Justify will keep racing
Despite a deal for his breeding rights worth a reported $75 million, the connections of Triple Crown winner Justify plan to continue racing him through the end of this year, they said Sunday morning.
“We’re looking forward to sharing him (with the public) more,” said Elliott Walden, the CEO and racing manager for WinStar Farm, which owns a majority share of the horse. “He’s now become a household name, and I’m looking forward to his next race just as much as you guys are.”
The question now for Justify, which became the first horse since Seattle Slew in 1977 to win the Triple Crown with an undefeated record, is how the rest of his career might take shape.
A plan will be formulated once the chestnut colt recovers from a compressed schedule that saw him win six races over 111 days since his debut Feb. 18.
Justify is set to return to Churchill Downs on Monday. On June 17, the colt will travel to trainer Bob Baffert’s base in Southern California to await his next move.
NFL
Earl Thomas is putting the pressure on the Seattle Seahawks for a new contract, saying he will not participate in any team activities until his contract situation is resolved.
That includes the upcoming mandatory minicamp.
The three-time All-Pro safety posted a lengthy statement on social media Sunday, saying he wants “certainty in regards to the upcoming years of my career,” before he takes part in any Seahawks related activities. Thomas is entering the final year of his current deal signed before the 2014 season. He is scheduled to make $8.5 million in base salary in 2018.
Seattle opens its minicamp Tuesday, and Thomas could face fines of about $84,000 if he skips all three days.
MLB
Second baseman Daniel Murphy (right knee surgery) could be close to returning to the Washington Nationals lineup. He rejoined the team Sunday, taking batting practice and fielding grounders.
Manager Dave Martinez said Murphy will accompany the team to New York, where the Nationals open a two-game series against the Yankees on Tuesday. The Nationals will play five straight games in American League parks, where they’ll need a designated hitter.
The team also officially placed right-handed pitchers Stephen Strasburg and Brandon Kintzler on the 10-day disabled list.
Top prospect Guerrero Jr. injures knee: The Toronto Blue Jays say prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will miss at least four weeks because of a strained patellar tendon in his left knee.
The son of Hall of Fame outfielder Vladimir Guerrero and one of baseball’s highest-ranked prospects, Guerrero Jr. left Wednesday’s game for Class AA New Hampshire after going 2 for 2 with two singles, raising his average to .407.
AUTO RACING
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel won the Canadian Grand Prix after leading the race from the pole to the checkered flag — and then some.
Vettel picked up his second career victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve and the first for Ferrari in Montreal since Michael Schumacher won three in a row from 2002-’04. The only hiccup was that the checkered flag was waved prematurely, while Vettel was still on his last lap.
Supermodel Winnie Harlow was handed the checkered flag and waved it early, signaling the end of the race. The cars continued around the track for another lap, despite it not officially counting.
Vettel took a one-point lead in the standings over Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who was fifth.
GOLF
Kristen Gillman led a U.S. singles sweep Sunday in the biggest blowout in Curtis Cup history.
Gillman, the 20-year-old University of Alabama star from Austin, Texas, beat 16-year-old Annabell Fuller, 5 and 4, to cap a perfect weekend at Quaker Ridge in Scarsdale N.Y., in the amateur competition.
The Americans won, 17-3, breaking the record for margin of victory of 11 set in a 14 1⁄2-3 1⁄2 victory at Denver Country Club in 1982. They improved to 29-8-3 in the series.