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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. 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! Cheap Rams Jerseys . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. From Pierre LeBrun While Anaheim GM Bob Murray said earlier this season he was not going to trade Jonas Hiller despite the fact hes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, some sources have told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun that Murray might be willing to move another goalie. Cheap Los Angeles Rams Jerseys . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. http://www.cheapramsjerseyselite.com/ . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. Wholesale Rams Jerseys .J. Jefferson has been charged with assaulting his girlfriend. Cheap Rams Jerseys China . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. BURLINGTON, Vt. -- The University of Vermont has suspended four hockey players for five games after an off-campus party at which hazing occurred.Captains Brendan Bradley and Mario Puskarich and assistant captains Chris Muscoby and Anthony Petruzzelli were suspended Thursday, a day before the season opener against Clarkson.This is something that I take very seriously, athletic director Jeff Schulman said. Hazing is dangerous, its against university policy and it wont be tolerated in this athletic department. Were fortunate that this incident did not result in any injuries, but these activities always have the potential to endanger the safety and well-being of our students.A hazing scandal at the school in 1999 led to the cancellation of about half its hockey season.As disappointing as this situation is, I want this to be a valuable learning experience for this team, coach Kevin Sneddon said. I fully support the sanctions and the universitys response, and I also support the players on the mens hockey team. Our program has a strong educational component. I will help our players learn from their mistakes and move forward.The university said after an allegation first surfaced Sept. 24 about the initiation activity, a Campus Security Authority turned the information over to University Police Services for investigation, following university policy and state law.The school said Police Services consulted with the Chittenden County States Attorneys Office, which determined that none of the behavior warranted criminal prosecution. On TThursday, Police Services also informed university officials that it does not intend to issue civil citations.ddddddddddddAccording to Police Services, first-year team members were asked to temporarily turn over their cellphones on the morning of Sept. 24 for the initiation activity. Later in the afternoon, the team members arrived at an off-campus residence occupied by some of the upper-class players. The initiation activity consisted of first-year team members drinking beer and liquor, and they were expected to be dressed in their boxer shorts while they consumed the alcoholic beverages.The school placed the team on probation for a year with the understanding that any further team misconduct will result in additional discipline up to and including game cancellations. The school said the team will be required to participate in additional educational programming on hazing and will be required to engage in 15 hours of community service.My primary concern is for the safety and well-being of our students, president Tom Sullivan said. At UVM we hold our student athletes to a high standard. The university has explicit rules and procedures that have been and will continue to be followed without exception. I am committed to ensuring that appropriate accountability measures are in place to uphold the integrity of our programs and of the university. This is our responsibility as an educational institution. ' ' '