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DEL MAR, Calif. — Knicks Go burst into the lead out of the starting gate and kicked away to a 2¾-length victory in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday at Del Mar.

No one seriously pressed the colt, who earned his fourth straight victory and in the process solidified a bid to win the Eclipse Award as Horse of the Year.

“Speed is very dangerous,” winning trainer Brad Cox said.

Ridden by Joel Rosario, 5-year-old Knicks Go squared off against a trio of top 3-year-olds — controversial Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit, Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality and hometown hero Hot Rod Charlie, whose ownership has San Diego ties.

“He broke really sharp,” Rosario said. “He looked like he was really enjoying what he was doing. I could see his ears, he was so relaxed.”

Sent off at 3-1 odds, Knicks Go paid $8.40 to win. Cox also saddled 9-5 favorite Essential Quality, who finished third.

Medina Spirit was second for embattled trainer Bob Baffert. The colt failed a postrace drug test after the Derby and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission has yet to make a final ruling based on its investigation.

Baffert was allowed to enter horses in the season-ending world championships, but the event’s money-leading trainer had to meet certain conditions, including stricter out-of-competition testing of his horses and greater security at his barn. He agreed to the extra scrutiny and was required to pay for it out of his own pocket. He won the $2 million Juvenile with Corniche on Friday.

Hot Rod Charlie, second to Essential Quality in the Belmont, was fourth. Fans chanted “Let’s go Chuck!” before the race.

The Classic field was reduced to eight when Express Train was scratched in the morning with swelling in his right hock, similar to an ankle.

In other races:

— Japan snapped an 0-for-13 skid in the Breeders’ Cup with a stunning 45-1 upset in the $2 million Distaff and a victory in the $2 million Filly and Mare Turf.

Marche Lorraine edged Dunbar Road by a nose after a photo finish in the Distaff. The 5-year-old mare ran 1⅛ miles in 1:47.67 and paid $101.80 to win under Irish jockey Oisín Murphy.

Letruska, the 8-5 favorite with ties to Mexico, finished 10th among 11 horses.

Yoshito Yahagi trained both of Japan’s champions. Loves Only You won the Filly & Mare Turf by a half-length under Yuga Kawada. She covered 1⅜ miles in 2:13.87 and paid $10.60 to win.

“I’d like to say thank you to my horse. She did a great job,” Yahagi said through a translator. “It’s a dream come true for the Japanese horse racing industry. I’d love to come back Breeders’ Cup at Keeneland next year and do the same thing.”

• Britain-bred Yibir won the $4 million Turf by a half-length, giving trainer Charlie Appleby, jockey William Buick and owner Godolphin Stables their third win of the weekend. Godolphin is the racing outfit for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. Yibir ran 1½ miles in 2:25.90 and paid $19 to win at 8-1 odds. The 3-year-old gelding had one horse beat turning for home before charging on the outside and reeling in Broome, who finished second. Tarnawa, the 2-1 favorite, was 11th.

The trio earlier teamed to win the $2 million Mile with 2-1 favorite Space Blues and the $1 million Juvenile Turf on Friday with Modern Games.

• In the Mile, Ireland-bred Space Blues won by a half-length. He ran the distance on the turf in 1:34.01 and paid $6.20 to win as the 2-1 favorite in his last race before retiring. Appleby’s other horse, Master of the Seas, was scratched at the starting gate after acting up in the No. 1 post. Neither horse nor jockey James Doyle was hurt. It was similar to what occurred Friday, when Modern Games was mistakenly scratched by the veterinarians before being reinstated to run in the Juvenile Turf for purse money only. Modern Games won.

• Aloha West scored a nose upset in the $2 million Sprint. The 4-year-old colt, who began his racing career this year, was sixth at the top of the stretch and edged Dr. Schivel at the wire under Jose Ortiz, who won his second Cup race of the weekend. Trained by Wayne Catalano, Aloha West ran six furlongs in 1:08.49 and paid $24.60 to win.

• Ce Ce won the $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint by 2½ lengths in an upset. The 6-1 shot paid $14.40 to win. Defending champion Gamine, the 2-5 favorite trained by Baffert, finished third. Victor Espinoza, who is 49, rode the winner. She ran seven furlongs in 1:21.

• Life Is Good cruised to a 5¾-length victory in the $1 million Dirt Mile, giving jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. his third Cup victory of the weekend. The 3-year-old colt ran the distance in 1:34.12 and paid $3.40 to win as the 3-5 favorite. Todd Pletcher trains Life Is Good and earned his 12th Cup win. Ortiz has 14 career Cup victories.

• Golden Pal rocketed to the front in the $1 million Turf Sprint and won by 1¼ lengths under Irad Ortiz Jr. The 5-2 favorite ran 1¼ miles in 54.75 seconds and paid $7 to win. Ortiz and trainer Wesley Ward combined to take the Juvenile Turf on Friday with Twilight Gleaming.

• Jockey E.T. Baird was fined $5,000 by the Del Mar stewards for violating California’s whip rules in the Juvenile Turf Sprint on Friday. He was cited for using the whip more than six times during a race. His mount, One Timer, finished ninth.

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Guardians OF Thomas reinjures foot, exits game

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Guardians OF Thomas reinjures foot, exits game

CLEVELAND — Guardians outfielder Lane Thomas left during the sixth inning of Friday night’s game against the Detroit Tigers due to mild plantar fascia symptoms with his right foot.

Thomas missed 11 games in late May and early June because of plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He is batting .160 this season and .197 (13-for-66) since coming off the injured list on June 9. He does have four homers in his past 10 games.

“We think he’s good. The plantar fasciitis flared up a little bit again and I just didn’t like the way he looked running around the outfield. So rather than take a chance, I got him out of there,” manager Stephen Vogt said after the 2-1 loss to the Tigers.

Thomas also missed five weeks due to a right wrist bone bruise after getting hit by a pitch during the April 8 home opener against the Chicago White Sox.

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Westburg sparks Orioles, homers in winning return

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Westburg sparks Orioles, homers in winning return

ATLANTA — Jordan Westburg didn’t have to be fully recovered from a finger injury to move back into Baltimore’s lineup and make an immediate impact.

Westburg had three hits, including a homer, in the Orioles3-2 win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night.

The Orioles received another boost as Tyler O’Neill came off the injured list with a single and a walk.

“I think they gave us two of the three runs,” said Orioles interim manager Tony Mansolino, referring to O’Neill scoring on Cedric Mullins‘ two-run homer off Spencer Strider.

“Those are two really good players,” Mansolino said. “We’re still short. We’re still missing Adley [Rutschman], but a lot of credit to the guys. They went out there and put up three runs against probably one of the great pitchers in the game.”

Rutschman, Baltimore’s primary catcher, has been out since June 20 with an oblique strain.

Westburg has tried to play through his sprained left index finger. He left a game at the New York Yankees on June 21 before returning four days later against Texas and then having to leave a game after aggravating the injury on June 27.

“Is he 100%? Probably not,” Mansolino said before the game. “But I think he’s probably close.”

Close was good enough. When asked how he feels after his three-hit game, Westburg said, “Pretty good.”

“I’m willing to play through whatever I have,” Westburg said. “It just was at a point where I wasn’t able to swing a bat. As soon as I’m able and can, I want to be on the field as much as they’ll let me.”

O’Neill was the Orioles’ designated hitter in his return from a left shoulder impingement. He was placed on the injured list for the second time this year on May 16 after missing time earlier in the season with neck inflammation.

The contributions from Westburg and O’Neill, who combined to reach base five times, helped support Charlie Morton, who allowed six hits and two runs in 5⅓ innings in his return to Atlanta, where he pitched the past four seasons. Morton also began his career with the Braves.

Morton (5-7) improved to 5-0 in 10 appearances, including seven starts, since May 10.

“I spent basically half my career here,” Morton said. “Being drafted here, I spent seven years in the system, went to the big leagues, made my debut, got to play for Bobby Cox, got to play with some of the pillars of this organization and … come back and win a World Series here. Yeah, it’s a special place for me.”

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‘Really cool’: Cubs launch franchise-record 8 HRs

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'Really cool': Cubs launch franchise-record 8 HRs

CHICAGO — Fireworks in Chicago began early on Independence Day as the Cubs set a franchise record for a single game, hitting eight home runs on Friday, including three from first baseman Michael Busch in a rout of the St. Louis Cardinals.

“Especially to do it at Wrigley Field,” Busch said after the 11-3 win. “It’s really cool. I think that was my first three-homer game, ever. That’s one game I’ll never forget.”

Busch, 27, took Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas deep in the second and third innings then set a career mark with his third home run in the seventh off reliever John King. It was the first time a Cubs player hit three home runs in a game since Rafael Ortega on Aug. 1, 2021.

Busch wasn’t the only Cub to hit multiple home runs as Pete Crow-Armstrong hit two after making a diving catch in the first inning. Both Busch and Crow-Armstrong went 4-for-4 on the day, driving in seven of the team’s 11 runs. Busch drove in five.

The Cubs have been near the top of the league in most offensive rankings since early in the season as they extended their lead on the Cardinals to 6.5 games.

“It’s really easy to appreciate what we’re doing right now,” Crow-Armstrong said. “It’s also easy to just keep it going and not let that be something that we are dwelling on. It’s the best offense I’ve ever been a part of.”

Also homering for the Cubs on their record-setting day was designated hitter Seiya Suzuki, catcher Carson Kelly and shortstop Dansby Swanson. Manager Craig Counsell was asked to put the day in perspective considering the lengthy history of the franchise. It came a day after they beat the Cleveland Guardians 1-0.

“It’s the sport,” Counsell said with a smile. “It took us 10 innings to score one run yesterday. That’s what’s crazy about it. That’s why you turn the page every single day. We had a really good day, today.”

Mikolas set a Cardinals franchise record, giving up six of the eight home runs — all of which came in the first three innings. The Cardinals did break a scoreless streak on offense extending back to last Sunday when second baseman Brendan Donovan homered in the fourth inning. St. Louis scored two more times in the ninth off Cubs infielder Jon Berti, but by then the game was in hand.

Busch is the third Cubs player with a three-home run game against the Cardinals. In an odd twist, all three did it on Independence Day: Moises Alou on July 4, 2003, and Hank Leiber on July 4, 1939, according to ESPN Research.

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