Horse Racing
American Pharoah among 10 in Breeders’ Cup
Triple Crown champion American Pharoah, two-time Breeders’ Cup winner Beholder and Travers winner Keen Ice will square off in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic next week, with 2014 Belmont Stakes winner Tonalist in the field, too.
They are among a total of 200 horses which were pre-entered Wednesday for the $26 million, 13-race Breeders’ Cup world championships being held for the first time at Keeneland on Oct. 30 and 31.
Ten were pre-entered for the 1 1/4-mile Classic.
Trainer Bob Baffert will saddle American Pharoah, who will attempt to become the first horse to win the Triple Crown and the Classic in the same year. The 3-year-old colt is expected to make his final start at the Lexington, Kentucky, track before being retired to stud.
Running
Mother of Pistorius’ girlfriend delivers daughter’s speech
SOMERSET WEST, South Africa – June Steenkamp delivered the speech her daughter Reeva had planned to give at a South African school on the day she was killed by Oscar Pistorius.
June Steenkamp went back to Reeva’s old high school Wednesday in their home town of Port Elizabeth to talk to students.
She said “I will now carry on where she left off,” before reading excerpts of the speech Reeva Steenkamp planned to give at a Johannesburg school on Valentine’s Day 2013.
Pistorius fatally shot his girlfriend in the pre-dawn hours of that day. The Olympic athlete was released from jail Monday and moved to house arrest after serving a year of his five-year manslaughter sentence.
Responding to students’ questions, June Steenkamp said of Pistorius: “I’ve got no feelings of revenge.”
Skiing
Women’s superstar suffers injury in preseason crash
SOELDEN, Austria – The Austrian ski federation says defending overall World Cup champion Anna Fenninger has torn ligaments in her knee in a training crash and needs surgery.
It was not immediately clear whether the two-time defending overall World Cup champion will be able to compete again before the end of the upcoming season.
Austrian team doctor Christian Hoser said “Anna has seriously damaged ligaments in the right knee, which requires surgery.”
The 26-year-old Austrian fell during a giant slalom run. Fenninger was transported by helicopter to a clinic in nearby Innsbruck earlier Wednesday, three days before the World Cup season starts with the traditional GS on the Rettenbach glacier.
Fenninger, who is the GS world champion, won the race last year, sharing victory with Mikaela Shiffrin of the United States.
Soccer
Lloyd scores in 85th minute, U.S. ties Brazil 1-1
SEATTLE – Carli Lloyd scored in the 85th minute, and the World Cup champion United States women pulled out a 1-1 tie with Brazil on Wednesday night after trailing since the opening moments.
Lloyd got her foot to a cross from defender Meghan Klingenberg and the shot got past goalkeeper Luciana, deflected off the underside of the crossbar and into the net.
The U.S. was on the verge of suffering its first home loss in more than a decade.
Brazilian defender Monica scored on a header off a corner kick in the third minute. The header beat goalkeeper Hope Solo and was the earliest goal allowed by the U.S. in more than two years.
The Americans extended their home unbeaten streak to 101 matches, their last loss coming on Nov. 6, 2004, against Denmark in Philadelphia during a post-Olympic victory tour after the 2004 Athens Games.
Associated Press
