Koktail Divin (3/1) was the second Irish-trained Grade 1 winner on day one of the Grand National Festival at Aintree.

Ridden by Darragh O’Keeffe, the Henry de Bromhead-handled horse was a two and a quarter length winner over Blueking D’Oroux (22/1) in the Manifesto Novices’ Chase

The 1-2 favourite Lulamba, owned by Cork’s Joe and Marie Donnelly, unseated his rider Nico de Boinville at the 10th fence in the two and a half mile contest.

County Waterford winning trainer Henry de Bromhead said of his Grade 1 win this afternoon:

“It’s a great start to the meeting for us, I am delighted. Darragh was brilliant on him. I thought they went a real good gallop and our lad jumps amazing. I’m delighted for the Moloneys, who are great supporters of ours. It’s so good to get one here.

“I started to get a bit worried for a second (when the second came back at him) but it looks as if he was idling and he picked up again. It was relentless the whole way and they were all jumping so well. I’m delighted for everyone and it’s great for the horse.”

The victorious jockey, Darragh O’Keeffe, racing in Barry Moloney colours, gave a good insight following the race, admitting:

“We always felt he was up to Grade One standard, and it just took us a couple of runs to figure him out. He was very impressive at Leopardstown, we gave the Grade One at Cheltenham a go and we learned plenty about him that day. I think it was huge credit to the horse to come back today after having a grueler in the Brown Advisory. It was a good performance, and his jumping was superb again today.

“I jumped out nice and handy away and I said, wherever I am, I’m just going to get into a rhythm. I couldn’t really hear a whole lot going round, but I could just hear the commentators saying – there was gasp or something – and I knew Lulumba was disappearing from my inside. He was following Harry, so I just kept my horse in a rhythm.

“He was a bit idle even when he jumped the second last, which showed he’s still a bit raw. As soon as he heard the other horse coming to him again, I could feel him picking up. I’m delighted to get a Grade One winner here at Aintree – it’s a special meeting and it’s great for the owners, the Maloneys, and I’m very grateful to everyone.”

Jannik Sinner cruised past Felix Auger-Aliassime to set up a semi-final with Alexander Zverev in the Monte Carlo Masters.

The Italian second seed defeated his Canadian opponent 6-3 6-4 to extend his winning streak in Masters 1000 events to 20 matches – a run during which he has lifted titles at Paris, Indian Wells and Miami.

“I feel like it was a step forwards today,” said Sinner, who dropped a set at a Masters event for the first time in 186 days during his last-16 win against Tomas Machac.

“It was a very tough match. I knew I had to get better in certain areas. The serve is not there yet, where I would love it, but all things considered I’m very happy.

“But in any case, very happy to be back in the semis.”

Nico Schlotterbeck has previously been linked with a move to Manchester United – if the Reds are still keen on the Borussia Dortmund defender, they now know his transfer fee

Manchester United will have to fork out between £43.6million and £52.3m if they want to sign Nico Schlotterbeck from Borussia Dortmund. The versatile defender has previously been linked with a move to Old Trafford.

The Germany international appeared to be a cost-effective option for the summer, as he would have entered the final year of his deal in the summer. However, the goal posts have now moved as he has put pen-to-paper on a brand new contract at the Signal Iduna Park.

He had been negotiating with club officials for months before finally agreeing to a new deal. However, there is understood to be a release clause within his deal.

England’s 2026 World Cup kits

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According to German outlet Kicker, a fee between €50m and €60, which works out to between £43.6m and £52.3m. The left-footed defender is one of the most versatile defenders in Europe who is also known for being composed on the ball.

United’s current left-footed central defender options are Lisandro Martinez and sometimes Luke Shaw, but both players have endured numerous injury issues over the last two seasons. Schlotterbeck would provide cover for both central defence and at left-back, if he were to arrive at Old Trafford.

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Last week, reports from Germany claimed Schlotterbeck could be available for as much as £26m, but this new contract has surely ended that possibility. Liverpool, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona have also been linked with a move.

United director of recruitment Christoph Vivell, as a result of his vast knowledge of the Bundesliga, may still be interested in signing the 26-year-old. However, it’s likely any transfer move will not be made until United announce who will be in charge of them next season.

Nevertheless, there have been some key internal moves within Old Trafford. Harry Maguire recently signed a new deal which will keep him at the club until 2027.

This means United will go into next year with Maguire, Matthijs de Ligt, Lisandro Martinez, Leny Yoro and Ayden Heaven as their central defensive options. It’s understood Maguire took a wage cut to remain at Old Trafford.

When the deal was signed, he said: “Representing Manchester United is the ultimate honour. It is a responsibility that makes myself and my family proud every single day.

“I am delighted to extend my journey at this incredible club to at least eight seasons and continue to play in front of our special supporters to create more amazing moments together.

“You can feel the ambition and potential of this exciting squad. The determination throughout the whole club to fight for major trophies is clear for everyone to see and I am confident that our best moments together remain ahead of us.”

Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix and Disney+ with Ultimate TV package

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Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundle to now include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, as well as 135 channels and full Sky coverage of the Premier League and EFL.

Sky broadcasts more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more with at least 215 live from the top flight alongside Formula 1, darts and golf.

The Dianna Russini-Mike Vrabel (alleged) SCANDAL is now on Day 3, with no end in sight. 

The two spoke about it after the poolside pictures went viral. They both denied anything nefarious happening. And now, we haven’t really heard a peep from anyone of importance since. 

Until, of course, 97.5 the Fanatic in Philadelphia had Adam Schefter on their show Wednesday, and absolutely GRILLED ESPN’s top insider about the whole thing. 

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Broadcaster Adam Schefter of ESPN’s Monday Night Football Countdown is seen on the sideline prior to the NFL International Series game between the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico, on Nov. 21, 2022. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)

And I mean grilled. Poor Schefty. Or, I guess, not poor Schefty? I don’t know. He chose to go on the show, so I assume he knew what was coming. 

Still, this is 10 straight minutes of absolute peppering, and 10 minutes of hemming and hawing from Schefter. 

Take a look! 

Adam Schefter did his best, but the Big Js are taking on water 

Thoughts? First impressions? 

I don’t know. I think it’s fine, if we’re being honest. Again, what do we expect Adam Schefter to say here? At least he said … something? The Big Js are being real quiet on this one. Too quiet. They never shut up, and now all of a sudden nobody is really talking about it in the media? Seems fishy to me. 

Now, Schefter didn’t really give us anything of substance. Like, at all.  

“I didn’t report it. I saw it like everybody else did. And uh, I guess my thought would be, I don’t know what’s right. I don’t know what’s wrong. Uh, I feel bad for the families involved. It’s unfortunate, you know? Um, I know both individuals. 

“Um, and yeah, I guess my first thought would be they went to the families of the people involved and, you know, I just wish everybody the best and hope everything works out with everybody.”

SUPER BOWL CHAMPION DEFENDS MIKE VRABEL, NEW YORK TIMES REPORTER OVER LEAKED PHOTOS

New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel walks on the field before an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Moving stuff, Adam. Poetic. Quite the wordsmith! 

Again, I’m not sure what I’d say here, either. Russini isn’t an ESPN employee, so Adam certainly had runway to talk about this, and he sort of clammed up and kicked the can down the road every time these guys asked him about it. 

Obviously, Russini used to work at ESPN, so she and Schefter go way back. He probably doesn’t want to break some sort of Big J code by dragging her, which I understand. 

But, let me just remind everyone here, that the Big Js LOVE to act holier-than-thou … when it’s convenient for them. They have no problem speaking up when they have the chance to virtue-signal about something, as long as it fits their narrative. 

Remember the Liam Coen press conference incident back in January after the Jags got bounced from the playoffs? The sweet old lady reporter from some small Duval newspaper with a circulation of 10 told Liam Cohen how great he was after the season, and all the Big Js FREAKED out. 

They acted like she had just committed murder. They wanted her banished from the beat FOREVER. 

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Dianna Russini attends the 2026 Fanatics Super Bowl Party at Pier 48 in San Francisco, California, on Feb. 7, 2026. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

And now, three months later, when a fellow Big J is caught taking a swim with an NFL head coach at a romantic resort, they’re all quiet? 

OK. Sure thing!

PS: the tampering question in this interview was among the dumber questions in the history of time. I’m with Schefter on that one. Unfathomably stupid question. 

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WNBA free agency is underway, and Friday provided our first big surprise: Nneka Ogwumike is leaving the Seattle Storm to return to the Los Angeles Sparks, according to ESPN. The Sparks selected Ogwumike No. 1 overall in the 2012 WNBA Draft, and in 2016, she was named the MVP while helping the Sparks win the title. Now, after a short sojourn in Seattle, she has decided to return to Los Angeles to team up with Kelsey Plum. The Sparks have not made the playoffs since 2020, which is the longest drought in the league. Ogwumike’s return will give them a real chance to get back to the postseason. 

What will be the busiest and most expensive free agency period in league history began on Monday (April 6), when teams were first allowed to hand out qualifying offers and core designations. 

Kelsey Mitchell, who finished fifth in MVP voting last season after putting the Indiana Fever on her back, was the first player to receive a core designation. Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty), Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream), Kelsey Plum (Sparks), Ezi Magbegor (Seattle Storm), Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings), Ariel Atkins (Chicago Sky), Bridget Carleton (Portland Fire) and Marina Mabrey (Toronto Tempo) all received core designations as well. 

Elsewhere in the league, the Sky started the week by shockingly trading All-Star Angel Reese to the Dream for a pair of draft picks.

As of Wednesday (April 8), teams were allowed to begin negotiating with outside free agents. Notably, A’ja Wilson told reporters that she plans to re-sign with the reigning champion Las Vegas Aces, while Breanna Stewart and Ionescu have indicated they plan to stay with the Liberty. On the flip side, Satou Sabally has said that she will not return to the Phoenix Mercury.  

On Thursday, the Aces retained another key piece of their core as they were finalizing a one-year deal to bring back Jackie Young, per ESPN. Additionally, ESPN reported that Alyssa Thomas will return to the Phoenix Mercury and Brionna Jones will return to the Atlanta Dream. 

Here’s a look at the free agency schedule:

WNBA free agency key dates

• April 6-7: Teams can make qualifying offers and “core” player designations
• April 8-10: Teams can begin negotiating with free agents, but no deals can be signed
• April 11: Players can officially sign contracts and offer sheets

With a new CBA agreed to by players and the league, this is the biggest free agency class in league history. Aside from Kalani Brown and Lexie Brown, every single player not on a rookie scale contract is a free agent, including Wilson, Collier and Stewart. This will also be the richest free agency class in history. Thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement, the minimum salary in 2026 will be more than $100,000 higher than the supermax in 2025. 

The supermax in 2026 is set at $1.4 million, and players like Wilson, Collier and Stewart are expected to sign it and stay with their incumbent teams.

2026 WNBA salaries

There will inevitably be some movement and some surprises, however. And we’ll be keeping track of the most notable moves right here during 2026 WNBA free agency. Below is our free-agent tracker for the top 50 players in the class.

2026 WNBA free agency tracker

Rajasthan Royals (RR) won the toss and elected to bowl against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in Match 16 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Baraspara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Friday. Rajasthan Royals made a change to their XI with Brijesh Sharma coming in for Tushar Deshpande, while Royal Challengers Bengaluru bolstered their pace attack by bringing back Josh Hazlewood in place of Jacob Duffy, adding experience and control to their bowling lineup. Riyan Parag said the pitch was expected to be dry, but rain could leave early moisture, while stressing that his side has been clinical and focused on playing strategic cricket as planned before the tournament. Parag also noted he is content having less to do personally as long as the openers continue their strong form at the top.

“We are going to be bowling first. It was supposed to be a dry wicket, but it has been raining, and there will be some moisture on this pitch. We would like to extract the most from the pitch,” said RR captain Parag.

Rajat Patidar said the strong crowd support is making it feel like a home game for his side, while confirming that Duffy has missed out with Josh Hazlewood coming into the lineup, describing him as an experienced addition. However, just as he spoke, rain returned to interrupt proceedings, halting momentum after it seemed the weather had cleared.

“This is the first away game. Thanks to everyone. You are making us feel that it is a home crowd. We all love you. Unfortunately, Duffy misses out on this game. Josh Hazlewood is in the team in place of Duffy. Duffy also bowled brilliantly in the last two games. We know Josh is an experienced player. His presence will definitely put us in a good frame of mind,” said RCB captain Patidar.

Playing XIs:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood

Impact substitute: Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam, Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Kanishk Chouhan

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma

Impact substitute: Shubham Dubey, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Tushar Deshpande, Ravi Singh, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi

Featured Video Of The Day

Tushar Deshpande’s Brilliant Final Act Ensures Thrilling Win For RR Over Gujarat Titans

Real Madrid are reportedly considering France head coach Didier Deschamps as their potential head coach option this summer. Los Blancos could consider changing the leadership if Alvaro Arbeloa fails to lead them to any significant titles in this campaign.

Arbeloa took over the helm after former boss Xabi Alonso parted ways with Real Madrid mid-season in January. However, his stint has been a mixed bag so far. Los Blancos bowed out of the Copa del Rey and are seven points behind Barcelona in the LaLiga table. As such, Arbeloa’s future at the club may depend on how the Spanish giants end the season. They still have a fair chance of winning the Champions League and could make a comeback in LaLiga, but winning neither could spell trouble for the current coach.

According to RMC Sport journalist Fabrice Hawkins (h/t One Football), Real Madrid are considering France head coach Didier Deschamps as a potential option to replace Alvaro Arbeloa this summer. Deschamps is set to leave the France national team after the 2026 FIFA World Cup and will be available.

The report states that Los Blancos are specifically impressed by Deschamps due to three factors. The Frenchman has an exceptional record of winning with Les Blues, having led them to two consecutive World Cup finals in 2018 and 2022, and winning the first time. He also boasts a stellar record with clubs like AS Monaco, Marseille, and Juventus.

Secondly, Didier Deschamps’ closeness to Kylian Mbappe is reportedly another factor behind considering his candidature. Mbappe will remain an integral part of Real Madrid’s plans, and Deschamps’ close relationship with him could help the side. Finally, Deschamps is well-experienced in handling big dressing rooms, which is essential for the Spanish giants.

The final decision could depend on how Arbeloa handles things for the rest of the season, with both the Champions League and LaLiga at stake.

Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane set to take over the France national team as head coach after Deschamps’ departure: Reports

Reports from French outlet Le Parisien last month suggest that Real Madrid legend and former coach Zinedine Zidane is set to succeed Didier Deschamps as the France head coach after the World Cup. He has reached a verbal agreement with the French Football Federation to take over the helm.

In an interview with Le Figaro, FFF President Phillipe Diallo mentioned that they’ve already finalized Deschamps’ replacement, although he did not mention Zidane.

“Yes, I know his name. We need a profile that ticks many boxes and that can also garner the support of the French people, since this French national football team is the team of the French,” he said.

Zinedine Zidane has been away from management since working with Real Madrid in the 2020-21 season, which marked his second managerial stint with the club. The midfield legend boasts a stellar record with Los Blancos both as a player and as a coach, having led them to three consecutive Champions League titles in his first stint.