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Under Focus primed for 2026 Golden Rose according to Gibbons

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Jockey Dylan Gibbons is of the firm belief that if Under Focus executes a clean start in the upcoming Golden Rose, the colt possesses the capability to contend for a top finish.

The three-year-old encountered difficulties at the beginning of the Run To The Rose (1200m), but displayed commendable closing speed to secure third place behind Warwoven and St Gotthard.

Prior to that performance, he registered a midfield finish from an outside barrier in the Rosebud (1100m). With a favourable inside draw on Saturday, Gibbons considers him a strong contender.

“First-up the draw cost him but he ran well,” Gibbons said.

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“The other day he just sat down as the gates opened, but he was probably going to end up in that spot no matter what.

“When they backed the speed off, it was going to be hard to win, but I thought the fact he was able to go past a horse like Central Europe and make up two lengths on St Gotthard, that’s probably as good as he could have done from that position.

“(From that) alley, if he can jump a bit better and execute, there’s no reason why he can’t be in the top three.”

Currently listed at $11, Under Focus has favourite Guest House drawn immediately to his outside, and Gibbons acknowledges the latter as the horse to beat.

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However, the Golden Slipper victor’s slightly unconventional preparation, arriving at this race directly off a first-up win in the San Domenico Stakes (1100m), and the fact that he, like Under Focus, has not yet been tested over 1400m, provides Gibbons with reasons to hope for a minor vulnerability.

“He’s had to take an untraditional route, so he’s a keen horse going second-up into a 1400,” Gibbons noted.

“He’s obviously the one to beat, but there are a few little things there that aren’t ideal for him.

“If that gets him a bit fired up, or the tempo’s not strong enough for him, it might just ruffle his feathers a little bit.

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“But he has put the writing on the wall first-up, so he’ll get the respect he deserves.

“With my bloke, he’s been racing against the other ones, and I feel he’s on terms with them.”

Under Focus is prepared by Gibbons’ former mentor, Kris Lees, with both chasing their maiden triumph in this significant stallion-making event.

The pair have already collaborated for a top-level success with Kalapour in the 2024 Tancred Stakes (2400m), and Lees is confident about Under Focus’s preparation.

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“We’ve been really happy with his two return runs. Obviously, just stepping a little slow in the Run To The Rose was costly but he worked home well,” Lees commented.

“He’s come through it nicely. I’m really happy with where he’s at.”

Consider the Australian betting sites for the upcoming Golden Rose.

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Kelly, Argos squeeze past Blue Bombers behind two late scoring drives

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Lirim Hajrullahu booted a 36-yard field goal with 27 seconds remaining to lift the Toronto Argonauts to a 30-28 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday that extended their win streak to four games.

Argos quarterback Chad Kelly upheld his reputation as a gunslinger when he threw touchdown passes of 56 yards to Tyler Kahmann and 84 yards to Damonte Coxie.

Kelly completed 22 of 31 pass attempts for 290 yards with the two TDs and two interceptions to boost the Argonauts’ record to 9-6.

Toronto receiver Janarion Grant ran a missed Sergio Castillo field-goal attempt 128 yards for a touchdown.

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The Bombers looked like they were going to hold on for the win when backup quarterback Bryce Perkins turned a third-down, one-yard push into a 76-yard touchdown run at 8:50 of the fourth quarter that put the home side up 28-24.

Kelly then used a 38-yard pass to Coxie and a Winnipeg pass-interference penalty to march the Argonauts down the field, but settled for a 34-yard field goal from Hajrullahu to squeeze the score 28-27 with 2:38 remaining.

When Toronto got the ball back, Grant took Winnipeg’s punt and threw a lateral to Dave Ungerer, who gained 32 yards. Toronto got the ball back and marched down the field enough for the winning field goal. 

Coxie led all receivers with seven catches for 149 yards.

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Dru Brown, making his fifth start of the season in place of injured Zach Collaros, was 16-of-28 passing for 193 yards with two touchdown passes and two picks. He also ran in a six-yard TD.

Winnipeg dropped to 7-7 in front of a sold-out crowd at Princess Auto Stadium.

Aside from Brown’s touchdown run, Tim White and Dorian Singer had TD catches for Winnipeg.

Castillo made three converts, but missed field-goal attempts from 45 and 55 yards.

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The 45-yard wide kick was costly, as Grant took the ball in for the score four minutes into the first quarter.

Grant’s TD return was the fourth-longest missed field-goal return in CFL history. The longest was 130 yards by Ken Hinton with the B.C. Lions in 1977. Two players had 129-yard TD returns, including Tristan Jackson with Saskatchewan in 2012 and Bomber Trey Vaval in July this year.

Hajrullahu went wide on a 52-yard field-goal try, made a pair from 19 and 34 yards and was good on three converts.

Winnipeg led 14-7 after the first quarter, 21-14 at halftime and it was tied 21-21 heading into the fourth quarter.

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Castillo’s miss on the game’s opening drive ended his stretch of 26 consecutive field goals.

Winnipeg responded on its next possession with a four-play, 69-yard drive capped by White’s 22-yard TD catch.

The drive was aided by a 25-yard run from Brady Oliveira, who finished with 79 yards rushing in the first quarter and 139 yards on 18 carries for the game.

Kelly’s penchant for the long pass went awry early in the second, when the ball bounced off the hands of intended receiver Kevin Mital and into the gloves of Bombers defensive back Deatrick Nichols. It was Kelly’s 23rd interception of the season.

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The turnover led to Singer’s 17-yard TD catch at 5:36, but Kelly wasn’t daunted.

He returned to the field and tossed a 56-yard TD bomb to Kahmann to make it 21-14. Hajrullahu went wide on the 52-yarder with a minute left in the first half.

After being sacked to open the second half, Kelly heaved a long pass to Coxie, whose catch-and-run went 84 yards for the TD and tied the game after Hajrullah’s convert.

Interceptions made fans’ heads turn early in the third. First, Brown was picked off by Alex Teubner, then a Kelly pass was grabbed by Vaval in the end zone. A Winnipeg unnecessary roughness penalty wiped that out, but Toronto’s reprieve was short lived when Evan Holm intercepted Kelly in the end zone.

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The Argos went ahead for the first time in the game with Hajrullahu’s 19-yarder 3:12 into the fourth that made it 24-21.

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Troy Aikman Faces ESPN Uncertainty After Joe Buck Lands $108M Extension

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Troy Aikman’s ESPN future could stay unresolved until after Super Bowl LXI, despite Joe Buck signing a new $108 million contract.

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4 Mistakes WWE made on SmackDown from Indianapolis (September 25, 2026)

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The latest episode of WWE SmackDown was a mixed bag. CM Punk, Gunther, and Finn Balor had a great main-event triple threat match. The rest of the bouts, however, weren’t nearly as good.

Trick Williams beat Baron Corbin again. The only benefit is that the feud is hopefully finally over. Nikki Bella got in WWE Women’s Champion Chelsea Green’s face about a title shot.

The former Divas Champion played a role in Green’s match later in the night. Damian Priest attacked R-Truth at the Performance Center earlier this week.

Randy Orton demanded Michael Cole interview him after he did the same for Cody Rhodes last week. Some storylines moved along while others did not. WWE made the next four mistakes on SmackDown from Indianapolis.


#4. No mention of the WWE Tag Team Championships

WWE is in another cycle of ignoring its tag team champions. Bron Breakker and Austin Theory were in Money in the Bank qualifiers instead of defending the World Tag Team Titles.

Part of the problem is that Triple H has done next to nothing to build the tag divisions on both RAW and SmackDown. The MFTs fought Shinsuke Nakamura and Kyoki last week in a non-title match.

This week’s SmackDown didn’t address last week’s showdown. There weren’t pre-taped promos or a backstage segment. Money in the Bank is obviously more important, but WWE could give a few minutes to one of the brand’s champions.

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#3. Paige gets pinned again

Paige’s return to WWE at WrestleMania 42 was an exciting moment. She won the Women’s Tag Team Titles with Brie Bella but has done nothing but lose since dropping those titles.

The Anti-Diva has fallen in her last five matches and has been pinned in her last four contests. Nikki Bella cheated in a one-on-one showdown by pulling the tights during the pin attempt.

Nikki then tripped her rival on SmackDown, leading to Jacy Jayne getting the pin. This booking is usually reserved for someone at the bottom of the roster. That isn’t Paige.


#2. The Lone Wolf has dull teeth

Baron Corbin came back to WWE earlier this summer. He immediately targeted United States Champion Trick Williams. Corbin eventually defeated Trick for the title at SummerSlam. He beat him in another messy rematch.

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Trick “earned” another shot because his rapper friend lasted for five minutes in a match with Corbin at Sunday Night’s Main Event. Corbin lost twice that night. He lost to Williams yet again, only this time inside of a steel cage on SmackDown.

The match quality has been mediocre and marred with interference. The money may be good, but Corbin doesn’t seem like a threat to anyone. He lost to a non-competitor in one contest. Corbin looks like a wolf without teeth after losing again.


#1. Did CM Punk really need to qualify?

Finn Balor, CM Punk, and Gunther battled for a spot in next month’s Money in the Bank match. The Best in the World has already held both the WWE and World Heavyweight Titles this year.

He’s also been part of the ongoing chaos around the Undisputed Championship. Since he’s held both major titles this year, Balor or Gunther should have earned the spot in Money in the Bank.

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Punk beat The Prince twice this year already, but Balor hasn’t had a fair one-on-one title shot since moving to SmackDown. Gunther had plenty of title opportunities this year but would have been a key part of the ladder match.

Most fans would root against him winning the briefcase. Instead of allowing a different veteran to qualify for Money in the Bank, Triple H handed another big spot to a guy who’s had plenty of them this year. Gunther also loses more steam after another big loss. He’ll probably blame Danhausen.