NEU » players who moved into the SEC as graduate

The Haskell Invitational is a great race. At a million dollars, the pot is right. The distance of a mile and one-eighth offers the kind of test that brings the proper horses together. It is run on a Sunday -- this Sunday -- which validates a day of the week that has been all but abandoned by major racing events, and it is presented at Monmouth Park, which remains one of racings most important properties.And yet, the question remains as to why any trainer whose name does not start with B and end with fert would want to buck obvious Haskell history. Bob Baffert has won all eight of his Haskells since the turn of the century, beginning in 2001 with Horse of the Year Point Given and most recently in 2015 with Horse of the Year American Pharoah.In between there were War Emblem, Roman Ruler, Lookin At Lucky, Coil, Paynter, and Bayern. This year Baffert has sent American Freedom, winner of the Iowa Derby, a credential that normally should not strike terror into the hearts of such Haskell heavyweights as Nyquist, Exaggerator, and Gun Runner. Still, theres Baffert.I know, I know, said Doug ONeill, trainer of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist. I wasnt sure how they do it here. Are we all listed as assistant trainers? But winning five out of the last six, that is truly phenomenal. Hes really got it ironed out.ONeill tried the Haskell in 2012 with Handsome Mike, like Nyquist owned by Paul Reddam, but he finished fourth to Paynter. There have been other California-based trainers swoop in to take Haskells past, including Jerry Hollendorfer, Richard Mandella, and David Hofmans, so at least ONeill can hope. Also, Nyquist is 6-5.I think the track here is fairly California-ish, ONeill said. By all accounts speed is pretty tough here, and a lot of our top dirt horses for sure have a lot of speed.Including Nyquist, who went too fast for his own good in the Preakness, finished third, and came out of the race with an illness that required a weeks worth of antibiotics. That was his first loss in nine starts.Once his blood work was perfect and his temperature was normal for several consecutive days, then we gave him another week before we thought about training him again, ONeill said.It was nice for a change not to have a date circled as to where you wanted to go next, the trainer went on. For a while there, heading into the Triple Crown races, youre kind of in a zone and you hope your horse is there with you. And he was, right up to the Preakness.They are calling this the 49th running of the Haskell, although from 1968 through 1980 it was known as the Monmouth Invitational Handicap and was won by such stars as Wajima, Majestic Light, and Coastal.For the sticklers in the crowd, the modern Haskell began in 1997, which makes Sundays version its 20th as a million-dollar summer splash meant to lure the cream of the 3-year-old crop to the Jersey Shore -- and away from the Jim Dandy at Saratoga.Ive been to three of those, which hardly qualifies as bragging rights, but each of them turned out to be a race worth remembering.Belmont winner Touch Gold and Triple Crown iron horse Free House were the stars of that 1997 Haskell, with the exciting Tale of the Cat in the mix. With his damaged foot still patched from his Preakness stumble, Touch Gold won impressively, while his stablemate Awesome Again took the Jim Dandy the same afternoon. Dave Hofmans, front and center at Monmouth, trained them both.In 1998, the stars of the division were Real Quiet and Victory Gallop, who provided more than enough Triple Crown thrills. Coronados Quest was always waiting in the wings, though, nursing minor injuries and grudges. He was a bona-fide head case, tamed by Shug McGaughey to do some remarkable things. They let him leave the walking ring early for the Haskell and have his private post parade, after which he defeated Victory Gallop in a close finish that withstood a claim of foul.Following the Curlin trail in 2007 was the way to go, but his Haskell was a rare misfire in his nine starts that year. I tried not to blame myself when he finished third to Any Given Saturday and Hard Spun. Strangley enough, Baffert did not have a runner.As for Nyquist, Kentucky Derby winners have not had much to say about the Haskell. There have been Bafferts pair -- War Emblem and American Pharoah -- plus Big Brown in 2008. And thats it among the 49 winners. If ONeill is worried about that historical tidbit, he hid it well.We proud and privileged to be back in a big race and have him with a big chance, ONeill said.Of more concern was the Baffert tradition of consuming the house specialty at Maxs Hot Dogs in nearby Long Branch on Haskell Day. And if Baffert does not make the trip, assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes takes one at Maxs for the team.Were going to look for something different, make up our own lucky spot, ONeill said. Well see how the race goes, and if it goes our way Ill tell you where we ate that morning.Aaron Gordon Jersey . It might not have mattered. While the Dodgers are preparing for the playoffs, the Padres showed their future has promise behind two rookies. Jason Williams Jersey . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2. http://www.magicauthentic.com/kids-evan-fournier-magic-jersey/ . It was Kerbers third final of the year after losing to Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova of Russia in Monterrey in April and to Petra Kvitova of Czech Republic in Tokyo two weeks ago. The 10th-ranked German improved her record in finals to 3-5. Aaron Gordon Magic Jersey . Kuznetsov, who was selected by the Capitals in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, has been playing for his hometown team Chelyabinsk Traktor of the KHL. Vince Carter Jersey . The Lightning are 2-0 so far on a four-game road trip, giving the club five straight wins as the guest and improving Tampas away record this season to 11-8-2.Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Wednesday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EST:- For every Peyton Manning who survived a rough rookie year on his way to NFL stardom, theres a much longer list of players rushed onto the field too early or with not enough help before being discarded in the continuing search for the franchise quarterback. Not even being picked first or second overall is a guarantee, but the first 24 games of a career are a pretty good measure of future success -- or failure.- BALTIMORE -- The Baltimore Ravens understand how embarrassing it would be to lose to the winless Cleveland Browns on national television. They would rather focus on the benefits of a victory, which would thrust them into sole possession of first place in the AFC North.- The Cleveland Browns are winless, 0-9 for the first time in franchise history. They are ranked dead last at No. 32 in the AP Pro32. And now they must play on a short week at their hated rival, the Ravens -- who used to be the Browns before fleeing to Baltimore in 1996.- Nick Saban is on the verge of another milestone victory, another number that gives a glimpse at how dominant his teams have been at Alabama. A victory by the Crimson Tide against Mississippi State on Saturday in Tuscaloosa will be Sabans 40th when Alabama has been ranked No. 1, matching Bobby Bowden and Woody Hayes for the most by a coach.- While offensive stars like Lamar Jackson and Deshaun Watson more often than not command the lions share of the ACC limelight on game day, there are plenty of stars on the other sidde of the ball who have helped elevate the conference to new heights.dddddddddddd There is no Heisman hype for the Big 12 Conference, even with some impressive performances this season from players like Oklahoma receiver Dede Westbrook and Texas running back DOnta Foreman. Still, the Big 12 isnt likely to have a player in New York next month for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Maybe next year.- COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- Texas A&Ms Trevor Knight is the highest profile graduate transfer in the Southeastern Conference this season, jumping in to fill a major void at quarterback for the 10th-ranked Aggies. However, teams across the league are sprinkled with players who moved into the SEC as graduate students after careers at other schools.- PHOENIX -- On the last full day of the annual general managers meeting, Major League Baseball goes over possible rules changes.- MIAMI -- Dwyane Wade will play Thursday in Miami for the 525th time, and for the first time in some other teams uniform. When the Chicago Bulls visit the Heat, itll be a homecoming for the three-time NBA champion.- COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Some of Americas best soccer players returned this week to central Ohio, where a 20,000-seat stadium named for its insurance company sponsor is considered a spiritual home of the mens national team.- East Kilbrides players are the talk of Scottish soccer and beyond thanks to a 27-match winning run that has the tiny community-led club from the outskirts of Glasgow dreaming big. ' ' '