LOUISVILLE, Ky.
Derek Sanderson Jersey . -- A horse with a humble pedigree. A couple of working stiff owners. A 77-year-old trainer with his first Kentucky Derby horse. Even Hollywood couldnt have made this up. California Chrome made it look easy on Saturday, pulling away down the stretch to win the Derby by 1 3/4 lengths. In a sport dominated by wealthy owners and regally bred horses from Kentuckys 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 worlds most famous race with their one-horse stable. "This is just a dream come true and a great birthday present," said Coburn, who turned 61 on Saturday. California Chrome ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:03.66 and paid $7, $5.60 and $4.20. The chestnut colt was sent off as the 5-2 favourite by the crowd of 164,906, the second-largest in the Derbys 140-year history. His trainer, Art Sherman, became the oldest trainer to win the Derby, 59 years after he travelled 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 winners circle. Sherman was all smiles after the race. "He gave me the biggest thrill I ever had in my life," he said. California Chrome has the unlikeliest pedigree for a Derby champion. His mother, named Love the Chase, won just one race. She was purchased by Coburn and Martin, a move that prompted a trainer to call them "dumb asses" for getting involved in racing. Feeling inspired, they named their operation DAP Racing, which stands for Dumb Ass Partners. Their silks include an image of a donkey. Coburn lives near Reno, Nevada, rising at 4:30 a.m. for his job as a press operator at a 13-employee company that makes magnetic strips for credit cards and driver licenses. Martin lives on the California side of the border near Reno, running a laboratory that tests high-reliability equipment, like car air bags and medical equipment. Coburn and Martins partnership is based on a handshake, and their wives are friends who enjoy the sport, too. The group came up with California Chromes name by drawing it out of a hat. The horse hadnt even been out of his home state until this week. "Sometimes you dont get a lot of respect," Sherman said. "Were in Kentucky and you know most of the Derby winners are bred here and few outside of Kentucky." Sherman visited Swaps grave near the Derby museum earlier in the week and whispered a prayer: "I hope hes another Swaps." He sure was. California Chrome extended his winning streak to five races, won by a combined 26 lengths. It was the second Derby win for Espinoza, who rode War Emblem to victory in 2002. "I thought he rode him perfect," said Sherman, a former jockey. "I was riding the last 70 yards with Victor, so I think he was riding two. He had a lot of weight on him, I can tell you that." We Miss Artie, bred by Richard Lister of Toronto, placed 10th. Espinoza had California Chrome sitting comfortably in third in the 19-horse field as Uncle Sigh and Chitu set the early pace. California Chrome made his move on the final turn in tandem with Samraat. It looked like those two would decide the outcome, until California Chrome sped away to become the first California-bred to win the Derby since Decidedly in 1962. "This horse has so much talent," Espinoza said. "By the three-eighths pole I knew that was it. I could see other horses struggling a little bit, and he was just smooth." Dale Romans, who trained eighth-place Medal Count, quickly changed his tune about California Chrome after believing the colt had no chance to win. "Im very impressed the way he came into it, the way he looked, the way he was prepared and the way he ran," Romans said. "Now he has a new fan." Commanding Curve, a 37-1 shot, rallied for second, with Danza third. Wicked Strong was fourth and Samraat finished fifth. Commanding Curve returned $31.80 and $15.40, giving trainer Dallas Stewart his second straight runner-up finish with a double-digit longshot. Danza, named for actor Tony Danza of "Whos the Boss?" fame, paid $6 to show as the 8-1 third choice. Trainer Todd Pletcher came up empty with his four starters, finishing third with Danza, 10th with We Miss Artie, 12th with Intense Holiday, and 17th with Vinceremos. Wicked Strong, the 6-1 second choice, was fourth. Samraat was fifth, followed by Dance With Fate, Ride On Curlin, Medal Count, Chitu, We Miss Artie, General a Rod, Intense Holiday, Candy Boy, Uncle Sigh, Tapiture, Harrys Holiday, Vinceremos, and Wildcat Red. Vicars In Trouble, ridden by Rosie Napravnik, finished last. Before the Derby, Coburn had told anyone who would listen that California Chrome "would go down in history." He remains just as unabashed. "I believe this horse will win the Triple Crown," he said, something that hasnt been done since 1978, when Affirmed swept the Derby, Preakness and Belmont in a five-week span. "Thats where were going."
Terry OReilly Bruins Jersey . -- Having already fallen behind because of the NFL lockout, Blaine Gabbert couldnt afford a lengthy holdout.
Brad Marchand Jersey .com) - Sergio Agueros 63rd-minute goal was enough to lift Manchester City to a 1-0 win over 10-man Manchester United on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium. BERLIN -- Bayer Leverkusen reclaimed fourth place in the Bundesliga with a 4-1 with at relegation-threatened Nuremberg and Stuttgart eased its relegation fears with a 3-1 win over Schalke on Sunday. In Nuremberg, Emir Spahic opened the scoring with Leverkusens first shot on target in the 16th, only for Marvin Plattenhardt to equalize eight minutes later with a direct free kick from 25 metres (yards). Omer Toprak set up Sebastian Boenisch for Leverkusens second goal in the 48th and Heung-min Son ran the length of the pitch after a Nuremberg corner for Spahic to seal the win with 10 minutes remaining. "He never scored a goal in top-flight football before so congratulations to him," Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Voeller said. There was still time for Roberto Hilbert to add another in the 87th, as Leverkusen reclaimed the last Champions League qualification spot from Wolfsburg, which had provisionally gone ahead on Saturday. "Borussia Dortmund next week will be another calibre," Voeller said after the sides second consecutive win under interim coach Sascha Lewandowski. "Then well see if weve really turned the corner." The result left NNuremberg second from bottom, one point above Eintracht Braunschweig, with three games to play.
Derek Sanderson Bruins Jersey. The bottom two are automatically relegated. "We simply dont have the quality at the moment to win matches like this," Nuremberg goalkeeper Raphael Schaefer said after his sides eighth defeat from nine games. "In the end we didnt even believe in ourselves anymore." Martin Harnik scored twice for Stuttgart to move four points clear of Hamburger SV in the relegation play-off place. "We took a step today but there are still steps to be taken," said Stuttgart coach Huub Stevens, who previously had two stints in charge at Schalke. Harnik opened the scoring with a header from Daniel Didavis well-delivered free kick in the 23rd. Cacau should have made it 2-0 in the 37th but he was unable to direct Ibrahima Traores cross on target with the goal at his mercy. But he did score in the 54th, with a header inside the far post following another good cross from Traore. Five minutes later, Gotoku Sakai breezed past Kaan Ayhan to set up Harnik for Stuttgarts third. Adam Szalai pulled back what proved to a consolation in the 69th.
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