In The Everest, just shy of a length covered Joliestar, Angel Capital and Lady Shenandoah from the stable, and before the Expressway Stakes face-off, Chris Waller can’t easily separate the trio.

“Joliestar has come back really well. James (McDonald) has been on her in a few pieces of work and her trials and been very happy,” Waller said.

“I don’t know where the ceiling is with Angel Capital, but he is very, very good. That’s what we will find out about him.”

Waller admits Lady Shenandoah might be the one slipping under the radar post a disrupted spring.

“Through bad luck, I guess she is. She had no luck (last campaign),” he said.

Proven at the pinnacle already are Joliestar and Lady Shenandoah, while Angel Capital eyes his Group 1 breakthrough.

Drawn short in the Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes (1400m), he ran into airborne Jimmysstar securing second in the CF Orr Stakes (1400m) at the end of spring.

Waller is convinced, however, that the four-year-old has more to offer and is primed for Group 1 glory.

“It’s as simple as that,” he said.

“He seems equally effective left-handed or right-handed. He will be ready to go fresh. He’s a big strong horse, a proper horse.”

He dislikes rematching the sprinters so soon and keeps paths versatile, but ponders Newmarket Handicap (1200m) for Angel Capital, with prior winner Joliestar slated for the Sydney Canterbury Stakes (1300m).

For the Expressway Stakes (1200m) on Thursday, markets installed Joliestar $2.60 elect, Lady Shenandoah $3.40 and Angel Capital $4. The racing betting markets offer plenty of options for backing your pick in the Expressway Stakes.

The post a-star-an-angel-and-a-lady-vie-for-expressway-honours first appeared on Just Horse Racing.

Gary Portelli accepts that Queen Of Clubs might not have the pace to rival the leading fillies over short courses, though he believes her future lies in stamina tests further out.

Bound for the Group 1 ATC Australian Oaks (2400m) this April, the three-year-old begins her autumn assignment in Saturday’s Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) at Randwick.

“We’re on an Oaks campaign,” Portelli said.

“Winning a stakes race is what we’re hoping to do, and I don’t think that’s going to come until she gets to 2000 metres.

“I don’t think she is sharp enough to win against these really good fillies like Apocalyptic, who is a really sharp horse. She will be hard to beat right up until the mile, but from there on, the gate opens up a bit more.”

A progeny of the noted staying stallion Maurice, Queen Of Clubs performed adequately in a pair of Princess Series contests last spring before heart arrhythmia caused her demise in the Flight Stakes (1600m).

Her first win and only listed placing occurred amid rain-softened surfaces, and Portelli highlights that autumn showers would aid his charge.

“If we happen to get rain when we get to our grand final period, it would certainly help,” he said.

“She loves it wet and the autumn is often a wet time.”

Portelli likewise reintroduces Verona Rose in the Triscay Stakes (1200m), ideally over more ground but impressed by her growth since the Inglis Bracelet (1600m) success at Flemington during November.

Though conceding “three or four lengths” extra speed is needed versus premier mares, her barn manners excite him.

“It’s a different horse you’re going to see this weekend. She’s more powerful. She’s got more condition on her. She knows what she is here for now, and she never runs a bad race,” Portelli said.

“Whether she’s up to the real Group One horses, we will find out this campaign.

“She’s heading towards a Coolmore (Classic) if she can really get some form under her belt, and we’ll just try to earn as much prizemoney as we can in the process.”

Verona Rose boasts a 2-from-3 first-up strike rate, yet this will be her shortest trip yet under 1300 metres. Punters should review racing betting markets for the upcoming Light Fingers Stakes.

The post Portelli playing the long game with Queen Of Clubs first appeared on Just Horse Racing.

Around Flemington racecourse stand tributes in statue form to Phar Lap, Bart Cummings, Makybe Diva and Roy Higgins.

The Victoria Racing Club on Thursday launched inside The Forum at Flemington a dedicated history of champion mare Black Caviar, despite her statue residing at Caulfield, in anticipation of Saturday’s Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m).

The installation, ‘The Perfect Run’, traces Black Caviar’s unblemished 25-start career with eight Flemington victories, from her initial run as a two-year-old in April 2009 to concluding in Randwick’s T J Smith four years after.

Trophies, memorabilia spanning her achievements, a photo array and brief histories of each of the 25 wins form the core of the exhibition.

At the ceremony were Black Caviar’s trainer Peter Moody, jockey Luke Nolen and owners, as the public exhibit prepares to open Saturday.

For Moody, guiding the mare through 25 undefeated races earning near $8 million proved both thrilling and terrifying.

“The last time she went on to a racetrack totally sound was her second or third start in a race,” Moody said.

“As Luke touched on earlier, it was more about relief (after every win) than enjoyment, which is sad when you have something that good.

I had wonder staff and wonderful people around me and it had to be, as you could not handle it by yourself and for me personally, and Luke personally, our families were a big part of it.

We didn’t cook and that didn’t feed onto the horse.”

Moody called it rewarding to race on after the post-June 2012 Royal Ascot Diamond Jubilee retirement considerations.

Announcement of retirement was deferred until after overseas excursions following Royal Ascot for the ownership and associates.

“We had basically retired her after Ascot, but everyone was heading off on their European vacations, and we were going to get together when everyone got home and announce her retirement,” Moody said.

“But to get her back for those three runs afterwards, that was something very special.”

Reflecting on Black Caviar greeting The Queen after Royal Ascot, Moody said it stood out as hugely significant.

“Everyone got invited to morning tea earlier in the week, except me, and I think they were all a bit toey about me meeting her on race day,” Moody said.

“Just to see her love of the horse and to see her come down into the enclosure, which I believe hadn’t happened before, and gave the horse a pat, was very special.

She was that buggered after the race, and we had Paddy (Bell) on one side and me on the other, and there were so many people in the yard that we were that worried someone might give her a smack on that big bum of hers.

I thought crikey, if she takes offence to it, we might take out The Queen here with Black Caviar.

I don’t know how she would have gone with 600 kilos running over the top of her. There might have been a change of Monarch and Charlie might have got the gig a few years earlier.

And we would have been really considered convicts then.”

Moody’s engaging memories reveal the mare’s storied path; supporters gearing up for the 2026 Group 1 Black Caviar Lightning (1000m) can peruse racing betting markets now.

The post Black Caviar exhibition unveiled at Flemington first appeared on Just Horse Racing.

The boxing world is raving about Shakur Stevenson after his most recent win, with many branding him unbeatable, but there is one fighter who believes he will be avoided by the Newark southpaw at all costs.

Stevenson dethroned Teofimo Lopez to claim the WBO super-lightweight world title on Saturday night.

After being stripped of his WBC lightweight belt just days after, it remains unclear whether Stevenson will remain at 140 to defend his new strap or return to 135 without a title but with big fights still to make.

With plenty of options on the table, two-division world champion Tim Bradley picked out WBC super-featherweight ruler O’Shaquie Foster as the man who could provide Stevenson his toughest test.

“I’m going to tell you all, you might disagree with me, but a fighter that can get with Shakur, I’m not saying beat him, but can get with him on his level, his name is O’Shaquie Foster.

“Foster as far as notoriety, he’s not bigger than Teo, but as far as skill [he is]. O’Shaquie should be on the pound-for-pound list. O’Shaquie has a lot of what Shakur has with the distance, he got a fast jab too coming from the southpaw stance.

“The last fighter that beat Shakur Stevenson [in the amateurs] was a southpaw. O’Shaquie can switch to orthodox too, he’s big too. He’s got some size on him, some reach on him, got some pop on him.”

On the ‘Come and Talk 2 Me’ podcast – an interview which took place before Stevenson’s WBC belt was declared vacant – Foster said that Stevenson will steer clear of the 135lb division due to the threat of him stepping up from 130lbs and becoming his mandatory challenger.

“If he comes back to 135, I am going to make it happen, he isn’t going to have no choice. But, I guarantee you this, he will stay far away from me. I guarantee you that he won’t come back to 135.

“That is what he is going to do, I promise you. Why do you think he is talking about Conor Benn and ‘I just want big fights’, so whoopty woo because he knows that if he comes back to 135 then I am going to press that button and become the mandatory and we are going to see.”

If Stevenson remains at 140lbs, it is expected that Cuba’s WBC Interim lightweight champion Jadier Herrera will either be upgraded to full champion or fight for the vacant belt, with Foster being one possible candidate for the opposing corner.

Putting can be an extremely frustrating part of the game. There’s nothing worse than hitting a couple of good shots only to squander your birdie opportunity with a three-putt.

Typically, the culprit for the dreaded three-putt is poor distance control. While a stroke that can start the ball on line is important, there’s nothing that can substitute for proper touch.

That’s why having a system for predicting speed is so important. We use rangefinders from the fairways and tee boxes, so why not use one on the putting green? No, I don’t mean you should actually pull out a laser when you’re reading your putts, but I do suggest stepping off the distance to the hole with your feet.

How stepping off putts works

One of the ways I teach my students to improve speed control is by counting the steps between your ball and the hole. (Just don’t take too long to do it, or you will soon become an enemy of your playing partners.)

Just like when hitting a ball from the fairway, you need a way to calibrate how far the ball should travel. Walking off the distance from your ball to the hole as you read the putt provides valuable information that will help you control your speed.

By pacing off your putts, you can create a consistent reference for distance, allowing you to adjust your stroke accordingly. Shorter putts call for shorter strokes; longer putts require longer ones, etc.

How to practice stepping off your putts

1. Set up your practice station

I like to start by measuring out 5, 10 and 15 paces from the hole and placing a tee in the ground to mark them. Start hitting putts from each marker and take note of how long your stroke is for each. Start with the shortest putts and work your way up.

2. Adjust your stroke

As you go through this exercise, make a mental note of how far back and through you take the putterhead. While you do this, the tempo of your stroke should remain consistent. The only thing that changes is the length.

3. Dial in each distance

After you’ve gotten a feel for your stroke size from each distance, work on fine-tuning. Try some putts up and down hills from different distances and make note of how the slopes affect your stroke size.

Why I teach stepping off putts

I like teaching my students to pace off putts for a few reasons. For one, it makes them more consistent putters, which reduces three-putts and helps them shoot lower scores. This leads to increased confidences, which allows them to make more committed strokes. Additionally, when they step off their putts, it forces them to be more structured during their practice time, which is always good for improvement.

If you are struggling with distance control on the greens, give this method a shot.

Snow swirled, Snoop Dogg shizzled but Chloe Kim fell short in her attempt to soar to Olympic snowboard history on a dramatic and star-struck night at the Livigno Snow Park.

Snoop, in Italy as a special correspondent for US broadcaster NBC, joined the likes of halfpipe hero Shaun White and Kim’s boyfriend, the NFL star Myles Garrett, to see if she could become the first snowboarder to win three consecutive Olympic golds.

Instead the rapper – wearing a ski jacket embossed with images of Kim – was left paying homage to South Korean 17-year-old Gaon Choi, who recovered from an horrific-looking crash on her first run to eclipse the American favourite with a third run score of 90.25.

Left with one final attempt to wrest back gold, Kim fell attempting a cab double 1080, the same trick that had cost her in her second run, stranding her in second place on 88.0, more than two points down on Thursday’s qualification score.

It was a stunning twist to an absorbing competition high in the Italian Alps, where heavy snowfall made conditions difficult, contributing to five crashes among the 12 finalists at the first attempt.

The most scary was Choi’s, which left her face-down in the middle of the pipe, where she lay motionless for a moment while a stretcher was called. Thankfully, she was soon able to slide to the foot of the pipe unaided.

Kim, competing in her first major competition since dislocating her shoulder in January, looked set to soar serenely above the chaos as she duly delivered her first run total and sat seemingly impervious at the top of the leaderboard.

Though she failed to improve at her second attempt, there still seemed little danger to her hopes of eclipsing former US team-mate White, whose own three gold medals were split by a fourth place in Sochi in 2014.

Out of nowhere Choi, whose recovery itself was remarkable enough, delivered a stunning final run, including a switch backside nine, to eclipse her hero and take gold at the same age that Kim was when she won her first Olympic title in Pyeongchang.

“It’s the kind of story you only see in your dreams,” said Choi. “My knees are a bit bad (after the crash), but I feel like I’m overcoming it all with happiness.”

The impact that Kim has had on her discipline was evident in a top nine that comprised entirely Asian or Asian-origin athletes, some of whom would have barely strapped on a board when Kim clinched her first gold in 2018.

“It means so much to me that I’ve inspired a whole new generation,” said an emotional Kim afterwards. “I’m aware I can’t do this for ever and seeing this sport is left in very good hands. I’m so proud of her (Choi), and I hope she soaks in this amazing moment.”

One of the top NFL storylines this offseason is the saga between the Las Vegas Raiders and their star pass rusher, Maxx Crosby. The five-time Pro Bowler was shut down by the franchise in December due to a knee injury — a decision Crosby “vehemently” disagreed with, according to Jay Glazer of Fox. After the way that situation was handled, Crosby is reportedly going to reevaluate his future with the organization. 

There has been some mixed messaging with this situation. Glazer for example believes Crosby’s time with the Raiders is over, but Crosby has not requested a trade, and is in a “great place” with the team, according to NFL Media. However, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB, the Raiders have a lot of work to do to repair their relationship with Crosby. And his frustration with the franchise reportedly goes all the way to the top.

“There’s a lot of fence-mending that’s going to need to happen if the Raiders are going to hang onto Maxx Crosby,” Breer said on NBC Sports Boston. “It goes all the way to the top of the organization with Tom Brady and Alex Guerrero. The way the communication happened with the injury in December left a mark. This is a guy who’s incredibly loyal to the Raiders organization, wanted to spend his entire career there, and is loyal to Mark Davis as well. Now, he feels betrayed.”

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You may recognize Guerrero’s name. He’s been connected to Brady since his New England Patriots days as a trainer and former business partner. Now, Guerrero is listed on the Raiders’ official website as the team’s wellness coordinator where he “oversees several departments to ensure and enhance the health and well-being of players, coaches, and staff.”

According to Breer, a lot of people in the organization report to Guerrero now, and he’s viewed as the “eyes and ears” of Brady.  Where he comes into the equation with Crosby is that Guerrero was apparently part of communicating to the star pass rusher that he was being shut down. This “really angered Maxx,” Breer said.  

Crosby also reportedly had a “strong suspicion” that the reason he was shut down was for the Raiders to tank for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Vegas was successful in doing so. 

Crosby has refused to address the noise surrounding him, saying recently on the “Let’s Go!” podcast that he’s focused on his family and training. 

“My focus has been on getting healthy because that’s all I can control right now,” Crosby said, via NFL.com. “That’s all that matters to me is being with my daughters and being with my wife and taking care of myself. People are gonna have rumors.

“I just looked at my phone — I’ve been working all morning. Everyone’s hitting me up, ‘Did you say this?’ I can’t control that. You earn that as a player. If I wasn’t doing the right things and if I wasn’t the person and player I was, people wouldn’t be talking about all the nonsense. But that’s what comes with it. If you have drama, if you have a losing season, they just try to throw gasoline on the fire and make things a certain way.”

New Raiders coach Klint Kubiak was introduced earlier this week, and he was able to meet with Crosby — who apparently was the first player in the building working out. Kubiak could play an important role in soothing whatever tensions may exist between Crosby and the Raiders. 

“We want him to be a part of our success going forward, theres no doubt about that,” Kubiak said. “He’s one of the best players in the NFL. That’s a no-brainer, to get to work with Maxx and see him continue to have success with this organization.”

Crosby is indeed one of the best players in the NFL regardless of position. Since entering the league as a fourth-round pick out of Eastern Michigan in 2019, he has recorded the most tackles for loss (133), the fifth-most QB hits (164) and sixth-most sacks (69.5) while playing the most snaps among all defensive linemen (6,112). Breer says a “bunch of contenders” will have interest if Crosby is made available for trade. It remains to be seen if Vegas will do that. 

Five weeks remain until the Golden Slipper, but among the two-year-olds, none has claimed the mantle of undisputed favourite for the highlight race.

Warwoven, sharing favouritism, stays sidelined after lameness diagnosis by Queensland Racing officials on the brink of the Magic Millions Classic at Gold Coast last month; Incognito, Breeders’ Plate conqueror, faltered on return due to palate displacement; Hidrix, the victor there, must match his first-up brilliance to advance his Slipper bid.

Trainer Michael Freedman, fresh off Marhoona’s Golden Slipper win last year, admits no obvious standout exists this season, yet holds hopes for Outspan’s rise after contesting Saturday’s Pierro Plate (1100m) in Randwick.

“There is no clear, dominant pick for the Slipper at this stage. It’s wide open, a little bit like last year,” Freedman said.

“He’s obviously going to have to put his hand up, but I’m happy with how he’s going.”

Twelve youngsters will assemble for the Pierro Plate, only three with pre-Christmas outings.

This trend is gaining prevalence, paralleled in the Golden Slipper’s legacy of victors.

Of the prior ten winners, six raced before Christmas, yet the last five show three postponing debuts to the New Year.

Freedman handled two: Marhoona plus Stay Inside in 2021.

“I think that’s going to be more the norm going forward,” Freedman said.

“Trainers are holding their horses back a bit longer. My two Slipper winners, neither of them started until the New Year, and I think that will become more common than not.”

In January, Outspan posted a rallying fifth to Knightsbridge across 1000m at Randwick, then notched his initial victory at Rosehill two weeks later.

Outspan follows a regimen akin to Stay Inside, who debuted winning in January, progressed through the Pierro Plate to Slipper victory. Punters should review the racing betting markets for the Pierro Plate.

The post Will Pierro Plate serve up another Golden Slipper contender? first appeared on Just Horse Racing.