Blues star's message to Munster
Stefano Utoikamanu sends a warning shot to Storm teammate Cameron Munster ahead of the next Origin game.
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News.com.au
18 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Group 1 JJ Atkins contender Torque To Be Sure was flying blind in lead-up
It certainly helps if a horse can see where he is going and Matt Dunn has revealed his Group 1 JJ Atkins contender Torque To Be Sure was flying blind in his lead-up run. Dunn was considering scratching his two-year-old colt from the $1m Group 2 BRC Sires' Produce Stakes (1400m) last month when the Eagle Farm track deteriorated to a heavy 10. Things got worse and the races were called off after the Sires' but Dunn is glad he raced the colt, who turned in an eye-catching effort when surging home to finish fifth behind Cool Archie. Murwillumbah-based Dunn, searching for his first Group 1 as a trainer, said the run was even better than it looked as the young colt had no idea where he was going. • PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW! 'The jockey said he couldn't see, so I would assume the horse probably couldn't see either,' Dunn said. 'The horse didn't have any goggles on his head like the jockey did, so he is probably in a worse spot than the jockey. 'The horse took the brunt of the kickback and the conditions that day, especially considering he was in a horrible spot two lengths behind the second last horse during the race. 'I was worried about the wet track, but he handled it well. 'I'm sure that watching the race if you were looking for something going to a mile (of the JJ Atkins) next start, he was the pick. 'He was out the back door getting hit in the head by kickback and couldn't see where he was going but he still launched late.' A barnstorming win by Cool Archie in the G2 BRC Sires' Produce Stakes, and that's four in a row to the @munceracing galloper! 🙌 @BrisRacingClub — SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 31, 2025 • Torque To Be Sure is raced by Ian Corazzol and it would be an emotion-charged moment at Eagle Farm on Saturday if the colt could salute. Not only would it be Dunn's first Group 1 win but it would also be a tribute to Corazzol's late wife Sherryl who passed away this year after a cancer battle. Incredibly, given the young colt's talent, he remains a maiden after five starts. He has raced in elite company for all of his two-year-old season, but it would be some moment if Dunn's first Group 1 win came with a maiden horse. 'I wish he wasn't a maiden, but he shouldn't be, should he?' Dunn said. 'In reality, he has run well enough to have won probably three of his starts. 'Because of the path we have taken with him, we have been forced to race him against better quality horses right through. 'It would have been lovely to take him to a maiden plate in the northern rivers and just let him blow them away. 'If he could win on Saturday it would be enormous for Ian (Corazzol) who has been a huge supporter of mine. 'His wife passed away six weeks ago and that was a really difficult experience for him. 'If this horse could win, he would be stoked and it would lift him, for sure.' Torque To Be Sure has a major jockey booking with two-time Melbourne Cup champion and 35-time Group 1 winner Mark Zahra on board for the JJ Atkins. Torque To Be Sure has drawn barrier 10 and is a $21 chance in latest betting markets which have Queensland colt Cool Archie as the $3.70 favourite.
Sky News AU
19 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
AFL 2025: Luke Beveridge in talks with Jamarra Ugle-Hagan
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge has been talking to troubled forward Jamarra Ugle-Hagan and is hoping to have him back 'really soon' amid ongoing speculation about the former No.1 draft pick's future. As Beveridge, who inked a new two-year contract extension this week, confirmed another young gun, Sam Darcy, would make his return against St Kilda just 52 days after suffering what looked a serious knee injury, the premiership-winning mentor said he'd been in talks with Ugle-Hagan during his time away from the Bulldogs. The 23-year-old hasn't played a game in 2025 and remains on leave from the club having previously been placed on a flexible training arrangement as he dealt with off-field issues. That prolonged absence, and varied reports that he had lost the trust of teammates, increased speculation Ugle-Hagan would have to resume his career at another club despite being contracted to the Bulldogs until the end of 2026. Beveridge, however, said Ugle-Hagan, who has spent time in a health retreat in northern NSW while continuing to put in serious training, was not lost to the Bulldogs and held out hope a football return could be looming. 'We're working through that. I've had some meetings with 'Marra',' Beveridge said on Wednesday. 'He's come back from a month of doing everything he can to sort of refocus and work out what's next in his life and the next steps, and the proposition of playing some football is there. 'Whether it's in the distance or whether it's a month-and-a-half away, I couldn't tell you. 'But we're hoping to have him back in it at the football club really soon and that's about all I can tell you.' Ugle-Hagan's comeback would also need AFL approval given he was placed under the league's mental health plan. The return of Darcy, however, is more clear cut, with the 21-year-old budding superstar having completed all necessary recovery to take his place against the Saints at Marvel Stadium in a massive boost to the 6-6 Bulldogs. Beveridge said Darcy could expect a 'bit of ruck time' to avoid upsetting a forward line that has continued to score in his absence, albeit not enough against Hawthorn last week. But it's his forward presence that could alter the Bulldogs game for the better. 'Sam is ready to go,' Beveridge said. 'He's done a really scrupulous and professional job on his rehabilitation form that injury. 'We'll blend a bit of ruck time in there to make sure he's involved in the game. 'But he's an enormous threat. We saw the way his season was evolving and his presence and early in the game last week Hawthorn took a lot of intercept marks and with Sam there, that's not going to happen. 'We'll still look to share the load, but Sam will be used when he's presenting.' Originally published as Luke Beveridge in talks with Jamarra Ugle-Hagan over return as Sam Darcy confirmed to play St Kilda
News.com.au
20 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Red Bull's ruthlessness is coming back to bite as junior team's executive pleads against driver's promotion
Driving alongside Max Verstappen in Formula 1 is quickly becoming a death sentence. Not because the Dutchman's aggressive racecraft, but because of the bizarre dynamic that has turned into a curse at Red Bull Racing. As we've seen over the past few years, once someone is tapped on the shoulder and asked to step into the shadow of one of the modern day greats, their career takes a handbreak turn towards the portaloos. Isack Hadjar is the latest to be thrust into the conversation to join Verstappen after Yuki Tsunoda's less-than-impressive run following his abrupt takeover of Liam Lawson earlier this year. The 20-year-old Hadjar has more than turned heads in his debut season with Red Bull's junior outfit, Racing Bulls. He's shown composure beyond his years and snagged some handy points in the process, racing wheel-to-wheel with some of the sport's greats. He's scored in more than half of his races since his nightmarish exit on debut in Australia, dragging the car to an impressive sixth in Monaco. That effort even earned him praise from Red Bull executive Helmut Marko, who very recently humiliated the rookie on his debut by describing his tears in Australia as 'embarrassing'. We got another glimpse into the inner workings of the Red Bull behemoth this week when Racing Bulls chief executive Peter Bayer publicly begged the senior team to steer clear from promoting Hadjar. 'For heaven's sake, don't take this talent away from us too soon,' he said, per Swiss-German publication Blick 'He should get to know the whole business by the end of 2026. 'Until then, we'll just have to handcuff him!' 2016 World Champion Nico Rosberg also warned Hadjar to be wary of the curse. 'If I was Hadjar now, if ever the team starts to mention [a promotion], I would literally decline,' Rosberg said while commentating at last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix. 'Decline as hard as you possibly can. 'Because he's doing such a great job there with the [Racing Bulls], he's in a great position. Just flat decline and say: 'No way.' 'You need to do that. Decline.' Red Bull's ruthlessness is biting back Red Bull's impatience has been put on full display this year and it has soured the waters with many fans of the sport. Hailed with pre-season fanfare and a flashy Red Bull promo blitz, Lawson was dropped after just two races. He failed to come close to Max's times in the first two weekends and wasn't given a sniff of confidence to improve. Tsunoda had long been pushed by Honda and Red Bull as a future star. But in seven races, he has scored just seven points, crashed out early, and been left floundering in Q1 far too often for Red Bull's liking. Before them came Sergio 'Checo' Perez, the Mexican veteran who was eviscerated online for failing to match Verstappen's alien pace. And yet, Checo came second in the championship in 2023 — a result that now looks positively herculean when compared to his short-lived successors. He held back Charles Leclerc in critical team moments, helped secure Red Bull's Constructors' dominance, and played team chess with discipline. Perez wasn't underperforming so much as he was surviving and he got the raw end of Red Bull's ruthlessness, which ended up leaving him without a seat for 2024. Verstappen tipped to drop bombshell Meanwhile, Verstappen has been sensationally tipped to quit Red Bull at the end of the season by a former team mechanic. He has been linked with an exit from the Red Bull garage, with a team transfer to the likes of Mercedes or Aston Martin. But ex-Red Bull mechanic Calum Nicholas believes Verstappen could quit F1 entirely once he wins a fifth World Drivers Championship. Nicholas believes Verstappen is still in the fight for the 2025 crown and will cut ties with the sport after going five-straight. 'I think Max is going to win the Drivers' this year, and then I think he's going to call it a day,' he said. Despite his answer, the mechanic insisted he didn't 'know anything' extra about Verstappen's career plans. 'To not back Max is just like lunacy, I think. The guy is just really really good,' he said. 'Not in terms of just his technical skill and his talent, but I've watched Max grow into this guy that can do everything. 'He does everything well now.'
