Latest news with #MrBrightside
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Rise At Dawn primed to spring upset in Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup
Kingsford Smith Cup contender Rise At Dawn is the Hayes brothers' 'ugly duckling' who has done what superstar stablemate Mr Brightside couldn't. Will Hayes, who trains alongside his brothers Ben and JD, pointed out that Rise At Dawn won the Listed The Elms Handicap (1400m) at Flemington in February first-up in his preparation, an achievement that even the great Mr Brightside couldn't pull off in 2022. 'By no means is this an easy race,' he said about the Group 1 $1m Kingsford Smith, which offers a golden ticket to the Stradbroke Handicap for the winner. 'He's certainly going to be right there to the finish because he's a horse with tremendous high-cruising speed and he does get pretty quick to the corner. 'I remember what he did first-up in The Elms in the autumn. He goes pretty good first-up so we're very excited for the weekend. 'Mr Brightside actually kicked off one preparation in The Elms and wasn't able to do it so he's certainly in pretty good company.' Four-year-old Rise At Dawn is a $17 chance for the Kingsford Smith Cup, well behind favourite Joliestar ($2.90), Giga Kick ($5), Benedetta ($7.50) and Bosustow ($8.50) in the market. The gelding that co-trainer Ben Hayes last month described as an 'ugly duckling, but he's all heart' was initially slated to run in last weekend's Group 3 BRC Sprint (1350m) but a bad barrier draw led to his scratching. 'We decided to bide our time and I'm glad we did because we've come up with a very good barrier (one) in what looks to be a competitive race,' Will Hayes said. 'It's a weight-for-age path as well so if we win, it doesn't change our weight in the Stradbroke (52.5kg).' Asked about the 'ugly duckling' reference, Will said: 'He's certainly not a picture by any means. 'It's a bit like there's no such thing as an ugly rich bloke and there's no such thing as an ugly fast horse. 'He's by Almanzor and he keeps rising to every occasion.' A Kingsford Smith Cup victory would not only secure a spot in the Stradbroke, but the $600,000 winner's cheque would push Rise At Dawn's prizemoney well beyond the $1m mark. 'I think you can make a case for probably eight horses in the race,' Hayes said. 'They'll more than likely be having to give us a decent start but we're meeting them all at set weights so it's going to be a very good barometer as we head towards the Stradbroke.' Rise At Dawn flopped in the All-Star Mile (1600m) at Flemington in the autumn before his last start, an impressive fourth in the $4m Group 1 Doncaster Mile, which was won by last year's Stradbroke Handicap champion Stefi Magnetica on April 5.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Aspinall reaches play-offs and Littler sets record
Nathan Aspinall secured the final Premier League play-off spot while Luke Littler set a new seasonal points record in Sheffield. Englishman Aspinall defeated Michael van Gerwen 6-2 in the quarter-finals to eliminate the seven-time champion. Meanwhile, table-topping world champion Littler averaged more than 114 as he broke his own points record, reaching 42 after earning two in thrashing Stephen Bunting 6-1. Aspinall, 33, had finished in fifth, one place below qualification, in the previous two seasons. But he will join Littler, Luke Humphries and Gerwyn Price at the London finale on 29 May after beating Van Gerwen, the only player who could stop him going through. The 36-year-old Dutchman, without a nightly win in the whole 2025 campaign, misses out on the play-offs for only the second time in 13 years of competing. World number eight Aspinall has confounded critics who opposed his inclusion in the eight-man competition, having been ranked 11 when the picks were made. His inclusion was questioned by fellow players Mike de Decker and Dave Chisnall amid suggestions his popular walk-on song Mr Brightside helped his case. The Stockport-born player has battled online abuse over his participation, as well as recovering from injuries and dartitis to reach the final four. "I came off social media because of the abuse I was getting," said 'The Asp' after his second nightly win, in Aberdeen a week ago. "I'm not being exaggerated here, but it ruined my life for a month, not just my life, my family's. It was horrific. " Aspinall has also come back from elbow, wrist and back injuries, along with tackling dartitis - a condition where players have a mental block when it comes to throwing on the stage. Missing out on qualification seals a miserable campaign for Van Gerwen, whose last nightly win came back in April 2024. The three-time world champion had seven victories and two runner-up spots from his previous 12 campaigns, with his last Premier League title in 2023. "This is probably one of the hardest Premier Leagues I have ever played in - not in terms of players, but in terms of myself," Van Gerwen admitted. His cause was not helped when missing the ninth event of the season in Berlin with a shoulder injury sustained while trying to put a shirt on. Every Thursday, the eight players go head-to-head in a straight knockout tournament. So, each player will be entered at the quarter-final stage, before moving to the semi-finals and then a final. These matches are all played over the best of 11 legs (or games of darts). Players take home points from each of these rounds. The winner of the night gets five points, the runner-up three points, and each semi-finalist wins two points. All eight players are re-entered into the tournament for the next round on the following Thursday. The players meet each other once at the quarter-final stage from weeks one to seven, and then again in weeks nine to 15. The matches in weeks eight and 16 are played based on position in the league at that point. The four players at the top of the table by the end of night 16 qualify for the final play-offs, which take place on Thursday, 29 May. Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Gerwyn Price and Nathan Aspinall are through this year. The semi-finals of the play-offs are played over 19 legs, while the winner is crowned in a final match played across the best of 21 legs.
Daily Mirror
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Premier League Darts final four confirmed as Van Gerwen falls at first hurdle
PREMIER LEAGUE DARTS NIGHT 16: Michael van Gerwen knew he had to win the night in Sheffield to book his place at the O2 next fell at the first hurdle to Nathan Aspinall Nathan Aspinall seized the last remaining golden ticket to the BetMGM Premier League play-offs - but for Michael van Gerwen it may be the end of an aura. On a win-or-bust night in Sheffield, Van Gerwen needed to take the honours on the final instalment of darts' travelling circus to reach next week's finals at the O2 arena in London. But the only way he could snatch a top-four place was to win all three possible games - and he fell at the first hurdle. Aspinall, who only needed to beat the seven-times Premier League champion in their head-to-head clash to reach his first play-offs in the competition, sent MVG packing with a 6-2 win. It all means that Aspinall, will join the two Lukes - Littler and Humphries - along with Gerwyn Price at the showpiece event in the capital next Thursday. And while Van Gerwen now faces a summer of soul-searching, with the meter ticking over towards two years without winning a TV major, Aspinall was jubilant. The Asp said: 'I'm so proud of myself - I knew I had to turn up tonight and get the job done, and I've done that. 'People wrote me off at the start of the season but the PDC and Sky Sports know hat I can do and what I bring to the party. It was my aim to get to the O2 - now I can look ahead to next week and think about what I might achieve there.' It is only the second time in 13 Premier League campaigns that Van Gerwen has failed to reach the play-offs - but it has been signposted virtually since the opening night in Belfast back in February. On the Thursday night circus tour, MVG has failed to win any of the 16 meetings across seven countries and has reached only two finals. He has looked a pale imitation of the once-unstoppable force who held the No.1 spot in the Professional Darts Corporation rankings for almost a decade. But for Aspinall, reaching the O2 is a stunning riposte to the critics who claimed he did not deserve a Premier League spot this year based on his performances over the previous 12 months. The Asp admitted he would prefer the field to be based entirely on the rankings, with the top eight automatically chosen for the tournament, instead of the current system in which the world 's top four are guaranteed a place but the other four are chosen by the PDC and Sky Sports. Aspinall brings a karaoke spirit to the party because his Mr Brightside walk-on song is such a hit with the fans. But by beating Van Gerwen for the second week running to book the last remaining spot on the Greenwich meridian next week, he proved he was also worthy of his selection on merit. To his credit there was no showboating, no celebrating in crestfallen Van Gerwen's face, when he nailed tops at the third attempt to clinch his 6-2 win at the Utilita Arena.
Scottish Sun
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Two huge pop stars top list of best songs to have sex to – but does YOUR favourite make the cut?
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SONGS by Rihanna and Beyoncé are among the best for making things pop between the sheets, a sexy survey suggests. Bajan superstar RiRi's 2006 hit Unfaithful — about a love triangle — topped the charts for 'non-monogamy' tunes that get women in the mood. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 4 Songs by stars such as Beyoncé are among the best for making things pop between the sheets Credit: Getty 4 Rihanna's 2006 hit Unfaithful topped the charts for 'non-monogamy' tunes that get women in the mood Credit: Savagexfenty Beyoncé and Shakira's track Beautiful Liar is also a favourite, as is Carrie Underwood's tune Before He Cheats. A survey of 661 members of extramarital dating app Ashley Madison found 71 per cent of women listen to music before sex, compared to 51 per cent of men. But fellas prefer tunes by male singers. The Killers' classic Mr Brightside — about lead singer Brandon Flowers catching his ex cheating — came out on top. Lou Bega's conquest-listing hit Mambo Number 5 was second favourite for blokes. 4 Shakira's track Beautiful Liar, which also features Beyonce, is top of the table for frisky bedroom music Credit: Getty 4 Carrie Underwood's tune Before He Cheats is also a favourite Credit: Getty
The Irish Sun
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Two huge pop stars top list of best songs to have sex to – but does YOUR favourite make the cut?
SONGS by Rihanna and Beyoncé are among the best for making things pop between the sheets, a sexy survey suggests. Bajan superstar RiRi's 2006 hit Unfaithful — about a love triangle — topped the charts for 'non-monogamy' tunes that get women in the mood. Advertisement 4 Songs by stars such as Beyoncé are among the best for making things pop between the sheets Credit: Getty 4 Rihanna's 2006 hit Unfaithful topped the charts for 'non-monogamy' tunes that get women in the mood Credit: Savagexfenty Beyoncé and A survey of 661 members of extramarital dating app But fellas prefer tunes by male singers. The Killers' classic Mr Brightside — about lead singer Brandon Flowers catching his ex cheating — came out on top. Advertisement READ MORE ON MUISC Lou Bega's conquest-listing hit Mambo Number 5 was second favourite for blokes. 4 Shakira's track Beautiful Liar, which also features Beyonce, is top of the table for frisky bedroom music Credit: Getty 4 Carrie Underwood's tune Before He Cheats is also a favourite Credit: Getty Shakira accidentally confirms Rihanna is 'pregnant' during live slip up on Met Gala red carpet
