NEU » ture of those meetings are targeted

The Grade 2 Nashua on opening day at Aqueduct looked like an interesting matchup between the impressive 2-year-old maiden winners Mo Town and Capitaine. But the complexion of the race changed when Mo Town was withdrawn following a minor physical setback, leaving Capitaine an odds-on favorite in a four-horse field.And then the gates opened, and the $200,000 race took another turn.Both 1-5 favorite Capitaine and 9-2 second choice Han Sense stumbled badly at the start. This allowed the maiden Hemsworth to make the lead while being pressed by Boys From Boston, the longest shot on the board at 7-1.Hemsworth disposed of Boys from Boston on the far turn and drew clear, while Han Sense, along the inside, and Capitaine, three wide, tried to close the gap from several lengths back. They never could, and Hemsworth pulled away in the stretch under jockey Antonio Gallardo to win by 9-1/2 lengths.Han Sense held second over Capitaine by 1-1/4 lengths. It was 15-1/2 lengths back to Boys From Boston.Hemsworth, owned by Godolphin Racing and trained by Tom Albertrani, paid $14 to win. With $38,000 of the $54,000 place pool wagered on Capitaine, Hemsworth returned $11.20 to place. Han Sense paid $6.50 to place. There was no show wagering.Hemsworth set fractions of 24.37, 47.94, and 1:12.85 en route to a final time of 1:38.70.The plan was not push him or hold him back, whatever he felt comfortable doing, it was fine, Gallardo said. Once I saw [Han Sense] stumble from the gate, I said Okay, lets go. It worked out good.Hemsworth, a son of Bernardini, had finished fourth in his two prior races. His debut was won by the undefeated Theory, who is entered in the Breeders Cup Juvenile on Saturday. Hemsworth was treated with Lasix for the first time in the Nashua.* Mo Town was scratched due a sore muscle in his hind end. Trainer Tony Dutrow said Mo Town would now be pointed to the Grade 2, $300,000 Remsen, a 1 1/8-mile race at Aqueduct on Nov. 26.-- additional reporting by David Grening Nike Shoes Clearance Sale . The Australian is competing in his final season in Formula One and still looking for his first win this year. He will look to end Vettels run of six straight race wins on Sunday. Webber, who is fifth in the championship, earned his second pole from the past three races and 13th of his career. Nike Shoes Clearance .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. http://www.nikeshoesclearance.com/ . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. Cheap Nike Shoes From China . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. Cheap Nike Shoes Wholesale . The showiest items on Calgarys lot were forwards Mike Cammalleri and Lee Stempniak. Both will be unrestricted free agents this summer. A fall from a preseason No. 10 ranking to a 2-5 start has left Notre Dame with a sour taste in its mouth, but athletic director Jack Swarbrick made it clear this week that Brian Kelly will not be coaching for his job once the Fighting Irish resume play out of this weekends bye.Brian will lead this team out of the tunnel opening day next year, Swarbrick told ESPN.com.Kelly has drawn criticisms in the media and from select former players for his sideline behavior and postgame news conference demeanor, in addition to his handling of the Irishs quarterback situation and his playcalling during a hurricane in a loss at NC State. Current Irish players took turns defending their coach last week, saying the tough public love masked more intimate personal dealings behind the scenes.Such player-coach relationships are what have Swarbrick encouraged, though he is aware of the public perception surrounding Kelly this season and wants to do a better job of managing that.I guess Id say I wish the perception matched the reality a little better, Swarbrick said. I understand the perception, but weve got to work to alter that perception because it creates noise and gets in the way. But the reality couldnt be further from it. Im not going to reveal the nature of the postgame discussion between Brian and the team after Stanford [a loss on Saturday], but that was a discussion between a coach and a team who really care about each other and have a great relationship, and thats what I get to see every day. What we have to do is try to avoid the situation, which creates a different perception because that perception doesnt reflect the reality. We have to figure out how to be better at it.Kelly has a 57-28 record in his seven years as Notre Dames head coach, and he signed a six-year extension in January that will take him through the 2021 season. He fired his defensive coordinator, Brian VanGorder, after a 1-3 start this season, which has paid dividends on that side of the ball.With former analyst Greg Hudson now in charge of the defense the past three games, the unit has gone from 103rd nationally to 64th in total defense, from 101st to 67th in scoring defense andd from 104th to 56th in yards per play, though the Irish are just 1-2 during that time.ddddddddddddJust as I wouldnt single out any individual player, its unrealistic to say: Oh, the result of this lays solely at the feet of the head coach, Swarbrick said of the overall struggles this season. I bear responsibility. Im ultimately responsible for our performance, so all of us are in this together. But I can tell you I continue to have complete confidence in Brian. I think you really see what youve got in a coach with how they manage times like this, and I think he has done a great job of it.?His focus has been really laser sharp, his relationship with this team is probably as strong as any that Ive seen with him at Notre Dame, and those are all positives. Neither of us are satisfied with 2-5, but Im at most of the practices. Im at training table. I have an office at the Gug [football complex] in addition to my other office. I get to see the program day in and day out and I continue to have great confidence in Brian and confidence in our future as a program.Swarbrick said he has spent more time with Kelly this season than in past seasons, but the nature of those meetings are targeted on narrow issues that they hope can help put the players in better positions to get over the hump in a season that has seen all five Notre Dame losses come by eight points or fewer.As Notre Dame readies to host Miami out of its bye on Oct. 29, Swarbrick says he sees no cracks in the foundation, morale or chemistry of the Irish.Everybody associated with the program is disappointed -- the players, first and foremost, the coaching staff, me -- because we want to do better, we know we can do better, so theres great disappointment, Swarbrick said. Having said that, this is a pretty remarkable team in terms of its togetherness and its resiliency. They still come to every practice energized and focused. And as Brian has said repeatedly, they do everything we ask. They give us everything. So from that perspective, we want a different result. ' ' '