Connect with us
DAPA Banner

Sports

Darragh Kenny and Eddy Blue win at WEF

Published

on

Offaly’s Darragh Kenny and Eddy Blue won the $116,100 Adequan® CSI5* WEF Challenge Cup Round 7 last night at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Florida.

Eleven combinations advanced to the tiebreaker, with the Irish representatives coming out in top over Andy Christiansen’s (ECU) jump-off course.

Irish 1-2

The 14-year-old Oldenburg gelding stopped the clock at 37.90 seconds with Wexford’s Bertram Allen right behind in 39.12 seconds riding Conquest de Rigo.

Taking third was Charlotte Jacobs (USA) in a time of 40.01 seconds riding North Star’s Playboy JT Z, an 11-year-old Zangersheide gelding.

Advertisement

Kenny delighted to be back in action

“I knew Bertram’s horse has a massive stride,” Kenny admitted. “He did seven [strides] from one to two. I wasn’t sure if I could do that, but it showed up for me. I think my horse is more experienced than his in jump-offs, so that’s probably where it got him,” said Kenny of his jump-off round with his 2025 European Championships partner Eddy Blue.

Kenny was officially cleared to return to international competition on 13 February after the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) lifted a provisional suspension issued on 13 October following a positive drug test during the FEI European Championships.

“This is my first week back – Bertram rode Eddy for me recently and did a fantastic job on him,” said the Irish Olympian. “The horse feels ready to go, and he was amazing today as he always is. I’m very lucky to have such a fantastic group of owners and staff who kept the horses in great shape. I was lucky Bertram was able to ride them for me – I’m very thankful to everybody who was involved in that.”

Advertisement


LiveScores Now Available at IrishScores.com

Source link

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Sports

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has got this Manchester United decision spot on

Published

on

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has broken with recent tradition and made the right decision when it comes to letting Casemiro leave – despite most supporters wanting him to stay

It feels like a crime against football to disagree with Bryan Robson. He is a Manchester United legend after all. One of the greatest midfielder of his generation, a thoroughly decent bloke whose opinions deserve the utmost respect.

But when it comes to his feelings towards Casemiro, Robson is wrong. Robson has called on Michael Carrick to ensure the club does not allow Casemiro to leave.

Advertisement

“I would encourage Casemiro to stay,” he said, “he’s had a really good season this year. He’s a top player. He’s got a great football brain. He’s a really good passer of the ball. He heads the ball well and when he goes in to tackle, he means it.

Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our United WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our United Facebook page by clicking HERE and don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.

“You don’t stay at Real Madrid for the amount of years he did and win Champions League titles if you’re not an absolute top player and people see what you’re really good at.”

Ever since announcing he would be leaving Old Trafford in the summer, Casemiro has indulged in a long goodbye with United supporters. During United’s crucial 3-1 home win over Aston Villa, the Brazilian was serenaded with pleas to do “one more year”. But what Robson & Co are overlooking, is the fact Casemiro is not the future.

Advertisement

He is 34 and costing United a small fortune. And it’s the precise reason co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has decided to cut ties with him. When Ratcliffe and his INEOS group purchased a stake in United, one of the first things he did was order an interval review of the squad, including each player’s contract.

And what jumped out at Ratcliffe was the fact Casemiro was earning close to £400,000-a-week. Ratcliffe knew Casemiro was a world class footballer. What he couldn’t get his head around was why United had chosen to invest £70m plus wages in someone who was 30, and had had fitness issues in Madrid.

In short, there was a reason Real were prepared to sell Casemiro. He was costing them too much money and was considered past his best. So Real’s indulgence became United’s. Casemiro has served his purpose at United. He’s been a short term fix, not a long-term solution.

Advertisement

Questioning the decision to let him leave shows a lack of vision and foresight. Two issues which have haunted the club in recent times. For once, Ratcliffe has got a decision right. United need fresh legs in midfield next season, and have to sign someone who the manager can build his team around.

Someone who will add value to the team for a long time to come. United need to look forward – not back.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Sports

Manchester City vs Real Madrid Prediction and Betting Tips

Published

on

The UEFA Champions League features a clash between two of its biggest teams this week as Real Madrid lock horns with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side in a crucial knockout encounter at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday. Real Madrid won the first leg by a comprehensive 3-0 margin and will look to maintain their lead this week.


Advertisement

Manchester City vs Real Madrid Preview

Real Madrid are currently in second place in the La Liga standings and have been fairly impressive so far this season. Los Blancos thrashed Elche by a 4-1 margin in their previous game and will look to achieve a similar scoreline this week.

Manchester City, on the other hand, are in second place in the Premier League table at the moment and have not been at their best this season. The home side was held to a disappointing 1-1 draw by West Ham United over the weekend and will need to work hard to take it up a notch in this fixture.

Advertisement

Manchester City vs Real Madrid Head-to-Head and Key Numbers

  • Real Madrid have a slight edge over Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League and have won seven out of the 18 matches played between the two teams, as opposed to Manchester City’s six victories.
  • Real Madrid have won four of their last five matches in all competitions, with their only defeat during this period coming by a 1-0 margin at the hands of Getafe in a La Liga match earlier this month.
  • Manchester City have remained winless in three of their last four matches in all competitions and have played out draws in two of these games, with their only victory during this period coming by a 3-1 margin against Newcastle United in the FA Cup earlier this month.

Manchester City vs Real Madrid Prediction

Real Madrid have come into their own over the past week and have managed to score seven goals in their last two games. Federico Valverde scored a brilliant hat-trick in the first leg and will look to make a similar impact this week.

Manchester City have stuttered on multiple fronts this month and cannot afford to put a foot wrong in this fixture. Both teams are evenly matched at the moment and could play out a draw in this game.

Prediction: Manchester City 2-2 Real Madrid


Manchester City vs Real Madrid Betting Tips

Tip 1: Result – Draw

Tip 2: Game to have over 2.5 goals – Yes

Advertisement

Tip 3: Real Madrid to score first – Yes