Belmont Stakes at Saratoga is a Kentucky Derby rematch
The sun rises over training horses at the Saratoga Race Track, before running of the Belmont Stakes horse race, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Thursday, June 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (AP) — The Triple Crown concludes Saturday with the 157th running of the Belmont Stakes.
The race is a rematch between Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty and runner-up Journalism, who is the favorite after winning the Preakness. Derby third-place finisher Baeza also is in the field of eight.
Advertisement
Sovereignty is racing for the first time since the first Saturday in May. Owners and trainer Bill Mott decided not to enter Sovereignty in the Preakness because of the short, two-week turnaround.
Journalism is the only horse running in all three legs of the Triple Crown this year. Bob Baffert-trained Rodriguez is in the Belmont after being scratched from the Derby because of a minor foot bruise that also kept the colt out of the Preakness.
The Belmont is taking place for a second consecutive time at historic Saratoga Race Course in upstate New York. The New York Racing Association temporarily relocated it there while Belmont Park on Long Island undergoes nearly half a billion dollars in renovations.
___
AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
37 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Direct pay to college athletes starts July 1. Some key dates tied to implementation of settlement
FILE - Grant House competes in the men's 200-meter IM final at the TYR Pro Swim Series swim meet on Saturday, June 4, 2022, in Mission Viejo, Calif. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File) It took five years for the $2.8 billion antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA and five major conferences to reach a settlement. Now comes the process for implementing it. Following are significant dates: June 6, 2025 Advertisement Settlement approved; settlement-related NCAA rules are effective, as adopted by the NCAA Division I Board on April 21, 2025. June 11, 2025 NIL Go portal launches. June 15, 2025 Opt-in deadline for non-defendant schools to fully commit to revenue sharing. July 1, 2025 First date for direct institutional revenue-sharing payments to student-athletes. July 6, 2025 Opt-in schools must 'designate' student-athletes permitted by the settlement to remain above roster limits. Start of 2025-26 academic year With the exception of the 'designated' student-athletes, fall sports must be at or below roster limits by their first day of competition. Advertisement December 1, 2025 With the exception of 'designated' student-athletes, winter and spring sports must be at or below roster limits by their first day of competition or Dec. 1, whichever is earlier. ___ AP college sports:
San Francisco Chronicle
42 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Sabalenka rues another missed chance against Gauff in French Open final: 'This one hurts so much'
PARIS (AP) — While Coco Gauff was taking selfies on Court Philippe-Chatrier to celebrate her triumph on the Parisian clay, her opponent on the other side of the umpire's chair was filled with anger and sadness. As Roland-Garros officials prepared the court for the trophy ceremony, Aryna Sabalenka sat with her gaze lost in the distance before she took a towel and covered her face. And when it finally came time to speak, Sabalenka was silent for a long moment, as if on the verge of tears. The assessment of her own performance, when she finally took the microphone to address the Roland-Garros crowd, was ruthless. 'Honestly guys, this one hurts so much," she said. 'To show such terrible tennis in the final does really hurt.' The top-ranked Sabalenka won the first set as her high-risk approach brought dividends initially. But once Gauff found her stride, the Belarusian's errors became more and more frequent and she lost the match between the world's two highest-ranked players 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4. Sabalenka hit 37 winners but finished the match with a staggering 70 unforced errors — compared to Gauff's 30. Sabalenka also dropped her serve nine times. 'I think I was overemotional,' she said. 'I didn't really handle myself quite well mentally, I would say. So basically that's it. I was just making unforced errors. I think she won the match not because she played incredible; just because I made all of those mistakes from — like, if you look from the outside, kind of like from easy balls." The disappointment was even greater given that Sabalenka has worked hard to adapt her game to the slow surface over the years, and after she ended Iga Swiatek's 26-match unbeaten streak at the French Open in the semifinals. 'You've been playing against a lot of tough opponents, Olympic champion, Iga, and then you go out, and you play really bad,' she said during her post-match interview. 'It was honestly the worst tennis I've played in the last, I don't know how many months." Sabalenka also complained about the weather conditions. The retractable roof over the center court remained open during the final, and Sabalenka was visibly annoyed by bursts of wind sweeping across the court. 'Conditions were terrible," the three-time major champion said. 'When she would hit the ball, at some point the wind would just let the ball fly like crazy, and you know, I was late every time.' This was the second major final Sabalenka lost to Gauff, after the 2023 U.S. Open, where she also won the first set. Sabalenka had won their most recent meeting on clay this year in Madrid and thought she had the weapons to beat the American on the biggest stage. 'It's another tough Grand Slam final against Coco,' Sabalenka said. 'Another terrible performance from me against Coco in the final. I have to step back, look at this from a perspective, and try to finally learn the lesson, because I cannot go out there every time against her in Grand Slam finals and play such terrible tennis and give those wins, not easily, but emotionally.' ___
San Francisco Chronicle
42 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Kane saves England from embarrassment against Andorra in World Cup qualifying
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — England needed a second-half goal from Harry Kane to secure a 1-0 win over lowly Andorra and maintain a perfect record under Thomas Tuchel after three World Cup qualifiers on Saturday. England was held scoreless by a team ranked 173rd in the world until Kane redirected a pass from Noni Madueke into the top of the net in the 50th minute after the Bayern Munich striker's initial effort was saved by goalkeeper Iker Álvarez. 'We need to be better for sure,' Kane said. 'It's not one that many will remember, and we had good spells, but we take the three points and move on.' It was goal No. 72 in his 106th appearance for the Three Lions. Tuchel's side remained top of Europe's Group K with nine points after wins against Albania and Latvia. They have yet to concede a goal under the German coach. Andorra remained winless but managed to frustrate England's stars for most of the game with its five-man defensive line. Ezri Konsa had to block a late shot by Andorra's Guillaume Lopez to prevent the chance of an equalizer. 'We kept giving it away and that gave them a bit of confidence and energy,' Kane said. "At 1-0 with five to 10 minutes to go you have to be careful.' England dominated possession and Eberechi Eze went close to a second goal when he forced Álvarez to tip his header of the bar as the visitors couldn't extend the lead. England had won its previous six meetings with Andorra by a combined score of 25-0. The game was played at Espanyol's stadium in Barcelona, nearly three hours south of the Pyrenees principality — which has a population of around 80,000 — due to concerns that work on Andorra's home stadium wouldn't be finished in time. Only the group winners qualify directly for next year's tournament in North America. The second-placed teams go into a playoffs. Europe will have 16 teams in the expanded 48-team field for the World Cup. The group stage of European qualifying runs through November. Veteran Dzeko scores for Bosnia A goal from 39-year-old Edin Dzeko gave Bosnia and Herzegovina a 1-0 win over San Marino. Lithuania was held 0-0 at Malta in Group G. ___
