Prague pencilled in for Criterion comeback
Cunha said: 'He's good and he only missed three days work basically, but I think the timing of it was a blessing in disguise and he looks better than ever now.
'He will probably go for the Group Three Criterion at York on June 28, that will be his starter.
'We looked at the Diomed at Epsom, but it was just too soon. He missed those three days and then we obviously brought him back slowly for a week and there is no point rushing him as he's too good a horse.
'To me he has improved loads since and he has just turned a corner. Maybe he wasn't ready for it (Newbury) and everything happens for a reason, so I'm quite excited to get him up to York.'
Prague's finest hour came in Newmarket's Joel Stakes last September with that Group Two event on the Rowley Mile the five-year-old's long-term aim once again, with Cunha also having no regrets about forgoing a trip to Royal Ascot for a stellar Queen Anne Stakes later this month.
Prague added: 'After York he will probably go to back to Haydock for the Superior Mile he was second in last year and then for the Joel Stakes he won, that is the plan at the moment.
'I think going to Ascot would have been mad and barring Frankel's renewal, I think this is the best Queen Anne I've seen, it looks a proper race. It will be a good spectacle and I would rather be watching with a glass of champagne in my hands than having a runner that's an outsider.'
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Glasgow Times
16 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Archaeologists probe Kelvingrove Park to uncover lost skateboard arena
But now archaeologists are hoping to uncover what remains of the once-radical facility more than three decades after it disappeared, both through physical surveys and the recording of people's memories of the concrete slopes and ramps which entertained a generation of boarders, our sister title The Herald reports. A Kelvin Wheelies high jumper in 1978 (Image: Iain Urquhart, with kind permission from North Skateboard Magazine) Kelvin Wheelies skatepark opened in May 1978 in Kelvingrove Park with a full suite of obstacles for skateboarders to show off their skills and tricks. Unique in Scotland, it contained bowls, a slalom run and a half-pipe - and was initially hugely popular with kids taking up the boarding craze, which had arrived from America. The park hosted several competitions, including the first national skateboarding competition in Scotland, the 1978 Scottish Skateboard Championships, where Glasgow dominated the Bowl Riding competitions. The slalom run in 1978 (Image: Iain Urquhart, with kind permission from North Skateboard Magazine) However, growing concerns about maintenance costs and safety led to the park's closure by 1983, and it was buried over – vanishing beneath the ground and from the city's landscape. Elements of the original site remain visible adjacent to the modern skatepark in Kelvingrove Park today, but there is currently no information available to explain the significance of this site to Kelvingrove Park visitors, or users of the modern skatepark. Experts at the University of Glasgow, working with volunteers and students, will undertake a probe at the site from 25 to 29 August to learn more about the current condition of the skatepark, and ensure that 'a central part of modern Glasgow's sporting heritage' is recorded. The archaeological fieldwork is being supported by Scotland's oldest antiquarian society, and will help to preserve the legacy of the park. As part of a broader program of research into the site, the team has been funded through a £1,102 grant from the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland to enable the work to take place. The remains of the slalom run today (Image: Dr Kenny Brophy, FSAScot)The University of Glasgow team have also partnered with Archaeology Scotland's New Audiences programme to invite volunteers from asylum seeking and refugee communities to participate in the fieldwork, to continue the programme's efforts engaging marginalised communities in uncovering Glasgow's sporting heritage. READ NEXT: North Glasgow girl, 12, wants everyone to enter our community awards - here's why READ NEXT: Primark to celebrate 50th birthday of first Scottish store Former Scottish skateboard champion Jamie Blair, owner of Glasgow-based skateboarding shop Clan Skates and a former member of the Kelvingrove skateboard team, said: 'When Kelvin Wheelies opened in 1978, skaters from all over the UK flocked to this radical new facility. 'A park team was formed and for the next few years Glasgow was the dominant force in Scottish skateboarding. 'Sadly, a dip in skateboarding's popularity in the early 1980s and the construction of a rival skatepark in Livingston saw the decline of Kelvin Wheelies, with the main bowlriding area buried in time. I'm thrilled that through this project we have a chance to rediscover it.' The public are invited to contact the project to share memories, video and photographs of the original Kelvin Wheelies, which will form part of an online archive for the skatepark and help with future fieldwork. Dr Kenny Brophy FSAScot, Senior Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Glasgow and project leader, said: 'There is a very real danger that this skatepark, a place that was so special for hundreds of young people just decades ago, will become forgotten and lost. 'Contemporary archaeology allows us the opportunity to explore even fairly recent events and places to jog memories, combining traditional archaeological fieldwork techniques with interviews and documentary research. 'In the case of Kelvin Wheelies, this is a unique opportunity for a generation of skateboarders to relive the excitement of their youth and excavate their own memories of a place that was so special to them.' The 'Jaws' bowl in 1978 (Image: Iain Urquhart, with kind permission from North Skateboard Magazine)) To share memories, please contact or use #KelvinWheelies when posting on X and Bluesky. Assessing what remains of the 'Jaws Bowl' today (Image: Dr Kenny Brophy, FSAScot) The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland supports high-quality research and publication relating to Scotland's past by making several grants and awards twice each year. This round awarded a total of £17,478 to 11 projects researching an aspect of Scottish history or archaeology, including 19th-century Scottish tea merchants and the global interactions in China, female emigration from Shetland and Skye to Australia during the Great Famine of 1845-51, and the dating of Viking ship stems from the Isle of Eigg. Dr Helen Spencer FSAScot, Head of Research at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, said: 'As a charity, we are especially grateful to our thousands of Fellows across the globe, whose subscription fees enable us to distribute these grants each year.
The Courier
an hour ago
- The Courier
JIM SPENCE: I'm worried for future of Dundee FC as stadium exasperation grows
I'm worried for the future of Dundee FC. The owners, and perhaps the city council, could be doing much more to allay concerns that the club's safety is guaranteed, irrespective of what happens with the proposed new stadium at Camperdown Park. If the American owners called time and pulled the plug on their ownership of the club, who could or would step into the breach to save it? Managing Director John Nelms is exasperated with road planning authorities and the council over the hold ups to the project, and the war of words is becoming increasingly tetchy. But hoping to pressure planners in any public spat is inevitably doomed to failure. Nelms and the US-based Tim Keyes have owned the Dens Park club for 12 years and feel that its future can best be secured with the Camperdown project which will bring steady revenues in. Some critics have asked how much of the income will actually go directly to the football club as opposed to Dark Blue Property Holdings, the company behind the projects, which is owned by Keyes and Nelms. I'd ask a different question – if the Americans walked away from their long-term investment in Dundee FC who, if anyone, would step in to rescue the club? Six Scottish Premiership clubs are now American-owned. I suspect that's because owning a club is now too rich for the kind of local business folk who once did. I know of no one locally who would invest at Dens or probably any other Scottish club. Other than the ego trip and the fact that most owners have spare wealth, it's difficult to see why anyone would want to put hard earned cash into football. Previous owners at Dundee FC like Peter and Jimmy Marr found that their grand ambitions came at a heavy personal cost. I had a coffee with Peter last year and the money he told me he and his brother lost in their attempt to restore the dark blue glory years made my eyes water. Dens Park could undoubtedly be refurbished allowing the team to continue there. It would however require substantial investment in bringing the tired main stand and the Dens Road enclosure up to levels acceptable in the modern game. And it doesn't address the issue of how Dundee – in administration twice, in 2003 and 2010 – increase the revenue which the owners feel is needed to operate a top-flight football club. The way they reckon they can do that is by going ahead with a new stadium at Camperdown, where their plans for a crematorium, hotel and residential development will assist in generating revenue to help with the development of the football operation. As The Courier has previously revealed, the club looked at five other potential new stadium sites before choosing Camperdown. Those included the former gasworks earmarked for the Eden Project, two sites at Caird Park including where the Regional Performance Centre now stands, and at Drumgeith and also the land next to St John's High School. None met the criteria the club felt was required to incorporate all the desired elements. But what happens if the development doesn't get the go ahead? What is the future for Dundee FC? Before they bought the stadium from previous owner John Bennett, Dundee were paying almost half a million pounds a year in rental and energy costs. They may now be saving on the rent, but any money spent on maintaining Dens in its current dilapidated state is throwing good money after bad in trying to meet present day building standards. There doesn't appear to be any quick resolution in the pipeline on the stadium. But an affirmation from those involved that the club is safe, come what may, would help quell any understandable lingering fears for the future of a hugely important city institution.
Daily Record
2 hours ago
- Daily Record
Doggy 'Mounjaro' could be the next solution for treating pudgy pets
A new form of pet health care may be on the horizon as scientists sniff around weight loss drugs for dogs. With many people wanting to lose weight across the globe, drugs such as Mounjaro have become a household name. Helping people manage their weight, those on a health kick along with the medication are able to learn how to eat healthier and have a better lifestyle. Following on from their apparent success, researchers are now turning their view to a different form of clientele that they believe may be in need of a detox. While many of us see our four-legged friends as perfect no matter how they look, it turns out that up to 60 per cent of dogs in the UK are classed as obese or overweight. With this startling stat, some scientists feel like there is room in the market for weight loss drugs for dogs. And it may not be too far on the horizon. San Francisco-based bio-phama company Okava have set their sites on the new frontier of pet health and are planning to run trials of a drug that will mimic the effects of medications like Ozempic. The end goal is to create an implant version of the drug for dogs, which will last for six months at a time. Ozempic is not marketed as a weight loss drug but one to prescribed to type 2 diabetes patients to help manage their condition by controlling blood sugar levels alongside other medications and lifestyle changes. However, it has gained popularity and attention for its potential role in weight loss, which can be a side effect of the drug's appetite-controlling abilities. With hopes of have the canine weight loss drug available as early as 2028 or 2029, the US company estimates the current market for this product could be worth up to $10billion. In terms of the human version, the drugs mimic a natural hormone called GLP-1 which regulates blood sugar and appetite. In Mounjaro is active ingredient is called tirzepatide, whereas Ozempic uses semaglutide. The ultimate goal of these ingredients is to leave users feeling fuller for longer, which will end up reducing their overall food intake. As scientists try to mimic this hormone for dogs, it is hoped that the drug will help reduce the begging behaviour of our furry pals, which many owners find hard to resist. However, researchers will need to make sure they find the right balance with the drug as a lack of appetite in our canine companions is normally associated with being unwell. This isn't the first weight loss drug that has been created for pets, as Slentrol was released in 2007. However, this creation didn't end up selling well, partly due to owners believing their pets seemed ill while on the medication. However, Okava's chief executive Michael Klotsman hopes that any behavioural changes in dogs while using their drug will be quite different. The planned implant by Okava has been named OKV-119 and will contain a GLP-1 mimic called exenatide. Michael told The Guardian: "What owners should expect to see is their pet eating appropriate portions without the previous food obsession – they'll still eat regularly and show interest in meals, just without the excessive begging, scavenging or gulping behaviour." However, not everyone is fully on board with the idea. Many vets are instead advising that overweight dogs, in most cases, are able to lose the extra pounds through more exercise and a restricted diet Caroline Allen, chief veterinary officer at the RSPCA told The Independent: "A healthy diet and exercise is the best way to keep our pets happy and well but we understand that owners can sometimes struggle to manage their pets' weight. "There is currently little information about proposed weight-loss implants or vaccinations for animals, and owners shouldn't rely on them becoming available. "Before resorting to these sorts of interventions, owners should seek help from their vet about how to reduce their pet's weight with a good diet and providing lots of opportunities to exercise and play in ways that their pet will enjoy." She added: "It may be that weight loss jabs or implants may have a role to play in future in very limited circumstances where animals are clinically unwell, but the best thing we can do is set healthy habits from the start so our pets can live the best life possible." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
