Maximum Security forced out of Pa. Derby with colon issue
OCEANPORT, N.J. >> Maximum Security, the colt who crossed the finish line first in the Kentucky Derby only to be disqualified for interference, won’t run in the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby this weekend because of a colon issue.
Trainer Jason Servis said Tuesday that the Haskell Invitational and Florida Derby winner developed the problem shortly after a workout a day earlier. The 3-year-old colt was taken to a clinic in Ringoes, New Jersey, where the issue was diagnosed as a large colon nephrosplenic entrapment. It’s not considered career-threatening.
Maximum Security was the 9-5 morningline favorite for Saturday’s race.
It was supposed to be the first meeting between Maximum Security and War of Will, the horse Maximum Security was penalized for interfering with near the top of the stretch. War of Will went on to win the Preakness and finish ninth in the Belmont. Maximum Security didn’t run in the last two legs of the Triple Crown.
Liberty win WNBA lottery
The New York Liberty will have the No. 1 pick in next year’s WNBA draft for the first time in franchise history.
One of the original WNBA teams, the Liberty won the draft lottery Tuesday night. New York had the best odds of getting the No. 1 pick with a 44.2% chance.
“It’s awesome to be able to have that pick,” Liberty coach Katie Smith said.
Dallas will pick second, Indiana third and Atlanta fourth.
Oregon guard Sabrina Ionescu and Baylor forward Lauren Cox are among the leading prospects to be selected No. 1.
Russia sending 29 athletes to track worlds on neutral team
MOSCOW >> The suspended Russian track federation is sending a team of 29 competitors to the world championships in Qatar, where they will compete as neutral athletes.
Many Russian athletes with past doping bans were not cleared to compete, including race walker Elena Lashmanova, the world leader in the 20-kilometer event this year. Lashmanova is a former Olympic gold medalist, as is Anna Chicherova, another athlete who was not allowed to go.
With 29 Russian neutral athletes, there will be 10 more than at the last world championships two years ago. The squad includes 16 women, compared to just seven in 2017.
Athletes from the neutral team do not wear national colors and if one wins a gold medal, the IAAF anthem is played.
Federer to decide soon on Tokyo Olympic plans
GENEVA >> Roger Federer plans to decide “in the next month or so” whether he will play at next year’s Tokyo Olympics.
Federer said Tuesday his 2020 schedule is set through Wimbledon, which ends July 12. The week-long Olympic tournament starts July 25 and ends a few days before his 39th birthday.
“I guess I’m going to be deciding on the Olympic Games in the next few weeks, hopefully in the next month or so,” he said.
Speaking ahead of the Laver Cup team competition he co-owns, Federer said he is “very excited about the prospect” of Tokyo.
“I just have to see how is the family, how is my body doing,” Federer said in an interview broadcast by Swiss public television.
Federer is a four-time Olympian.