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Nicky Henderson hailed Sprinter Sacre as the horse of a lifetime after confirming on Sunday that the dual Cheltenham Festival hero, one of the most popular modern-day steeplechasers, is to be retired due to a minor leg injury. Jim Otto Womens Jersey . Hendersons charge had bounced back to form on this day 12 months ago at Cheltenham when landing the Shloer Chase, sparking emotional celebrations in the winners enclosure.He went on an unbeaten run following that victory, winning three more times including his second Champion Chase victory at Cheltenham in March. His final racecourse appearance was to be at Sandown in April, where he demolished Un De Sceaux by 15 lengths. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just ￡6.99. No contract. Sprinter Sacre had returned to work ahead of a planned reappearance in Sandowns Tingle Creek Chase next month, but after exercising on Tuesday was found to have some heat in his near-fore leg, prompting connections to make the decision to retire him.At a specially-convened press conference at the racecourse, an emotional Henderson said: Hes been a great part of our lives. Nico de Boinville celebrates winning the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase What happened last year was something that will never be repeated in my lifetime. In terms of emotion it took us all to the brink.He will be here today and he looks as well as hes ever done. Hes in staggeringly good form. The sad thing is that he is doing everything right. The delighted rider gives Sprinter a hug If you saw him now, you wouldnt know which leg it was, but theres a little bit of heat in his near-fore that has shown up on the scan. If he was seven, youd say give him a year off and hed be back. But hes not seven any more and this is the right thing to do.For a long time I protected See You Then and said he was our best horse but during Sprinter Sacres best two years, he was unbeatable. Literally unbeatable. Sprinter Sacre (left) beats Cue Card to win the Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Steeple Chase Im sad for him because hes come here today thinking hes going to have a race and hes all excited and ready to show his public what he can do, but at least people will have the opportunity to see him again today.Sprinter Sacres most recent partner and the jockey under whom he took last seasons Champion Chase was Nico De Boinville, and Henderson went on: Nico has been with Sprinter from the start. He rode him every day at home when Barry Geraghty was his jockey and they have always been great friends. Sprinter Sacre soars over a fence earlier in the contest I had to ring him this morning to let him know just before he went into surgery for the arm he broke here yesterday. It wasnt the easiest conversation to tell him his mate wont be there for him to ride when he comes back.Sprinter Sacre won 18 of his 24 starts and amassed £1,136,000 in prize-money.In between his two Champion Chase victories, however, he was plagued with problems before returning to something approaching his best last season.Joining the Henderson stable from France, he made a winning debut in an Ascot bumper in February 2010 and went novice hurdling the following campaign.After winning two of his first three starts, he was then third in the Supreme Novices Hurdle in March 2011.It was a chaser he really made his mark, though.He created a big impression in his novice season which saw him defeat Cue Card in the Arkle Trophy in 2012.Sprinter Sacre went on to win his first 10 races over fences, including the Champion Chase at the 2013 Cheltenham Festival.But his successful streak came to an abrupt halt when he was pulled up in the Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton that December, after which it transpired he had an irregular heartbeat.He made a full recovery and returned to action in January 2015 when he was second to Dodging Bullets in the Clarence House Chase at Ascot.But when he was pulled up in that seasons Champion Chase it seemed his best days were behind him.However, he came back in tremendous form last season and after wins in the Shloer Chase and the Desert Orchid Chase, Sprinter Sacre reclaimed his two-mile crown with a convincing defeat of Un De Sceaux at the Festival in March.He wound up the campaign with a similarly authoritative victory in the Celebration Chase at Sandown in April in what turned out to be his swansong.Explaining Sprinter Sacres career-ending injury, Henderson said: It all crept up yesterday. He worked on Tuesday and everything was grand.We were just a bit worried on Wednesday night as he was warm in one leg. I was going to work him yesterday but we couldnt work him.We cant ask him to come back, not at his age.Hes in the same stable he has always spent his days in here (at Cheltenham) and you wouldnt know which leg I was talking about. In fact, if I was thinking about working this afternoon him I would.It (the injury) wouldnt hold up in the short term and when you cant go for the long term, you have to sadly bite the bullet.Barry Geraghty rode Sprinter Sacre 17 times, winning on 13 occasions, and said his old ally was just unbelievable.The jockey said; Hes something special and he is to be celebrated. Ive never sat on a horse over fences like him - he was electric.The first day he won here (in the 2012 Arkle), just to see him sail away on the way to the last, Ive never seen that before.He was just unbelievable. Also See: Live results service Full racecards Get Sky Sports ￡10 completely free bet! Jim Plunkett Jersey . -- Charline Labonte couldnt have asked for a better homecoming. Bo Jackson Youth Jersey . -- Ryan Blaney provided more evidence that Penske Racings No. http:///...tuszak-Elite-Jersey/ . Hey!" The lower tier of the School End of Queens Park Rangers Loftus Road was packed solid with a very festive-sounding Chelsea choral section in this particular part of South Africa Road London, W12. MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves entered unrestricted free agency with two priorities at the top of their list -- add a shooting guard with range and bringing back Chase Budinger. Within the matter of a couple of hours on Tuesday, new team president Flip Saunders accomplished both of those goals. The Timberwolves agreed to a four-year, $30 million deal with shooting guard Kevin Martin and a three-year, $16 million with Budinger, according to two people with knowledge of the deals. Budingers deal includes a player option for the final season. The people requested anonymity because an official announcement has not been made. The agreements, which cant become official until July 10, were two strong moves to address the teams woeful outside shooting last season. The Wolves ranked dead last in 3-point shooting percentage last year, and Saunders made it a point to get more shooters to complement point guard Ricky Rubios slick passing. Both players are intimately familiar with coach Rick Adelmans corner offence, a system that is predicated on quick passing and moving without the ball. Martin played for Adelman in Sacramento and Houston before taking a bench role in Oklahoma City last season. He averaged 14.0 points and shot 42.6 per cent on 3s last season and was looking for a chance to get back into a starters role. The 6-foot-7 Martin will get that in Minnesota, which has been looking for a bigger shooting guard after playing the undersized Luke Ridnour and J.J. Barea in that role for most of last season. Budinger averaged 9.4 points and shot 32 per cent from 3-point range last season. He only played in 23 games thanks to a knee injury that derailed a promising start to the year, but Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman and new President Flip Saunders made no secret of the fact that they badly wanted Budinger back in Minnesota. The Timberwolves paid Budinger a visit at his San Diego home on Sunday night, arriving just after the mmarket opened at 9:01 p. Hunter Renfrow Raiders Jersey. m. on the West Coast. Budinger also entertained an offer from the Milwaukee Bucks, but ultimately decided to remain with the Timberwolves and a coach he has grown very fond of in his short time in the league. Budinger played for Adelman in Houston before arriving in a trade prior to last years draft. His ability to shoot from the perimeter and move without the ball paid immediate dividends, helping him fit right in with the system Adelman was still installing in his second season with the Timberwolves. Budingers high-point last season came early on in a game against the Indiana Pacers on Nov. 9. He scored 18 points in the game, including the game-winning layup with less than 1 second to play that came after he made the kind of cut to the basket from the 3-point line that few other Timberwolves players showed the instincts to make. But the very next night in Chicago, Budinger tore the meniscus in his left knee and did not return until late March. The Timberwolves sorely missed him. They had to rely almost exclusively on the pick-and-roll on offence, something that Adelman has historically been reluctant to do in favour of his more free-flowing, motion-based corner offence. But without Budinger there to make cuts away from the ball and come off screens, the Wolves had to simplify things. After Andrei Kirilenko declined his $10.2 million option with the Wolves to become a free agent, a starting job opened at small forward. The promise of significant playing time, coupled with Adelman and pass-happy point guard Ricky Rubio, no doubt played a role in his decision. Now the Wolves will likely turn all of their focus to restricted free agent centre Nikola Pekovic, who is expected to receive significant offers on the open market once Dwight Howard makes a decision on where he is going. Saunders has said that the Wolves, who can match any offer made, will do whatever it takes to keep him. ' ' '