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Kingswood set for 2026 Underwood Stakes test

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Kingswood has made significant strides since joining Gavin Bedggood’s stable.

The horse commenced his career in Ireland before a spell with Maddie Raymond at Warrnambool. He then joined the Bedggood yard in mid-2024, achieving wins in his first two starts at Caulfield, including the Coongy Cup (2000m).

By the end of 2026, Bedggood made the decision to send Kingswood to New Zealand, where he secured a Group 1 victory at Ellerslie.

Following a first-up win at Caulfield over stablemate Just Folk in the Heatherlie Stakes (1700m) last month, Kingswood is preparing for his first Group 1 race on Australian soil in the Underwood Stakes (1800m) at Caulfield on Saturday.

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Despite also being nominated for the Naturalism Stakes (2000m) on the program, Bedggood stated that the Underwood Stakes was always the primary goal. “I threw in a nom for the Naturalism in case something happened,” Bedggood said. “He’s as good as I could have him and he’s improved from his first-up run and I suppose Saturday will be a good test to see where he sits against that calibre of horse.”

Kingswood has drawn the widest gate in an eight-horse field, reduced by one following the withdrawal of Aeliana, who is staying in Sydney for the 7 Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.

Bedggood commented that Kingswood was fit enough for the Heatherlie Stakes and believes he has improved since that run. “He was pretty screwed down first-up but with improvement to come,” Bedggood added. “He definitely hasn’t regressed. His coat has improved and his last two Monday mornings have been great, so I wouldn’t swap my horse for any other in the race.”

Saturday’s race will determine his next target, with the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 3 or the Might And Power (2000m) at Caulfield a week later being the likely options.

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Kingswood has 55kg in the Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 17 and is currently 20th in the ballot order following the release of weights on Thursday. The Cox Plate (2000m) at Flemington on October 24 has not been ruled out.

“Everything is on the table at the moment, but his next two runs will tell us where we sit,” Bedggood concluded. “My gut feeling tells me he’s not sharp enough at 10 furlongs for a Cox Plate.”

Check out the latest online bookmakers for the Underwood Stakes.

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France’s new head coach Zidane unveils team line-up for Nations League matches

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Zinedine Zidane unveiled his first national squad Friday after being appointed lead coach of Les Bleus in July.

The French football icon named star forward Kylian Mbappé captain while opting to leave out former squad members midfielder Aurélien Tchouaméni and striker Marcus Thuram. Zidane also named five new players, among them goalkeeper Guillaume Restes, defenders Andy Diouf and Jérémy Jacquet, as well as midfielder Lucas Da Cunha and striker Esteban Le Paul.

 

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The 54-year-old Zidane, whose brilliance helped France to ​win their ‌first World Cup on home soil in 1998, returns ⁠to the national team tasked with turning recent near-misses into trophies.

Zidane enjoyed a glittering managerial career at ‌former club Real Madrid, leading the Spanish side to three successive ⁠Champions League titles. Similar success will be expected with France, who boast some of football’s most gifted players, as they build up ​to the 2028 European Championship and the 2030 World Cup.

France won the 2018 World Cup, finished runners-up to Argentina in 2022 and reached the semi-finals of this year’s showpiece tournament.

Zidane was appointed as France coach until the 2030 World Cup in July, succeeding Didier ​Deschamps and becoming the third member of France’s 1998 World Cup-winning team ​to lead Les Bleus.

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He will take charge for ​the first time in the Nations League group stage against Turkey in Izmit on September 25. France then ​travel to Belgium before hosting Italy and Belgium in October.

The full list of 23 players includes:

Goalkeepers

  • Mike Maignan (AC Milan)
  • Guillaume Restes (Toulouse)
  • Robin Risser (Lens).

Defenders

  • Andy Diouf (Inter Milan)
  • Jérémy Jacquet (Liverpool)
  • Pierre Kalulu (Juventus)
  • Ibrahima Konaté (Real Madrid)
  • Jules Koundé (Barcelona)
  • Maxence Lacroix (Chelsea)
  • Adrien Truffert (Bournemouth)
  • Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich).

Midfielders

  • Eduardo Camavinga (Real Madrid)
  • Rayan Cherki (Manchester City)
  • Lucas Da Cunha (Como)
  • Manu Koné (AS Roma)
  • Adrien Rabiot (AC Milan)
  • Warren Zaïre-Emery (PSG).

Forwards

  • Bradley Barcola (Liverpool)
  • Ousmane Dembélé (PSG)
  • Désiré Doué (PSG)
  • Estéban Lepaul (Rennes)
  • Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid)
  • Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)

Watch moreNew era for France as Zidane takes charge of national team

 

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(FRANCE 24 with AFP)

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Maria Sharapova moved to tears after Paula Badosa sends heartwarming message about meeting idol for the first time ever at SP Open

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Maria Sharapova was recently moved to happy tears as Paula Badosa sent her a heartwarming message. After the duo met each other for the first time ever at the SP Open, they posed for a photo together and the Spaniard penned a sweet note for her lifelong idol.

Sharapova and Badosa are two of the biggest names of the WTA. While the Russian was one of the foremost stars of the Tour for two decades between 2001 and 2020, Badosa established herself as a top player in recent years. Over the course of her career, the Spaniard has been vocal about drawing inspiration from Sharapova, and the duo recently met each other in Brazil.

Taking to Instagram to share a snap of their meeting, Paula Badosa wrote,

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“Some people inspire you from afar, and then you get lucky enough to meet them. Today was one of those moments. You’re simply amazing @mariasharapova. Little Paula made a dream come true today.”

Reacting to the sweet note, Maria Sharapova reacted with three ‘teary-eyed’ emojis.

Via @paulabadosa on InstagramVia @paulabadosa on Instagram
Via @paulabadosa on Instagram

In Brazil, Badosa is currently competing at the SP Open, a WTA 250 event. The second seed has enjoyed smooth sailing at the tournament so far, ousting the likes of Justina Mikulskyte, Jazmin Ortenzi and Mary Stoiana to reach the semifinal.

When Paula Badosa opened up about Maria Sharapova being her role model

Badosa at the Berlin Tennis Open (Image Source: Getty)Badosa at the Berlin Tennis Open (Image Source: Getty)
Badosa at the Berlin Tennis Open (Image Source: Getty)

Over the years, Paula Badosa has been vocal about looking up to Maria Sharapova as an idol during her childhood, admiring the Russian for her on-court exploits and her off-court personality that went beyond tennis.

In a 2020 interview with Tweener Head Tennis, Badosa hailed Sharapova as her role model, explaining,

“I have to be honest with you, she’s like a role model to me, so I try to copy her. She’s a fighter, so I really like that and as a Spanish player I really like that. Since (I was) young, that’s what they put in your mind – to fight every point – so I think that’s very important. Her game is very aggressive. We don’t play similar (games) but I try to be aggressive in my way as well.”

On the tennis end of things, Paula Badosa will next return to action for her semifinal encounter at the SP Open, where she will take on Nadia Podoroska. Meanwhile, Maria Sharapova was last seen on a tennis court at the US Open, where she presented women’s singles champion Elena Rybakina with her winner’s trophy.