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Four horse racing deaths cast tragic shadow over upcoming Kentucky Derby

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:08 GMT

By John Cherwa, Los Angeles TimesAs the days count down to Saturday’s 149th running of the Kentucky Derby, four horses have died at the iconic track since last week. It most certainly will cast an unwelcome and tragic shadow over the world’s most famous race.One of the horses, Wild on Ice, was scheduled to run in the Derby but suffered an injury to his left hind leg last Thursday. The winner of the Sunland Derby was pulled up on the backstretch during training. The 3-year-old gelding walked onto the horse ambulance and was evaluated at the track and then shipped to an equine hospital in Lexington, where the horse was euthanized.It would have been the first Kentucky Derby start for trainer Joel Marr. The horse would have been ridden by Ken Tohill, who at 60 would have been the oldest jockey ever to ride in the Kentucky Derby.Two horses died on Tuesday. In the fifth race, Take Charge Briana, a 3-year-old filly trained by Wayne Lukas, broke down in the upper stretch during ...

Pac-12 recruiting: UCLA’s big weekend, ASU looks to Texas, Smalls to Colorado and Oregon’s future QB room

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:08 GMT

The Hotline is delighted to provide Pac-12 fans with a weekly dive into the recruiting process through the eyes and ears of Brandon Huffman, the Seattle-based national recruiting editor for 247Sports.The following information, in his words, was provided to the Hotline on May 4 …With spring football wrapped up, we’re entering the season of official visits. And interestingly enough, the last school to wrap up spring workouts, UCLA, will be the first school to have a major weekend of visitations. The Bruins will welcome eight prospects this weekend.Much has been made about coach Chip Kelly’s recruiting approach since he took the job at the end of the 2017 season, especially with his heavy reliance on the transfer portal.And up until last year, the Bruins had largely done away with hosting official visits in the spring. Instead, they geared everything to during or after the season. But in 2022, they hosted official visits every weekend in May, and they’re doing the same this year....

Poll shows long decline in Britons’ support for monarchy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:08 GMT

By Jennifer Agiesta, Ariel Edwards-Levy and Sana Noor Haq | CNNBritons are more likely to say their views of the monarchy have worsened than improved over the past decade, according to a CNN poll, suggesting that King Charles III is facing serious challenges on the eve of his coronation, when he will be officially crowned head of an institution that has endured years of internal upheaval.More than one-third of UK adults (36%) say their opinion of the family has become more negative than it was 10 years ago, the survey by polling company Savanta found. Queen Elizabeth II’s death last September brought to an end an era defined by the late monarch’s steadfast dedication to duty, amid rapidly changing times.Just 21% say their views on the royal family have gotten more positive over the past decade, with another 41% saying their overall opinion has stayed the same. And three in 10 say they have become less interested in news about the family over that time, while 22% say they...

How every Kentucky Derby horse got his name. It’s harder than it looks.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:08 GMT

By Linda Blackford, Lexington Herald-LeaderJane Lyon is the owner of Summer Wind Farm in Georgetown, and well known for the top-class racehorses she produces there. What might not be as well known is that Lyon is one of the few breeders who likes to name all her yearlings before they go to the sales ring. Most breeders send them to sales without a name because usually the horses’ owners want to pick one. But Lyon’s names have become so well known that many owners will keep them after they buy the horse. And so it was for Kentucky Derby contender Confidence Game, owned by Don’t Tell My Wife Stables.“Right from the beginning he was always an independent and confident colt,” Lyon said of the bay colt. “Sometimes they just come to me, that’s what I thought when I would watch him.”Confidence Game runs on the track during the morning training for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 01, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) Naming Thoroughbred raceh...

Pedestrian critically injured in Oakland when car being chased by Department of Homeland Security officer hits him

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:08 GMT

OAKLAND — A man standing on a street corner in East Oakland was in critical condition after a car being chased by a Department of Homeland Security officer struck him after hitting another vehicle Thursday evening, authorities said.The name of the man injured, a 32-year-old Oakland resident, was not released.The collisions happened about 5:38 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of 23rd Avenue and East 11th Street.Authorities said a Department of Homeland Security officer in a marked agency SUV was in pursuit northbound on 23rd Avenue of an Acura TL apparently after seeing the vehicle driving erratically and speeding in another area of the city.A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately return a request for more specific comment about why a federal agent engaged in a pursuit on Oakland city streets or the department’s pursuit policy.Police said the Acura failed to stop at a red light at the intersection. It then collided with a Nissan Altima ...

Katy Perry says it’ll be ‘so cool’ to perform at King Charles’ coronation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:08 GMT

By Dan Clarendon, New York Daily NewsFans are gonna hear Katy Perry “roar” at King Charles III’s Coronation Concert on Sunday, May 7. The pop star is scheduled to perform at Windsor Castle that day and said her invitation to the coronation is “so cool.”“I’m grateful I get to go,” Perry, 38, told Entertainment Tonight on Monday. “I met His Majesty-to-be a few years ago, and he named me as an ambassador to one of his organizations, The British Asian Trust, which is an organization that helps fight to end child trafficking. … That’s mostly why I’m going, to be an ambassador and to say, ‘Hey, this is me from the U.S.A.’ No, but it’s so cool.”(Clarification: King Charles is already “His Majesty.” The honorific was automatically bestowed to him upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.)In this file photo, King Charles III and his wife Camilla meet musician American Katy Perry and Indian businesswoman Natasha Poonawalla as they arrive to attend a reception for supporters of the Bri...

Oakland's largest homeless encampment razed, 700 tons of trash hauled away

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:08 GMT

(KRON) -- Oakland's largest homeless encampment, known as the Wood Street Commons, was razed by city crews and unsheltered people were forced to leave the area. Some unsheltered people considered the encampment as the only place they felt was "home." For months, homeless people pleaded with the city and a judge to let them stay, but the judge ruled in the city's favor for demolishing the sprawling encampment. The controversial operation required: Public works crews hauling away 700 tons of trash.OakDOT towing away 30 vehicles and nine stolen vehicles.Oakland Animal Services rescuing 49 cats and kittens.Environmental services crews clearing hazardous materials.Firefighters extinguishing several fires.Police officers providing "critical public safety support," city officials wrote. Unhoused residents erected a barrier attempting to keep police officers out of the encampment."After three weeks of transitioning Wood Street encampment residents and their pets to safe shelter programs wit...

King Charles III coronation: How to watch live in the US

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:08 GMT

LONDON (NewsNation) — Great Britain's royal family is preparing to turn the page of a new chapter with the coronation of King Charles III, in the first event of its kind in 70 years. Though King Charles III ascended the throne when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died last year, the coronation is a religious ceremony that provides a more formal confirmation of his role as head of state and titular head of the Church of England. Along with the king, his wife, Camilla will be coronated as Queen, a first for a spouse of a U.K. monarch. Five things to watch in King Charles III’s coronation The Coronation is the latest event to draw the world's eyes to the British Royal family, which has been rocked by tumult and scandal in recent years — from Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan's shocking exit from royal duties and their subsequent onslaught of accusations against the family to Charles' brother, Prince Andrew, being accused of sexual assault by a woman when she was a teenager. In the days...

Oakland PD investigates 2 separate armed robbery incidents; 1 stabbed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:08 GMT

(KRON) -- The Oakland Police Department is investigating two separate armed robberies that happened Thursday evening resulting in one victim suffering stab wounds, Oakland police officials said.Around 5:30 p.m., OPD said two people were walking in the 300 block of 49th Street when two suspects approached the victims and began assaulting them. One of the suspects then allegedly pulled out a knife and stabbed one of the victims before stealing their belongings and fleeing the scene.The victim who was stabbed was taken to the hospital for treatment and is in stable condition, police said.Around 6:15 p.m., a victim walking in the 200 block of Wayne Avenue—about three miles away from the first incident—where two suspects allegedly approached the victim and robbed the victim at knifepoint. The suspects then fled in a nearby waiting vehicle.Both investigations are ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the OPD Robbery Section at (510) 238-3326. 

MATCHDAY: Man City hosts Leeds; Copa del Rey final

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:08 GMT

A look at what’s happening in European soccer on Saturday:ENGLANDManchester City can improve its lead over second-placed Arsenal when it hosts relegation-threatened Leeds in one of five Premier League games. It’s a tough first opponent for new Leeds manager Sam Allardyce, who is up for the challenge after saying midweek there’s “nobody ahead of me in football terms,” including City manager Pep Guardiola. City has a one-point lead over Arsenal with one game in hand. Liverpool has won five in a row and will try to keep its Champions League hopes alive when it hosts Brentford. Chelsea takes a six-game losing streak to Bournemouth. Crystal Palace is at Tottenham. Wolverhampton hosts Aston Villa.SPAINReal Madrid plays Osasuna in the Copa del Rey final at Seville’s La Cartuja Stadium. Madrid has struggled recently in the league. Osasuna is seeking the first major trophy for the club based in Pamplona. Madrid’s 19th and last Copa triumph was in 2014.ITALYAC Milan and Inte...