Sports briefs
By NewsPress Now
U.S. horse racing deaths increased slightly in 2023 from 2022
Horse racing deaths in the United States increased slightly in 2023 from 2022, according to data tracked by the Equine Injury Database and reported by the federally mandated agency that began regulating the sport two years ago.
The Horse Racing Integrity and Safety Authority said in its annual report released Wednesday there were 1.32 deaths per 1,000 starts last year, up from 1.25 the previous year. The number at the 50 HISA-accredited tracks had a rate of 1.23 per 1,000, compared with 1.63 at others across the country.
“Our inaugural annual report reflects our journey toward a safer, fairer and more resilient future for horse racing,” CEO Lisa Lazarus said in a statement accompanying the report. “The success of HISA’s programs relies on steady partnership among the tracks, trainers, riders, owners, veterinarians and state regulators who comprise the sport. Only by working together can we make thoroughbred racing safer for its equine and human athletes.”
HISA began overseeing racetrack safety on July 1, 2022, and last year launched its medication and anti-doping program. The Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU), which oversees testing and investigation and punishment of potential violations as part of the Anti-Doping and Medication Control Program, is set to release its annual report sometime next week.
Spates of deaths at Churchill Downs in Louisville around the Kentucky Derby and at New York’s Saratoga Race Course last year thrust the sport into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Churchill Downs suspended racing in June after 12 horses died there, prompting an emergency summit with industry leaders before resuming in the fall, and a New York Racing Association investigation into 13 racing or training deaths at Saratoga found no definitive cause, though significant rainfall “could not be overlooked” as a contributing factor.
While up from 2022, the 1.32 deaths per 1,000 starts is still the second-lowest equine fatality rate since they started being tracked in 2009, down from the previous lows of 1.39 in 2021 and 1.41 in ‘20.
“Since its implementation began, HISA has made great strides in bringing the sport of racing together under the same uniform standards and regulations, with the noble goal of making the sport fairer and safer for all involved,” National Thoroughbred Racing Association president and CEO Tom Rooney said in an email statement to The Associated Press on Thursday. “This report underscores the importance of HISA, shows the progress Lisa and her team are making, and leaves me optimistic for what’s to come.”
In a message published in the report, Lazarus pointed to national, uniformed practices such as prerace veterinary inspections, treatment records that follow horses throughout their careers, the availability of full medical and workout histories and reporting of racetrack surface conditions as improvements that have been instituted.
“I feel much optimism about the strides we will continue to make by recognizing that protecting the health and safety of our horses and jockeys is a collective, urgent responsibility,” Lazarus wrote.
Judge denies Florida State’s request to
dismiss ACC lawsuit against the school
A judge in North Carolina on Thursday denied Florida State’s request to dismiss the Atlantic Coast Conference’s lawsuit against the school, the which is trying to sue its way out of the league with a complaint in its home state.
A little less than two weeks after a hearing in Mecklenburg County, Judge Louis A. Bledsoe III ruled that the ACC sufficiently argued it had followed conference procedures in filing suit in December against Florida State and that North Carolina, where the league is headquartered, is the appropriate jurisdiction for the dispute.
“We are pleased with today’s decision, which confirms North Carolina courts are the proper place to enforce the ACC’s agreements and bylaws,” the conference said in a statement. “We remain committed to acting in the best interests of the league’s members and will see this process through to protect and advance the ACC.”
A hearing in FSU’s lawsuit against the ACC is scheduled for Tuesday in Leon County, Florida.
Florida State is challenging the ACC’s exit fees and the validity of a contract called a Grant of Rights that binds league members together through their media rights. The ACC’s contract with ESPN expires in 2036. The deal that lags way behind the value of those signed by the Big Ten and Southeastern Conference.
Florida State claims it would cost $572 million to exit the conference. The school says its athletics department is in danger of not being able to compete with Big Ten and SEC schools because of the growing revenue gap.
Clemson recently filed a similar lawsuit to Florida State’s against the ACC in South Carolina.
The ACC claims that both schools are breaching their contracts with the conference by suing.
The day before the Florida State’s board or trustees approved on Dec. 22 the filing of a lawsuit against the ACC in a public meeting, the conference filed its lawsuit in North Carolina against the school.
Florida State argued the conference had no right to pre-emptively sue and did not get the required three-fourths approval from its members to do so.
Bledsoe said the conference was in its right to act to address obvious threat of a lawsuit, calling FSU’s actions “unavoidable and a practical certainty” and to do so in North Carolina, where the ACC offices have been located for 70 years. The ACC recently relocated to Charlotte after decades in Greensboro.
“The Court further concludes that the nature of the case and the applicable law strongly favor allowing this matter to proceed in North Carolina. The key contracts in this case — the Grant of Rights and the Amended Grant of Rights — were made in North Carolina and are governed by North Carolina law,” Bledsoe wrote in the 76-page ruling.
South Carolina’s
Dawn Staley is the AP Coach of the Year
Dawn Staley did a masterful job guiding a young South Carolina team back to the Final Four with an undefeated record for the second straight season.
Staley was honored Thursday as The Associated Press women’s college basketball Coach of the Year for the second time. She received 27 votes from the 35-member national media panel that votes on the AP Top 25 each week. She also won the award in 2020.
Staley joins an elite group of coaches that include Geno Auriemma (9), Muffet McGraw (4), Kim Mulkey (3) and Brenda Frese (2) who have won the AP award multiple times since it was first given in 1995.
Lindsay Gottlieb of Southern California, Felisha Legette-Jack of Syracuse and Scott Rueck of Oregon State tied for second with two votes each. Voting was done before the NCAA Tournament.
South Carolina faces North Carolina State on Friday night in a national semifinal and is the overwhelming favorite to win its second title in three years and third overall, all since 2017. The Gamecocks are two wins away from completing the 10th undefeated season in NCAA Division I history.
“We had our fair share of rocky in the beginning and then as we continue out throughout the season, the road got a little smoother and then obviously you’re going to face some adversity throughout the season, and this team being undefeated really is a shocker to me,” Staley said this week.
Staley has rebuilt the program into a power since she arrived in 2008 and last year’s team was expected to add another championship until Iowa knocked off the Gamecocks in the Final Four. This season, Staley had to replace her entire starting lineup and still guided them back to the semifinals for a fourth consecutive year.
She’s built a fanbase that has led the nation in attendance the past 10 years and in 2021 the school announced a new, seven-year contract that will pay her $2.9 million this season and grow to $3.5 million in the final season of 2027-28. She said then the $22.4 million deal should make an impact and perhaps lead to equity in the men’s and women’s games.
Along the way, Staley has become a voice of leadership and direction in the women’s game. The former point guard is already the first Black coach to win two NCAA titles — success that has given Staley the platform to champion issues off the court. She continues to speak out about gender equity, diversity and opportunities for women.
Pitcher Mike
Clevinger and Chicago White Sox finalize
a one-year contract
KANSAS CITY, Mo. | Right-hander Mike Clevinger and the Chicago White Sox finalized a $3 million, one-year contract on Thursday.
The 33-year-old was optioned to the Arizona Complex League White Sox. Infielder José Rodríguez was designated for assignment to open a roster spot.
Clevinger can earn an additional $3 million in bonuses for starts and innings: $100,000 per start from 11-25 and $100,000 for 55 innings and each additional five through 125.
Clevinger went 9-9 with a 3.77 ERA and two complete games in 24 starts with the White Sox last season, then became a free agent.
He is 60-39 with a 3.45 ERA in 128 starts and 24 relief appearances in eight seasons with Cleveland (2016-20), San Diego (2020-22) and Chicago (2023). He missed the 2021 season after Tommy John surgery.
The 22-year-old Rodríguez hit .262 with 21 homers and 62 RBIs in 106 games last year with Triple-A Charlotte and Double-A Birmingham.
Clevinger was investigated by Major League Baseball after he was accused of domestic abuse. It announced in March 2023 that he would not face any discipline.
In a statement, the commissioner’s office said its investigation included interviews of more than 15 people, including Clevinger and a woman who said she is the mother of Clevinger’s child, as well as thousands of electronic communications and other documents.
Clevinger voluntarily agreed to submit to evaluations by the joint treatment boards under the collective bargaining agreement and to follow any recommendations, according to the statement.
When he reported to spring training last year, Clevinger apologized for being a distraction and told reporters he was confident he would be exonerated.
The White Sox were 1-4 heading into Thursday’s game at Kansas City. They finished fourth in the AL Central last season at 61-101.
Rafael Nadal pulls out of Monte Carlo Masters with injury
MONACO | Rafael Nadal pulled out of the Monte Carlo Masters on Thursday because of a lingering injury, delaying the start of his clay-court tournament preparation ahead of the French Open and extending his absence that began in January.
The 37-year-old Nadal had hip surgery last summer and has played only three competitive matches — in Brisbane before skipping the Australian Open — this year.
Nadal has won the Monte Carlo Masters 11 times but announced on his social media accounts that he won’t be ready to play when the tournament starts next week.
“My body simply won’t allow me,” the 22-time Grand Slam champion said in a statement.
The Spaniard didn’t mention the French Open — he’s won the clay-court major a record 14 times — in his statement. The Roland Garros tournament begins May 25.
In early March, Nadal played an exhibition match against Carlos Alcaraz in Las Vegas but days later pulled out of the Indian Wells tournament.
“You have no idea how hard this is for me to not be able to play these events,” he wrote. “The only thing I can do is to accept the situation and try to look at the immediate future keeping the excitement and will to play in order to give me a chance for things to get better.”
—From AP reports
