John Gosden will saddle leading contender Field Of Gold as the top trainer looks to finally win the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday.
The 74-year-old, who set up as a trainer nearby in 1989, has won all four of the other British Classics and more than 3,000 races in all.
Now training alongside son Thady, he hopes his impressive Craven Stakes winner can close the missing gap in his illustrious CV.
“It has never weighed on my mind. It seems to be glaring to everyone else but not to me,” said Gosden senior.
“It’s nice to have a horse who at the moment is favourite, but it doesn’t mean that you’re going to win it.”
Field Of Gold heads 11 contenders for the big race.
Charlie Appleby’s Ruling Court is another leading fancy after a six-length victory in Dubai in March, with the Godolphin handler also fielding Shadow Of Light, winner of both the Middle Park and Dewhurst Stakes last term.
Ruling Court is the choice of first jockey William Buick, with Mickael Barzalona taking the ride on Shadow Of Light.
Godolphin also has a third runner in the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Tornado Alert.
Aidan O’Brien, seeking an 11th 2000 Guineas victory, has Dewhurst runner-up Expanded as his sole representative.
Jessica Harrington’s Green Impact and the Joseph O’Brien-trained Scorthy Champ complete the Irish contenders.
Craven second Wimbledon Hawkeye represents James Owen while fourth-placed Benevento also features, along with Yah Mo Be There.
Seagulls Eleven runs for owners that are all current or former Brighton and Hove Albion footballers, including James Milner and Danny Welbeck.
John Gosden will saddle leading contender Field Of Gold as the top trainer looks to finally win the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on Saturday.
The 74-year-old, who set up as a trainer nearby in 1989, has won all four of the other British Classics and more than 3,000 races in all.
Now training alongside son Thady, he hopes his impressive Craven Stakes winner can close the missing gap in his illustrious CV.
“It has never weighed on my mind. It seems to be glaring to everyone else but not to me,” said Gosden senior.
“It’s nice to have a horse who at the moment is favourite, but it doesn’t mean that you’re going to win it.”
Field Of Gold heads 11 contenders for the big race.
Charlie Appleby’s Ruling Court is another leading fancy after a six-length victory in Dubai in March, with the Godolphin handler also fielding Shadow Of Light, winner of both the Middle Park and Dewhurst Stakes last term.
Ruling Court is the choice of first jockey William Buick, with Mickael Barzalona taking the ride on Shadow Of Light.
Godolphin also has a third runner in the Saeed bin Suroor-trained Tornado Alert.
Aidan O’Brien, seeking an 11th 2000 Guineas victory, has Dewhurst runner-up Expanded as his sole representative.
Jessica Harrington’s Green Impact and the Joseph O’Brien-trained Scorthy Champ complete the Irish contenders.
Craven second Wimbledon Hawkeye represents James Owen while fourth-placed Benevento also features, along with Yah Mo Be There.
Seagulls Eleven runs for owners that are all current or former Brighton and Hove Albion footballers, including James Milner and Danny Welbeck.
Four gameweeks have passed. Four gameweeks to determine your future. Four gameweeks to make your name known in the folklore of Fantasy Premier League.
Although this is a little dramatic, mini leagues are won and lost, it’s a good idea to take chances if you’re chasing a rival, and every transfer is worth more than it was before.
FPL managers have a significant decision to make this week’s captaincy.
Protector and defense
Everton keeper Jordan Pickford, £5.1 million transfer to Ipswich (h)
Last week’s game at Newcastle saw Ipswich play very poorly, leaving them with ten men for the final two games.
Everton are currently at home and have as many clean sheets this season as Manchester City (10).
In their past five games, Ipswich’s expected goals (xG) are 3.47, which is the lowest in the league, and they have only managed eight shots on target.
That screams “Everton clean sheet.”
Jake O’Brien, Everton, £4.5m – Ipswich (h)
Last week, Ipswich failed to defend set pieces well, conceding two corners (one of which was a short corner).
According to his statistics for 90 minutes on the field, O’Brien has been by far and away the most dangerous defender at Everton.
He leads all Everton defenders in shots and shorts on target, and Jarrad Branthwaite is next with 0.08. His 0.21 big chances are miles ahead of his team-mates.
Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol, £6.3 million-Wolves (h)
Since this week hasn’t been many clear clean-sheet opportunities, trusty Gvardiol comes in, whose five goals are a league high for defenders.
Newcastle, £5.7 million – Brighton (a) Kieran Trippier
Although Trippier has been ahead of all other defenders in several important creative statistics in the last four gameweeks, this pick may be chasing points.
The next best player had nine of his final-third passes (he had 26 crosses in that period, whereas he had 143 of those final-third passes).
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Midfielders
Manchester United (h) – Bryan Mbeumo (captain), Brentford, $8.1 million
Mbeumo, the second-highest point scorer in the FPL, is not really needed for much of a reason.
However, this week’s circumstances are idealistic.
With their focus on the Europa League, Manchester United almost certainly will produce a weak team, which is not good.
Mbeumo is a force for Brentford, he can score penalties, and he could face left-back Harry Amass, who is 18 years old.
Jarrod Bowen, West Ham, £7.6m – Spurs (h)
Another top-notch player (four games returned in four games) in a situation comparable to Mbeumo’s.
Tottenham will concentrate on Europe, which they can’t defend in anyway.
Bowen contributed 56% of West Ham’s goals this season.
Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne, £9.4 million-Wolves (h)
This week, neither of the three expensive midfielders, Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer, or Bukayo Saka, have ideal matches.
Given that Chelsea and Liverpool have already won the title and that Saka could start on the bench, it’s difficult to call.
De Bruyne will undoubtedly play in an FA Cup game that could be competitive after being rested, so why not take a look at him?
The outstanding Belgian has nine assists in 16 starts this year, or 0.56 per 90 minutes of play.
With only two home games left in his City career, Pep Guardiola will undoubtedly choose him on Friday night and you can be confident of seeing him return as long as he starts.
Fulham (h) – Marco Asensio, Aston Villa, £6.2 million
Asensio is the high-risk, high-reward choice while Morgan Rogers is the well-liked Villa pick.
He has topped every stat among Villa midfielders since his arrival.
The Spaniard has a 3.56 per 90 minutes of shooting on the pitch (Rogers is 1.56), and his xG is 0.78 per 90. Next best is Rogers with a score of 0.24.
Don’t forget that Asensio missed two penalties with a 6.96 FPL point per 90.
Getty Images
Strikers
Wolves, £7 million – Manchester City, Matheus Cunha (a)
The Brazilian had a fantastic week last week, scoring 30 points in his previous three games.
Wolves may concede a few goals, but they are likely to score as well. A trip to City is not a problem.
This season, City has only managed four clean sheets at home, two of which came against Leicester and Southampton.
Leicester’s Jamie Vardy for £5.2 million at Southampton (h)
Vardy was a good budget striker last week and a watchable option for the season’s conclusion, especially if you’re wildcarding.
The 38-year-old will want to start playing in his Premier League debut with a bang after probably missing only four games.
There is a good chance that he will be involved if Leicester win, and if they can’t find the net against Southampton…
Fulham (h) vs. Ollie Watkins (vice-captain), Aston Villa (h) vs.
Watkins is the ideal FPL punt for the end of the season.
With Rashford out, he will start, and he has a strong track record.
Subs bench
Goalkeeper Alphonse Areola, West Ham, for £4.2 million (h) Spurs
Arsenal defender Ben White, £6. 1 million signing from Bournemouth (h)
Everton midfielder Dwight McNeil, £5.1 million – Ipswich (h)
Watch as Ronnie O’Sullivan and Zhao Xintong’s World Snooker Championship semi-final first session balls roll over the Crucible floor due to a pocket-breaking.
O’Sullivan and Zhao level up in the first Crucible semi-final.
Adnan Miakhel, a teenage Afghan refugee who made his television debut with Lancashire’s Second XI, made his debut in Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams.
When former England captain Andrew Flintoff cobbled together a group of underprivileged boys in Preston, Adnan became the star bowler in the 2021 season on the back of a lorry.
He then described his desire to play cricket professionally in England.
After making his Lancashire Second XI debut this week, that dream came a little closer.
Adnan’s adoptive parents spoke to BBC Breakfast about his success.
Michael Bolton’s daughters have spoken out about the moment they knew something was wrong with their father – leading to his glioblastoma diagnosis
Michael Bolton displayed unusual symptoms which let to his family becoming worried (Image: Medios y Media, Getty Images)
Michael Bolton’s family have revealed they realised something was wrong when the singer made a series of peculiar moves during a bowling night out. The 72-year-old pop star was enjoying a game with his children and grandkids when he exhibited some odd behaviour.
According to People magazine, his daughter Taryn recalled that unsettling moment, saying: “That was when we were like, ‘Something’s wrong with his brain. Everything that happened was weird for him but not super alarming. When you look back at everything together. . . We missed so many things.”
His behaviour at the bowling alley turned out to be red flags for glioblastoma, an uncommon and aggressive type of brain cancer. Symptoms associated with brain tumours can range from persistent headaches and seizures to nausea, fatigue, or even changes in personality and physical abilities, all hinging on the tumour’s whereabouts, size, and speed of growth in the brain, reports Surrey Live.
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That same evening, yet another abnormal incident worried the family as Michael toppled from his chair. Taryn said: “He fell out of his chair to the left, which is very unusual. He’s super athletic, and he doesn’t drink. So he fell, and we were like, ‘What just happened?'”
That weekend, Bolton experienced a severe headache and by Monday, he found himself in hospital. An MRI scan confirmed the presence of a brain tumour.
The tumour was completely removed during surgery and about a week later, doctors diagnosed it as glioblastoma, a condition that affects roughly 15,000 Americans annually, according to the National Brain Tumor Society. After undergoing two surgeries and several rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the singer’s most recent scan earlier this month showed no signs of the tumour.
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In a fresh interview, the singer declared: “Succumbing to the challenge is not an option. You’re really quickly drawn into a duel. I guess that’s the way you find out what you’re made of.”
He added: “Whenever you find yourself in any kind of challenging position, just to know that you’re not alone going through it is a big deal.” He now confesses that his health scare has instilled in him a deeper appreciation for life. His daughter, Holly, disclosed that he began singing “within minutes” while recovering from his operation.
Dr. Ingo Mellinghoff, Bolton’s neuro-oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, explained that symptoms of brain tumours often encompass sudden personality changes, intense headaches, seizures, coordination problems and muscle weakness and paralysis.
Michael Bolton performs on stage during Starlite Occident 2023 at Cantera de Nagüeles on June 30, 2023 in Malaga, Spain. (Photo by STARLITE/Redferns)
“If all of a sudden you’re a completely different person, and people are like, ‘He never gets out of bed anymore. What’s going on? He doesn’t want to do anything’…”, Mellinghoff says. “If somebody can’t move one part of their body, that’s never normal. Or changes in sensation. When they say, ‘I can’t feel anything anymore on my right side.'”
Mellinghoff also points out that alterations in how someone speaks can act as a serious warning sign. “Speech is pretty sensitive. We all have our speech patterns, and if all of a sudden your friend says, ‘It sounds so strange, and it doesn’t make sense,’ that is definitely something,” he notes.
“It’s really hard to put out the message of, ‘If you have a headache, think about brain cancer,’ because that’s so rare,” he remarks. “Many of these symptoms are very non-specific, so we have to be careful not scaring everyone.”
Michael Bolton had surgery on a brain tumor(Image: Getty Images)
The Brains Trust charity has laid out what to watch for when it comes to the deadly illness, writing: “Because there are so many different types of brain tumour, there are a number of brain tumour symptoms and signs, depending on the nature of the brain tumour and where it is.”
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The continue: “These may be very severe, or may not be apparent at all. So, it is a very broad spectrum with which we are dealing. Please remember this if you haven’t been diagnosed with a brain tumour. It is a rare condition and having a headache for more than a week does not mean that you necessarily have a brain tumour.”
Brain tumour symptoms
Headaches that are more severe in the morning and wake you in the night. They are usually different from headaches you might have had previously and will be persistent and worsen with time
Nausea and vomiting: With a headache this can indicate increased pressure in the head (raised intracranial pressure)
Seizures: A seizure is abnormal electrical impulses in the brain, causing sudden involuntary changes in movement or function, sensation, awareness, or behaviour. A first-time seizure in an adult is often investigated
Weakness, loss of sensation or numbness: This is a sign of pressure on (or damage to) a specific part of the brain and can also be manifested through walking unsteadily or lack of coordination (ataxia) or muscle weakness on one side of the body (hemiparesis)
Hearing loss: Could be a sign of an acoustic neuroma if it occurs only on one side
Loss/disturbance of vision, including double vision: In one or both eyes could be a symptom, if there is a tumour pressing on the optic nerve or there is one affecting the visual pathways or if there is raised intracranial pressure.
Speech difficulties: May also include the loss of ability to write, speak or understand words. A person may have difficulty getting the right words out (expressive dysphasia) or difficulty articulating them (dysarthia)
Other brain tumour symptoms: Lack of concentration, confusion, memory loss, disorientation, drowsiness, change in behaviour.
