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Andy Win’s 2026 Grand National Hurdle victory marks historic double

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Horse and rider mid-air as they clear a wooden jump in a sunny outdoor equestrian event.

The Grand National Hurdle and Grand National Steeplechase double, a feat not achieved in nearly a century, was completed for the third time in history by the Shane Jackson-trained Andy Win. The gelding recorded an emphatic 12-length win in the 2026 Grand National Hurdle at Ballarat.

While the racing environment differs significantly from when Mosstrooper achieved the same double in 1930 at Flemington, the elation felt by participants remains potent. This was especially true for Andy Win ($3.30 favourite), who managed to overcome a potentially race-ending injury sustained in the lead-up.

“I’m not an emotional sort of person but it has been a rollercoaster with this horse and it has been a stressful week,” Jackson said.

“I can tell people now that this horse schooled here on Monday when it was waterlogged and on Tuesday evening he’d come out with a bloody foot abscess.

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“I thought, ‘I can’t tell anybody about this and I can’t tell jockey, for sure’.

“Thankfully I have a great farrier in Ballarat and my brilliant vets in Warrnambool. I’m lost for words. This is peak.”

With the Grand National Hurdle (4200m) at Sandown on August 2 and this 4600-metre contest now held a fortnight apart, Andy Win’s successful double places him in esteemed company alongside Tallyho Twinkletoe, who accomplished the same feat in 2019. This marks a significant change from the previous arrangement where the two feature races were run just one week apart prior to 2008.

It is noteworthy that Andy Win only made his debut over jumps in May of the preceding year.

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Jockey Tom Ryan secured his second Grand National Steeplechase win, his first coming in 2011.

“I wouldn’t want to know, to be honest,” Ryan said when told of the horse’s injury prior.

“He was a bit flat over the third last fence but when I got stuck into him, he came alive.”

Earlier in the day, Ryan guided the heavily favoured The Cunning Fox ($1.60) to a thrilling victory in the JJ Houlihan Hurdle. The second betting pick had established a substantial lead of over 20 lengths with one circuit remaining in the 3250-metre race contested by only three horses.

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“Horses like Andy Win and The Cunning Fox, they’re just warriors,” Ryan added.

Check out the latest racing betting markets for upcoming events.

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India vs Sri Lanka LIVE Score, 1st Test Day 3: Sri Lanka Left Shocked On 2nd Ball, Old Nemesis Strikes

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India vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Day 3 LIVE Updates: Mohammed Siraj struck early and dismissed Nishan Madushka for duck as Sri Lanka lost their first wicket on Day 3 of the first Test against India. Currently, Lahiru Udara and Dinesh Chandimal are standing unbeaten for one-down Sri Lanka. Earlier, India were bundled out for 462 in the first session on Day 3 of the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Devdutt Padikkal top-scored for India with a mammoth knock of 167 that ended on Sunday. Resuming their innings at 460 for nine, India managed to add just two runs before the final wicket fell, with Asitha Fernando dismissing Prasidh Krishna. For Sri Lanka, Prabath Jayasuriya was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 4/109. Keshara Nuwantha claimed 3/175, while Fernando took 2/63. India’s total was built around Padikkal’s outstanding knock of 167, which anchored their first-innings effort. (LIVE SCORECARD)

Here are the LIVE Score and Updates from India vs Sri Lanka 1st Test, straight from Galle:

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Kate O’Connor third after day one of Heptathlon

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Kate O’Connor finished day of the Women’s Heptathlon at the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham in third place overall.

The Dundalk St Gerard’s AC star produced personal bests in the 100m hurdles and the high jump in this morning’s session.

In the opening event of the seven-event competition the Irish woman finished fourth in a time of 13.30 seconds to collect 1,080 points.

She matched her PB of 1.86m in the high jump – clearing it at the third attempt – as she added 1,050 points to her total.

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In the shot put in the evening session, the recent Commonwealth Games gold medallist produced a best effort of 13.96m, before running a 23.79 personal best in the final heptathlon event, the 200m.

Heading into day two on Saturday, the Newry, Co Down-born athlete sits in third position.

He lead is currently held by Poland’s Adrianna Sulek-Schubert on 3,968 points. Sofie Dokter from The Netherlands, who won heat 3 of the 200m this evening, is currently in the silver medal position on 3,944 points, with O’Connor in third on 3,926.

The action in the heptathlon begins again in the morning with the long jump and javelin during the morning session, with the 800m at 7.45pm Saturday evening.

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“I’ve given myself a fighting chance”

Commenting on her opening day in the competition, Kate O’Connor stated:

“I’m happy with that one [the 200m], but in the shot I feel like I let myself down a little. I had a lead on certain people, and I swung the door back open, but it’s really hard to string seven perfect performances together.

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“I’ve managed to put together three really strong performances and one that wasn’t quite as strong. I feel fit, I feel healthy and I’m leaving day one feeling positive and in a good position.

“I’ve given myself a fighting chance tomorrow.”

Women’s 10000m Final

Bandon AC’s Fiona Everard finished in 20th place in tonight’s final of the Women’s 10000m, finishing in a time of 33:08.60 at her first major track championship.

Leevale’s Niamh Allen, unfortunately didn’t look comfortable during the race, and was forced to retire from the race.

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LiveScores Now Available at IrishScores.com

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Can Roman Reigns deny Solo Sikoa in The Bloodline for one big reason? Exploring the possibility

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Roman Reigns is set to return on the Aug. 17 episode of WWE RAW after missing last week’s show, which featured major developments in the Bloodline saga. Jey Uso faced Solo Sikoa in a high-stakes impromptu match, with the stipulation that if The Yeet Man wins, The Street Champion would be forced to join the family. On the other hand, a Sikoa win would make him a free man from the Bloodline.

Thanks to Jimmy Uso’s interference, Jey Uso won the bout. As a result, this week, Solo Sikoa will be forced to rejoin The Bloodline in the presence of The OTC.

However, Roman could deny Solo Sikoa’s entry into The Bloodline.

The Tribal Chief could go off on Jey Uso for making his own rules and not bothering to ask him once before making such a big decision, which could have cost them if he had lost.

The OTC could also call out The Yeet Man and Big Jim for cheating to win, something Reigns has been avoiding himself.

However, The Usos breaking the rule could put them at odds with the Tribal Chief, who follows an entirely different philosophy. Therefore, Roman Reigns could deny Sikoa entry into the group and let him go for a while, creating a gripping segment, planting seeds of tension within the Bloodline, and potentially building toward another civil war.

Meanwhile, this would also help Solo Sikoa continue to grow as a babyface superstar on Monday Night RAW.

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That said, the angle proposed above is speculative, and nothing has been officially confirmed yet.

Former WWE United States Champion takes shots at Roman Reigns ahead of RAW

The Original Tribal Chief is on a dominant run as the World Heavyweight Champion and has already defended his strap thrice.

AAA General Manager Rey Mysterio recently announced that Roman Reigns will defend his strap on the Sept. 14 edition of WWE RAW in Mexico City. The winner of the cross-brand Luchador tournament, featuring luchadores from RAW, SmackDown, AAA, and NXT, will earn a title shot.

Penta is one of those stars; he already punched his ticket to the tournament’s semi-finals and is just two steps away from a title match. The former United States Champion appeared on this week’s AAA episode and issued a chilling warning to Roman Reigns, claiming he would win the tournament.

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“You have never faced a wrestler like Penta, you’ve never been in front of a man like Penta, a man who has fought for everything, even his life, to gain everything I’ve gained in my career. Roman, I’ve never need a family or a faction or a group to accomplish my objectives. Penta has fought for himself and for all his people, that is Penta. I respect you as a wrestler, but when I win this tournament, I’m going straight to Mexico City, I’m gonna see you face to face and show you who is Penta,” he said. (Translated from Spanish) (30:30 onwards)

With Sunday Night’s Main Event and 2026 Money in the Bank on the way, it will be interesting to see what plans Triple H and the WWE creative crew have in store for Roman Reigns and his Bloodline in the coming weeks.