Chris Waller proclaimed Joliestar a perfected athlete after her win in the TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) during Saturday’s Royal Randwick meeting, bringing her Group 1 count to five.

Performing at peak level, the durable mare withstood Giga Kick’s late surge to cap an unblemished three-race Sydney autumn slate, incorporating prior wins in the Expressway Stakes and Canterbury Stakes.

“Joliestar just showed the difference between her this year compared to last year,” Waller said.

“Last year she could pull out a belter of a run but wide draws and luck in running could get her beaten, too.

“But she is a more complete racehorse now and is at the very peak of her form.”

The $3.90 favourite Joliestar furnished Waller and premier jockey James McDonald with back-to-back Group 1 scores, holding Giga Kick ($4.60) at bay by half a length, Skybird ($41) third by a neck.

Waller reached 15 Group 1 winners for 2025-26, with stable earnings hitting $61.06 million – a record still growing with time left in the season.

His career Group 1 ledger shows 195 successes, inching toward 200, a mark held solely by Tommy Smith and Bart Cummings.

Waller and McDonald claimed their fourth TJ Smith Stakes, extending the legacy of Nature Strip’s three-peat from 2020-2022.

Inspired by Nature Strip’s Royal Ascot feat, Joliestar’s handlers are gearing up for abroad action.

“The dream of Royal Ascot is very exciting, and no doubt she’ll be a force to be reckoned with,” McDonald said.

“She has had her doubters before, but they have no leg to stand on now, she is a Grand Final winner.”

This season, McDonald has piloted 12 Aussie Group 1s and three major overseas wins on Romantic Warrior.

A Royal Ascot raid is confirmed by Waller for Joliestar, targeting the June 20 Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Stakes (1200m).

“I think we will probably go for the Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot,” Waller said.

“We had the trip planned well before today but we wanted to see her run well in the TJ to cement her place for England.”

Joliestar’s record: 10 triumphs in 21 goes, five Group 1s, stakes over $8.8 million.

The trainer hopes for ongoing campaigns.

“I would go to Royal Ascot and bring her back for The Everest – she has just started to mature as a racehorse,” he said.

Racing fans should visit betting sites to find racing betting markets for Joliestar at Royal Ascot.

Four men entered the ring at Stand & Deliver but only one left as the NXT champion on Saturday night.

Joe Hendry had one of his biggest challenges yet. He had to defend the NXT Championship in a fatal four-way match against Tony D’Angelo, Ricky Saints and Ethan Page. Hendry came into the match as the fan favorite as the crowd in St. Louis, Missouri, was singing his entrance music. But he faced three other hungry challengers.

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Tony D’Angelo celebrates in the ring during NXT: Stand and Deliver at The Factory in St. Louis, Mo., on April 4, 2026. (Bradlee Rutledge/WWE)

D’Angelo, who came into the match with a chip on his shoulder after being betrayed by a friend at last year’s event, walked out of Stand & Deliver as the new NXT champion.

Saints and Page came into the match aligned and tried to weaken Hendry as best as they could to start. They delivered suplexes and shots to the chest to take him out. But the duo’s rift would grow as Page hit a splash on Saints. But Saints got his revenge shot later in the match.

D’Angelo spent the first few minutes on the outside of the ring. Once he regained his composure, D’Angelo hit a spear and focused himself on Hendry before he was thrown to the outside of the ring. Page and Saints turned their attention to the former “Don of NXT.”

The teamwork would last a few moments before Hendry hopped over the ropes and took them both out. For a split second, Hendry was in control. But the numbers game got the better of him again about midway through the match.

Joe Hendry enters the arena during NXT: Stand and Deliver at The Factory in St. Louis, Mo., on April 4, 2026. (Bradlee Rutledge/WWE)

WWE NXT STARS TALK STAND & DELIVER STANDING ON ITS OWN AWAY FROM WRESTLEMANIA WEEKEND

D’Angelo stepped back into the ring to face off against Hendry. He began to power up. Multiple German suplexes were doled out and it looked like D’Angelo was taking control of the match. He broke up a Standing Ovation to hit Hendry with a spear. He then speared Saints out of the ring and hit a second spear on Hendry.

With frustration mounting, Saints wiped out D’Angelo with a chair shot. He hit Hendry with a Revolution DDT onto the chair, too. Saints was going to hit Page with a chair as well, but Page took exception. Their own rivalry turned up a notch.

As Page carried Saints up to the stairs, he wanted to put him through the table. Out of nowhere, D’Angelo speared both men through the announce table. It came down to D’Angelo and Hendry.

D’Angelo hit the Dead to Rights and pinned Hendry to win the NXT Championship.

Joe Hendry faces off with Tony D’Angelo at The Factory in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 2026. (Bradlee Rutledge/WWE)

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It is D’Angelo’s first reign as NXT champion.

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Not everyone was convinced by Marcus Rashford’s performance despite Barcelona beating Atletico Madrid

Sections of the Spanish media were unconvinced by Marcus Rashford’s most recent display for Barcelona despite the Manchester United loanee scoring against Atletico Madrid.

Barcelona opened up a seven point gap at the top of La Liga over bitter rivals Real Madrid, capitalising on Los Blancos’ defeat to RCD Mallorca earlier on Saturday. Hansi Flick’s side endured a tough night at the Metropolitano Stadium but managed to secure a 2-1 victory over Diego Simeone’s Atletico.

Having gone behind in the 39th minute, Rashford equalised for Barcelona just three minutes later on the stroke of half-time. The England star pulled off a neat one-two with Dani Olmo before firing the ball in-between Juan Musso’s legs. Robert Lewandowski sealed the win late on with a point-blank ricocheted goal.

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Rashford ultimately helped secure three crucial points, which will only help his case in trying to seal a permanent transfer from Manchester to Catalonia this summer. Given Raphinha’s absence, the 28-year-old has a free run to convince Barcelona to trigger his £26million option-to-buy clause.

But he seemingly divided opinion against Atletico, as the Manchester Evening News takes a look at how the Spanish press dissected his most recent performance.

Diario AS

AS criticised Rashford’s inconsistent display – something he has suffered from repeatedly in recent years. The publication wrote: “He scored an important goal, as it levelled the score after Atlético had taken the lead a few minutes earlier.

“His performance was inconsistent. He started very dynamically and directly but his game gradually faded. He continues to be inconsistent.”

SPORT

SPORT was far more complimentary, describing Rashford as arriving “like a runaway train, brimming with malice” when finishing his chance to level the score for Barcelona.

The publication went on to say: “Rashford was tireless on the flank, although he also played as the main striker. He beat Musso to spoil Atletico’s party before half-time. He was replaced by Lewandowski in the final stages.”

Football Espana

Football Espana was more critical of Rashford, highlighting that he needs to play better to fill Raphinha’s shoes for the remainder of the season. The outlet claimed: “Rashford did not have an overly successful night until he scored Barcelona’s equaliser just before half time.

“He needs to be at his best to cover Raphinha’s absence and tonight was a good start.”

Mundo Deportivo

Mundo Deportivo took a different stance. They heaped praise on the forward, writing: “Rashford appeared when he was most needed. Starting for the first time after Raphinha’s injury, the winger took on the responsibility in a demanding situation. Just two minutes after Atletico’s opening goal, scored by Giuliano Simeone, the Englishman carried the team on his shoulders.

“He drove down the left flank, combined with Dani Olmo, who returned a delightful assist, and finished confidently past Juan Musso. It was an immediate equaliser but also a message from a proud Barca side that already knew of Real Madrid’s slip-up in Mallorca.

“The 1-1 equaliser, besides being Rashford’s eleventh goal of the season, was a response to the step forward he was expected to take after Raphinha’s injury at a crucial point in the season. In a team that had lost a key attacking threat, the Englishman responded with personality and determination.”

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Having lost the League Cup final two weeks ago, Arsenal squandered another chance of silverware by falling to a surprise defeat against Championship side Southampton.

In Ligue 1‘s Derby du Nord, it was Lille who flattened arch-rivals Lens with a 3-0 win at home. While the visitors lost ground on league leaders Paris Saint-Germain, Lille provisionally climbed back up to third place in the table.

Barcelona are well on their way to retaining their La Liga title after a late Robert Lewandowski goal saw off ten-man Atlético Madrid on Saturday evening and establish a seven-point lead. Real Madrid, who lost to Mallorca earlier in the day, are now seven points adrift of the Catalans.

The spoils were shared at this year’s Boat Race between Cambridge and Oxford students, as the latter university put an end to an eight-year losing streak in the women’s race. French rower Noam Mouelle later led his Cambridge teammates to a fourth consecutive victory in the men’s race.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the draw for this season’s FA Cup semi-finals. Manchester City are here again, having reached eight consecutive semi-finals in the world’s oldest domestic cup competition.

Pep Guardiola’s team have an excellent record in the last four – having not lost an FA Cup semi since 2022. The team that beat them on that occasion, Liverpool, were well beaten by the Blues on Saturday and after Arsenal’s shock exit yesterday – City will fancy their chances of another trophy.

Keep up to date with all the latest in our live blog throughout the afternoon and evening to discover who plays who in the FA Cup semi-finals later this month.

Directed by Kat Coiro, You, Me & Tuscany is scheduled for release on April 10, 2026. The film stars Halle Bailey in the lead role, alongside Regé-Jean Page, with supporting roles from Marco Calvani, Aziza Scott, and Nia Vardalos, among others. The film’s official synopsis reads:

“When Anna loses her house-sitting job (and housing) in one fell swoop, a chance encounter with Matteo—a handsome Italian who happens to have a villa sitting empty in Tuscany—will inspire her to jet off for Italy, against the advice of her always-honest bestie, Claire”

You, Me & Tuscany plot, cast details and more

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You, Me & Tuscany follows Anna, who has lost touch with her dream of becoming a chef. After losing her job and home, she meets an Italian man, Matteo, and decides to travel to Italy on an impulse. She plans to stay one night in his empty villa, but things take a twisted turn when his mother arrives unexpectedly.

Out of panic, Anna pretends to be Matteo’s fiancée. The situation grows complicated when his cousin Michael, shows up. As Anna and Michael grow closer, her lie becomes harder to keep, forcing her to face the truth and decide what she really wants in life and love.

You, Me & Tuscany is led by actress Halle Bailey. Bailey became a household name with her breakout role as Sky Forster in the hit series Grown-ish, but she earned global fame as Ariel in the live-action reimagining of The Little Mermaid. In an interview with People, Bailey shared her personal connection to the project and what drew her to the lead role. She said:

“I was very intrigued by Anna’s storyline, by her character, by her vision and passion that she has and the wants and goals for herself. … It’s a really feel-good movie.”

Opposite her is Regé-Jean Page, whom we best know as the Duke of Hastings, in the first season of Bridgerton. Recalling how quickly he signed on to the film, Page shared a lighthearted moment about his conversation with producer Will Packer, revealing just how simple the decision was for him. In the same interview, he said:

“Will [Packer] and I had a real short conversation and then he just texted me ‘Tuscany in the summer’ with a question mark. End of message. I was like, ‘Yeah, I think we can do that.’ “

The script for You, Me & Tuscany was written by Ryan Engle, based on an original story he developed with Kristin N. Engle. It is produced by Will Packer, known for his work on Girls Trip, alongside Johanna Byer.

The filming took place in Italy across locations such as Pienza, Montalcino, and the Amalfi Coast. It is set to premiere in theaters on April 10, 2026.