SUN Racing takes on Thursday’s action looking for winners.

Back a horse by clicking their odds.

THE SUN RACING MEMBERS ENCLOSURE

The only place to get Templegate’s tips first – and at the best prices – is by joining Sun Racing’s brilliant Members Enclosure.

Sign up now for just £1* to be part of racing’s best winning team and get…

Advertisement

• Four free racing tickets, four times a year – worth £300
• Templegate’s daily tips at the BEST prices before anyone else
• Tomorrow’s copy of The Favourite at 9pm today
• Exclusive insights from Andrew Balding and Hayley Turner
• VIP competitions from Racing Breaks each month
• New customer offer with Coral

Become a member today for just £1*

*For the first month then £3 per month thereafter.

SIGN UP NOW

18+ Ts and Cs apply. First month membership £1, then £3 per month unless you cancel at least 7 days before your next billing date. For more information contact help@thesun.co.uk

LONGSHOT

MAGICAL SPIRIT (3.18 Doncaster)

Has won this race before and doesn’t mind the testing conditions he will face today.

EACH WAY THIEF

TRIPLE TRADE (2.25 Cheltenham) 

He goes well here and ended last season with a decent run at Aintree. 

STRICTLYADANCER (3.35 Cheltenham) 

He has finished first and fourth in this race before and is handicapped for another good run.

FREE BETS – GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS

Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. gambleaware.org.

Remember to gamble responsibly

A responsible gambler is someone who:

• Establishes time and monetary limits before playing
• Only gambles with money they can afford to lose
• Never chases their losses
• Doesn’t gamble if they’re upset, angry or depressed
• Gamcare – www.gamcare.org.uk
• Gamble Aware – www.gambleaware.org

Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.

ABU DHABI – Muhammad Mokaev still has faith that he’ll make his way back to the UFC.

Despite improving to 7-0 in the octagon with a win over Manel Kape at UFC 304, the UFC opted not to re-sign Mokaev (13-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC). Dana White announced the news in harsh fashion during the post-fight news conference.

As an undefeated fighter on the cusp of flyweight title contention, Mokaev knew something was off when he wasn’t offered a new contract during his UFC deal.

“I was feeling this because it was my last fight on the contract. I was feeling something not going right,” Mokaev told MMA Junkie. “I don’t think it’s because of what happened between me and Manel at the hotel because usually they change the contract not on the last fight, maybe like two fights left. But I was on my last fight, and I asked for a new contract, I couldn’t get it, and I felt something was going on.”

Mokaev thinks the UFC’s decision came because of a mix of things – his behavior, which included multiple altercations with Kape, as well as his fighting style. He has since signed with BRAVE CF, his home prior to joining the UFC.

“I’ve been told I need to have more finishes inside the octagon,” Mokaev said. “But I’m 7-0, four finishes, I was 23 years old, I don’t know what else? I cannot get seven out of seven. I tried my best. I came out from all big injuries, still competing, still accepting the big names. Now in the UFC, I have five fighters who I beat, all in top 15, and I think I just need to sit down and speak to Dana.

“I spoke to Hunter (Campbell) straight after what happened in Manchester. He said, ‘We will see you back in the UFC,’ but maybe they want to see me mature more outside the octagon, but whatever happened, I’m ready to come back now. I’m fighting in BRAVE, so whenever they call me, I’m ready. I want to become UFC champion, and I knew I could because I was very, very close to it.”

Mokaev, who competes in Friday’s ADXC 6 event when he takes on fellow ex-UFC fighter Rogerio Bontorin in a no-gi grappling match, hopes he can call the octagon his home again next year.

“I think one or two fights,” Mokaev said. “I think that’s the amount of fights that I need to do, but I just want to stay busy.”

Former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has reached a joint agreement with the Saudi Arabian Football Federation to end his contract as national team manager.

Mancini, 59, endured a difficult time as Saudi Arabia manager, a role he took on in August 2023 having left as Italy head coach weeks earlier.

On the eve of Saudi Arabia’s opening match at the Asian Cup in January, he said that three players had been dropped because they allegedly wanted to pick and choose which games to play.

Former captain Salman Al-Faraj, Sultan Al-Ghannam and goalkeeper Nawaf Al-Aqidi all strongly denied the claim.

During the Asian Cup Mancini walked down the tunnel before South Korea’s final penalty in a shootout that eliminated Saudi Arabia, saying: “I apologise for leaving early, I thought it had finished.”

Mancini’s regular complaint has been that home-grown forwards don’t play enough in the Saudi Pro League, that is populated by big signings from Europe’s top clubs.

Saudi Arabia have struggled in their 2026 World Cup qualifiers under Mancini, with surprise draws against low-ranked sides Bahrain and Indonesia.

Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway meet in the featherweight championship main event this Saturday at UFC 308, a fight the MMA community has been waiting for since it was announced.

Watch MMA Fighting’s UFC 308 Timeline video for an in-depth look at how both headliners got to this weekend’s pay-per-view at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

The undefeated Topuria captured the UFC featherweight title with a Knockout of the Year contending finish of Alexander Volkanovski in the main event of UFC 298 in February. Prior to that, Topuria competed in his first promotional headliner at UFC Jacksonville, earning a lopsided unanimous decision victory against Josh Emmett in June 2023.

Holloway looks to once again call himself 145-pound champ. Since losing to Volkanovski for the third time at UFC 276 in July 2022, “Blessed” has been on a roll, winning all of his fights, including a knockout for the ages of Justin Gaethje at April’s UFC 300 event to win the BMF title.

Will Topuria’s streak of dominance continue, or will the Blessed Express begin another championship journey?

Bob Pockrass

FOX NASCAR Insider

NASCAR Cup Series drivers have dabbled in the podcast space.

Denny Hamlin has his “Actions Detrimental” podcast. Corey LaJoie has his “Stacking Pennies” podcast. Ryan Blaney used to do a podcast called “Glass Case of Emotion.”

We asked the Cup playoff drivers (except for Hamlin and Blaney since they have/had podcasts), If you had a podcast, what would you name it?

Some had ideas:

Christopher Bell: “The Bell’s Tolls.”

Alex Bowman: Somebody had a podcast a couple of years ago that I loved the name of, I think it was called “The Unprofessionals” — that’s very fitting.

Chase Briscoe: “Risky Brisckie’s Business.”

Harrison Burton: I’d call it “Burning Rubber With Burton” or something like that. I don’t know.

Brad Keselowski: If I had a podcast, it would be called “Let’s Talk About Six.” 

Tyler Reddick: I don’t know. “Don’t Know What To Expect Next.” I’m not really sure.

Daniel Suarez: “Daniel’s Amigos.”

Martin Truex Jr.: It’d be something around “Hunting and Fishing With Me.” I don’t know.

Others did not have an answer beyond they don’t expect to have a podcast or couldn’t think of one on the spot:

William Byron: I don’t think I would have a racing-related podcast. I don’t know. I would maybe defer.

Austin Cindric: I probably will never have a podcast, so I’ve got nothing for you.

Chase Elliott: I don’t have a podcast, so I don’t have to worry about it.

Ty Gibbs: I don’t know if I would. What’s Denny’s called again? (Actions Detrimental). Yeah, I don’t even know. I don’t know that I’m good with that podcast stuff.

Kyle Larson: I don’t know. I came up with the name “Actions Detrimental” [for Hamlin], but I don’t think I would have my own NASCAR-style podcast.

Joey Logano: I’ve never thought about it. I don’t know. I want to come up with something witty real quick here but I don’t have nothing that comes to the top of my head. I don’t have anything at the top of my mind.

Bob Pockrass covers NASCAR for FOX Sports. He has spent decades covering motorsports, including over 30 Daytona 500s, with stints at ESPN, Sporting News, NASCAR Scene magazine and The (Daytona Beach) News-Journal. Follow him on Twitter @bobpockrass.

Get more from NASCAR Cup Series Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more