I Am Maximus backed for National as Mullins hot streak continues
Trainer Willie Mullins' golden run continued at Aintree on Friday to increase confidence in I Am Maximus' quest to land a second successive Grand National.
I Am Maximus' odds have shortened from 14-1 in January to 6-1 favouritism on the eve of the world's greatest steeplechase.
That is more to do with his master trainer Mullins' sensational form at Cheltenham where he hoovered up 10 Festival winners rather than the nine-year-old's two lacklustre runs since landing last year's National.
Mullins is flying high after the first two days of this year's Aintree festival, cleaning up with four Grade 1s on the opening day.
On Friday he saddled another Grade 1 winner, Salvator Mundi in the two mile (3200m) novice hurdle.
Then, in what can only be considered a timely if ominous omen to his rivals, Mullins' Gentleman De Mee took the Topham Chase over the iconic National fences themselves.
The 14-1 shot was sporting the famous green and yellow colours of JP McManus, who owns I Am Maximus, one of five the Irishman has in the race.
Not everything went Mullins' way with El Fabiolo a faller in the Grade 1 Melling Chase which presented Jonbon with some compensation after Nicky Henderson's chaser was a beaten odds-on favourite in the Queen Mother Champion chase at Cheltenham.
As for I Am Maximus, he etched his name on the great steeplechase's roll of honour with a comfortable seven and a half length win in 2024 for Mullins' second National winner after Hedgehunter in 2005.
Should the topweight succeed he will join a select club of back-to-back winners of the race that brings Britain to a virtual standstill with the most recent Tiger Roll and before him the legendary Red Rum.
Standing in his way to greatness are not only the 30 formidable fences but 33 rivals and the small matter of the four miles, two and a half furlongs (6,900 kilometres) distance at the iconic track in Liverpool's suburbs.
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Indianapolis Star
a day ago
- Indianapolis Star
'One of best weeks of my life.' Putting a bow on Indiana All-Stars, 2025 graduating class
The completion of the Indiana All-Stars series against Kentucky is always a little emotional, maybe more for the parents than the players. Literally a day later for many of the All-Stars, they check in at their colleges and officially close the door on their high school experience. Lives change. Parents say goodbye, knowing it will never quite be the same as it was those first 18 years — no matter how far away their sons or daughters are going away to college. I was reminded of that fact Saturday after the Indiana All-Stars' team defeated Kentucky 105-92 to sweep the boys from the Bluegrass state for the 19th time in the past 26 years of the series that dates to 1940 (not counting the cancelled year of 2020). There were plenty of hugs and smiles and then … poof … they were gone. Time marches on. Maybe I'm a little more emotional and connected to this 2025 class because I have a graduate of my own in this class. It feels like I have been watching and covering players like Braylon Mullins, Mark Zackery IV, Dezmon Briscoe, Azavier Robinson, Julius Gizzi, Justin Kirby and Brady Koehler for a long time. It will be fun to see what they accomplish at the next level in college and beyond. For Mullins, Greenfield-Central's first IndyStar Mr. Basketball, it is off to UConn, where he will get caught up quickly with the rest of the incoming recruits, who are already on campus. He will move in Monday and get to work — really get to work — Tuesday. 'I've just been going through watching the film and watching what I need to so I can get caught up to speed,' said Mullins, who finished with 20 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals to earn MVP honors in Saturday's game. 'It's way different than I expected. I'm going to be in the best shape of my life by week two. But I'm excited for it. It's an experience I can't take for granted.' Ben Davis' Zackery, this year's Mr. Football, played his best game of the week for the All-Stars on Saturday, going for 10 points (2-for-4 from the 3-point line) with six assists and five rebounds. The crazy thing about Zackery is how little basketball he's played in the past several months after getting surgery on his thumb from a football injury and missing almost the entire season. I know his future is in football at Notre Dame, but I will always wonder what he might have been if he played just basketball. His quickness and wing-span alone would put him at an elite level. There were a few times this weekend when he just hit the accelerate button and Kentucky could not stay in front of him. 'He's one of the smartest people on the floor,' Mullins said of Zackery. 'You won't see anybody quicker, faster or smarter. He does a lot of things good for our team. He's a very unselfish player. I can believe he's really good at basketball on top of that, a really good football player. He would do really well on both sports if he wanted to do that.' I thought it was cool Zackery and Lawrence North grad Azavier Robinson, named the Wooden-MCL Citizenship award winner, were roommates. Imagine putting those two in the same backcourt together, especially on defense. Though Zackery called it his 'last basketball game ever,' All-Stars coach Marc Urban of Chesterton said he was more than happy to have him on the team. 'He's one of the most elite people I've ever been around,' Urban said. 'Being able to observe him from our first practice, through this whole week, the way he carries himself and how hard he goes, he is elite. He's super dialed in, super focused, super mature. He led us in a lot of ways. He just stayed focused throughout and was fun to be around. I feel very lucky to be around him for this week.' I think that is a pretty typical feeling after the All-Stars experience. There will always be a few outliers (often related to playing time) or behavior issues during the week. But Urban said the experience was even more fulfilling than he imagined. 'Honestly, it's been one of the best weeks of my life,' Urban said. '(All-Stars director Mike Broughton) and my assistants (Steve Cox, Chris Hawkins and Jason Speer) were really fun to be around. It was super fun. It was hard, it was challenging, but it was very rewarding. I feel very lucky and very blessed to have the opportunity to do it.' ∎ It was odd to leave Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday night knowing I would be back in four days to help cover Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers. There were reminders, though, including the 'Finals' logo and backdrop already in the press conference room. Basketball in June is better than Christmas. ∎ How good is 6-8 Tre Singleton going to be at Northwestern? The Jeffersonville star and Class 4A state champion had 14 points and four rebounds in Friday's 98-89 win at Kentucky, going up against 7-1 Kentucky Mr. Basketball Malachi Moreno. In Saturday's win, Singleton had 12 points on 6-for-8 shooting and six rebounds in just 15 minutes. I think Singleton and fellow Jeffersonville teammate and Indiana All-Star Michael Cooper (Wright State) are going to be really good players at the next level. Cooper was 8-for-13 from the 3-point line in the two games combined. ∎ Attendance for Saturday's game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse was announced at 5,411. The competition took a hit by Moreno's absence in the return game. Kentucky's team had some good players, but not enough to play 40 minutes head-to-head with Indiana without Moreno. ∎ Mt. Vernon point guard Luke Ertel continues to ascend. Nothing he did for the Junior All-Stars during the week will change that thought. The Purdue recruit backed up his 36-point game on Sunday against the Kentucky Junior All-Stars with 35 points, nine rebounds and four assists in the win over the Indiana All-Stars on Wednesday. Another Matt Painter recruiting victory. ∎ Fishers' Justin Kirby is ridiculously athletic. Alley-oops from Brady Koehler on back-to-back possessions in the second half — the second on a bounce pass — were big highlights from Saturday's win. Kirby finished with 11 points and four rebounds after going for nine points and four rebounds in the win at Kentucky on Friday. 'It was like a college experience,' Kirby said of All-Stars week. 'The way you do things, the way you carry yourself throughout the week. It's a lot. It's a lot of three- and four-hour practices you have to go through, but you have to get ready for that for next year in college. I think it was good for me to have that experience.' Kirby's next few years will be interesting. He is going to Miami of Ohio for his freshman year as a player who has improved dramatically as an outside shooter during high school (he shot 41% from the 3-point line as a senior). Kirby will not be overmatched athletically at the next level. 'I'm just going to outwork everyone and work as hard as I can,' Kirby said. 'I'm going to be the best teammate. I'm not going to complain or say or do anything bad. I'm going to be who I am and see what I can do.' Kirby said All-Stars week was something he 'will remember my entire life.' ∎ The Indiana girls were swept by Kentucky but managed to play in one of the wildest All-Stars games I can remember on Saturday. Rich Torres, who covered the game for us, and I were flipping through the program to try to find the lowest scoring games with the score 53-48 Indiana going into the fourth quarter. After the fourth quarter and two overtimes, Kentucky's 106-103 victory was the highest-scoring game in series history, eclipsing Indiana's 100-97 victory in 1994. Kentucky Miss Basketball ZaKiyah Johnson (LSU) set a new single-game scoring record with 34 points and the two-game total with 62. ∎ Things you find out in All-Stars program compiled by Pat McKee: Julius Gizzi's favorite song is 'Hunger Strike' by Temple of the Dog. There is hope for our future. Maybe even better: Chase Barnes' and Azavier Robinson's favorite movie is 'Above the Rim.' Great soundtrack, too. ∎ I'll miss covering this group of seniors, even beyond the All-Stars. Good luck, class of 2025.
Indianapolis Star
3 days ago
- Indianapolis Star
Braylon Mullins helps Indiana All-Stars get best of Kentucky, AAU teammate Malachi Moreno
LEXINGTON, Ky. – It was a struggle. A good play here. A turnover there. It went like for the Indiana All-Stars for most of Friday's game against the Kentucky All-Stars at Lexington Catholic High School. The Kentucky All-Stars led by six points as the clock ticked under eight minutes. Enter Michael Cooper. The Jeffersonville senior guard drilled three consecutive 3-pointers, two on assists from Ben Davis guard Mark Zackery IV and other from Lawrence North's Azavier Robinson, to help the Indiana All-Stars breathe a little easier on their way to a 98-89 victory. 'It's just really being confident in the work I put in to just knock it down,' Cooper said. Indiana All-Stars & softball semistate? 'Just trying to be in both places and give my all' IndyStar Mr. Basketball Braylon Mullins also had a big second half, scoring 13 of his game-high 24 points to lead the Indiana All-Stars its 44th victory in the past 51 games in the series. Indiana leads the all-time series, which dates to 1940, by a count of 106-46. Cooper sparked a much-needed run for Indiana. 'He's won a state championship, so he knows how to win,' Indiana All-Stars coach Marc Urban (Chesterton) said of Cooper. 'I thought we made the extra pass on those shots where he was stepping in and shooting wide-open 3s. And he made big-time plays. That's why he's an Indiana All-Star and why he's going to have a really successful career at Wright State.' Indiana had its hands full with Kentucky's highly touted Malachi Moreno, a 7-1 incoming Kentucky freshman who played AAU basketball with Mullins on Indiana Elite. Moreno, who will not play in the game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday, finished with 22 points, 14 rebounds and four blocked shots and played all but 54 seconds. 'I'm usually seeing him in the same uniform as me,' said Mullins, who will leave for UConn on Monday. 'But there's nothing personal. We were going up the court and chatting and laughing like we were doing in AAU. I'm excited to see what he does at Kentucky, but tonight was fun going against him.' Mullins helped spark the second-half run with a transition 3-pointer, though it seemed like every time Indiana would make a move, Kentucky would have a counter. Vince Dawson, a Morehead State recruit who finished with 21 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the 3-point line, drilled a 3 put Kentucky up eight with 11 minutes left. When Jeffersonville's 6-9 Tre Singleton picked up his fourth foul with 10:26 left, it brought back memories of Mr. Basketball Flory Bidunga fouling out on a technical foul in last year's loss at Kentucky. But Indiana got hot at the right time. 'We had a brutal loss on Wednesday night (against the Junior All-Stars),' Mullins said of the 117-114 loss on his home floor at Greenfield-Central. 'But that run we had at the end of the game just sparked the bench, the players and coaches. We needed that. We made that run and we weren't looking back.' Cooper finished with 21 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the 3-point line. Singleton, his teammate on the Jeffersonville Class 4A state champions, went for 14 points and four rebounds, but was limited to 24 minutes because of foul trouble. His bucket with 3 minutes left pushed Indiana's lead to 86-80 and Kentucky never got any closer. Ben Davis' Zackery added 12 points, six assists, five rebounds and five steals. Fishers' Justin Kirby had nine points and four rebounds and the Butler-bound Robinson had eight points, five rebounds and two assists. Mullins finished 10-for-18 from the floor and had six rebounds and two assists. 'He's incredibly talented, as a high IQ and he's a great kid,' Urban said of Mullins. 'It's been fun to get to know him. I know he was frustrated missing those first couple but he just kept sticking with it and that one he hit in transition was big. He made Mr. Basketball plays. He demands so much attention and he opens things up for other people, but he's still able to be efficient.' Indiana played without Cathedral's Brady Koehler. The Notre Dame recruit was on the bench but not in uniform. It was the first win in Kentucky since 2022 for Indiana, which lost 94-90 in Owensboro two years ago and 103-82 in Lexington last year. 'There's nowhere else you'd rather do it than Gainbridge Fieldhouse,' Mullins said. 'They are going to have a little bit different team without Malachi playing but we're not going to take anything for granted. We're going to come out and play like we did tonight and I think we'll be good tomorrow.'
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Newsweek
Mets Tagged As Trade Destination For AL East All-Star Outfielder
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. As of Thursday, the New York Mets hold the best record in the National League. With a front office that is consistently aggressive in building their team, the Mets will be looking for pieces to add for the stretch run. With the Baltimore Orioles limping through the early portion of the season, by contrast, that team will likely be looking to unload some of its expiring contracts. BOSTON, MA - MAY 24: Cedric Mullins #31 of the Baltimore Orioles makes a sliding catch on Ceddanne Rafaela #3 of the Boston Red Sox during the seventh inning of game one of a doubleheader... BOSTON, MA - MAY 24: Cedric Mullins #31 of the Baltimore Orioles makes a sliding catch on Ceddanne Rafaela #3 of the Boston Red Sox during the seventh inning of game one of a doubleheader at Fenway Park on May 24, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. More Photo ByThe Orioles are stumbling through the season and will likely offload some players at the deadline, one of them being centerfielder Cedric Mullins. Mullins was an All-Star in 2021, and while he has not reached the level of play from that season in recent years, he is off to a strong start, already surpassing the halfway point of his home run total from last season. The Mets have received solid play in centerfield from Tyrone Taylor, but Mullins brings a substantially better bat into play. MLB Insider Jeff Passan of ESPN believes the Mets should target Mullins as the deadline approaches. Believing that his bat will bring a stronger depth to an already potent Mets lineup. Mullins' bat is not the only tool that the former All-Star possesses; his glove has been great in centerfield, whereas Taylor has been fantastic. Mullins' bat slots him ahead on the depth chart, should a move be made. With the Mets front office being aggressive in roster building, the Orioles' former All-Star should be circled as a target to bring some ferocity to the lineup. The Orioles will almost certainly be looking at what Mullins can get them if their season does not turn around, and the Mets should be waiting on the other end of the line when the phones start to ring. More MLB: Rockies All-Star Tagged As Yankees Trade Target By Former MLB Executive
