In Tuesday’s $150,000 Brierly Steeplechase, the opening day feature of the Warrnambool May Racing Carnival, Stern Idol will attempt to exceed his own previous achievement in the race.

The import under Ciaron Maher’s care shoulders 75kg for the 3450m journey.

Two years ago, the nine-year-old set the metric weight record by winning with 73kg, eclipsing Some Are Bent’s 71kg from 2010, and marking the highest since Deckard’s 75.5kg (11 stone 12 ounces) success in 1939.

Stern Idol faces his toughest weight assignment to date, 1kg beyond that in last year’s Grand National Steeplechase where he ran fourth; trainer Maher acknowledges the hurdle but backs his horse strongly.

He comes off a 25-length demolition under 72kg in Terang’s Spencer Memorial Steeplechase (3850m) on April 19.

“I suppose it can stop him, he’s got 10 kilos on most on the field, but he’s big though,” he said.

“With the weight, it’ll be a test.

“He was a good win the other day, he’s come through it well and he seems to get around there pretty well.”

Stern Idol, the $2.10 Brierly Steeplechase favourite, meets Leaderboard receiving 6kg, with only Mark Walker’s The Mighty Spar (67.5kg) also over 65kg.

At 65kg sit $3.20 elect Hit The Road Jack and Instigator, who trailed Stern Idol by a long neck when second in the 2024 Brierly Steeplechase.

The Brierly Steeplechase constitutes Stern Idol’s lone start at the Warrnambool Carnival, whereas Leaderboard, The Mighty Spar, Castrofrancaru, Hit The Road Jack and Instigator might follow up Thursday in the $350,000 Grand Annual Steeplechase, which had 11 declarations Monday.

Seeking repeat glory in the 5500m event is star Duke Of Bedford.

The $300,000 Warrnambool Cup on Thursday’s program over 2350m Listed sees recent Group 2 Chairman’s Quality (2600m) winner Newlook at the forefront.

Discover racing odds at the betting sites ahead of Stern Idol’s Brierly Steeplechase bid.

HYDERABAD : It was as if Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins had a premonition of the seven–wicket defeat when he said, “it’s very unlikely we’re going to win every single game for the rest of the season,” at the toss.

For, the toss was the only thing that went right for the hosts, as the Kolkata Knight Riders’ spin twins Varun Chakravarthy (3/36) and Sunil Narine (2/31) did the rest on a very hot day when the players would have been excused if they wanted to be someplace else than the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium.

The raucous cheers of the Sunday crowd as the Sunrisers cruised to 71/1 in the powerplay — identical for both teams — was soon silenced as Chakravarthy, back in the side after being the impact player in the previous match, derailed the innings by dismissing Travis Head (61; 28b, 9×4, 3×6).

Chakravarthy, who conceded 29 in the first two overs, turned on the screws in his second spell of 2-0-7-2 as the Sunrisers lost eight wickets for 58 runs to collapse between overs 11 and 19 and be dismissed for 165. It was way below par — KKR replied with 169/3 — and bucked the trend of the last three matches between the teams since 2025, when the team batting first scored upwards of 200 and won by margins of 80, 110 and 65 runs.

The 61-run stand for the second wicket between Head and Ishan Kishan (42; 29b, 4×4, 2×6) was the sole bright spot for the Sunrisers and a reality check, if they needed after five consecutive wins, of a soft underbelly that their middle order is when Heinrich Klaasen fails to come good.

The South African mainstay of the SRH batting fell to a stunning onehanded catch by Rovman Powell, diving full length to his right at midwicket after Klaasen carted Cameron Green for 10 in the previous two deliveries, and with an indisposed Nitish Reddy missing, the back end of the innings lacked the drive that took them to 107/2 at the halfway stage.

The KKR batters complemented the excellent show of their bowlers on a strip tailormade for batting. Impact player Finn Allen, who replaced fellow New Zealander Tim Seifert in the XI, missed out after smashing Cummins for 27 runs in the fourth over but skipper Ajinkya Rahane’s calm presence was all that Kolkata needed as they chased down the target in 18.2 overs for their third straight victory.

Though the skipper fell for 43 (36b, 4×4, 1×6) on threshold of victory, his 84–run (66b) partnership for the second wicket with Angkrish Raghuvanshi (59; 47b, 5×4, 2×6) ensured there were no more hiccups.

Former India cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara praised the all-round performance of Jason Holder after Gujarat Titans (GT) secured a four-wicket win over table-toppers Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their IPL 2026 clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday night. Speaking on Star Sports, Pujara highlighted Holder’s contributions with both bat and ball, underlining how the West Indies all-rounder had influenced the outcome of the high-pressure encounter.

“The way Jason Holder has made an impact on this team, both with the bat and the ball, has been impressive. He contributed to key wickets, including the important dismissal of Shreyas Iyer. Overall, his presence has taken the team to a different level,” JioStar expert Pujara said.

The former India batter further emphasised Holder’s value in the GT line-up, particularly in addressing concerns around the middle-order batting. Holder’s versatility to bat at number five, six, or seven was noted as a key factor in providing balance and stability to the side.

“GT had some concerns around the middle-order batting, and his flexibility to bat at No. 5, 6, or 7 adds great balance to the side,” Pujara added.

Coming to the contest, GT defeated table toppers PBKS by four wickets in a last-over thriller at the Narendra Modi Stadium, powered by Jason Holder’s four-wicket haul and crucial knocks from Sai Sudharsan and Washington Sundar.

PBKS posted 163/9 after recovering from an early collapse through a 79-run stand between Suryansh Shedge (57) and Marcus Stoinis (40), but Holder’s 4/24 restricted them.

In reply, GT chased down 164 in 19.5 overs despite losing early wickets, with Sudharsan anchoring the innings with 57 and Sundar finishing unbeaten on 40, sealing the win with a six. The victory moved GT to sixth place with 12 points, while PBKS remained on top of the table with 13 points.

Holder won the Player of the Match (POTM) award for his match-defining bowling figures of 4/24 in 4 overs. Holder claimed the wickets of PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis and Xavier Bartlett.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Featured Video Of The Day

Tushar Deshpande’s Brilliant Final Act Ensures Thrilling Win For RR Over Gujarat Titans

Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are expected to fight in a matter of months and now Joshua’s former trainer Robert Garcia has laid out his prediction for the clash, believing that a statement stoppage could be on the cards.

Joshua continued with amateur trainer Rob McCracken when he made the switch to the professional scene, but appointed Garcia as his lead cornerman for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk, after suffering a second career defeat under McCracken’s tutelage in his first encounter with the Ukrainian.

Although, despite the trainer switch, ‘AJ’ came up short once again in his rematch with Usyk, leading the Londoner to switch to Derrick James for his fight with Jermaine Franklin and then to Ben Davison for four fights thereafter – until a devastating knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois.

For his scrap with Jake Paul, Joshua teamed up with Iegor Golub, who also coaches Usyk, and it seems as though the two-time world champion will remain with Golub for his fights against Kristian Prenga and Fury during the second-half of the 2026 calendar.

Speaking with ESNEWS, Garcia looked ahead to the long-awaited fight and warned that Joshua will knock ‘The Gyspy King’ out cold if he is able to land the right-hand, anticipating a Joshua win, as long as he is mentally ready for a fight of such magnitude.

“If AJ is mentally ready, I think that AJ has the skills and the power to win. He has the right-hand to knock him out, but he has got to be mentally and physically 100%. Physically, I know that he is always ready, AJ is always in shape.

“He trains hard, he was dedicated when I was with him for a few months, but Fury is a street guy. He doesn’t give a f**k. He could come in heavy, fat, but he is still a going to give a good fight.”

“[With] that right-hand, if AJ lands, he will knock him out cold. And, he [Fury] gets hit with a lot of right-hand’s.”

Advertisement

Joshua fights Albania’s Prenga on Saturday, July 25, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he will look to show further improvements following additional time training with Team Usyk.

The world’s top tennis players have expressed their “deep and collective disappointment” at the prize money on offer at this year’s Roland Garros.

While French Open organisers have announced an increase of 9.5 per cent in total prize money for this year’s tournament, rising to an overall pot of €61.7m (£53.7m), several leading players from the men’s and women’s top 10 continue to be frustrated.

The group of star players, including Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff, have long argued that they should receive a greater percentage of the revenues generated by the four grand slam tournaments and were similarly disappointment by the prize money at this year’s Australian Open.

According to the group, their share of the overall revenue generated by Roland Garros is projected to decline to 14.3 per cent this year. In recent years, the players have pushed for that figure to be closer to the 22 per cent received at mixed events on the ATP and WTA Tours with equal prize money, such as Indian Wells and this month’s Italian Open.

In response, the French Tennis Federation (FFT) said a decision had been made to focus prize money increases on “players who exit the tournament in the early rounds of the main draw and the qualifying stages”. Figures released by Roland Garros reveal an increase of around 11 per cent for the first three rounds of the main draw, compared to a 9.8 per cent increase for the singles champions.

A statement from the players said: “As Roland Garros looks to post record revenues, players are therefore receiving a declining share of the value they help create. More critically, the announcement does nothing to address the structural issues that players have consistently and reasonably raised over the past year. There has been no engagement on player welfare and no progress towards establishing a formal mechanism for player consultation within grand slam decision making.

“While other major international sports are modernising governance, aligning stakeholders, and building long-term value, the grand slams remain resistant to change. The absence of player consultation and the continued lack of investment in player welfare reflect a system that does not adequately represent the interests of those who are central to the sport’s success.

“The players who were signatories to the initial campaign remain united in their desire to see meaningful progress, both in terms of fair financial distribution and in how the sport is governed. They will continue to advocate for constructive dialogue and for reforms that ensure the long-term health and integrity of professional tennis.”

The players initially outlined their proposals in letters to the four grand slams in March last year, detailing their desire for the major tournament to start contributing to a player welfare fund, supporting pensions, healthcare and maternity leave, and for more consultation with tournaments around matters such as scheduling.

Last season, Sinner, Sabalenka and Gauff were among the players to meet with the grand slams at Roland Garros but there was further frustration last autumn when further discussions were delayed. Ben Shelton, the world No 6 and top-ranked American man, told The Independent that players are “at the bottom” when prize money as a percentage of revenue was compared to other sports.

The FFT said the increase of prize money at this year’s French Open “reflects a sustained commitment to increasing player compensation over time”.

It added: “Beyond prize money, the Roland-Garros model is based on a specific economic framework. The FFT is a non-profit organization. All revenues generated by the tournament are reinvested into the Roland-Garros tournament, as well as the development of tennis in France and internationally.

“This includes direct support for the development of the sport at grassroot level, training and pathway programs, strong commitment to women’s tennis, inclusive tennis and wheelchair tennis, as well as significant contributions to international tennis development through the ITF.

“The FFT has also recently invested more than €400m in the Roland-Garros infrastructure, notably to significantly enhance player conditions and on-site services.

“Finally, the FFT remains fully committed to ongoing dialogue with all stakeholders in global tennis, including speaking directly with individual players. It will continue working to improve overall player conditions, in line with its responsibilities and its model.”

Tottenham boss Roberto De Zerbi is not getting carried away despite his side taking a major step towards Premier League safety with a 2-1 win at Aston Villa.

Spurs put in their best performance of the season to claim three crucial points at Villa Park, thanks to first-half goals from Conor Gallagher and Richarlison.

They look a different side under De Zerbi, registering back-to-back league victories for the first time since August, and are now favourites to beat the drop.

The north London club leapfrogged West Ham in the table and with a home game to come against Leeds, after the Hammers host Arsenal, their position could be even rosier next week.

But the Italian has called for balance, with three games to go.

“I am very happy for the performance, we won a great game against a great Aston Villa,” the Italian said.

“They had to play Thursday, a very important game for them, but this is always very tough playing against (Unai) Emery, against this Villa in this stadium.

“For that I am really pleased, it was a good performance with the ball, without the ball. Without the ball we showed great courage and we showed great qualities.

“I am happy for this type of performance more than three points. We are one point more than West Ham but the most important thing is to play a great game and believe more and more in ourselves and believe in our qualities.

“The crucial thing now is keeping our head of what was the situation before the Wolverhampton game. This is the most important memory to keep in our head.

“In football it is very easy to change, if you lose, you are stupid. If you win, you are a champion.

“No, you have to find a balance. We have to work this week because Leeds is a very tough game.

“We have to remember in ourselves what we have done in the past.”

Spurs were fortunate to come up against a Villa side who produced their worst display of the season, with their attention clearly on Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest.

Indeed, Villa were so bad they scored in the sixth minute of time added on with their only effort on target, with Emiliano Buendia heading home.

Villa boss Emery defended his team selection, having made seven changes from the side that lost at Forest on Thursday.

“We lost on Thursday and we lost last week against Fulham, different players, different matches,” he said.

“We analysed a lot of things about the players playing in the starting XI. Maybe it is better to play with the same players but we lost (the last two matches).

“Before the match I knew my challenge, it was to win with some changes, but I believe in the players.

“If supporters or the media don’t believe in some of players…but (it) is not different when we are losing. I made changes against Sunderland but you were not asking, because we won.

“But I accept some criticism.”

Asked if he was disappointed with some of the performances of his players, Emery added: “No. Because those same players three months ago were winning a lot of matches in a row.

“Of course sometimes they don’t have the performance with individual quality. But I am so proud of them, so, so proud of them, how we are doing the season.”

Rohit Sharma (Image credit: Mumbai Indians)

NEW DELHI: The two bottom-placed teams – Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants – will face off in an IPL 2026 clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday. With their playoff hopes hanging by a thread, both sides are desperate to turn things around and shift into top gear.Mumbai Indians, currently ninth on the table, have managed just two wins from nine matches. They head into the game after three consecutive defeats, including a heavy eight-wicket loss to Chennai Super Kings.LSG, placed at the bottom, also have two wins but from eight matches. They are struggling with five straight losses, the latest being a Super Over defeat to Kolkata Knight Riders.Mumbai’s campaign has been hit by inconsistent performances from key players such as Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and captain Hardik Pandya, whose leadership has also come under scrutiny.The absence of Rohit Sharma due to a hamstring injury has further weakened the side, leaving them with little margin for error. Mumbai would ideally want Rohit back at the top of the order, but his availability for this crucial clash remains uncertain.

Will Rohit Sharma play against Lucknow Super Giants today?

Mumbai Indians have not provided any official update on Rohit’s return. The former skipper, who led the franchise to five IPL titles (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020), has not played since suffering a hamstring injury nearly three weeks ago during a match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Rohit retired hurt on 19 in that game and has since missed matches against Punjab Kings, Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings.However, Rohit was seen batting in the nets ahead of the LSG clash in a video shared by Mumbai IndiansSquads:Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Minz, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Shrijith Krishnan (wk), Bevon Jacobs, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Will Jacks, Keshav Maharaj, Raj Angad Bawa, Vignesh Puthur, Corbin Bosch, Trent Boult, Karn Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, VS Penmetsa, Arjun Tendulkar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Jasprit Bumrah.Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahamad, Arshin Kulkarni, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ayush Badoni, Mohammad Shami, Avesh Khan, M. Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar, Anrich Nortje, Naman Tiwari, Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan