The Minnesota Vikings pounced on Kyler Murray’s free agency in March, and two months later, the NFL world believes he’ll take part in the league’s hottest quarterback competition this summer — a duel with J.J. McCarthy.
Minnesota’s QB room could become the league’s loudest training camp storyline.
That’s the word from SI.com this week, claiming Murray v. McCarthy will be must-see television.
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Murray and McCarthy Set Up a Fascinating Summer Showdown
Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy scrambles with the football during first-half action against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. On Sep. 8, 2025, McCarthy continued displaying athleticism and pocket mobility for Minnesota’s offense while operating as the franchise’s young starting quarterback in an important NFC North divisional matchup on the road. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images.
SI.com: There’s No Bigger Roster Battle than Vikings QB1
Eva Geitheim stepped up to the plate this week, sizing up the top questions for the NFL after the draft, and the Vikings’ quarterback situation made the cut.
She explained, “Who will start for the Vikings come Week 1? There will be several quarterback competitions across the league this offseason, but none will be bigger than that between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy. The Vikings could be a playoff contender with competent quarterback play, a key reason they brought Murray to Minnesota.”
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“The competition could certainly go in Murray’s favor, as both coach Kevin O’Connell and receiver Justin Jefferson have spoken highly of the veteran quarterback while emphasizing the work McCarthy still has ahead of him.”
Geitheim also mentioned Aaron Rodgers’s will-I-or-won’t-I-play schtick, the Dianna Russini + Mike Vrabel fallout, and trades around the league, among other topics.
Overstating McCarthy’s Chances?
Indeed, McCarthy held the Vikings’ QB1 job in 2025, his second official season in the pros after a torn meniscus ravaged his rookie campaign. In that regard, he should have a solid chance to continue as the starting quarterback.
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But that’s on paper.
McCarthy has mind-bogglingly become injury-prone, battling a torn meniscus, a high ankle sprain, a concussion, and a broken hand while starting just 10 games in two years. The man has been available for the Vikings 29% of the time since Minnesota used a 1st-Round draft pick on him.
Then, when healthy, McCarthy has struggled, ranking near the bottom of the NFL per quarterback efficiency and throwing more interceptions than touchdowns in 2025. McCarthy is certainly an option for the QB1 job, but Murray should be classified as the heavy frontrunner.
Murray with a Chip on His Shoulder
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Murray will assuredly want to prove naysayers wrong in 2025, including the Arizona Cardinals, a franchise that left him for dead this offseason. For reputation’s sake, the Cardinals have one of the worst ownership groups in sports, and they didn’t want Murray. They cut him. The Cardinals would rather have Jacoby Brissett and Carson Beck than Murray.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray stands near the bench during the second half of a road matchup against the Washington Commanders at FedExField. During the Sep. 10, 2023, contest in Landover, Murray remained sidelined while recovering from injury, continuing his rehabilitation process before eventually returning to Arizona’s starting lineup later that season. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images.
So, you better believe Murray will have a chip on his shoulder, landing in a spot with the Vikings where he’ll play alongside a Top 3 NFL defense, weapons like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, a quarterback-whispering head coach, and a team that finished 2025 with a winning record.
In short, Murray will be ultra-motivated this summer, autumn, and winter, and that won’t bode well for McCarthy’s chances to score the upset.
Other QB Competition around the Business?
The NFL will feature two true quarterback competitions later this summer, in addition to Murray-McCarthy.
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First, the Cleveland Browns will have a “let the best man win” slugfest between Deshaun Watson, Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel, and rookie Taylen Green. Most expect the Browns to give Watson one last look before trying something new.
The other battle is in Atlanta. Michael Penix Jr., the incumbent, will take on Tua Tagovailoa, with Kevin Stefanski as the new head coach and referee. Tagovailoa has markedly more experience and a history of upper-echelon production. Penix Jr. has youth on his side and relatively recent draft stock in 2024.
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. runs onto the field before a regular-season matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. On Sep. 7, 2025, Penix prepared for another NFC South showdown while continuing his transition into Atlanta’s starting quarterback role entering a pivotal season for the franchise’s offense and future direction. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images.
FalconsWire‘s Tim Weaver on the Falcons’ quarterback battle: “Michael Penix Jr. is the safe bet to win the job, if nothing else because the Falcons have invested so much more in him (a top-10 overall pick) compared to Tua Tagovailoa (one-year, $1.2 million). However, Tagovailoa has demonstrated a higher ceiling in the NFL and will likely be healthier come Week 1.”
“The answer to this question is probably a two-pronged approach. At the start of the regular season our best guess is that it will be Tagovailoa under center. However, once Penix is fully healthy Tua is going to have to impress on the field in a big way in order to hold him off. Right now it looks more than likely we will see both Penix and Tagovailoa end up starting 5+ games at some point during the regular season. This battle may not be fully settled until January — or even beyond that.”
If one stretches the criteria of what could be a summer quarterback competition, these clubs could partake:
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— New York Jets: Geno Smith v. Cade Klubnik — Las Vegas Raiders: Kirk Cousins v. Fernando Mendoza — Pittsburgh Steelers: Whatever Happens if Aaron Rodgers Doesn’t Sign
NFL training camps are about 12 weeks away.
Dustin Baker is a novelist and political scientist. His second novel, The Invaders , is out now. So is … More about Dustin Baker
The Minnesota Vikings are bolstering their wide receiver room with one of the top veterans remaining on the free agent market. The club has agreed to a one-year deal with former San Francisco 49ers wideout Jauan Jennings, according. The deal is worth $8 million, but Jennings has a chance to make up to $13 million with incentives.
Jennings, who turns 29 in August, joins a receiver depth chart that already boasts one of the best one-two punches in the league in Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison. That said, Minnesota was in need of adding some depth to the unit, especially after losing pass catcher Jalen Nailor, who was third on the team with 444 yards receiving in 2025, in free agency. Nailor signed a three-year, $35 million contract with the Las Vegas Raiders during the initial waves of free agency, which also included $23 million guaranteed.
Jennings will now come aboard and adopt some, if not all, of the 53 targets left by Nailor as he now joins the Vikings.
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The 2020 seventh-rounder out of Tennessee is entering his sixth season in the NFL next season. Those previous five campaigns were all spent in the Bay Area with the 49ers. While Jennings had been a solid contributor throughout his tenure in San Francisco, he was a bit of a late bloomer. During his fourth season in the league in 2024, Jennings broke out with a 975-yard campaign to go along with six touchdowns on 77 receptions. At the time, all of those were career highs.
After establishing himself as a starter with the Niners, Jennings followed that breakout season with a solid — albeit more muted — 2025 season. While his receptions and receiving yards were lower than the year prior, Jennings’ nine receiving touchdowns were a new career-best.
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Of course, Jennings’ addition puts the quarterback room even more in focus for 2026. While head coach Kevin O’Connell hasn’t named a starter quarterback yet, it’s widely assumed that Kyler Murray, who signed a one-year deal in mid-March after his release from the Arizona Cardinals, will win the job over J.J. McCarthy and Carson Wentz.
If that proves to be the case, the Vikings will now have two NFC West castoffs serving in pivotal roles on offense.
The deadline for NFL teamsto pick up fifth-year options on first-round picks from the 2023 draft came and went without edge rusher Tyree Wilson earning that additional year on his rookie contract. Not only that, but Wilson found himself on a new squad altogether at the deadline after the Las Vegas Raiders traded him to the New Orleans Saints on Day 3 of this year’s draft. There has never been more uncertainty for the former No. 7 overall pick, who suddenly finds himself at a career crossroads.
The Raiders moved up from the seventh round to the fifth while shipping Wilson off to New Orleans. The move cut bait with a player who never delivered on high expectations across his three years in the AFC West. On the other side of the deal, the Saints acquired an affordable lottery ticket. If Wilson finally breaks through, he will fill a key need on the defensive front. If not, they can move on after this season without any financial hardship.
The delta between Wilson’s best-case and worst-case outcomes in New Orleans is immense. He could reinvent himself as a rising standout on an expiring deal, but he could also begin to flame out as nothing more than a depth piece.
Here is what might come next for Wilson in his first year with the Saints.
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Best-case scenario
Sometimes, all it takes is a change of scenery. A number of recent examples exist at Wilson’s position. Take K’Lavon Chaisson, for instance. The 2020 first-round pick never amounted to much with the Jacksonville Jaguars, turned in a career year with the Raiders and parlayed it into a full-on breakout in 2025 as a key member of a New England Patriots pass rush that made a trip to the Super Bowl.
Perhaps second-year defensive coordinator Brandon Staley can get more out of Wilson than the multiple coaching staffs who oversaw the first three years of his development. His debut defense in 2025 turned out to be a strength of the Saints’ promising squad.
There is room for Wilson to step right in as a Day 1 starter on the edge. Longtime Saint Cameron Jordan remains unsigned, and because New Orleans’ only move this offseason to rebuild depth at the position was to bring in Wilson, he will be counted on to replace Jordan’s production.
The financial implications of a breakout year would also be significant. Wilson was scheduled to earn $14.475 million in 2027 if the Saints picked up his option. Finding that kind of payday is likely a stretch even if Wilson finally delivers on his potential, but he could command something in that range rather than scrounging up a couple of million dollars with another disappointing season. The timing is ideal, as Wilson’s status as an unrestricted free agent next spring will allow him to play the market.
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Better yet, Wilson could latch on with the Saints for the long term as Jordan’s replacement. They should be willing to pay up for an edge rusher next offseason if Jordan is out of the picture, and 2026 is effectively a tryout for a long-term deal for Wilson. He will have other suitors if he breaks out, but the fit would make plenty of sense if he simply re-upped with New Orleans.
Worst-case scenario
The more likely outcome is that Wilson remains a middling starter or plateaus as a career depth piece. That is possible whether or not Jordan re-signs with the Saints.
Jordan’s return would block Wilson from the starting lineup, as the 15-year veteran would instantly slot back onto the top line of the depth chart with Bryan Bresee and Chase Young in what is a three-man pass-rushing unit. As it stands, Wilson only has to battle with Vernon Broughton, who missed all but one game as a rookie due to a season-ending hip injury.
If Jordan comes back, Wilson’s ceiling will be that of a rotational player. Even if that spot in the lineup is open, though, there is no guarantee Wilson takes the job and runs with it. He never posted more than 4.5 sacks with the Raiders, and in two of three years, he graded as a sub-average run defender, per PFF.
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Tyree Wilson career stats
2023
17
0
29
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3.5
2
2024
16
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4
27
4.5
6
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2025
17
3
35
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4
8
Wilson will be a better player in 2026 than any of the prospects that were available to the Saints in the fifth round when they traded away their pick, so there is not much here for New Orleans to lose. The greater risk is for Wilson himself, as another year as a sub-five sack producer probably cements him as a second-stringer for good. There will always be demand in free agency for that kind of player, and he would find a home in 2027, but that is a disappointing result for a former top-10 pick.
Welcome to our PGA Tour gambling-tips column, featuring picks from GOLF.com’s expert prognosticator Brady Kannon. A seasoned golf bettor and commentator, Kannon is a regular guest on SportsGrid, a syndicated audio network devoted to sports and sport betting, and is a golf betting analyst for CBS Sportsline. You can follow him on X at @LasVegasGolfer, and you can read his early picks below for the PGA Championship, which gets underway on May 14 in Newtown Square, Penn.
“I intended to make this course my masterpiece, but not until today did I realize I built it better than I knew.”
Legendary golf course designer, Donald Ross, said that about Aronimink in 1948, the site of this year’s 108th PGA Championship, 20 years after opening the golf course. Legendary golf historian and master of design restoration, Gil Hanse, was brought to Newtown Square, Penn., along with his partner, Jim Wagner, in 2016 to work their magic and transform Aronimink back into major championship caliber as Ross originally intended.
More than 150 players, including 20 PGA club professionals, will make their way to the Philadelphia area next week for the second major championship of 2026. What a better place to hold one of golf’s crown jewel events than in the Birthplace of America in the year of the nation’s 250th birthday? Hot dogs, apple pie, and likely some fireworks if we can correctly land on the champion and this year’s recipient of the Wanamaker Trophy.
Stretching to nearly 7,400 yards, Aronimink will play to a par 70 for this year’s championship. The fairways have been made a bit wider by Hanse, who also did some tree removal, and added 100 sand bunkers to what is now a total of 174 that pepper this layout. The fairways feature quite a bit of slope, making for uneven lies when negotiating primarily long-iron approach shots into classic Ross-style greens, full of humps and bumps and shaved run-off areas.
The modern-day PGA Championship has been a bomber’s paradise. Brooks Koepka has won three in the last 10 years. Bryson DeChambeau has been runner-up in each of the last two. Driver-heavy courses like Quail Hollow, Valhalla, and Oak Hill have been the norm for this test in recent years. I believe however, that Aronimink may actually favor accuracy over distance off the tee. Total Driving (distance plus accuracy) is certainly a skill set that makes sense as I believe finding the proper positioning in the fairways trumps simply raw length. Long iron play from uneven lies, hitting greens not only in regulation, but also in the best particular areas of the greens, and incredible short-game skills, all figure into my initial profile on how to best solve Aronimink.
We saw this golf course a couple of times prior to the restoration when it hosted the AT&T National. The last time we saw it was after the remodel at the 2018 BMW Championship when Keegan Bradley beat Justin Rose in a playoff. As far as courses that figure to have some crossover characteristics, look no further than to other Ross designs we see regularly. Pinehurst No. 2 hosted the U.S. Open in 2014 and in 2024. Sedgefield Country Club is the annual host of the Wyndham Championship and Detroit Golf Club has been hosting the Rocket Mortgage Classic now for six seasons. Oak Hill hosted the PGA Championship in 2013 and in 2023, another Ross design, and then of course, East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta where for a couple of decades now, they have played the Tour Championship.
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Early Bets
Xander Schauffele (18-1)
I have three plays currently in pocket. Schauffele being one of the shorter shots, trading as basically the fifth or six favorite on the board at this time. He, of course, is a former PGA Champion, winning at Valhalla in 2024. Schauffele is arguably the greatest Donald Ross specialist on Tour, having won at East Lake and finished runner-up three times. He was third at Aronimink in 2018, seventh at Pinehurst in 2024 and was 18th at Oak Hill in 2023. In Hole Proximity from 175-200 yards, he ranks 14th on Tour. He ranks 20th from 200 yards or more. Schauffele is third on Tour in Scrambling and is 42nd for Strokes Gained: Putting. Off the tee, he is 45th in Driving Distance and 65th in Driving Accuracy. The current form appears to be on point as well with consecutive finishes of 3-4-9-12 in his last four starts.
Russell Henley (56-1)
For so many years, Henley was just figured to not be long enough to compete on some of the game’s bigger courses. As he has ascended to a Top 10 player in the world in recent years, he’s won at Bay Hill and finished top 5 at Augusta National twice. He checks just about every box for me coming into Aronimink except for the iron play has been off a bit in 2026. But, he just finished third at the Masters a month ago. It is also worth noting, since 2019 when the PGA Championship moved to May on the calendar, every winner had finished top 10 at the Masters the month prior, except for Phil Mickelson in 2021. 2020 does not count because The Masters was played in November that year. As far as other Ross designs, Henley was seventh at Pinehurst in 2024, has four top 10 finishes including a runner-up at Sedgefield, a top 10 at Detroit Golf Club, and has finished second, third, and fourth at East Lake Golf Club.
Rickie Fowler (100-1)
One long shot before we leave and I’m sticking with the Donald Ross angle. Fowler was runner-up at Pinehurst in 2014, 19th at Oak Hill in 2013, has been runner-up twice at East Lake and won in a playoff at Detroit Golf Club in 2023. He also finished eighth here at Aronimink at the 2018 BMW Championship. The skill set in 2026 matches up as well as he ranks 11th on Tour in Scrambling, 20th in Strokes Gained: Putting, eighth in Hole Proximity from 175-200 yards, and is 28th in Total Driving.
I am going to continue to lean in on the accuracy angle more so than sheer power and as Hanse said about his remodel and this championship, it will come down to the short game. The ability to read these greens, the undulations, the scrambling, getting up and down for par. It is a Ross tradition for winners to be decided on and around the greens and I believe with Mother Nature’s cooperation, that is what we will end up with here in Philadelphia next week. Stay tuned as I will have my full card of outrights posted here on Tuesday.
Richard Holliday – the “most marketable” man in pro wrestling – will take his talents to the Battle for the Brave: Wrestling Showcase for Heroes on June 6 in Rahway, New Jersey.
The event, hosted by TNA Wrestling star and U.S. Marine veteran Steve Maclin and Ring of Honor pure champion Deonna Purrazzo, will benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
Holliday talked to Fox News Digital about why he decided to take part in the event.
Richard Holliday nails his opponent in Awesome Championship Wrestling.(Smoothlenz photography)
“It’s a tremendous cause,” Holliday said. “How could I say no to that? I’m very proud of what Steve and Deonna are doing and to include me as part of that, that’s tremendous. How could I possibly say no to that? So, I’m really looking forward to that event.
“Actually, both of them were part of the event that I threw, Narcissistic Behavior in August 2025, which was really renowned as the top independent show of that year and I have no doubt that Steve and Deonna are going to have maybe the top singular independent event of 2026. It’s going to be a huge event. I believe they have the Hardy Boyz announced for that. But man, what an event this is going to be.”
Holliday will be a part of the Battle for the Brave Cup – a 12-person gauntlet match that will start as a battle royal and turn into a match when there are two competitors left.
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Richard Holliday plays to the crowd at an Awesome Championship Wrestling event.(Smoothlenz photography)
Maclin, Megan Bayne, BDE and other stars will perform in the match.
Maclin revealed his participation exclusively to Fox News Digital earlier in the week.
“Everybody’s been asking me, ‘Why would you not want to wrestle on your own show, especially for such a great cause?’ So, as of now, officially, I am entering as the No. 1 entrant in the Battle for the Brave Memorial Cup,” he said. “I’ll be taking on 12 other competitors. It’s an over-the-top battle royal and the final two competitors turns into a match.
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“I’m going to take the tough road and the hard road of going No. 1 and trying to make my way all the way through to be the (last) one.”
Matt and Jeff Hardy are in the event as well and provided a joint statement on their participation.
Pro wrestling stars Steve Maclin and Deonna Purrazzo were champions at TNA.(Provided to Fox News Digital)
“My brother and I are both very excited to be headlining Steve Maclin and Deonna Purrazzo’s very special Tunnel to Towers event. Tunnel to Towers is a very special organization that helps take care of people who have been injured on the job protecting us – people like the military, first responders and police,” the Hardys said. “We are very grateful for all of these people’s services and efforts in keeping us all safe and healthy. We look forward to raising as much money as we possibly can.”
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Ryan Gaydos is a senior editor for Fox News Digital.
With PSG on the brink of history, following a very tight semi-final match against German powerhouse Bayern-Munich, Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Victor Bolorunduro, Reporter for The Peninsula Qatar. The reigning European champions will now face Arsenal. According to Bolorunduro, PSG has discovered a “cohesiveness” and developed “a remarkable improvement from one match to another.” He places PSG’s current form within a broader narrative of European football evolution, once criticized for inconsistency, now “on the verge of retaining the title” for another year.
The discussion surrounding a 24-team playoff continues as the AFCA recently expressed its support.
Would it be a boon for more G6 teams to make the Playoff?
On today’s episode of Locked On College Football, Spencer McLaughlin reacts to South Carolina and Tennessee being in Joel Klatt’s latest Top 25 rankings.
Are they the only overrated teams?
Fran Brown will once again seek to recapture the magic of his 10-win first season with the Orange in 2024.
Will they have the chance to be a surprise ACC team in spite of injuries?
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00:00 Group of Six playoff chances 03:41 Playoff eligibility scenarios 07:06 College Football Playoff chances 10:35 Discussing Joel Klatt’s top 25 teams 14:49 Quarterback injury concerns 16:49 Discussing college football rankings 22:33 Steve Angeli’s injury recovery update 28:55 Syracuse football season outlook
The Minnesota Vikings’ search for a new general manager is starting to take shape as the franchise is aggressively pushing to hire a new GM soon. According to multiple reports, the Vikings have officially requested permission to interview Seattle Seahawks assistant general manager Nolan Teasley.
Vikings Cast a Wide Net in GM Search
After the departure of former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Vikings are looking for a replacement that can take the program to new heights. The franchise appears to be taking a calculated approach after the 2026 NFL Draft. Teasley is one of several candidates who the program is considering. The Vikings have also shown interest in other executives across the league such as:
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Bills assistant GM Terrance Gray
Titans assistant GM Dave Ziegler
49ers assistant GM RJ Gillen
Chargers assistant GM Chad Alexander
Rams assistant GM John McKay
Vikings interim GM Rob Brzezinski
It’s clear now that Minnesota is prioritizing experience, fresh perspectives, and proven track records as it looks to have a new face.
Who Is Nolan Teasley?
Teasley might not be a publicly known name yet and we haven’t seen him making any major headlines. He began his journey with the Seahawks back in 2013 as a scouting intern and worked his way up through the organization. Over the years, he held roles such as pro personnel scout, assistant director of pro personnel, and director of pro personnel before being promoted to assistant GM.
This journey showcases that he likes to stay in one job for a longer period. In Seattle he is involved in roster building, talent evaluation, and scouting pros. League insiders have highlighted his evaluation skills, with some NFL agents even naming him among the best talent evaluators in the league. If he lands the job, it would mark his first opportunity to lead an NFL front office. And the timing is perfect as the Vikings are in need of a long-term vision after recent struggles. Right now the next GM hire will play a crucial role in shaping the franchise’s future. While Teasley does seem like a compelling option, the franchise has other suitable candidates who are far more experienced than him. Familiar faces like Rams assistant GM John McKay and head coach Kevin O’Connell could be considered as priority candidates at the moment. At this stage, the Vikings appear focused on gathering as much insight as possible before making any franchise-defining decision.
One thing is certain: with interviews ramping up and the candidate pool expanding, Minnesota’s GM search is finally moving into its final stage.
The team at Lindsay Park faced various decisions regarding Plymouth this week, however, the intention to hold him steady at 2000 metres guides him to Caulfield.
The four-year-old son of The Autumn Sun featured entries for Thursday’s 2350m Warrnambool Cup and acceptance in Saturday’s 2100m Gosford Gold Cup, but he is set to appear in Caulfield’s Lamaro’s Ater The Last, a benchmark 100 race worth $150,000.
Plymouth lacks a win from five 2000m efforts, but achieved second in the Albury Cup and third place at Flemington around his failure in the Group 3 Easter Cup (2000m), while Ben Hayes holds firm that 2000m is ideal alongside one crucial change in gear.
For the gelding, blinkers come back on since runner-up spot in the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) last spring.
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“His last run was good, we just thought he maybe presented a bit early in the straight. He got rolling early and peaked on his run a bit,” Hayes said.
“Now he’s had that good run at 2000, we’ll keep him at 2000 and put blinkers on.
“He’s been knocking on the door. He’s building to another win.”
This campaign sees Plymouth without a victory in five starts, following his win in the Benalla Cup (2100m) ahead of the Herbert Power Stakes, and Hayes views the Saturday race as a potential path to continue racing out of state.
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“If he runs well we’ll consider going up to Brisbane with him,” Hayes, who trains in partnership with brothers Will and JD, said.
“There are all those races up there that we can head towards, but he needs to run well. If not, we’ll put him away and get him ready for the spring.”
Plymouth starts from gate seven at Caulfield, improving to six post the withdrawal of Sayedaty Sadaty, with Jamie Mott, in good form, aboard for his debut ride.
Discover racing betting markets offering great value for the Lamaro’s Ater The Last at Caulfield.
(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on May 7, 2026 shows (L) the Olympic flag during a practice session at Eiffel Tower Stadium in Paris on July 24, 2024, ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and (R) a Belarus flag during an air show in the capital Minsk, on June 21, 2014. (Photo by Odd ANDERSEN and SERGEI GAPON / AFP)
The IOC on Thursday lifted its ban on Belarusian athletes competing in the Olympics, although restrictions on Russian athletes remain in place.
Competitors from Russia and their allies Belarus had been banned from international competition following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, although some were permitted to compete as neutrals.
Russians will still only be able to compete in Olympic competition under the neutral banner, on an individual basis, and only if they have not actively supported the conflict.
The IOC executive board released a statement saying that it “no longer recommends any restrictions on the participation of Belarusian athletes, including teams”.
“The IOC reaffirms that athletes’ participation in international competition should not be limited by the actions of their governments, including involvement in a war or conflict,” it said.
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This new policy should allow for a Belarusian delegation to compete at the Los Angeles Summer Olympics in 2028, when they will be present at the opening ceremony and included in the medals table.
The IOC said that the timing of the statement recognised that the qualification period for the 2028 Games begins this (northern hemisphere) summer.
“On behalf of the entire Belarusian sporting public, we express our gratitude to IOC President Kirsty Coventry for her balanced and principled stance,” said the Belarusian Olympic Committee.
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“We are firmly convinced that sport is called to serve as a unifying force and must remain an arena free from political influence,” said the statement adding that Belarus hoped the decision “will become a defining benchmark for international sports federations, which will, in the shortest possible time, lift all restrictions on Belarusian athletes in all sports.”
Some Olympic sports, such as judo and swimming, have already lifted restrictions but Belarus are still unlikely to be able to compete as a team in track and field after World Athletics said in response to the IOC announcement that it was keeping its ban in place.
“As a consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, World Athletics sanctions implemented in March 2022 excluding Belarusian and Russian athletes, officials and supporting personnel from competition remain in place,” said a World Athletics spokesperson.
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“Our council has made a clear decision that when there is tangible movement towards peace negotiations it can begin to review its decisions. We all hope this will be soon.”
‘In good standing’
At the last two Olympics in Paris 2024 and the Milan-Cortina Winter Games in February, Belarusians competed alongside Russians as “Individual Neutral Athletes”, stripped of their national colours and in small numbers — there were 17 in Paris and seven in Italy.
And for the moment, that will remain the case for Russian athletes wanting to take part in Los Angeles.
“The situation relating to the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is different from that relating to the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Belarus,” said the IOC in their statement.
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The ROC has been suspended since autumn 2023 for having placed the sports organisations of four occupied Ukrainian regions under its authority.
However, the IOC also said that fresh concerns have recently arisen regarding the Russian anti-doping system which was first exposed in late 2015 following the Sochi Winter Games the year before.
“The difference is the Belarusian National Olympic Committee was never suspended. And they’ve always been in good standing,” IOC president Kirsty Coventry told reporters.
“The most recent information which led to the World Anti-Doping Agency looking into a potential doping allegation, we do not know how long that will take.”
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The Zimbabwean former Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer added: “But in 2016 I was still an athlete and it is a huge importance for me to do whatever we can to ensure that the field of play, whenever any athletes are coming back to competition, is the cleanest and fairest field of play that we can provide.
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“The Russian Olympic Committee is still suspended.”
Morocco has taken another big step in football development after becoming the first African nation to introduce referee body cameras in domestic football.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation confirmed that the body cameras will be tested during the Botola Pro Casablanca Derby as part of an experimental phase.
The new plan is aimed at improving transparency in football officiating and bringing more modern technology into the game.
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The federation also announced that it is preparing to introduce Semi-Automated Offside Technology (SAOT) in Moroccan football soon.
In addition, officials revealed that work is ongoing on a centralised VAR control room that will oversee several matches at the same time.
Morocco had earlier become the first African country to use Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology and is now preparing to lead the continent again with the referee bodycam project.
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If the SAOT system is fully introduced, Morocco could also become the first African country to use the technology in its domestic football league.
The latest development further strengthens Morocco’s position as one of Africa’s leading countries in football growth and technological advancement.
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