HORSE RACING
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) - Even Hollywood couldn’t have made this up.
California Chrome made it look easy on Saturday, pulling away down the stretch to win the Kentucky Derby by 1¾ lengths.
In a sport dominated by wealthy owners and regally bred horses from Kentucky’s bluegrass country, this was a victory for the little guys. Owners Perry Martin and Steve Coburn bred an $8,000 mare to a $2,500 stallion to produce the winner of the world’s most famous race with their one-horse stable.
California Chrome ran 1¼ miles in 2:03.66 and paid $7, $5.60 and $4.20. The chestnut colt was sent off as the 5-2 favorite by the crowd of 164,906, the second-largest in the Derby’s 140-year history.
Art Sherman, 77, became the oldest trainer to win the Derby, 57 years after he traveled from California as an exercise rider for Derby winner Swaps. He watched that race from the barn area; this time he smelled red roses in the winner’s circle.
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MOTORSPORTS
TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) - Denny Hamlin picked up his first career victory at a restrictor-plate track, grabbing the lead from Kevin Harvick and holding on when a late caution ended the race Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway.
Harvick was the leader on a restart with two laps to go and Hamlin drag-raced him for the lead. Then Harvick was hung out without any drafting partners and Hamlin pulled out to a comfortable lead. Then an accident deep in the pack scattered debris on the track and NASCAR threw a caution flag that froze the field.
The yellow prevented Greg Biffle from pulling out of line in an attempt to grab the victory away from Hamlin.
Hamlin picked up his first win of the season, which started with a second-place finish in the Daytona 500.
TALLADEGA, Ala. (AP) - Elliott Sadler won a three-lap shootout to the checkered flag in the Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday.
JEREZ, Spain (AP) - Marc Marquez brushed off Valentino Rossi’s early challenge before riding to his fourth win in as many races this season at the Spain MotoGP on Sunday.
The defending world champion set a track record in qualifying at the Jerez Circuit on Saturday and pushed his Honda through the 2.74-mile track to claim his 10th career title in the top category.
Rossi finished second on his Yamaha, while Marquez’s teammate Dani Pedrosa completed the podium ahead of Jorge Lorenzo in fourth.
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Ryan Villopoto won the AMA Supercross season finale Saturday night at Sam Boyd Stadium, a week after wrapping up his fourth straight 450SX Class season title.
The Kawasaki rider raced to his fourth straight victory, seventh of the season and 41st overall.
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COLLEGE SPORTS
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - Jameis Winston was reinstated to Florida State’s baseball team after being suspended following a shoplifting incident, the school confirmed Sunday. The Heisman Trophy winner was issued a civil citation and entered a program that required 20 hours of community service.
The 20-year-old two-sport star is the closer on the baseball team and missed the three-game series against Minnesota this weekend. He was issued the citation last Tuesday after he walked out of a supermarket without paying for $32 worth of crab legs and crawfish. Baseball coach Mike Martin conferred with football coach Jimbo Fisher and decided to suspend Winston until he completed the community service.
CHICAGO (AP) - Cody Caldwell had 20 kills and top-seeded Loyola of Chicago beat third-seeded Stanford 3-1 on Saturday night for its first NCAA men’s volleyball title.
Thomas Jaeschke and Joe Smalzer each had 12 kills for Loyola (29-1), which won the final set 25-15. The Ramblers won their final 27 matches after losing to Southern California on Jan. 4.
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PRO BASKETBALL
NEW YORK (AP) - The NBA will begin selling merchandise that reads “We Are One,” the newly adopted slogan of the Los Angeles Clippers.
The league says all proceeds from the sales of the shirts, which were available starting Sunday, will benefit anti-discrimination and tolerance organizations.
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BASEBALL
PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg had an adventurous trip to Citizens Bank Park on Sunday.
With the Broad Street Run tying up many Philadelphia roads, Sandberg’s car service driver took an alternate route to the ballpark from the manager’s Center City residence. But the driver missed the exit for the ballpark and wound up at the Philadelphia International Airport.
Instead of returning to I-95, the driver then tried to reach the ballpark via side roads. However, a traffic jam that was caused by the 10-mile race forced Sandberg to exit the car a mile from the ballpark and take to foot.
The only problem was the manager had to cross Broad Street, which was full of runners, in order to reach his destination.
“I actually ran about 50 feet,” Sandberg said.
DENVER (AP) - Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki singled up the middle in the seventh inning Saturday night against the New York Mets for his 1,000th career hit.
CINCINNATI (AP) - Milwaukee Brewers star Ryan Braun was put on the 15-day disabled list Saturday because of a strained oblique in his right side, the latest setback for a banged-up team that’s recently struggled to score.
Braun had missed the last six games with the injury. Since the outfielder hadn’t played, the move was made retroactive to April 27 and he will be eligible to return on May 12.
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PRO FOOTBALL
NEW YORK (AP) - Peyton Manning wanted to see Derek Jeter play one last time.
The Denver Broncos’ star and brother Eli sat in Jeter’s suite Sunday watching the New York Yankees’ captain and his teammates take on the Tampa Bay Rays.
Peyton Manning was in town not only to see Jeter but to appear Monday on late-night TV with David Letterman, another star scheduled for retirement.
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BOXING
LAS VEGAS (AP) - Marcos Maidana did everything but beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. on Saturday night, taking him 12 tough rounds before losing a majority decision.
Mayweather remained unbeaten, but not by much. Maidana swarmed all over him from the opening bell and gave him perhaps his toughest fight in a 16-year professional career.
In the end, though, Mayweather got the win - just as he did in his previous 45 fights. He retained his welterweight title by winning 117-111 on one scorecard and 116-112 on another. A third judge had it even at 114-114.
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GOLF
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - More than two years after going through brain surgery, J.B. Holmes is a winner again on the PGA Tour.
Holmes made it harder than he needed to on the final hole at Quail Hollow until rapping in a 3-foot bogey putt for a 1-under 71 and a one-shot victory over Jim Furyk in the Wells Fargo Championship. Furyk finished his Sunday-best 65 some two hours earlier.
IRVING, Texas (AP) - There was no near-miss for Stacy Lewis this time.
After six runner-up finishes in her previous 16 tournaments, Lewis took control in the final round of the North Texas LPGA Shootout, shooting a 7-under 64 for a six-stroke victory over Meena Lee on Sunday.
THE WOODLANDS, Texas (AP) - Bernhard Langer won the Champions Tour’s Insperity Invitational for the third time Sunday, closing with a 1-under 71 for a one-stroke victory over Fred Couples.
Langer finished at 11-under 205 at The Woodlands to become the 10th 20-time winner on the 50-and-over tour.
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SOCCER
SAO PAULO (AP) - A Brazilian soccer fan was killed when he was struck in the head by a toilet bowl hurled from stadium stands as supporters of rival clubs clashed in the northeastern World Cup host city of Recife, police said Saturday.
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Juventus clinched its third straight Serie A title and 30th overall without even playing.
Second-place Roma (26-3-7) lost 4-1 at Catania on Sunday, leaving Juventus (30-2-3) with an insurmountable eight-point lead going into its game Monday at Atalanta. Roma has two games left.
VALENCIA, Spain (AP) - Spanish soccer was marred by more racist abuse Sunday when Levante midfielder Papakouly Diop was targeted with jeers by a group of Atletico Madrid supporters.
This latest incident in Spain’s first division came a week after Barcelona defender Dani Alves responded to a Villarreal fan who threw a banana at him by eating the fruit before continuing to play.
Diop’s answer to the “monkey” taunts was to do a dance, which enraged the traveling Atletico fans at Ciutat de Valencia stadium after their team lost 2-0.
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OLYMPICS
OSLO, Norway (AP) - One of the two Norwegian government parties voted against supporting Oslo’s bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in a move which likely puts the city out of the race.
The Progress Party said a majority of its members voted against any government support for the bid at the party’s annual meeting on Sunday. It said the cost of hosting the Olympics would affect the government’s ability to fund infrastructure projects, education, health care and tax cuts.
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TENNIS
LONDON (AP) - Elena Baltacha, a former top-50 professional tennis player who had been fighting liver cancer since retiring from the game, died Sunday. She was 30.
The former British No. 1 died peacefully surrounded by family and friends, the Women’s Tennis Association said on its website. The Kiev-born Baltacha, who represented Britain at the 2012 London Olympics, was diagnosed with the illness in January, two months after retiring from tennis and only weeks after she married her long-time coach Nino Severino.
MADRID (AP) - Novak Djokovic withdrew from the Madrid Open with the same injury that limited his performance at the Monte Carlo Masters last month.
The second-ranked Djokovic says “I did everything possible in order to play in Madrid … but unfortunately my right arm injury has flared up again.”
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