The Ciaron Maher stable is commencing the campaigns of two young horses at Caulfield this Saturday, with the hope that they can step up to more significant assignments in the upcoming spring racing season.

Ghana’s Akan and Milsons Point are slated to compete in the Stow Robotics Handicap (1100m), their initial outings since the autumn racing period concluded.

Milsons Point has been gelded following his participation in the VOBIS Showdown (1200m) at Caulfield in March. Jack Turnbull, National Assistant Trainer for Ciaron Maher Racing, commented that Saturday presents a suitable starting point with larger races in mind.

“He’s a big lad,” Turnbull remarked about Milsons Point. “Last prep he was strong as a colt, but he has softened up a touch as a gelding. He is a miler, that’s his future, so he’ll go up in trip pretty quick.”

Milsons Point has undergone two jump-outs in preparation for his return to racing and won an 800-metre heat at Caulfield last week.

“We’re pleased with how he’s come back, but his Grand Finals are down the track,” Turnbull stated. “The Caulfield Guineas would be his Grand Final, but we don’t know if he’s good enough. We’ll give him his chance to get there in races like the Mike Moroney at Flemington, the Prelude or the Stutt Stakes.”

Ghana’s Akan is yet to secure a victory in four career starts, but she has achieved two second-place finishes and accumulated prize money just shy of $470,000.

The daughter of Street Boss finished second in the Inglis Millennium at Randwick before concluding her previous preparation with a fifth-place finish in the Group 1 Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield.

Despite not having won a race, Ghana’s Akan has been assigned the top weight of 59kg, which will be mitigated by the 3kg claim from jockey Jabez Johnstone.

“We were sort of surprised in a way with the weight, but she’s a talented filly that put the writing on the wall last prep,” Turnbull said. “She’s strengthened up but will be better again coming out of the spring into the autumn. She’s quick, she had a nice trial last week and she’s cleaned up in the skin.”

Turnbull indicated that Ghana’s Akan would be kept to sprinting distances throughout the spring, with the Group 3 Quezette Stakes (1100m) at Caulfield on August 15 being a potential early target.

“The three weeks should work well, so that’s her path,” Turnbull added. “I think she’s more short course. That’s the way we see her, and I think the 1100 and 1200 metres is her go this prep.”

Saturday’s Stow Robotics Handicap provides a good starting point for these two stablemates to kick off their spring campaigns.

Check the latest racing odds on the action at Caulfield through Australian betting sites.

Ask Kevin O’Connell and he’ll say that some news coaches have been helping. Frank Smith is a tremendous mind for the rushing attack. Meanwhile, Keith Carter comes to work prepared and determined. Combined, these two are meant to push the Vikings’ rushing attack to a new level.

All eyes are on the quarterbacks in the Twin Cities. Perhaps the best way to support whoever wins the job will be through a potent ground game. Being able to control the clock, grind down defenses, remain unpredictable, and setup play action will pay dividends whether Kyler Murray or J.J. McCarthy get the nod. Kevin O’Connell has consistently praised these two new coaches, Smith and Carter, for what they’re contributing to the rushing attack.

Kevin O’Connell Points Toward Pair of New Coaches

Quite possibly, leaning on Jordan Mason is the way to go. After all, he’s a 27-year-old runner who hasn’t had a huge workload to this point in his career. The fresh, physical runner boasts a nasty demeanour even if he does have limitations in the passing game.

Otherwise, the main names to know are Aaron Jones, Demond Claiborne, and Max Bredeson (the 5th-Round rookie fullback). Jones, in particular, is going to receive a meaty workload. A touch less athletic than the Jones of yesteryear, the veteran is only hindered by injury. A healthy Jones is an effective Jones; expect him to be featured prominently

In fact, Jones has been outspoken about the brilliance of Coach Smith, pointing to Miami’s former OC as somebody who understands the game at a very high level. Jones is a smart guy who has been around for a while. Impressing the veteran therefore says something.

Check out some of what Kevin O’Connell had to say back in June about these coaches: “I think Keith’s done a phenomenal job. Really being the engine behind the technique and fundamentals. And can’t understate Frank’s impact from a schematical, big-picture standpoint of really being what we want to be as an offense.”

— READ MORE: Ian Rapoport Offers His 2 Cents —
— READ MORE: The Former Vikings GM’s Training Camp Preview —
— READ MORE: Is Kyler Murray the Answer that Justin Jefferson Needs? —

To clarify, O’Connell is discussing o-line coach Keith Carter and assistant head coach Frank Smith, both of whom are bringing a fresh perspective to the coaching staff.

More broadly, O’Connell is responding to a question of running wide zone. Picture the offensive line moving horizontally as a runner glides toward the sideline. That runner needs good vision and decisiveness. When a sliver of daylight appears between the large lads, explode vertically. The basic philosophy sounds simple but it’s the sort of thing that needs extensive practice to perfect. Football is all about the details.

And, no doubt, there’s plenty of merit in sticking with the ground game. A run that went for 3 yards in the 1st quarter may go for 13 yards in the 4th quarter due to the fatigue that sets in on the gridiron. Can these new coaches push O’Connell toward being more patient with the ground attack?

In fact, Coach Carter spoke to that reality not too long ago when he chatted with the Vikings’ Tatum Everett. “The run game isn’t always pretty,” the coach said, “it’s not always even exciting. But you need belief that it’s getting better as the game goes. And the more ops we get, the more we’re going to be able to make it better as the game goes.”

Carter is speaking toward a central issue for Kevin O’Connell: being too reluctant to commit himself to calling run plays consistently.

The Vikings are moving into the fifth season with Kevin O’Connell as the head coach. Continuing to struggle on the ground could plausibly be a central reason for the team failing to live up to its potential. Or, perhaps, the opposite occurs as the O’Connell offense figures out how to arrive at a healthy balance. Doing so would position the Vikings to get into the playoffs and do damage once there.

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

As we count down to the first college football game of the 2026 season, we continue our new series: The records of each top CFB program in the West against all the others in the region.

Some schools have met many times over the years, while others are beginning new rivalries in the wake of recent realignment.

For each opponent in the table below, we provide the total games played, wins, losses, ties, winning percentage, first year played, and most recent contest.

We continue with San Jose State, which has played 627 games against regional foes, winning 249, losing 365, and recording 13 ties, for a winning percentage of .407.

The Spartans have recorded the most wins () an39d played the most games (88), and lost the most games (46) against Fresno State.

Here is a breakdown of San Jose State’s records vs. the region’s teams.

Adam Ramsay-Peaty shrugged off a bizarre delay to power through to the semi-finals of the men’s 100 metres breaststroke event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Ramsay-Peaty’s heat was temporarily halted as he was on the blocks when a lane divider broke off, requiring an official to strip to the waist and enter the pool to reconnect it.

Ramsay-Peaty duly wasted no time in recording the fastest time of the morning, 59.46 seconds, with only two rivals, Australia’s Sam Williamson and Filip Nowacki of Jersey, also finishing in under a minute.

The three-time Olympic champion is taking part in his fourth Commonwealth Games having clinched his first medals as a 19-year-old in Glasgow in 2014.

Since then he has become a fixture of the gossip columns after marrying Holly Ramsay, daughter of celebrity chef Gordon, in December last year, and experiencing a rift with the majority of his family.

Ramsay-Peaty has described these Games as a “full circle moment” as he looks to reignite his career. A silver medal at the Paris Olympics in 2024 helped him refocus after a difficult 2023 in which he withdrew from a series of events in order to focus on mental health concerns.

His win in the 100m in 2014 began eight years of almost total dominance in the event. That streak came to an end in dramatic fashion in Birmingham four years ago when he trailed home in a shock fourth place in the event.

Ramsay-Peaty, who is due to return for his semi-final on Friday evening, told TNT Sports: “Job done, really. We’ve got a busy two weeks coming up, so we’re reserving energy where we can.

“Last time I was here, I was very young. We barely had any world records to my name, or known world records to my name, so it’s been a very long journey.”

Germany have unveiled Jurgen Klopp as the new head coach of the national team, following the departure of Julian Nagelsmann after the disappointment of the 2026 World Cup, when Germany were knocked out by Paraguay in the round of 32. Klopp, who left Liverpool ahead of the summer 2024 and since worked as RedBull’s head of soccer, started a new chapter of his incredible career and will be leading the German national team at the 2028 UEFA Euro and at the 2030 World Cup and seems willing to be on the job for even longer.

“The day you don’t want me anymore, I’m gone, without any severance pay. If you say tomorrow that he’s rubbish, I’m gone. Not just one person, it would have to be more than that. If the federation says he’s rubbish, I’m gone. If you behave badly and don’t leave my family in peace, I’m gone. Criticize me if something doesn’t work. I’m happy to work on it. It’s all about the job. Klopp doesn’t have a career after the national team. Ideally, this is the highlight of my career,” he said. 

Klopp also said he’s ready to make changes in the national team and also on German soccer.

“I want to get very involved in the structures. Whoever brings in Jurgen, gets Jurgen. Everyone is happy today, but I’m not sure if that will be the case every day. I want to improve everything. I want to present the German national team in a positive light, so that we can eventually get back to the top. I’m looking forward to the challenge,” he said. 

He also spoke on the players and how he wants to make an impact on some of them, looking to find stability and then, they hope, dominance on the global stage. Since winning the 2014 World Cup, the Germans crashed out in the group stages of 2018 and 2022 before the shock defeat to Paraguay in the round of 32 this past summer.

“Players will get opportunities they might not even be expecting right now, because I like to be bold. I’m keen to work with guys who want to play a style of football that everyone enjoys. It’s not always immediately successful, but I also want to achieve something with the national team that makes people go home and think, ‘Wow, that was really cool.’ A few things are needed to achieve that. Everyone who is eligible to play for the national team should give their all. I’ll be watching. Nobody is being written off today. It’s a fresh start,” he said. 

“Success is how you perform in relation to the expectations. When we ask in Germany: are we as good as France? And the answer is no, that’s not true. The question should be: do we have players like Dembele, Mbappe, Doue, Barcola? The answer is no. But we still can beat them. It’s not important to look at France, Spain, Argentina. The most important thing is to look at ourselves and how we play football. We aren’t number one in the world at the moment, that’s true. There are 11 nations ahead of us in the ranking — but we have to make beating them possible, with the way we play football.

“Luckily, the first game isn’t tomorrow. I’d be overwhelmed. I’ll be watching games in every country where our players are, including here in Germany, of course. I’ve gained a tremendous amount of insight lately. Maintaining contact with the players is very important, and I’ll try to get in touch with them early on. That will be my first task.”

DFB President Bernd Neuendorf also confirmed that the staff will consist of Peter Krawietz, Pepijn Lijnders and Sven Bender and it’s also confirmed that Per Mertesacker will replace Andreas Rettig as DFB managing director at the end of the year. 

Tyson Fury is back in the ring today, competing in a warm-up fight for his long-awaited showdown with Anthony Joshua.

In Thailand, where Fury has trained over the last year, the “Gypsy King” will box former world-title challenger Mariusz Wach, one night before “AJ” takes on Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia.

• Fury vs Wach LIVE: Follow along with the Independent

Should Fury and his fellow Briton pass these tests, they will finally square off later this year, with a November meeting at Wembley Stadium on the cards – provided the fight takes place in the early hours of the morning, apparently.

Some might argue that Fury, 37, has already had a warm-up bout for his planned fight with Joshua; in April, Fury ended his fifth retirement from boxing and outpointed Arslanbek Makhmudov in Tottenham.

But the former world heavyweight champion wants to go again, facing Wach in a fight whose proceeds will go to charity, according to Fury. Here’s all you need to know:

When is the fight?

Fury vs Wach will take place on Friday 24 July at Max Muay Thai Stadium in Pattaya, Thailand. The main card is believed to begin at 3.15pm BST (7.15am PT / 9.15am CT / 10.15am ET), with main-event ring walks then likely at 5pm BST (9am PT / 11am CT / 12pm ET).

How can I watch it?

Fury has said: “This great fight will not be streamed live! It will only be broadcast on my hit Netflix TV show ‘At Home With The Furys’ season three.” There is currently no release date for that season. The Independent will provide live updates from the event, however.

Odds

Fury – 1/50

Wach – 25/1

Draw – 14/1

Via Betway. Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers. The Independent vets betting sites for usability, security and responsible gambling tools. You can claim free bets here to use across a range of sports. Please read the terms.

Undercard

Subject to change:

Tyson Fury vs Mariusz Wach (heavyweight)

Daniel Baer vs Simon Ibekwe (heavyweight)

Enjoy 185+ fights a year on DAZN, the Global Home of Boxing

Never miss a fight from top promoters. Watch on your devices anywhere, anytime.

Buy Now

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Enjoy 185+ fights a year on DAZN, the Global Home of Boxing

Advertisement

Never miss a fight from top promoters. Watch on your devices anywhere, anytime.

Buy Now

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Michael Alan Flannery vs Narong Phumrakson (light-heavyweight)

Lucas Dassios vs Rattapol Kadamduan (cruiserweight)

Mark Ahondjo vs Aekkaphob Auraiwan (heavyweight)

Arlo Stephens vs Arash Mardani (heavyweight)