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BreakingNews.ie
27-05-2025
- Health
- BreakingNews.ie
Irish man (21) fights for life in Spanish hospital after being shot in head
Two men have been arrested on Spain's Costa Blanca on suspicion of the attempted murder of an Irish national who is fighting for his life in a hospital intensive care unit. The 21-year-old was shot in the head near to a shopping centre in Orihuela Costa, south of Alicante. Advertisement Detectives revealed on Tuesday they had held two male suspects aged 27 and 45. They confirmed the victim remains in intensive care in a 'critical condition' nearly a fortnight after the incident. A spokesman for the Civil Guard, who was unable to confirm the nationalities of the two suspects, said on Tuesday: 'We have arrested two men as the suspected authors of a shooting in which an Irish national aged 21 was seriously injured after receiving a bullet to the head in Orihuela Costa. The shooting took place in the coastal town of Orihuela, south of Alicante. Photo: AFP via Getty 'The shooting took place on the night of May 13th near a leisure area close to the Zenia Boulevard Shopping Centre. Advertisement 'The young man hurt remains in a critical condition in intensive care in hospital. 'Investigators gathered together witness statements, analysed evidence and made inquiries about the victim and his close circle as part of their probe. 'Part of the evidence they collected was a bag with a revolver, ammunition and the victim's telephone. 'The two suspects are a 27-year-old man and another male aged 45. One was held in Orihuela Costa and the other in nearby Pilar de la Horadada. 'Both were arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide. The homes of one of the pair was also searched.' World Spain orders Airbnb to block 65,000 holiday rental... Read More The force spokesman added: 'A court in Orihuela has remanded one of the men, considered to be the shooter, in prison, while the other has been released on bail as a suspected accomplice but banned from leaving the country.' Detectives did not say what they thought the motive behind the crime was. None of the three men have been named. The Civil Guard also on Tuesday released video footage and photos of the gun and ammunition they seized as well as images of one of the suspects being taken into custody in handcuffs.
Irish Independent
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Cork driver James Dean and Avondhu GAA recognised for achievements
Mr Dean is the only driver in the world to win the World Formula Drift title four times, most recently in 2024. James has also won multiple Irish National, European titles and set a Guinness World Record in 2014 for the longest tandem drift recorded at 28.52km. Avondhu GAA Board was also recognised for providing 100 years of GAA in the North Cork division. The Mayor of the County of Cork, Cllr Joe Carroll hosted a special civic reception at County Hall last Monday to recognise the achievements of five community groups, sports clubs and individuals from County Cork. A civic reception is the highest honour the Mayor of the County can give. It was bestowed upon Muintir na Tíre; James Dean; Avondhu GAA Board; Watergrasshill GAA Club; and Transplant Sport Ireland. Speaking at the event, Mayor Carroll paid tribute to the five recipients: 'This civic reception is about celebrating excellence, commitment, and the spirit of community. The dedication of each group and individual here today inspires us all and makes an important contribution to the sporting life, culture, and safety of County Cork. 'I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the five honourees and wish them the very best in their bright futures,' he added. Three sporting organisations were also honoured at the civic reception, Avondhu GAA Board, Watergrasshill GAA Club and Transplant Sport Ireland. Avondhu GAA Board celebrated their centenary in December 2024, marking 100 years of the North Cork division. Last season was an incredible one for Watergrasshill's Intermediate Hurlers who secured league, county, provincial and All-Ireland titles. They were crowned All-Ireland Intermediate Champions in January, beating Galway's Tynagh-Abbey/Duniry in Croke Park. Munitir na Tíre was honoured for its work in preventing crime and making communities safer by setting up the Community Alert scheme in Cork in 1984. It was formed in response to an increase in rural crime and 40 years later there are 1,400 Community Alert Groups nationwide. Transplant Sport Ireland will compete at the World Transplant Games in Dresden in August of this year. Team Ireland won 17 medals at the last summer games in Perth in 2023 including seven gold, six silver and four bronze medals. The four athletes from Cork on the team returned home with eight medals between them in track, javelin, shot put and golf.
Extra.ie
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Jane Mangan: Back Ballyburn to bounce back at Punchestown
At this week's Punchestown Festival, there will be 12 Grade One races run. Over the past three years here, of the 36 Grade One prizes up for grabs, Willie Mullins won 26 of the 36 – expect more of the same this year. Tuesday's opening card of what should be a great and enjoyable week also boasts plenty of overseas runners, which is exactly what Punchestown would have wanted. There are 10 in the second race, for example, 16 in total from the UK on the day one card, which is a great result for Punchestown, who do a lot of work recruiting competition from overseas. The Punchestown Festival gets underway on Tuesday. Pic: Michael Chester It's great to see – we have good prize money and it's the end of the year, so there's nothing to lose for the raiders. With Rebecca Curtis having won the Irish National it shows that you can come here and win – we're not unstoppable at home. Where to begin? Let's start with the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase (4.50), over three miles, one furlong, won last year by Spillane's Tower. This time around, Mullins is mob-handed. He has five of the nine declared runners and Paul Townend has opted to stay loyal to Ballyburn. Paul Townend on Ballyburn jumps the water during The Brown Advisory Novices' Steeple Chase at Cheltenham. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile Despite how disappointing he was when being beaten by his stablemate Lecky Watson in the Brown Advisory at the Cheltenham Festival, I believe they will change tactics this time around. He didn't enjoy being restrained at Cheltenham, he jumped poorly, and I think under positive tactics, riding him forward, we could see a different beast here on Tuesday. The horse that wowed us at Leopardstown and impressed so much last year over hurdles, Ballyburn, is better than we saw at Cheltenham and he's going to prove it at Punchestown on Tuesday. Another highlight of the day is the race which precedes that, the two-mile KPMG Champion Novice Hurdle at 4.15. Willie Mullins' Supreme Novices' winner Kopek Des Bordes meets his Grade One Aintree winner Salvator Mundi. They clashed at Cheltenham in the Supreme when Salvator Mundi was beaten in to fifth. Paul Towned on Kopek Des Bordes in the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile I think Kopek Des Bordes is the best novice hurdler that we've seen this season, and he's going to confirm that by making it three Grade Ones in a row under Paul Townend here. It's a small field of six runners, which probably reflects the fact that nobody really wants to take on Kopek Des Bordes. All this builds towards the feature race of the day – the William Hill Champion Chase (6.0). Barry Connell's Queen Mother winner Marine Nationale is out to prove that Cheltenham wasn't a fluke. I think he's going to be up against it though, with a very interesting move, as Fact To File drops back down to the minimum trip. Despite winning the Ryanair Chase over two and a half miles last month, and being so good in defeat behind Galopin Des Champs over three miles before that, connections have decided to drop him back down to the Champion Chase trip of two miles. Mark Walsh on Fact To File jump the last on their way to victory at Cheltenham. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile I think he's got that much class, the class that we saw when he beat Spillane's Tower, Galopin Des Champs, Fastorslow and Inothe – wayurthinkin around this track in November over two miles and three furlongs. He has got that level of talent and I think that Fact To File will prove that this distance is no barrier to success for him, and he will dethrone the Cheltenham champion. The third race on the card is the Killashee Hotel Handicap Hurdle (3.40) and it's a really competitive race over two miles. I like Lark In The Mornin here – he's still well handicapped in my eyes. He won the Fred Winter last year at Cheltenham off a mark of 122. While he disappointed behind Kargese in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham last time, I think he's a much better horse than that run. I think the drying ground will enhance his chances and a mark of 130 is very workable. Lark In the Mornin is going to take a lot of beating here. Lark In The Mornin, with JJ Slevin up, on their way to winning the Boodles Juvenile Handicap Hurdle at Cheltenham in 2024. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile Probably the most difficult race of the day for a punter is the Albert Bartlett Triple Crown Series Final Handicap Hurdle (3.05) with a maximum field of 25. A lot of UK form in here but I'm going to side with a horse called Hartur D'arc. It's very encouraging that Keith Donoghue has opted to ride this one out of the three that Gavin Cromwell has running here. For Keith to get down to 11 stone is him not eating for a week, so it must be significant that he has felt it's worth coming down to his minimum weight to ride Hartur D'arc. The other thing to note is that Hartur D'arc's chase rating is 140 but his hurdles rating, which he's running off, is 118, so he's theoretically 22 pounds well in. I think that should make him very hard to beat. Sean Flanagan on Hartur D'arc at Fairyhouse in 2024. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile In the Goffs Defender Bumper (5.25), there is one I think is interesting. It's a notoriously difficult race to assess and a lot of it comes down to luck in running. I finished second and third but never managed to win it as a rider – let's hope I can find the winner this year! I doubt I ever rode a horse as well bred as Leader Des Bordes, which Patrick Mullins will be riding for his dad, Willie. This French-bred is a half-brother to Kopek Des Bordes and Utopie Des Bordes, cost €210,000 as a store and I think Michael O'Leary will be hoping that his new acquisition could turn into something nearly as good as his brother.
Daily Mirror
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
AP McCoy hails successor Sean Bowen as he makes perfect start to stag do with huge win
Trainer Olly Murphy showed his emotions on ITV Racing as Bowen - set to go to Tenerife ahead of his wedding to Harriet Matthews - won the bet365 Gold Cup on 9-2 chance Resplendent Grey Sean Bowen was paid the ultimate compliment by the sporting star he followed to become champion jockey. The new top rider of National Hunt racing was lavished with praise by Sir AP McCoy after winning the bet365 Gold Cup on 9-2 chance Resplendent Grey. On the day he was crowned champion jockey, Bowen delivered the Olly Murphy-trained chaser with a perfect run to land the £175,000 feature race at Sandown Park. It was a final big win of 2024-25 for the Welshman, who heads off on his stag do in Tenerife on Sunday before his wedding to Harriet Matthews. And Bowen was sent on his way by all-time great McCoy, who took the championship on 20 occasions, hailing him as a "top class jockey." Reviewing Bowen's ride on ITV Racing, he said "You need to get horses to believe in you, to want to do it for you and give their all - that's what he is good at. Good at getting inside their heads. "He convinces them all the way through. You see from the second last to the last and from the last to the winning post, he always looked like he was getting there. "It was an all out ride but it was confident as well. He's a top class jockey, he won an Irish National last week. It is hard to get on good horses if you are not riding for Willie Mullins, Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson. What a way to end the season." Bowen will have to celebrate abroad without his best man and brother James, a super sub for Nico de Boinville on Constitution Hill at the Punchestown Festival next week or Harry Cobden, who joins him on the plane. But Murphy, who kept Resplendent Grey in top form all season, might be tempted to join the party in the Canary Islands on the back of a career best for his stable with 140 winners and £1.6million in prize money. "I've been a very small cog in Sean's wheel," he said. "He has been a massive part of Warren Chase. It's brilliant. "I'm always an emotional man when I have big winners. There is a big team behind us both. This is absolutely magic." Resplendent Grey travelled sweetly in first-time cheekpieces and collared Rachael Blackmore-ridden and Willie Mullins-trained Lombron after the final fence. "Honestly the best two weeks of my life," said Bowen. "I hope it carries on forever." Mullins - who saw off determined rival Dan Skelton to retain the trainers' championship - also saddled third High Class Hero (10-3 favourite), fourth Spanish Harlem (22-1) and fifth-placed Grangeclare West (14-1).
The Herald Scotland
25-04-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Skelton fears title chances may go up in Smoke
However, the Lodge Hill team are hopeful the decision to skip the Scottish Grand National will pay dividend as they bid to keep trainers' title dreams alive in a race that could prove crucial. A big success for the Skeltons with Hoe Joly Smoke! 🥇 How many winners will the Skeltons have this week at Cheltenham? 🏆#ITVRacing — ITV Racing (@itvracing) March 9, 2025 'We never entered him in the Scottish National, rightly or wrongly, because I always felt this was the right race for him. We didn't expect Grangeclare West to turn up, but that's happened because of circumstances and we're 12lb wrong before we start,' said Skelton. 'We've got to give it a go. I feel a bit sorry for Harry, who has got to do 10st 2lb, which is not exactly a walk in the park, but he'd do 9st 2lb at the moment for me – I know how much support I've got from him and I know how much he wants it. 'We've got a nice chance, but the data shows it's going to be 12lb difficult before we start.' Skelton will also be cheering on fellow British trainers Olly Murphy and Emma Lavelle, who saddle the tough Resplendent Grey and in-form King's Threshold respectively seeking their own slice of the prize-fund, with the value of the former's National Hunt Chase fourth to Haiti Couleurs given a significant boost recently. Resplendent Grey has been a smart performer for Olly Murphy this season (John Walton/PA) Murphy said: 'He ran well in Cheltenham. He didn't go round very well but he came home strong. We'll ride him a little bit differently. 'He's got first-time cheekpieces and hopefully they will help him, he's got a lovely weight on his back and if he gets into a rhythm, he's got an each-way chance.' Sean Bowen will pick up his first title on the day but had to get off Haiti Couleurs at Cheltenham to ride Resplendent Grey and still awaits a first Festival winner. He did, though, win the Irish National on Rebecca Curtis' charge on Monday. Murphy added: 'It would be great if Sean could wrap up the season by winning this. He's been freshened up and we're looking forward to running him.' Neil Mulholland's Transmission was a place behind Resplendent Grey at Cheltenham, while Skelton's old boss Paul Nicholls runs Threeunderthrufive. However, it is hard to ignore the aces Mullins has up his sleeve and as well as the aforementioned Grangeclare West, he will saddle the likes of defending champion Minella Cocooner and High Class Hero, who is the trainer's idea of the stable first string. Mullins said: 'Paul rides High Class Hero and he's one who is going to be high on the list, if not right at the top. High Class Hero leads the Willie Mullins team (Brian Lawless/PA) 'We switched from the Irish National to this late, we had a lot of rain in Fairyhouse and we just felt a drier track would suit him. 'Grangeclare West and Minella Cocooner both ran well in the National and must have their chances.' There is also a Grade One winner amongst the Closutton team in Dancing City, while Mullins fancies O'Moore Park to go close having knocked on the door at Cheltenham the last twice. 'Dancing City fell at Aintree but on his form before that you'd think he would have a really good chance and I think he's a good enough jumper, maybe we just concentrate on getting him around, then see,' said Mullins. 'O'Moore Park is due a big race and has been improving all season, whether that win is this or next season, I don't know.' Klarc Kent in action in the Scottish grand National (Jane Barlow/PA) Others on the Mullins teamsheet include Olympic Man, Lombron, Klarc Kent, Spanish Harlem and Chosen Witness, with the reigning champion trainer not ruling any out of contention. He said: 'Olympic Man was running a great race for Patrick in Ayr and will be ridden by Johnny Burke. He will be wearing a hood for the first time as he just raced with the choke out a little bit at Ayr and he won't be without a chance. 'Klarc Kent ran a cracker when second in the Scottish National, but even with Kieran Callaghan claiming 5lb, he's still going to be out the handicap. 'Spanish Harlem I think will like this nice ground and he's not out of it and the same applies to Chosen Witness. 'They are two horses I haven't really run before on this type of ground, but I think it's time they did and we take a punt on the ground. They are two big, chasing types that I had been keeping to ground with soft in, but at this stage of the game it's time to let them take their chance.'
