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Freedman tracks weather closely ahead of 2026 Surround Stakes with Apocalyptic

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Michael Freedman joins others in scrutinising Randwick’s track rating before Apocalyptic takes on Tempted during the Surround Stakes.

The Group 1 filly triumph winner will start irrespective, but Freedman admits his belief would lessen if deterioration exceeds Friday’s soft 7 substantially.

“I’m looking forward to seeing her back there. I am just keeping an eye on the weather,” Freedman said.

“Anything in the soft range would be OK, but if we got into that heavy range it may change things a wee bit.

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“You probably can’t not run because she has never been on heavy. But I get the feeling she wouldn’t want it too wet.”

Last spring’s three-time Princess Series conqueror Apocalyptic resumed odds-on but trailed Savvy Hallie home second in the Light Fingers Stakes (1200m).

Freedman considered the run “good enough” in a race suited to leaders, with the three-year-old thriving in the interim.

Savvy Hallie and Tempted oppose again in the Surround Stakes (1400m), unverified at the trip.

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However, the trainer highlights strengths in both, aligning with punter preference for $1.60 market leader Tempted’s recent races.

“I know a few people have queried Tempted at 14 (1400 metres), but to my eye she looks like she’d run it out pretty solidly,” he said.

“She’s run second in an Everest and was obviously impressive first-up. She’s the one that’s got the really good from going into it.”

Unconvinced Apocalyptic relishes deep mud, Freedman trusts Manaal fully for the Guy Walter Stakes (1400m), boasting three wins from five on soft/heavy.

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Runner-up fresh in the Triscay Stakes (1200m), she rates prominently at Randwick weight-wise.

“She’s a terrific mare. She’s always thereabouts,” Freedman said.

“She has a slightly tougher draw than what she’s had the last few, but if we do get a bit of rain and the track is genuinely soft, it might offset that.”

Hardanger represents in the Sweet Embrace Stakes (1200m), a robust filly due to fire, as Freedman mulls Outspan’s wide berth in the Skyline Stakes (1200m) or deferral to the Black Opal Stakes (1200m) at Canberra soon.

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“It was a pretty ordinary set up for him two weeks ago, unfortunately, and it doesn’t look much better for him this week if we don’t get a lot of scratchings,” Freedman said.

Punters should check the betting sites for Surround Stakes specials this weekend.

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FPL gameweek 29 tips – Captain Antoine Semenyo, pick Harry Wilson and Hugo Ekitike

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Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United, £9.9m – Newcastle (a)

Is Fernandes a must-pick for the rest of the season? He’s got four double-digit returns in seven games.

His 59 points since returning from injury in week 21 is the most of any player.

Antoine Semenyo (c), Manchester City, £8.2m – Nottingham Forest (h)

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In the same bracket as Fernandes is Semenyo. Keeps starting, keeps scoring.

Every Manchester City player carries a slight question mark as they enter a period that also involves Newcastle away in the FA Cup, two legs against Real Madrid and the Carabao Cup final against Arsenal.

But it’s also impossible to second-guess Pep Roulette so start Semenyo with confidence – Fernandes is my vice-captain if he doesn’t play.

Harry Wilson, Fulham, £6m – West Ham (h)

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Wilson’s now the fourth-highest-scoring midfielder and at just £6m still.

He takes on West Ham this week, who just conceded five goals at Liverpool, and you’ll want to eye up Burnley at home in gameweek 31 too.

Wilson is another player whose injury status you need to watch this week.

Marcus Tavernier, Bournemouth, £5.3m – Brentford (h)

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Another player returning from gameweek 28’s team and, at this price, how can you resist?

A team-high four shots last week and a big chance created, Tavernier ended up with bonus points and an assist.

He has a lot of routes to points for a £5.3m midfielder and faces a Brentford side that conceded three – and should possibly have been more – at Burnley.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Everton, £5m – Burnley (h)

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KDH is the forgotten budget gem after his long injury, but he’s got three returns in four games and is always a good shout for defensive contribution points.

This home match against Burnley is too good to pass up.

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How to make Rory McIlroy’s low bullet drive your own go-to shot

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Stranded In Dubai, PV Sindhu Will Not Be Able To Play All England Championships

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Double Olympic medallist and world champion PV Sindhu will not be able to participate in this year’s All England Badminton Tournament. The All England Tournament is scheduled to be held in Birmingham from March 3 to 8. Because of the US-Iran conflict, PV Sindhu has been stuck in Dubai. She kept sharing updates about herself and other passengers on Instagram. Sindhu also said that the Dubai airport authorities and Emirates airlines have taken good care of her. Speaking exclusively to NDTV, Badminton Association of India (BAI) secretary Sanjay Mishra said, “We have been in constant touch with PV Sindhu. The first and most important thing is that she is safe there. But in the current situation, she will not be able to travel to Birmingham for the All England Tournament.

“But she will participate in the Swiss Open, which is scheduled between March 10 and 15.”

He added that it is still difficult to say when the airspace will reopen, and whether Sindhu will travel directly to Switzerland from there or return to India first.

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According to the Badminton Association of India, this uncertainty is the reason Sindhu withdrew her name from the All England Badminton Championship. The double Olympic medallist and five-time world championship medallist, including a gold, had recently shown signs of returning to form. In such a situation, this is a major setback for her and for Indian badminton.

Sindhu may be out of the All England event, but Sanjay Mishra said, “Look, apart from Sindhu, many other Indian players have already reached Birmingham. India will now be represented by the likes of Dhruv Kapila, Tanisha Crasto, Rohan Kapoor, Ritvika Shivani, Malvika Bansod, Unnati Hooda, Chirag Shetty, Satwik Reddy, Lakshya Sen, Ayush Shetty and K Srikanth.”

The Badminton Association of India expressed hope that Sindhu may be able to leave Dubai in the next two-three days. For now, Sindhu is completely fine both mentally and physically, and is bravely handling the difficult situation

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TGL on Sportsnet: Los Angeles vs. New York

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Playoff spots are up for grabs as Los Angeles battles New York in TGL action on Monday.

Watch it live on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT.

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Jade Cargill makes new enemy ahead of RAW; gets called out as an embarrassment

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Jade Cargill has made herself a new enemy ahead of this week’s episode of WWE RAW. Tonight’s edition of the red brand will air live from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Piper Niven took a brutal shot at WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill today on social media. Niven suggested that she didn’t need to embarrass Cargill on social media because if the champion was given enough ring time, she would do it to herself. You can check out Niven’s insult in the post below.

“Who tf even said anything about you?! Contrary to your belief, the world doesn’t actually revolve around you. No point to even embarrass you on this app, give you enough ringtime and you’ll do it yourself,” she wrote.

Niven is out of action with a neck injury and hasn’t been in action since her victory over Charlotte Flair on the August 22, 2025, episode of SmackDown. Rhea Ripley won the Women’s Elimination Chamber match at the PLE this past Saturday night and will be challenging Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship.

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Popular WWE star wants to take the title from Jade Cargill

SmackDown star Kiana James recently suggested that she was ready to dethrone Jade Cargill.

Speaking on TMZ’s Inside the Ring podcast, James praised Cargill but claimed that she knew her weaknesses. Kiana James suggested that she would go into their title match prepared and was ready for the challenge.

“Yeah, absolutely. I mean, Jade is phenomenal in her own right, and obviously she’s champion, but I think, again, the competitive edge that I have is right up here and I’ve been studying, you know, she’s been champion, and I’ve been able to see, I’ve been able to watch strengths, weaknesses, what are her go-tos, how does she work in the ring. So if I went into that match, I’m definitely prepared, and I have some tricks up my sleeve or some tricks in my handbag that I’d be more than ready to get after it with Jade.”

KIANA JAMES FLEXING ON EVERYONE RIGHT NOW #Smackdown

It will be fascinating to see if Kiana James gets the opportunity to challenge Jade Cargill for the WWE Women’s Championship in the future.

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