Saturday Sport: Jockeys and cyclists in Pink. Sidney Crosby's NHL return

From: Towleroad

 In the United States

The 2017 Kentucky Derby will be run this afternoon at Churchill Downs, in Louisville, Kentucky.  This storied event has been called the fastest two minutes in sports.  This afternoons race will be  the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby.  On May 17, 1875, in front of an estimated crowd of 10,000 people, a field of 15 three-year-old horses contested the first Derby.  The race has always been held at the Churchill Downs, which is considered a cathedral in the world of horse racing.  The race has always featured and been limited to  three year old thoroughbreds, running the 1 1/4 miles distance (2 km.).  No horse since Apollo in 1882 has won the Derby without having raced as a two year old.

 The Kentucky Derby is the first of the Triple Crown of horse racing, including the Preakness Stakes, run at Pimlico Racecourse, Baltimore, Maryland and New York City's Belmont Stakes, which follow in the weeks after.  The winner of the Kentucky Derby is considered a potential winner of the Triple Crown, keeping the horse racing world in suspense until the Preakness Stakes.  The attendance at the Kentucky Derby ranks first of all races in North America and usually surpasses the attendance of all other stakes races, including the Preakness Stakes, Belmont Stakes, and the Breeders' Cup. The Triple Crown has been won by only 12 horses since 1919.

The Kentucky Derby is replete with traditions, from the playing of "My Old Kentucky Home" to Mint Juleps served in souvenir glasses, from the burgoo, the thick stew served throughout the park, to the elaborate hats worn on Millionaires' Row. Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, attended the Derby during a US visit in 2007. The Derby is frequently referred to as "The Run for the Roses," because a lush blanket of 554 red roses is awarded to the Kentucky Derby winner each year. The tradition originated in 1883. The Kentucky Derby is the last event in Louisville's two week Derby Festival, a great time to celebrate springtime in a beautiful city.

This afternoon, 20 horses will constitute this year's Kentucky Derby field.  This morning, "Always Dreaming" is the odds on favorite to win, followed at this point by "Mc Cracken," "Classic Empire," and "Irish War Cry." 

In Italy

The Kentucky Derby is not the only thoroughbred race before the public eye today.  Kicking off on the Island of Sardinia, 200 stud cyclists at the top of their game will be contesting the 100th Giro d'Italia for the next three weeks.  Today sees the second stage of this annual Grand Tour of cycling. There are three inaugural stages in Sardinia, then two in Sicily, and then the rest on the Italian Peninsula, from now until the last Sunday in May.  While several of the Kentucky jockeys may be in pink, only the race leader in the Giro d'Italia wears pink. 

Favored in this year's race is Nairo Quintana, with Italian Vicenzo Nibali as another strong favorite.  A Colombian, "Nairoman" races with the Spanish Movistar team.  Vicenzo Nibali, an Italian, has been a strong favorite also, representing the hometown boys now that Sardinian Fabio Aru had to drop out with a knee injury. 

Controversy struck the Giro last week.  Two cyclists were removed because of positive drug tests. Also, a novel and dangerous prize offered for the first time this year, for the fastest descent from 12 mountains, was dropped, because outside of Italy it was considered novel and dangerous.  Within Italy it seemed like an awesome idea.  Today's stage will show some beautiful Sardinia scenery, beautiful coastal views from rarely seen parts of the island.  Sunday, and the rest of the stages, should continue the traditional Giro style of challenging, if unorthodox and surprising, race courses and stages. 

In the USA

National Hockey League Stanley Cup Playoffs continue. 

The Pittsburgh Penguins hold a 3-1 series lead on the Washington Capitals, and hope to put it away in  Game 5, scheduled for 7:15 p.m.  Saturday in Washington.  The Penguins' top player, Sidney Crosby, well known already to readers of this space, has been out with a concussion, but took part in a full contact practice yesterday.  Fans hope this means he will be at Game 5, to put the nail in Washington's coffin. 

Sport Saturday

From: Speed o Rex

 Any fan of Elizabeth Taylor, or really anyone whose mother made them watch the young Elizabeth Taylor in National Velvet, will be aware of the England's Grand National.  The Grand National 2017, held at Aintree in Merseyside, is both the title race, and a three day festival of horse racing which captures England's attention, at least those interesting enough to love horse racing.  Security is tight for this year's 170 year old event, a nod to the sad state of today's world.  One of the roles of sport, of course, is to lift our spirits and bring us together.  The grand spectacle should uplift the 150,000 expected for the duration.   40 horses will be in the running for the Grand National Race, with all horses, so far, having favorable odds. At present there are two long shots at 100 to 1, "La Vaticane" and "Cocktails at Dawn."  Four horses stand in reserve, ready to compete if any of the 40 drops out.   

County Cricket returns to England today, as the 2017 Specsavers Championship gets under way.  Eight teams are chasing glory, this season, in Division One, and 10 teams are competing for the two promotion spots in Division Two.  All of this intermingled with international competition, including an unusual  night test in August against the West Indies.     Lancashire's rising star this season is already known to our readers.  Haseed Hameed debuted with  India, in Test competition this last Winter.  Lancashire faces no Test matches until midsummer.   

A challenge this year is a Twenty20 competition starting up outside of the County milieu, but as even the venerable Times of London acknowledges, the big money comes from Twenty20, not a five day test.  Again, readers of this space will recall that an over, in Cricket, is a series of six pitches.  While one match of Test Cricket lasts through five days, Twenty20 means that in those games, each side gets only 20 overs, and so an entire game may take two to three hours, and be filled with competitive action. It seems that Yorkshire will again be a powerhouse this year in the County Championship, while the three counties which have never won a championship, Gloucester, Northants, and Somerset, will likely remain uncoronated again this year.  

 The Davis Cup, the "World Cup of Tennis," currently being contested at Rouen in France, has shown a rather evenly matched competition so far, with France and Great Britain playing so evenly matched, that they may end this weekend in a tie.  No chance for a soccer style "shoot out" for tennis.   Even GB's Andy Murray has not been able to spook the French.  Watch for an update in this space tomorrow.  

In professional golf, in The Masters in Augusta, Georgia, previous winner and early favorite, Jordan Spieth,  has laid a proverbial egg in early rounds, and has been left behind.  Charley Hoffman’s massive lead at the 2017 Masters evaporated over the course of six holes in Round two, and as the leader board opened up, the playing conditions improved. By the end of Friday, some of golf’s fan favorites made a run to get into contention heading into the weekend.  In today's round 3, Hoffman is trying to be the next in a line of surprise first-time winners, but Friday also saw Sergio Garcia fire a 69 after going bogey-free in Round 1 to claim a share of the lead. Garcia’s place in this championship hunt is just one of a few story lines that has the potential to define this weekend's rounds of the 2017 Masters. 

Sometimes the interest in sports is what they don't tell you...  Games, records, are rewritten, champions from years before are removed and recast.  Such is the way of the missed call.  In Wednesday's soccer match between Newcastle United and Burton Albion, in England,  a bad call was made by a referee, and a penalty kick, missed, was awarded to Burton Albion.  Newcastle scored a goal in the second half, winning the match by one.  They have been informed that, had they lost or the game ended in a tie, they could have demanded a replay, starting at the 29th minute.  They still could, if they wanted to vacate the win. When a game is done a game is done.   Can we please stop rewriting history?