Herald Scotland

HE is some way from being a household name in the racing business, but Willie Amos, the farmer/trainer from the Borders, is right up there among the Nicholls, Hendersons and Kings who are bidding to win the feature race, the Ladbroke World Hurdle, at the Festival today.

BOXING: Elbow injury rules Lee McAllister out of David Haye card

Lee McAllister, the Commonwealth lightweight champion from Aberdeen, has been deprived of the chance to showcase his talents to a wider audience after being forced to withdraw from his planned title defence against Ben Murphy.

SFA chief executive vows to improve refereeing standards

GORDON Smith last night gave a commitment to improving refereeing standards as he launched a campaign to protect the national game from a potentially devastating attack on its major source of revenue.

Doha disappointments serve as a wake-up call en route to London 2012

WHEN Scotland rejoiced in the era of athletes like Liz McColgan, Yvonne Murray, Tom Hanlon, Tom McKean, and Brian Whittle, we were happy to help orchestrate celebrations.

Scottish Sports Hall of Fame: six more famous names officially become legends

THEY climbed the sweeping marbled stairs of Glasgow City Chambers last night, and into a hall steeped in legends of empire.

Nicholls’ Master Minded has the class to make sure it’s trebles all round

IT did not take long for the so-called four-timer bet of the week to collapse as Dunguib, the first leg, could finish only third in the opener at the Festival yesterday.

Celestial Halo can go one step better and avenge last year’s defeat in Champion Hurdle

NOT since the great Istabraq, who won it three times in succession, in 1998, 1999 and 2000, has the Smurfit Kappa Champion Hurdle been dominated by one horse, although Hardy Eustace deserves particular mention for his two wins in a row in 2004-5.

Stars come out for St Andrew’s Sporting Club’s 300th show

The great and the good of Scottish sport gathered in Glasgow last night to celebrate the staging of the 300th show at the St Andrew’s Sporting Club.

Slightly rusty Murray still a step too far for Seppi but Baltacha’s brilliant run comes to an end

It will take Andy Murray a few more matches to hit full steam and regain full confidence, but yesterday he did what he needed to do as he beat Italian Andreas Seppi 6-4, 6-4 to reach the third round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Goldie surprised by referral

SCOTLAND’S leading Flat trainer, Jim Goldie, who also trains jumpers, has expressed his surprise at being referred to the BHA along with jockey Richie McGrath by the Ayr stewards on Saturday.

Cheltenham is festival to shout about

There are times in spectator sports when the crowds become iconic contributors to the occasion.

Spoilt for choice, trainer Paul Nicholls leans towards Kauto Star but says don’t write Denman off in Gold Cup

Opinions are like mouths.

Henderson in for the Long Run with next golden generation at Cheltenham

IT has been billed as the deciding joust of an epic trilogy.

Dunguib just can’t be beaten in the Supreme Novices Hurdle at Cheltenham

THE general public may be more au fait with the annual tele-vision spectacle that the Grand National has become, but away from those honest, staying handicappers who become legends at Aintree in April, it’s Cheltenham in March where the real heroes of the jumping game tend to be born, venerated and, eventually, elevated to equine sainthood.

Brian O’Connell’s not in any sweat ahead of the Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham

The concept of a Cheltenham banker may throw up the image of a rural version of the men who’ve buried the rest of us in a mess, but this one is designed to pay the bills rather than create them.

Golden glory for Britain as Jessica Ennis and Dwain Chambers win in Doha

Jessica Ennis and Dwain Chambers won gold for Great Britain at the World Indoor Championships in Doha yesterday.

Red Bull in charge as Sebastian Vettel clinches pole in Bahrain

Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button have both warned Sebastian  Vettel to write off McLaren at his peril.

Elena Baltacha records her biggest win in Indian Wells

Elena Baltacha’s good start to the year became a great one as she recorded the biggest win of her career with a fantastic performance to knock out world No 10 Li Na of China in the second round of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Interview: Sir Jackie Stewart believes this could be the best title race Formula One’s had for 20 or 30 years

Elena Baltacha’s winning run continues in Indian Wells

Elena Baltacha had to dig deeper than usual before clinching her place in the second round at Indian Wells.

Dual Formula One mission has Paul Di Resta fired up and ready to go

Paul Di Resta has never made any secret of his desire to lock horns with Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button in the high-octane sphere of Formula One.

Murray: Players must be consulted over Davis Cup captaincy

TENNIS Andy Murray wants Britain’s top players to have a say in the destiny of the captaincy of the Davis Cup team.

Local Hero: New Zealand challenge another step on road to recovery for David Millar

HOW different would your life be if you had suffered paralysis as a result of an injury?

Tommy Gilmour has helped to sustain boxing in Scotland for decades, but he’s not even sure if he agrees with the ‘concept’ of the sport

IT is all about preparation.

Egelstaff off to a flying start

badminton Susan Egelstaff, the Scottish champion, produced one of her best matches against Japanese No.1, Sayako Sato, yesterday and is now set to rise up the rankings with a place in the final last 16 of the women’s singles at the Yonex All-England Super Series in Birmingham.

Fiftyfive Degrees taken to win again

IT is never wise to tempt the weather gods but it does look as if Ayr can get into action without the need for an inspection today.

Scots out to equal record title haul

bowls A win for Scotland’s men in the three-day British Isles Home International Series, which starts today in Perth, will mean that they not only retain the title but equal the record held by England of winning the Hilton Trophy 31 times.

Baltacha win gives British game a much-needed shot in the arm

TENNIS Elena Baltacha gave British tennis something to get excited about yesterday when she qualified for the main draw at the prestigious BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells.

Mullins all geared up for Cheltenham Festival

FOR many, the Champion Bumper at the Cheltenham Festival can be rather difficult to unravel and prefer to go with the flow, which in this race means Irish trainer Willie Mullins, who has taken the prize seven times, and the word this year is that he feels he has an excellent chance of winning it again.

Blow for Scotland as Bailey is called up by Australia

CRICKET SCOTLAND’s hopes of signing George Bailey were dealt a blow last night when the Australian was called up by his country.

Lloyd considers future as captain after Davis Cup disaster

The Lawn Tennis Association yesterday vowed to be “swift and decisive” in their response to Britain’s Davis Cup humiliation in Lithuania but denied a report that they have approached Greg Rusedski about taking over the captaincy from John Lloyd.

RACING: Sublimity ruled out of Festival

INJURY scares are very much a feature of the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival, some of them ending in great relief and others in deep disappointment, writes Ian Paul.

It’s a win-win situation for Carlton captain Watts

CARLTON captain Fraser Watts watched his side crowned indoor cricket kings at the weekend, but ended up on the losing team.

GB sink to new low after fifth defeat in a row: Lloyd’s future in doubt after Lithuania upset

DAVIS CUP Humiliating, humbling, horrible – take your pick.

Bangladesh will provide a tricky Test for rookie captain Cook

He is perhaps the least-known world-class cricketer currently playing, but England will be well aware of the threat represented by Shakib-al-Hasan when they start the two-Test series against Bangladesh in Chittagong on Friday.

For all the possible plotlines, it’s hard to see Formula One’s ‘big four’ teams challenged this season

AS the gentlemen start their engines at the outset of another Formula One campaign, the rest of us might as well set our watches and count down the days to the first spat of the season.

Non runner no bet concession is our get out of jail free

NON runner no bet.

Fleming and Skupski put Britain into the lead against Lithuania in Davis Cup

Colin Fleming has waited several years to make an impression in the Davis Cup but yesterday he made up for lost time as he and Ken Skupski put Britain in a winning position in their Europe/Africa Group II tie in Vilnius.

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