (S Saqlain up) and Dexa (P Trevor up) following them. When the race came to a boil midway in the straight, all three--Baby Bazooka, Irish Gold and Dexa--got aligned for a neck-and-neck battle, Irish Gold overpowered Baby Bazooka. But Sandesh managed to cajole Baby Bazooka for a re-run and she responded magnificently to wrest back the initiative. Sandesh also steered Timeless Vision to a last-stride victory in the RR Byramji Salver, beating favourite Jade (C Umesh up) who shaped like a winner after sweeping past the front runners in the final lap of the six-furlong trip. Timeless Vision was saddled by Adhirajsingh. Also Read: Dr Antonio D’Silva stun St Stanislaus in semis English jockey David Allan who has arrived in India for the 2024-25 racing season got off to a flying start when he powered trainer Karthik's 8-to-1 shot Caliph to a fluent victory in the Vallabhdas H Adwalia Trophy, a mile affair for Class IV horses. The Greater Mumbai Police Trophy was claimed by Midnight Express (NS Parmar up) who justified her favourite status by easily outpacing her nine rivals over the five-furlong sprint for Class IV runners. The six-race card began with Dr AH Sayed Plate for Class V runners (5y & older) over six furlongs in which jockey KG Likhit Appu, who was fishing for his first success at Mahalaxmi after shifting base from Bangalore this season, gave a well-judged ride to the Imtiaz Sait-trained Milli who spared three parts of a length to She's A Teaser (Bhavani Singh up) at the wire. A massive coup was confidently pulled off by trainer Hormuz Antia in the last race of the day, the Raza Ali Plate for Class V runners, when truckloads of money landed onto his ward Hagibis, whose last victory was at the identical class level (Class V, 5y&o, race#56 run on January 4 last year), and who, since then, had used the nine intervening runs in Class IV to drop from the rating of 33 to 20 at which he ran on Thursday.
10 January,2025 10:13 AM IST | Mumbai | Prakash GosaviRiding high on goalkeeper Omkar Bhube heroics under the bar, Dr Antonio D’Silva High School, (Dadar) edged out St Stanislaus High School (Bandra) 4-2 in a thrilling tie-breaker and secured a spot in the final of the MSSA boys’ U-16 Junior Aga Khan inter-school hockey tournament at the Don Bosco High School (Matunga) on Thursday. St Stanislaus took an early lead with Ethan D’Souza scoring in the 14th minute, closing the first half 1-0 in their favour. After the break, Dr Antonio D’Silva’s relentless attacks bore fruit when they were awarded a penalty corner in the 27th minute. Skipper Neel Bhalekar converted the opportunity to level the match 1-1 at the end of regulation time. Also Read: Prannoy ousted in 2nd round In the penalty shootout, Omkar stood tall for Dr Antonio D’Silva. While Priyanshu Vichare, Aamod Ghadge, and Salman Khan successfully converted their penalties, Omkar’s brilliance denied St Stanislaus’ Skye D’Costa, Zidane Fernandes, and Rudra Sarmalkar. In the other semi-final, Don Bosco High School, (Matunga) cruised to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Children’s Academy, Malad. Skipper Arnav Khot shone with a stellar hat trick, steering his team into the final. Pranit Naik coach of Dr Antonio D’Silva said, “I realised that my strikers couldn’t finish well, so I moved a couple of my defenders to play forward. I’m glad it paid off.” Later in the day, in the MSSA girls U-16 K G Kalantri semi-finals, St Teresa Convent High School (Santacruz) defeated Gokuldham High School (Goregaon) 4-0, while Duruelo Convent High School (Bandra) beat Don Bosco High School (Borivli) 2-0.
10 January,2025 08:15 AM IST | Mumbai | Rufus VedanayagamIndian shuttler HS Prannoy’s valiant fight ended in a narrow loss to China’s Li Shi Feng in the men’s singles second round at the Malaysia Super 1000 tournament here on Thursday. Also Read: Two much dope talk! Prannoy recovered from an opening-game reversal to stay in contention but fell short, losing 8-21, 21-15, 21-23 to seventh seed Li. Earlier, the women’s doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand suffered a 21-15, 19-21, 19-21 defeat to China’s Jia Yi Fan and Zhang Shu Xian in their round of 16 match. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 January,2025 08:11 AM IST | Kuala Lumpur | PTIIt’s a topic that shadowed tennis in 2024 and is still a talking point as the 2025 Grand Slam season opens at the Australian Open on Sunday — the doping cases involving Jannik Sinner and Iga Swiatek. Both spent much of last year at No. 1, and Sinner still will hold that spot at this Australian Open, one of two major trophies he won over the past 12 months. Negative comments Swiatek, a five-time Slam champ and the woman leading the WTA rankings most of the past three seasons, is currently No. 2 behind Aryna Sabalenka. “Obviously, there will be some negative comments You’re not going to avoid that,” Swiatek said. Most current players prefer to remain silent when asked about the cases, but there are those who have spoken, including 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic, raising questions about whether Sinner and Swiatek were treated the same as other players facing similar circumstances and why their situations were kept under wraps for months. Also Read: Djoko handed tough draw, Nagal faces Czech Machac “I sit and wonder, Why such a big difference in treatment and judgment. I can’t find, and I don’t think there can be, a logical answer,” was two-time major champion Simona Halep’s reaction to Swiatek’s punishment. Halep initially was banned for four years after testing positive for the banned drug Roxadustat at the 2022 US Open. She had that penalty reduced to nine months on appeal, although she already had been off the tour longer than that. No one has been louder about the subject lately than Nick Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up, who missed nearly all of the past two seasons due to injuries. “It’s been handled horrifically in our sport. Two World No. 1s, both getting done for doping, is disgusting for our sport. It’s a horrible look,” Kyrgios said at the Brisbane International. Sinner in top form Sinner dominated last year, and there’s little reason to think that won’t continue. In 2024, he went 73-6 with eight titles, including at US Open, and led Italy to the Davis Cup. He heads into the Australian Open on a 14-match winning streak. Hanging over it all is this: Two positive tests for a trace of an anabolic steroid in March were made public in August; the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) felt he shouldn’t be suspended because the exposure to Clostebol was considered accidental — the result of a massage from a trainer who used the substance after cutting his own finger. The World Anti-Doping Agency was not convinced about the exoneration and thinks a ban of one to two years would be appropriate. Its appeal, lodged in September, is still pending, and a final determination is expected after the Australian Open ends. Meanwhile, Swiatek accepted a one-month suspension in November after testing positive for banned heart medication TMZ. She failed an out-of-competition test in August, and the ITIA accepted her explanation that it was caused by the contamination of a nonprescription medication, melatonin, she was taking for jet lag and sleeping issues. Swiatek missed three tournaments, although the real reason wasn’t revealed at the time — and finished serving her punishment after the season was done. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 January,2025 08:08 AM IST | Melbourne | AP | PTIWorld No. 1 Jannik Sinner was drawn on Thursday against big-hitting Nicolas Jarry to start his Australian Open defence while Novak Djokovic may meet Carlos Alcaraz in the quarter-finals. Also Read: SA20 chief Graeme Smith bats for tough competition as Season 3 gets underway Sinner defeated Russia’s Daniil Medvedev in last year’s final for his first major and went on to win the US Open and ATP Finals too. Serbia’s Djokovic drew US wildcard Nishesh Basavareddy to start, but has a huge task in front of him to win an 11th Australian Open and record 25th Grand Slam. He meets World No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov in Rd 4 and Spain’s Alcaraz in the last eight, before a semi-final against Alexander Zverev. Meanwhile, India’s Sumit Nagal will face Czech Tomas Machac in Rd 1 on Sunday. Nagal, currently 96th, made it to the main draw by virtue of being among the 104 highest-ranked players in the world. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
10 January,2025 08:04 AM IST | Melbourne | AFPThe Tata Mumbai Marathon (TMM) promoters Procam International announced Sir Mo Farah, one of the greatest male track distance runners in history, as International Event Ambassador for the race to be run in Mumbai on Sunday, January 19. The Somalian-born, British runner Sir Mo has won four Olympic and six World Championship gold medals and is the first man to retain both the 5,000m and 10,000m titles at both the Olympics (2012 and 2016) and World Championships (2013 and 2015), a feat described as the ‘quadruple-double.’ The 41-year-old had an unbroken streak of 10 global final wins, beginning with the 5,000m gold at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu and concluding with the 10,000m gold at the 2017 World Championships in London. His stand-out tactic of taking the lead in the latter stages, fighting off repeated challenges led to some of the most stirring moments in distance running. He then shifted focus to road running. Farah won the 2018 Chicago Marathon after finishing third in the London Marathon the same year. Sir Mo Farah said about the TMM, "When I run, I feel free, feel happy. What better way to share this feeling with my fellow runners than at an event that kick started a running movement in India 20 years ago. I am looking forward to seeing a superb celebration amidst the sights and sounds of Mumbai. I’ll be there cheering for everyone at the start line." Mumbai awaits its Mo-ment with the legend.
09 January,2025 09:08 PM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentShiva Thapa, the reigning Welterweight (60-65kg) champion from the previous edition, kicked off his title defence at the 8th Elite Men’s National Boxing Championship with a commanding victory on Day 2. Representing Assam, Thapa, who made history as the youngest Indian boxer to qualify for the Olympics at London 2012, defeated Enayat Khan 5-0 in his opening bout, setting a strong tone for his campaign. Joining him in the spotlight, former World Youth Boxing Champion Sachin Siwach marked his entry into the championship with an emphatic 5-0 victory for the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) against Akshay, displaying his readiness to compete for top honours. Organised by the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) in association with the Uttar Pradesh Boxing Association, the week-long tournament is being held at Invertis University, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, from January 7-13, 2025. Nearly 300 boxers, representing state units across India, are competing for supremacy in various weight categories. Session three of the tournament on Day 2 also witnessed a thrilling opening bout as Devansh Solanki of Rajasthan defeated Uttar Pradesh’s Vikas Singh with a unanimous decision in the Flyweight (47-50kg) category. In the same category, Ashutosh Yadav of Chhattisgarh delivered a dominant Round 1 performance to overcome Gujarat’s Akleem Khan, setting the stage for thrilling action across the day. In Session 4, Team SSCB reinforced their dominance with victories across multiple categories. Hitesh Gulia, Deepak, Jugnoo, and Vishal showcased their skill and strength, securing wins in the Light Middleweight, Welterweight, Cruiserweight, and Heavyweight divisions, respectively. Rajasthan also demonstrated impressive form, with Priyadarshi Singh Ashiya (Light Middleweight), Pushpendra Singh (Cruiserweight), and Harsh Choudhary (Heavyweight) all emerging victorious against their opponents, highlighting the unit's overall mastery in the championship. Representing their respective State Units, each team features up to ten boxers in bouts structured under the World Boxing Technical & Competition Rules, with three three-minute rounds and one-minute rest periods in between rounds. A 10-points-must scoring system is in effect throughout the championship. Team SSCB (Services), the two-time defending champions, continues to pose a formidable challenge as they aim for their third consecutive title. (With agency inputs)
09 January,2025 06:09 PM IST | Bareilly | mid-day online correspondentDefending champion Jannik Sinner and 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic have landed on opposite sides of the draw for the season's first major, ruling out a replay of last year's semi final match. Sinner upset Djokovic in the semifinals here last year before coming back to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 for his first Grand Slam singles title. Top-ranked Sinner has a first-round match against Nicolas Jarry and also has Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Medvedev in his quarter of the draw. Fritz will open against fellow American Jenson Brooksby. Djokovic and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz could meet in the quarterfinals, with a possible semi final against No. 2 Alexander Zverev. At the draw Thursday to set the brackets for the singles fields, defending champions Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka walked into the official ceremony on the steps of Margaret Court Arena holding their trophies. Sabalenka won her second consecutive title at Melbourne Park in 2024 by defeating Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2. Sabalenka will be attempting to win a third consecutive women's singles title at Melbourne Park, something last accomplished by Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999. Sabalenka drew a tough opening match against 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens and has 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva and Zheng in her section. "I have a lot of great memories and to be back here ... as a two-time Australian Open champion, it's definitely something special," Sabalenka, who won the Brisbane International title last week, said at the draw ceremony. "I hope that I can keep doing what I'm doing here in Australia." Third-seeded Coco Gauff is a potential semi final rival for Sabalenka. Gauff has a challenging first-round match against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and is in the same section of the draw as four-time major winner Naomi Osaka and seventh-seeded Jessica Pegula. No. 2 Iga Swiatek and 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina are on the other half of the draw. The Australian Open starts Sunday morning in Melbourne (Saturday night EST in the U.S.) and will run for 15 days. Doping and the cases involving Sinner ‘which is still not fully resolved’ and Swiatek was a topic that shadowed tennis in 2024 and is still a talking point in Melbourne. There's plenty else for fans to talk about. Djokovic will be playing in his first event alongside new coach Andy Murray, his former on-court rival and a three-time major champion. Nobody has won the men's title at Melbourne Park more often than Djokovic, although he said he still feels trauma from the one year he wasn't allowed to play. Nick Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up who withdrew from an exhibition against Djokovic this week because of an abdominal strain, will face Jacob Fearnley in the first round if the mercurial Australian is fit enough to contest his first major since the 2022 U.S. Open. Kyrgios is in the same section as Zverev. (With AP inputs)
09 January,2025 01:48 PM IST | Melbourne | mid-day online correspondentA small, six-race card is slated for Thursday at the Mahalaxmi racetrack; the feature event is the Class I, Madras Race Club Trophy (1200m). The Dallas Todywalla-trained Irish Gold, who has had a decent lung opener on this track on the opening day of the season, has a slender edge over Baby Bazooka and Dexa. First race at 2.30 pm. Selections: Dr AH Sayed Plate (For 5y&o, Class V; 1200m)Sorrento Secret 1, Anoushka 2, Milli 3. Madras Race Club Trophy (Class I; 1200m)Irish Gold 1, Baby Bazooka 2. Vallabhdas H Adwalia Trophy (Class IV; 1600m)Scorcese 1, Caliph 2, Applause 3. Greater Mumbai Police Trophy (Class IV; 1000m)Midnight Express 1, Cache 2, Malet Spring 3. RR Byramji Salver (Class III; 1200m)Jade 1, Ultimo 2, Timeless Vision 3. Raza Ali Plate (Class V; H'cap, 1400m)Precioso 1, Hagibis 2, Luminosity 3. Best bet: Precioso (6-2)Upsets: Mohsin (1-5) & Raise The Stakes (4-5) Today's poolsSuper jackpot pool: 1,2,3,4,5,6Jackpot pool: 2,3,4,5,6Treble pool: 3,4,5Tanala pool: All races.
09 January,2025 06:50 AM IST | Mumbai | Prakash GosaviJip Janssen slammed a hat-trick to steer Tamil Nadu Dragons to a tight 6-5 win over Team Gonasika in a high-scoring Hockey India League (HIL) clash here on Wednesday. The result has taken the Dragons to the second spot with nine points in four matches. Team Gonasika dominated found the opener in the fifth minute. Gonasika extended their lead as Araijeet struck again in the 10th minute. The Dragons struck back in the final minute of the first quarter via a well-worked penalty corner. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 January,2025 06:48 AM IST | Rourkela | PTINick Kyrgios’ planned return to Grand Slam tennis at the Australian Open is in doubt after he sustained an abdominal injury and was forced to withdraw from an exhibition with Novak Djokovic this week. The 2022 Wimbledon finalist, sidelined with wrist and knee injuries since the 2022 US Open, said in an Instagram post on Wednesday that an ultrasound scan had revealed an abdominal strain and “unfortunately, [I] won’t be able to play my good friend [Djokovic] this Thursday.” He said he’d be resting and doing everything possible to be ready for the Australian Open, which starts on Sunday at Melbourne Park. The Australian, who has become a popular commentator during his lengthy stints on the injured list, made his competitive comeback last week at Brisbane, where he played one singles match and partnered with Djokovic in two doubles matches. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
09 January,2025 06:47 AM IST | Melbourne | AP | PTIADVERTISEMENT
