Big Brown backed up his trainer’s boasts with an explosive finishing kick and won the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, a commanding victory turned somber by the fatal breakdown of the filly Eight Belles on horse racing’s biggest day.

The cheers for the winner’s 4 3/4 -length victory were cut short when Eight Belles, the runner-up, collapsed while galloping out near the second turn. She broke her two front ankles and was euthanized on the track minutes later.

“When we passed the wire I stood up. She started galloping funny. I tried to pull her up. That’s when she went down,” said her distraught jockey, Gabriel Saez.

Eight Belles was attempting to become the fourth filly to win the Derby.

The unbeaten Big Brown’s start from the outside post did little to hamper his charge when the 20-horse field turned for home at Churchill Downs. Under the urging of jockey Kent Desormeaux, the 2-1 favorite cruised to an easy victory to become the seventh unbeaten Derby winner with his fourth consecutive win. The last one was Barbaro in 2006.
That wasn’t the only reason thoughts of Barbaro were hard to ignore on this Derby Day.

The breakdown brought back memories of the 2006 Preakness, where Barbaro shattered his right rear leg just after the start. The colt was euthanized months later, after developing laminitis from the catastrophic injuries.

The tragedy undoubtedly drained some of the joy from Big Brown’s victory, which sends him to the Preakness in two weeks as the only 3-year-old with a chance to become the first Triple Crown champion since Affirmed in 1978.

“We’re ready to roll,” Big Brown’s confident trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. said.

All week, Dutrow told the world he had the best horse in the field—and the big bay colt justified every accolade tossed his way.

“I can’t describe the feeling that all of us have right now,” he said.

The colt became the first Derby winner since Regret in 1915 to have raced only three times previously. He is only the third in 60 years to win after racing in just two Derby preps—Sunny’s Halo in 1983 and Street Sense last year were the others.

In addition, Big Brown became the second winner to start from the No. 20 post. The gelding Clyde Van Dusen did it in 1929.

Big Brown covered the 1 miles in 2:01.82 in front of the second-largest crowd in Derby history at 157,770. He paid $6.80, $5 and $4.80.

Eight Belles paid $10.60 and $6.40, and Denis of Cork, at odds of 27-1, returned $11.60.

Dr. Larry Bramlage, the Derby’s on-call veterinarian, said the filly’s injuries were too severe to even attempt to move her off the track.

“She didn’t have a front leg to stand on to be splinted and hauled off in the ambulance, so she was euthanized,” Bramlage said.

Larry Jones, who trains Eight Belles paid tribute to his filly, who was scratched out of Friday’s Kentucky Oaks for a chance to take on the boys.

“There was no way to save her. She couldn’t stand,” Jones said. “She ran an incredible race. She ran the race of her life.”

Tale of Ekati was fourth, followed by Recapturetheglory, Colonel John, Anak Nakal, Pyro, Cowboy Cal, Z Fortune, Smooth Air, Visionaire, Court Vision, Z Humor, Cool Coal Man, Bob Black Jack, Gayego, Big Truck, Adriano and Monba.
Horses make the first turn aft…
Headlines Today:
  •  Slowly, the sad news makes the rounds: Another horse is down 9:45 pm EDT (AP)
  •  Todd Pletcher’s Derby record 9:40 pm EDT (AP)
  •  Filly Eight Belles breaks down after 2nd-place Derby finish 9:30 pm EDT (AP)
  •  How They Ran in the Kentucky Derby 9:15 pm EDT (AP)
  •  Borel takes rail again in Derby 9:09 pm EDT (AP)
  •  Eight Belles destroyed after Derby injury 9:09 pm EDT (Reuters)
  •  Big Brown wins Derby marred by tragedy 9:08 pm EDT (PA SportsTicker)
  •  Favorite El Roblar wins Inglewood Handicap 8:52 pm EDT (AP)
  •  Desormeaux becomes 8th jockey to win 3 Derbys 8:51 pm EDT (AP)
  •  Big Brown powers to Kentucky Derby win 8:49 pm EDT (Reuters)
  •  Hats, juleps rule at Kentucky Derby 8:20 pm EDT (AP)
  •  Unbeaten Big Brown comes through to win Kentucky Derby 7:45 pm EDT (AP)
  •  Big Brown wins Kentucky Derby 6:43 pm EDT (AFP)
  •  Einstein wins Turf Classic on Kentucky Derby undercard 6:12 pm EDT (AP)
  •  Early 100th birthday present: She makes it to the Derby 5:52 pm EDT (AP)
  •  Zaftig wins Belmont’s Nassau County Stakes 5:43 pm EDT (AP)
  •  Henrythenavigator wins 2,000 Guineas 3:25 pm EDT (AP)
  •  Belmont Park Backstretch Notes - Saturday, May 3 12:53 pm EDT (PA SportsTicker)
  •  Vet: Injured horse has 50 percent chance of survival 11:03 am EDT (AP)
  •  Kentucky Derby Horse-by-Horse Capsules 10:57 am EDT (PA SportsTicker)
  •  Thousands turn out for Kentucky Derby breakfast 10:52 am EDT (AP)
  •  Big Brown favored at Kentucky Derby despite post 4:30 am EDT (Reuters)

 The colt earned $1,451,800 for the win and boosted his earnings to $2,114,500 for owners IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr. Pompa, who named Big Brown in honor of United Parcel Service, a client of his trucking business, sold a 75 percent interest in the colt to IEAH for about $3 million after his first race.

Desormeaux won the Derby for the third time, having won aboard Real Quiet in 1998 and Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000. Only three other riders have won more—Eddie Arcaro, Bill Hartack and Bill Shoemaker.

“It was smooth sailing all the way,” Desormeau said. “The horse was very comfortable.”

Big Brown was the third favorite to win in the past five years. Smarty Jones won in 2004 and Street Sense won last year.

All eyes were on Big Brown at the start. Dutrow called his colt the fastest of all and he proved it when Desormeaux gunned him close the lead on the mad dash to the first turn. Desormeaux did a masterful job of keeping Big Brown free and clear of any traffic issues.

As the field headed into the backstretch, Big Brown was in sixth place and just waiting for Desormeaux’s signal to make his move. It came around the far turn, and Big Brown took the lead at the top of the stretch and was never challenged to the wire.

“I don’t even know what we just did,” Dutrow said. “I can’t express my feelings, only that it was one of the most incredible feelings I ever had, and I can’t wait to feel it again.”

Kentucky Derby 2008: Big Brown to win Kentucky Derby Horse Racing. Editing by Nichole Claire

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Davidson players celebrate after defeating Georgetown in the second round of the N.C.A.A. men’s basketball tournament on Sunday.

Davidson College has always toiled amid the giants of college basketball, but just beyond the spotlight that follows North Carolina, Duke and the other power programs in the heart of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

N.C.A.A. Tournament: Day 4

Keen Shooting Eye and Competitive Edge Run in the Curry Family (March 23, 2008)

The Quad will take you through the men’s and women’s N.C.A.A. basketball tournaments.

Review your bracket online and get links and results for the N.C.A.A. basketball tournaments.

Men’s Bracket Women’s Bracket: Stephen Curry, front, battling Georgetown’s Vernon Macklin for a loose ball. More Photos »
It takes a lot to get noticed around here.

But Stephen Curry and the Wildcats have surely earned their moment on the greatest stage in the game. They are in the Round of 16 of the N.C.A.A. tournament, singing the team’s theme song, “Sweet Caroline,” all the way to Detroit.

Curry scored 30 points, including 25 in the second half, as No. 10-seeded Davidson rallied to upset No. 2 Georgetown, 74-70, on Sunday in a Midwest Region second-round game at the RBC Center.

It was Curry’s scoop layup with 3 minutes 51 seconds remaining that broke a 60-60 tie and gave Davidson the lead for good.

The Wildcats, who have won an N.C.A.A.-best 24 games in a row, will face third-seeded Wisconsin in the regional semifinals in Detroit on Friday.

“I’m numb right now,” Davidson Coach Bob McKillop said when asked to put the weekend, including a first-round win against seventh-seeded Gonzaga, in perspective.

“I’m a dreamer and I’ve been a dreamer my whole life. And for me to not think that we could get to this moment would be selling myself and the people who are behind me short.”

But for a while Sunday, it would have been hard even for McKillop to dream that Davidson could win.

Georgetown’s defense had stifled Curry and the Hoyas had built a 17-point lead at 46-29 early in the second half. The Wildcats were all but done.

“I remember being in the huddle — I forget what time it was — we were down 16 and Coach asked us if we were having fun and got us smiling a little bit and got our focus off of where we were,” said the senior guard Jason Richards, who played a crucial role in the first half, scoring 12 of his 20 points to keep Davidson in the game while Curry struggled. “This kid started getting on fire like he did the other day and when he does, it’s tough to stop him.”

Curry found his shot and Davidson (28-6) made its comeback. He had poured in 40 against Gonzaga — 30 in the second half.

If there was a turning point for Davidson, it came with 14 minutes 24 seconds left and Georgetown ahead, 48-33. Curry, held to 5 points in the first half and 2 of 11 from the field at that point, buried a 3-pointer from the left wing and drew a foul as well. The 4-point play cut the Georgetown lead to 11.

But it did more than that for Curry.

“That was one of the first ones that went in for me during the game,” Curry said. “So definitely that got some confidence.”

And that was all he needed. The shots started falling, the Georgetown lead grew smaller and suddenly, Davidson was back in the game. It was a 3-point play by Curry that put Davidson ahead at 60-58 with 4:40 remaining when he hit a layup and was fouled, adding the free throw.

Down the stretch, Curry buried five of six foul shots, enough to hold off a Georgetown team that hoped it was going to make another run at a title after reaching the Final Four in 2007.

The Hoyas (28-6) had come in with a clear size advantage, but they never did take full advantage of it. Georgetown’s 7-foot-2 center, Roy Hibbert, who returned for his senior season rather than go pro, struggled with foul trouble in his final game and wound up with 6 points and a rebound in 16 minutes. He wasn’t a factor.

“I’m not going to comment on the officiating,” Georgetown Coach John Thompson III said, then added about the fouls, “I was upset about more than one of them.”

Mostly, Thompson was upset that his seniors, including Hibbert, guard Jonathan Wallace and forward Patrick Ewing Jr., would not play again for Georgetown. He choked up as he talked after the game.

“It’s disappointing,” Thompson said. “You know, they have put this program on their back, put us in a position where we can possibly have success in the future. I feel bad for these guys.”

If Hibbert and Company helped rebuild the once great Hoyas machine, Curry has helped do the same for Davidson, albeit on a much smaller scale.

How small? Davidson, a highly regarded liberal arts college with about 1,700 students just north of Charlotte, N.C., has an arena that seats a mere 5,700. And the Wildcats play in anonymity against teams like Elon and Wofford in the Southern Conference.

One of Davidson’s biggest games each year is against nearby U.N.C. Charlotte. They play for something called the Hornets Nest trophy, and the winner gets bragging rights for the year in Mecklenburg County.

Still, it is a program with a rich basketball history that was among the best in the country back in the 1960s when Lefty Driesell was the coach. The team had not won an N.C.A.A. tournament game since 1969 until this weekend.

But with two wins in the tournament, the Wildcats are in the hunt for another trophy. And in most years, that would be enough to make Davidson the darlings of the state.

Alas, with North Carolina steamrolling into the Round of 16 and a top contender for the N.C.A.A. championship, the Tar Heels once again own the spotlight in this basketball-fixated state.

Some things will never change.

Davidson players celebrate after defeating Georgetown in the second round of the N.C.A.A. men’s basketball tournament on Sunday.

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Stephen Curry couldn’t stop jumping up and down at midcourt at the final buzzer. Little Davidson was on its way to the NCAA tournament’s round of 16 after another brilliant performance by its big-time guard.

Curry scored 25 of his 30 points in the second half and Davidson staged a remarkable comeback behind their star sophomore to stun mighty Georgetown 74-70 on Sunday in the second round of the Midwest Regional.

Curry missed 10 of his first 12 shots but stepped up at crunch time for Davidson, which trailed by 16 points with 15 minutes left. He had the go-ahead basket, a key 3-pointer, and then hit five of six free throws in the final 23 seconds in a performance that left the Hoyas, and everyone else, stunned.

No. 2 seed Georgetown was shooting 71 percent from the field early in the second half and led 48-32 before a stunning collapse under the weight of 20 turnovers and Curry’s dominance.

Jason Richards added 20 points and kept Davidson (28-6) in it early when Curry was missing everything.

Jessie Sapp scored 14 points and Jonathan Wallace finished with 12 for Georgetown (28-6), which lost despite shooting 63 percent from the field.

Davidson, which hadn’t won an NCAA tournament game since 1969 before Friday, advanced to face Wisconsin on Friday in Detroit.

Georgetown, the nation’s stingiest defensive team, came in allowing only 57.6 points per game and 37 percent shooting. That defensive prowess was on display early.

With waves of different defenders fighting through screens, Curry looked exhausted, and Davidson appeared spent.

Georgetown built a big lead and then started making mistakes. Ineffective 7-foot-2 center Roy Hibbert picked up his fourth foul by pushing off in the post. It was one of a series of turnovers that allowed Davidson to get back in it.

When Georgetown’s defense finally lost Curry, he buried a 3-pointer from the right wing. He then fed Andrew Lovedale for a layup to make it 50-48 with 8:47 left.

After picking up his fourth foul with 4:15 left, Curry scored on a nifty scoop shot in the lane and hit a deep 3 to give Davidson a 65-60 lead with 2:56 left.

It led to a roar from the partisan crowd. Not only was Davidson playing 160 miles from campus, but North Carolina fans adopted the in-state school ahead of the Tar Heels’ later game against Arkansas.

Davidson was now getting the breaks, too. Curry, son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, had a 3-point attempt partially blocked, but it landed in Lovedale’s hands for a layup to make it 67-60.

The Hoyas’ comeback bid was foiled by Curry’s free-throw shooting, allowing Davidson to extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 24 in the most improbable fashion.

As the final seconds ticked down, the baby-faced Curry jumped at midcourt, did a chest bump with Richards and was mobbed by the rest of his teammates.

Then, the team gathered in front of the band and sang Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline,” which had become the theme song during Davidson’s memorable season. The Wildcats hadn’t been a player in the NCAA tournament since Lefty Driesell led them to two regional finals in the 1960s.

Georgetown could only look on, stunned at its second-round exit a year after reaching the Final Four under coach John Thompson III. Editing by Alice Lee

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Djokovic beats Fish for ATP Masters Series tennis crown: Third-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic won the Pacific Life Open ATP Masters Series title on Sunday with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-3 victory over unseeded American Mardy Fish.

Djokovic, who claimed his first Grand Slam title with a victory at the Australian Open in January, improved on his runner-up finish to Spain’s Rafael Nadal here last year.

The Serbian beat Nadal in the semi-finals on Saturday, when Fish, a one-time top-20 player who came into the tournament ranked 98th in the world, stunned world number one Roger Federer to book his finals berth.

Djokovic appeared to have the match in hand after winning the first set 6-2 and taking a 4-2 lead in the second.

But Fish broke him in the seventh game and again in the 11th as he forced a decisive third set.

Trailing 0-40 on his serve in the opening game of the third, Djokovic produced three of his 10 aces to hold. He broke Fish in the next game and never again relinquished the advantage.

With the victory, Djokovic consolidated his number three position in the rankings, moving closer to number two Nadal.

Fish will jump back into the top 50 when the new rankings are released on Monday.

The 26-year-old American, who reached his career high of 17 in the rankings in 2004, has had an injury-plagued career. But Djokovic, like Federer before him, said Fish was a better player than his ranking indicated.

Certainly Fish landed some big wins this week, eliminating five seeded players: Russians Igor Andreev (31) and Nikolay Davydenko (4), two-time former champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia (24), Argentina’s David Nalbandian (7) and finally, Federer.

It marked the first time Fish has beaten three top-10 players - Davydenko, Nalbandian and Federer - in the same tournament.

Djokovic’s victory completed an impressive week in which he didn’t drop a set until the final.

It also followed the victory in the WTA section of the 5.7 million-dollar tournament of top-seeded compatriot Ana Ivanovic. Ivanovic defeated second-seeded Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 6-3.

Third-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic won the Pacific Life Open ATP Masters Series title

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No British accent. No tabloid-style outbursts. Just Britney Spears, actress, guest-starring as a love-struck receptionist tonight on CBS’ How I Met Your Mother (8:30 ET/PT).
Spears was unavailable for comment, but she is said to be a fan and learned of the role this month when casting notices went out to agents.

“I thought I was hallucinating when I got the call,” says executive producer Carter Bays. “Our intention was to give a funny little part to an up-and-coming actress. Instead, we got the most downloaded person in the world.”

Series star Josh Radnor says the cast tried to provide “a nice safe place” for Spears, whose erratic behavior, child custody disputes and other issues ranging from hairstyles to driving have long been gossip fodder.

There were no shenanigans on the Mother set, where Spears spent two days filming. Her character, Abby, is transformed from prim mouse to sexpot. “It’s a cute, funny role, and she ended up being great in it,” Radnor says. “She’s actually very vulnerable and sweet.”

FIND MORE STORIES IN: CBS Corp. | Grace | Century Fox | Spears | Britney | Met Your Mother | Abby | Carter Bays | Josh Radnor
Despite Spears’ star status, there was normalcy during her few days with cast and crew. “There were no diva moments. She’s a professional,” Bays says. “Her people … her parents were there. She seemed to have a good time. I think she was grateful to be here.”

But Mother got a taste of Spears’ paparazzi appeal as helicopters flew above the 20th Century Fox lot. Security was beefed up to keep onlookers away, and cast and crew had to wear security wristbands, says Radnor, who disputed rumors that the cast had to approve Spears’ appearance first.

“We both screwed up our lines (during taping) and made fun of ourselves,” Radnor says. “She definitely has comedic instincts. She made funny line readings (during script read-throughs). That’s the sign of a good comedic actor.”

PR experts say Spears’ guest shot — her first on a sitcom since Will & Grace in 2006 — should do a lot to polish her tarnished media image.

“This will be remembered as the beginning of the return of Britney as an actress, a personality, as someone trying to be normal in a pretty crazed world,” says media and crisis management consultant Robbie Vorhaus. “Good for her.”

It seems almost everybody wants a piece of Britney Spears, and at least six pieces are officially for sale.

Spears’ wardrobe from her guest-starring stint on CBS’ “How I Met Your Mother” will be sold at an online auction to benefit the Natural Resources Defense Council, an environmental organization.

The weeklong auction begins Monday night, just after the episode featuring the pop star is set to air. Spears plays a flirty receptionist who falls for show’s main character.

Actor Josh Radnor as Ted, right, and guest star Britney Spears as Abby, in a scene from “How I met Your Mother.” Spears’ wardrobe from her guest-starring stint on the show will be sold at an online auction beginning Monday, March 24, 2008, the same day the episode featuring the pop star is set to air.

A half-dozen Spears-worn items will be available, including a navy print Juicy Couture dress, a yellow Nannette Lepore dress and a cream Nannette Lepore cardigan with blue flower details.

CBS and 20th Century Fox Television, which produces the show, are sponsoring the auction.

Brite is my favorite. She is a talent girl. I like her. Some of her fans found her on a millionaire&celebs club meetingwealthy.com. She has a personal account there with her pictures, blog…In her friend circle, some other stars can be found there.

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