Sports
Terence Crawford weighs in on Canelo Alvarez vs David Benavidez rivalry
Terence Crawford has offered his take on why a mega fight between Canelo Alvarez and David Benavidez continues to float in the ether.
During his time as WBC ‘interim’ champion, Benavidez had persistently called for a shot at Alvarez, who reigned supreme as undisputed super-middleweight champion between 2021 and 2024.
The Mexican then reclaimed his undisputed crown last year, outpointing William Scull, before losing a convincing unanimous decision against Crawford in September.
But while many still regard Canelo as the leading fighter at 168lbs, especially following Crawford’s retirement, the 35-year-old has never quite shaken off accusations that he avoided Benavidez.
In search of alternative opportunities, Benavidez moved up to 175lbs in 2024 and was elevated from ‘interim’ to full WBC champion last year, before defending his title with a seventh-round finish over Anthony Yarde in November.
Now bidding to become a three-division world champion, the 29-year-old looks to claim Gilberto Ramirez’s WBO and WBA cruiserweight titles at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on May 2.
As for an elusive fight with Canelo, it appears that Benavidez now represents an even more formidable challenge, making it increasingly unlikely that the pair will ever collide.
Having previously shared 12 rounds with Alvarez, Crawford offered his thoughts while speaking with Joe Rogan, suggesting that Canelo views the size of Benavidez as a significant factor.
“I just think that Canelo, in a sense, knows how big Benavidez [is] going to come in the ring.
“Benavidez is a great fighter, but he’s a big fighter, he’s a tall fighter, and I just think Canelo [is saying to himself]: ‘Why would I wanna get in the ring with this guy that’s going to be massive, come fight time?’
“Canelo’s not a big guy. [But] he’s been fighting big guys his whole career, and beating them with skills.
“I [also] think the disrespect he got from Benavidez had persuaded him to go elsewhere.”
Canelo has been promised a world title fight by Turki Alalshikh in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this September, while Benavidez aims to craft a Hall of Fame career across multiple divisions.
Ireland claimed a bonus-point 27-17 win over Wales in the Guinness Six Nations at the Aviva Stadium on Lansdowne Road on Friday night.
Opening half tries for Stockdale and Crowley, along with five-pointers from Conan and Osborne in the second half, saw Ireland claim their 60th win over Wales, in this the 137th meeting between the two countries.
Ireland score early
Ireland got on the board early with a try from Jacob Stockdale. The Lurgan winger crossed for the five-pointer with only five minutes on the clock. Touching down just marginally right of the right-hand post presented Jack Crowley with an easy conversion attempt, which he comfortably slotted over for a 7-0 Ireland lead.
Try Ireland!
Ireland on the front foot from the off and Jacob Stockdale has their first try of the night.
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Jack Conan thought he had scored his side’s second try of the night when beating two Welsh defenders to touch down in the 12th minute. Just as Crowley was about to kick the conversion, the referee Karl Dickson decided to consult with his TMO, Andrew Jackson. The decision was that front row Tom O’Toole had knocked the ball on at the back of the ruck, meaning the try was disallowed.
Edwards gets Wales on scoreboard
Dan Edwards had an easy effort to register the visitors’ first score of the game with a penalty kick from directly in front of the posts. The Ospreys’ kicker succeeded in reducing the deficit and brought his side to within four points of Ireland, with 17 minutes played.
Crowley touches down
Jack Crowley found himself in a two-on-one situation, played a dummy, and took the five points. The try, his fourth international try, pushed Ireland into a 12-3 lead. The Corkman missed the conversion which followed, however.
Try Ireland!
The home side back in control as Jack Crowley scores Ireland’s second try of the night.
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Wales close the gap
With the match clock past 40 minutes, Wales scored a try against the run of play. Front row, Rhys Carre of Saracens, showed quite a turn of foot for a prop, and scored despite the best efforts of Robert Baloucoune.
With Dan Edwards adding the extras, Ireland only took a two-point advantage into the dressing room at the break, leading 12-10
Ireland dominated the possession with 65%, the territory with 60%, made 93% of their tackles and covered 286 metres in the first half but will have felt disappointed heading to the dressing room at half-time with just a slender two-point lead.
Half-time score: Ireland 12 Wales 10
Jack Conan touched down early in the second period. The referee, Karl Dickson, again checked the validity of this score with his TMO, Andrew Jackson.
Try Ireland!
Jack Conan was denied by the TMO in the first half, and nearly again here, but he has his try and Ireland lead 19-10.
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Conan Try
It took some time for the English referee to decide to award the score, but to the delight of the fans behind the posts, Conan’s try was confirmed. Crowley successfully kicked his second of three conversion attempts by that stage of the game, as Ireland moved into a 19-10 lead.
Wales hit back through Cardiff Rugby’s James Botham. The grandson of former England cricketer, Ian, the flanker crashed over left of the Irish posts following a period of relentless pressure from the visitors.
Try Wales!
Relentless pressure on the Irish line and eventually James Botham makes it count – Ireland lead by two points.
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Dan Edwards added another conversion for the night to bring his side to within two points of the hosts. It was 19-17 with 16 minutes remaining on the stadium clock.
This seemed to be the warning Ireland required. Pressure from the hosts eventually saw fullback Jamie Osborne claim his fifth international try.
Try Ireland!
Jamie Osborne with a huge score in Dublin as they try and see off this stiff Welsh challenge. Bonus point secured.
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Despite a relatively easy conversion effort, Crowley missed his second kick at goals, as Ireland took a 24-17 advantage into the final 11 minutes of this Guinness Six Nations fixture.
Jack Crowley’s late penalty put Ireland’s supporters and management at ease as his score pushed Andy Farrell’s side to a 27-17 win.
Final score: Ireland 27 Wales 17
At long last, Maxx Crosby is being traded. The longtime Las Vegas Raiders Pro Bowl pass rusher is being traded to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for 2026 and 2027 first-round picks, as confirmed by CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones after the two teams agreed to the deal on Friday night. The Raiders will now possess the 14th overall pick in April’s draft, a pick that was formerly held by Baltimore. The deal will not be official until the start of the new league year on March 11.
The Dallas Cowboys — who famously traded away Pro Bowl pass rusher Micah Parsons to the Packers last offseason in exchange for two future first-round picks — reportedly offered first- and second-round picks to the Raiders. The Ravens, however, ultimately landed Crosby after coming in with a better offer. By making this move, the Ravens traded away their first-round pick to acquire another player for the first time in the franchise’s 31-year history.
Crosby, 28, is heading to a Ravens team that was tied for 28th in the NFL in sacks last season. Baltimore’s lack of a pass rush was one of the central reasons why the Ravens posted a disappointing 8-9 record. The Ravens — who desperately want to maximize the remaining prime years of quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry — responded by firing former Super Bowl-winning coach John Harbaugh and replacing him with Jesse Minter, who won a national title as an assistant coach at Michigan in 2023 before having two successful seasons as the Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator.
In Crosby, the Ravens are getting one of the best pass rushers of this era. A 2019 fourth-round pick, Crosby has been named to the Pro Bowl in each of the last five years. He led the NFL in tackles for loss during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Last season, he tallied 10 sacks and a career-high 28 tackles for loss in 15 games.
Crosby is joining a talented Ravens defense that also includes defensive backs Kyle Hamilton and Nate Wiggins, linebacker Roquan Smith and defensive lineman Nnamdi Madubuike.
Crosby is third all-time in Raiders history with 69.5 sacks. He played a key role in the 2021 Raiders’ clinching the franchise’s first playoff berth in five years. But the team has been unable to sustain that level of success, something that undoubtedly led to Crosby wanting a change of scenery despite his affinity for the silver and black.
Crosby is going to an AFC North division that also includes two of the NFL’s other premier pass rushers in the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ T.J. Watt and the Cleveland Browns‘ Myles Garrett. In fact, Crosby has 29 more quarterback pressures than the next-closest player, Garrett.
It came at a price, but the Ravens got their coveted pass rusher. The Raiders, in exchange, received two future first-round picks that should jumpstart the start of Klint Kubiak’s run in Las Vegas. The Raiders also have the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft, a pick they are expected to use to select former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
What’s next for the Cowboys?
While they were outbid for Crosby by Baltimore, there are still several other notable pass rushers the Cowboys can pursue in free agency. In fact, there are a host of noteworthy pass rushers that are slated to be available when the league’s legal tampering period opens on Monday.
One player to keep an eye on is Trey Hendrickson, who in 2024 led the NFL with 17.5 sacks. From 2021-24, Hendrickson recorded a whopping 57 sacks while helping the Bengals win one AFC title and two division titles over that span.
Rashan Gary is another name to monitor. While he’s never had a monster season as far as sacks are concerned, he was extremely consistent during his first seven seasons with the Packers. Over that span, Gary recorded 46.5 sacks, which included 9 sacks in 2023 and 7.5 sacks in each of the last two seasons.
Other pass rushers the Cowboys may pursue include ageless wonder Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, Jonathan Greenard, Leonard Floyd, Odafe Oweh, and Cameron Jordan, who is slated to enter free agency following a Hall of Fame-caliber, 15-year run with the New Orleans Saints.
Back from an effective riding engagement in Japan, Rachel King turns her attention to the Sydney autumn carnival, highlighting her partnership with the barely raced three-year-old gelding Green Spaces in the Randwick Guineas.
King’s high opinion of the Bjorn Baker runner led her to interrupt her Japanese trip to trial the gelding before continuing abroad.
She missed his Hobartville Stakes (1400m) return due to Hobartville Stakes commitments overseas, but will be in place for the Group 1 on Saturday.
“I flew back from Japan halfway through my trip especially to trial him,” King said.
“I’ve got a lot of confidence in the horse. He’s very casual and he only does what he has to, but I think there is a lot more under the bonnet than what we’ve seen so far.”
Having impressed with a strong win in Newcastle’s Spring Stakes (1600m) last November, Green Spaces dulled to sixth when weakening in the Hobartville.
According to King, excess freshness caused him to race too forward, and now cleared, she looks for improved relaxation this time.
“He was a bit fresh and put himself too close, when he needed to be getting back and running on to show his best,” King said.
“He’s still an inexperienced young horse, so it won’t have done him any harm to get in amongst them and realise what this better racing is all about. Toughen him up a bit.
“He will naturally be more relaxed second-up and want to go to sleep that bit more.
“We will look for him to be doing his best work at the end.”
King envisions a Derby suited to Green Spaces’ nature long-term, pending results from his next couple of races.
She also has the mount on Encap, prepared by Gary Portelli, in the Canterbury Stakes (1600m), emphasising the longshot’s Doncaster credentials.
“He’s one of those who is nearly forgotten most races, and he always bobs up in the finish,” she said.
“He’s a beautiful horse to ride. He has his own way of doing things and you’ve got to let him do his thing.
“But geez, he can rattle off some good sectionals late and hopefully fresh, he’s ready to go, which he looks like he is.”
In good touch, King notched midweek wins at Warwick Farm on Wednesday before Randwick.
Discover betting sites for the race via betting markets for the race options.
Carl Froch has revealed he was receptive to an offer on the table for a comeback fight.
The Hall of Fame Brit has been retired since 2014, ending his career with a statement stoppage of countryman George Groves at Wembley Stadium. Though content in retirement, Froch has let his fighting spirit almost convince him to return on a number of occasions.
His latest flirtation with a comeback centres around John Fury, the father of former heavyweight champion Tyson, and a fiery encounter at a recent press conference. Fury took issue with past comments from Froch, and called him out for a fight.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Froch on Fighting, the former super-middleweight world champion revealed that talks behind the scenes to stage the fight did, somewhat surprisingly, make progress, but he believes Fury, 60, has now backed down.
“I need to mention Big John Fury, the fighting man … He’s been given the opportunity to fight ‘The Cobra’ … It’s gone to the stage where the broadcasters are quite interested. He’s making unreasonable demands now about getting Tommy Fury on before him and me.
“He’s basically put a blockade in there with his son, Tommy. Which is ridiculous, because, let’s be honest, nobody gives a s**t about Tommy fighting. We watched him against [Jake] Paul and he’s done nothing since. He pulled out against Darren Till and done f**k all since. It’s Big John Fury running his mouth, big gobs***e, making a nuisance of himself. Then he’s been offered the opportunity … John Fury has got no intentions of fighting anybody, including myself. He’s the option put in front of him, it’s going to be seven figures and he’s made an excuse, and talked his way out of it.”
The fight – for better or worse – did have the potential to land on a Misfits promotion, or something similar, however now looks to be dead in the water.
The Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics officially opened Friday, with some countries boycotting the opening ceremony because of the return of the Russian flag to the global sports stage.
The Russian flag made its return during the nations’ parade, marking the first time it was flown at the Paralympics since the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, and signalling a possible full-fledged return to the Olympic circles ahead of the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles.
Some boos were heard as the Russian athletes entered the stage during the parade. Four members of the delegation represented the country wearing a bright-red uniform. They waved to the crowd as they paraded at the ancient Arena di Verona that was retrofitted with new wheelchair ramps and accessible restrooms along with other safety upgrades.
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The opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics last month also saw its share of tension, with US Vice President JD Vance as well as the Israeli team both being met by loud jeers from the crowd.
Russia‘s national anthem could be played for gold medalists for the first time on the stage of a major global sporting event since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russian athletes were initially banned because of a state-sponsored doping programme, and the sanctions had continued after the invasion.
There was applause when Ukraine was announced, but none of its athletes were seen as the country went through with its boycott of the ceremony. Six other nations had planned to not attend for political reasons, according to the International Paralympic Committee, including the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Poland and Lithuania.
Also back was the flag of Russia’s close ally Belarus, which had two athletes participating in the parade.
Iran’s flag was absent because the only athlete set to compete for the nation, Para cross-country skier Aboulfazl Khatibi, had to withdraw just hours before the opening ceremony after he could not make it to Italy safely amid the intensifying Middle East conflict.
Only about 45 athletes – of the more than 600 competing – represented their nations at the ceremony. Because the Games are one of the most widespread ever, with competitions and venues in different clusters around Italy, many athletes were not able to attend.
Each nation announced their flag-bearers, but volunteers were handed the task of actually carrying the flags for all nations because not all flag-bearers could attend the ceremony for logistics and training issues. Many would start competing early on Saturday morning.
During the parade, videos were shown with the other athletes at their competition locations.
Among the performances during the ceremony at the Arena di Verona – the first UNESCO World Heritage site to host a Paralympic ceremony – was Stewart Copeland, the renowned drummer of The Police, and DJ Miky Bionic, known as the first DJ in the world to play with a bionic arm.
The Milan-Cortina Games mark the 50th anniversary of the Winter Paralympics. Athletes will compete across 79 events in six sports. It is the biggest Winter Paralympics ever, with a record female participation, according to the IPC. The curling events began on Wednesday.
(FRANCE 24 with AP and AFP)
Bayern Munich cruised to a 4–1 win over a struggling Borussia Moenchengladbach on Friday, barely missing the injured Harry Kane as they continued their relentless march towards another Bundesliga title. Kane was ruled out with a calf strain on Thursday, having scored 45 goals in 37 games in all competitions this campaign. The hosts barely felt the England captain’s absence however, with Bayern winning thanks to goals from Luis Diaz, Konrad Laimer, Jamal Musiala and Nicolas Jackson. Musiala’s 57th-minute spot kick was his first league goal this season after he missed the first six months with a broken leg suffered at last year’s Club World Cup.
“I’m still a couple behind him,” Musiala said to Sky Germany of Kane, Bayern’s regular penalty taker. “It’s also a responsibility to take penalties now and then.
“It gives me a bit of confidence in myself. I’m happy I took the opportunity.”
With Manuel Neuer replaced at half-time as a precautionary measure and Joshua Kimmich taken off late, the 23-year-old Musiala was handed the captain’s armband for the first time in his career in the closing stages.
“It’s a great honour for such a big club. I’m embracing it and I’m really happy,” Musiala said.
Atalanta up next
The victory sent Bayern 14 points clear of Borussia Dortmund with nine games remaining and served as the ideal tune-up for next week’s first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Atalanta in Italy.
Bayern already have 92 goals, nine shy of their own Bundesliga record set in 1971-72, while Kane still needs 12 goals to beat Robert Lewandowski’s league record of 41 in a 34-game season.
Gladbach were reduced to 10 men when Rocco Reitz was sent off after conceding a penalty on 55 minutes, with Musiala scoring from the spot.
Five-time Bundesliga winners Gladbach have spent just one season this century in the second division but now sit just three points clear of Werder Bremen in the relegation play-off spot.
Gladbach midfielder Wael Mohya, 17, scored in the 89th minute to become the club’s youngest ever goalscorer.
Kane’s double in Bayern’s 3-2 win at Dortmund last weekend all but sealed another Bundesliga title for the German giants, who have won 12 of the past 13 league crowns.
With Kane out and Michael Olise on the bench, Gladbach may have hoped for better but were behind just after the half-hour mark when Diaz volleyed in a Leon Goretzka pass.
Bayern dealt Gladbach another blow just before half-time when Diaz fed Laimer, who hammered in a second.
Any hopes the visitors had were dashed when their captain Reitz held back Jackson in the box, giving away a penalty and seeing red.
With Kane watching on from the VIP suite, Musiala stepped up to convert the penalty.
Jackson tapped in a Lennart Karl cross to make it four before Mohya pulled one back in the final minute for Gladbach.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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‘That phase was very challenging’: Sanju Samson makes honest admission ahead of IND vs NZ final | Cricket News
MUMBAI: Sanju Samson was quick with his response when reminded that he had missed out on two centuries. “Missed out? I haven’t missed two centuries. One of the best moments of my life is happening, so I’m grateful,” he said.This has been Samson’s World Cup so far. His unbeaten 97 off 50 balls helped India chase down 196 against West Indies in a virtual quarterfinal in Kolkata. That was followed by a fearless 89 against England in the semifinal.Against England, Samson stitched a 97-run stand with Ishan Kishan and then added 43 with Shivam Dube. It’s clear his decade-long experience has given him clarity about his role.
“I was timing the ball well and making good decisions. I’ve played 300-400 T20s, batted from No. 1-6 and captained an IPL franchise. I understand what the team needs and my role in the XI. That clarity helps you score runs the way you want to,” he said.For a player who spent years grappling with inconsistent opportunities, scrutiny and selfdoubt, Samson finally seems to have arrived with a bang. Asked if he felt lighter, the 31-year-old quipped, “One more match. Then I’ll feel very light.“I waited with patience, worked hard, trained a lot. But we still have one more step to go. If we do that, then everything will be worth it,” he said.From being dropped after the series against New Zealand to playing hero in a World Cup semifinal, the Kerala batter has risen like the phoenix. “That phase was very challenging,” he admitted. “I was trying a bit too hard to make an impact and get into the World Cup XI. In T20, even the best struggle to score runs.”Samson among 8 nominees for player of the tournamentSanju Samson’s name figures in the ICC’s eight-man shortlist for the T20 World Cup player of the tournament.The others are England’s Will Jacks, Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan, South Africa’s Lungi Ngidi and Aiden Markram, New Zealand’s Rachin Ravindra and Tim Seifert and American bowler Shadley van Schalkwyk.
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Inside Jasprit Bumrah’s constant evolution: An insatiable appetite for success and hours of tireless training sessions | Cricket News
Two evenings before the Super-8 match against South Africa in Ahmedabad a fortnight ago, Jasprit Bumrah opted to bowl in an empty net, with two boots placed on either side of the batting crease. He kept hurling yorkers for a good 45 minutes. It was a drill he had started in Dharamshala during the T20I series against South Africa last December.Mohammed Siraj arrived at the practice area to bat in the adjacent nets, walked up to Bumrah and said, “ Aapko kya zarurat hain yorker practice karne ka? Aap toh beech raat ko neend se uthke bhi yorker maar sakte ho (Why do you need to practice bowling yorkers? You can get up from sleep in the middle of the night and land those yorkers)!” Bumrah smiled, nailed another perfect yorker which displaced one of the boots, and said, “ Bahut zarurat hain bhai (it’s very important).”
At 32, after multiple injuries and many match-winning performances across formats for over a decade, Bumrah still puts himself through drills that a 16-year-old would do at academy level. It just speaks of his constant hunger to be the best and remain at the top.Bumrah has been bowling up to the stumps and the boots in the nets throughout this World Cup campaign. One of his yorkers even landed on the left toe of Ishan Kishan ahead of the match against Namibia last month in Delhi.
Match by match
On Thursday night, in a tense semifinal against England in Mumbai, every yorker sent down by Bumrah was on point, helping to choke England’s chase.Finding another gear in tense situations, on the biggest stage, is nothing new for Bumrah. His spell of 2/20 in the last T20 World Cup final against South Africa was T20 bowling perfection. In this edition, he has shown he can improve on it.Thursday’s spell of 1/33 in a match that saw a match aggregate of 499 runs, and that too with a lot of dew present at the Wankhede Stadium, was the performance of a bowler in supreme control of his craft. That captain Suryakumar Yadav chose to bowl Bumrah out in the 18th over, when Jacob Bethell was on a rampage, proved he is still the No. 1 option when the Indian team is under pressure.
Bumrah in T20Is
Bumrah usually wears a coy smile after the perfect execution of his deliveries, be it the dipping slower balls, the zippy bouncers or the toe-crushing yorkers. He has also mastered the art of mentally distancing himself from ‘outside’ chatter and remains detached from any possible criticism. He has looked cold-blooded in the way he has gone about his job in this World Cup.India came into the tournament flaunting Varun Chakravarthy’s mystery spin as the trump card, but it is Bumrah who has covered up for him and risen to the occasion. It didn’t come as a surprise when England captain Harry Brook said, “Bumrah is a very good bowler, arguably the best of all time at the minute. He’s been a very good bowler for a long time.”Bumrah knows he is the most complete pacer going around. He also knows that to maintain that, he has to train like a rookie every day.
The weights are not in Baraqiel’s corner for his shot at one of Australia’s elite sprint features, the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington.
Only three horses have won the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) since metric weights began in 1973 while carrying above 57.5kg; the event occurs Saturday.
Hay List bore 58.5kg when victorious in 2012, with Black Caviar carrying 58kg the previous year in her perfect record, same as Shaftesbury Avenue back in 1991.
Redkirk Warrior also carried Baraqiel’s 57.5kg to a second success in 2018, after his lighter 52.5kg win prior.
Baraqiel carries a heavy load, but trainers Leon and Troy Corstens and Will Larkin believe it’s conquerable.
Baraqiel dons blinkers initially to chase a follow-up Group 1 after his Moir Stakes (1000m) conquest at Moonee Valley last spring.
On Saturday, it will be Baraqiel’s second run this prep, following fourth to Tentyris in the Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington February 14.
Go down 1.6 lengths then, Baraqiel receives a 3kg allowance now.
“I reckon he’s improved a lot out of that first-up run,” Larkin said.
“We trialled him last Friday just to tick him over and he’s going there in good order.
“We weren’t there to give him a real good test in the trial. We put the blinkers on him for the first time, and we wanted to get him out the back and see if he would settle.
“He managed that really well, so the blinkers will go on him on Saturday.”
Saturday’s Flemington straight may aid those finishing strongly, though Larkin sticks with barrier three over wider gates.
He feels it fits Baraqiel, considering the gelding lays in, and being trapped for a late burst is beneficial.
“I prefer the inside draw to one outside,” Larkin said.
“We’re going to try and ride him like we did in the Moir. Smother him in there and leave it all late as his turn of foot is his asset and hopefully that gets him to the line.”
Next is the Group 1 William Reid Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield March 21 after this weekend, plans adaptable thereafter.
“The William Reid has always been his Grand Final,” Larkin said.
“He’ll spin around the bend, third-up, which looks like it will shape up as a good race.
“After that we have got plenty of options for good prize money. There have been some talks about The Quokka or may be going up to Sydney as well.”
Discover competitive racing betting markets ahead of the Newmarket Handicap.
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Ireland 27-17 Wales: Resilient Irish deny ‘tremendous’ visitors famous Six Nations win in Dublin
For a moment, Ireland threatened to run off into the night.
After Jacob Stockdale ended his five-year wait for an international try, Ireland celebrated a second try against Wales just 10 minutes into Friday’s Six Nations game when Jack Conan crashed over.
But the home support’s excitement at the possibility of a thumping turned to frustration when the try was ruled out for Tom O’Toole’s knock on.
It set up a nervy night for Ireland when their post-England euphoria was quickly forgotten as they set about keeping a stubborn and spirited Wales side quiet.
In their record away win over England, Ireland ruthlessly built up a 22-0 lead before the hosts replied.
On Friday, though, a hard-hitting Welsh defence stopped the hosts from building an insurmountable advantage.
And when asked for his observations, Ireland head coach Andy Farrell was quick to both praise Wales after they provided his side a more uncomfortable examination than England last time out.
“I actually thought Wales did fantastically well to stay in the game,” he said.
“Like Caelan [Doris, Ireland captain] said, if it goes to 14 points, it’s a different game you’re looking at, but they played tough, they hung on in there and kept it close on the scoreboard. I thought they were tremendous tonight.
“It was a proper Test match and for us to come away with a bonus-point win, we’d certainly take that with how the game unfolded, because it was a different game to the game that we played last time round.
“In regards to, we weren’t playing rugby on the front foot because of how well they defended, I thought they were excellent in contact and set-piece.”
Ireland claim 27-17 bonus-point win over Wales
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