General Salute has bypassed an Epsom Handicap start, opting instead for a race of similar value a week after his Randwick triumph.

The six-year-old, who went off at $12, notched his third black-type success in the Bill Ritchie Handicap over 1400 metres on Saturday. He stalked the leader Matcha Latte ($13) and managed to reel him in late to secure the Group 3 victory by a half-length.

Previously hampered by foot issues, General Salute has been free of these problems this season, which has been reflected in his current strong form.

“Tim (Clark) trialled him the other day. He’s got a great association with him, and he said it was the best he’d ever felt,” co-trainer Sterling Alexiou stated. “He landed in a nice spot in a sit-and-sprint race. He’s a lot better with a bit of cut out of the track, but he’s going great.”

Despite earning ballot exemption for the Epsom Handicap (1600m) by winning the Bill Ritchie, Alexiou confirmed the mile feature was not on the horse’s agenda.

The gelding will instead be aimed at the Alan Brown Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill on October 10, with both races boasting a $1.5 million prize pool.

“He hasn’t had the preparation now (for an Epsom),” Alexiou added. “We missed a run the other week in the Tramway. He spiked a bit of a temperature a month ago, so he’ll probably go to the Alan Brown now.”

General Salute was returning from a successful off-season campaign where he won the Winter Stakes (1400m) and achieved placings in the Bob Charley AO Stakes (1100m) and Winter Challenge (1500m).

Jockey Tim Clark commented that he hadn’t planned to race as prominently as he did, but was content with his position given the race’s tempo, echoing Alexiou’s assessment of the horse’s peak condition.

“He landed a little bit closer to the speed than I thought,” Clark admitted. “I was happy to be there the way the race was being run. He seems like he’s matured and he’s a very talented horse.”

Headley Grange, the $4 favourite, ran a typically solid race to finish third, three-quarters of a length behind the second-placed finisher.

Compare the latest racing betting markets from various bookmakers.

The Indian strike force was at its lethal best against Indonesia, with the likes of Dilpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, veteran Mandeep Singh, Abhishek, Shilanand Lakra and Rajinder Singh working in tandem to create and convert chances. From set pieces, it was skipper Harmanpreet Singh and Jugraj Singh who took responsibility, and the onus will be on the duo to deliver throughout the competition. The match against Sri Lanka should be a cakewalk for the Indians, and chief coach Craig Fulton will be keen to test all his players ahead of two tough pool matches against South Korea and Japan.

Tom Dabernig, the trainer from Warrnambool, is looking forward to Oliveanotherday’s return to Caulfield for this Sunday’s Manikato Stakes. However, the trainer has acknowledged a minor concern ahead of the four-year-old’s first Group 1 start.

The gelding is heading into the $2 million race after his least successful outing, finishing fifth in the Group 2 Bobbie Lewis Quality at Flemington on September 12. The main reason identified for this performance was his initial exposure to racing down the straight.

Dabernig has suggested that an additional factor might have played a role, which Oliveanotherday could potentially face again this weekend in the 1200-metre weight-for-age event.

“I think it was just a case of straight first time and Good 3 track,” Dabernig said.

“I’m not totally blaming the Good 3, but I’m sure that he’s best runs for me have been on softer going.”

He elaborated, “He’s been very good here at Caulfield, so I’m just hoping that back at Caulfield he’ll accelerate off the bend and third-up be better than he was second-up.”

“He was only beaten 1.6 lengths and the winner came from the inside, the horses in the centre didn’t figure too much, so it might have been a combination of things.”

“But, I must admit, a Good 3 track would be my concern.”

Oliveanotherday has an impressive record of six wins from his nine career starts, with two of these victories occurring on Good 4 tracks. The Bobbie Lewis Quality was his inaugural race on a Good 3 surface.

Caulfield, a track where Oliveanotherday has won twice on the main course and once on the Heath track, was upgraded to a Good 3 during last Saturday’s race meeting. Dabernig is hoping for the predicted light showers on Saturday to materialise, following warm temperatures on Thursday and Friday.

Although disappointed that Oliveanotherday’s five-race winning streak was halted at Flemington, Dabernig is optimistic that the experience against seasoned sprinters will benefit him prior to facing established Group 1 competitors, including Beiwacht, Jimmysstar, and Giga Kick this weekend.

“The winner of that race has win six times down the straight and they’re all six and seven-year-olds and we’re only a four-year-old and only lightly-raced,” Dabernig stated.

“So, we were inexperienced and there were all those other factors there, so when you reflect on it all, there were probably reasons (for the result).”

The final line-up for the Manikato Stakes, as well as other races on the program such as Pride Of Jenni’s attempt for a third successive win in the Group 2 Feehan Stakes, will be confirmed on Wednesday morning. Consider the available Australian betting sites for the upcoming racing action.

Week Two in the NFL brought plenty of excitement.

Eight games this week were decided by one score or less.

With the Rams’ win on Monday Night, 24 of the 32 teams in the league are 1-1 or better.

Here are my picks for the best NFL performances by former players from the region.

writes about various topics for SuperWest sports, including stats and records, college sports, and motorsports. He also founded and runs the Sports and Entertainment Research Center (SERC).

Latest posts by Stephen Vilardo (see all)

Former champion Jon Jones has taken responsibility for Gable Steveson leaving the cage before his loss was announced at UFC 331.

On Saturday, Steveson was knocked out by seismic underdog Sean Sharaf in 12 seconds, in a scene that sent the Los Angeles crowd into raptures.

The result was the first loss of Steveson’s young career – a career that has brought major expectations, due to the American’s Olympic gold medal in wrestling.

Expectations around Steveson, 26, were only heightened when he began training with his friend Jones, one of the most controversial personalities in UFC history.

And there was controversy on Saturday, when Steveson and Jones left the cage and ringside area before their result was announced.

Jones, 39, has now moved to address the matter, writing on social media: “I’ve seen some reports on line and I really wanted to clear the air.

“It was my decision to take Gable straight to the back after the fight. Honestly it was the first time in this situation for me and my instant reaction was to get my friend to the back to make sure he was ok.

“Gable’s work ethic and will to win is there and I stand by him and believe he will go on to be one of the best heavyweights in the UFC. He will be back I’m sure of it.”

Steveson was 4-0 prior to UFC 331, with four first-round knockouts to his name. However, he had also shown himself to be raw, and Sharaf exposed his inexperience.

Sharaf, a former US marine, was emotional in the cage after his win, and he told reporters afterwards: “Yeah, I saw him leaving, but I was thinking about this before the fight.

“I was 4-0, I was undefeated when I had my first loss in the UFC, and he just had his first loss. It makes you better; you’re going to take a look back and you can’t underestimate people. You can’t think you’re untouchable and you’re just going to run through people.

“I think he’s going to go back, he’s going to get better. He’s got a hell of a lot of talent, so I’m sure you guys see him again.

“I told you the gameplan was hit, don’t get hit, leave with a bag full of cash. Everyone thought I was joking, but no, I’m just grateful. I’m so grateful.

“I prayed so hard, I believed in myself, my team believed in me, and I’m just so happy. I’m so happy for this moment.

“I was just treating this like every other fight. I don’t put anyone on a pedestal. He has two hands, two legs, and he bleeds red, so I guess I shocked the world, but I haven’t felt any different. I’m definitely getting more interviews, that’s for sure, but that’s about it.”

India continued their brilliant run at the Asian Games 2026, being held in Aichi-Nagoya, on Tuesday as they added their first gold medal of the edition, courtesy of Harmanpreet Kaur-led India’s women’s cricket team, who beat Sri Lanka in the gold medal match by 147 runs to retain their title as defending champions.

The gold medal from cricket took India’s total medal count to 7, with 5 of those medals (4 silver and 1 bronze) coming from shooting. One remaining medal came from MMA, as Suchika Tariya secured the bronze medal in the women’s 60kg event.

India also confirmed at least one bronze medal on Tuesday as India’s men’s badminton team beat Japan 3-0 to book their place in the men’s team event semifinal round. 

India currently have 7 medals to their name (1 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals) and are currently placed eighth in the overall points table. 

Full list of India’s medal winners in Asian Games 2026 so far:

China continue to lead the medal tally

As per the current medal count, China are leading the medal tally with 30 gold, 12 silver and 7 bronze medals to their name. Hosts Japan are in second position with 9 gold, 14 silver and 16 bronze medals.

Kazakhstan (6 gold, 1 silver and 5 bronze medals), the Republic of Korea (5 gold, 4 silver and 15 bronze medals) and Thailand (4 gold,1 silver and 1 bronze medal) are the next three teams in the top five.

Asian Games 2026 medal tally: