BAFFERT SUSPENDED ONE YEAR IN NEW YORK

The New York Racing Association suspended trainer Bob Baffert for one year Thursday for repeated medication violations.

A panel credited Baffert for time served from an initial suspension that makes the two-time Triple Crown-winning trainer eligible to saddle horses in New York again Jan. 26. The final decision marks the end of a protracted back and forth about Baffert’s status in the state that began in May 2021.

“This was an impartial and deliberative process that has resulted in a lengthy suspension of the sport’s most prominent trainer,” NYRA President and CEO Dave O’Rourke said in statement. “However, this is not simply about Bob Baffert or any one individual but about protecting the integrity of the sport here in New York. Today’s decision advances that goal.”

The ban is shorter than the two years Churchill Downs sidelined Baffert after Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit tested positive for a substance that is not allowed on race day. Retired New York State Supreme Court Justice O. Peter Sherwood, who was serving as the NYRA hearing officer, previously recommended a two-year suspension.

Baffert’s camp asked for a stay of the NYRA suspension that was immediately denied. A message seeking comment from Baffert or his attorney was not immediately returned.

College football

Prep quarterback Arch Manning tweeted that he plans to play at Texas. Manning is going into his senior season at Isidore Newman. His Super Bowl MVP uncles Peyton and Eli Manning also attended the prep school in New Orleans. Texas is currently in the Big 12, but is moving to the Southeastern Conference no later than the 2025 season.

Locally

Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County will host its annual Marathon Golf Tournament from sunrise to sunset today at Singing Hills Golf Resort. There is no fee for participating; golfers raise a minimum of $2,000 in donations (returning golfers) or $1,000 (rookies).

Tennis

Top-ranked Daniil Medvedev will remain without a title on grass this season after losing to Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarterfinals of the Mallorca Championships. Medvedev lost 6-3, 6-2. Secondseeded Stefanos Tsitsipas cruised into the quarterfinals but needed three sets against American Marcos Giron to make it to the last four.

Bianca Andreescu reached her first semifinal in over a year with a 6-4, 6-1 win over top-seeded

Daria Kasatkina at the Bad Homburg Open. Simona Halep plays Andreescu next after a quick-fire 6-2, 6-1 win over Amanda Anisimova.

Beatriz Haddad Maia was given a helping hand in her bid for a third straight grass-court title ahead of Wimbledon. The Brazilian advanced to the semifinals at Eastbourne without hitting a ball after her opponent, Lesia Tsurenko, withdrew because of a right elbow injury.

Soccer

Newcastle signed goalkeeper Nick Pope to a four-year contract after the England international completed a move from relegated Burnley. The Premier League club paid a fee reported to be 10 million pounds ($12.3 million) for Pope, who made 141 league appearances in his six seasons at Burnley.

FIFA approved 26-man squads for the World Cup in Qatar. The decision extends soccer’s relaxation of rules that help coaches and players during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also

Sylvia Fowles had 14 points and 10 rebounds in her return from an injury and Moriah Jefferson scored 21 points as the Minnesota Lynx beat the Phoenix Mercury 100-88 in WNBA play. Also in the WNBA, Arike Ogunbowale hit six 3-pointers and scored 24 points as the Dallas Wings beat the Indiana Fever 94-68.

Recent meetings with the IOC have led U.S. officials to believe all signs point toward Salt Lake City bidding for the 2034 Winter Olympics, though they say Utah’s capital will be ready if asked to host the 2030 Games, too.

The number of women competing at the highest level of college athletics continues to rise along with an increasing funding gap for men’s and women’s sports programs.

An NCAA report examining the 50th anniversary of the Title IX civil-rights law found 47.1 percent of participation opportunities were for women across Division I in 2020 compared to 26.4 percent in 1982. Yet amid that growth, men’s programs received more than double that of women’s programs in allocated resources in 2020.