The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Racing: Wise Dan wins Breeders' Cup Mile
- Warriors lose Rush for remainder of season
- Tennis: I'll be world no 1 again, says WIlliams
| Racing: Wise Dan wins Breeders' Cup Mile Posted: 03 Nov 2012 05:48 PM PDT ARCADIA, California: Wise Dan, trained by Charles Lopresti and ridden by John Velazquez, won the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile on Santa Anita's turf track on Saturday. The US turf star went off as the 9-5 favorite and took the lead at the top of the straight, overtaking pace-setter Obviously. Animal Kingdom, the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner, rallied from off the pace to finish second by two lengths, and Obviously held on for third ahead of the Aidan O'Brien-trained Excelebration. Wise Dan, a 5-year-old gelding, posted his third straight victory. Meanwhile Trinniberg, ridden by Willie Martinez, won the $1.5 million, six-furlong Sprint Saturday, one of nine races on the second day of the $25 million Breeders' Cup championships at Santa Anita. Trinniberg, whose trainer Shivananda Parbhoo proudly displayed a Trinidad and Tobago flag after the triumph, dueled with Sum of the Parts for the lead on the turn for home, then held on to beat co-favorite The Lumber Guy by a length. Smiling Tiger was third in the field of 14, Sum of the Parts settling for fourth. Amazombie, winner of the same race last year at Churchill Downs, faded in the stretch and finished eighth. In another race Little Mike pulled off a big upset Saturday in the $3 million, 1 1/2-mile Breeders' Cup Turf. The 5-year-old gelding, trained by Dale Romans, sat off the pace set by Turbo Compressor, but under jockey Ramon Dominguez seized the lead in the closing straight and held off odds-on favorite Point of Entry and fast-closing St Nicholas Abbey, who was trying to retain the title he won at Churchill Downs last year. Japanese raider Trailblazer bid for the lead in the straight but settled for fourth. Little Mike was fourth off the turn for home. Dominguez said the distance barred him from commiting to the lead earlier. "I did get a great trip right off the leaders," he said. "When I asked him to run, he gave me a great kick." It was what Romans had hoped for when he opted for the 1 1/2-mile race. "We had been trying to stretch him out all year, so we decided to stick to our plan," Romans said. "We talked over the race last night and thought those two horses (Turbo Compressor and Optimizer) would be gunning for the lead. We were going to try to sit right off of them. He showed he could rate. "He's always been an overachiever, but he does deserve to be champion." Point of Entry jockey John Velazquez said his mount suffered from a collision at the start. "I got slammed coming out of the gate," he said. "And the horse in front of me kept coming in and out. By the time I got out, it was too late. He (Point of Entry) was by far the best horse in the race." Since his Turf triumph at Churchill Downs last year, St Nicholas Abbey had won just once, in the Coronation Cup at Epsom. He was never a factor in finishing 11th in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on October 7, but trainer Aidan O'Brien hoped the firm turf track at Santa Anita would suit him better. Joseph O'Brien, whose victory last year aboard St Nicholas Abbey had made him the youngest jockey to win a Breeders' Cup race, said his horse ran well, but just didn't have quite enough. "The trip was a good one for me," he said. "He relaxed well off a fast pace. When I asked him, he responded. We had to go a bit wide on the turn, but nonetheless he ran very well." Another European hope, Shareta, finished fifth with Christophe Lemaire in the irons. "She made a good run, but she couldn't get them," Lemaire said. - AFP |
| Warriors lose Rush for remainder of season Posted: 03 Nov 2012 05:43 PM PDT LOS ANGELES: Golden State Warriors reserve swingman Brandon Rush will miss the remainder of the NBA season after suffering a left knee injury, the team announced on Saturday. The Warriors, who made the announcement at Los Angeles ahead of a game against the Clippers, said no surgery date has been decided but that Rush is expected to make a full recovery. Rush tore his left anterior cruciate knee ligament in the first quarter of a 104-94 loss to Memphis after he jumped for a layup and came down awkwardly on his knee. In two games with the Warriors over the first five days of the season, Rush averaged seven points a game. Last season, he averaged a career-best 9.8 points and sank 45.2 percent of his 3-point shots over 65 games for Golden State. - AFP |
| Tennis: I'll be world no 1 again, says WIlliams Posted: 03 Nov 2012 05:41 PM PDT JOHANNESBURG: World number three Serena Willams on Saturday vowed to top the WTA rankings again, after finishing a year that saw her make a remarkable comeback from a potentially life-threatening condition. "I've been number one and believe me I'll be number one again," Williams told a news conference in Johannesburg during an Africa tour with her sister Venus to promote the sport among young girls. Williams finished 1195 points behind top-ranked Victoria Azarenka of Belarus on the WTA rankings, and 645 adrift of number two Maria Sharapova of Russia. The rankings drew some criticism as Williams beat Sharapova in the WTA Championship in Istanbul last Sunday, and won two Grand Slams this year as well as Olympic gold in the singles and doubles in London. But she was little concerned about the rankings, she said. "I'm not really thinking of it so much. I'm focusing on the Grand Slams." "I had a slow start and that really affected my ranking." Williams' stellar performance this year followed a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to a potentially life-threatening blood clot on the lungs. She is visiting South Africa with sister Venus to give tennis training in iconic township Soweto in Johannesburg and promote the sport under African girls after a similar trip in Nigeria earlier this week. The sisters will play an exhibition match against each other on Sunday. - AFP |
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