Ellison hopeful of bold Plate defence from Onesmoothoperator, despite weighty burden
Since fulfilling Ellison's childhood dream in winning the 'Pitmen's Derby', the north-east native has seen his stable star win the Geelong Cup and be beaten just over five lengths in the Melbourne Cup, as well as run with credit in Dubai.
'He's in good form and he's obviously been trained for the race again,' said Ellison.
'He's got more weight this year (12lb), but we're very happy with him.
'The races in Dubai didn't suit him as there's no pace, but he ran great in Australia and I think he's a better horse now.
'He wasn't beaten too far by Kalpana at Kempton before Australia and he was close enough to Dubai Future in Dubai, who was third in the Gold Cup last week.
'He's been away to Southwell a couple of weeks ago after we'd freshened him up and Connor Beasley will ride him again.'
Only George Scott's Prydwen (9st 12lb) is above Onesmoothoperator (9st 10lb) in the weights after the confirmation stage, for which a record 62 were left in with a maximum field of 20 allowed.
Chester Cup winner East India Dock could turn out quickly having finished sixth in the Ascot Stakes last week, while Willie Mullins has left in both Pappano and Too Bossy For Us.
Andrew Balding's Who's Glen, the lightly-raced Golden Rules (Tom Faulkner) – who was second two years ago for Faulkner's mother, Deborah, but had been off since then until running at Kempton in March – and Sir Mark Prescott's progressive Godsend are others still in contention.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Diego Luna double fires US past Guatemala and into Gold Cup final
Diego Luna scored twice in the first 15 minutes and the US men's national team held on for a 2-1 victory over Guatemala in St Louis on Wednesday to advance to the final of the Concacaf Gold Cup. Luna tallied in the fourth and 15th minutes before Olger Escobar made it 2-1 in the 80th minute. American goalkeeper Matt Freese made four saves, including a diving stop at the left post on Joes Morales in the second minute of second-half stoppage time. The US will play Mexico for the title on Sunday in Houston after El Tri beat Honduras 1-0 in the late semi-final on Wednesday. Luna, a 5ft 8in Real Salt Lake midfielder, scored his first US goal on Sunday against Costa Rica and leads the team in goal contributions in 2025 with seven (three goals, four assists). At this time a year ago, he was miffed that he was not selected of the US Olympic team for the Paris Games. Now, he is a mainstay, at least for this iteration of a team that does not include most of the European-based players. Still, Luna appears to be playing his way onto the roster for the 2026 World Cup. He opened the scoring with his quick reaction to rebound of a long shot by Luca de la Torre. Goalkeeper Kenderson Navarro fumbled the ball straight to Luna, who brought it down with his right foot before delivering a left-footed strike. Luna silenced the pro-Guatemala even further with his laser from 22 yards after taking a pass from Malik Tillman. The desperate Guatemalans dominated the rest of the half, outshooting the US 12-2 over the final 20 minutes. Navarro was the story early in the second half as the US looked for a third goal. First, he parried a header by Patrick Agyemang in the 62nd minute, then two minutes later Agyemang broke free but couldn't get the ball past the keeper. The saves proved huge when Escobar dribbled to the top of the box and slipped a shot through several Americans. This was the nations' first-ever meeting in a Gold Cup knockout round and Guatemala's first appearance in a Gold Cup semi-final since 1996.
The Herald Scotland
6 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
USMNT vs. Guatemala: Time, TV, live stream, how to watch
The USMNT will face Guatemala, who eliminated Canada after a thrilling match that ended in a 1-1 draw. The game went into a penalty shootout that extended to the seventh round. Jose Morales scored the winning penalty, giving Guatemala the edge they needed to advance to the semifinals. This is Guatemala's first semifinal appearance at the Gold Cup since 1996. Here is how to watch the United States take on Guatemala in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup semifinals. More: USMNT moves on in Gold Cup after penalty shootout thriller How to watch Concacaf Gold Cup semifinals The 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup semifinals will feature two matches on Wednesday: the United States will face Guatemala at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, followed by Mexico battling Honduras at 10 p.m. ET on FS1. How to watch USA vs. Guatemala The United States will face Guatemala in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup semifinals on Wednesday, July 2at 7 p.m. ET. Date: Wednesday, July 2 Wednesday, July 2 Time: 7 p.m. ET 7 p.m. ET TV: FS1, Univision FS1, Univision Stream: Fox Sports, Fubo, Sling TV Fox Sports, Fubo, Sling TV Location: Energizer Park, St. Louis, Missouri Watch Gold Cup action with Fubo
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- The Guardian
Diego Luna double fires US past Guatemala and into Gold Cup final
Diego Luna scored twice in the first 15 minutes and the US men's national team held on for a 2-1 victory over Guatemala in St Louis on Wednesday to advance to the final of the Concacaf Gold Cup. Luna tallied in the fourth and 15th minutes before Olger Escobar made it 2-1 in the 80th minute. American goalkeeper Matt Freese made four saves, including a diving stop at the left post on Joes Morales in the second minute of second-half stoppage time. The US will play Mexico for the title on Sunday in Houston after El Tri beat Honduras 1-0 in the late semi-final on Wednesday. Luna, a 5ft 8in Real Salt Lake midfielder, scored his first US goal on Sunday against Costa Rica and leads the team in goal contributions in 2025 with seven (three goals, four assists). At this time a year ago, he was miffed that he was not selected of the US Olympic team for the Paris Games. Now, he is a mainstay, at least for this iteration of a team that does not include most of the European-based players. Still, Luna appears to be playing his way onto the roster for the 2026 World Cup. He opened the scoring with his quick reaction to rebound of a long shot by Luca de la Torre. Goalkeeper Kenderson Navarro fumbled the ball straight to Luna, who brought it down with his right foot before delivering a left-footed strike. Luna silenced the pro-Guatemala even further with his laser from 22 yards after taking a pass from Malik Tillman. The desperate Guatemalans dominated the rest of the half, outshooting the US 12-2 over the final 20 minutes. Navarro was the story early in the second half as the US looked for a third goal. First, he parried a header by Patrick Agyemang in the 62nd minute, then two minutes later Agyemang broke free but couldn't get the ball past the keeper. The saves proved huge when Escobar dribbled to the top of the box and slipped a shot through several Americans. This was the nations' first-ever meeting in a Gold Cup knockout round and Guatemala's first appearance in a Gold Cup semi-final since 1996.
