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Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Journalism, Sovereignty to meet again in Belmont Stakes
Preakness winner Journalism trains on in preparation for the 157th Belmont Stakes at Saratoga Race Course (AL BELLO) Kentucky Derby winner Sovereignty and Preakness winner Journalism renew their rivalry Saturday in the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of US racing's Triple Crown being held this year at Saratoga Race Course. Sovereignty out-dueled Journalism in the final straight to give the Godolphin stable a first Kentucky Derby victory in May, but was held out of the Preakness -- won by Journalism in a gritty performance at Pimlico, where he was bottled up on the turn for home but bulled through under jockey Umberto Rispoli to reel in Gosger and claim a sensational win. Advertisement Despite coming back on less rest -- and as the only horse in the Belmont field this year to contest all three Triple Crown races -- Journalism was installed as the early 8-5 favorite after drawing the seventh post for the $2 million race -- which will be run at 1 1/4 miles rather than the traditional 1 1/2 as Saratoga hosts for a second straight year because of ongoing renovations at Belmont Park. Sovereignty drew the second post and was priced at 2-1, but Rispoli said he wouldn't be counting on a two-horse race in a quality field of eight. "Obviously we are the two that won the first two legs (of the Triple Crown) and people want to see a rematch, but I think Baeza will be there as well," Rispoli said. Baeza, trained by John Shirreffs and ridden by Flavien Prat, finished third in the Kentucky Derby and skipped the Preakness. Advertisement Rodriguez, trained by Bob Baffert, is expected to set the early pace and will have Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, a three-time Belmont winner, in the irons. The colt missed both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness with a hoof injury. "We don't need to disrespect any other horse in this field," Rispoli said. "If they are here, there's a reason." Journalism trainer Mike McCarthy said the colt appears unfazed by the busy schedule. "Good horses just do things that much easier," McCarthy said. "He seems like his energy is back whee it was five weeks ago leading up to the Kentucky Derby. Advertisement "He's giving us a lot of good signals," McCarthy added. Trainer Bill Mott said Sovereignty, who will again be ridden by Junior Alvarado, has continued to progress since the Derby. - An interesting race - "He's improved, as many of these horses have," Mott said. "This entire group, if yu look at their form and the way they've developed over the course of this year, I think they've made steady progress. "It should be an interesting race on Saturday." The decision of Sovereignty's connections to skip the Preakness reignited debate over the traditional scheduling of the Triple Crown races, and whether they should be spaced further apart. Advertisement Since Justify won the Triple Crown in 2018 four of seven Kentucky Derby winners have skipped the Preakness. Michael Banahan, Godolphin USA's director of bloodstock, told the Lexington Herald-Leader that he thought the host racetracks were probably best placed to decide "if and how they need to evolve" "There have been probably plenty of debates about it, but we were pretty confident that it was the right thing to do for our horse and with the spacing of his races so far he's responded very well with that." bb/sev
France 24
a day ago
- Sport
- France 24
Journalism, Sovereignty to meet again in Belmont Stakes
Sovereignty out-dueled Journalism in the final straight to give the Godolphin stable a first Kentucky Derby victory in May, but was held out of the Preakness -- won by Journalism in a gritty performance at Pimlico, where he was bottled up on the turn for home but bulled through under jockey Umberto Rispoli to reel in Gosger and claim a sensational win. Despite coming back on less rest -- and as the only horse in the Belmont field this year to contest all three Triple Crown races -- Journalism was installed as the early 8-5 favorite after drawing the seventh post for the $2 million race -- which will be run at 1 1/4 miles rather than the traditional 1 1/2 as Saratoga hosts for a second straight year because of ongoing renovations at Belmont Park. Sovereignty drew the second post and was priced at 2-1, but Rispoli said he wouldn't be counting on a two-horse race in a quality field of eight. "Obviously we are the two that won the first two legs (of the Triple Crown) and people want to see a rematch, but I think Baeza will be there as well," Rispoli said. Baeza, trained by John Shirreffs and ridden by Flavien Prat, finished third in the Kentucky Derby and skipped the Preakness. Rodriguez, trained by Bob Baffert, is expected to set the early pace and will have Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, a three-time Belmont winner, in the irons. The colt missed both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness with a hoof injury. "We don't need to disrespect any other horse in this field," Rispoli said. "If they are here, there's a reason." Journalism trainer Mike McCarthy said the colt appears unfazed by the busy schedule. "Good horses just do things that much easier," McCarthy said. "He seems like his energy is back whee it was five weeks ago leading up to the Kentucky Derby. "He's giving us a lot of good signals," McCarthy added. Trainer Bill Mott said Sovereignty, who will again be ridden by Junior Alvarado, has continued to progress since the Derby. An interesting race "He's improved, as many of these horses have," Mott said. "This entire group, if yu look at their form and the way they've developed over the course of this year, I think they've made steady progress. "It should be an interesting race on Saturday." The decision of Sovereignty's connections to skip the Preakness reignited debate over the traditional scheduling of the Triple Crown races, and whether they should be spaced further apart. Since Justify won the Triple Crown in 2018 four of seven Kentucky Derby winners have skipped the Preakness. Michael Banahan, Godolphin USA's director of bloodstock, told the Lexington Herald-Leader that he thought the host racetracks were probably best placed to decide "if and how they need to evolve"
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kentucky's McLean Secures Extension Through 2027
Kentucky men's basketball is keeping one of its most promising young coaches on board. Assistant coach Mikhail McLean has signed a contract extension through the 2026-27 season, solidifying his place on Mark Pope's staff for at least two more years. The news, first reported by the Lexington Herald-Leader, underscores Pope's confidence in McLean, whom he has publicly called a 'star in the making.' McLean, 33, was the final addition to Pope's inaugural Kentucky staff last spring. Initially signed to a one-year deal worth $150,000 plus incentives, McLean's new agreement marks a significant raise: he'll earn $400,000 for the 2025-26 season and $425,000 in 2026-27. Advertisement Before coming to Lexington, McLean spent three years as an assistant at Lamar University and previously worked in support roles under Kelvin Sampson at Houston, where he also played from 2010 to 2015. A native of Nassau, Bahamas, McLean remains involved internationally as associate head coach and defensive coordinator for the Bahamian National Team. In his first year at Kentucky, McLean handled development of the Wildcats' frontcourt and quickly earned praise for his work with big men Amari Williams and Brandon Garrison. Williams has since declared for the NBA Draft, but Garrison is returning for his junior season after averaging 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds off the bench. 'Clearly, you've seen it,' Pope said late in the season. 'Our fives have had to carry an enormous load this year, and Coach McLean has been with them every step of the way—on the court, in the classroom, and in life. He's meant so much to us.' McLean will now shift focus to Kentucky's revamped frontcourt, which includes returning center Garrison and three newcomers: five-star forward Jayden Quaintance, Croatian forward Andrija Jelavic, and in-state 7-footer Malachi Moreno. Advertisement Mark Fox, another assistant who joined the staff last year, is expected to return, although an official extension hasn't been announced. The other assistants—Alvin Brooks III, Cody Fueger, and Jason Hart—remain under contract through the 2025-26 season. Brooks, the associate head coach, will make $825,000, while Fueger and Hart are set to earn $525,000 each. As for Pope, Kentucky's Sweet 16 appearance triggered an automatic extension to his original five-year deal. He is now signed through the 2029-30 season and will earn an average annual salary of $5.5 million, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in college basketball. If Kentucky can keep the same staff intact while also bringing back key players, it will strengthen their chances for a deep NCAA Tournament run — and hopefully, bring home banner No. 9 to the Bluegrass.
Miami Herald
06-05-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Man thinks jackpot Missouri lottery ticket is fake. Then he ‘started to panic'
National Man thinks jackpot Missouri lottery ticket is fake. Then he 'started to panic' The Missouri lottery player called his win an 'odd experience.' Photo by Giorgio Trovato via Unsplash A lottery player's forgetful mistake led him to a jackpot lottery win in Missouri, officials say. After forgetting to get gas the night before, the Missouri man stopped at a Circle K in Chesterfield the next morning. While there, he picked up a 777 Jackpot scratch-off ticket, according to the Missouri Lottery. He questioned what he saw when he scratched off the ticket. 'It honestly looked fake at first,' he told lottery officials in an April 17 news release. 'It was such an odd experience.' He had a reason to wonder if the ticket was real. There were a lot of 7s staring back at him, after all, as he won one of the game's jackpot prizes of $777,777. The winner said he checked his ticket over and over before believing it. 'Once I knew it was real, I started to panic a little bit!' he told lottery officials. 'I kept expecting something to happen before I got home with it!' When he safely made it home, he signed the ticket and put it away 'for safekeeping.' The winner said he plans to use part of his winnings to fund an upcoming 20th anniversary trip for he and his wife. The 777 Jackpot game costs $10 to play and offers two jackpot prizes of $777,777. One top prize remains. Chesterfield is about a 20-mile drive west from St. Louis. Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families. If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website. MS Mike Stunson Lexington Herald-Leader Email this person Mike Stunson covers real-time news for McClatchy. He is a 2011 Western Kentucky University graduate who has previously worked at the Paducah Sun and Madisonville Messenger as a sports reporter and the Lexington Herald-Leader as a breaking news reporter. Support my work with a digital subscription
Miami Herald
06-05-2025
- General
- Miami Herald
Lottery player was ‘hopping around' with co-worker after winning jackpot on break
National Lottery player was 'hopping around' with co-worker after winning jackpot on break The woman won a $50,000 jackpot prize. Photo by Giorgio Trovato via Unsplash When a woman won a lottery jackpot while on a break from her job in Missouri, her co-worker didn't quite believe it. The woman told Missouri Lottery officials she and her co-worker used their break to buy tickets to the Crossword Plus game while at an On the Run store in St. Louis. They scratched off the tickets in her car, where she discovered she won the game's top prize. 'I was scratching, and it felt like I went to sleep almost and when I woke up I won $50,000!' she told lottery officials. Her co-worker, however, thought she was joking. The co-worker's laughter turned into a shocked expression after seeing the winning ticket. 'I was like, 'Keep laughing!'' the winner said. 'We were hopping around!' Crossword Plus costs $3 to play and launched with 10 jackpot prizes of $50,000. There are five top prizes that remain unclaimed as of May 6. Many people can gamble or play games of chance without harm. However, for some, gambling is an addiction that can ruin lives and families. If you or a loved one shows signs of gambling addiction, you can seek help by calling the national gambling hotline at 1-800-522-4700 or visiting the National Council on Problem Gambling website. MS Mike Stunson Lexington Herald-Leader Email this person Mike Stunson covers real-time news for McClatchy. He is a 2011 Western Kentucky University graduate who has previously worked at the Paducah Sun and Madisonville Messenger as a sports reporter and the Lexington Herald-Leader as a breaking news reporter. Support my work with a digital subscription
