Sports

Jamaican Olympic great Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce stayed true to her competitive self at her son’s school sports day.

Fraser-Pryce, who has won three Olympic gold medals in three different Games, attended the school day for her son and left both the children and parents completely stunned at her incredible pace.

Taking part in a sprint race against the other parents, the 36-year-old certainly didn’t take it easy as she stormed into a huge lead after the first few seconds. And she didn’t let up, winning by almost a remarkable 50 metres.

In a video which she has shared on her Instagram story, Fraser-Pryce almost disappears out of sight from her fellow parents as those in attendance cheered on the competitors. The Jamaican icon, who won 100m gold at both the 2008 Beijing Games and 2012 London Olympics as well as 4x100m relay gold in Tokyo, was supporting her five-year-old son Zyon at the school sports day.

READ MORE: Usain Bolt chooses between 100m history and Champions League winner for Man Utd

Twitter user @Track_Gazette uploaded the clip to the social platform and wrote alongside it: “Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce showed up and floored everyone in the parent’s race at her boy’s school. She is surely having fun!” On Facebook, Fraser-Pryce replied to a clip of her blistering sports day performance and said: “Every point counts,” referring to her son’s sports day team.

Fans online enjoyed seeing the 100m world champion in action and were rather amused by the distance between her and the other parents who crossed the finish line some way behind her. @tk_molaoa chuckled: “A true athlete. No mercy,” while @Shawnifee added: “The parent who came second has a bragging right for life. Guess who was the only person that beat me in that race?”

@travismillerx13 posted: “Imagine being at your kids’ school to run in a parents race for fun and then seeing Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce show up.” While @saucyrockets wrote: “If I were a parent in this race I would never ever shut up about the time I raced Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce.”

The sprint queen has been gearing up for the start of her 2023 season in which she will bid to once again retain her 100m world title at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest this August. Despite entering what many may consider the twilight phase of her career, Fraser Pryce is still at the top of the summit.

Not only is she ready to compete for a sixth world title, but she also wants to run another personal best and break the 10.6 barrier. “I’m really excited about the progress that we’ve been making,” Fraser-Pryce told The Mirror last month .

“Last year was really fun but I’m really hungry for more and to dip below that 10.6 barrier.” The sprinter is set to return to action at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix, this year’s second World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meeting, in Gaborone on April 29.

“I will be returning to Africa at the Botswana Continental Tour Gold track meet,” said Fraser-Pryce in a message to fans. “I am excited to be opening my season so you guys get to see me run fast and have fun.”

READ NEXT:

• Olympics legend Dick Fosbury dies after ‘changing high jump forever’

• Russian Olympic ice skater has multiple horror amputations and is in ‘precarious condition’

• ‘World’s sexiest athlete’ Alica Schmidt broke down in tears after getting on Forbes list

• Team GB star and former European Champion retires at 23 with emotional statement

• Olympic star had ‘three stalkers’ in past year including one who claimed she ‘invited him’

It’s that time of the year again when anyone and everyone assembles a list of horses to follow in the hope of some constant crowing, or at least occasional trumpet blast, through the Flat season.

Because of the blank canvas of around 8,000 thoroughbreds to choose from, what’s critical is the composition of the shortlist as, on the one hand, it can be too easy to only skim the surface for the obvious ones, while going too deep or different is an ego exercise that can backfire.

To that end, instead of rather randomly selecting 10 horses, I’ve elected 10 categories and assigned a horse to each, in the hope of an equitable and estimable list, one which sparks some ideas and some excitement for the Flat season if nothing else. Here goes.

• Herbert hoping Atrium can complete long-term Lincoln plan
• Awaal, Al Mubhir headline Lincoln as turf season returns in style

The flat is back!

Spring is here and the turf season roars back into life with the Lincoln meeting at Doncaster, all live on Sky Sports Racing on April 1-2

Classic boy – AUGUSTE RODIN

The fundamental function of a juvenile campaign is to find out what a horse can do, but by the end of Auguste Rodin’s first season the question became what can’t he do?

He would have beaten Crypto Force but for trouble on his debut, then went from strength to strength, and to deal with the adverse circumstances as he did in the Group One Vertem Futurity at Doncaster, without looking flat out at any stage, had more than a sprinkling of star quality.

He’s clear favourite for the Derby but could easily do a Camelot and take the Guineas en route, and he might even be in the mould of a Sea The Stars who did that double and so much more.

Classic girl – TAHIYRA

The mighty mare Tarnawa didn’t even win a race (from three attempts) as a two-year-old, hence it elaborates the excitement that her half-sister, Tahiyra, embarks on her classic campaign from such a high platform after winning both of her starts last year.

To go from a Galway maiden straight to the Group One Moyglare and make it look so easy was one of the statements of the season.

It wasn’t just style but also substance, as at the Curragh she made short work of Mediate, who subsequently ran away with the Breeders’ Cup Fillies’ Turf. Tahiyra has the world at her feet.

Three-year-old sprint handicapper – VERDANSK

After a debut third full of promise in a race that threw up numerous winners (including Chaldean no less), it was a bit underwhelming that Verdansk didn’t deliver in two subsequent runs, both back at Newbury.

But, there’s still reason for thinking he’ll take off as a three-year-old, given who trains him and how he’s bred.

Clive Cox usually finds the key to his inmates and Verdansk may just have needed time to fill his frame to cultivate more of an end product, while he’s also yet to get onto fast ground which may be the making of him. A mark of 79 is certainly lower than it looked like being following his first run.

Three-year-old mile handicapper – GLORIOUS LION

First and foremost, Glorious Lion really looks the part, but he was too green in his three runs to match his looks, or his pedigree: He’s from the only crop of Roaring Lion and distantly related to the American high-class cruiser Bodemeister.

He reappeared in February for his third run, and though it was an advance, the race still didn’t get near the bottom of him, in part as he didn’t settle out on the flank, but that’s all part of the learning process and he has been gelded since.

He’s bound to be more forward and furnished when we see him next and a mark of 71 is a lowish base for one with his physique and pedigree.

All-Weather Finals Day is here!

The All-Weather Championships reaches a dramatic conclusion on Finals Day at Newcastle, all live on Sky Sports Racing on Friday, April 7

Three-year-old middle-distance handicapper – GALILAEUS

It’s the classic ‘MO’ of three runs in fairly quick succession at two-years-old to lay the groundwork for climbing the handicap at three and letting his genes do the rest. And what genes Galilaeus has got.

He is by Galileo and out of Madame Chiang, who won the Musidora as well as the Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot, and that pedigree alone puts into sharp perspective a starting handicap mark of just 61.

He was only 9/2 for his debut at Nottingham but a very slow break set the tone, too needy to show what he’s about, and his next two starts on the All-Weather were just a means to an end. Galilaeus will be a different proposition this year over trips in keeping with his blue-blood breeding.

Group graduate – EDUCATOR

This sub-category is for a handicapper with the profile and potential for graduating to Group races, and Educator fits the bill very nicely.

He’s had just six races in his life as his three-year-old season was interrupted (missed all of the summer) and never quite picked up where he left off, beaten as favourite (by a good one in Okeechobee) at Salisbury before getting rather lost in the big-field Old Rowley Cup.

There’s a strong sense of unfinished business about him returning as a four-year-old (gelded in meantime), with a mark of 90 to play with.

He’s just the sort that William Haggas could develop into a Group-class horse over a-mile-and-a-half. He’s by Deep Impact and his listed-winning dam, Diploma, got better with age.

Colt who could be anything – SLIPOFTHEPEN

The secret was out ahead of his debut in late-November at Kempton because he went off odds-on, but whatever his reputation was he lived up to it and then some.

The second, third and fourth home all had experience, yet Slipofthepen laughed at them, needing the merest request to shoot clear off a steady pace, winning by five-and-a-half lengths.

He was the only horse on that entire Kempton card to dip under 12 seconds for the final furlong, all while barely looking to be out of third gear. It was the sort of debut whereby a Derby trial becomes an obligation rather than an option: He’s 20/1 for Epsom.

Filly who could be anything – REMARQUEE

There were two divisions of the seven furlong novice at Salisbury on September 29 and one was significantly quicker than the other, by over 2 seconds.

That’s the clock calculation which adds weight to the visual impression that Remarquee is a very good filly indeed.

Her dam is a half-sister to the ill-fated Scope, a Group One-winning stayer for the same connections, but the Kingman in Remarquee really came out at Salisbury, as seen by her acceleration as she overpowered Bresson with the pair pulling a long way clear.

She has a Guineas entry, and she’ll surely be put on trial for it in the spring at Newbury or Newmarket.

Stable switcher – WESTERNESSE

The Horse Watchers need no introduction regards their perceptive and profitable recruitment and Westernesse is a very interesting project for them, and for David O’Meara, the trainer entrusted with the revamp.

It cost 52,000 guineas at the Horses In Training Sale to get him on the team, from Dermot Weld’s yard, which might sound pricey for an eight-race maiden, but he was runner-up three times and, somewhat surprisingly, was never tried beyond nine furlongs, despite his pedigree screaming stamina.

Westernesse is still something of a blank canvas, which is exciting for what O’Meara could create.

Wildcard – BONITO CAVALO

Last year, his 29th with a licence, Jim Goldie trained his 1,000th winner and had his best-ever tally with 60. Contributing to that total were Rory (two wins) and Sound Of Iona (four), two of the many relatives of Bonito Cavalo with whom Jim Goldie has worked wonders over the years.

Though ending his first season as a maiden, there were strong signs by the end that Bonito Cavalo was starting to get his act together, the foundations for following the family fortunes, and he’s a good bet to develop and more than pay his way in low-level sprint handicaps in the North in 2023.

Follow Sky Sports Racing on Twitter

See the latest horse racing news, interviews and features from Sky Sports Racing

Croupier and Awaal could mount a dual assault for the Simon and Ed Crisford team in Saturday’s Pertemps Network Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster, live on Sky Sports Racing .

The Ed Ware-owned Croupier and the Shaikh Duaj Al Khalifa-owned Awaal both hold entries in the mile event, with both having won on their final starts last term, at Chelmsford and Redcar respectively.

While Croupier is as big as 25/1 for the first headline event of the Flat season, Awaal is a general 5/1 shot – although ground conditions will determine whether they line up on Town Moor or not.

• Hollie Doyle: Six of my best rides for 2023 Flat season
• Clan Des Obeaux ruled out of Aintree return after setback

The flat is back!

Spring is here and the turf season roars back into life with the Lincoln meeting at Doncaster, all live on Sky Sports Racing on April 1-2

Ed Crisford said: “We have two good chances, but we are obviously on weather-watch. There is a lot of rain due, which will be good for Awaal. We will just have to see how the next few days go.

“Croupier should be sneaking in off bottom weight nearly, but both of them have the right sort of profile for a Lincoln horse.”

Awaal had just one run between May and the end of October, when scoring with ease at Redcar.

Crisford explained: “Awaal needs soft ground and there was a heatwave. It was rock-hard ground in the summer everywhere, so we gave him a break because of that.

“He should be a bit of fun this year, because he is lightly-raced and has a big upside.”

The Crisford pair feature among 69 contenders still in, with the William Haggas-trained Al Mubhir shading Awaal for ante-post favouritism at 4/1.

Wanees , Baradar , Atrium , Majestic and Jimi Hendrix are other key names in a race with a maximum field of 22. Those balloted out will have the option of running in the consolation Spring Mile on the same card, which is worth half of the Lincoln’s £150,000 value.

All-Weather Finals Day is here!

The All-Weather Championships reaches a dramatic conclusion on Finals Day at Newcastle, all live on Sky Sports Racing on Friday, April 7