With the new ice hockey arena in Milan and the new ice rink in Cortina both finished just in time, the 25th Winter Olympics can begin.
Cortina d’Ampezzo is hosting the Olympics for the second time. Seventy years ago, in 1956, the seventh edition of the Games was held entirely in the winter sports resort in the Italian Dolomites.
What are the key dates and sports for the 2026 Winter Games?
The Games will officially open on February 6 at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan, better known as San Siro, where Inter and AC Milan usually play football. The arena can seat 75,000 spectators. The first competitions will begin two days before the opening ceremony, on February 4, with curling.
A total of around 2,900 athletes (47% of whom are women) from more than 90 countries will compete for a total of 116 gold, silver and bronze medals. Germany will be represented by 188 winter athletes, more than ever before at the Winter Games.
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Ski mountaineering will be an Olympic sport for the first time. The competitions will mostly be held on circular courses. The athletes will climb the slope with the bottom of their skis covered in climbing skins, synthetic fabric that prevents sliding down. At the top, they will remove the skins and then ski down.
Qualifying for the ski mountaineering took place in Austria in 2025Image: Uwe Lein/dpa/picture alliance
Ice hockey, figure skating, speed skating, and short track will take place in Milan, while women’s alpine skiing, luge, bobsleigh, skeleton and curling will be in Cortina d’Ampezzo. Other locations in northeastern Italy are also included. The biathlon in Antholz, Livigno will host freestyle skiing and snowboarding, and Bormio and Val di Fiemme will share men’s alpine skiing and ski mountaineering. This means that the Games will not be short-distance: Milan and Antholz are 350 kilometers (217 miles) apart.
The 2026 Winter Games will end on February 22 with the closing ceremony in the evocative ampitheater known as Verona Arena, which has a capacity of 12,000 and lies to the east of Milan.
Are Russian and Belarusian athletes allowed to compete?
As was the case at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, only individual athletes are allowed to compete — and only if they have no ties to the army or security services, and have not publicly spoken out in favor of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Only then are they considered “neutral.” In addition, they must have qualified for the Olympics in their respective sports. A three-member IOC review panel grants any final permission to compete.
According to information from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), 13 winter athletes from Russia and seven from Belarus are expected to participate (as of January 29, 2026). At the Summer Games in Paris in 2024, 15 athletes from Russia and 17 from Belarus were admitted as neutral athletes.
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Freestyle skier Hanna Huskowa from Belarus, who won gold in 2018 (picture) and silver in 2022 in the aerials (jumping) discipline, is also allowed to compete in Italy.Image: Angelika Warmuth/dpa/picture alliance
In December, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) overturned the exclusion of “neutral” Russian and Belarusian skiers from Olympic qualifications.
At the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing, 216 Russians were only allowed to compete under a neutral flag, but for a different reason: the state-sponsored doping system in Russia had been uncovered. The Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, 2022, four days after the end of the Games in Beijing.
Who will be responsible for security during the Games?
According to the IOC, security is “the responsibility of the host country’s authorities, who will work closely with the participating delegations.” Reportedly, around 6,000 police and other security personnel will be on duty. By comparison, more than 50,000 were deployed at the Games in Paris.
The announcement that officials from the controversial US immigration agency ICE would also be sent to the Olympic Games to ensure the safety of US guests of honor made headlines around the world. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have announced their visit, but President Donald Trump has not yet done so.
However, the US ambassador to Italy, Tilman J. Fertitta, said that the ICE officers would be deployed “only in an advisory and intelligence capacity, without patrolling or enforcement measures.”
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This is likely in reference to the Homeland Security Investigations unit, which is a unit within ICE that focuses on cross-border crimes. It frequently sends officers to events like the Olympics to help with security, and they are completely seperate from those currently at the forefront of the immigration crackdown in the US. Nevertheless, the news of any ICE presence has increased tension in Italy.
How are the doping controls carried out?
As in Beijing in 2022, the IOC has commissioned the Switzerland-based International Testing Authority (ITA) to carry out doping tests in most sports. Pre-Olympic controls began at the end of October, with a further 3,000 tests planned during the Games in Milan and Cortina. For the first time, baggage checks will be carried out at airports with the aim of seizing suspicious substances.
However, the world federations for skiing, biathlon, ice hockey and curling are not cooperating with the ITA, but are organizing doping controls in their respective sports themselves.
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Urine and blood samples will be stored for up to ten years so that doping offenders can still be exposed later using possible new analysis methods. The CAS will have its own office on site during the Games so that it can quickly rule on doping offenses.
Will the 2026 Games be a success?
That depends on many factors. According to the organizing committee, more than half of the tickets had already been sold by the beginning of November 2025. Prices range from €30 ($36) to €2,900 for the most expensive ticket for the closing ceremony in Verona. Atmosphere will likely play a key role in gauging the success of the Games.
For particularly popular events such as the alpine skiing competitions, only expensive tickets, or so-called hospitality packages, are still available. For €3,500 you get a ticket, brunch and other special services.
Concerns about shady deals ahead of 2026 Winter Olympics
It remains to be seen whether the organizers will ultimately be in the black at the end of the month. The budget for the Olympic and subsequent Paralympic Games in Milan and Cortina is around €1.6 billion. According to official figures, the last Winter Games in Beijing cost €3.3 billion, but researchers at Oxford University in England calculated in a study that the cost was more than double that amount (€7.33 billion).
Mumbai: At last, the Mumbai Indians have ended their jinx of losing the first match of the IPL, an unwanted habit which they had been carrying for 13 long seasons — from 2013 to 2025.In fact, on Sunday night at the Wankhede Stadium, that unwanted record looked like continuing when the Kolkata Knight Riders raced away to an imposing total of 220 for four after being asked to bat first.
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Greenstone Lobo predicts IPL 2026 winner
However, their openers, South African ‘keeper-bat Ryan Rickelton (81, 43b, 4×4, 8×6) and former captain Rohit Sharma (78, 38b, 6×4, 6×6), who turned the clock back with some furious hitting, blew away KKR with their rollicking 148-run opening stand, which took just 72 balls. The issue was never in doubt, even though the hosts lost a few late wickets.MI’s emphatic six-wicket win in the high-scoring game, which came with five balls to spare, gave much to cheer for their vociferous supporters.The first two days of IPL 2026 have now seen 200-plus totals chased down easily, almost in a farcical manner, which tells you how tough life is getting for the bowlers in the IPL. At the moment, the contest between bat and ball is heavily lopsided in favour of the bat in the league.In a curious development, India’s T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav featured as an Impact Player and chipped in with an eight-ball 16 (3×4).Turning the clock back, Rohit unleashed some big sixes, with his trademark pull shot for a six in the sixth over off Kartik Tyagi standing out, while skipper Hardik Pandya (18 not out off 11 balls, 3×4) finished the job.To make things worse for the visitors, their captain Ajinkya Rahane, who smashed a fine 67 (40b, 3×4, 5×6) earlier, had to leave the field due to cramps, leaving his deputy Rinku Singh to lead the side. What must really worry KKR going forward is also the poor form of their lead spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who conceded 0-48 in four overs and is clearly struggling for rhythm.Earlier, KKR batters across the spectrum, senior batter Rahane and young gun Angkrish Raghuvanshi (51, 29b, 4×4, 2×6), smashed blazing fifties, while New Zealand opener Finn Allen (37 off 18 balls, 6×4, 2×6) and Rinku Singh (33 not out, 21b, 4×4) chipped in with vital cameos to take KKR to a formidable total.On a night which saw Mumbai players hog the limelight in front of their home crowd, Mumbai all-rounder Shardul Thakur was not to be left behind, making a vital contribution to MI’s win. Marking a superb outing for MI, the ‘Palghar Express’ took three for 39 in four overs and was the pick of the bowlers on either side in a game that saw the world’s top pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah go wicketless (0-38 in four overs) for once.Thakur dismissed Allen (caught at wide long-on) in the sixth over to provide MI with a much-needed breakthrough at a point when the KKR openers were going berserk. Using slower balls and his variations cleverly, the 34-year-old then took the scalps of Rs 25.20 cr buy Cameron Green (18, 10b, 1×4, 1×6, caught smartly by a diving Sherfane Rutherford at deep cover), who was making his KKR debut, and Rahane (caught at extra cover off a cross-seam, full delivery bowled outside off stump), to check KKR from running away with the game.KKR were provided an electric start by Rahane, who scored his 34th IPL fifty, and Allen, who had blasted a match-winning unbeaten century against South Africa in the 2026 T20 World Cup semifinal earlier this month, as the opening pair added 69 off just 32 balls to lay the platform for a big total.Playing in his first competitive match in three months — he last turned out for Mumbai on December 16, when he smashed 72 not out off 41 balls to help Mumbai chase down 217 against Rajasthan in Pune in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy — Rahane, who opted out of the Vijay Hazare Trophy and then the second half of the Ranji Trophy during the last domestic season, hardly looked rusty.Batting beautifully, the veteran batsman picked up the length early and unfurled some glorious strokes, with a cover-driven four off Thakur being the pick of the lot.There have been a few who’ve questioned KKR’s decision to make Rahane the captain again this season, but the 37-year-old, who finished as the highest run-getter for KKR last season (390 runs in 13 matches at 35.45, with three fifties), looked in a determined mood to prove his worth.Launching an all-out attack, Allen feasted on long-hops by MI’s debutant Afghanistan spinner Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar (0-57 in four overs), taking two sixes and a four off him in the third over, which went for 17. Rahane then hammered back-to-back sixes off Hardik Pandya off the first two balls of the fourth over, before Allen took three consecutive fours off the MI captain, who conceded 26 in that over.
England Lioness and Aston Villa midfielder Missy Bo Kearns has revealed that she and her partner, Luton midfielder Liam Walsh, have lost their child during pregnancy.
The couple announced they were expecting in a video posted to social media earlier this month.
It showed the pair painting “mum + dad” onto a wall along with the September due date, and proudly holding ultrasound scans.
Kearns, 24, took to Instagram Sunday night to share the sad news in a post to her Stories.
She wrote: “With very heavy hearts, we want to share that we’ve lost our baby during pregnancy.
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Aston Villa Women offered their condolences, writing: ‘We are sending all our love and support to Missy Bo and Liam at this difficult time’ (Getty Images)
“The past weeks have been filled with a kind of sadness that’s hard to explain, and we’re still trying to come to terms with it all.
“Right now, we’re focusing on recovering and supporting each other through this. We truly appreciate the love and support around us more than we can say.”
Walsh, 28, shared the same post to his Stories.
Aston Villa Women offered their condolences on X, in a post reading: “We are sending all our love and support to Missy Bo and Liam at this difficult time.”
Entering this race, Kyle Kirkwood held a 26-point lead in the championship standings, bit Alex Palou’s victory at Barber helped him to move much closer to the top of the leaderboard. He is now just two points behind.
There is a new driver now third in points, with Lundgaard jumping up from seventh with his runner-up finish. He is 35pts out of first and now leads the Arrow McLaren squad.
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Graham Rahal’s first podium in almost three years helped him to jump four positions in the standings, moving from 16th to 12th.
Mar 29, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Athletics center fielder Denzel Clarke (1) loses his batting helmet on a swing against the Toronto Blue Jays during the third inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Jesus Sanchez hit a two-run home run Sunday afternoon as the Toronto Blue Jays went deep three times to defeat the visiting Athletics 5-2.
George Springer and Kazuma Okamoto hit solo shots for the Blue Jays, who swept the three-game season-opening series.
Max Muncy hit a two-run home run for the Athletics, who struck out 50 times in the series.
After Toronto left-hander Eric Lauer (1-0) struck out the side in the first, Springer led off the home first with a home run to left on a first-pitch fastball from Luis Morales (0-1). It was his 64th career leadoff homer.
Tyler Heineman singled with one out in the third and Sanchez lined a homer to center with two out.
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Okamoto led off the fourth with a home run to right center on a 1-0 fastball. It was his first major league homer after being signed as a free agent from Japan.
The Athletics struck back in the fifth. Jacob Wilson led off with a double to left center, the Athletics first hit of the game and his first hit of the season. Muncy followed by homering to right on a first-pitch fastball.
Morales had two walks and a strikeout in the home fifth before J.T. Ginn replaced him. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. grounded a single to left to load the bases. Ginn walked Addison Barger to force in a run. Okamoto bounced into a double play to end the rally.
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Morales allowed five runs, five hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings.
Braydon Fisher replaced Lauer after Nick Kurtz’s one-out single in the sixth.
Lauer allowed two runs, three hits and a walk while striking out nine in 5 1/3 innings.
Fisher retired five straight before Tommy Nance took over in the eighth. Mason Fluharty replaced Nance after Shea Langeliers singled with two out and ended the inning with a strikeout.
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Jeff Hoffman pitched around a single in the ninth to earn his first save in two opportunities.
Ginn gave the Athletics’ beleaguered bullpen a break, allowing a single and a walk in 3 2/3 innings.
Real Valladolid will host Cadiz at the Jose Zorrilla on Tuesday in another round of the 2025-26 Spanish La Liga 2 campaign. Both teams will be desperate to get vital points next week in a bid to avoid slipping into the drop zone this late in the season.
Real Valladolid’s 1-0 loss to Burgos on Saturday summed up their season, as they were the better side for most of the game but failed to convert any of their chances before conceding a 93rd-minute penalty, which their opponents duly converted. Pucelanos have been on a steady decline all season, despite already replacing two head coaches this campaign, and now sit just one place above the drop zone entering their final 10 games of the season.
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Cadiz have not fared much better than their midweek opponents, sitting only two points clear in the table following a narrow 2-1 away loss to Ceuta over the weekend. The Limoneros have registered just one win in their last 11 games and will be counting on new manager Sergio Gonzalez to steer the side clear of the relegation zone and prevent a drop to the Spanish third tier for the first time in a decade.
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Real Valladolid vs Cadiz Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
The sides have met on 55 previous occasions going into Tuesday’s game. Real Valladolid have won 18 of those games, and 18 ended in draws while Cadiz have won the remaining 19.
The hosts have failed to get a win in this fixture since the 2016-17 Segunda Division season.
Four of the last seven meetings between these sides have ended level, including their most recent matchup which ended goalless.
The visitors have kept clean sheets in four of their last five meetings with Valladolid.
Cadiz have scored 32 goals in the league this season. Only Cultural Leonesa (29) and Real Zaragoza (27) have scored fewer in the Spanish second tier after 32 games.
Real Valladolid vs Cadiz Prediction
The teams are closely matched going into the weekend clash, although the Pucelanos will hope to gain a slight boost from their home advantage after winning two of their last three games at the Jose Zorrilla.
The Limoneros will likely be satisfied with a draw against a fellow struggling side but are in significantly worse form and could come away empty-handed.
Prediction: Real Valladolid 2-1 Cadiz
Real Valladolid vs Cadiz Betting Tips
Tip 1 – Result: Real Valladolid to win
Tip 2 – Goals – Over/under 2.5 – Over 2.5 goals
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Tip 3 – Both teams to score: Yes (Five of the hosts’ last six games have featured both teams getting on the scoresheet)
Masters chairman Fred Ridley had a clear goal for Augusta National’s newest player perk.
“This improvement will offer the competitors in the Masters facilities from arrival until departure unlike anything in sports,” Ridley said last April.
That “improvement” is the new Player Services Building, which Augusta National unveiled photos of on Friday. It’s a three-story building tucked just behind the practice range’s hitting area.
The exterior of the Player Services Building
The Masters
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The Player Services Building is open to players, families, caddies, trainers and members of their support team. Players enter through an underground player garage and walk through a hallway with Alister MacKenzie’s cross-section architecture of every hole at Augusta National.
History is everywhere at Augusta National
The Masters
Once inside the ritzy Player Services Building, players can relax in the lounge, which has all four of Bobby Jones’ 1930 trophies from his Grand Slam when he won the British Amateur, British Open, U.S. Open, and U.S. Amateur. The trophies are on loan from Atlantic Athletic Club, per the AP’s Doug Ferguson, and will be returned the week after the Masters.
Bobby Jones’ trophies will look over the lounge until after the 2026 Masters
Masters
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The locker room has 100 lockers. Each locker comes with a safe, a shelf for charging phones and a gold-plated Masters emblem on the handle. Lockers have already been assigned, but are not in alphabetical order. Each amateur who will tee it up in the 2026 Masters is situated next to a Masters champion.
There’s a sitting area in the middle of the locker room with two tables. Per Ferguson, one of the tables is made out of a magnolia tree that fell on Magnolia Lane during Hurricane Helene in 2024.
The new locker room is much bigger than the old one in the clubhouse
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Augusta National didn’t miss a detail in the new locker room
Masters
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Downstairs, there is a state-of-the-art fitness center and recovery area with weights, cables, cardio equipment, free weights, medicine balls, etc. The recovery room has three cold plunges, a hot tub, a sauna and an area with 16 tables for physical therapists to work. The hallway leading out of the area has 1,400 nameplates, one for every player who has ever competed at the Masters.
The imporatnace of fitness in golf has exploded over the past decade
Masters
The final touch at Augusta National’s shiny new building is the Magnolia Dining Room at the top. It seats 150 people and has a terrace that overlooks the practice area.
There’s no reason to leave the Masters’ new Player Services Building
Masters
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Ridley and the Masters are always striving to elevate the luxury, convenience and ways to spoil the world’s best golfers.
Their newest addition exceeds the lofty standard they hold themselves to at Augusta National.
Max Verstappen snatched the torch from Lewis Hamilton and became one of the most unstoppable Formula 1 drivers in the sport from 2021 to 2024.
The 2025 and 2026 seasons have been a struggle for the Red Bull racer. He finished second to McLaren’s Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings last season, ending his streak of world championships, and has yet to finish in the top five this year.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at Suzuka in central Japan, Sunday, March 29, 2026.(AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
After finishing eighth in the Japanese Grand Prix, Verstappen suggested he was contemplating retirement at the age of 28.
“Privately I’m very happy,” Verstappen told the BBC. “You also wait for 24 races. This time it’s 22. But normally 24. And then you just think about is it worth it? Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you’re not enjoying your sport?”
He made clear he was suggesting that 2026 could be his final season.
“I want to be here to have fun and have a great time and enjoy myself. At the moment that’s not really the case,” he said. “Of course I do enjoy certain aspects. I enjoy working with my team. It’s like a second family. But once I sit in the car it’s not the most enjoyable unfortunately. I’m trying. I keep telling myself every day to try and enjoy it. It’s just very hard.”
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, right, of the Netherlands and Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli of Italy talk during the drivers parade ahead of the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at Suzuka in central Japan, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
Part of the struggles for Verstappen has been trying to get acclimated to the regulation changes.
“I can easily accept to be in P7 or P8 where I am,” he said. “Because I also know that you can’t be dominating or be first or second or whatever, fighting for a podium every time. I’m very realistic in that and I’ve been there before. I’ve not only been winning in F1.
“But at the same time when you are in P7 or P8 and you are not enjoying the whole formula behind it, it doesn’t feel natural to a racing driver,” he continued. “Of course I try to adapt to it, but it’s not nice the way you have to race. It’s really anti-driving. Then at one point, yeah, it’s just not what I want to do.”
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Maybe a break in the schedule will help clear Verstappen’s head.
Formula 1 will have a few weeks off as two races that were set for April in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were canceled because of military operations in Iran.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands leaves during the qualifying session of the Japanese Formula One Grand Prix at the Suzuka Circuit in Suzuka, Japan, Saturday, March 28, 2026.(Franck Robichon/Pool Photo via AP)
Mexico’s best performances at the World Cup came during the two occasions it hosted the tournament. Now that the country will be hosting for the third time – with the United States and Canada – fans want history to repeat itself. And maybe more.
To ensure optimal preparation, the Mexican Football Federation (FMF) invested 400 million pesos (around $22 million) in renovating their training center known as Centro de Alto Rendimiento (CAR), or High Performance Center, which was officially reopened on Saturday.
As a player, current Mexico coach Javier Aguirre was part of the national team that reached the quarterfinals in 1986, matching the country’s performance in the 1970 World Cup. Aguirre, with the revamped training center, will try to match at least that as a coach.
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Mexico begins training at the High Performance Center on May 6, with players from the domestic league. Its first match in the World Cup is the tournament opener on June 11 against South Africa.
Building a foundation’
“This investment reflects our responsibility for the 2026 World Cup. We have built a facility that will provide the national team with the best possible conditions for preparation that are on a par with the world’s leading football powers,” said FMF president Mikel Arriola. “Hosting a World Cup demands that we raise all our standards, both on and off the field”.
The site has been the training headquarters for Mexico’s national teams since 2003, during which time it gradually grew, but it had never previously had an update like this one.
“This project is also intended as a legacy. It’s not just about 2026, but about building a foundation that will impact the development of our national teams in the coming years,” Arriola said.
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The senior team accommodation has been expanded from 20 to 45 rooms, in addition to entertainment areas. There is also a 29-room area for youth national teams.
The biggest change was the construction of a new building to house a new gym, which grew from 1,200 to 6,000 square meters. This building is also home to the medical area, locker rooms, coaches’ offices, a sports intelligence area, and physiotherapy and hydrotherapy facilities.
“There used to be a small gym with a medical area, but all of that was demolished to build this new building,” said Daniel Garcia, FMF real estate manager. “Everything here now, apart from two machines in the gym, is new.”
The dining room capacity has also increased from 70 to 210 people.
“The most complicated thing was coordinating all the areas because they all asked for a lot of things wanting to have the best in the world and that doesn’t always go with the budget, but I think we achieved a great result,” Garcia said.
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The training center already had five playing fields, three regulation size and two smaller ones. One of the fields has state-of-the-art hybrid technology like the one recently installed at the Azteca Stadium, which was renovated for the World Cup.
“We’ve had visits from FIFA staff who told us that this is the field in all of Mexico, and that’s why people from Azteca Stadium came to get some advice,” Garcia said. “After all, we’re colleagues and brothers.
The Kiwi filly Belle Cheval engaged in a dead-heat scenario for the second race running, prevailing narrowly this time by dipping her nose in to grab the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes at Rosehill.
Previously pipped at the post by Well Written in the NZB Kiwi (1500m) over Ellerslie on March 7, the three-year-old’s trainer Mark Walker admitted misreading both finishes but welcomed Saturday’s success.
“I actually thought we got beaten today, but I thought we’d won the NZB Kiwi, so I’m not a very good judge,” Walker said.
Success in the Vinery Stud Stakes over 2000m marked Walker’s second Group 1 of the day across the ditch, with Seize The Day, partnered with Sam Bergerson in NZ, winning the Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) prior.
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He trusted her local references for Sydney challenge, her toughness suiting the new distance test.
“The formline at home is really strong,” Walker said.
No change to plans for one Sydney hit despite the win for Belle Cheval’s owners.
Straight to spell now, then Victorian spring prep, Walker stated.
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After last Saturday’s $5 million Golden Slipper (1200m) success on Guest House, jockey Zac Lloyd notched another Group 1 with Belle Cheval, beating a steward’s inquiry from Billy Egan on After Summer.
Brushing ensued as Lloyd swung wide for the drive, but blame went to the second horse converging.
Belle Cheval ($2.60 fav) idled a touch end-on without affecting After Summer’s ($61) charge, objection thrown out.
“Normally, she’s known for her dazzling turn of foot, whereas today she built and showed a bit of fight,” Lloyd said.
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“She’s a good mare, and it was a tenacious win.”
The favourite Belle Cheval ($2.60) nicked it by nose over After Summer ($61), Salty Pearl ($4.20) neck away third.
Fourth fell to New Zealand Oaks champ Ohope Wins ($2.70), three-quarters length short.
Discover betting sites offering racing odds on features such as the Vinery Stud Stakes.
Dominic Smith was playing with a heavy heart when he made his Atlanta Braves debut on Saturday night – his sixth team in four years.
Smith’s mother, Yvette LaFleuer, died of cancer earlier this month. When Smith stepped up to the plate against the Kansas City Royals in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded, he said he could feel her presence with him.
The Atlanta Braves celebrate at home plate after a walk-off grand slam from Dominic Smith, center, in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
The slugger hit a walk-off grand slam to win the game for the Braves, 6-2.
“It’s just amazing,” he told reporters. “Played against the Braves for a long time, and being on the other side a lot of these endings kind of hurt, so to be on the right side of it this time was so fun.”
Smith said that his teammates had been very supporting of him during spring training when his mother was ill. She was diagnosed with cancer in September and nearly died at the start of camp.
He left the team to be with her for over a week when she had a “scare” and when he returned, he was fighting for a roster spot.
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Atlanta Braves’ Dominic Smith reacts after hitting a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
“This team is just so awesome,” Smith said. “I’m so blessed because of the love they showed me, the support every day. They’re asking about her, asking about her well-being, my well-being, and that’s all they really cared about. They didn’t care about baseball.”
Smith’s walk-off grand slam made him the first player in MLB history to achieve the moment in his debut with a new team, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Smith has been trying to find a permanent home after spending his first six years with the New York Mets. He played for the Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants since leaving New York.
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Atlanta Braves’ Dominic Smith (8) hits a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Saturday, March 28, 2026, in Atlanta.(AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
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