Quick Hitters
Storm the Court scores 45-1 upset in Breeders’ Cup Juvenile
ARCADIA, Calif. — Storm the Court won the $2 million Juvenile by a neck at 45-1 odds on opening day of the Breeders’ Cup on Friday, scoring the biggest upset in the race’s 35-year history.
Nine of the day’s 10 races — led by five Cup races for 2-yearolds — went off safely at Santa Anita, where 36 horses have died since December.
Ridden by Flavien Prat, Storm the Court paid $93.80 to win. He ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.93. The victory put the colt trained by Peter Eurton into the conversation as the winter favorite for next year’s Kentucky Derby.
Racing resumes Saturday with nine Cup races, topped by the $6 million Classic airing in prime time on NBC.
Not since Vale of York won the 2009 Juvenile at 30-1 odds, paying $63.20, had there been a bigger upset in the Juvenile.
Storm the Court followed in his sire’s hoof prints.
Court Vision was a 64-1 shot when he stunned Goldikova to win the BC Mile in 2011, paying $131.60 — third-highest in Cup history.
New York Mets hire Carlos Beltrán as manager
NEW YORK — Carlos Beltrán, two years removed from his playing career and with no managerial experience, has been picked by the New York Mets to replace Mickey Callaway.
Beltrán received a three-year contract that includes a club option for 2023. The Mets announced the move Friday.
A nine-time All-Star during 20 major league seasons, Beltrán played for the Mets from 2005-11.
He interviewed to become New York Yankees manager after the 2017 season, when Aaron Boone was hired, and spent this season as an adviser to Yankees general manager Brian Cashman.
The 42-year-old Beltrán becomes the first minority to fill one of the eight major league manager vacancies this offseason.
Seahawks claim Josh Gordon off waivers
RENTON, Wash. — Wide receiver Josh Gordon has joined the Seattle Seahawks a day after being released off injured reserve by the New England Patriots.
Seattle claimed Gordon off waivers Friday. He joins a crowded receiver group in Seattle, which was already carrying seven receivers on its active roster.
Forty-eight minutes weren’t enough in the city clash between Cibola and Gila Ridge as the Zeke Rios show continued on Friday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Needing a touchdown to win it after holding the Hawks to a field goal in overtime, the Raiders relied on their workhorse.
Facing 1st-and-goal at the 10, Rios took the direct snap, bounced to the outside, broke several tackles and spun his way into the end zone for the 22-19 victory to ruin Gila Ridge’s perfect regular season and send the Raiders team and fans into a frenzy.
“After all the stuff I’ve been through,” Rios said about his game-winning score. “The hamstring injury and all that, that’s what I dreamt of. That’s what I asked God for everyday. It was the best feeling in the world.”
The emergence of Rios
A year ago, after Yuma High won at Kofa on the final night of the regular season, Curt Weber was asked if he’d potentially just coached his final game for the Criminals.
He said he hadn’t. The plan, he explained, was to step away in 2019 after beating the Kings at Doan Field.
That’s exactly how it played out Friday night.
The Criminals sent their longtime coach out a winner, cruising to a 34-6 victory over their rivals in Weber’s final game on the sidelines.
“That’s the way I wanted to go out,” Weber said. “Winning on Doan Field.”
It’s been a trying final season for Weber as the Criminals entered Friday just 1-8 overall, but for the first time since a 40-0 win over Calipatria (Calif.) on Sept. 6, they encountered a team in Kofa (0-10 overall) that they could have their way with.
CHS: 6-4 overall GR: 9-1 overall
last week certainly changed the outlook of the Raiders’ (6-4 overall) offense.
And that brought a new idea of how to scheme against the physicality of the Hawks (9-1 overall).
Rios started the game in the wildcat formation and finished the game in the same fashion as he took a majority of the direct snaps in the upset.
“Even before May,” coach Steven Fritz said. “These were some of the things I knew I could do with Zeke and it just never materialized. Zeke is a special player. John (Beltran) did a hell of a job too. There
Yuma High led from the first possession of the game on — scoring just 2:24 into the contest on a 33-yard pass from sophomore quarterback Jaynoah Medel to sophomore receiver Vlad Olson — and outgained the visiting Kings 385-164 on the night.
Though Kofa somewhat held its own up front, the Kings’ secondary was no match for the Criminals’ receivers — particularly in the first half, when Medel threw a number of jump balls that his receivers went up and snatched.
Medel finished with 209 yards passing and four touchdowns, including three to Olson (33, 12 and 11 yards) and another to junior Alex Mosqueda (10 yards).
Olson finished with four catches for 74 yards, while Mosqueda had three for 64.
“Structurally we knew we had that advantage, we could run some route concepts that would give them some problems,” Weber said. “Vlad Olson had