Diamond Stripes took the lead in midstretch and then survived a foul claim by runner-up Magna Graduate’s jockey to win the $500,000 Meadowlands Cup by a half-length Friday night. Jockey John Velazquez claimed Diamond Stripes and jockey Cornelio Velasquez interfered at the top of the stretch, but the stewards at the Meadowlands Racetrack found nothing wrong.
Big Bad Leroybrown rallied to edge Lucky J.H. by 1 1/2 lengths Friday in the $56,200 at Santa Anita’s Oak Tree meeting. Ridden by Tyler Baze, Big Bad Leroybrown covered seven furlongs in 1:21.61 and paid $12.20, $4.40 and $3.20. Lucky J.H. returned $3 and $2.60 as the 13-10 wagering favorite, while Seminole Native was another head back in third and paid $7 to show.
Sebastian Loeb edged closer to world championship leader Marcus Gronholm after winning his third straight Catalunya Rally on Sunday. Gronholm leads the overall standings with 96 points, six more than Loeb, with four races to go. Citroen driver Loeb led from Friday’s first day to finish 13.8 seconds ahead of teammate Dani Sorda, taking the trophy with an overall time of 3 hours, 22 minutes, 50.5…
Vancouver’s power play was so good, even a 13-second man advantage was more than enough time for the Canucks to score. After Calgary Flames defenseman Dion Phaneuf was sent off for hooking at 4:47 of overtime, the Canucks responded almost immediately with Daniel Sedin’s game-winner with 5 seconds left for a 4-3 victory.
Trainer Patrick Biancone was suspended for one year Friday by Kentucky racing officials for violations of horse medication rules, but he vowed to appeal. The suspension for Biancone, one of the nation’s top trainers, takes effect Oct. 15, and likely means he won’t be allowed to train horses anywhere in the United States because state racing regulators generally recognize actions from another state.
Country Star surged past four horses down the stretch Friday to win the Darley Alcibiades at Keeneland. With Rafael Bejarano aboard, the 2-year-old was running eighth in the field of 10 fillies at the three-quarter pole but took charge from there. “She just exploded,” Bejarano said. “I know the horse can do that because I’ve ridden her before.
Emma Carly edged Stilled by a neck Friday in the $55,000 allowance feature for fillies and mares at Belmont Park. Ridden by Channing Hill, Emma Carly ran seven furlongs on the firm turf course in 1:21.42. The 4-year-old improved her record to 2-for-5 for trainer Bill Mott. Emma Carly paid $8.40, $4.40 and $3.10.
Lights out! The blackout at Coors Field was caused by a cranky computer. Blame the Philadelphia Phillies’ power outage on rookie Ubaldo Jimenez and a Colorado bullpen that’s been untouchable for three weeks. The Rockies roared into the NL championship series Saturday night, completing a three-game playoff sweep by beating Philadelphia 2-1 on pinch-hitter Jeff Baker’s tiebreaking single with two outs…
It took Erik Johnson just two games to make an impact in the NHL. Johnson scored his first goal on a power play with 7:17 left in the third period to give St. Louis the lead for good, and the Blues beat Los Angeles 5-3 Saturday night to spoil the Kings’ home opener. Johnson connected on a one-timer that deflected off Kings captain Rob Blake and past Bernier’s stick while defenseman Jaroslav Modry…
Patrick Kane beat one of his boyhood heroes on Saturday night to lift the Chicago Blackhawks to their first victory of the season. Kane scored the only goal in the shootout off Dominik Hasek, giving the Blackhawks a 4-3 win after they trailed 3-1 entering the third period. Kane, the first overall pick in this year’s NHL draft, beat Hasek with a backhand shot on the glove side.
