Tom Kitten’s spring was marked by challenges for his connections, but the autumn has launched impressively at Caulfield for the Group 1 graduate.

Back from a let-up, the gelding captured the Group 3 Kevin Heffernan Stakes (1400m) on Saturday, easing concerns for Anthony and Sam Freedman after a problematic previous preparation.

The five-year-old, once trained by James Cummings at Godolphin, bypassed the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield last spring due to a barrier scratch, hampering his progress.

The Freedmans expended considerable effort to rebuild Tom Kitten’s fitness.

Contrastingly, this campaign featured a progressive conditioning phase, crowned by a well-judged effort from Craig Williams.

The $3 market elect edged Feroce ($6) by a short-head in the dying strides, as Veight ($6) trailed by 3-¾ lengths for third.

“Craig and I had a chat before the event, and I really wanted to see him not have a gut buster and not have to circle the whole field and make a long run,” Sam Freedman said.

“You see when they got going, he kept him back, he made his run at the perfect time and it’s great to get the horse back in the winners’ stall.

“When you take on a horse like this that has been to the top of the mountain, there’s always a bit of pressure.

“Ultimately, we felt that he’d been running well in the spring but didn’t get the rub of the green.

“We’re not getting carried away as it is a fair step down from the level that he has been to, but on his times at home and the way he is carrying condition, he can hopefully get to the level he has been at again.”

Freedman explained the shift in training methods, noting improved condition on the gelding.

Arriving fresh with moderated work suited Tom Kitten ideally.

“We were a victim last prep of missing a run when he was scratched at the gates,” Freedman said.

“We were chasing our tail going to the mile first-up and we were concerned that he was racing too keenly and we had to work to make him settle, which didn’t work.

“He pulled his head off in a sedate tempo in the Makybe Diva and then he gradually got better. He had a fitness run at The Valley, and then he was back on track in Sydney.”

Tom Kitten eyes the Futurity Stakes (1400m) on February 21 at Caulfield or Blamey Stakes (1600m) at Flemington February 28, targeting the All-Star Mile (1600m) March 7 and the Australian Cup (2000m) March 28. Find competitive offers in the racing betting markets surrounding these key events.

The post Tom Kitten back in winner’s stall at Caulfield first appeared on Just Horse Racing.

Sam Curran revealed his mind drifted back to Ben Stokes and the 2016 T20 World Cup final before his last-over heroics rescued England from humiliation in Mumbai on Sunday.

Following the Ashes debacle and Harry Brook’s off-field drama, England’s miserable winter threatened to take another downturn as minnows Nepal required just 10 off the last six balls to claim a shock win.

But Curran, thinking about Stokes being thumped for four successive sixes by Carlos Brathwaite in the final over as the West Indies snatched a famous victory a decade ago, held his nerve by nailing his lines and lengths.

Roared on by thousands of Nepalese fans at a raucous Wankhede Stadium, Lokesh Bam had to hit a six off the last ball after being frustrated by Curran but could only hit a single as England won by four runs.

Curran said at the presentation ceremony: “I said to Brook ‘I’m backing six yorkers here and I’ll take the hit if I don’t execute’. I think you’ve got to think like that.

“I weirdly thought of the 2016 final when Carlos got a hold of Stokesy and I was thinking ‘if I execute, he’s not going to hit me for six’.

“(At the) top of my mark I just watched his feet and thankfully I executed. Those games are great to win but wow, it would have been a horrible one to lose.

“It just shows how competitive this World Cup’s going to be. We knew it was going to be full of Nepal fans. I played a lot of cricket in India and I’ve never had an atmosphere quite like that.”

England starting their tournament with a win – their 11th in 12 completed T20s – was built on a total of 184 for seven, underpinned by fifties for Brook and Jacob Bethell, plus Will Jacks’ cameo 39 off 18 balls.

But the ultra-reliable Adil Rashid failed to take a wicket for the first time in 25 T20s and was uncharacteristically expensive with figures of 3-0-42-0, while Jofra Archer’s final over disappeared for 22.

Liam Dawson, playing his first World Cup match, impressed with two for 21 before Curran had the final say in a back-and-forth contest, leaving Bam on his haunches after making 39 not out off 20 balls.

Jacks, who also took one for 17, said: “Winning ugly is a great trait. It’s incredibly difficult to replicate that experience.

“Hopefully when we get in that situation in the rest of the tournament – which we definitely will at some stage – we’ll be able to look back on this experience and take that with us.

“I was very nervous, my heart was thumping on the boundary. But I had confidence in Sam, he’s done that job quite well. Credit to him, it was brilliant how he nailed his yorkers and held his nerve.”

England began their campaign 16 years ago with a shock loss to the Netherlands but captain Brook and head coach Brendon McCullum have avoided that ignominy, with both of their jobs under scrutiny.

McCullum has been criticised for how England planned and prepared for the 4-1 Ashes defeat but he was shown relaying instructions on to the field during Nepal’s chase on a walkie talkie – a practice that Jacks said started earlier this winter.

Jacks added: “It’s so messages can get run out to the captain or to the guys who are batting in the middle. It’s just an easier way of spreading the message.”

Minnesota Vikings misses and myths are actually quite hot and heavy this week, mainly because of misinformation regarding Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s termination. Here’s a glance at the Nopedy Nopes.

A quick truth check on three Vikings talking points that picked up steam heading into Super Bowl week.

Our weekly publication chronicles all the false and outlandish takes in the Vikings’ orbit — or stuff that simply didn’t work out.

Kwesi Rumor, Maye Trade Talk, and Cine’s Latest Detour

The Nopey Nopes of Super Bowl week are here.

The Nopedy Nope: Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was fired, in part, because he took paternity leave in 2023.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero joined KFAN this week and, among several items, dispelled the fictitious paternity leave theory.

He told the Power Trip Morning Show, “To pin it on ‘He took paternity leave three years ago,’ even if you’re bringing it up to say, ‘But that wasn’t it,’ you’re introducing a topic that had not been a topic. Sure, is there a level of frustration that comes when you feel like you’re having to do more because your co-worker is out? You don’t fire a guy three years after he took paternity leave. Like, what are we even talking about? It’s just wild. Like, we all knew that.”

“Yeah, he wasn’t around in the summer of 2023. He missed chunks of the spring and missed part of training camp. But I never got any sense that it was some long-standing thing. It was well known that that happened and that there was some frustration from the people in the building about it, but it never changed the relationship. So, this idea that it was this toxic environment is, frankly, complete and utter nonsense.”

The paternity leave situation was mentioned by reporters covering the Vikings, and some fans then chose to make it the smoking gun for Adofo-Mensah’s termination.

Pelissero added, “I will say this, there is a habit for certain people, if they get beat on a scoop, to immediately lend additional details to the story that may or may not be 100 percent grounded in fact. So, you ended up with a bunch of tweets thrown out there into the universe, that suggested things, that based upon all my knowledge of the situation are not entirely accurate.”

“The idea that this was a toxic environment, there was tension between — Kwesi and Kevin are friends, personally. They have always been good. There was not a fight. There was not a blow-up. It was not, quite frankly, like it was at the end of the Mike Zimmer-Rick Spielman era, two guys that I like a lot, but they weren’t talking. It was never like that.”

It may be true that paternity leave is uncommon in the NFL, but the Wilfs didn’t fire Adofo-Mensah for it — three years later.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on Adofo-Mensah losing his job for taking two weeks of paternity leave while working from home.

The Nopedy Nope: The Vikings had a trade in place for Drake Maye in 2024, but they backed out.

SI.com‘s Albert Breer published a piece this week chronicling Sam Darnold’s rise in Seattle, laying out the broader takeaways from that arc.

Buried inside the article was a revealing detail about Minnesota’s quarterback ambitions in 2024. Breer wrote, “There’s the one caveat to all of this, which is that the Vikings tried with all their might to trade up for Drake Maye in 2024. O’Connell loved him. Maye was coached in high school by Vikings assistant Josh McCown and was a teammate of McCown’s son.”

“Minnesota offered both of its first-round picks in 2024 (Nos. 11 and 23) and its 2025 first-rounder to the Patriots, with later-round pick swaps favoring Minnesota to move up to the third pick.”

Despite that, a segment of the fan base has spent the time since the 2024 NFL Draft insisting Minnesota simply walked away from the deal. That belief doesn’t align with what actually happened.

Breer added, “O’Connell pushed them to go further. It wouldn’t matter, because the Patriots weren’t moving, sitting there as convicted in Maye as Minnesota was in the former North Carolina quarterback.” The resistance came from New England, not hesitation from Minnesota.

“But if the Vikings had somehow gotten the Patriots off their spot with Maye, all of this might look different, and the aforementioned rumblings probably would have stopped.” The entire trajectory hinged on a pick that was never available.

There’s a meaningful gap between claiming the Vikings backed off a deal and acknowledging that the Patriots refused to move. One version reflects how draft negotiations actually unfold; the other rewrites events to paint Minnesota’s front office as recklessly incompetent. That’s just not the case.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on the Vikings backing out of the Maye trade; Robert Kraft cancelled the deal.

The Nopedy Nope: Lewis Cine would catch on in the UFL.

Cine is out — and the UFL league that was supposed to offer a reset.

UFL writer Michael Heilman wrote over the weekend, “The D.C. Defenders released wide receiver Jalen Virgil, offensive linemen Elijah Ellis and Silas Dzansi, and defensive back Lewis Cine on Saturday according to the UFL Transactions page. Lewis Cine is six foot two and weighs 199 pounds. The 26-year-old from Cedar Hills, Texas, was drafted by the D.C. Defenders in the 2026 UFL Draft.”

“The Minnesota Vikings drafted Cine in the first round (32nd pick) of the 2022 NFL Draft. He spent three seasons in Minnesota with one tackle (1 solo) in 10 games. In 2024, he made 16 tackles (8 solos, 8 assists), one sack, one interception, and one pass breakup in three preseason games. The Vikings released him on August 27, 2024.”

For Cine, this is another miss on a resume that no longer has room for them. The UFL was supposed to be a proving ground. Cine couldn’t even make the cut there.

The Verdict: Nopedy nope on Cine’s football career — in general. He’s probably done.

Chris Waller bolsters his Golden Slipper lineup once more, parading unbeaten colt Fireball to claim a sophisticated first-up prize in the $2 million Inglis Millennium at Randwick.

Back after resting post his Rosehill debut win in November, the $4.60 favourite owned by James Harron drove externally to thwart Ghana’s Akan ($17) by a narrow half-length margin, Alibaba ($26) trailing by another head for third.

Saturday’s feat impressed Waller most for Fireball’s demonstration of untapped prowess, hinting at untapped speed ahead.

“He will get stronger, and he’ll get faster. He’s got the frame, he is well bred,” Waller said of the son of Snitzel.

“He hasn’t been wound up to get to today. He wasn’t even going to run unless he drew a nice barrier. I was more than happy to wait and just bide our time.”

In addition, Waller’s stable features Hidrix, Canonbury Stakes conqueror, bound for the $5 million Golden Slipper (1200m), likely via the Silver Slipper (1100m) on February 21, leading Waller to plan distinct paths for the colts.

Fireball merits a tailored approach, positioning him as a legitimate aspirant for the top juvenile event.

“We’re starting to work them out, which is good,” Waller said.

“The Silver Slipper is in two weeks and we’re in no rush. We got a few colts we can now sit back and split up a little bit and 1200 metres, I think will suit him better, so one of those (1200 metre) ones coming up.”

James McDonald applauded the Waller team’s confidence in Fireball ahead of the testing Inglis Millennium (1100m) with its substantial lineup.

“I’ve been saying all week to Chris that the colt is a bit of a ‘dummy’ and I wasn’t sure if he was ready for a test like this,” McDonald said.

“But great credit to Chris, he had faith in the colt and said, ‘he is a very nice horse, as you will see when he is put under pressure’.”

“He was put under pressure today and we saw how well he responded.”

Craig Newitt praised Alibaba’s bold Sydney introduction as Blue Diamond Preview winner, storming late with intent.

“He was unbelievable. On his Melbourne leg the whole race,” Newitt said.

“We were strung up in traffic, and he smashed the line. He’s a genuine Group One colt. The racing betting markets offered plenty for the Inglis Millennium excitement.

The post Fireball explodes to win Inglis Millennium first appeared on Just Horse Racing.

Shakur Stevenson’s win over Teofimo Lopez has seen him recognised as one of the greatest fighters on the planet, with the Newark slickster now showing interest in moving up in weight again to take on fellow pound-for-pound star Devin Haney.

Having ruled at featherweight, super-featherweight and lightweight, Stevenson stepped up to super-lightweight with the opportunity to become the third-youngest four-division world champion in boxing history.

At Madison Square Garden, he delivered a commanding performance, winning 11 of 12 rounds against the 140lb poster boy in a display that signalled his arrival on the sport’s biggest stage.

After the fight, Stevenson threatened a possible move to welterweight, calling out Britain’s Conor Benn in the ring during his post fight interview.

Now, speaking to Cigar Talk, Stevenson has says he is willing to face any of the champions at 147lbs, where Haney is the current WBO belt holder, but only if a strict 10lb rehydration clause is in place.

“I’m going to tell you again, if you want me to come to 147lbs, I am coming there with a rehydration clause. I don’t even do that, but why am I going up to these guys’ weight classes if I am not planning on going there [permanently].

“So any of y’all, you wanna fight me at 147lbs? 10 pounds [is the max you can rehydrate].”

Shakur went on to praise Haney but insisted his fellow American would not stand a chance in the ring.

“Devin is a tremendous fighter but do I think that Devin Haney can beat me? Hell no, hell no.”

Haney captured his welterweight title after an impressive performance against Brian Norman Jr back in November.

With a belated decision, the Minnesota Vikings fired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah on Friday, January 30th, causing confusion with the timing and questions about the franchise’s immediate direction. What are the questions? Well, we have those for you.

Minnesota now faces a compressed offseason with big decisions piling up, from quarterback direction to who ultimately runs the roster.

Free agency is one month away, and the draft six weeks after that. Here’s what to ponder regarding the Vikings.

Key Questions the Vikings Face After Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s Termination

The offseason has changed for the purple team.

1. Is J.J. McCarthy’s Off-Ramp Now on the Way?

Righteous or not, the Vikings now have a clean avenue to wind down the McCarthy era if they’re not overly inspired about his injury trajectory and performance. Think of this way: if Minnesota wants a quarterback like Kyler Murray or Mac Jones via trade, they can somewhat easily trade for him and sell the story as, “Well, McCarthy was Kwesi’s guy.” They’ll never expressly say that, but you get it — through implication.

Had Adofo-Mensah remained, Minnesota had a vested interest in enabling him to succeed. Now, they can straightforwardly opt for a different quarterback and claim (through their actions) the old general manager got the McCarthy pick wrong.

2. Who Will Take Over for Adofo-Mensah after the Draft?

Curiously, the Mark and Zygi Wilf won’t hire an Adofo-Mensah replacement until after the draft. It’s unclear why they’ll wait, perhaps to give Rob Brzezinski an extended, fair trial for the big job.

But then what?

The organziation could keep Brzezinski in place, interview someone with previous ties to the Vikings like George Paton, or consult an outsider like Ed Dodds from the Indianapolis Colts.

Still, the new general manager’s identity will remain a mystery for a few months.

3. Who Calls the Shots for Personnel?

When a single general manager is in the saddle, the buck stops with him or her — all final personnel calls. Outwardly, that’s no longer the case.

Maybe Kevin O’Connell will pick the offensive players, Brian Flores will be in charge of defensive personnel, and Brzezinski will manage the money. Until a new boss takes over, onlookers won’t have any idea who’s picking what and will merely hope everyone is on the same page for collaboration.

4. Will O’Connell Shoot for the Stars at QB?

The Vikings have already stated they’ll add another quarterback or two this offseason. That’s a given — the no-brainer to end all no-brainers this go-round.

Will O’Connell choose a journeyman insurance policy like Jimmy Garoppolo? An upside youngster via trade like Anthony Richardson? Kirk Cousins? Another crack at empowering a former high-round pick to succeed like Kyler Murray? Or sell everything imaginable for Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson if those men are available?

With Adofo-Mensah gone, O’Connell can basically do whatever he wants at quarterback. And he must get the decision right for his job security. The onus is all on him.

NFL.com’s Kevin Patra wrote about the Vikings’ quarterback situation last month, “There is little question that the Vikings need a reliable veteran to buffer McCarthy. There was discussion about bringing back Sam Darnold last offseason, but he found a home and a bigger deal in Seattle. Minnesota also attempted to retain Daniel Jones, who opted for Indianapolis. When a trade for Sam Howell went sideways, it left the Vikes with Wentz and Brosmer.”

“The veteran free-agent market will be dotted with the likes of Marcus Mariota, Russell Wilson, Jimmy Garoppolo and Kenny Pickett. One potential name to watch: Kirk Cousins, the former Vikings QB who reworked his deal in Atlanta, making him a likely free agent this offseason.”

5. Why Did the Vikings Wait until 3.5 Weeks into the Offseason to Fire KAM?

This is the one that will confuse fans indefinitely.

Adofo-Mensah’s draft record alone warranted his termination on Black Monday (the day after Week 18). But the Wilfs held off.

Then, after the firing, they insisted that no single decision had pushed them over the edge. Five days prior, though, former Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold reached the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks. There’s just no way that didn’t serve as the final smoking gun.

Wide Left‘s Arif Hasan also noted last week, “The failure to re-sign Sam Darnold, who is about to make his Super Bowl debut with the Seattle Seahawks, appears in much of the reporting we see about the Vikings’ GM decision. More prominent, however, is the inability to re-sign Daniel Jones, who left for the Colts and produced an outstanding season before his injury.”

No matter, Adofo-Mensah’s termination occurred about 3.5 weeks late.

The NBA was shaken up at the trade deadline with the Los Angeles Clippers moving future Hall of Famer James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for All-Star Darius Garland. On the surface, this felt like a fantastic deal for the Clippers.

Despite Los Angeles going on a big run once Kawhi Leonard returned from injury, it never really felt like this team was a serious contender for the Finals. Leonard is great when he plays, but he is rarely available. Harden was once again looking for greener pastures, and aside from Ivica Zubac, the Clippers severely lacked depth.

Moving Harden for a two-time All-Star who’s 10 years younger is something we haven’t seen much in the NBA. It was a no-brainer for Clippers GM Trent Redden.

But what if this move isn’t as smart as it seems?

If you’ve watched the Cavs over the last four seasons, when Garland is healthy, they can reach offensive highs that match any team in the league. But that “when” is doing a ton of heavy lifting in that sentence.

The Garland-for-Harden trade was announced on Wednesday, and it wasn’t made official until just hours before tip-off. Getting official physicals can take some time, but Garland had been on the Clippers’ sideline since Wednesday. I wonder if Los Angeles was more concerned with the results of Garland’s medical report than with what they thought they were getting.

Since Garland returned from his offseason toe surgery, there have been many points in the season where he’s favored his right side. Then, before he was traded, he injured his big toe on his right foot.

This trade seemed like it came somewhat out of nowhere. I think the Cavs were nervous about the extent of this injury. The Clippers have the luxury to let Garland take his time recovering, as this season is mostly down the drain, but his last toe surgery took him six months to recover from. Not only that, but he never seemed like he had the same shiftiness that Cleveland was used to.

With Garland being a more undersized guard who relies on his quick first step to get by his defender, his jumper also seemed affected as defenders were able to play further up on him. He is shooting the second-lowest percentage of his career from three, and I think the toe has something to do with that.

These types of injuries can build up quickly for a player, and if Garland loses a step, his value plummets as the playoffs get more physical. Harden has his flaws, but he’s a historically durable lead guard. He’s not as dominant as he was during his time in Houston, but for a team looking to at least “soft rebuild”, I’m shocked to see the Clippers move on from Harden so quickly.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham is one of 11 political leaders in The Great North mayoral-led collaboration calling for an Olympic Games across Northern England

Andy Burnham wants any future UK-hosted Summer Olympic Games to happen across Northern England.

The mayor of Greater Manchester believes another London bid “wouldn’t be fair or right”. Burnham is one of 11 political leaders, alongside London 2012 gold medallist and current Mayor of Hull and East Yorkshire, Luke Campbell, backing the proposal.

Sir Brendan Foster, founder of the Great North Run and former Olympic long-distance runner, is another ex-athlete supporting the politicians’ cause. A mayoral-led initiative named ‘The Great North’ has penned a letter to Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, who was in Italy this weekend for the Winter Olympics.

Northern leaders are now expressing their desire for any future Summer Games to be outside the capital. The Sunday Times claims their letter says: “A northern-based Olympic Games is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to accelerate regeneration, rebalance the economy, and reset international perceptions of England.”

It continues: “This is also a question of fairness and credibility. If the UK is serious about rebalancing growth, a Games hosted in and across the north would send a clear signal – domestically and internationally – that opportunity, ambition and national pride are shared.”

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page

The Times also cites a source involved in the bid, who stated: “It’s time that people stop thinking about the north as a post-industrial bleak landscape. It’s not.

“It’s full of vibrant, amazing cities, and beautiful settings and landscapes, which could be used to host the biggest sports event on earth and showcase the north of England to the world.”

North East mayor Kim McGuinness is chair of The Great North. She said: “The North of England has a sporting history and prowess like no other place, and we are united in our belief that our region could host a box office, world-leading Olympic Games.”

Burnham also commented: “A lot of work and thought has gone into this, and it feels very of the moment. There has been some suggestion that the country was looking at another London bid, but that wouldn’t be fair or right.

“And that’s nothing against the capital. It hosted an unforgettable Olympics, and I look back at it quite wistfully, actually, remembering what the country used to be like and how much it has changed.

“It’s about recapturing that for the north of England, that vibrancy and positivity. That’s what Britain needs right now. If you set this ambition, the north will rise to it in the most breathtaking way.”

Campbell holds a similar view, recalling how London 2012 “brought the country together”. The former bantamweight boxer stated: “Everything in this country is so focused on London, but England isn’t just about red buses and telephone boxes; this is our chance to show us off to the world.”

Foster, who secured bronze in the 10,000 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, agrees. He said: “It’s time the north stops getting the crumbs and gets the cake instead.”

South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard also also backing the move. He claims: “The north can put on a show, we can take on the world’s biggest cultural festival and make a success of it.”