Closer To Free has thrust himself into Blue Diamond Stakes calculations with a debut success at Caulfield over the weekend.

Having impressed in a Caulfield Heath heat last month for trainer Adrian Corboy, Danny O’Brien purchased Closer To Free post-trial and unleashed him in Saturday’s Blue Diamond Prelude (1100m) restricted to colts and geldings.

Priced at up to $201 initially for the Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) on February 21 at Caulfield, the colt’s resolute win has seen him shorten to $7 second choice.

Handler Danny O’Brien contemplated bypassing this race for the Talindert Stakes (1100m) at Flemington the following Saturday, but sharp session on Wednesday altered that plan for the promising two-year-old.

With Michael Dee at the helm leading all the way, Closer To Free ($13) prevailed by a length against $2.20 top pick Guest House, Eternal Warrior ($6) third by a short-head.

O’Brien rated Closer To Free highly even before his trial exertions.

“I saw him in the mounting yard before the trial because I had one in it and Adrian is one of the best, if not the best, breakers and he does all of our yearlings,” O’Brien said.

“I asked him what he was doing down here and he said he was trialling this one with the potential to sell him.

“Before the horse left the mounting yard after the trial, I walked back with him and saw how easily he’d taken it. As Adrian was hosing the horse down, I bought him.

“He’s a beautiful colt and he’s got a proper pedigree. With Street Boss, his first three dams were all two-year-old stakes winners, so there is plenty to like about him.”

Clinton McDonald’s Streisand has climbed to $9 on the fourth rung of Blue Diamond betting following her win in the fillies’ Prelude division.

Ridden positively by Jamie Melham, the $3 fancy Streisand scored by three-quarters of a length from $51 outsider Chayan, with I Am Aria ($7.50) close up third, a short-neck away.

After a luckless run when unplaced in the Blue Diamond Preview (1000m), Melham ensured a trouble-free trip up front this occasion.

McDonald and Melham teamed for Diamond glory two years ago courtesy of Hayasugi, although Ben Melham is poised to take the mount in a couple of weeks.

“She’ll go a long way in the Diamond,” McDonald said.

“I think she’s got the right mental aptitude for it and the toughness. I’ve said all the way along she’s a bit like Hayasugi, understated, tough.

“This one has a bit more bitch about her, I suppose, a bit more temperamental whereas Hayasugi was a sweetheart.

“We’re happy to put up with her and we’re looking forward to the next two weeks.”

Visit the leading racing betting markets for Blue Diamond Stakes options.

The post Blue Diamond Stakes picture reshaped after Preludes first appeared on Just Horse Racing.

Adrenaline was running high for Austrian snowboarder Benjamin Karl after winning a second straight Olympic gold medal in the men’s parallel giant slalom on Sunday.

And that adrenaline had him not feeling the cold temperatures, as he ripped off his jacket and clothes in celebration.

Karl, 40, was flexing his arms and screaming, ripping off his jacket and four layers of clothes during his celebration. He was even seen face down on the snow, which was surely cold, but he didn’t care.

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Gold medalist Benjamin Karl of Team Austria reacts after winning the Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom Big Final on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Snow Park on Feb. 8, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. (Hannah Peters/Getty Images)

Karl was an Olympic gold medalist once again, and that’s all that mattered at the moment.

Before his medal-winning run, Karl was trailing South Korea’s Kim Sang-kyum for most of the final race, when he took full advantage of Kim’s mistake.

US TAKES GOLD IN FIGURE SKATING TEAM EVENT AT WINTER OLYMPICS

Karl crossed the finish line 0.19 seconds ahead of his South Korean opponent to win gold at Livigno Snow Park. Rounding out the podium was Bulgaria’s Tervel Zamfirov with bronze.

Gold medalist Benjamin Karl of Team Austria celebrates after crossing the finish line in first place to win the Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom Big Final on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Snow Park on Feb. 8, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. (David Ramos/Getty Images)

The crowd at Livigno Snow Park loved every moment of Karl’s celebration, which certainly ranks atop the initial reactions to winning gold at Milano Cortina thus far.

After the celebration, Karl eventually redressed and joined Kim and Zamfirov on the podium.

As the Austrian national anthem played, Karl’s smile never faded.

Gold medalist Benjamin Karl of Team Austria celebrates after winning the Men’s Parallel Giant Slalom Big Final on day two of the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic games at Livigno Snow Park on Feb. 8, 2026 in Livigno, Italy. (David Ramos/Getty Images)

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He also made Olympics history, becoming the first snowboarder to win four medals. He also won a bronze medal in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, while capturing silver in 2010 in Vancouver at Whistler.

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The Seattle Seahawks produced a devastating defensive display to beat the New England Patriots and claim their second Super Bowl victory.

Two of the NFL’s strongest defences battled it out in Sunday’s showpiece and the Seahawks emphatically came out on top to win 29-13 at Levi’s Stadium.

It was a defensive performance for the ages and Briton Aden Durde played a pivotal role, becoming the first overseas coach to win America’s biggest game.

Seattle’s 46-year-old defensive coordinator has helped create the most-feared defence in the NFL, which has become known as ‘the Dark Side’, and they showed why on American football’s biggest stage in Santa Clara, California.

New England’s second-year quarterback Drake Maye narrowly missed out on this season’s Most Valuable Player award but was stifled by the Seahawks, who claimed six sacks, forced three turnovers and claimed a defensive touchdown.

After Seattle led 9-0 at half-time, Maye’s first turnover resulted in the game’s opening touchdown for tight end AJ Barner early in the fourth quarter.

Linebacker Uchenna Nwosu then returned an interception for a 45-yard touchdown, while Jason Meyers kicked a record five field goals.

More to follow.

A Davis Cup tie between Columbia and Morocco recently witnessed some shocking scenes, as Colombian player Nicolas Mejia pulled out a controversial ‘shut-up’ celebration. The Moroccan audience was unimpressed by Mejia’s gestures and threw bottles on the court in retaliation.

On Sunday, February 8, Mejia took to court at the Union Sportive Marocaine Tennis Club in Casablanca against home player Reda Bennani. The match got off to an impressive start for the Colombian as he clinched an easy win in the opening set. While Bennani rallied in the second set, in the end it was Mejia who took the win 6-1, 4-6, 6-2. After his victory, the 25-year-old celebrated by shushing the crowd but the audience was quick to return fire, throwing bottles at the Columbian team.

Watch a video of the moment below:

The Davis Cup tie between Columbia and Morocco began on a strong note for the latter, with Rena Bennani beating Adria Soriano Barrera. However, things went downhill for Morocco from there, with Columbia clinching the next three matches to win the tie.

Nicolas Mejia defends himself after causing Davis Cup controversy between Colombia and Morocco

Nicolas Mejia’s celebration at the Davis Cup caused a fair amount of controversy, but the Columbian tennis star has defended himself against allegations of disrespect. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the World No.177 stated that the Moroccan crowd had threatened him and his family while maintaining ‘zero fair play’, writing,

“You don’t know what happened. All the time people threaten me and my family. Moroccan team on my face and trying to make people scream at me more every point. Zero fair play. Better get your facts before talking what you don’t know.”

In a separate post, Mejia agreed that his celebration hadn’t been the best, but maintained that his gestures were solely in response to insults he had been receiving, explaining,

“My celebration probably wasn’t the best, but I’d been putting up with insults against me and my family the whole match from the crowd, and insults from the opposing team and captain. I let it out, and that’s it. But I didn’t insult anyone.”

Nicolas Mejia is one of Colombia’s leading tennis players at the moment. Outside of the Davis Cup, the 25-year-old, who turned pro in 2019, makes regular appearances in ATP Challenger events and has achieved a career-high ranking of World No.168 earlier this year.