Gaelic Warrior (11/4 joint-favourite) won the 2026 Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday afternoon.

The Rich Ricci-owned German-bred ran out a highly impressive eight-length winner of the blue riband of chasing at Prestbury Park this afternoon.

It was another Grade 1 success this week for Paul Townend and Willie Mullins.

Incredibly the jockey and trainer won the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday with Lossiemouth – also for owner Rich Ricci – the Champion Chase with Il Etait Temps on Wednesday, and then the week’s main feature, the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.

It makes Townend the winningmost jockey and Mullins the joint-winningmost trainer in the history of the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Townend now has five victories on his CV following wins with Al Boum Photo (2019, 2020), Galopin des Champs (2023, 2024) and now Gaelic Warrior (2026).

Mullins join Tom Dreaper with five sucesses, namely, Boum Photo (2019, 2020), Galopin des Champs (2023, 2024) and Gaelic Warrior (2026).

Mullins delighted

“It was just extraordinary,” Mullins admitted. “I’m just delighted for the Riccis, I think they are the first owners to have won the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup in the same season (they are actually the second after Dorothy Paget). I’m delighted for Paul Townend, who gave him such a great ride. He was so cool on him. Could you imagine what was going through his head going to the last fence? I know what was going through mine! We’ve had so many last fence mishaps around here. It’s fantastic and the way he did it was just spectacular.

Gaelic Warrior looked the winner for most of today’s three miles 2 furlongs and 70 yards race. When he cruised into the lead two fences from home, his and Townend’s only dangers look in front of them – the last two fences.

Both were taken with aplomb and the eight-year-old son of Maxios bounded up the Cheltenham hill to record an eight-length victory over Jango Baie (11/4 joint-favourite) – the Nicky Henderson and Nico de Boinville horse.

Last season’s Gold Cup winner, Inothewayurthinkin (11/1), was positioned last for most of the race under jockey Mark Walsh. His jumping throughout wasn’t fluent during the race, though he stayed on for third place in the J.P. McManus colours, two lengths behind the runner-up.

A sad postscript to the race was the death of Envoi Allen. The 12-year-old collapsed after the Gold Cup and the former Ryanair Chase winner sadly died.

LiveScores Now Available at IrishScores.com

Some have maintained that “less is better” for the Minnesota Vikings free agency, but Yahoo Sports‘ Frank Schwab disagrees. Through the first few days of free agency, Minnesota added just two new players, cornerback James Pierre and quarterback Kyler Murray. And according to Schwab, that inactivity nets the Vikings a ‘D’ grade.

A prominent NFL analyst gave Minnesota a rough report card for its early 2026 offseason work.

Only the Denver Broncos ranked lower in his estimation, with Sean Payton’s team fetching a ‘D-.’

One NFL Analyst Thinks the Vikings Fell Short in Free Agency

The Vikings are minimalists this offseason.

Schwab: Early Vikings Free Agency Is a ‘D’

With the NFL entering the second wave of free agency, Schwab reflected on the first and was not impressed by the Vikings’ strategy.

“The salary cap caught up to the Vikings. They didn’t make any huge signings right away in free agency while running back Aaron Jones ,and defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen were released, and center Ryan Kelly retired. Receiver Jalen Nailor is gone too, having signed with the Raiders,” Schwab wrote.

“The Vikings could also trade defensive end Jonathan Greenard. Maybe they sign quarterback Kyler Murray, but there’s a reason the Cardinals moved on. This has been a rough offseason so far for Minnesota, who is operating underneath interim general manager Rob Brzezinski. Grade: D.”

Minnesota still has time to add players, but signing the cream of the crop is rapidly falling by the wayside.

The Spending Sprees Were in 2024 and 2025

In 2024, former Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah signed Blake Cashman (ILB), Sam Darnold (QB), Stephon Gilmore (CB), Jonathan Greenard (OLB), Shaquill Griffin (CB), Aaron Jones (RB), Jalen Redmond (DT), Jerry Tillery (DT), and Andrew Van Ginkel (OLB).

Last offseason, they handed out even larger contracts to these men: Jonathan Allen (DT), Will Fries (RG), Javon Hargrave (DT), Ryan Kelly (C), Rondale Moore (WR), Isaiah Rodgers (CB), and Eric Wilson (ILB).

Now, the chickens have come to roost. Despite clearing loads of cap space earlier this week, Minnesota is playing the long game in free agency, refusing to splurge “just to splurge” right off the bat.

Remaining Roster Needs

Depending on the eye of the beholder, the Vikings have the following roster needs, as the second week of free agency nears:

• Center
• CB3-CB4
• DT
• OT2
• Safety (if Harrison Smith retires)
• WR3-WR4
• Young RB

The club would need a third outside linebacker if Jonathan Greenard is traded — there are rumors of that — so keep that in mind. The top need after the Kyler Murray signing on Thursday evening is arguably center, unless Minnesota is completely content with Blake Brandel or Michael Jurgens in a starter’s role.

SI.com‘s Jonathan Harrison noted Thursday on Minnesota’s need at center, “The prices for free agent centers have been steep this offseason. It’s possible that the inflated asking price could lead Minnesota to address the position in the draft in April. If Minnesota does look to bring in a free agent at the position, former Browns center Ethan Pocic leads the list.

“He allowed just 14 pressures in over 500 pass block snaps in 2025. Tennessee’s Lloyd Cushenberry and Detroit’s Graham Glasgow could also be options, though both are likely to fetch deals that could be out of the Vikings’ spending range.”

He also mentioned the CB spot: “Minnesota already addressed its cornerback room once with the Pierre signing. Coming off a season-ending foot injury and largely failing to impress in Cincinnati, Taylor-Britt could be a good option for a one-year prove-it deal that we’ve seen this front office hand out numerous times over the past couple of seasons. Former Cowboys and Packers corner Trevon Diggs could also be another candidate in that realm.”

Rams Lead the Way per Schwab

The Rams were the only team to earn a solid ‘A’ grade from Schwab.

He wrote, “The Rams know what they’re doing. There was a severe need at cornerback, so they added a couple of Chiefs. They traded for elite corner Trent McDuffie and then signed Jaylen Watson. There were no other major additions, but the Rams didn’t need to make a ton of moves. Just the ones that addressed their biggest need.”

“The Rams didn’t have any free agents that absolutely needed to be retained, so there won’t be any significant losses. The Rams were a Super Bowl contender coming into the offseason and probably leave it as the Super Bowl favorite. Grade: A”

The Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers pulled down an ‘A-‘ apiece.

The NFL Draft is the next big step of the Vikings’ offseason, and that’s 41 days away.

He was to retire after today’s race following a glittering career

A third horse has died at this year’s Cheltenham Festival in Gloucestershire.

Envoi Allen collapsed and died after finishing ninth in the Boodles Cheltenham Gold Cup.

The 12-year-old was having the final start of his glittering career in today’s race – his eighth appearance in all at the historic event – with owners Cheveley Park Stud having confirmed he would retire following his run in the blue riband.

Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. And don’t miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.

Envoi Allen won 10 Grade Ones in total, having started out with Gordon Elliott before moving to Henry de Bromhead.

He was widely regarded as one of the most talented horses of his generation, particularly during an unbeaten streak that spanned his first 13 races.

While the race was overshadowed by the loss, the Willie Mullins-trained Gaelic Warrior secured a dominant victory under Paul Townend, leading home a field that included runner-up Jango Baie and third-placed Inothewayurthinkin.

Earlier this week, Richard Thompson of Cheveley Park Stud described him as the “horse of a lifetime”.

“To have a horse run at eight Festivals in a row and win 10 Grade Ones is truly unbelievable,” he added.

Next month’s edition of the annual men’s Boat Race between Oxford and Cambridge universities will feature French captains for the first time in the rowing event’s long history.

When the two boats take to the River Thames in London on April 4, three-time defending champion Noam Mouelle will lead the Light Blues of Cambridge against the Dark Blues of Oxford captained by Tobias Bernard, a Londoner born to a French father and a Franco-American mother.

“As Noam said, it’s a fun fact, it’s amusing,” 23-year-old Bernard, who studies chemistry at Oxford, said on the sidelines of the team announcements.

Mouelle, 24, said the nationality of the two captains meant little in an event that was first run in 1829.

“The cool thing is that it shows that no matter where you come from or what you did before, as long as you commit 100 percent to the project, the training programmes and the club’s culture, it doesn’t change anything,” he said.

Mouelle, a physics PhD student at Cambridge, took his first strokes aged nine at his local club in Le Perreux-sur-Marne outside Paris and represented France at world championships up to Under-23 level.

He said he chose Cambridge to combine research with his love of rowing.

“The Boat Race has always been in my imagination,” he said. “It’s a hugely publicised event in rowing, there are lots of videos on YouTube, sometimes you see it on TV.

“After that, it’s true that when I lived in France, it was hard to imagine that I would be part of this world one day; it’s funny that I’m here and that I’m even the ‘president’ of the club,” he said, using the Boat Race term for captain.

The role involves finding the coaches, selecting the team and choosing the boat as well as devising the training programme.

“You have to know how to support the other teammates, motivate them, and also communicate with the coach to know how the team is feeling,” Bernard said.

He has vivid memories of his debut in the race last year, despite Oxford’s defeat by Cambridge.

“It’s like being in a stadium that’s seven kilometres long; the atmosphere is incredible,” he said.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

Pool play is over and we are now into the single-elimination phase of the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Team USA, which backed into the second round when Italy beat Mexico, will take on Canada at Daikin Park in Houston on Friday night. The winner will advance to the semifinals in Miami and play the winner of Friday evening’s Dominican Republic vs. Korea game.

“New lease on life for the boys, certainly. I put ourselves in a tough spot,” USA manager Mark DeRosa said Thursday. “… (Canada is a) scrappy bunch, bottom line, and they’re swinging the bats.”

Canada beat Cuba in a win-or-go-home game Thursday to reach the quarterfinals. This is the first time Canada has advanced out of pool play, so it is fair to call Friday’s game against USA the biggest game in Canadian baseball history. They are major underdogs, though. Canada went 3-1 in pool play to improve its all-time WBC record to 8-11.

WBC bracket predictions: Experts make picks for baseball’s version of March Madness

Mike Axisa

Advertisement

“We’re going to go out and we’re going to play the game the way we play it,” Canada manager Ernie Whitt said Thursday. “We talk about playing clean. I mean, in international baseball, if you make mistakes, it’s going to cost you. And so we just try to play a clean game and play it the way that we play it with passion and pride, and play it until the end.”

Here is how you can watch Friday’s Canada vs. USA game, and what you need to know going into the Olympic hockey gold medal game rematch.

Canada vs. USA: Where to watch, odds

• Time: 8 p.m. ET | Date: Friday, March 13
• Location: Daikin Park, Houston
• TV channel: Fox | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
• Starting pitchers: RHP Logan Webb (USA) vs. RHP Michael Soroka (CAN)
• Odds (via FanDuel): USA -4.5 (-132), O/U: 9.5

Canada has beaten USA before

Way back in 2006, in the inaugural WBC, former Orioles lefty Adam Loewen held a USA lineup led by Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr., Derek Jeter, and Chipper Jones scoreless for 3 ⅔ innings while Jason Bay, Justin Morneau and Co. tagged Dontrelle Willis for five runs in 2 ⅔ innings. Canada went on to win the game 8-6. 

Since then, it has been all USA. The Americans beat Canada in the 2009, 2013, 2017, and 2023 WBCs by a combined score of 35-10.

USA reconfigured its roster

Teams are allowed to add and subtract players from the roster after each round and USA used the opportunity to drop a few starters and multi-inning relievers and add more high-leverage bullpen options.

Skubal considered remaining with USA and making another start, though he ultimately stuck with his initial plan and has since returned to the Tigers to continue spring training. He would have been eligible to pitch Friday’s game, though it’s more likely Webb would have started with Skubal pitching in a potential semifinals game Sunday.

Canada did not announce any roster additions/subtractions before Friday’s game. They’re sticking with the same 30 players who got them through Pool A in San Juan.

The pitch limits have increased

During pool play, pitchers are limited to 65 pitches, so every game is essentially a bullpen game. Only six of the 80 starting pitchers in pool play managed to complete five innings. In the quarterfinals, the pitch limit rises to 80 pitches, which is a pretty big number at this point in March. The two starters can pitch reasonably deep into Friday’s game. That said, it’s an elimination game, so if Webb and/or Soroka are not effective, the hook figures to be quick.

Paxton is eligible to pitch

Veteran lefty James Paxton came out of retirement to pitch for Canada and he turned in a WBC-saving relief appearance against Cuba on Wednesday. Paxton, 37, struck out six batters in 2 ⅔ shutout innings, allowing just a single and a walk. 

Statcast clocked his fastball as high as 97.1 mph. It was a vintage Big Maple appearance.

Paxton was removed from Thursday’s game with an 0-2 count and two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Why? Because he’d thrown 49 pitches, and if he’d thrown pitch No. 50, it would have triggered a mandatory four days of rest, per WBC rules. For 30-49 pitches, only one day of rest is required. Paxton is eligible to pitch on Friday and could again be asked to get high-leverage outs.

“I think the biggest thing is that he wanted to do it. He wanted to come and come out of retirement, get off the couch, and come and throw for Team Canada because he’s never done that before,” Whitt said about Paxton following the win over Cuba. “He’s experienced league championships and played at the highest level in Major League Baseball, but he never represented the country. I think that was the biggest thing for him.”

Prediction: USA bounces back 

USA should — should — win Friday’s game handily, given the talent gap, but we’ve already seen this team drop the ball once and snooze for extended periods of time. I think the Italy debacle earlier this week will serve as a wake-up call, though, and USA will come out focused and with the pedal to the floor against Canada. Prediction: USA 7, Canada 2.

Having said all that, is scoring from set-pieces inherently ugly? Wayne Rooney doesn’t think so.

Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, external this week, the five-time champion said: “I’ve heard a lot of people talking about Arsenal and how they’re playing. I think Arsenal have been brilliant.

“I actually enjoy watching them play. Set-pieces are part of football – why would you not use it?”

Even if people disagree, there are other ways of ‘winning ugly’ that Premier League champions have used in the past.

As miraculous as their title win was, Leicester’s football in 2015-16 was not always pretty.

Ten of their 68 goals came from the penalty spot, they had the fewest shots and touches in the opposition box on record and 14 of their 23 wins were by a single goal (61%).

And while ‘1-0 to the Arsenal‘ is a well-known chant, only five of their 20 wins this season have been by that scoreline – far fewer than the 11 Chelsea eked out in 2004-05 or the 10 that Manchester United achieved in 2008-09.

The Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers cross swords in a regular-season game at the Moda Center on Friday, with tipoff at 10 p.m. EST. The Blazers have already secured the season series against the Blazers by winning all three previous matchups.

The Jazz are in 14th place in the Western Conference standings with a 20-46 record. Meanwhile, the Blazers are 10th in the standings with a 31-35 record.

Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers Preview, Starting Lineups Tonight, Betting Tips and Game Prediction

Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers Betting Tips and Odds

Moneyline: Jazz (+525), Blazers (-750)

Spread: Jazz +10.5 (-116), Blazers -10.5 (-105)

Total over/under o/u: Jazz o239.5 (-105), Blazers u239.5 (-116)

Editor’s note: Odds might change closer to tipoff.

Betting Tips

• Deni Avdija is expected to score over 23.5 points.
• Brice Sensabaugh is expected to score over 18.5 points.
• Donovan Clingan is expected to score over 11.5 rebounds.

Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers Preview

The Jazz choked an 18-point lead against the New York Knicks in their previous game and fell to a 134-117 loss at home. Brice Sensabaugh, who has emerged as the top-scoring option for the Jazz, delivered another strong performance, finishing with 29 points, five rebounds and five assists on 9 of 19 shooting.

Rookie Ace Bailey found his stroke from beyond the arc and knocked down five of his 10 3-point shots en route to 21 points. Overall, the Jazz shot really well from deep, recording a clip of exact 50.0%.

Meanwhile, the Blazers are coming off a narrow two-point loss against the Charlotte Hornets in their previous game on Tuesday. Veteran guard Jrue Holiday, who has been in scintillating form of late, endured a tough four-point outing that played a role in Portland’s loss.

Against the Jazz, the Blazers need Holiday to be at his two-way best. Deni Avdija and Donovan Clingan are both healthy, while Jerami Grant is coming off an uber-efficient 24-point display against the Hornets.

Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers Starting Lineups Tonight

Utah Jazz starting lineup

PG: Isaiah Collier, SG: Ace Bailey, SF: Cody Williams, PF: Brice Sensabaugh, C: Kyle Filipowski.

Portland Trail Blazers starting lineup

PG: Deni Avdija, SG: Jrue Holiday, SF: Toumani Camara, PF: Jerami Grant, C: Donovan Clingan.

Utah Jazz vs. Portland Trail Blazers Prediction

Expect the Blazers to record an easy win and sweep the shorthanded Jazz 4-0 this season. Portland is at home and has all its big guns healthy. We also expect a high-scoring game, as both teams don’t shy away from putting points on the board.

Final score prediction: Blazers win 134-120.