American Pharoah to run in Breeders’ Cup
A few days of indecision over, Triple Crown winner American Pharoah is back on schedule for the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic and a chance for a magical career-ending race.
After a tough loss in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday, American Pharoah’s owner Ahmed Zayat said his “gut feeling” was to retire rather than race on as planned.
On Thursday, after hours of talks with trainer Bob Baffert and the rest of Team Pharoah this week, the owner decided against retirement because “the champ deserves another chance.
“I am very confident that this is the right decision for American Pharoah,” Zayat said in a statement released to the Associated Press and other news media. “He loves to race. He has provided my family, racing fans, and general sports fans with great thrills this year.
“He won the Triple Crown earlier this year, and he deserves the chance to be in the sport’s premier year-end event.”
Zayat said after conferring with Baffert, assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes, jockey Victor Espinoza and his son and racing manager, Justin Zayat, that American Pharoah came out of the Travers “in great shape.”
His initial read was that perhaps the chiseled bay colt was tiring from the grind of shipping more than 20,000 miles by air and horse van and running in seven tough races since March.
“I believe there were a combination of factors that prevented American Pharoah from running his absolute best on Saturday,” Zayat said without elaborating. “I have every confidence that he can run to his best again.”
Welterweight champion Robbie Lawler’s thumb injury will heal in time for him to make his second title defense Jan. 2 when he meets Carlos Condit at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, UFC announced.
Lawler injured his thumb last week, prompting the UFC to shift Ronda Rousey’s women’s bantamweight title defense against former pro boxer Holly Holm to Nov. 14 in Melbourne, Australia, where Lawler-Condit was to be staged.
The Ducks announced that individual tickets for 2015-16 regularseason home contests will go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. The club’s 2015-16 home opener is set for Oct. 12 versus the Vancouver Canucks at Honda Center.
Individual tickets for Anaheim’s three preseason contests at Honda Center will also be available for purchase.
Television golf analyst Mark Rolfing has been diagnosed with salivary gland cancer and will not be part of the Golf Channel or NBC broadcast team for the rest of the year.
Rolfing had surgery three weeks ago to remove a malignant growth from his left cheek area. He said Thursday he is starting a second phase of treatment at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for the rare form of cancer.
LaShawn Merritt edged a thrilling finish in the 400 meters at the Weltklasse Zurich Diamond League meet, earning partial revenge for losing to Wayde van Niekerk at the world championships last month.
Merritt won in 44.18 seconds, 0.10 ahead of Grenada’s Kirani James and 0.17 ahead of Van Niekerk, the South African who left his kick too late.
World champion Shelley-Ann Fraser-Pryce was one of 15 others who secured Diamond Race titles after the Jamaican won the 100 in 10.93.