My draft philosophy as a GM was always to take the best player available, regardless of position, in the first three rounds, with the exception that we would not draft a quarterback if we already had a franchise QB on the team (unless we had a QB in his mid-to-late 30s).

That was the case when the Vikings picked Tommy Kramer in the 1977 first round despite having Fran Tarkenton coming off his ninth Pro Bowl season, in which we were a Super Bowl team, but Tarkenton was 37 years old at that juncture.

In the fourth through seventh rounds, I planned to fortify positions of need unless there was a player with a superior grade at a position we didn’t consider a need.

How the Board Could Fall for Minnesota by Round

For this week’s exercise, let’s assume the Vikings go into each round of next week’s draft with two players graded equally, with one of them at a position of current need and the other not.

Here’s how I would have it play out in this scenario as a best-case result based on need:

Round 1: Safety

While I think center is the Vikings’ biggest need, it appears there won’t be a center rated high enough to take at No. 18 overall in the first round, so a second-round center is the more likely path for the Vikings.

Brian Flores needs an athletic, astute young safety to become an immediate starter. I believe the team wants Harrison Smith to return for at least one more year after he finished strongly last season.

A first-round safety should start alongside Smith (if he returns) and Josh Metellus and ahead of Metellus — who is limited in coverage — if the Vikings go with two starting safeties. Theo Jackson should not be a starter in this defense as his tackling and coverage skills are lacking.

Caleb Downs from Ohio State is the consensus top safety in the draft and is a likely top-12 pick. But Dillon Thieneman from Oregon should be close to Downs on many teams’ draft boards, and the 21-year-old Thieneman has been the player most connected to the Vikings in the majority of mock drafts I’ve seen (not that these almost always wrong mock drafts should ever be taken seriously).

In this case, I think Thieneman makes sense as one of the fastest-rising players over the past few months of the Combine, Pro Day, and team visits.

Thieneman is good in run support and excellent in coverage. He had 92 tackles and two interceptions for a final four Ducks team in 2025. In 2023 at Purdue, Thieneman had 106 tackles and six picks and followed it up with 104 tackles and 4.5 tackles-for-loss in 2024 for the Boilermakers.

He ran a blazing fast 4.35 40 at the Combine to solidify his middle of the first-round status.

Round 2: Center

There’s a decent chance the Vikings look to grab a defensive tackle in the second round, but center seems to be the bigger need after the retirement of Ryan Kelly. Kevin O’Connell says Blake Brandel will get the first shot to be the starting center, but he’s only played the position in a handful of games last season and seems better suited to be the swing guard and tackle who steps in for an injured starter. Michael Jurgens is a backup center at best.

A solid young center who can be a capable starter in his rookie season would make the Vikings’ offensive line one of the league’s better units (especially if top tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill can stay healthy).

Several intriguing and highly-rated centers in this draft could be available in the second round at No. 49. Iowa’s Logan Jones catches my attention as a very experienced player (50 college starts) who can excel in a zone and movement-based running scheme. Other possibilities as Day 2 (second or third round) picks include Connor Lew from Auburn, Sam Hecht of Kansas State, and Florida’s Jake Slaughter.

Round 3 (two picks, No. 82 overall and No. 97 overall): Defensive Line and Wide Receiver

The Vikings released starting DTs Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave this offseason. Jalen Redmond is a solid ascending player at one defensive line spot, and recent Day 3 draftees Levi Drake Rodriguez and Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins have shown promise. The Vikings need another talented defensive lineman, either a starter or a rotational player, who can stop the run and push the pocket in the pass rush.

Top of the pre-draft charts are Peter Woods (Clemson), Kayden McDonald (Ohio State), Christen Miller (Georgia), Caleb Banks (Florida), and Lee Hunter (Texas Tech). Perhaps one of them will slip to No. 82, but it’s doubtful. This year’s draft is deep on the D-line, so there are plenty of other prospects for the Vikings to choose from, and if the grades are there, they should grab a young DT/DE with their first of two third-round picks.

Then, with the extra third-round pick, they should take a wide receiver who has a great college resume of solid production to potentially replace the departed Jalen Nailor as the third wide receiver.

Tai Felton was a third-rounder last season who played only 46 offensive snaps and had only three catches for 25 yards so the team needs to bring in a quality receiver to compete with and likely overtake Felton (and Myles Price could have a shot at this spot plus there have been some DeAndre Hopkins rumblings as a possible post-draft free agent signing considering his history of production with Kyler Murray).

The colleges are producing lots of speedy, athletic wide receivers, and there will be a bunch of good ones available at Pick No. 97. The Vikings should grab one if the grades are equal to other top players on their board at the time.

Round 5: Cornerback

It would not be a surprise if the Vikings pick a corner with one of their earlier picks, even possibly in the first round. They have Byron Murphy, Isaiah Rodgers, and free agent signee James Pierre as their top three corners, and Flores often utilizes only two corners with a safety taking on the third corner role.

Dwight McGlothern had an impressive rookie season in 2024 and seemed to be trending toward more playing time in his second season, but it didn’t turn out that way, even after projected third corner Jeff Okudah was injured and played in only six games last season.

The Vikings need more young depth at corner, so I’ve got them grabbing one at Pick No. 163 in the fifth round.

Round 6: Running Back

The Vikings are running it back with Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, and Zavier Scott as their three leading backs, and that’s not a bad thing, as they constitute a quality and proven group of backs with dual-purpose skill. The Vikings could use an explosive young back with quickness in the hole, burst, and breakaway speed.

That’s not easy to find later in the draft, but there should be some interesting potential running backs in the later rounds, and with Jones probably in his last season with the Vikings, this is the year to grab a young back they hope to develop into an impact player.  

Round 7 (three picks): OT/OG, DT, CB 

We know injuries have hit the Vikings’ offensive line hard in recent years, and the replacements for the starters—especially at the tackle spots—have usually been shaky. The Vikings should find a late-round gem among their Day 3 picks who can be groomed as capable backups on the O-line at tackle and guard.

They also should continue to build quality depth at defensive tackle/defensive end and at corner by hitting on these late-round picks.

Jeff Diamond is a former Vikings GM, former Tennessee Titans President and was selected NFL Executive of the Year … More about Jeff Diamond

Slough, Great Britain | 14–18 July 2026

Ireland’s schedule for the COED Slowpitch European Championship has officially been confirmed, with the Irish side facing a demanding nine-game round-robin campaign across four intense days of competition.

Taking place in Slough, Great Britain, the tournament will see Ireland go head-to-head with the best slowpitch nations in Europe, with consistency, squad depth, and recovery all set to play a crucial role.

Opening Day Challenge

Ireland get their campaign underway on Tuesday, 14 July, starting bright and early against Norway (8:45am). Later that afternoon, they return to action against Czechia (3:00pm), in what will be a quick turnaround on day one.

A strong start will be key, as early wins can build momentum in such a condensed schedule.

Busy Wednesday Schedule

Wednesday represents the toughest test of endurance, with Ireland facing three matches in one day. They begin against Lithuania (9:00am), followed by Austria (2:45pm), before closing out the day with a crucial evening clash against Belgium (7:00pm).

This stretch could define Ireland’s position in the standings, particularly if they can string together multiple wins.

Key Fixtures on Thursday

On Thursday, 16 July, Ireland face Guernsey (10:45am) before taking on one of the tournament’s strongest sides, Germany (2:45pm).

The Germany clash stands out as one of the defining fixtures of the group stage, with potential implications for semi-final qualification.

Final Round-Robin Matches

Ireland wrap up their group campaign on Friday, 17 July, taking on Poland (3:00pm) before a high-profile meeting with hosts Great Britain (6:45pm).

Facing the home side in the final match adds extra intensity, particularly if qualification or seeding is still undecided.

Full List of Ireland Fixtures

• Norway
• Czechia
• Lithuania
• Austria
• Belgium
• Guernsey
• Germany
• Poland
• Great Britain

Championship Weekend

Following the round-robin phase, Saturday, 18 July will host the placement games and finals, culminating in the Championship Game at 5:00pm.

If Ireland can navigate a challenging schedule and build momentum throughout the week, they will give themselves a strong opportunity to compete for a medal.

Conclusion

With nine games in four days, Ireland’s campaign will demand resilience, squad rotation, and consistent performance. A fast start and strong finish could be the difference between a mid-table finish and a place in the final.

The fixtures are now set — it’s time for Ireland to deliver on the European stage.

LiveScores Now Available at IrishScores.com

Seven-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan will begin his bid for a record-breaking eighth World Snooker Championship title with a match against China’s debutant He Guoqiang at the Crucible.

O’Sullivan, 50, will start his first-round tie at the Sheffield theatre on Tuesday and conclude the match on Wednesday.

Sixteen players came through qualifying this week at the English Institute of Sport and will join the world’s top 16 ranked players at the tournament.

He, ranked 47th in the world, qualified for the Crucible for the first time with a win over England’s Jack Lisowski on Wednesday.

Zhao Xintong became the first Chinese player to clinch the world title when he won the 2025 event and will be involved in the first session of the tournament on Saturday (10:00 BST).

He will face England’s Liam Highfield, who advanced through four qualifying rounds.

The draw was made on BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast on Thursday.

Elsewhere, world number one Judd Trump will take on Gary Wilson and Masters champion Kyren Wilson will be up against 19-year-old debutant Stan Moody.

Four-time champion John Higgins will take on two-time runner-up Ali Carter, while Mark Selby, also with four Crucible titles, faces 2024 runner-up Jak Jones.

O’Sullivan and Stephen Hendry both have the most world titles in the modern era with seven apiece, with O’Sullivan winning his first one 25 years ago, in 2001.

The 17-day competition begins on Saturday, with the final starting on Sunday, 3 May and concluding the next day – with full coverage of the tournament live on the BBC.

The Crucible has staged the World Championship yearly since 1977 and last month it was announced it would remain there until 2045, with the venue set to be redeveloped to add up to 500 additional seats.

Stephen Curry is a timeless treasure. Say whatever you want about what the Golden State Warriors should do this summer or whether they should even be trying to make the playoffs this season, but the sheer entertainment value of watching Curry play basketball supersedes it all. 

Curry went for 35 points on Wednesday night and the Warriors rallied from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun the Los Angeles Clippers, 126-121, in the West’s No. 9 vs. No. 10 Play-In game. The Clippers are eliminated, and with that, Oklahoma City will get their 2026 lottery pick. 

The Warriors, meanwhile, advance to play the Phoenix Suns on Friday in a do-or-die game for the No. 8 seed and the right to play the Thunder in the first round. 

2026 NBA playoff bracket: Matchups, schedule as Warriors stay alive, 76ers advance to face Celtics

Brad Botkin

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It’s delusional, sure, but I’ll be damned if Curry doesn’t make you feel like the Warriors could put a scare into the Thunder. Steve Kerr said it when Curry came back from a 27-game absence less than two weeks ago to score 29 points in just 26 minutes as if he’d never missed a beat. 

“We’re back in the mix,” Kerr said. “We’re back in the fight with Steph.”

That sounded ridiculous at the time. Even knowing Curry is capable of just about anything on a basketball court, these Warriors seemed way too far gone for even him to pull them back. They probably still are. The Suns could very well beat them on Friday. But let’s hope not. We’re not supposed to have favorites in this business, but you tell me who you’d rather see playing in the playoffs: The Suns or Steph Curry?

That’s what I thought. 

Curry never ceases to amaze even those of us who swear we’ve seen him do it all. Somehow, he keeps raising his own bar for heroics. At 38 years old, if he’s not as good as he’s ever been, the difference qualifies as nearly invisible to the naked eye. He still gets every defense in the book thrown at him. He continues to torch them all. He only had eight points at halftime, but nobody gets hot quicker. He put 16 on the Clippers in the third, and 11 more in the fourth as the Warriors (with some help from Al Horford and Draymond Green) flipped a 13-point deficit into a five-point win.

Even those numbers don’t do the experience justice. It’s the type of shots he hits. And the moments in which he hits them. Absolute basketball nirvana. It’s always fun to watch the guys on the bench who haven’t been with the Warriors for long. It hits different when you’re on the same side as this madness. Kristaps Porzingis, who had a hell of a game himself on Wednesday, could only laugh in outright astonishment when he watched Curry lace this preposterously difficult step-back over John Collins. 

And then the game-winner with less than a minute to play:

“This is why Steph came back,” Kerr said after the game. “Everybody out there who thought Steph should’ve taken the rest of the year off, this is what he does, this is who he is. If he can compete, he’s going to compete. It was just incredible to watch.”

Look, the Warriors winning this game or even the sheer joy of watching Curry perform like this doesn’t change the fact that there was, and still is, a strong case to be made that the Warriors would be better off not making the playoffs. If they do, they’ll lose a lottery pick this summer that could be a very valuable trade chip should they look to make a big trade this offseason for one last realistic championship run. 

I was all aboard that train. I thought it was ridiculous to bring Curry back at this juncture of the season, just to likely lose in the Play-In or, at best, get spanked in the first round. But you know what? Getting to watch Curry play high-stakes basketball for even one more game, or even a full series vs. a 64-win Thunder team, is worth it.

Forget that lottery pick. Forget, for the time being, whatever it is the Warriors plan to do this summer. If ever there was a player worth living purely in the moment for, it’s Curry. 

He’s the greatest showman the NBA has ever seen — and very possibly ever will. 

The second day of the Play-In Tournament is over. The big winners are the Golden State Warriors, who avoided elimination (but still need to beat the Phoenix Suns on Friday to make the playoffs), and the Philadelphia 76ers, who get to play a seven-game series against the Boston Celtics.

Wait, actually, that doesn’t sound like a lot of fun for the Sixers. But hey, they did what they were supposed to do against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, and they earned themselves the No. 7 seed in the East. Given that Joel Embiid appeared in only 38 regular-season games and Paul George appeared in only 37, that is an accomplishment.

The Warriors, though. My goodness. They trailed by 13 points with less than 10 minutes remaining, then went on a 39-19 run and escaped Intuit Dome with a 126-121 win against the Los Angeles Clippers. This was absolutely vintage stuff. 

2026 NBA playoff bracket: Matchups, schedule as Warriors stay alive, 76ers advance to face Celtics

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To recap: The winners were Golden State and Philadelphia. The losers were the Clippers and Magic. But let’s get a little more specific than that, shall we? Here are the Wednesday’s winners and losers:

Winners: Age, guile, the heart of a champion, etc. 

Had the Warriors merely given the Clippers a competitive game and lost by 5-15 points, no one in their right mind would have crushed them for it. Stephen Curry hasn’t reached the 30-minute mark in an NBA game since January, and he’s barely played with Kristaps Porziņģis. There is no shame in losing to a well-balanced team led by Kawhi Leonard — a top-five player in the regular season! — and Darius Garland.

Before the game, though, Golden State coach Steve Kerr described the play-in as “an opportunity we might not ever get again.” And boy, did the old dudes play like it.

Al Horford, who turns 40 in June, made all four 3s that he attempted during the Warriors’ furious fourth-quarter comeback. Curry, 38, scored 11 of his 35 points in the fourth, too, including a classic stepback 3 over Brook Lopez to give Golden State the lead with less than a minute left.

And then there was Draymond Green, 36, who hobbled to the bench after appearing to hurt his leg with less than two minutes left, then immediately got back on the floor and made two massive defensive plays. First, he denied Leonard on a sideline out-of-bounds play and deflected Bennedict Mathurin‘s pass directly to Brandin Podziemski, leading to an easy two points on the break. Then he straight-up picked Leonard’s pocket at the 3-point line.

Green was the biggest reason that Leonard didn’t score in the fourth until a meaningless dunk with 17 seconds left. He is one of the best defenders who has ever lived, and this was a masterclass.

Unless you’re a Clippers fan, this comeback was real why-you-watch-sports stuff. It’s also exactly why Curry worked so hard to come back late in the season, even with Jimmy Butler out, even with Golden State stuck in the 10th spot. What a magical performance by the “We Still Believe” Warriors. As heartbroken as Clippers coach Tyronn Lue must have been, he couldn’t help but crack a smile when he congratulated Kerr.

Loser: Kawhi Leonard’s magnificent season

There was the Aspiration scandal, and then there was the Clippers’ 6-21 start. Despite all of that, Leonard managed to put together one of the best seasons of his entire career, averaging a career-high (!) 27.9 points on a career-high 62.9% true shooting and appearing in 65 regular-season games. He was a terror on defense, too.

It is unfortunate, then, that it’s suddenly over. And it’s possible that his Clippers tenure could be over, too. For most of Wednesday’s game, the Clippers won Leonard’s minutes handily. (Even after Golden State’s run, Leonard finished plus-six!) The Warriors threw junk defenses at him and tried to get the ball out of his hands, and both Leonard and Los Angeles collectively handled it pretty well. Down the stretch, though, when Leonard usually gets wherever he wants, he was effectively taken out of the game.

Stephen Curry goes into superhero mode, and the Warriors are still alive after Play-In Tournament thriller

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Giving the Thunder a scare in the first round would have been a nice way to cap off Leonard’s season. I guess this is why you don’t want to start 6-21.

Winner: Kristaps Porziņģis’ hops

I recently wrote a story about Porziņģis that highlights his propensity for putback dunks.

By recently, I mean MORE THAN A DECADE AGO. He was a rookie. I quoted Kyle O’Quinn, Cleanthony Early and Jose Calderon. Generally speaking, Porziņģis isn’t much of a high-flier anymore. On Wednesday, though, something got into him.

Here is putback dunk No. 1:

And here is putback dunk No. 2:

Porziņģis did other good stuff against the Clippers — he made three 3s, blocked two shots and served as an offensive hub — but the putbacks are what Warriors fans are going to remember. Wild.

Winners: Tyrese Maxey and Paul George

The Sixers two stars left standing were not the only authors of their 109-97 victory, but they’re the ones who did the heavy lifting offensively. Tyrese Maxey scored a team-high 31 points (on 11-for-25 shooting), and I wouldn’t say he made it look easy. The man who led the league in regular-season minutes logged 42:24. After a Desmond Bane 3 cut Philly’s lead to just two points early in the fourth quarter, Maxey responded with a reverse layup, a stepback 3 and a pair of floaters in a less-than-three-minute stretch. 

Paul George’s numbers — 16 points on 6-for-16 shooting, five rebounds, five assists, two steals — do not capture how important he was for the Sixers. He kept them steady when Maxey (briefly) sat, he repeatedly took advantage of Orlando’s willingness to switch Bane onto him and he generally made good decisions against a Magic team that was as physical as you’d expect this time of year.

Maxey and George were winners on defense, too. Maxey blocked Jalen Suggs in transition in crunch time, and George was all over the place (in a good way). It is remarkable how little George has dropped off on that end at 35, and he had a lot to do with Paolo Banchero‘s rough night. 

Speaking of Banchero…

Loser: Paolo Banchero

Look, I’m not trying to pile on. We’ve seen Banchero have excellent postseason performances before. This, however, was definitely not one of them.

In 36 minutes, Banchero shot 7 for 22 and scored 18 points. He missed all five of the 3s he attempted and all but one of the far too many 2-point jumpers that he attempted. He had four assists and six turnovers. He was a team-worst minus-17, and it felt like it. The decision-making is a problem, the inefficiency is a problem and the two are very much connected.

Here he is passing up a clean catch-and-shoot 3 and airballing a desperation shot over George late in the shot clock:

Here is, uh, one of his turnovers:

Let’s move on.

Winner: Andre Drummond, corner 3 specialist

Guess who made the dagger 3 with less than a minute left!

That was his second corner 3 of the game, and, at this point, you really can’t be surprised. Drummond made 37% of his corner 3s this season (30 for 82), per Cleaning The Glass. Given that he was totally paint-bound until Year 14, though, this really is a crazy development.

Winner?: Desmond Bane

I think I have to call Bane a winner because he was the best player on the floor in Philly. He scored a game-high 34 points (on 10-for-16 shooting!) in 40 minutes. Bane is by far Orlando’s biggest threat from the outside, but he did most of his damage inside the arc. VJ Edgecombe has a long list of positive defensive attributes, but Bane’s strength gave the rookie a ton of trouble. 

As a team, the Sixers couldn’t do much with Bane all night, and they really couldn’t keep him off the line.

In that Bane did everything he could and it wasn’t enough, this was a microcosm of his 2025-26 season. It is disappointing that the Magic have not turned out to be the elite team that many of us thought they’d be after acquiring him, but it is not his fault whatsoever. Bane didn’t have a fast start individually, but he didn’t miss a single game and, after the first 10 or so, was by far the most consistently productive player on the roster. If he’s a “winner,” why do I feel so bad for him?

Winner: Sam Presti

The Oklahoma City Thunder didn’t even have to play tonight to pick up a W. By failing to make the playoffs, the Clippers just gave the Thunder a lottery pick.

This is the result of the 2019 trade that sent George from OKC to Los Angeles. A 2026 pick swap is one of many, many assets that the Thunder picked up in that deal.

OKC will have either a 2% chance (if the Warriors advance to the playoffs) or a 1.5% chance (if Phoenix advances) to win the lottery. I’m sure it’ll happen.

Chennai Super Kings pacer Khaleel Ahmed has been ruled out of the IPL due to a quadriceps injury. Ahmed, who was part of all the five games CSK have played thus far, reported pain in his right hip during the previous game against KKR on April 14. He was one of the consistent performers for CSK in the initial stage of the tournament. “It is a grade 2 tear and the rehab will take at least 10-12 weeks,” said an IPL source. The left arm pacer has played 11 ODIs and 18 T20s for India with the last appearance coming in July 2024.

Earlier, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad on Tuesday said it is “coming together slowly” for Chennai Super Kings after the five-time IPL winners recorded a second consecutive win, beating Kolkata Knight Riders by 32 runs here.

Undergoing a transition, CSK came into this contest after a comprehensive 23-run win over Delhi Capitals and produced another convincing show to beat KKR and move one spot up to eighth in the points table.

“Slowly, slowly, it is starting to come together, I feel,” Gaikwad told broadcaster after the match.

“Everyone kind of knows what their role is, which overs and what lengths to bowl at. I think they are adjusting and adapting really well according to what (the) team needs.

“As I said, slowly, slowly, we are getting better and better and that is a good sign for us,” he said.

Gaikwad said CSK were aiming for a total in range of 220 but what they eventually put on the board — 192/5 — was also good enough.

“We defended a good score. I felt it was a par score, given that the wicket drastically changed after the first seven or eight overs,” he said.

“It started spinning a bit, it started stopping a bit. We were first looking at 220, 210, but then, we thought anything around 190, 180 would be a good score and after that, we just had to get a good power play in bowling,” Gaikwad added.

CSK’s win was set up by Noor Ahmad (4-0-21-3), who broke the back of KKR’s chase with a flurry of wickets. The Afghan spinner said it was important to keep his fingers dry in the hot and humid conditions.

“The dew was there, and it was humid, so (I was trying to) keep my fingers dry and that helped me a lot to hit the right areas,” he said.

“I think the ball was not coming really well to the bat and to get advantage of that, it was good. I will keep putting effort to contribute for my team in the coming matches,” he said.

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An unfavourable gate draw risks deferring Desert Lightning’s campaign opener at Mornington.

Desert Lightning pulled the widest post position in the Listed Hareeba Stakes (1200m) featuring 17 entries for Saturday, with 60kg and Luke Nolen riding.

The race accepts up to 15 plus two emergencies on Saturday.

Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman’s charge is back first-up Saturday, idle since the Crystal Mile (1600m) during spring at Moonee Valley last October.

Coleman mentioned they’ll assess running wide on Saturday versus scratching for later.

“He’s really just there first-up for a fitness run, so we’ll have a good look at the race and see whether we save him for another day,” Coleman said.

“It’s not the end of the world.”

Coleman suggested Desert Lightning’s prep trajectory points toward Queensland’s Winter Carnival.

He ran fourth in Eagle Farm’s Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) last June, remaining a key aim for his team this year.

Coleman noted the veteran Desert Lightning is tuning up effectively for winter.

“He’s trialled really nicely this time,” Coleman said.

“He’s nice and fresh, he seems in a good headspace for an older horse. He’s really enjoying his work.

“Whether he runs first-up on Saturday, or whether we wait another day, we’ll make that decision, but I think he can run well if we decide to go there.”

She’s Got Pizzazz from the same barn squeezed into the field at barrier 8, ridden by Linda Meech.

Any easing of the Mornington going would help She’s Got Pizzazz, who resumes with two 1100m runs after rest.

Wednesday’s rating had Mornington at Soft 5 upon acceptances.

“She’s ideally looking for 1400 metres now, but she needs another one at the 1200 (metres) to bring her on fitness wise,” Coleman said.

“She needs soft ground as well to see her at her best, so we’ll be on weather watch a little bit there as well.”

Find competitive racing betting markets for the Hareeba Stakes at leading sites.

An under pressure Kolkata Knight Riders would be hoping to arrest their steep slide against a resurgent Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League on Friday. Under captain Ajinkya Rahane and coach Abhishek Nayar, KKR have struggled for clarity, slumping to four defeats in five matches and still searching for their first win of the season. It’s their misfortune that their bowling had weakened significantly before the tournament following the injury setbacks to Harshit Rana and Akash Deep and the release of Mustafizur Rahman on BCCI instructions.

But the bigger concern was the dip in form of their spin mainstays Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy. The Indian spinner is still in the struggle phase and is yet to take a wicket this season.

KKR’s problems have also been compounded by questionable decisions on and off the field decisions.

Leaving out players like Tim Seifert and Rachin Ravindra have raised eyebrows, while their choices after winning the toss have been baffling.

In the rain-hit washout against Punjab Kings, Rahane surprised everyone by choosing to bat, while against Chennai Super Kings he opted to bowl first on a surface that clearly favoured the bowlers.

Their first match defeat to Mumbai Indians after failing to defend 220 set the tone, and the heavy 65-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad at home only deepened the slide.

Since then, KKR have looked a side short on direction.

Much of the spotlight was on Cameron Green, bought for a record Rs 25.20 crore to fill the void left by Andre Russell.

The Australian all-rounder has struggled to justify that price tag, managing just 56 runs in five innings and making limited impact with the ball after being cleared to bowl.

The batting order, too, has looked confusing.

Sunil Narine was pushed up to open in their chase of 193, while Rahane, who has his best strike-rate in the power play, dropped to No 3, and neither move worked as KKR managed only 160/7 against CSK.

And then there is the unused domestic firepower of Manish Pandey, Rahul Tripathi and Sarthak Ranjan, who all are still warming the bench.

KKR now need something magical to turn it around and they must first address their tactical lapses.

They may also turn to the 2015 comeback story of Mumbai Indians who won the title after they losing five of their first six matches.

Gujarat Titans too are yet to win at home, having lost their only game here to Rajasthan Royals but since then they have bounced back with two morale-boosing away wins.

Their bowling has looked settled, with Prasidh Krishna delivering in the middle and death overs, and Rashid Khan rediscovering rhythm.

With Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler finding form, Gujarat Titans head into the contest with far greater balance and confidence.

Squads: Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), Anuj Rawat, Jos Buttler, Kumar Kushagra, Glenn Phillips, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Nishant Sindhu, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Gurnoor Brar, Arshad Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Ishant Sharma, Ashok Sharma, Jason Holder, Tom Banton, Luke Wood, Sai Sudharsan, M Shahrukh Khan, Jayant Yadav, Kulwant Khejroliya.

Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (captain), Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Ramandeep Singh, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, Varun Chakaravarthy, Cameron Green, Matheesha Pathirana, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert, Tejasvi Dahiya, Rachin Ravindra, Akash Deep, Blessing Muzarabani, Navdeep Saini, Prashant Solanki, Finn Allen, Daksh Kamra, Kartik Tyagi, Sarthak Ranjan, Saurabh Dubey Match starts: 7.30pm.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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