Hardest Core tops Magician to capture Arlington Million
Long-shot Hardest Core ran down favored Magician in the stretch to win the Arlington Million by a length in Arlington Heights, Ill.
Ridden by Eriluis Vaz, Hardest Core, the 11-1 outsider, came on strong from the outside just after the turn for home.
“I knew he was going to make his run,” Vaz said. “On the last turn I had a lot of horse.”
Magician, the winner of the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Turf, went off as the favorite at 9-5 odds.
“I had a good trip, no excuses,” Magician jockey Joseph P. O’Brien said.
Also: Will Power gave Tony Kanaan a friendly tap on the arm when someone asked the fellow IndyCar driver about what it took to succeed at the Milwaukee Mile. “Tell me!” Power joked. No need — Power did just fine on his own. The IndyCar series points leader will start at the pole today after being the only driver to surpass 169 mph in qualifying.
Chris Buescher took the lead on the 68th of 90 laps and held off Regan Smith and Brian Scott to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.
The victory in the Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200 made the 21-year-old Buescher the third rookie to win in the series this year.
Johnny Sauter has won the NASCAR Truck Series race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., holding off Matt Crafton by about a half-second.
Sauter also took over the points lead. Previous leader Ryan Blaney finished 21st after winning the pole.
Kell Brook won a majority decision over Shawn Porter to take Porter’s IBF welterweight title in Carson, Calif.
The English challenger claimed his first world title in just his second fight outside Britain, outpointing the champion Porter (24-1-1) with a smart game plan and consistent elusiveness at the outdoor StubHub Center south of Los Angeles.
Brook (33-0) won 117-111 and 116-112 on two American judges’ cards, while English judge Dave Parris scored it a 114-114 draw. The Associated Press scored it 115-113 for Brook.
Omar Figueroa also stopped Daniel Estrada early in the ninth round to defend his WBC lightweight title belt in an entertaining action fight.
Louis van Gaal lost his first Premier League game with Manchester United, with Swansea winning 2-1 to become the first away team since 1972 to open the season with a victory at Old Trafford in Manchester, England.
Gylfi Sigurdsson took advantage of poor defending to score the Welsh club’s winning goal in the 72nd minute. United captain Wayne Rooney had tied the match after Ki Sung-yeung opened the scoring.
“We never played as a team; that is our error,” Van Gaal told BT Sport television. “But I think we have to always keep the head up and use the second step in our process better than we have done today.”