With the Masters kicking off, we look at who the front runners will be this year, and also at any surprise favourites for the first major of the year. Can McIlroy do the double? After a fairytale 2025, Rory McIlroy will be wanting to add to his illustrious collection. It’s not new for Rory fans to see him collapse at the last hurdle at these tournaments, so now that he has finally won his grand slam, will we see a new and more relaxed approach to his game at Augusta this year

Sinner comes out on top while Medvedev surprises Coming into this tournament, many only had Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner meeting once more in their battle for top spot. Alcaraz was yet to lose a match in 2026 before his match-up against Daniil Medvedev in the semi-final, while Zverev went on to lose his sixth match in a row against the former world no.1 in Sinner. The Russian had already shown great class before the semi-final, dismantling last year's champion Jack Draper

1.20 Triumph Hurdle 2m1f Proactif has been parachuted into the top of this market almost by default after his stablemate and fellow McManus hotpot Narciso Has was ruled out last month. His Fairyhouse win was promising, though he had track position and ultimately has shown little to justify his place in the market. David Casey  described him as "a stayer… but not exceptional". SELMA DE VARY does look exceptional, however, having got close to Narciso Has from a long way back at

The Premier League is the best in the world. We’ve all heard it – a sentence repeated as much in hope as confidence. Yet this self-awarded gold medal hasn’t always translated into Champions League trophies. Granted, Premier League clubs have rarely been far from glory (six titles and nine runners-up finishes since 2000), but none have built the dynasties that Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid crafted in the modern era. So when six English teams reached the knockout sta

The 2026 Formula One season began in dramatic fashion at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, a race that not only delivered excitement on track but also introduced fans to a new and controversial era of technical regulations. With brand-new power units and a stronger emphasis on battery energy management, the race quickly became a talking point across the paddock, among drivers, and in the grandstands. On track, the race itself produced plenty of action. Mercedes have eme

1.20 Mares' Novices' Hurdle 2m1f The vibes around BAMBINO FEVER have been very good and she is very much the one they all have to beat. She brings a high level of form into this race having won last year's Champion Bumper before following up in the Grade 1 at Punchestown. She is unbeaten except for her reappearance this season against a race-fit Oldschool Outlaw, at a time when Mullins's horses were not firing. I expect her to reverse those placings on better ground and the f

1.20 Turners Novices' Hurdle 2m5f Having taken the first four places in the Supreme, the British novices have shortened considerably for this and I think one of them will win it. Paul Nicholls nearly won the Ultima with Quebecois yesterday and in the same colours, NO DRAMA THIS END has a brilliant chance of getting him off the mark this week. Comparisons with Denman may feel premature, but everything has come so easily to him over hurdles and he has something inscrutable abou

1.20 Supreme Novices' Hurdle 2m1/2f  This is the deepest Supreme in recent memory. We haven't seen the majority of these horses at their best and it's a guessing game as to who will put their hand up on the day. The fourth and fifth here could easily be Grade 1 horses further down the line. If Mighty Park is as good as Closutton say he is then he should go very close - and you would usually take 4/1 for them to be right. A half-brother to Might Bite, he is a big horse who may

At Sporting Agenda we always enjoy hearing what our sponsored athletes are up to, and Ellie Gudgeon is ready to take on her 2026 season after some seriously impressive results last year. "After a strong finish to 2025, with becoming national open weight champion and British champion, I am hoping to kick start my 2026 season the same way. My 2026 season had a slightly delayed start as I was unwell at the start of the year, so I missed my first ranking competition of the year.

I started playing club football at six, joining my local grassroots team, Thatcham Tornadoes. I don’t remember tactics or formations. I remember oversized kits, shin pads bigger than your legs, mud everywhere, and parents shouting at six-year-olds like they were Premier League superstars. Back then football was just fun. Running after the ball with your friends and not caring about the result. I had no idea those simple times were laying the foundations for everything that ca

Tick, tick, tick...  Is time finally running out for Djokovic to ever reach that elusive record breaking 25th slam? He's already cemented his place in history as one of the all time greats, but there's something a little irritating about being stuck on 24. 25 CAREER SLAMS has a much nicer ring to it.  At the ripe 'old' age of 38, the Serb champ finds himself in unfamiliar territory - no longer the inevitable favourite, he has to be content with the underdog tag, watching his

Elena Rybakina won the 2026 Australian Open women’s title on Saturday with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory over world No.1 Aryna Sabalenka. The win was big for her. It was her second Grand Slam title after Wimbledon 2022 and gave her a major boost in rankings and confidence. She played well under pressure, keeping her cool even when Sabalenka seemed in control. The backstory to Rybakina’s win is worth a bit of closer examination: The tennis world has always been replete with ambitiou