Dan Clarken and Oopy MacGillivray have spring aspirations for their mare Mating Call, who is set to kick off her campaign at Morphettville.

Clarken is looking forward to seeing Mating Call compete over six furlongs again in the Group 3 Behemoth Stakes (1200m) this Saturday.

The mare’s only previous experience at 1200m was a winning debut at Balaklava nine months ago.

After her debut, Clarken and MacGillivray took Mating Call to Melbourne for the Group 2 Thousand Guineas Prelude, where she finished sixth. She then followed this with a third in the Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes and a fifth in the Group 1 Thousand Guineas.

“I’m really interested to see her at six furlongs,” Clarken said. “We’ve only seen her the once and that was the day she won her first start at Balaklava and the way she won was just ridiculous. She then ran really well over in Melbourne and that was her first prep. Now she’s furnished into a four-year-old mare and she look fantastic. We’re excited to see where she gets to.”

Mating Call is nominated for the Cox Plate (2000m) at Flemington in October, though Clarken believes a start in the Caulfield Cup (2400m) is unlikely.

Regarding the Cox Plate nomination, Clarken stated, “You have to do these things because you just don’t know as they can come out of left field at this time of year. You have to dream, but I’m not sure 2400 metres of the Caulfield Cup would be her go. She probably gets too much up on the steel, she’s not relaxed, for that sort of trip right at the moment. I’m not saying it’s never going to happen, but right at the moment it might be a stretch too far for her.”

Mating Call recently finished second in a jump-out at Murray Bridge and had a gallop between races at Morphettville last Saturday.

“She appears to have come up really well,” Clarken commented. “She’s had a jump-out and then she had a good gallop at Morphettville just to get her away from Murray Bridge and get a few shakes and shivers out of the way. It served its purpose. Her time on the tracker was very good. After Saturday, she’ll go over the border, that’s the idea. You have to get them going to start with, this is in our backyard and a good starting point for her, and then we can work out where to go from there.”

For the upcoming Behemoth Stakes, consider checking out the betting sites offering comprehensive racing odds.

Somebody needs to fire up Chumbawamba. J.J. McCarthy gets knocked down but then gets up again. It’s an admirable trait that’s going to serve him well no matter how this thing goes.

Per the word from various onlookers, Mr. McCarthy was better at Friday’s practice. By no means does that result in him being the favorite to be the starter for Week 1. Rather, the updates function as a reminder that this thing is still going and that the competition is real.

J.J. McCarthy Better than Kyler Murray on Friday

Consider what Will Ragatz had to say.

The veteran writer’s social media update: “Vikings just wrapped another padded practice. Not a very riveting one, to be honest. Lot of special teams work early on and run game focus. I’d give the QB edge to McCarthy, who looked sharp. But there weren’t many eye-popping throws from either guy. Murray continues to get more of the reps with the starters.”

Some onlookers are going want better than just being “sharp,” but Kevin O’Connell may not being among them.

Whoever starts at quarterback needs to function as a point guard, as Kirk Cousins used to say. Be a good distributor who puts the ball into the playmakers’ hands. Doing so will lead to points getting put on the board. Do that across enough possessions and wins will follow.

For the Vikings, “sharp” is exactly what’s needed. For the Vikings, “sharp” was exactly what was missing.

However, many will think that McCarthy needs to be Hercules to overcome Kyler Murray. Quite possibly, that perspective will prove true since the veteran has accomplished a decent amount.

What’s worth remembering is simply that the competition is ongoing. We haven’t yet arrived at the preseason games and nor have the Baltimore Ravens travelled to Eagan for joint practices. Those are going to be crucial pieces of the puzzle for evaluating who is capable of elevating the team. Seeing one prove far better — sharper? — in these settings will mean a lot.

Consider another perspective. Judd Zulgad of SKOR North offers his two cents:

“J.J. McCarthy had the better day today than Kyler,” Zulgad explains. Note that the reporter does say that Murray continued to get more work even though he “had a very average day.” Zulgad is among those who thinks that Murray is going to win the competition.

As I’ve said a few times, McCarthy isn’t a static entity. Rather, he’s dynamic, getting better or worse as the days go. So, too, is Murray seeing his game change. Hopefully, both are getting better. Who is going to be better in a month, two months, and so on? In theory, the younger of the two should have more room for growth, but that’s not a locked-in outcome.

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J.J. McCarthy is still only 23. Kyler Murray just arrived at his 29th birthday. The battle continues.

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

Eya Laure and Alas Pilipinas women during a game  in the 2026 SEA V Cup Leg 2. –SAVA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Alas Pilipinas Women stayed in the medal hunt in the SEA V Cup Leg 2 after ending a seven-year losing streak to defending champion Vietnam, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-22, on Saturday at Chiang Mai Stadium in Thailand.

The Philippines finally got over the hump against Vietnam, a team it had not beaten since the 2019 edition of the tournament and in previous AVC Women’s Cup tournaments.

The victory also kept alive the Filipinos’ hopes of returning to the podium after their four-straight bronze medal streak ended last week in Hanoi.

READ: Alas Pilipinas swept by Thailand in SEA V Cup Leg 2 opener

Eya Laure played her best game of the tournament so far, dazzling with 22 points from 19 kills, two blocks and an ace.

The Choco Mucho star came to the rescue after the Philippines blew a 19-13 lead in the fourth set, with Pham Quynh Huong delivering big hits to tie the game at 22.

Bella Belen stopped the bleeding with a clutch kill before Laure sent the Philippines to match point, 24-22, with an off-the-block hit.

Alas Pilipinas women’s Eya Laure in action in the 2026 SEA V Cup Leg 2. –SAVA PHOTO

Laure then found the perfect timing to block Tran Thi Thanh Thuy for the game winner, giving the Philippines a 1-1 record and a chance to return to the podium with a win over Indonesia on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Interestingly, Laure was a rookie when the Philippines beat Vietnam in the 2019 SEA V Cup, formerly known as ASEAN Grand Prix, in two legs in Thailand and Laguna. Current Alas seniors Jia De Guzman and Dawn Catindig were also part of that team.

Leg 1 Best Opposite Hitter Alyssa Solomon delivered 17 points, while her National University teammate Belen had 16, highlighted by three blocks. De Guzman also helped spread the offense as the Philippines snapped an eight-game losing streak to Vietnam in the SEA V Cup.

Thea Gagate also stepped up with six kill blocks to finish with 10 points, while Dell Palomata had four blocks to finish with nine points, with the team tallying 15 kill blocks.

The Filipino spikers held as many as an 18-9 lead in the third set, with Belen, Laure, Solomon and Gagate delivering the goods. But Thuy cut the deficit to three, 23-20, before Laure and Belen closed out the set to give the Philippines a 2-1 match advantage.

Thuy topscored with 25 points. Huong had 14, while Tran Thi Bich Thuy added 12 only to drop to 0-2 in the tournament before facing Leg 1 champion Thailand on Sunday.

USC Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava was eligible to enter the NFL Draft last year, but he wisely decided to return to school. His statistical numbers were definitely there, and he might have indeed been a mid-round pick, had he entered the 2026 draft.

However, the Honolulu, Hawaii native opted-in to the Alamo Bowl last season, for a game that almost all of his key teammates opted-out of.

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Maiava committed to play, performed very well in the postseason game, and then returned for another season with the Trojans.

Right now, he’s solidly projected to a be a day two selection, and he’s on pretty much everybody’s top ten QB list for the 2027 draft. He’s got prototypical size and throws a great deep ball, but he’s still pretty turnover prone.

Not to mention he also needs to work on improving how he works through his progressions.

At Big Ten Media Days, Maiava discussed how he can level up this season (and with that augment his draft stock)

“I think just being able to be a product of any environment,” Maiava said, to a group of reporters, from his podium at Big Ten Media Days.

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“I can’t be a product of just one environment. I got to be a product of all environments. So I think being able to adapt to the environment and just get to know the receivers at a deeper level so we can play at a high level and play fast.”

USC loses two all-world wide outs from last season, Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane, so the receiver room is rebuilding this season. Maiava will have to help bring them along.

The Polynesian UNLV transfer discussed his ambition to continue: “just building that chemistry with those guys and everything we got to do to put the offense in the best position to score points.”

He then added:

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“I mean there’s a lot of room for improvement for everybody, across the board including me…constant wanting to learn, that constant wanting to get better, having that mindset of never being satisfied, fundamentally wise, my craft, decision-making, it’s kind of the whole thing.”

USC has a long illustrious history at the quarterback position, and many of these Trojan legends come by, from time to time, to visit the facilities.

Maiava name-checked three that he’s gotten to meet and know: Sam Darnold (who now has all-time legendary meme status), Caleb Williams, and Matt Leinart. He then articulated the experience of hanging out with them.

“The cool thing about USC is a lot of different quarterbacks; they come back and visit quite often,” Maiava said from his podium in the Hilton Chicago ballroom.

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“I’ve been blessed to just cross paths with them and share a conversation with them.

“That’s really cool for me. Just the whole experience of being the quarterback at USC, it’s tough to beat. They’re legends. Love sitting down and talking to those guys.”

Maiava threw for 3,711 yards and 24 touchdown passes, as well as 157 yards on the ground. If he can build on that, he could really be something.

This article originally appeared on Draft Wire: USC QB Jayden Maiava on how he can become the finished product

Also in this bulletin: high diving in a breathtaking setting, Kasia Niewiadoma’s big move on the Tour de France, Liverpool’s offer to PSG for Barcola, Marseille looking set to make more sales, PSG’s final friendly before the UEFA Super Cup, Aston Villa’s defeat to Bayern Munich, Terence Atmane’s exit at the Montreal Masters 1000, Naomi Osaka’s comfortable win in Toronto, and Gavi dying his hair pink.

Devin Haney has reportedly reached “advanced negotiations” for his maiden WBO title defence, with the welterweight champion seemingly still targeting a date of October 3.

Initially, this date was reserved for his mandatory title defence against Keyshawn Davis, only for their contest to go up in smoke after the ‘Businessman’ withdrew his interest.

The whole saga saw Davis reject a reported offer of $3m, before pulling out of the fight after a WBO purse bid hearing resulted in his promoter, Top Rank, winning with a sum of $8.55m.

As per the sanctioning bodies’ 75/25 split in favour of the champion, this would have meant Davis pocketing a total of $2.14m.

With Davis forgoing his mandatory position, however, Haney began pursuing a unification match with Liam Paro, who dethroned Lewis Crocker for the IBF 147lb title in June.

According to boxing journalist Julius Julianis, though, the Aussie priced himself out of negotiations and left Haney scratching around for yet another new opponent.

As per a Julianis social media post, which has been reshared by Haney, this led the three-weight world champion to invite Jack Catterall to the negotiating table.

“Devin Haney and Jack Catterall are in advanced negotiations to face off on October 3rd for the WBO welterweight world title currently held by Haney. Negotiations with Liam Paro broke down due to the Australian’s excessive financial demands.”

🚨🚨
Devin Haney y Jack Catterall, en negociaciones muy avanzadas para enfrentarse el 3 de octubre por el Mundial wélter WBO que ostenta Haney

La negociación con Liam Paro se rompió por las excesivas pretensiones económicas del australiano#HaneyCatterall

— JuliusJulianis (@julianisjulius) August 7, 2026

Catterall comes off arguably a career-best performance against Shakhram Giyasov, who he unanimously outpointed for the WBA ‘regular’ title in May.

Haney, meanwhile, has not fought since dethroning Brian Norman Jr in November; back when he, like Catterall, scored an early knockdown before winning convincingly on points.

Michael Carrick is Manchester United’s seventh permanent manager since Sir Alex Ferguson delivered their most recent Premier League title

After a successful audition in the second half of last season, Michael Carrick is bracing himself for his first full Premier League term as Manchester United manager. He is the seventh man to earn the gig on a permanent basis since legendary boss Sir Alex Ferguson walked away in 2013, making for an average tenure of around two years.

Carrick has three more friendlies, including this Saturday against Paris Saint-Germain, during which he can tweak his lineup. The league opener is just a fortnight away and comes in the form of a lunchtime trip to newly promoted Hull City on August 22.

United are still chasing a first league title since Ferguson’s final season, with Carrick the latest to try his luck. The Manchester Evening News has taken a look at what happened to the other six, both during and after their tenures at Old Trafford.

David Moyes

Moyes succeeded Ferguson but lasted less than one season at Old Trafford after missing out on Champions League qualification. It took him a while to rebuild his reputation after stints at Real Sociedad and Sunderland but he managed it in some style.

At West Ham, the Scottish boss oversaw multiple European runs and led the club to Conference League glory in 2023. He has since returned to Everton, the club he left for United in 2013, finishing 13th in his first full league season back on Merseyside.

Louis van Gaal

Van Gaal delivered United’s first silverware of the post-Ferguson era in the form of the 2015/16 FA Cup. However, he would leave that very same summer.

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A brief retirement from football didn’t stick, with the Dutch boss returning to the dugout for the Netherlands national team and leading them to the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup. He recently suggested he would be open to taking charge of the Oranje for a fourth time following Ronald Koeman’s dismissal.

Jose Mourinho

Mourinho went one better than Van Gaal, winning the Europa League and League Cup. Things quickly went south, though, with the Portuguese boss dismissed midway through the 2018/19 season.

The former two-time Chelsea boss is now onto his fifth permanent job since leaving Old Trafford, in a fifth different league. After spells with Tottenham, Roma, Fenerbahce and Benfica, he returned to Real Madrid this summer some 13 years on from his first spell at the Bernabeu.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Solskjaer, like Carrick, initially took over on an interim basis. However, he was given the permanent reins in March 2019 and was in charge for more matches than any other post-Ferguson boss.

The Norwegian has spent time as a technical observer for UEFA, though he paused the role for a brief stint as Besiktas manager. He was recently linked with the Ipswich Town job after Kieran McKenna’s departure, only for the gig to ultimately go to Gary O’Neil.

Erik ten Hag

Dutch boss Ten Hag led United to League Cup glory in 2023 and also took the club back into the Champions League. A difficult second season was salvaged somewhat by an FA Cup triumph but he was dismissed early in the 2024/25 season.

His next job was a far shorter affair as he lasted just 62 days at Bayer Leverkusen. He is now sporting director at FC Twente, the club where he ended his playing career and began life as a coach two decades ago.

Ruben Amorim

Amorim took over from Ten Hag after thriving with Sporting CP and took United to the Europa League final in his first season. However, his tenure lasted just 14 months, with his dismissal coming days after an explosive interview following a draw with Leeds.He was linked with the Benfica job after Mourinho left for Real Madrid but has instead ended up at AC Milan.