Arcangelo wins Travers; day marred as 2 colts die
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Arcangelo won the $1.25 million Travers by a length at Saratoga on Saturday, but the day was marred by the deaths of two horses, bringing the total to seven horses who have died at the summer meet.
Arcangelo gave trainer Jena Antonucci her second major Grade 1 victory after the colt won the Belmont Stakes.
“I guess the more this horse does, the more we’re going to keep writing some history,” Antonucci said.
Ridden by Javier Castellano, Arcangelo ran 1¼ miles over a muddy track in 2 minutes, 2.23 seconds, and paid $7.40, $5.30 and $3.90. Disarm returned $8 and $5.80. Tapit Trice was another 2½ lengths back in third and paid $6 to show.
Preakness winner National Treasure was fifth and Kentucky Derby winner Mage was last in the seven-horse field that included each of the three winners of the Triple Crown race.
Castellano won his seventh Travers. The 45-year-old jockey won the Kentucky Derby with Mage in May and then the Belmont with Arcangelo.
“It’s like the Super Bowl for Tom Brady,” Castellano said. “Of course, it means a lot to me because this game is up and down. I remember last year I didn’t have any horses to ride on the card. I had to go out of town. I ended up riding at Monmouth Park last year because I didn’t have any business. The year before I only rode one horse on the 14 races.”
Earlier on the card, New York Thunder was leading the way under Tyler Gaffalione in the Jerkens Memorial when the colt suffered a catastrophic injury to its left front leg in the stretch and fell, according to the New York Racing Association.
New York Thunder was euthanized on the track. Gaffalione wasn’t hurt. The colt was trained by Jorge Delgado.
In the day’s fifth race, Gaffalione rode Nobel to a fifth-place finish, but the 4-year-old colt suffered a catastrophic injury to his left front leg while galloping out afterward, NYRA said. Nobel was euthanized on the track. He was trained by Brendan Walsh.
All seven of the deaths involved catastrophic injuries during racing. The meet began July 13 and has featured 2,461 horses starting in 324 races. A horse named Burning Bright died suddenly during a race because of a major cardiovascular event, NYRA said.
“NYRA is continuing to investigate these catastrophic injuries with HISA officials, the New York State Gaming Commission, and the New York State Equine Medical Director,” NYRA president and CEO Dave O’Rourke said in a statement.
“We will immediately consult with HISA’s Track Surface Advisory Group to further examine the overall condition of all three racing surfaces at Saratoga prior to Sunday’s program. In addition, NYRA will convene a group of relevant outside experts to evaluate our current safety protocols and procedures.”
In June, Arcangelo made Antonucci the first woman trainer to win a Triple Crown race when he took the Belmont. The colt had not run since, with Antonucci and owner Jon Ebbert of Blue Rose Farm choosing to bring Arcangelo along slowly.
“I get a lot of flak for that, still,” Antonucci said. “It just never was a layoff in my mind with this horse. I understand the traditionalists of this sport are always going to view gaps in that manner. This horse has had his entire career that way because Jon wants this horse to be brought along slowly, correctly and be given the time he needs to grow up.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
All the Toronto Blue Jays had to do after losing an 18-inning epic in Game 3 of the 2025 World Series was bounce back quickly — and beat starting pitcher/DH Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4.
Well, they did just that — and the Fall Classic is tied at 2-2. With the series sure to head back to Toronto, what will happen in the final game in L.A.? Game 5’s winner will be one victory from a ring; the loser will be one loss from heartbreak.
Follow all the action — from live analysis during the game to our postgame takeaways — right here.
Key links: World Series schedule, results
Live analysis
Gamecast: Follow the action pitch-by-pitch here
The Minnesota Twins are hiring former Pittsburgh Pirates manager Derek Shelton to be the team’s new manager, sources confirmed to ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Wednesday.
Shelton, who was fired on May 8 as the Pirates quickly slipped into last place in the National League Central, will replace Rocco Baldelli, who was fired by Minnesota on Sept. 29.
The 55-year-old Shelton was the bench coach for the Twins in 2018 and 2019 under two different managers, Paul Molitor and Baldelli.
New York Yankees hitting coach James Rowson, who held that role for the Twins under both Molitor and Baldelli before leaving to become bench coach of the Miami Marlins in 2020, was also one of the finalists. Former Seattle Mariners manager Scott Servais and current Chicago Cubs bench coach Ryan Flaherty reportedly were in the mix, too.
The Twins are one of nine MLB teams who have changed managers this year.
Shelton was named manager of the Pirates in November 2019 as part of a franchise-wide reset by owner Bob Nutting. It was his first major league managing job after serving as a coach in various capacities in Tampa Bay, Toronto and Minnesota, and he went 306-440 in his five-plus seasons with Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh won less than 40% of its games in Shelton’s first three seasons before taking a step forward in 2023 when it won 76 games. Paul Skenes‘ arrival in 2024 gave the franchise another jolt, and the Pirates were in playoff contention until an August swoon. In 2025, the Pirates’ offense under Shelton languished near the bottom of the NL.
The Twins, who were expected to contend for the AL Central title this season, faltered in June and became active at the trade deadline, sending away 10 players while cutting $26 million from the payroll. The team went 23-43 after the All-Star break to finish fourth in the division with a 70-92 mark.
It was the fourth-worst record in the major leagues and their worst mark since 2016.
Attendance swooned at Target Field this season, with the Twins finishing with an 81-home game total of a little more than 1.7 million tickets sold, their lowest number in a non-pandemic season since 2000, when they played at the Metrodome and finished 69-93.
Fans mostly have directed their disdain toward ownership, with deep frustration over cost cutting that came after the 2023 breakthrough Baldelli led with the end of a record 18-game postseason losing streak and the club’s first win of a playoff series in 21 years.
Executive chair Joe Pohlad and his family members put the franchise up for sale in 2024, but decided in August to keep control and bring on two new investment groups for an infusion of cash to help pay down debt.
The New York Post first reported news on Shelton’s hiring by the Twins.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
-
Jesse Rogers
LOS ANGELES — Blue Jays designated hitter George Springer won’t start Game 5 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Wednesday, but Toronto manager John Schneider indicated Springer could be available off the bench.
Springer, who also missed Game 4 after leaving Game 3 early with right side discomfort, did some hitting in the batting cage and some running Wednesday.
“George is feeling better,” Schneider said Wednesday afternoon. “I think better than he expected to feel, better than we expected him to feel, which is saying a lot.”
Bo Bichette will serve as the team’s DH in place of Springer in Game 5 while Isiah Kiner-Falefa will start at second base.
The 36-year-old Springer left Monday’s contest after taking an awkward swing in the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ eventual 18-inning victory. He is 3-for-11 with two runs scored in the World Series, which is tied 2-2.
He has been a key member of the Blue Jays’ postseason run but is likely to watch at least one more game before the Series takes a day off Thursday. With the extra time to heal, it means Springer could be ready for Friday’s Game 6 in Toronto.
“He’s had an unbelievable year, and I think that he has done a phenomenal job of kind of setting the tone for us, not just at the plate but in the clubhouse and keeping tabs on guys,” Schneider said. “It’s been fun to watch him. It’s been really fun after a tough year last year for him and us.”
-
Sports2 years agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports3 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment1 year agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024