Steven Pateman had trainer Ciaron Maher’s pre-race guidance resounding as he rode Stern Idol to the bottom of the incline in the Brierly Steeplechase at Warrnambool.

On Tuesday’s $2.10 elect at the Tozer Road double, Pateman handled the 3450m steeplechase, the marquee attraction on day one of the three-day Warrnambool Carnival.

“When I’m in a race, I can hear Ciaron’s instructions in the back of my mind,” Pateman told racing.com.

“And Ciaron actually said, don’t be dragging him around that turn, a big horse and with that recent rain on the ground.

“He did slip a little bit on the ground, and it was probably lucky that Aaron Lynch booted up (on Castrofrancaru), and I didn’t start pulling him around.”

Tuesday saw Stern Idol pack a current record 75kg to secure the win, exceeding his 73kg carry from the victorious 2024 edition.

Having led to the hill’s base before being headed, Stern Idol seized control again with 1000m to go and held on for a 4-½ length margin over Hit The Road Jack ($2.60), followed by Castrofrancaru ($15) another 2-½ lengths adrift in third place.

Pateman explained that the gelding got a surge when overtaken beyond the Tozer Road double.

“Once they headed him, he said ‘hang on a minute’,” Pateman said.

“He felt like he had 55 kilos on his back, not 75 (kg). He’s a big unit and I’m just lucky.

“He’s super special.”

Maher has a special affinity for Warrnambool returns yearly, having developed there first as a jumps pilot and then managing a compact group at the beach town.

His stable ranks among Australia’s elite in size, but his fondness for jumpers persists, evidenced by Stern Idol delivering his fifth Brierly Steeplechase victory.

Maher owned up to nerves watching the placers dart inside Stern Idol onto the true course but applauded Pateman’s steadiness.

“I was a bit nervous at the bottom of the hill, but Steve was cool, calm and collected,” Maher said.

“He’s been such a good horse over a number of years, and it is a credit to the entire team and the owners as well.”

Discover leading racing betting markets for the Brierly Steeplechase at trusted sites.

A short wait was all Tony and Maddysen Sears needed to endure before their stable ace Yellow Brick secured The Archer at Rockhampton, making the delay entirely justified.

The $1 million showcase race, planned for Sunday, faced a rescheduling due to track troubles in the home straight sections – areas at 200m, 150m and 80m were heavy, unlike the good stand elsewhere.

With jockey Tommy Berry still in place for the new date, he guided the $3.40 top pick away from interference on the bend, leaving the Group 1 runner with plenty of runway in the long Rockhampton finish.

Local runner Cherry Rose hit the front strongly entering the final 300m, however class held firm as Yellow Brick powered to a length victory ahead of Anemacore ($19), Boomtown Boss ($10) just a head behind in third.

Maddysen Sears, partnered with her father in the stable, shared that the win carried deep emotion for the family featuring their banner carrier, who boosted earnings above $3.7 million with his tenth success.

“It’s just really special,” Sears said.

“My grandma’s here to watch, all my family come out to do it.

“We brought the right horse up and someone told me a couple of days before, a very good trainer in Melbourne said he’s going to win for fun and he did.

“He’s the pivotal horse for my career. Anyone that knows me, knows my family, this horse is this horse is so special.”

Berry expressed ongoing assurance in the mount, crediting a leading rider for the opportunity aboard Yellow Brick up north.

“They just wanted me to make sure I got room,” Berry said of the instructions.

“He’s a big horse and he takes a little bit of winding up, but it was a good effort today. Because he was first up and he was a little bit keen in the run and being on the fresh side.

“Great effort by the team to get him ready, to get him ready twice too for today. It was worth coming back for, for the second time.

“He’s definitely got a good carnival ahead. They’ve got some nice races mapped out for him. Thanks to James McDonald, he’s the one who got me up here, so I’ll try and keep it, and you can ride something else from now on, that’d be nice.”

Visit betting sites to find racing odds for The Archer.

A second-round series in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs gets underway on Wednesday as the Buffalo Sabres host the Montreal Canadiens. Buffalo (50-23-9) defeated Boston in six games in the first round for its first series win since 2007. Montreal (48-24-10) knocked off Tampa in seven games in a series in which the teams alternated wins throughout. This is the eight postseason matchup between these franchises, with Montreal holding the 4-3 series edge.

The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET from KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y. These teams split their four regular-season matchups. The latest Canadiens vs. Sabres odds have Buffalo as the -130 favorite on the money line (risk $130 to win $100), while the over/under for total goals scored is 5.5. Before making any Sabres vs. Canadiens picks, check out the NHL predictions and betting advice for Canadiens vs. Sabres from the SportsLine Projection Model.

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The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NHL game 10,000 times. The model entered the second round of the 2026 NHL playoffs with a +668 return on top-rated money-line NHL picks. Anyone following its NHL betting advice at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen strong returns.

Now, the model has simulated Canadiens vs. Sabres 10,000 times and just revealed its coveted NHL picks and betting predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Here are several NHL odds and trends for Sabres vs. Canadiens:

Top Canadiens vs. Sabres predictions

After 10,000 simulations of Sabres vs. Canadiens, SportsLine’s model is going Over on the total (5.5). Each of their four regular-season matchups had at least six total goals scored, but these high-scoring affairs date back beyond that. At least six goals have been scored in eight straight meetings between these teams, with an average of 7.3 combined goals over this span.

Both teams saw Game 1 of their first-round series eclipse the total. Jakub Dobes of Montreal ranks just 29th in GAA, but Buffalo’s Alex Lyon isn’t much better at 28th. The model projects Cole Caufield and Tage Thompson to combine for 1.02 goals, on average, while there are five others in this game forecasted to have at least 0.30 goals. The sims call for 5.9 combined goals, making the Over the value play in over-under betting. See the model’s Canadiens vs. Sabres predictions at SportsLine.

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How to make Sabres vs. Canadiens picks 

After simulating each shift of Canadiens vs. Sabres 10,000 times, the model also says one side of the money line has all the value. You can head to SportsLine to see the model’s NHL picks. 

So who wins Sabres vs. Canadiens, and which side of the money line has all the value? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Canadiens vs. Sabres money line to back, all from the model that has returned over $550 on top-rated NHL picks, and find out.

Ademola Lookman will hope to make Nigerian football history when he steps onto the pitch at the Emirates Stadium tonight as Atlético Madrid face Arsenal in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final clash.

The first leg in Spain ended 1-1, leaving both teams with everything to play for as Atlético chase their first Champions League final appearance since 2016.

Lookman now has the chance to become the first Nigerian player since John Obi Mikel to reach and possibly win the final of Europe’s biggest club competition.

Mikel achieved the feat in 2012 when he played every minute as Chelsea defeated Bayern Munich in the final. Before him, Nigerian legends Finidi George and Nwankwo Kanu also reached the final with Ajax in the 1990s.

The Super Eagles winger has enjoyed a strong start to life at Atlético since joining the club in January. He has scored seven goals and provided four assists in 18 matches.

Lookman was one of Atlético’s best players in the first leg. He caused problems for Arsenal’s defence throughout the game and created several chances, although he could not find the net.

Atlético manager Diego Simeone is expected to set his team up to defend deeply and attack on the counter, while Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta will likely rely on possession football at home.

Lookman’s speed and direct style could be important for Atlético on the break. He is also expected to face a difficult battle against Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka on the flank.

Interestingly, Lookman has never scored or provided an assist in six previous matches against Arsenal during his time with Everton, Fulham, Leicester City, Atalanta and Atlético Madrid.

However, his recent form has given Atlético supporters hope that he can finally make his mark against the Gunners on one of the biggest nights of his career.

The winner of the tie will book a place in the UEFA Champions League final in Budapest on May 30.

The second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs continued Tuesday with two more Game 1s. The top seeds in the East and West both pulled away for victories. The Detroit Pistons defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers, 111-101, and the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled away from the Los Angeles Lakers for an 18-point win.

OKC has yet to lose this postseason, and the Pistons are up 1-0 in a playoff series for the first time since 2008. Let’s take a look at the big winners and losers from Tuesday night’s action. 

Winner: Clutch Cade Cunningham

Pistons guard helped Detroit pull away late

When Cade Cunningham went to the bench with 6:32 to play in the fourth quarter, the Pistons, who at one time had led by 18 points and hadn’t trailed since 7-6 in the opening minutes, were clinging to a five-point lead. Less than 90 seconds later, Cleveland had tied the game. 

JB Bickerstaff probably wanted to give his superstar a bit longer rest, but you could sense the game swinging to the Cavs, and he had to bring Cunningham right back in. Cunningham went to work right away, not as a scorer, but as a facilitator. He was spoon-feeding Jalen Duren for three straight dunks. 

For everything that transpired over the first 40-plus minutes, those three possessions decided this game. The Cavs never got closer than four the rest of the way. Duren was dominant in his own right. He didn’t score in the first round against Orlando the way he did in the regular season, but he was super defensively and as a rebounder. 

Same deal on Tuesday, when Duren finished with just 11 points and had just one field goal prior to those three dunks but tallied 12 boards (seven offensive) and two blocks. He was a beast on defense and the glass down the stretch and finished off Cade’s creation in the clutch, which was the predominant formula for his 19.5 PPG in the regular season. 

Let’s give an additional shoutout here to Daniss Jenkins for his play late (he had some huge boards and a big-time pull-up jumper to put Detroit back up six with a little over three minutes left en route to 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists off the bench), and Tobias Harris was once again a rock with 20 points and eight boards. 

Duncan Robinson buried five 3s on his way to 19 points. Ausar Thompson added 11 and was a defensive monster, as usual. Detroit no doubt loved its box-score balance in this game, with eight guys contributing at least six point and six in double figures.  

But again, all of that was about to go out the window before Cade checked back into the game and created those three Duren dunks. The Cavs had all the momentum. And when push comes to shove, the Pistons are almost entirely reliant on Cunningham to create offense. He saved Detroit with 107 points in three elimination games vs. Orlando, and he clutched up again on Tuesday to give Detroit its first lead in a playoff series since 2008. 

Loser: James Harden’s (and Cavs’) turnovers

Cleveland’s veteran creator coughed it up seven times

Turnovers were a major reason why the Cavs were forced to go seven games to beat the Raptors in the first round. They committed 121 of them in the series. James Harden was responsible for 36 of those, and in Game 1 against Detroit, he coughed up seven more. All told, the Cavs committed 20 turnovers that led to 31 Pistons points (a number of these were at least dead-ball turnovers, but still, it was too sloppy). 

On the flip side, Detroit committed just 12 turnovers for 16 Cavs points. That’s a 15-point turnover swing to the Pistons in what wound up a 10-point game. You do the math. 

As for Harden, he once again had more turnovers than made baskets (he went 6 for 15 from the field and 1 of 7 from 3 for 22 points). It marks the third time (in eight games) Harden has done that in these playoffs, in which he has now amassed 43 turnovers though eight games. 

Over 181 career playoff games, Harden has now tallied at least as many turnovers as baskets 45 times, and more turnovers than baskets 22 times. 

Harden has had the ball in his hands, on average, probably more than any single player in playoff history, so a certain amount of turnovers are going to be part of his equation. But he doesn’t score at the level he once did to offset those giveaways. This has to improve, or else Donovan Mitchell is going to have to take on more of the creative responsibilities for Cleveland.

Winner: Chet Holmgren’s matchups

OKC’s center took advantage of mismatches all night

You could just as easily give the nod to Jared McCain for his fourth-quarter shooting barrage. He’s playing for his long-term postseason minutes, whereas Holmgren is obviously secure in that respect.

But Holmgren was tremendous tonight in a way that bodes very well for the Thunder moving forward. The Lakers tried switching defensively early in the game. Holmgren took advantage of the mismatches to rack up a bunch of easy points early. When the Thunder get Jalen Williams back, they won’t need that much actual creation out of him. That’s what they have Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for. If he can just punish mismatches as he did in Game 1, he takes switching off of the table for Thunder opponents.

He has, at this stage, more or less secured the title of best defender in the NBA not named Victor Wembanyama, blowing up Laker actions left and right and finishing the game with three blocks and a steal. The Lakers scored just 40 points in the paint in Game 1. With the 3s not falling and the Thunder a near lock to win the transition battle every night, this series is hopeless for the purple and gold if they can’t get to the rim. Holmgren was dominant on both ends in an easy Oklahoma City victory.

Loser: Austin Reaves as a 1A option

The Lakers guard had a night to forget in Game 1

Winning this series without Luka Dončić is an unrealistic goal for the Lakers. Really, this matchup is about evaluating their own players. Who matches up well with the Thunder? Who’s ready for the moment? Who can they trust moving into next year, when they presumably push more assets into the center of the table in an effort to contend?

No player in this series has more to prove than Austin Reaves. Had he not gotten injured earlier in the season, he would have been an All-Star. But he’s fairly athletically limited, and there are real questions about how he matches up against the sort of elite, physical defenders he’d expect to see in the postseason. Well, this is his fourth game against the Thunder this season, and he’s yet to reach 20 points or make more than six field goals. In this one, he shot 3-of-16 for eight points.

Now, Reaves isn’t at full strength. He came back from a Grade 2 oblique strain last round and likely isn’t at or near 100%. He wasn’t against Minnesota last year either. But he’s about to become a free agent this offseason, and while the Lakers almost certainly won’t let him go for nothing, how close they’re willing to get to the max and how untouchable they deem Reaves in future trade talks likely depend, to some extent, on their belief in him in this specific matchup. Winning a championship in the years to come probably means beating the Thunder, and at least in Game 1, Reaves didn’t look up to the task.

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are finally set to meet, presuming they each come through low-risk warm-up fights unscathed.

Now, Francis Ngannou, who has faced both men, has updated his prediction ahead of the biggest fight in British boxing history.

Ngannou made his boxing debut against then reigning WBC heavyweight ruler Fury in October 2023, and the former UFC heavyweight champion impressed as he knocked ‘The Gypsy King’ down in the third round, before losing a controversial split-decision.

That performance earned the Cameroonian a shot at Joshua, but ‘AJ’ was less forgiving and displayed the difference between a multi-disciplined fighter and an out-and-out boxer, brutally dispatching of ‘The Predator’ inside two rounds.

Although, despite the nature of those defeats, Ngannou was unsure on how Joshua-Fury would play out, when asked on the potential fight a few weeks ago.

“I think it’s a great fight. How it’s going to go? It’s the fight game – nobody knows what will happen.

“They are both elite fighters, but we all know how tricky Fury can be. He’s managed to be very hard to beat.”

However, now that fight rumours have turned into a signed agreement, Ngannou gave a more analytical prediction to Sky Sports Boxing, believing that Fury has a better chance the longer the fight lasts.

“At this level, I think it is very close, everybody can win. It depends on how the fight goes. I think, if it is going to go to a decision, I will pick Fury. If it is like a knockout, I think that Joshua has a chance early in the rounds [fight], but as far as the fight goes, it is going to be more in Fury’s favour.”

Joshua returns to the ring on July 25, against Albania’s Kristian Prenga, whilst Fury is also seeking a ‘tune-up’ of his own ahead of their long-awaited showdown.