Aspell goes back-to-back on McCoy's Grand National farewell

LEIGHTON ASPELL completed a remarkable Grand National double after he followed up last year's victory on Pineau De Re with a second success on 25/1 shot Many Clouds.

Aspell thus became the first jockey since Brian Fletcher on Red Rum to win back-to-back Nationals, holding off a strong challenge from Paddy Brennan's Saint Are in the closing stages.

Monbeg Dude was third for 2009 winner Liam Treadwell and Alvarado finished fourth for the second year in a row with Paul Moloney.

Tony McCoy, racing for the last time in the big one at Aintree before his retirement, finished fifth on the appropriately-named 6/1 favourite Shutthefrontdoor.

But it was Dubliner Aspell who stole the headlines for the second year in a row.

Of course, for some of the runners and riders, the 2015 Grand National was a very short spin indeed.

Ely Brown and Gas Line Boy both fell at the first while Al Co unseated his jockey. At the third fence, Rubi Light also lost his rider while Corrin Wood hit the hurdle hard and was pulled up before the fourth.

At the fifth, Noel Fehily's French mount Unioniste fell and, at Becher's Brook, River Choice followed suit.

There was then a nasty incident at the eighth fence, the Canal Turn, as last year's runner-up Balthazar King fell and brought down Ruby Walsh's grey Ballycasey.

From then on, though, the race was thankfully run pretty cleanly with Rebel Rebellion leading the pack for most of the first circuit and into the start of the second.

It did not last. At the 18th, Rebel Rebellion struggled over and The Rainbow Hunter hit the front with Many Clouds and Shutthefrontthedoor not far behind.

Then, at Valentine's, The Druid's Nephew took the lead. As soon as he had it, though, it was taken from him as his legs buckled from him and he fell.

Former leader The Rainbow Hunter also failed at the 26th jump before pacesetter Rebel Rebellion was pulled up.

Instead, for the first time, the lead went to Many Clouds with the Shutthefrontdoor in second and Saint Are in third, and only a few left to jump.

From the last fence onwards, though, Shutthefrontdoor did not feature and the bookie-bashing hopes of 20-time champion jockey McCoy, and his many backers, sadly faded.

By contrast, Many Clouds was still going strong and Aspell opened up a lead of about four lengths as he rode around the Elbow. He would need almost all of them.

Ultimately, however, Saint Are had left it too late - and amazingly Aspell, despite changing horses, had landed the big prize again.

It was indeed a statistically significant win - and not just for the 38-year-old jockey.

Aged eight, Many Clouds is the youngest winner of the National since Bindaree in 2002. Meanwhile, at 11st 9lb, he is the heaviest winner since Red Rum.

There was good news, too, for the British Horseracing Authority which was able to report for a third year in a row that there had been no fatalities in its big event.

Undoubtedly, a nervous chill must have passed through its members when the field was prevented from jumping the Canal Turn for a second time.

But the stricken Balthazar King has made it to Leahurst Equine Hospital for treatment following his nasty fall.

Of course, the BHA and officials at racecourse have made big strides in improving the safety of the fences around Aintree.

Nevertheless, the fact that the incident at the Canal Turn occurred due to a collision between two horses does beg the question: is the Grand National field of 40 runners simply too big?

After all, fewer than half of the entrants tend to complete the course - and so it could easily be argued that reducing the competitors to 30, or even 25 would hardly affect the spectacle.

Moreover, at the end of the race, there can only be one winner - and, while McCoy was denied a fairytale ending, he does at least still have the memory of his 2010 win on Don't Push It.

Incredibly, though, in the last 12 months, Aspell has won more Grand Nationals than McCoy won in his whole career.

Yes, for Aspell and Many Clouds, the sun shone especially bright at Aintree today.


GRAND NATIONAL 2015 RESULT 
Aintree, 4.15pm (Channel 4). Going: Good. 39 ran.
 

1st	MANY CLOUDS	Leighton Aspell	25/1 (by 1¾ lengths)
2nd	Saint Are	Paddy Brennan	14/1
3rd	Monbeg Dude	Liam Tredwell	40/1
4th	Alvarado	Paul Moloney	20/1
5th	Shutthefrontdoor	AP McCoy	6/1F

Other finishers
6th Royale Knight (25/1), 7th Tranquil Sea (33/1), 8th Cause of Causes (14/1), 9th Soll (9/1), 10th Chance Du Roy (40/1), 11th Mon Parrain (33/1), 12th Pineau de Re (25/1), 13th Owega Star (50/1), 14th Spring Heeled (25/1), 15th Oscar Time (20/1), 16th First Lieutenant (14/1), 17th Rocky Creek (8/1), 18th Night in Milan (20/1), 19th Dolatulo (66/1)

Failed to finish
1st Ely Brown (fell), Gas Line Boy (fell), Al Co (unseated rider)
3rd Rubi Light (unseated)
4th Corrin Wood (pulled up)
5th Unioniste (fell)
6th (Becher's) River Choice (fell)
8th (Canal Turn) Balthazar King (fell), Ballycasey (unseated)
19th Court By Surprise (pulled up)
25th (Valentine's) Across The Bay, Super Duty, Lord Windermere (all pulled up)
26th The Rainbow Hunter (fell), The Druids Nephew (fell)
27th Rebel Rebellion (pulled up)
28th Portrait King (fell)
29th Godsmejudge, Wyck Hill, Bob Ford (pulled up)

Grand National 2012: Neptune Collonges lifts the curse of the greys

NEPTUNE COLLONGES became the first grey in 51 years to win the Grand National in the closest-ever finish to the big race at Aintree.

The 33/1 shot, ridden by Daryl Jacobs, won by nothing more than a nostril from Sunnyhillboy to give trainer Paul Nicholls his first ever victory in the race.

But the National was again marred by the death of at least two of the 40 entrants as Synchronised and According To Pete both fell fatally at Becher's Brook on separate circuits.

Even before it all began, there had been drama as Ruby Walsh - set to ride On His Own - injured himself on the day for a second successive year after falling in the Aintree Hurdle.

Then, immediately before the start, Synchronised unseated jockey Tony McCoy and escaped his rider before being brought under control.

There was still time for problems with the tape and a couple of false starts before they all got away on the third occasion.

But the race did not last very long for Viking Blond, who fell at the first, or the more-fancied Junior and West End Rocker, who both fell at the second.

Sunnyhillboy, Seabass and Shakalakaboomboom held the early initiative as State of Play, Chicago Grey and Rare Bob failed to make it past the fifth.

And then, at the sixth, the daunting Becher's Brook, this year's Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Synchronised so sadly made his last ever jump.

Alfa Beat fell at the next obstacle, Foinavon, before last year's runner-up Black Apalachi could not make it past the Canal Turn along with four other horses who all unseated their riders.

Next to fall was Treacle at the 10th where Arbor Supreme also unseated his rider - and then, at the 11th, the well-backed Giles Cross became the first to be pulled up.

As they crossed the Melling Road, Planet of Sound was setting the pace while Always Right only just failed to make it around the first circuit after he unseated his rider at the Chair.

Heading into the second lap, Planet of Sound was looking solid and had stretched his lead to three lengths. Meanwhile Quiscover Fontaine fell at the 17th before, at the 19th, Vic Venturi refused and the struggling Deep Purple was pulled up.

Then came Becher's for a second time and it sadly proved terminal for the unfortunate According to Pete who was destroyed after the race having been brought down.

Becher's was also where the race ended for On His Own, with replacement jockey Paul Townend, while Mon Mome and Postmaster were both pulled up.

But, despite the thinning of the field, it was clear as we reached the closing stages that this was going to be a classic.

There were no fewer than eight horses in with a shout with Shakalakaboomboom just edging Seabass as they approached the penultimate fence.

Seabass, ridden by Katie Walsh - who was hoping to become the first ever female jockey to win the National - then jumped into the lead as Shakalakaboomboom faded.

But Walsh's dreams were crushed when Sunnyhillboy jumped best at the last and took up the front as they headed for the winning post.

All of a sudden, Seabass was heading backwards into third but it could never be said that Sunnyhillboy had it in the bag once Neptune Collonges had responded in the chase.

Instead, a stronger finish and a stretch for the line meant it was Neptune Collonges who narrowly got his nose over first and thus broke the hoodoo over grey horses which had lasted since Nicolaus Silver won in 1961.

This was perhaps the best finish which the Grand National had ever seen - it was certainly the tighest and such a brilliant way for the BBC to finish the coverage of the race.

Nevertheless, the decision to give up the rights to Channel 4 now looks even more foolhardy in the light of this dramatic finale.

At least, the loss of the National saves the BBC from being associated with what is becoming an increasingly controversial event.

For, the other headline to come out of today was that Synchronised and According to Pete have now joined Ornais and Dooneys Gate from last year in dying during the race.

Three of the four fatalities occurred at Becher's Brook and certainly still more needs to be done about that fence. A reduction in the number of runners would also help to avoid horses being brought down accidentally.

Of course, further alterations will not eliminate the risk in a steeplechase completely.

But, at the moment, the hazardous nature of the Grand National means it still too often resembles a death trap than the spectacle which it really should be.


FULL GRAND NATIONAL RESULT
Going: Good, good to soft in places.
4m 4f. All 40 ran.

1st Neptune Collonges 33/1
2nd Sunnyhillboy 16/1
3rd Seabass 8/1 joint fav
4th Cappa Bleu 16/1
5th In Compliance 100/1

Other finishers: 6th Ballabriggs, 7th Hello Bud, 8th Tharawaat, 9th Shakalakaboomboom, 10th Swing Bill, 11th The Midnight Club, 12th Planet of Sound, 13th Neptune Equester, 14th Calgary Bay, 15th Midnight Haze

Failed to finish:
Fence 1 Viking Blond - fell
Fence 2 Junior - fell, West End Rocker - fell
Fence 5 State of Play - unseated rider, Chicago Grey - brought down, Rare Bob - brought down
Fence 6 (Becher's) Synchronised - fell fatally
Fence 7 (Foinavon) Alfa Beat - fell
Fence 8 (Canal Turn) Black Apalachi - fell, Tatenen - unseated rider, Organisedconfusion - unseated rider, Killyglen - unseated rider, Becauseicouldntsee - unseated rider
Fence 10 Treacle - fell, Arbor Supreme - unseated rider
Fence 11 Giles Cross - pulled up
Fence 15 (The Chair) Always Right - unseated rider
Fence 17 Quiscover Fontaine - fell
Fence 19 Vic Venturi - refused, Deep Purple - pulled up
Fence 22 (Becher's) On His Own - fell, According to Pete - brought down fatally, Mon Mome - pulled up, Postmaster - pulled up
Fence 27 Weird Al - fell

Grand National 2012: Synchronised goes for the double in BBC's Aintree swansong

SYNCHRONISED will aim to become the first horse since Golden Miller in 1934 to win both the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in a single season tomorrow.

The nine-year-old gelding, ridden by 16-time champion jockey Tony McCoy, upset the odds at Cheltenham, beating a strong field which was headed by Long Run and Kauto Star.

But, this time, the roles are reversed with Synchronised set to go off as 6/1 favourite in the 4.15pm at Aintree.

McCoy, who won the National for the first time in 2010 at the 15th attempt on Don't Push It, will also hope to achieve a double after being beaten last year by Jason Maguire on Ballabriggs.

The defending champion is back, priced at 12/1, as trainer Donald McCain looks to extend his family's outstanding legacy in this contest.

Ballabriggs' victory was the McCains's fifth after Donald's father Ginger had three famous wins with Red Rum in the 1970s and another with Amberleigh House in 2004.

Sadly, Ginger will not be at Aintree this year after he died in September two days before his 81st birthday.

However, his eternal association with the Grand National was confirmed yesterday by the unveiling of a specially-commissioned bronze bust overlooking the parade ring.

That is not the only modification to have been made at Aintree in the last year but, unfortunately, the other changes have happened out of necessity rather than anything else.

After all, none of the racing authorities wish to see a repeat of 12 months ago when, in an unprecedented move, fences were omitted on the second circuit after the fatal falls of Ornais and Dooneys Gate on the first circuit.

Dooneys Gate's death occurred at the tallest obstacle Becher's Brook and, consequently, the area where horses land after jumping that one has been levelled out.

This has also happened at the first fence which the horses usually approach at great speed while the fourth fence has been lowered by a couple of inches.

Unfortunately, the course improvements still do not deal with surely one of the most hazardous aspects of the race.

For, with as many as 40 entries starting again this year, it is inevitable that there will still be pile-ups whatever alterations are made.

As such, it is no wonder that the National is generally considered to be little more than a lottery - and that argument was further reinforced by Mon Mome's stunning win in 2009 at a price of 100/1.

The 12-year-old French horse runs again this year, at the slightly shorter price of 33/1, but the chance element of the race will encourage punters to bet on horses for a myriad of reasons.

Horses with people's names are always well-backed and it is indeed this factor which has naturally attracted me towards According To Pete, also 33/1.

Other entries which meet this criterion include the much-fancied Junior (9/1) and Giles Cross (12/1) as well as Weird Al (40/1), Rare Bob (40/1), Vic Venturi (40/1) and Swing Bill (50/1).

Alternatively, a cursory glance at the record books will often provoke a flutter. For example, as noted by this blog, last year marked the 50th anniversary since a grey horse won the National.

But, despite the presence of four chances, the curse of the greys continued and that particular stat has now reached a 51st year.

Now Neptune Collonges (25/1) has been joined by Chicago Grey (14/1), Alpha Beat (33/1) and the aforementioned Swing Bill as another four bid to end the hoodoo this year.

Perhaps a better bet would be on a female jockey winning for the first time. Nina Carberry is on Organisedconfusion (20/1) while Ruby Walsh's sister Katie will be aboard Seabass (14/1).

Of course, Ruby could make headlines himself if he wins his third National on On His Own (10/1) after previous victories on Papillon in 2000 and Hedgehunter in 2005.  

And BBC television, in particular, will be looking for a spectacular finish having confirmed within the last month that this will be the last Grand National on their channel for the forseeable future.

In fact, with Channel 4 taking over this meeting as well as the Derby at Epsom and Royal Ascot, the BBC will be left without any horse racing at all next year.

But, as astonishing as that sounds, it has been coming. After all, the BBC's coverage of the sport in recent years has amounted to just a few days per year on the big events.

As Greg Wood in the Guardian noted: "The BBC cut back from 29 days of racing to 13 from 2010, with all its main events squeezed between early April and mid-June. For the other 10 months of the year, there is precious little BBC racing to miss."

By contrast, Channel 4 now has an extensive portfolio and broadcasts major races from Newmarket, Sandown Park, York, Goodwood and Haydock Park.

Channel 4 has also been commended for sprucing up coverage of the four-day Cheltenham Festival, and no doubt there will be a similar freshening up of the whole Grand National weekend.

There are fears, though, that the National's move from the BBC may well cause its status as an event on the national sporting calendar to slip.

And, as the Daily Telegraph appositely pointed out at the time of the announcement: what exactly is a public-service broadcaster like the BBC for, if not the Grand National?

Odds from Ladbrokes.com, subject to change. Compare Grand National odds at all major bookmakers at Oddschecker.


GRAND NATIONAL 2012: RUNNERS AND RIDERS
Aintree 4m 4f. Maximum 40 run.


KEY 
Number), Form, NAME (breeding), Age-Weight, Owner, Trainer/Jockey

1) 13-P0311 SYNCHRONISED (IRE) 9-11-10 J P McManus, Jonjo O'Neill/A P McCoy

2) 11/1121-4 BALLABRIGGS (IRE) 11-11-09 Trevor Hemmings, Donald McCain/Jason Maguire

3) 1/10P-13P WEIRD AL (IRE) 9-11-08 Brannon, Dennis, Dick, Holden, Donald McCain/Timmy Murphy

4) 106-P422 NEPTUNE COLLONGES (FR) 11-11-06 John Hales, Paul Nicholls/Daryl Jacob

5) 2F-0511 CALGARY BAY (IRE) 9-11-06 Camilla Radford, Henrietta Knight/Dominic Elsworth

6) F-6041UP ALFA BEAT (IRE) 8-11-05 Irvin Naylor, John Hanlon IRE/Davy Russell

7) F01/35-23 PLANET OF SOUND 10-11-05 Charles Lloyd-Baker, Philip Hobbs/ Richard Johnson

8) 51U/022/2 BLACK APALACHI (IRE) 13-11-03 Teresa Burke, Dessie Hughes IRE/Denis O'Regan

9) 6/3U34-1F DEEP PURPLE 11-11-03 Paul Green, Evan Williams/Jamie Moore

10) 131/321-02 JUNIOR 9-11-02 Middleham Park Racing LI, David Pipe/Tom Scudamore

11) 10-U3032 CHICAGO GREY (IRE) 9-10-13 John Earls, Gordon Elliott IRE/Paul Carberry

12) 3100-015 TATENEN (FR) 8-10-13 The Stewart Family, Richard Rowe/Andy Thornton

13) F11/-1111 SEABASS (IRE) 9-10-12 Gunners Syndicate, Ted Walsh IRE/Ms Katie Walsh

14) 000-1122 SHAKALAKABOOMBOOM (IRE) 8-10-12 Liam Breslin, Nicky Henderson/Barry Geraghty

15) 11PB-P1 WEST END ROCKER (IRE) 10-10-12 Barry Winfield & Tim Leadbeater, Alan King/Wayne Hutchinson

16) 22-30112 ACCORDING TO PETE 11-10-12 Peter Nelson, Malcolm Jefferson/Harry Haynes

17) 14P1-B1 ON HIS OWN (IRE) 8-10-11 Andrea & Graham Wylie, Willie Mullins IRE/Ruby Walsh

18) 2113-1PP ALWAYS RIGHT (IRE) 10-10-10 John Wade, John Wade/James Reveley

19) 3F2P/-133 CAPPA BLEU (IRE) 10-10-10 William & Angela Rucker, Evan Williams/Paul Moloney

20) PU-345053 RARE BOB (IRE) 10-10-09 D A Syndicate, Dessie Hughes IRE/Bryan Cooper

21) 12-133F5 ORGANISEDCONFUSION (IRE) 7-10-08 Grace Dunlop, Arthur Moore IRE/Miss Nina Carberry

22) P/P-51423 TREACLE (IRE) 11-10-08 Bjorn Nielsen, Tom Taaffe IRE/Andrew Lynch

23) 3/216-B430 THE MIDNIGHT CLUB (IRE) 11-10-08 Susannah Ricci, Willie Mullins IRE/Paul Townend

24) 63F/-52PP0 MON MOME (FR) 12-10-08 Vida Bingham, Venetia Williams/Aidan Coleman

25) 0P2F-60 ARBOR SUPREME (IRE) 10-10-07 J P McManus, Jonjo O'Neill/MP Walsh

26) 03F-30P01 SUNNYHILLBOY (IRE) 9-10-05 J P McManus, Jonjo O'Neill/Richie McLernon

27) F-030341 KILLYGLEN (IRE) 10-10-04 David McCammon, Stuart Crawford IRE/Robert Power

28) 2F-4010 QUISCOVER FONTAINE (FR) 8-10-04 J P McManus, Willie Mullins IRE/David Casey

29) 4-P13000 THARAWAAT (IRE) 7-10-04 Gigginstown House Stud, Gordon Elliott IRE/Brian O'Connell

30) 42F-63F22 BECAUSEICOULDNTSEE (IRE) 9-10-03 Noel Glynn, Noel Glynn IRE/Davy Condon

31) 144/P3/4- STATE OF PLAY 12-10-03 William & Angela Rucker, Evan Williams/Noel Fehily

32) 2313P20 SWING BILL (FR) 11-10-03 David Johnson, David Pipe/Conor O'Farrell

33) FP-26611 POSTMASTER 10-10-02 The Bill & Ben Partnership, Tim Vaughan/Dougie Costello

34) 3/P22-121 GILES CROSS (IRE) 10-10-01 KCMS Partnership, Victor Dartnall/Paddy Brennan

35) 21/10P-16 MIDNIGHT HAZE 10-10-00 Kim Bailey Racing Partnership, Kim Bailey/Sean Quinlan

36) 0044B-20 VIC VENTURI (IRE) 12-10-00 Seamus Dunne, Dessie Hughes IRE/Harry Skelton

37) 431U0-P3 IN COMPLIANCE (IRE) 12-10-00 Dessie Hughes, Dessie Hughes IRE/Niall Madden

38) 00-143P5 VIKING BLOND (FR) 7-10-00 Caroline Mould, Nigel Twiston-Davies/Brian Hughes

39) PP-5U654 HELLO BUD (IRE) 14-10-00 Seamus Murphy, Nigel Twiston-Davies/Sam Twiston-Davies

 40) 0-315045 NEPTUNE EQUESTER 9-9-09 Koo's Racing Club, Brian Ellison/Felix De Giles

McCoy earns his stripes in my SPOTY picks

SPOTY winners
SPOTY: Tony McCoy
Second: Phil Taylor Third: Jessica Ennis
Overseas: Rafael Nadal
Coach: Colin Montgomerie
Team: Europe Ryder Cup players
Young: Tom Daley
Lifetime Achievement: David Beckham
Helen Rollason Award: Sir Frank Williams
Unsung Hero: Lance Haggith

My Sports Personality of the Year picks
SPOTY: Tony McCoy
Overseas SPOTY: Rafael Nadal
Coach SPOTY: Andy Flower
Team SPOTY: Europe Ryder Cup players
Young SPOTY: Conor Coady (footballer)
Lifetime Achievement: David Beckham (pre-selected by BBC)
*Other awards include the Helen Rollason award, given for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity, and the Unsung Hero award.

SPOTY main award
TONY MCCOY still heads the betting for tonight's prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year award - and rightly so after his Grand National win on Don't Push It in April.

McCoy memorably won the world's greatest steeplechase at the 15th attempt proving persistence pays off.

"If you get enough goes at something and you keep going, once you're in there you've always got a chance," McCoy said once he had calmed down.

For his victory led to a wonderful but unusual outpouring of joy from a jockey who has been head and shoulders above his contemporaries for years.

The Northern Irishman has been Champion Jockey in every season since 1995-6 but the famous Aintree race had somehow eluded him and it was starting to look as if he might never win it.

This year, another chance looked set to pass by McCoy with Black Apalachi ahead and Don't Push it back in the field.

But a strong finish overhauled Black Apalachi's advantage and gave the 36-year-old the finest of his 3,000+ wins.

Of course, McCoy faces tough competition for the award which will be presented at the Birmingham NEC in front of 13,000 people.

In an excellent year for Northern Irish sport, perhaps McCoy's biggest competition comes from his compatriot Graeme McDowell.

McDowell hit the winning putt at Celtic Manor as Europe regained the Ryder Cup by the slimmest of margins in a fascinating finale in Newport.

But applying the coup de grace to Europe's victory was far from McDowell's only achievement in 2010.

The Portrush man also won his first major, the 2010 US Open at Pebble Beach by one shot from Frenchman Gregory Havret.

Big names such as Ernie Els, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were all just a couple of shots behind throughout the final round.

But McDowell held them all off to add to complete a great year in which he also won the Welsh Open, again at Celtic Manor, and the Andalucia Masters.

The main problem for McDowell is that the golf vote will be split between himself and Lee Westwood whose brilliant consistency landed him the coveted world number one spot.

Westwood also played a major part in Europe's Ryder Cup win, usually going out first and setting the tone by taking 2.5 points from his four matches.

Even in his singles' match which he lost, Westwood seemed to give the Europe middle-order some momentum by leading until a late collapse.

Unfortunately, nearly but not quite enough seems to be the way for the Worksop man who has agonisingly finished third and second in his last two Open Championships, meaning he is still without a major.

But the feeling is that Westwood's time will come soon. After all, you do not become world number one for nothing.

World number one is where Phil Taylor has been for years in darts. The Power's 7-3 victory over Simon Whitlock with an average of 104.38, no less, was his 15th world championship.

Such a record has often provoked a clamour for Taylor to be bestowed with the SPOTY honour but it seems unlikely that the Stoke man has the fanbase to pull this one off.

Taylor may attract votes as some sort of working-class hero but, given that Zara Phillips won this award in 2006, the programme's demographic seems more far-reaching than that.

That won't bother Taylor too much. After all, he is currently playing at the Alexandra Palace, looking for a 16th world championship at the age of 50.

If Taylor is coming towards the end of his career, the next candidate - Tom Daley - has only just begun.

Diver Daley, at 16, had already become a world champion in 2009 and he added double Commonwealth gold this year against a tough field.

Plymouth-born Daley has a good record in this competition too, having won Young SPOTY in 2007 and 2009.

He was also named in the top ten of the main award last year for his world championship win.

Daley has again been nominated in both awards this year and yet, given his competition, he may be unlucky enough not to win either.

However, what seems certain is that he will be the poster boy for British hopes in the London 2012 Olympics.

Meanwhile, the pin-up girl is likely to be Jessica Ennis who continued her golden streak in the heptathlon this year, setting a personal best of 6,823 points at the European Championships.

Sheffield-born Ennis, who finished third in last year's SPOTY, also won the World Indoor Championships with a competition-record points total to add to her World Championship win in Berlin in 2009.

Of course, the big prize for 24-year-old Ennis remains the Olympics and Denise Lewis' British points record of 6,831 which she just fell short of this year.

Among the other candidates, Amy Williams is already an Olympic champion having brought home Great Britain's only medal from the Winter Games in Vancouver.

Skeleton athlete Williams became the first individual British gold medalist in 30 years since Robin Cousins won gold in figure skating in 1980 when she got down the Whistler track in the best aggregate time over four runs.

She also set the track record of 53.68 in her third run to set up her victory which came by 56 seconds over German pair Kerstin Szymkowiak and Anja Huber.

Manxman Mark Cavendish is another speed merchant to make the final cut after he won another five stages in the 2010 Tour de France to take his career total to an amazing 15 in three years.

The 25-year-old also backed up his stage wins with a green jersey in another of the classic tours, La Vuelta a Espana for the most overall points.

Cavendish looks as if he could dominate sprinting in cycling for years - he certainly seems to have the desire to win over and over again.

Another man with great self-belief is Notts and England spinner Graeme Swann, a late bloomer if ever there was one.

Since his Test debut in December 2008 at the age of 29, Swann has become a major pillar of this largely successful England team.

Under the captaincy of Andrew Strauss, England won their first major ICC World Cup in the Twenty20 version of the sport this year.

The team also enjoyed Test series wins over Bangladesh and Pakistan, and they made a fine start to their Ashes defence with victory in Adelaide before being pegged back in Perth.

Swann has added a new dimension to England's bowling attack, providing the team with a genuine world class spinner.

His 124 Test wickets at an average of 27.62 speaks volumes, as does his ability to pick up five-wicket hauls - no fewer than 10 in just 27 matches.

The final candidate is WBA world heavyweight champion David Haye who defended his belt successfully against John Ruiz and Audley Harrison this year.

Unfortunately, the spectacle of the Haye-Harrison fight left much to be desired and Haye was barely tested, winning in three rounds.

Haye's big year is 2011 in which he plans to fight both of the Klitchko brothers - only by beating them will he cement his place on the pantheon of great British boxing heavyweights.

Overseas SPOTY
IN American Pie, Don McLean wrote: "And while the King was looking down, the Jester stole his thorny crown..." and this year saw the long-awaited changing of the guard in tennis.

Rafael Nadal won three of the four majors in 2010 to complete his own career Grand Slam.

While Roger Federer crashed out of Wimbledon at the quarter final stage, Nadal powered to a 6-3 7-5 6-4 - having won his fifth French Open in six years a month earlier.

And at the US open, Federer again went out before the final, losing Novak Djokovic in the semis, opening the door for Nadal.

The Spaniard won 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2 against the Serb to become the first player ever to win majors on clay, grass and hardcourt in a single season.

Federer is now 29 while Mallorca-born Nadal is just 24 - and, with him having overcome his knee trouble, it is frightening to think how much more he might win.

Nevertheless, Nadal is likely to face tough competition tonight from New Zealand fly-half Daniel Carter and Sri Lankan spin king Mutiah Muralitharan.

All Black Carter won the Tri Nations for the sixth time and he also helped NZ complete a clean sweep in the Autumn internationals.

While in Britain, Carter hit a penalty against Wales to overhaul Jonny Wilkinson and become the leading Test point scorer with 1,188 points.

That record includes 29 tries, 208 conversion, 207 penalties and two drop goals at an average of 15 point a game, highest average for players with more than 500 Test points.

Meanwhile, Murali was also a record breaker before his retirement this year, becoming the first bowler to take 800 Test wickets, all at an average of 22.72.

Better still, he achieved his feat in typical fairytale style with his final delivery in Test cricket, dismissing Pragjan Ojha of India to complete a 10-wicket win.

Murali's career record was indeed second to none - only Shane Warne, on 708 wickets, came anywhere near to matching this spinning genius.

Coach SPOTY
UNLIKE the 2005 Ashes victory which came at the end of a long unbeaten run, the 2009 win has seemed to breed further success for the England cricketers and their coach Andy Flower.

England are unbeaten in all of their Test series since the fifth Test win at the Oval regained the Ashes, drawing in South Africa, beating Bangladesh twice and Pakistan.

In limited overs cricket, England have overseen a big upturn in form, with five successive series wins over South Africa, Bangladesh twice, Pakistan and Australia. The team also tasted success in the Twenty20 World Cup.

Much credit for this must go to the coach who seems to have instilled a great spirit in the camp and a professionalism which has seen the team's fielding improve massively.

Team SPOTY
THE two golfers, McDowell and Westwood, may cancel each other out in the main award but Europe's Ryder Cup players should be a shoo-in for the Team of the Year.

Trailing 6-4 after the first two sessions of fourballs and foursomes, Europe produced a scintillating run of form to win the third session by 5.5 to 0.5.

The trail of victories began on Saturday evening and finished on Sunday afternoon as the competition was forced into a Monday finish for the first time ever in rainy Wales.

Luke Donald, Ian Poulter and Miguel Angel Jiminez all won their Singles matches while Rory McIlroy and Eduaordo Molinari earned halves.

But, at 13.5-13.5, it was all down to McDowell to keep his cool. That he did, winning on the 17th green after his opponent Hunter Mahan conceded a five-foot putt.

The victory sparked celebrations reminiscent of a football pitch invasion as fans flooded onto the green in a scene which will go down in Ryder Cup history.

Europe had won its sixth Ryder Cup out of the last eight - with four wins in the last five - but only by the slimmest of margins. This was a classic.

Young SPOTY
IN a year in which the England senior team failed badly at the World Cup in South Africa, English football actually won its first major international trophy for 17 years.

England beat Spain 2-1 in the final of the Under-17 European Championships in Liechtenstein and Liverpool's Conor Coady was vital to the success.

Described as a Steven Gerrard-type box-to-box midfielder - with the crew-cut hairstyle to match - Coady was instrumental as skipper in bringing back the trophy in May.

Let us hope in years to come, he will do better than Gerrard on the senior international stage as well.

Lifetime Achievement award
THE BBC has made a shocking decision which smacks of pandering to the masses by giving the Lifetime Achievement award to David Beckham.

To his credit, Beckham won everything there was to win in the club game, and he also hauled the national team out of sticky situations on several occasions.

Off the pitch, Beckham deserves credit for his charitable work, raising awareness for UNICEF and the Unite against Aids campaign.

He has also featured in memorable sketches for Comic Relief and played a big part in helping Great Britain win the bid for the London 2012 Olympics.

But, aged 35, his name sits uncomfortably at the moment alongside other Manchester United greats who have picked up this award - Sir Alex Ferguson, George Best and Sir Bobby Charlton.

The reason being that I would imagine Beckham has much more yet to give in his post-playing career.

When Alexander the Great was 33, he broke down and cried as there were no more lands to conquer. David Beckham is not Alexander the Great.