Only God knows quite how much divine intervention played a part in Murphy’s triumph, but the fates were not working solely on him. Fate, cruel fate, destined Stevens not just to defeat but to an exact replica of the defeat he suffered in his previous final five years ago.On that occasion, against Mark Williams, he took an overnight lead of 10-6 into the concluding day He did so against Murphy as well In 2000, he went on to lose the final 18-16. It is an honour and a privilege to win.”Asked how he intends to spend his £250,000 winner’s cheque, which is £235,000 more than his previous biggest pay day, he confirmed he will be buying a Mercedes “And I can have air conditioning in it now,” he added He will also foot the bill for his wedding in July. “The man’s main job in the preparations is to pay for it,” he joked. “At least that’s sorted.”Murphy, a committed Christian who met Clare in an internet chatroom, added that he prepared for each session of the final with his usual pre-match prayer “It helps me focus,” he said.

Shaun Murphy last night became the first qualifier for 26 years to claim the world championship title after defeating Matthew Stevens 18-16 in an epic see-saw battle. The winner of the final Flat race on grass, the once-celebrated Jubilee Handicap, was San Antonio and the last horse to cross the line on the course first opened in 1878 was Northern Desert.. And before that, bookmakers are running scared of Coconut Beach, who will be the Irish maestro’s first runner at the Roodeye in tomorrow’s Chester Cup, cut to as low as 5-1 for the marathon.But if all is back in kilter in Co Tipperary, the Classic road has proved stony in the Godolphin camp.Guineas flop Dubawi, ill at ease on the fast ground on the Rowley Mile, has been ruled out of the Derby but is likely to be given the opportunity to get his season back on track in the Irish version at the Curragh. And yesterday at Doncaster Centaurus, one of 20 Godolphin entries at Epsom, did his cause no good when a babyish fifth of six behind 40-1 shot Real Quality in the mile conditions race won by Dubawi’s sire, Dubai Millennium, six years ago.The most impressive performance yesterday came at the Curragh from Indesatchel, who followed his Greenham Stakes victory by bolting away with the Tetrarch Stakes by six lengths en route to a possible cut at the French 2,000 Guineas and a certain one at the Jersey Stakes at York.The most poignant card was at Kempton, where a 127-year-old page of racing history turned with the Sunbury track’s final Flat meeting on turf before its conversion to an all-weather floodlit venue. It seems inconceivable that she will not be, particularly as the stable’s hitherto No1 Oaks hope, Kitty O’Shea, is behind schedule; her style of running and her undoubted class stamp her as a serious contender and her pedigree gives every hope that she will be blessed with the requisite stamina. Though her sire, Kingmambo, is best noted for his excellent milers – like King’s Best, Russian Rhythm, Divine Proportions – he did get an Arc runner-up in El Condor Pasa and Virginia Waters’s dam should supply staying power, as a daughter of Sadler’s Wells from the immediate family of High Hawk and In The Wings.Footstepsinthesand has more speed and electricity about him, both as an individual and on paper, and the Ballydoyle pecking order with a view to the first Saturday in June will become clearer during the next few weeks of trials, starting with Gypsy King in the Dee Stakes at Chester on Friday. The horse has all the right entries and will have a lot of opportunities as the season progresses.”With Footstepsinthesand and Virginia Waters, O’Brien and Fallon became the first trainer-jockey team to win both Guineas since Noel Murless and George Moore did it with Royal Palace and Fleet in 1967.

And throw the owner, Michael Tabor, into the mix and it was a first since 1942, when Fred Darling and Gordon Richards won with Big Game and Sun Chariot for King George VI.In each of those cases, one of the Epsom Classics was annexed. Royal Palace won the Derby but Fleet failed to stay when fourth in the Oaks, a reverse of the scenario when Sun Chariot won the Oaks but Big Game failed in the Derby.O’Brien now finds himself with the favourites for both races, though the filly would have to be supplemented to run. He’s in the Coronation Cup, and also the Tattersalls Gold Cup, and one of those will be his next run.”Dermot Weld, who trains Cairdeas for the President of Ireland, was delighted to have taken the scalp of the Ballydoyle colt “I think you’ll find this was a good race,” he said “Pat gave him a lovely ride, with great confidence. “It was tough to give him his first race of the season in that ground,” he said “He just got tired. Kieren Fallon kept Yeats, the 4-6 favourite, off the pace set by stablemate Wolfe Tone until the straight, but although he moved through to make a challenge smoothly enough, Cairdeas, who led fully a quarter-mile from home as Pat Smullen grabbed the initiative, left him toiling six lengths adrift at the line.The ground in Co Kildare was soft, and O’Brien was happy enough with the exciting Sadler’s Wells colt he regards highly.

With two Classics in the bag over the weekend, Aidan O’Brien turned his attention to one of his potential stars among the largest-ever selection of older horses at Ballydoyle. This time last year, Yeats had won the Ballysax Stakes, was shortly to win the Leopardstown Trial, and was favourite for the Derby, only to be ruled out by injury three days before the big one at Epsom.
Running for the first time for 358 days in a 10-furlong Group Three at the Curragh yesterday, he lost his unbeaten record to the fitter and rather talented Cairdeas, but still has another date on the Surrey downs in his diary. A 31-year-old and two 26-year-olds are helping us with our inquiries.”The accident involved a Mercedes and a Ford Mondeo travelling away from the city and a Volkswagen Golf travelling into the city The Volkswagen had a male and female in the car The male suffered breaks to his arms and a broken leg. The woman sustained cuts and bruises.The spokesman said one of the 26-year-old men under arrest had been taken to hospital after suffering from chest pains.Born in Sheffield, to Yemeni parents, Naseem Hamed made his professional debut in 1992 and was unbeaten until 2001.He won the World Boxing Organisation world featherweight title in 1995 In 1999, the self-styled Prince was awarded an MBE.. A female passenger in the car also sustained cuts and bruises.A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “As a result of a road collision, three men have been arrested and taken into custody.

The former boxing world champion Prince Naseem Hamed has been arrested after a man was seriously injured in a crash with the star’s sports car.
Mr Hamed, 31, was last night being questioned with two other men on suspicion of leaving the scene of an accident involving an injury and on allegations of attempting to pervert the course of justice.Mr Hamed was arrested after his Mercedes was involved in a collision yesterday with a Volkswagen Golf and a Ford Mondeo in Sheffield.The Golf driver was trapped in the car and had to be airlifted to the Northern General Hospital, with a suspected broken leg and fractures to both arms. As lawyers and politicians they are likely to take immense professional pride in their ability to mislead without actually lying. The accusation challenges something more fundamental to them than their integrity: it calls into question their expertise.JOHN RISELEYFARNBOROUGH, HAMPSHIRE Colour codes mixed up Sir: The tranquillity of blue, bank holiday skies in Mill Hill is disturbed by a red helicopter towing a large banner inviting us to vote Conservative Is this what they call a flight of fancy?JAMES T FIELDSLONDON NW7. I suspect that it is especially hurtful to Tony Blair, as it was for his friend Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky case.