Off the wire

HORSE RACING Accelerate wins Gold Cup

Accelerate rallied in the stretch to win the $500,000 Gold Cup at Santa Anita by 41/4 lengths over Dr. Dorr, trained by Bob Baffert. Ridden by Victor Espinoza, Accelerate ran 11/4 miles in 2:01.38 and paid $5.80, $3 and $2.10 at 9-5 odds on Saturday. Dr. Dorr, owned by Baffert’s wife Jill, returned $4.20 and $2.60 and had his three-racing winning streak snapped. City of Light, the 6-5 favorite, was another 11/4 lengths back in third and paid $2.20 to show in the Grade 1 race. City of Light’s three-race winning streak ended when Accelerate turned the tables on his rival. Accelerate finished second by a neck to City of Light in the Oaklawn Handicap last month in Hot Springs.

SOCCER

Real Madrid repeats

Real Madrid defeated Liverpool 3-1 in Kiev, Ukraine, to win its third consecutive Champions League final and record-extending 13th European title overall. Gareth Bale’s stunning overhead kick in the 64th minute snapped a 1-1 tie. Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius committed two blunders to gift Madrid its other goals, scored by Karim Benzema and Bale. A goalless first half saw Liverpool star forward Mohamed Salah exit in tears with a shoulder injury in the 30th. Benzema put Madrid ahead in the 51st when he intercepted an unwise attempt by Karius to roll the ball out to a defender. Sadio Mane leveled in the 55th from close range after a corner. Bale got the decisive goal, then added his second in the 83rd when Karius fumbled a longrange shot into the net.

GOLF

Rose increases Colonial lead

Justin Rose birdied the first three holes to quickly extend his lead at the Fort Worth Invitational and finished with a 4-under 66 on Saturday to take a four-stroke advantage into the final round at Colonial. Rose, the 2013 U.S. Open champion and Olympic gold medalist with eight PGA Tour victories, was 14 under. Emiliano Grillo, his playing partner, shot 69 and was at 10 under with Brooks Koepka, who had a 67. Rose has the largest 54-hole lead at Hogan’s Alley since Kenny Perry led by seven in 2005 on way to his second decisive victory in three years — he had a record eight-stroke lead for three rounds in 2003. The largest lead anyone had taken into the final round since had been two strokes, and that had happened only twice.

Lee leads Lewis by 2

Minjee Lee shot a 4-under 68 on Saturday to take a two-stroke lead into the final round of the LPGA Volvik Championship, with Stacy Lewis (Arkansas Razorbacks) tied for second playing five months’ pregnant. Lee capped a bogey-free third round with a birdie on No. 18 to get to 12 under, and the Australian standout will try to celebrate her birthday with her first victory of the year. She turns 22 today. Lewis (67) birdied five of the last six holes to match In-Kyung Kim (67), Jodi Ewart Shadoff (69) and Lindy Duncan (69) at 10 under. There were nine players within three strokes of Lee. Play was interrupted for about two hours by a weather delay, but everyone was able to finish.

Late bogey costs McCarron

Scott McCarron, seeking a second senior major title to go with his 2017 Senior Players Championship, made his only bogey of the third round on the final hole to slip into a tie for the lead Saturday with Tim Petrovic in the Senior PGA Championship. They were at 13 under par after Petrovic, seeking his first major, shot 65. McCarron has shared the lead through three rounds. England’s Paul Broadhurst, the 2016 British Senior Open winner, matched the best third-round score in tournament history with a 64. He was at 11 under.

BASKETBALL Auburn picks up a transfer

Guard Jamal Johnson is transferring from Memphis to Auburn. Auburn announced Saturday that Johnson has signed a financial aid agreement. He will have three years of eligibility remaining after redshirting next season. The 6-foot-3, 178-pounder started 27 games and played in 34 for Memphis last season. He averaged 6.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Johnson was second on the team with 47 three-pointers. The Birmingham native was a first-team all-state pick as a senior.

TRACK & FIELD Semenya rolls in 800 final

South Africa’s Caster Semenya set a meet record in the 800 meters at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday while controversy swirls about a rule that could limit her from competing at the distance. Semenya defended her title in the event in 1 minute, 55.92 seconds, setting a meet record as well as the top mark in the world this year. American Ajee Wilson was second in 1:56.86. Semenya is the two-time Olympic and threetime world champion in the 800. But she could be impacted in the future by a new rule that has drawn criticism. The IAAF, track and field’s international governing body, announced last month that starting on Nov. 1 it will limit entry for all international events from 400 meters through the mile to women with testosterone levels below a specified level.