Latest news with #English-based
Irish Daily Mirror
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
‘He's a dream horse' - remarkable 12-year-old sparks glorious scenes
One of the real stalwarts of the Irish racing scene lit up a dreary night at Killarney on Tuesday when winning for the 13th time. The 12-year-old veteran Lord Erskine is one of the most popular horses in training and he took his winning tally to 13 races with a brilliant success in the Executive Helicopters Handicap at the Kerry venue. Trained in Louth by Harry Rogers, the remarkable gelding was winning on his 70th career start, having made his debut nine years ago at the Curragh in a flat maiden. William Buick was the jockey on board that afternoon and the top English-based rider was the first of many jockeys to ride him, a long list of 26 that includes the late greats Pat Smullen and Michael O'Sullivan while Rachael Blackmore and Darragh O'Keeffe have won on him. On Tuesday it was Ronan Whelan who rode him for the very first time and it was a winning partnership as he ran out a comfortable four and a half length winner from Dark Note. Incredibly Lord Erskine won the Irish Cesarewitch eight years ago and Tuesday's win took his career earnings to €400,000 for his owners the Nolan family. His original owner Jerry Nolan, from Cork, passed away in 2021 but four years later he still wears the same red and white silks and is owned by Jerry's brother Brian. Lord Erskine has won at several big festivals like the Dublin Racing Festival, Fairyhouse Easter Meeting and Rogers is now targeting a crack at the Guinness Galway Hurdle later this month. "It's unbelievable – I've never had a horse like him. He eats, sleeps and runs, and that's all he does. He doesn't see any vets, nothing. He's a dream,' said Rogers. 'In fairness to Ronan, we had a plan going out and said if they were going too slow to go on down the back straight, which he did. "He is a right horse on his day and is a gent. He is a dream horse and was like his late owner Jerry Nolan. Brian, his brother, has taken over the ownership now and is the same. "We just couldn't get an ease in the ground in the past few weeks, and the plan now is to go to Galway where he has a few choices. He could run in the amateur handicap on the Flat or in the Galway Hurdle, if he gets slow ground," Rogers told
Fox Sports
14-07-2025
- Business
- Fox Sports
Group that owns Burnley in England also taking over Spanish club Espanyol
Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — English-based group Velocity Sport Limited and its American shareholders are taking over Spanish club Espanyol. The club said Monday that its current owners, Chinese group Rastar reached an agreement with VSL to join the holding company and 'participate in a strategic alliance that will position RCD Espanyol at the same level" as Premier League club Burnley, which is also part of the group. 'With this deal, Espanyol and the English club will be part of this investment group, which expands its interests by having a club in La Liga and another in the Premier League, although each will remain independent,' Espanyol said in a statement. 'This business integration formula allows for the coexistence of two historic clubs that will operate independently, although they will be supported by the same financial group,' Espanyol said. Espanyol said the agreement is 'pending officialization and completion until all administrative procedures are formalised.' The club said Rastar 'is not disassociating itself from Espanyol, but rather its shares will become part of this new investment vehicle that will have stakes in both clubs.' Espanyol said that with this "step forward, Rastar underlines a firm conviction that this integration into the VSL group will strengthen both the economic and sporting structure" of the club. Espanyol, which was twice relegated in the decade or so under Rastar, finished 14th in the league's standings last season. The club's fans had been showing their disappointment with Rastar owner Chen Yansheng for years. Financial details were not released by the club. ___ AP soccer: recommended Item 1 of 3 in this topic
Winnipeg Free Press
14-07-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Group that owns Burnley in England also taking over Spanish club Espanyol
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — English-based group Velocity Sport Limited and its American shareholders are taking over Spanish club Espanyol. The club said Monday that its current owners, Chinese group Rastar reached an agreement with VSL to join the holding company and 'participate in a strategic alliance that will position RCD Espanyol at the same level' as Premier League club Burnley, which is also part of the group. 'With this deal, Espanyol and the English club will be part of this investment group, which expands its interests by having a club in La Liga and another in the Premier League, although each will remain independent,' Espanyol said in a statement. 'This business integration formula allows for the coexistence of two historic clubs that will operate independently, although they will be supported by the same financial group,' Espanyol said. Espanyol said the agreement is 'pending officialization and completion until all administrative procedures are formalised.' The club said Rastar 'is not disassociating itself from Espanyol, but rather its shares will become part of this new investment vehicle that will have stakes in both clubs.' Espanyol said that with this 'step forward, Rastar underlines a firm conviction that this integration into the VSL group will strengthen both the economic and sporting structure' of the club. Espanyol, which was twice relegated in the decade or so under Rastar, finished 14th in the league's standings last season. The club's fans had been showing their disappointment with Rastar owner Chen Yansheng for years. Financial details were not released by the club. ___ AP soccer:
Borneo Post
11-07-2025
- Science
- Borneo Post
Support pupils ahead of first UP-DLP exam this Oct, Sagah tells parents
Sagah fields questions from reporters. – Photo by Galileo Petingi SERIAN (July 11): Parents and guardians have been urged to support their children in learning English ahead of the inaugural Dual Language Programme Sarawak Assessment Test (UP-DLP) for Primary 6 pupils this October 15-16. State Education, Innovation and Talent Development Minister, Dato Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn, said the state government will conduct the English-based assessment in partnership with Cambridge University to gauge pupils' understanding of Mathematics and Science taught in English. 'We started teaching Mathematics and Science in English six years ago, and now we've decided to assess our pupils' capabilities. This will be done in collaboration with Cambridge University. 'The results will give us a clearer picture of how well our pupils are doing,' he told reporters after officiating at the 'Petronas Memacu Kehidupan Gawai 2025' event at Kampung Tarat Melawi here today. 'If you have children or grandchildren sitting for the UP-DLP, please encourage them to work hard and improve their English proficiency,' he added. On a related matter, Sagah said discussions have yet to begin on the state's planned free tertiary education programme for working Sarawakians. Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg had, during the state-level Labour Day celebration on May 18, announced that the state government will fund full-time higher education for Sarawakian adults wishing to resume their studies. Eligible courses will be offered at state-owned institutions including Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak Campus, Curtin University Malaysia, University of Technology Sarawak, i-CATS University College, and the Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak. Sagah said his ministry is currently focusing on implementing the Sarawak Free Tertiary Education Scheme (FTES) for school leavers, which will only apply to those enrolled in full-time programmes.
Perth Now
07-07-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Brumbies brothers join forces in bid to be Lion tamers
Tom Hooper will be joined by his brother Lachie when the Brumbies take on the touring Lions. (Andrew Cornaga/AAP PHOTOS) Tom Hooper will be joined by his brother Lachie when the Brumbies take on the touring Lions. (Andrew Cornaga/AAP PHOTOS) Credit: AAP Lachie Hooper's debut game for the ACT Brumbies, against the might of the British and Irish Lions, will be his first chance to line up professionally alongside big brother Tom. But it could also be the pair's last game together in Brumbies colours. Lachie, 21, will start on the bench in Canberra on Wednesday night after being handed his debut by coach Stephen Larkham. It's Wallabies flanker Tom's final appearance before he departs for English-based team Exeter Chiefs in the off-season. Larkham hailed the talents of the younger Hooper, who he watched and helped develop over the years through the ACT rugby system. "He's amazing when he goes on the field," he said. "We really wanted them to be here together, and we really wanted them to play together, and we just didn't get the opportunity this year. "But hopefully everything goes to plan and they get on the field and they really enjoy not only the moment, but the way that we play the game." Tom, 24, returns to the starting side after playing 12 minutes in the Wallabies' ugly 21-18 victory over Fiji in Newcastle on Sunday, but several big-name Test players will be absent, including Rob Valetini and captain Allan Alaalatoa. "We've been planning for this for a while, and yeah, second row was certainly a position that we were a little bit light-on," Larkham said. Also receiving his Brumbies debut against the Lion will be prop forward Cameron Orr, who will also start from the bench. The 30-year-old was drafted from the Seattle Seawolves in the US Major League Rugby competition for the game, but has a wealth of Super Rugby experience with the Western Force and the now-defunct Melbourne Rebels. Taming the Lions will be a tough ask for Larkham's inexperienced side. The tourists posted half-centuries against the Queensland Reds and the Force, and despite a strong performance from the NSW Waratahs still prevailed 21-10 in Sydney. Looking at the scorelines, Larkham conceded it was hard to argue that the Lions had yet to face a proper challenge in Australia. "Although I thought the Waratahs were pretty good on the weekend," he said. "I thought it was a very impressive game against the Reds, the British and Irish Lions put out there. "We've learned a lot from that. We get the benefit of playing last so we get to see three of their games in Australia, they've had their Argentinian game as well, so we've sort of studied them quite closely. "We don't know who we're playing against at this stage, we don't know what their selection is. But we feel that we've had a pretty good run at our preparation compared to the other teams. "You'd like to think that the Waratahs had that little bit of extra preparation watching those other games. They came into the game with some tactics that worked pretty well, and we've learned a little bit out of the Waratahs game as well." Wednesday's game will also serve as a Brumbies farewell for Jack Debreczeni and Ben O'Donnell, who will join French side Aurillac on a two-year deal.
