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Deep Impact to retire TOKYO – Celebrated Japanese horse Deep Impact will retire this year after a strong showing last week in Europe’s premier racing event, the Japan Racing Association said Wednesday.

The five-year-old colt will work as a breeding horse in northern Hokkaido, with investors already forming a 5.1-billion-yen (US$42,6 million) syndicate for him. “Masato Kaneko, the owner of Deep Impact, said through trainer Yasuo Ikee that he has decided to retire the horse this year,” the association said in a statement.Japanese spectators and media were in a frenzy last week as the thoroughbred travelled to Paris to compete in Europe’s most prestigious contest, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.Deep Impact finished third in the event, but had been fancied as the 1/2-on favourite to become the first foreign horse to triumph in the event at Longchamp racecourse.About 5,000 Japanese travelled to France to see their horse take on Europe’s finest.Rival tour for Indian golfers NEW DELHI – India’s top golfers are at loggerheads over which tour to play on after a faction launched a new tour that promises better marketing of the domestic game.International names including Jyoti Randhawa, Gaurav Ghei, Shiv Kapur and Uttam Singh Mundy are part of the new Professional Golfers’ Tour of India (PGTI) formed here on Tuesday.The new body boasts 94 registered members and threatens to marginalise the Professional Golfers’ Association of India (PGAI), the game’s main body.The PGTI announced an initial schedule of six events with the aim of having a domestic tour worth 80 million rupees (US$1.74 million) with close to half the amount already secured through sponsorships.The new body said it was not happy with how the game had been run in the country by the PGAI and management company Tiger Sports Marketing (TSM).Nampa-AFP”Masato Kaneko, the owner of Deep Impact, said through trainer Yasuo Ikee that he has decided to retire the horse this year,” the association said in a statement.Japanese spectators and media were in a frenzy last week as the thoroughbred travelled to Paris to compete in Europe’s most prestigious contest, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.Deep Impact finished third in the event, but had been fancied as the 1/2-on favourite to become the first foreign horse to triumph in the event at Longchamp racecourse.About 5,000 Japanese travelled to France to see their horse take on Europe’s finest.Rival tour for Indian golfers NEW DELHI – India’s top golfers are at loggerheads over which tour to play on after a faction launched a new tour that promises better marketing of the domestic game.International names including Jyoti Randhawa, Gaurav Ghei, Shiv Kapur and Uttam Singh Mundy are part of the new Professional Golfers’ Tour of India (PGTI) formed here on Tuesday.The new body boasts 94 registered members and threatens to marginalise the Professional Golfers’ Association of India (PGAI), the game’s main body.The PGTI announced an initial schedule of six events with the aim of having a domestic tour worth 80 million rupees (US$1.74 million) with close to half the amount already secured through sponsorships.The new body said it was not happy with how the game had been run in the country by the PGAI and management company Tiger Sports Marketing (TSM).Nampa-AFP