Prima Bella appreciated the quick pace and finished strongly to win the Ranvet Handicap (1000m).

Considered one of the most improved horses in training, Prima Bella has hit a purple patch of form, recording her third win from five starts this winter preparation.

“Prima Bella’s airborne,” Smith enthused. “When you get a mare in form, you have to keep them going. Look at Paul Cave’s mare The Mona Lisa, she keeps winning too. My mare has never been going better and I will have to look at a stakes race now because she is racing so well.”

Prima Bella ($7), who carried a competitive weight of 52.5kg after apprentice Mollie Fitzgerald’s 3kg claim, powered to victory by just over a length from the favourite Amazing Eagle ($3.40). Beast Mode ($5.50), the early pace-setter, held on for third.

The Randwick track surface was upgraded to a Good 4 during the meeting, but Prima Bella’s time of 56.57 seconds remained exceptionally fast for this time of year.

Smith indicated that Prima Bella is likely to target a race like the Group 3 Toy Show Quality (1100m) at Randwick in two weeks.

“I’ve got Idle Flyer resuming that day but I might split the mares up and run her in the Show County Quality (Group 3 $250,000, 1200m),” Smith said. “Prima Bella deserves her chance in a better class of race as she is in such good form and she handles wet or dry tracks.”

Idle Flyer, a winner of the Group 2 Emancipation Stakes and Group 1 Queen of the Turf Stakes to conclude her autumn campaign, has completed two barrier trials in preparation for her return, including a close sixth behind Matcha Latte at Rosehill on Friday.

Smith’s speedy sprinter Headwall also moved closer to a racing comeback with a notable third in Apocalyptic’s heat at Rosehill.

In other news, New Zealand trainer Lauren Brennan had her inaugural runner at Royal Randwick and celebrated a win with I Park in the MyPlates Handicap (2400m).

I Park achieved his third career win from 21 starts, collecting $82,500 for his Sydney Saturday success, which was more than his earnings from his previous 20 starts combined.

“Our plan was to bring I Park to Sydney over winter and look for these 2400m races,” Brennan explained. “He’s got the win and I think we might take him home now.”

Ridden by Tim Clark, I Park ($12) dug deep under pressure to defeat Le Troisir ($8.80) by a long head, with Elle Hudson ($4.40 equal favourite) finishing just over a length away in third.

Golden Century, which had been backed into equal favouritism at $4.40, led into the straight but faded to finish at the rear of the field.

Check out the latest racing odds at Australian betting sites.

FIFA on Saturday warned against what ⁠it called a “concerted ​and ongoing effort” to undermine its leader, Gianni Infantino, saying attempts to challenge his leadership must follow the governing body’s statutes ​and democratic procedures.

It came amid an increasingly bitter standoff over Infantino’s leadership following the collapse of his proposal to raise about $4.2 billion by selling a stake in the commercial rights of the World Cup and other tournaments.

Read moreFIFA scraps controversial private investment plan after backlash

The statement was released Saturday, a day after a report by British newspaper The Daily Telegraph raising questions about an exit package paid by UEFA to a female staffer who worked with Infantino when he was general secretary of European football’s governing body. Infantino has categorically denied the allegations, according to the article.

UEFA confirmed that a “departure payment” was made to the employee and said it was “in line” with regulations at the time.

Infantino worked at UEFA for 16 years before being elected FIFA president.

In the statement Saturday, FIFA accused Infantino’s critics of trying to weaken his authority and remove him from office without due process.

Read moreFIFA closes ranks round Infantino amid mounting leadership crisis

“It is increasingly evident that there is a concerted and ongoing effort by some to undermine FIFA and its president,” said the FIFA statement, which was also posted on X. “Those who do not have the support of FIFA’s member associations should not seek to achieve through allegation, insinuation or misinformation what they cannot achieve through FIFA’s established democratic processes.”

It said some reporting has included “unsubstantiated assertions and demonstrably false claims” which shouldn’t be presented as fact.

“Change inevitably challenges established interests, but disagreement with that change cannot justify efforts to undermine the democratic mandate of FIFA’s president or the institution he was elected to lead.”

Infantino faced intense backlash after details of his plan to sell World Cup profits to private equity were published. UEFA and two other continental confederations – North America’s CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation – rejected the plan.

He did receive backing from FIFA’s management board last Wednesday following a meeting in Morocco, and he apologised over the process. UEFA’s threat to have its 55 member countries boycott FIFA competitions until the plan was scrapped remained, with UEFA saying Thursday that the announcement “changes nothing”.

While confirming the exit payment “was in line with the regulations that existed for departing staff at the time”, UEFA said the rules had been tightened since 2016 and currently “reflect those found in a modern, high-profile organisation”.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)

Judd Trump could lose his world number one ranking before the end of the month after suffering a shock defeat by Thailand’s Noppon Saengkham in the first round of the China Open on Sunday.

Saengkham, ranked 45th in the world, claimed a 6-3 victory to set up a second-round meeting with either Ronnie O’Sullivan or Jackson Page.

Trump fought back from two frames down to level, before his opponent won three frames in a row to take control of the best-of-11 contest.

A match-high break of 120 put Saengkham 5-2 up, before the Thai won the final frame 78-0.

Trump, who won the China Open in 2011 and 2016, came into the event off the back of beating Kyren Wilson in the final of the invitational Shanghai Masters last week.

However, the 36-year-old has won just ranking tournaments in the past two years, the most recent of those the German Masters in February.

The China Open has returned to the World Snooker Tour calendar for the first time since 2019, and is now hosted in Taiyuan, 310 miles (500km) south west of Beijing, rather than the Chinese capital.

Trump has topped the world rankings since August 2024 but to have any chance of remaining at the summit he must win the Wuhan Open later this month and hope other results go his way.

Zhao Xintong is currently best placed to overtake Trump, with Neil Robertson and Wu Yize not far behind.

Trump was not the only seeded player to lose in the first round, as Barry Hawkins lost to Liu Hongyu, Mark Williams was defeated by Zhou Yuelong, and Ding Junhui was thrashed 6-1 by David Gilbert.

The winner of the tournament will receive prize money of £250,000, with the runner-up to bank £100,000.

Casemiro departed Man Utd at the end of last season and has left big boots to fill but his fellow Brazilian is confident he’s the man to do just that.

They might both be Brazilian, and both have Manchester United on their CV, but on the surface, there isn’t much else that Andrey Santos has in comparison with Casemiro at the start of his Old Trafford career.

United splashed out up to £70million on a 30-year-old Casemiro four years ago, signing a midfielder with a glittering resume and five Champions League titles to his name after a glorious spell at Real Madrid.

Santos is eight years younger than Casemiro was when he arrived in Manchester, has joined from Chelsea where he struggled to gain first-team opportunities and although he has six caps for Brazil, he wasn’t particularly close to their World Cup squad this summer.

The switch from Casemiro in 2022 to Santos in 2026 is indicative of the change in transfer strategy at United and the £50million paid to Chelsea for the 22-year-old is seen as good business for the future. Santos has his best years ahead of him and recruitment chiefs at Old Trafford liked the data on him and the scouting reports.

Although it is only pre-season, he has looked the part so far. Santos has started all four friendlies and caught the eye again in Gothenburg on Saturday, controlling the midfield against back-to-back European champions PSG.

After the game, speaking to the media for the first time as a United player, he backed himself to be the man to replace Casemiro, having arrived at the club alongside Youri Tielemans as part of an £85million midfield rebuild.

“Casemiro for me, it’s like a legend, you know,” said Santos. “So now he’s gone out. Now I’m here so I feel that I can do like Casemiro did in the last season and I’m here to do it.

“My qualities, I like and prefer playing more deep like a number six. So I try help my teammates without the ball and with the ball I love breaking the lines.”

Santos’ desire to play as a No. 6 will be music to Michael Carrick’s ears. He was considered an all-rounder at Chelsea but United need players to sit deep in Carrick’s 4-2-3-1, although the focus this summer has shifted to midfielders with a high-level technical ability as well.

He found opportunities hard to come by at Chelsea, with Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez the clear first-choice midfielders at Stamford Bridge, but is delighted to have made the leap to Old Trafford and what should be a more prominent role this season.

“I was so happy [when United showed their interest],” he said. “The moment when my agent called me, I told my wife, and she said, ‘ Yeah, we have to go.’ And of course, Manchester United is so big, I’m so happy to be here, and I want to win every single game and every single trophy possible.

“I know Chelsea is a big club as well, so I think thank you for everything Chelsea did for me in my period. But now Chelsea is gone, here is my home right now. And I want to be here for a long, long time and win so many trophies.”

Santos joins a team that finished third in the Premier League last season but faces the extra demand of a return to the Champions League this term, but Carrick has set his sights on looking up the table and the £50m new boy has his eyes on silverware as well.

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“When I talk about Manchester United, we talk about winning,” he said. “I think we have to work hard every single day to try to win every single trophy possible.

“And like as an individual, I have my goals and I hope that I can work with my teammates with my goals and hope to win some trophies.”

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India vs Sri Lanka XI Warm-Up Match, Day 3 LIVE Updates: 

Yashasvi Jaiswal retired out after scoring 61 as India continued to dominate the chase of 207 against Sri Lanka XI. Following Jaiswal’s departure, Rishabh Pant joined Shubman Gill at the crease. Earlier, Sri Lanka XI ended their second innings at 200/6 at Tea on Day 3 of the three-day warm-up match against India. Nishan Madushka and Nipun Dhananjaya were the standout performers for the hosts, scoring 63 and 46 runs respectively. For India, Gurnoor Brar and Ravindra Jadeja picked up two wickets each, while Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna claimed one wicket apiece. India now require 207 runs to win the warm-up match.

Here are the LIVE Score and Updates of India vs Sri Lanka XI Warm-Up Match Day 3:

South Africa’s Banyana Banyana have been knocked out of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations after a 2-1 defeat to hosts Morocco in the quarter-finals on Saturday evening.

Sakina Ouzraoui and Hanan Ait El Haj scored for Morocco, while Thembi Kgatlana pulled one back for South Africa.

The match was a repeat of the 2022 WAFCON final, with both sides also fighting for a place at next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.

Morocco started the brighter of the two teams, with Sanaa Mssoudy heading just wide after meeting a cross from the right.

South Africa responded as Kgatlana created space outside the box, but her effort went narrowly over the target.

The hosts eventually took the lead in the 31st minute. Ouzraoui met a dangerous cross from the right and lifted the ball over South Africa goalkeeper Kaylin Swart to make it 1-0.

Morocco doubled their advantage five minutes into the second half after Noxolo Cesane was penalised for a foul inside the box. A penalty was awarded, and Ait El Haj calmly converted to put the hosts 2-0 ahead.

Banyana Banyana coach Desiree Ellis responded by making a change, bringing on Amogelang Motau for Robyn Moodaly-Salgado as South Africa searched for a way back into the game.

The visitors reduced the deficit in the 67th minute through Kgatlana. The forward beat the offside trap and finished from a tight angle, with the goal awarded after a VAR review.

Motau almost equalised moments later, but Morocco goalkeeper Khadija Er-Rmichi produced an excellent save to keep her side in front.

South Africa pushed forward in the closing stages and committed more players to attack, but Morocco held firm to secure a 2-1 victory.

The defeat ends Banyana Banyana’s hopes of defending their WAFCON title, while Morocco advance to the semi-finals and secure their place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

In the semifinals, Morocco will face the winner of Sunday’s quarterfinals between Nigeria and Cameroon .