Anthony and Sam Freedman have refined their handling of the developing three-year-old gelding Beskar by doing less, which is delivering impressive performances on the track.

The gelding claimed back-to-back successes by leading throughout in Saturday’s Listed South Pacific Classic (1400m) at Randwick, creating scope for a Queensland winter carnival challenge in 2026.

Prior to that, he pulled off an unexpected victory in the Darby Munro Stakes (1200m), regaining peak condition after a lacklustre spring.

“He’s become genuine, this horse,” Anthony Freedman said.

“He has always shown us really good ability. He just lost his way and needed gelding, and we’ve changed up a lot with him. We hardly work him, and it’s working for him.

“He can sustain a long gallop. It opens up some options for him at 1400 now.”

Ridden hands-and-heels by Damian Lane, Beskar ($5.50) accelerated powerfully late, seeing off the persistent bid from second-placed Mareth ($13), the filly going down fighting by a short head.

Regal Award ($1.90) was the best of the remainders, a further 1-1/4 lengths back.

Freedman explained that taking the front wasn’t pre-planned, but Lane capitalised on the gelding’s alert getaway.

“He’s a horse where, the more you tell him to do something he doesn’t want to do, he tends to work against you,” Lane said.

“When he was free flowing I just went with him and lucky he held on.”

Now with Saturday’s race as merely his third this preparation, Beskar is geared towards key three-year-old events in Brisbane.

“He is pretty lightly raced, and he handles this direction so that’s probably the logical step,” Freedman said.

Visit top Australian betting sites to find racing odds on Beskar’s next steps.

The 1200m distance in Saturday’s Listed Redoutes Choice Stakes (1200m) raised some concerns beforehand for Lindsay Park’s Gin Twist filly, and while she didn’t fully settle the issue, her handlers are far from disappointed.

This Home Affairs filly came into the race off a victory in Flemington’s Listed Festival Stakes (1000m), but she had found the going tough previously in the Group 3 Thoroughbred Breeders Stakes (1200m) amid heavy conditions, with Saturday’s setup playing right into her strengths.

Drumfire, a key player in the market, got scratched due to misbehaving in the stalls, and Luke Currie guided the post-race $2.90 favourite Gin Twist to lead unchallenged in the five-horse lineup, holding on gamely to beat debut runner Oak Lightning ($8) by a narrow half-neck, with Buggsy ($3) finishing third a length behind.

Co-trainer Will Hayes, working with Ben and JD, viewed the result as encouraging and enough to justify pressing on to her fifth start.

“It was a real professional effort,” Hayes said.

“Credit to the team, we got her back to the farm to see how she did between runs and she gave us the inclination to come today and she franked that decision.

“Luke Currie summed up the race very well, he was very open minded how the race shape could look, being a small field, just to see her relax in front in the early stages, her ears were flicking at the top of the straight, we knew she’d have a bit of kick left at the top of the straight.”

Hayes noted Gin Twist would probably now enjoy a rest after pocketing $256,000 and two listed wins in her first preparation launched back in January.

“She’s put in a great prep,” Hayes said.

“Most likely (she’ll spell), but as always, we’ll see how she pulls up and make the decision as a team on Monday, winning 1200 (metres) here today is another string to her bow.

“She’s very honest, very professional and she gets the most out of herself.”

Visit the betting sites for competitive racing betting markets on the Redoutes Choice Stakes and beyond.

A current unified world champion has branded Devin Haney as a physically inferior fighter to himself, believing he would “run through” the WBO world welterweight titlist.

‘The Dream’ became a three-weight world champion in November, producing a cultured performance to outpoint and dethrone Brian Norman Jr at 147lbs.

As a result, many believe that Haney has already become the top dog in his division, where the remaining champions include Ryan Garcia, Rolando Romero and Lewis Crocker.

In terms of his next outing, the 27-year-old was in negotiations to face Romero in May, yet it now seems as though their potential unification is up in the air.

While targeting the WBA world champion, though, Haney was also in talks for a possible move up to 154lbs against Xander Zayas, who holds the WBO and WBA titles in that division.

Instead, the Puerto Rican is now gearing up to face former unified welterweight champion Jaron Ennis, headlining a show at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, on June 27.

As far as he is concerned, the Haney fight failed to materialise because his team were never sent an offer, meaning the financial figures could not be determined.

In an interview with Cigar Talk, however, Zayas insisted that, if they ever lock horns, his size would play a crucial role in securing an emphatic victory.

“[Team Haney] wanted the fight, we wanted the fight, but they never said a number. The TV provider needs to have a number to know how he’s going to make the fight happen.

“I was going to run through him. He maybe gets in [the ring] at 160[lbs]… I’m getting in that ring at 180[lbs].”

In response, Haney took to social media and claimed that such an advantage is neither here nor there.

“As long as someone makes weight against me… [I don’t care] what you hydrate up to in 24 hrs. It won’t matter.”

As long as someone makes weight against me.. idc what u hydrate up to in 24 hrs. It won’t matter https://t.co/Y724w1Ba6r

— Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) April 10, 2026

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While a clash between Haney and Zayas could be revisited, both champions are expected to remain in their respective divisions for at least the time being.

Terence Crawford has recalled the exact moment where, in his mind, it was confirmed that he could not possibly lose to Canelo Alvarez.

The pair eventually squared off in September 2025, but Crawford insists he was angling to face the Mexican at least 12 months prior.

It was around this time that he dethroned Israil Madrimov at 154lbs, which followed his undisputed welterweight triumph over Errol Spence Jr in 2023.

Back then, many questioned whether ‘Bud’ had the frame and physical attributes to even compete at 168lbs, let alone topple the division’s undisputed king.

As it happened, though, Crawford produced a masterful performance to dethrone Canelo with a unanimous decision victory, seizing all four of his world super-middleweight titles.

But while Alvarez was a clear favourite heading into their contest, it suddenly seemed as if many were beginning to favour the speed and technical prowess of Crawford.

This was partly because of Canelo’s uninspiring display against William Scull, who he convincingly outpointed earlier that year while ultimately lacking a degree of explosiveness and aggression.

But instead of highlighting this as the first sign of Canelo’s decline, Crawford has told Jai McAllister that 2024 was when he knew exactly how their eventual fight would unfold.

“When I was at 147[lbs], I was already calling out Canelo. I was already saying I’ll move up three weight classes and fight Canelo.

“Me and Turki [Alalshikh] went to watch him fight [Edgar] Berlanga and I said, ‘He can’t beat me’.”

Against Berlanga, Canelo scored a third-round knockdown but otherwise failed to captivate his fans, before claiming a wide unanimous decision victory.

As a result, Crawford clearly felt he was there for the taking, despite it being a year before they locked horns in Las Vegas.

Mumbai: Mumbai Indians’ captain Hardik Pandya (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil)

Mumbai Indians captain Hardik Pandya cut a dejected figure after his side suffered a third consecutive defeat in IPL 2026, going down to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 18 runs at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.MI, chasing a massive 241-run target, were always under pressure after RCB posted a huge 240/4, powered by half-centuries from Phil Salt, Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar. Despite a strong start from Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton, Mumbai never truly took control of the chase and eventually finished on 222/5, with Sherfane Rutherford’s unbeaten 71 being the lone standout effort.In the dressing room after the match, Hardik addressed the squad alongside head coach Mahela Jayawardene and urged the players to respond collectively to the setback rather than isolate themselves.He said, “Thinking from what MJ said, I think here there are two options we can do. One is go back in our rooms, go back into our cocoon spaces and try to figure it out. I know it’s tough losing but let’s learn… let’s not get disappeared. But let’s learn. It’s always winning and learning, never losing. So let’s do that. That’s something which tonight after the game, once we go back to hotel, let’s have a meal together, we’ll talk about cricket. We’ll talk about something else but we’ll figure it out,” Hardik said in the dressing room.Reflecting on the defeat, Hardik admitted that MI have struggled to control games in recent outings, often finding themselves chasing matches rather than dictating terms.After the match, he said, “I think we conceded way too many runs. I think that (241-run target) was always going to be catch-up. I think in the last couple of games, as a bowling unit or even as a batting unit, we’ve been quite catching up in the game rather than leading the game. We really need to reflect, really need to see what best we can do and how we can get that momentum and that click which we require.We have a couple of days off from here and we will play again. (bat second the way to go here?) To be very honest, now a lot of things needs to be rethink. Definitely, it’s not working. Couple of games we have won the toss, but maybe we need to see what other options we have as a batting group or bowling group. Looking at the kind of wicket it’s playing, if we can bat as well, that would be good. We still need to play cricket, we still need to bat well, we still need to bowl well,” Hardik said.With MI slipping to a third straight defeat, the skipper stressed the need for introspection and possible tactical changes as the franchise looks to halt its slide in the tournament.

Liverpool return to Anfield on Tuesday night needing to overturn a 2-0 deficit against Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain.

Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored in Paris to give PSG a commanding first-leg advantage, and Arne Slot must now decide how to set his side up for what could be a memorable European night—or a very short one.

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Alisson remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, meaning Giorgi Mamardashvili is expected to continue in goal.

Slot is expected to revert to a 4-3-3 after his three-man defensive experiment in Paris backfired, with Dominik Szoboszlai likely shifting to right-back.

Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk are set to continue at centre-back, with Milos Kerkez on the left. Curtis Jones is almost certain to miss out after sustaining a groin injury against Fulham, opening the door for Alexis Mac Allister to come into midfield alongside Ryan Gravenberch.

The biggest selection dilemma is upfront. Mohamed Salah did not start in Paris but is expected to return to the XI at Anfield. Alexander Isak is fully fit after his long absence and could come off the bench, with Hugo Ekitike likely to lead the line from the start. Rio Ngumoha could feature from the left after scoring his first Anfield goal recently.

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Liverpool must score at least three goals without reply to progress in normal time—a tall order against a side that has kept clean sheets in each of their last three away games.

Anfield has witnessed famous European comebacks before, but PSG arrive in better shape than almost any side previously dismantled here.

Slot will need his team to deliver arguably their most complete performance of the season.

Gary Neville has stuck to his guns with his prediction of this season’s Premier League winner despite results from Arsenal and Manchester City last weekend. Six points separate the pair of sides at the summit of the English top-flight following a dramatic weekend.

Mikel Arteta‘s Arsenal suffered a shock defeat at home to Bournemouth on Saturday as they missed an opportunity to go 12 points clear in the league. Manchester City took full advantage of their slip, doing their business efficiently in a 3-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday.

Neville spoke on Sky Sports about the title race in England, pointing out that this year is undoubtedly Arsenal’s, judging by the amount of struggles they have faced to get to this stage. He admitted that the Gunners will not coast to the title in what remains of the season, but will find a way to get it over the line.

“I do feel now is the time for Arsenal. I’m not going to go and say it’s now or never, but it does feel a bit like because if you’ve had five years of trying to climb that mountain, and you’ve just failed at that final hurdle each time, there has to be a moment where you get over the line.

Arsenal will crawl over the line. I don’t think they’ll get over the line easily, they might even lose next week, but I do think they’ve probably got a little bit of a cushion. Manchester City aren’t perfect, and Arsenal will just get there, but they’re in a lot more trouble than they were at 12.30pm on Saturday, when they were just about to kick off against Bournemouth”, he said.

Neville’s prediction will become much clearer in the coming weeks, as there are only six games left to play in the Premier League this season. City have a game in hand, and will host their rivals at the Etihad next weekend in what will be a six-pointer in the title race.

The Gunners have not won the Premier League since 2004 and have not won a major trophy since 2020. They have finished in second place in each of the last three league seasons, and will hope to end their trophy drought this season.

Manchester City defeat Chelsea to take advantage of Arsenal slip

Manchester City overcame Chelsea in their Premier League meeting at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, claiming a 3-0 win. Pep Guardiola‘s side kept their hopes of winning the Premier League alive in dominant fashion in London.

Following a scoreless first half, the visitors needed just six second half minutes to go ahead as Rayan Cherki crossed for Nico O’Reilly to head home. Their lead was doubled shortly after when Cherki showed off his quick feet before slipping a pass through to Marc Guehi, who scored his first league goal for the club.

Manchester City made it 3-0 in the 68th minute, as Jeremy Doku took full advantage of a Moises Caicedo error to find the back of the net, sealing the win. The result in Stamford Bridge, coupled with Bournemouth’s win over the league leaders on Saturday, sets up a thrilling finale to the campaign.