Epicenter 6-5 favorite to win Preakness, but no Rich Strike
Kentucky Derby runner-up Epicenter was set Monday as the 6-5 morning line favorite for the Preakness Stakes, which will be run without Rich Strike.
The surprise Derby winner at 80-1 is not in the field of nine for Saturday’s $1.65 million race at Pimlico. Rich Strike’s owner felt the two-week turnaround did not give the colt enough rest and plans to enter him in the Belmont.
Epicenter, who drew the No. 8 post, and fourth-place finisher Simplification are the only horses back for the Preakness from the Derby, which Rich Strike won with a furious charge down the stretch. Simplification is 6-1 and drew the rail spot with the No. 1 post position.
Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath is the third betting choice on the morning line at 9-2 after Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas opted to enter the filly in the Preakness. She drew post position No. 4.
Early Voting is the 7-2 second
choice after skipping the Derby. Trainer Chad Brown targeted the Preakness for Early Voting, who drew the No. 5 post position.
NBA
Time for the NBA draft lottery, where some team will get a nice reward for a miserable season.
Not the Los Angeles Lakers, though. Their misery is set to make a good year even better for the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Pelicans are the lone playoff team among the clubs who can get a boost from lotto luck when the drawing is conducted Tuesday night in Chicago.
The Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons all share a 14% chance of winning the lottery and the No. 1 pick for the June 23 NBA draft in New York. Auburn’s Jabari Smith, Gonzaga’s Chet Holmgren and Duke’s Paolo Banchero are among the top college players available.
The Pelicans were just like most other observers in and around the NBA this season, expecting the Lakers to be a winning team, possibly a championship contender. But when the Lakers instead flopped to a 33-49 finish, eighth-worst in the league, it left New Orleans in position to cash in one of its chips from the
2019 trade that sent Anthony Davis to Los Angeles. The Pelicans will make the pick from the Lakers as long as it lands in the top 10 — and there’s about a 99.6% chance of that.
Hockey
GOLDEN KNIGHTS FIRE DEBOER AFTER MISSING PLAYOFFS » The Vegas Golden Knights fired coach Peter DeBoer in the aftermath of missing the playoffs for the first time in their five-year franchise history.
Vegas failed to qualify for the playoffs after a barrage of injuries compounded by salary cap problems wreaked havoc
on the lineup, most notably in goal. The Golden Knights at one point were first in the Pacific Division but after 82 games found themselves three points back of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference despite acquiring center Jack Eichel in a trade with Buffalo and other moves along the way designed to make them a perennial championship contender.
The organization having a short leash on coaches is nothing new. DeBoer coached the Golden Knights for 2 ½ seasons after being named in January 2020 to replace Gerard Gallant, who guided the team to the
Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural season in 201718 and back to the playoffs in 2019.
DeBoer was coaching his fourth NHL team after stints with Florida, New Jersey and San Jose. He took the Devils in 2012 and Sharks in 2016 to the final.
FINLAND TOPS US, CANADA DEFEATS SLOVAKIA AT WORLDS » Sakari Manninen scored and added two assists for host Finland to beat the United States 4-1 and keep a perfect record at the ice hockey world championship.
After Mikael Granlund gave Finland a 1-0 lead on
a power play in the opening period, Austin Watson was given a major penalty early in the middle period for a high hit on Teemu Hartikainen.
Valtteri Filppula and Manninen used the following five-minute power play to increase the lead to 3-0 and Mikko Lehtonen added the fourth later in the frame.
Alex Galchenyuk scored the consolation goal for the Americans in the third period.
Pierre-Luc Dubois scored twice to spark defending champion Canada to 5-1 over Slovakia for a third straight victory.
NFL
BROWNS QB WATSON TO MEET WITH NFL REPS IN TEXAS » NFL officials will meet this week with Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson as the league continues to investigate whether he violated its personal conduct policy, a person familiar with the plans told The Associated Press.
Watson, who is facing 22 civil lawsuits from massage therapists accusing him of sexual misconduct, is scheduled to speak with the league’s representatives in Texas, said the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
Watson is facing potential discipline by the league, which is independently investigating his actions
while he was with the Houston Texans. Commissioner Roger Goodell said as recently as April 28 at the NFL draft that there was no timeframe on any possible ruling on Watson.
Soccer
ENGLISH SOCCER PLAYER DANIELS SAYS HE IS GAY » English soccer player Jake Daniels said he is gay in a trailblazing moment for the European men’s game.
The 17-year-old forward made the announcement at the end of his first season as a professional player with second division club Blackpool.
“This season has been a fantastic one for me on the pitch,” he said in a statement. “But off the pitch I’ve been hiding the real me and who I really am. I’ve known my whole life that I’m gay, and I now feel that I’m ready to come out and be myself.
“It’s a step into the unknown being one of the first footballers in this country to reveal my sexuality.”
While women’s soccer features many prominent LGBTQ+ players, the men’s professional game lacks players who are publicly gay.
Daniels said he was inspired by Josh Cavallo of Australian team Adelaide United, who is the only openly gay man currently playing in a top division in world soccer following the 22-year-old midfielder’s announcement in October.