French Accord has been rewarded for her consistency with a breakthrough maiden win at Sandown.

After finishing runner-up in her first two starts at Bendigo and Geelong respectively, French Accord scored with authority in taking out the Sportsbet Fast Form Plate (1200m) on Wednesday.

Under the guidance of Luke Currie, French Accord ($4.80) raced away from her opposition to record a 2-¾ length win from Brilliant Bull Ant ($26) with Luscombe ($5) a half-length away third.

With trainer Robbie Griffiths absent, stable foreman Reid Balfour said every challenge French Accord had thrown at her, the filly would rise to the occasion.

“But every time we keep raising the bar, she keeps meeting it,” Balfour said.

A $15,000 yearling purchase at the 2024 Inglis Premier Sale, high expectations were not placed on the filly early in her development.

“She was bought for $15,000 and Robbie was able to put some owners into her and she’s repaying them in spades,” Balfour added.

“She’s not fully mature yet and will keep getting better with each preparation, so there’s a lot to look forward to.”

Currie was having his second ride aboard French Accord having ridden the filly when narrowly touched out at Geelong on July 10.

He said French Accord had made good improvement from that outing.

“She travelled up really well,” Currie said.

“She’s been well educated and well worked out by Robbie and the team.”

“Last time she was a bit stiff. She raced really well and loomed like she was going to win, but got a bit lost out wide there at Geelong.”

“Today, she learnt from that and put them away quite quickly.”

Currie said French Accord has some nice attributes and should prove a nice money spinner for her trainer and connections.

“She keeps improving,” Currie said.

“She jumps well, settles, does everything you ask and she will be a nice filly going forward.”

The Griffiths stable made it a double for the day at Sandown when Saluted took out the Sportsbet Get On Extra Handicap (1000m).

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John Stones left Manchester City at the end of the season after spending a decade at the Etihad Stadium and winning everything with the club

John Stones has made a verbal agreement to join Inter Milan, according to reports in Italy. The former Manchester City defender is set to sign a two-year contract with his representatives finalising the terms of a deal.

The move will see Stones reunite with former City team-mate Manuel Akanji after the latter joined the San Siro club on a permanent basis following his season-long loan deal. England international Stones could quickly see some familiar faces too.

The parties are hopeful that the 32-year-old’s transfer will be completed by the end of the week. While he is likely to be recovering following his World Cup campaign with the Three Lions, Stones could be unveiled in time for Inter’s friendly clash with City on Saturday.

The veteran defender was also said to be contacted by Juventus over the weekend, having drawn interest from Premier League clubs Arsenal and Chelsea.

The Gunners have been seeking to reinforce their backline following William Saliba’s injury. Chelsea, meanwhile, are bidding to add experience to their squad this summer after also targeting striker Danny Welbeck and midfielder Jordan Henderson.

Stones’ departure from Manchester City was confirmed in April, offering him an opportunity to say goodbye to the club. The Barnsley-born star enjoyed a successful 10-year period that matched Pep Guardiola’s, but in recent seasons he has missed time through injury.

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Speaking ahead of his departure, Stones acknowledged that he wished his City stay could continue. “Everything comes to an end and I wish it’d go on forever, but I know that that’s not a possibility,” he said.

“It’s tough, but at the same time, I can look back on the 10 years and I’m so proud of what I’ve achieved and what I’ve done here.

“The memories that I’ve got with absolutely everyone, not just the players, the staff, the fans, the guys that we all see on a daily basis and you’ve become friends with and have bonds with.

“It’s not sunk in yet, but when I leave I think it will and it’ll hit me.”

Terence Crawford and Floyd Mayweather are both hailed as two of boxing’s best since the turn of the millennium, but reigning WBC welterweight world champion Ryan Garcia believes that there is one former 147lber who would have been able to end each of their undefeated streaks.

Mayweather retired with a 50-0 record and was named as the Boxing Writers Association of America ‘Fighter of the Decade’ for the 2010s, although ‘TBE’ is set to risk that unbeaten streak in the near future, with a rematch against Manny Pacquiao now being touted for early 2027.

Meanwhile, like Mayweather, Crawford retired as an undefeated five-division world champion when he announced his decision to hang up the gloves in December, retiring after a historic victory over Canelo Alvarez that saw him claim the undisputed crown at a third weight.

Despite the astonishing careers and lack of frailties shown by both Mayweather and Crawford, Garcia told Daily Mail Boxing that he would favour boxing’s first five-division world champion Thomas Hearns to defeat both men if they fought in their primes.

‘The Hitman’ won his first world honours at welterweight, defeating José Cuevas in 1980. He made three successful defences of the belt before losing to Sugar Ray Leonard in ’81 – his first bout as part of The Four Kings quartet. Given Hearns would win a world title at light-heavyweight and finish his career as a cruiserweight, Garcia’s pick is not a major surprise.

Back to the present day, and Garcia remains hopeful that he could be the one to hand Crawford a first career defeat, recently revealing his intentions to tempt the 38-year-old out of retirement, if he comes through his maiden world title defence against Conor Benn in September unscathed.

Although, at present, Crawford seems unwilling to reconsider his decision to walk away from the sport, refusing to return to boxing despite having a lucrative offer on the table.

Matthew Dunn believes his lightly campaigned three-year-old, Silent Thinker, possesses the attributes for future Saturday racing success, but for the immediate future, smaller victories are the priority.

The gelding is set to participate in his third race, the Barrier Reef Pools Handicap (1350m) at Ipswich on Friday, with the aim of securing consecutive wins. He recently broke his maiden status with a dominant all-the-way victory at the same track earlier this month. This followed a debut third at the Gold Coast, and Dunn has observed further progress in the horse since his initial start.

“We had to ride him really aggressively last start from a bad barrier and it’s probably not the way to ride him. He’s drawn a bit better on Friday,” Dunn revealed. “I think he’s a decent horse. He’s got a good future, and he’ll get out over a bit further yet. If he can get up to a mile, which I think he will, he’s a Saturday horse for sure. His pedigree suggests he will.”

Silent Thinker, acquired for $50,000 from Inglis’ December online sale, is a son of the reputable sire So You Think and a mare by Fusaichi Pegasus. Ben Thompson, who rode him to victory last start, will again take the reins, and Dunn expects his charge to be the one to beat.

“He’s doing a good job, and he will be hard to beat again. He was good last start,” he commented. Also featuring in the race is Exceed Perfection, a former Sydney galloper now trained by Chris and Corey Munce. This five-year-old, in his first run for the stable, has only one win from 23 starts, but has achieved 10 placings, proving to be a consistent performer in NSW provincial racing. Despite a difficult barrier draw in 13, he carries a competitive weight thanks to apprentice Courtney Bellamy’s two-kilogram claim.

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The attitude is understandable. Goodburn is – astonishingly – is in the best shape of his life in swimming terms. He lowered the national record to 27.12 seconds in February and qualified fifth fastest for this.

New treatments – which he fought hard to be given access to – have slowed the growth of his tumours, and he recently graduated from Edinburgh University with a first in chemical engineering.

Ultimately, he finished joint seventh – “joint last” as he put it – and missed out on the 50m breaststroke medal he craved.

But this race and this week has been about so much more than podiums and plaudits for this remarkable young man from Edinburgh, who continues to fight not only his own brain cancer, but the impact of the disease on others.

“It’s pretty indescribable,” he told BBC Sport Scotland when asked what the past 24 hours have been like. “Usually the words flow easily, but I’m finding myself quite speechless.

“I was really trying to soak it up, because I didn’t feel like I really got much of a chance to do that after the semi. And the experience was everything I dreamed of and more. But the time, unfortunately, wasn’t there.”

These Games – and this summer – have been such a focus for Goodburn amid the darkness of the past two years, and he spoke afterwards about being eager to watch back the race and pour over his data as many athletes would.

He also talked about the support of his family and girlfriend Ciara Schlosshan, who competed for Scotland in the 100m butterfly just five minutes before he did.

But not many swimmers – standing wrapped in a towel, goggles strapped to their head and wearing just their jammers – would talk so passionately and eruditely about ensuring brain cancer research is properly resourced.

Team-mate Duncan Scott called him “inspirational” and no wonder.

“I was thinking today, the goal was to make the final, and the dream was to win a medal,” Goodburn said. “That dream didn’t come true, but one of my other dreams is that we see a future where brain cancer isn’t the biggest killer of patients under 40.

“I advocate to try and extend my own life, but also for the other young patients and adults going through what I’m going through.

“With everything that’s going on with my health, it’s been difficult to think ‘why am I here? Am I here to advocate as a patient advocate, or am I here to just be a professional athlete?’ And it’s kind of turned into a bit of both.

“I wonder how I’m going to feel off the back of this. But I know that I’m going to have memories to last a lifetime.”

As Sydney’s final Saturday metropolitan race meeting of the current term concludes, a new cohort of carnival-bound horses will make their presence felt in barrier trials at Rosehill, signalling their ramped-up preparations for their seasonal comebacks.

Among the notable contenders expected to grace Friday’s session are the Australian Derby winner Green Spaces, the distinguished Queen Of The Turf Stakes heroine Idle Flyer, and the accomplished Flight Stakes victor Apocalyptic.

These three will vie for supremacy in the inaugural 900m Group Trial, a heat that also features the promising filly Savvy Hallie. Savvy Hallie delivered a stellar performance, narrowly missing the win against Everest runner-up Tempted in the Group 1 Surround Stakes (1400m) in February.

She was subsequently sent for a spell after concluding her preparation outside the placings in the Coolmore Classic (1500m) against older mares. Trainer Brad Widdup concluded that she had reached the limit of her campaign and her optimal distance range.

“It was probably too far, and one run too many,” Widdup commented.

“She is only starting to fill into herself now, so I still think the autumn next year might be her time. She’s still developing, but she’s done well this time in.

“We’ll see what happens, but hopefully she can be our flag bearer.”

The capable Savvy Hallie will be guided by her regular jockey Nash Rawiller during Friday’s trial. The rising four-year-old mare is scheduled for another trial next month prior to her anticipated resumption at Randwick on August 22.

“She’ll trial twice, then there’s the Toy Show (Quality) and Show County (Quality) on the same day, so she’ll probably head to one of them,” Widdup confirmed.

Stable companion Jedibeel, a runner-up in The Galaxy, is still some time away from a competitive return to the racetrack. This follows a successful surgical procedure undertaken after his appearance in The Quokka (1200m) at Ascot in April.

The horse was eased out of the race in the straight, and subsequent veterinary assessments indicated an elevated heart rate and cough, alongside traces of blood found in his trachea.

“He had to have throat surgery after Perth, but he’s not far off,” Widdup stated.

“He has healed really well. Hopefully we will get him back late spring. We’ll just get him fit and work it out from there.”

Among the other noteworthy participants at the Rosehill trials will be the Canonbury Stakes winner Hidrix and the filly Chilly Girl, who recorded a decisive victory in the Widden Stakes before an unfortunate setback sidelined her for the autumn carnival.

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