Trainer Matthew Smith is eager to see how Idle Flyer measures up against some of the country’s best horses as she launches her spring campaign in the Winx Stakes at Randwick, with the Cox Plate identified as a potential goal.

After a commanding victory in the Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (1600m) during the autumn, Idle Flyer is set for her most challenging encounter yet, facing rivals including Autumn Glow, Aeliana, Sheza Alibi, and Ceolwulf on Saturday.

Smith acknowledges that an upset might be unlikely but hopes Idle Flyer can compete effectively and build a solid foundation for her season.

“She’s not going to beat those horses in a 1400 metre race, so it’s really a starting point for her,” Smith stated. “She’ll just get better and better into her preparation once she gets to a mile and beyond. But I’m really keen to see where she fits in. She’s had a trouble-free ‘prep’ leading into the run. Her fitness is good, and she handles a wet track, so she’ll run really well.”

Idle Flyer, a five-year-old mare with a relatively light racing load, has accumulated eight wins from 15 starts and has shown continuous improvement over her preparations.

She successfully transitioned to black-type racing a year ago by winning the Group 3 Angst Stakes (1600m), and further enhanced her credentials in the autumn by winning the Group 2 Emancipation Stakes (1500m) before capturing her first Group 1 success.

Smith believes her best performances are still in the future, and her planned third-up appearance in the 7 Stakes (1600m) at Randwick on September 19 will be a critical factor in determining the rest of her spring schedule.

“That will be a fork in the road for us. We’ll either go to the Cox Plate or back the other way,” Smith commented. “We don’t know where the ceiling is. That Queen Of The Turf win was really good. That’s the first time we’ve really stepped her out to a proper race, and she was great, so fingers crossed she can keep going.”

Idle Flyer will represent one half of Smith’s stakes runners at Randwick, with Prima Bella also competing in the Toy Show Quality (1100m).

Prima Bella is aiming for a third consecutive win. While the Group 3 race on Saturday is a significant step up in competition, she is currently the third favourite in the early markets at $4.80, behind the leading chances Apocalyptic ($2.25 fav) and Savvy Hallie ($3.80).

“I thought, if she won the other day you’ve got to have a crack at a mares’ race,” Smith said. “It might be too tough for her, but she’s going well. She’s race fit. She’s ready, and she’ll roll forward. If she can run top four, I’ll be delighted.”

The Winx Stakes presents a fascinating contest for Idle Flyer, with punters keen to assess the racing odds.

Former undisputed champion Antonio Tarver has considered the keys to victory, while also offering a prediction, for both Teofimo Lopez and Rolando ‘Rolly’ Romero.

The pair will collide at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena in the early hours of tomorrow morning, with Romero making a first defence of his WBA world title.

He was upgraded to full welterweight champion last year, having claimed the ‘regular’ belt by dropping and unanimously outpointing Ryan Garcia in May 2025.

After that, Rolly had been in talks with Devin Haney and Conor Benn, only to incur over a year of inactivity and agree to face Lopez instead.

Entering their showdown as a slight favourite, ‘The Takeover’ has moved up to 147lbs and is bidding to become a three-weight world champion.

Unlike Romero, though, Lopez is coming off a surprisingly one-sided points defeat to Shakur Stevenson, who dethroned him for the WBO super-lightweight title in January.

It is therefore difficult to predict which version of the 29-year-old will turn up, yet Hall of Famer Tarver has nonetheless told Fight Hub TV that he is backing Lopez.

“[it will be] high volume if Teo looks to win this thing impressively. He’s going to have to let his hands go, and Rolly’s going to have to try and catch him in the mix of all that.

“I don’t think Rolly can outbox Teo round after round; I think Rolly has to do something big – hurt him with something, knock him down and maybe even stop him.

“Smart money [is on Lopez]. It’s difficult to have your way with [Romero]; you have to be somewhat of a real, elite fighter. We still believe Teo, at his best, has those types of attributes.”

Many would agree that a points decision is Lopez’ clearest route to victory, while Romero may need to make use of his power and engineer an inside-the-distance finish.

A 1000m dash at Stakes level has been on the radar for Signature Scent for some time, according to the Ciaron Maher stable.

Despite failing to place in a recent three-year-old event, the stable sees no reason to hesitate in entering the mare in the Group 3 Carlyon Stakes (1000m) at Sandown on Saturday.

A winner on four occasions from eleven starts, the stable considers Saturday’s race as the ideal juncture to test the mare at Stakes level once more.

Jack Turnbull, National Assistant Trainer for Ciaron Maher Racing, pointed out several factors that favour the mare on Saturday.

“The trip is a big plus and she likes soft ground,” Turnbull said. “And she’s had four weeks in between runs this time. We thought she didn’t run to her best last start because we ran her back a bit quick. She was physically fine, but she was first-up off a 10-week let-up and went back (to the races) after two weeks which is a hard thing to do. It’s a bit of a reprieve, four weeks into this. She’s not in great at the weights, but her quality gives her the chance to be competitive.”

Signature Scent was initially purchased for $200,000 at the Australian Easter Yearling Sale, with Yulong subsequently acquiring her for $1 million at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale in 2024.

The mare has a considerable way to go to recoup her purchase price, but a victory on Saturday would be a welcome start.

“Black Type is essential for her,” Turnbull commented. “She’s got a good page, she is Black Type placed, but if she was to be a winner, it would be immense.”

Turnbull indicated that it’s unlikely Signature Scent would race again in two weeks if she performs well on Saturday in the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at Sandown.

“Especially off the two-week turnaround,” Turnbull stated. “There is the Wylie Handicap in Adelaide on September 12, so if she was to run well, that could be a race we could look at.”

Signature Scent has a prior win at Morphettville and earned a placing in the Listed Redelva Stakes in April.

Ahead of the Carlyon Stakes, the focus is on the racing betting markets available at betting sites.

PurplePTSD works in partnership with Vikings Territory, similarly doing their utmost to offer top-notch coverage of the Minnesota Vikings. As a result, we’re promoting five of their top articles of the past month in “The P/PTSD Perspective.” Take a peek at some of their best stuff.

The P/PTSD Perspective: August 22nd, 2026

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4) Vikings Sign Multiple Defenders, Release One: The roster shuffle never fully ends. All that gets adjusted in the NFL is whether business moves slow or fast. The Brian Flores defense appears ready to play very good football in 2026.

5) Vikings’ Safeties Have Eventful Day 2 of Joint Practices: Lately, there has been some concern about the depth for the Vikings’ safety position. Losing Jamal Adams really stings. Part of what makes the current outlook a bit more optimistic has been the play of UDFA Jacob Thomas.

Enjoy the extra reading, Vikings fans.

Senior Editor for Vikings Territory & PurplePTSD . Twitter & Bluesky: @VikingsGazette. Email: k.joudry[at]vikingsterritory[dot]com. Canadian. Jude 1:24-25.

Titan Ultra Giant Risers in a huddle during a game in the 2026 PBA Governors’ Cup. –PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines–Blowout losses, injuries and the future of its best player marred Titan Ultra’s campaign in the first phase of the 2026 PBA Governors’ Cup.

The Giant Risers sit dead last in Group A with a 2-7 record, also the worst win-loss mark among all teams in the season-ending conference as of the ongoing break.

Five of Titan Ultra’s defeats were by at least 30 points, including the last two outings against TNT (114-80) and San Miguel Beer (143-113). The Beermen also handed the Giant Risers their worst loss of the conference by 38 (143-105) earlier this month.

“It’s hard to motivate the team and the players when you’re coming off [a losing streak],” said coach Rensy Bajar during one of Titan Ultra’s victories.

Titan Ultra is also trying to unload two-way star Joshua Munzon, who was almost shipped to TNT for rookie center Joe Celso and a future first-round pick.

Reports, however, said that the Giant Risers balked at the deal after they lost rookie guard Bryan Sajonia to an ACL injury after his right knee buckled during their second encounter with the Beermen.

Sajonia’s injury was the second one after fellow rookie banger Mark Omega had to miss the remainder of the games before the break after a bad fall in the win against Macau.

Titan Ultra dropped its first three games to Terrafirma (113-100), Converge (105-74) and NLEX (135-100) before entering the win column with a shock upset of TNT (103-87).

“I just told the team to just enjoy the game and not think about winning right away,” Bajar said after beating the fancied TNT side that played far from its expected form.

But Titan Ultra would drop the next two to Macau (132-126) and the aforementioned first match with San Miguel, before avenging its loss to the Giant Pandas (132-128).

After receiving a fifth year of eligibility, former Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos has entered the NCAA transfer portal, sources tell CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz.

On Friday, a Kentucky judge granted a temporary injunction in an eligibility lawsuit that included Castellanos and former Missouri basketball standout Mark Mitchell. Because Castellanos now has an injunction, he will not be affected by the new ruling in the Colorado lawsuit that took away eligibility for qualified athletes in the class of 2022.

A three-star recruit out of Georgia, Castellanos signed with UCF as a member of the 2022 recruiting class. The following season, Castellanos transferred to Boston College, where he started across two seasons before jumping to Florida State as a senior in 2025.

Last year, Castellanos completed 58.3% of his passes for 2,760 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions while also rushing for 557 yards and nine touchdowns. While Castellanos’ lone season with the Seminoles was turbulent, he led the team to an upset of No. 8 Alabama in Week 1.

Throughout his college career, Castellanos has provided dynamic playmaking with his legs, and he even rushed for 1,113 yards as a sophomore at Boston College. Despite missing spring practice and most of fall camp, Castellanos has already reportedly generated significant interest from at least one Power Four team.

Where will Castellanos land?

Texas Tech has emerged as the most likely landing spot for Castellanos as he looks to continue his college career, according to multiple reports. Given how the quarterback situation has evolved in Lubbock throughout the offseason, landing with the Red Raiders makes plenty of sense for Castellanos.

Texas Tech paid up to land Cincinnati transfer Brendan Sorsby out of the transfer portal, but due to fallout from a gambling scandal, Sorsby will no longer play for the Red Raiders this fall. Will Hammond — very talented in his own right — is now the starter, but he’s coming off a torn ACL he suffered last October.

While the Red Raiders are still fine at the top of the quarterback depth chart, the loss of Sorsby made them much shallower. Sophomore Lloyd Jones III is currently set to back up Hammond, but he’s attempted just five passes at the college level. Castellanos would give Texas Tech more insurance at the most important position on the field.

That’s important because the rest of the Texas Tech roster looks to be a legitimate College Football Playoff threat. The Red Raiders brought in 22 players via the portal, and that class ranked No. 6 nationally, according to 247Sports. Castellanos would help ensure that those title hopes won’t be immediately derailed if Hammond is unable to play.

Australia responded to their nine-wicket defeat in the first Test at Darwin by bowling Bangladesh out for 64 on the opening day of the second and final Test in Mackay on Saturday.

After winning the toss, Australia captain Pat Cummins chose to field and Mitchell Starc made an impact with the first ball. He dismissed Shadman Islam for a duck, registering his ninth first-over wicket in Test cricket and moving past England’s James Anderson, who had eight such dismissals.

Starc then continued his spell, taking five wickets inside the first seven overs as Bangladesh slumped to 12/5. It was the sixth-fastest five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

. Starc took five wickets in the first 45 minutes as the visitors slipped to 12/5 before reaching lunch at 35/6.

Cummins added three wickets for 25 runs as Bangladesh slipped further to 39/9. The visitors, however, managed to avoid their lowest-ever Test total. Their lowest score remains 43 against West Indies in 2018.

Bangladesh were eventually bowled out for 64, with Starc finishing with 6/12 from 10 overs.

The spell also took Starc past South African great Dale Steyn’s 439 Test wickets. With 441 wickets, Starc is now the 10th-highest wicket-taker in Test cricket. He has taken 19 five-wicket hauls and three 10-wicket match hauls, with best figures of 7/58.

For Bangladesh, the collapse came after Australia had been beaten by nine wickets in Darwin in the opening Test. The second Test therefore began with Australia in control and Bangladesh under pressure with the bat.