SIR ALEX FERGUSON’S money-making machine Spirit Dancer is set to continue his global tour in Hong Kong.

The Richard Fahey-trained seven-year-old won the Bahrain International Trophy for the second year in a row last week, taking his career earnings through the £2 million barrier.

PA

And Sir Alex’s home-bred is on course to run in the £4 million Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin on December 8 following the latest entry stage.

He is set to be joined in the ten furlong Cup, which is one of four international Group 1s in Hong Kong early next month, by Andrew Balding’s The Foxes, who was supplemented for the race yesterday.

He beat Dubai Honour in the Listed Churchill Stakes at Newcastle last weekend, and that rival is on course to run in the £2.4 million Hong Kong Vase over a mile and a half at the same meeting.

The Marco Botti-trained Giavellotto, who won the Group 2 Princess Of Wales’s Stakes at Newmarket earlier in the year, has also been trained towards the Vase since finishing third in the Irish St Leger in September.

Ralph Beckett has supplemented his Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint hero Starlust for the Hong Kong Sprint, though he looks to have a tough task on his hands given the recent performances of the monstrous Ka Ying Rising.

And Harry Eustace’s Queen Anne runner-up Docklands, who had a brief campaign in Australia, will run in the Hong Kong Mile.

Aidan O’Brien will also be sending a team of runners to the Far East next month.

Luxembourg is expected to have the final run of his career in the Vase before retiring to stud.

He will likely be joined by last year’s St Leger winner Continuous, while Irish Oaks winner Content and rapidly improving filly Wingspan are likely to run over a mile and a quarter in the Cup.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Andrew Harding said: “The LONGINES Hong Kong International Races are one of the most important racing events on the global calendar and this year we look forward to hosting a decorated line-up from many corners of the globe.

“We are excited by the quality of selected runners for this year’s International Races and the presence of so many of the stars is in keeping with our long-held commitment to deliver sporting excellence.

“With the selection of 56 elite horses the stage is now set for the 2024 Hong Kong International Races and an exhilarating afternoon of sporting action on 8 December at Sha Tin. We look forward to once again welcoming the titans of world racing to our beautiful city.”

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PHIL TAYLOR has lifted the lid on a chat he had with Luke Littler before his Grand Slam of Darts victory.

The Power, a 14-time PDC world champion, revealed he spoke with Littler at the headquarters of their mutual sponsor, Target Darts.

Rex

Rex

However, Taylor believes one “lovely” thing about Littler will keep him from ruining his career, like he has seen others do.

He told talkSPORT: “I’ve seen players come and go over the years. It’s a matter of being dedicated, you know, and money isn’t his motivation, believe it or not, he isn’t really that bothered.

“I was with him a couple of weeks ago down at Target, and he just plays on his game. He is a typical teenager, you know, and he isn’t motivated by prize money.

“It’s great, don’t get me wrong, and he’s secure. He’s more interested in looking after his mother and father in tournaments.

“It’s lovely to see, because I’ve seen so many players where they start earning money and that ruins their career then.

“But this lad, he just sits there, he’s quiet as a mouse, he’s lovely company to be with, to be honest.”

After winning his first major in the Grand Slam of Darts and adding £153,500, the 17-year-old has now earned more than one million pounds in prize money alone.

An impressive debut year has seen the Nuke burst into the top five of the world rankings – despite the rankings being done over a two-year rolling period.

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Littler has the chance to get even higher at next weekend’s Player Championship finals but needs to win the competition to ensure he can overtake first-round opponent and World No.4 Rob Cross.

The darts season concludes with the world championship at Ally Pally, where Littler lost out to World No.1 Luke Humphries in the final, running from December 15 through to January 3.

Taylor, 64, has backed Littler to take the crown this year however, partly thanks to his pre-match routines “doing the other players’ heads in”.

He said: “I’ll tell you what though, if there’s anybody that could do it, it’s this young lad now.

“He has got the age on his side and the ability – you never know. You never know with him…

“I wouldn’t bet against him.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t bet against him. Definitely have him as an each-way bet.”

The draw for the 2024/25 World Championship takes place on Monday afternoon in central London, the day after the conclusion to the Players Championship Finals at Butlin’s Minehead.

Humphries – who beat Littler 7-4 in the 2024 final – is the defending champion and will remain as world No.1 whatever happens over the Christmas period.

Luke Littler prize money breakdown

Here is all the prize money Luke Littler has won so far after his Grand Slam of Darts victory:

World Championship 2023 – £200,000

Grand Slam of Darts 2024 – £150,000

European Tour – £91,000

Player Championships events – £71,500

UK Open 2023 + 2024 – £17,500

World Matchplay – £10,000

World Grand Prix – £7,500

European Championship – £7,500

(Unranked) Premier League Darts – £315,000

ANT and Dec were forced to apologise to I’m A Celeb viewers after leaving UK fans FURIOUS during the show.

They appeared on spin-off show I’m A Celebrity Unpacked with host Joel Dommett on Tuesday.

ITV

ITV

The conversation quickly turned to Dean McCullough after he dramatically quit a Bushtucker Trial before breaking down in tears.

Joel asked the presenting duo what it’s like when a celebrity quits a challenge early.

Dec explained: “You prepare for the whole trial and want to see the whole thing, so when it’s called that early, we’re not going to get the full impact of this trial.”

But the pair admitted that finishing a trial early is not all bad news – especially when you’re basking in the Australian sunshine.

However, they told viewers that this year was a little different, with storms battering camp where they are filming in New South Wales.

Dec continued: “But on the other side of that coin, we all go ‘a bit of an early finish’,” while Ant joked: “Get a sun tan…not in this weather, it’s awful isn’t it.”

“It’s going to be like this until the end of the weekend as well,” Ant said.

Dec was quick to add : “But we cannot go on about it, I said this on the show, I said it was ‘cold this morning‘ and my Twitter blew up with people saying ‘it’s snowing here’.”

He concluded: “Apologies UK. It’s a little bit nippy here.”

Last night, viewers watched Dean exit the Sinister Sarcophagus trial early.

But Ant explained that viewers may still get a chance to see the trial in full later on in the series, saying: “Everyone that comes up with the trial and does the trial wants to see a trial done properly.

“Even when we’ve had it in the past where people haven’t gone through with it, sometimes we’ve brought it back, like last year we brought yours back,” as he pointed to Sam Thompson.

While Dec sympathised with the DJ and said: “With Dean yesterday, he was genuinely panicking and he has got that genuine fear of enclosed spaces, so we brought him out to catch his breath and to bring him back down to earth a bit and by the end of it…let’s have a bit of fun with it.”

The trial started with Dean climbing into a mummy figurine, as he attempted to steady his nerves.

The Radio 1 star was then visibly shaken as he squeezed his head into an insect-filled box to retrieve stars for the camp with his mouth.

Ant and Dec asked him a series of Egypt-related questions and for every one he answered correctly, a star was lowered down.

He told the presenters: “You’re so extra this series, so extra!’ before adding: “I went to Egypt years ago, but I wasn’t paying attention.”

Dean had to release the stars using only his mouth, however, he quickly began to panic.

Within moments, he was shouting: “oh no, oh no”.

He then screamed the famous words: “I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!”

His decision to quit meant the camp won only two stars, leaving them with fewer rations for the night.

Back in camp, the 31-year-old tearfully apologised to his fellow contestants.

He said: “I feel like I’ve let you all down.”

Trying to reassure him, Jane Moore said: “I totally understood why you panicked,” and Tulisa said: “God loves a trier, mate.”

I’M A CELEB fans have called out an apparent “camp feud” after Dean McCullough brought back only two stars from the latest trial.

Viewers of the ITV reality series have called out the supposed bad blood after the BBC Radio 1 DJ, 31, tackled the Sinister Sarcophagus – in a bug-filled challenge some branded the “easiest” yet.

Eroteme

Eroteme

Eroteme

Dean was heard screaming “this is hell” as a series of bugs were poured in at the top, scuttling around his head, starting with meal worms.

Yet it was the wet sand being poured in the bottom of the tomb which got in his head – setting off his fear of confined spaces.

After answering two questions correctly, Dean then shouted out the exit pass word “I’m A Celebrity … get me out of here” to see him released from the Sinister Sarcophagus.

After he emerged from the tomb he burst into tears and told hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly “I can’t move my legs” – yet fans were quick to note the ITV duo’s less than impressed expression.

This sparked rumours of a camp feud, with one taking to X to write: “Ant and Dec’s faces when Dean quit the trial. Total disappointment.

“Maybe even anger me thinks.”

A second posted: “The looks on Ant & Dec’s face when he quit.”

A third then mused: “Ooof that look when Dean said I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here

“Ant looks disappointed.”

And on new spin-off show, I’m A Celebrity Unpacked, the hosting pair admitted they were disappointed the second trial of the series had fallen flat.

Dec said: “Yeah, it’s because you are prepared for a whole trial and you want to see the whole thing.

“When it’s that early it’s like ugh, you’re not going to get the full impact of the trial.”

Ant then added: “Well that’s part of the reason why we kept asking the questions because we really enjoyed it.”

GAME PLAN

It came after fans were convinced they had called out the broadcaster’s “game plan.”

I'm A Celebrity 2024

i'm A Celebrity is back for its 24th series, with a batch of famous faces living in the Aussie jungle. The Sun's Jake Penkethman takes a look at the stars on the show this year..

Coleen Rooney – Arguably the most famous name in the camp, the leading WAG, known for her marriage to Wayne Rooney, has made a grand return to TV as she looks to put the Wagatha Christie scandal behind her. The Sun revealed the mum-of-four had bagged an eye-watering deal worth over £1.5million to be on the show this year making her the highest-paid contestant ever.

Tulisa – The popstar and former X Factor judge has made her triumphant TV comeback by signing up to this year’s I’m A Celeb after shunning TV shows for many years. Known for being a member of the trio, N-Dubz, Tulisa became a household name back in 2011 when she signed on to replace Cheryl on ITV show The X Factor in a multi-million pound deal.

Alan Halsall – The actor, known for playing the long-running role of Tyrone Dobbs on ITV soap opera Coronation Street, was originally signed up to head Down Under last year but an operation threw his scheduled appearance off-course. Now he has become the latest Corrie star to win over both the viewers and his fellow celebrities.

Melvin Odoom – The Radio DJ has become a regular face on TV screens after rising to fame with presenting roles on Kiss FM, BBC Radio 1 and 4Music. Melvin has already been for a spin on the Strictly dancefloor and co-hosted The Xtra Factor with Rochelle Humes in 2015 but now he is facing up to his biggest challenge yet – the Aussie jungle.

GK Barry – The UK’s biggest social media personality, GK, whose real name is Grace Keeling, has transformed her TikTok stardom into a lucrative career. Aside from her popular social media channels, she hosts the weekly podcast, Saving Grace, and regularly appears on ITV talk show, Loose Women. She has even gone on to endorse popular brands such as PrettyLittleThing, KFC and Ann Summers.

Dean McCullough – A rising star amongst this year’s bunch of celebs, Dean first achieved notability through his radio appearances on Gaydio and BBC Radio 1. He was chosen to join the BBC station permanently in 2021 and has featured prominently ever since. He has enjoyed a crossover to ITV over the past year thanks to his guest slots on Big Brother spin-off show, Late & Live.

Oti Mabuse – The pro dancer has signed up to her latest TV show after making her way through the biggest programmes on the box. She originally found fame on Strictly Come Dancing but has since branched out into the world of TV judging with appearances on former BBC show The Greatest Dancer as well as her current role on ITV’s Dancing On Ice.

Danny Jones – The McFly star was drafted into the programme last minute as a replacement for Tommy Fury. Danny is the second member of McFly to enter the jungle, after Dougie Poynter won the show in 2011. He is also considered a rising star on ITV as he’s now one of the mentors on their Saturday night talent show, The Voice, along with bandmate Tom Fletcher.

Jane Moore – The Loose Women star and The Sun columnist is braving the creepy crawlies this year. The star is ready for a new challenge – having recently split from her husband. It will be Jane’s first foray into reality TV with the telly favourite having always said no to reality shows in the past.

Barry McGuigan – Former pro boxer Barry is the latest fighting champ to head Down Under following in the footsteps of Tony Bellew and Amir Khan. It comes after a tough few years for Irish star Barry, who lost his daughter Danika to bowel cancer. He told The Late Late Show in 2021: “She was such an intrinsic part of the family that every day we ache.”

Maura Higgins – The Irish TV beauty first found fame on Love Island where she found a brief connection with dancer Curtis Pritchard. Since then, she has competed on Dancing On Ice as well as hosting the Irish version of the beauty contest, Glow Up. Since last year, she has been working on building up her career in the US by being the social media correspondent and host of Aftersun to accompany Love Island USA. She even guest hosted an episode of the spin-off, Love Island Games, in place of Maya Jama last year.

Rev. Richard Coles – Former BBC radio host the Rev Richard Coles is a late arrival on I’m A Celebrity, and he’s ready to spill the beans on his former employer. The former Communards and Strictly star, said the BBC did not know its a**e from its elbow last year. An insider said: “Rev Coles will have a variety of tales to tell from his wild days as a pop star in the Eighties, through to performing on Strictly and his later life as a man of the cloth.”

Those at home reckon there’s a method behind his behaviour, this being to bag more screen time via the trials.

One took to X to post: “Does Dean have a game plan here?”

Another suggested: “GK Barry and Dean are deliberately trying to be unpopular so they get voted to do the challenges which will give them the airtime.”

The duo, who have already given themselves a reputation for being screamers, will be seen taking on Drown In The Dumps on Wednesday night following a public vote.

It came after Dean sparked quit fears just two days in.

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Eroteme

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