Sports
Cody's Wish named horse of the year at Eclipse Awards
Horse racing’s feel-good story of the last two years reached its inevitable climax on Thursday night when Cody’s Wish was named horse of the year at the 53rd Eclipse Awards, held in Palm Beach, Fla. The retired 6-year-old also won the award for older dirt male.
The horse was named after Cody Dorman, a teenager with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome who did not have the ability to walk or communicate on his own and first met the horse when he was a weanling and part of a Make-a-Wish event at Gainesborough Farm in Versailles, Ky.
The horse had never seen a wheelchair and there was concern how he might react. What he did was put his head in Cody’s lap. When it was time to name the horse, it was suggested he be called Cody’s Wish.
Every time the horse would see Cody, it was as if he remembered him, walking gently over and nuzzling the boy. Cody was at Keeneland when Cody’s Wish won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in 2022 and at Santa Anita last year when Cody’s Wish withstood a photo finish and an inquiry to win the Dirt Mile again.
Cody Dorman died the next day on the flight from Los Angeles to Kentucky, just shy of his 18th birthday. He was never supposed to live past 2.
“You’ll never hear Tom Hanks say there is no crying in horse racing,” said Kelly Dorman, Cody’s father, after the Horse of the Year award was announced. “I never would have dreamed five years ago when all this happened that I would be standing right here doing this. … I want to thank Cody’s Wish for everything he’s done. I know everyone here, you guys just blow me away, because I know you put your heart in these horses, day in and day out, it’s your life.
“And I know a lot of times those horses put their heart into you. … That horse sure put his heart into us.”
Cody’s Wish will now start a stallion career at Darley in Lexington, Ky. Last year he won four of his five races and he won 11 of 16 in his career.
He took 134 of the possible 219 first-place votes, beating White Abarrio (37) and Idiomatic (21).
As high a moment as that was for those in attendance Thursday, there were no victory speeches about any horses based in California. For the first time this century, no horse from California won an Eclipse Award. In fact, only one Southern California-based horse was even named a finalist, Muth in the 2-year-old male category. He finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile to Fierceness, who won the Eclipse in that division.
Until recently there was a time when California would dominate the awards, having won horse of the year six times since 2014. There were seven equine awards for 2019, the year Justify won the Triple Crown. Now, it seems, the awards are symptomatic of an industry that is struggling in California as an uncertain future awaits.
The Eclipse Awards are voted on by the National Thoroughbred Racing Assn., Daily Racing Form and the National Turf Writers and Broadcasters, a group made up of journalists, some of whom are employed part-time by race tracks.
The voting was not close in most categories, where only first-place votes are counted to determine the winner.
The most dominant winner was Idiomatic in the older dirt female category. She got 211 of the 219 votes cast. She won eight of nine races last year.
Arcangelo, trained by Jenna Antonucci, the first female conditioner to win a Triple Crown race when the colt took the Belmont Stakes, won 3-year-old-male, while Pretty Mischievous, winner of the Kentucky Oaks, was top 3-year-old filly. Just FYI won the Eclipse for 2-year-old filly.
In the sprinting categories, Elite Power, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint was the top male and Goodnight Olive, winner of the Filly & Mare Sprint, was the winner in the female division. Up to the Mark, winner of five of seven races, won the male turf horse Eclipse award, while Inspiral, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Turf, won the female turf horse award.
In the human categories, Bill Mott was top trainer, Irad Ortiz Jr. took the jockey award and Godolphin won in both the owner and breeders categories.
Sports
ESPN’s Stephen A Smith hears boos from WrestleMania 42 crowd
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LAS VEGAS – Danhausen’s curse may be real after all – just ask Stephen A. Smith and the New York Mets.
While the latter dropped their 10th game in a row, Smith got his share of the curse on Saturday night during Night 1 of WrestleMania 42. Smith was in attendance for WWE’s premier event of the year and heard massive boos from the crowd.
Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Smith was sitting ringside to watch the action. The ESPN star appeared on the videoboard above the ring at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He appeared to embrace the reaction and smiled through it.
The boos came after Danhausen appeared on “First Take” on Friday – much to the chagrin of the sports pundit. Smith appeared perplexed by Danhausen’s appearance. Smith said he heard about Danhausen and called him a “bad luck charm.”
Danhausen said Smith had been “rude” to him and put the dreaded “curse” on the commentator.
WWE STAR DANHAUSEN SAYS METS ‘CURSE’ ISN’T EXACTLY LIFTED AS TEAM DROPS NINTH STRAIGHT GAME
Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Smith is far from the only one dealing with the effects of the “curse.”
Danhausen agreed to “un-curse” the Mets during their losing streak. However, he told Fox News Digital earlier this week that there was a reason why the curse’s removal didn’t take full effect.
“I did un-curse the Mets. But it didn’t work because, I believe it was Brian Gewirtz who did not pay Danhausen. He did not send me my money so it did not take full effect,” Danhausen said. “Once I have the money, perhaps it will actually work because right now it’s probably about a half of an un-cursing. It’s like a layaway situation.”
Danhausen enters the arena before his match against Kit Wilson during SmackDown at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on April 10, 2026. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
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On “Friday Night SmackDown,” WWE stars like The Miz and Kit Wilson were also targets of Danhausen’s curse.
Sports
After 55 years as a broadcaster in L.A., Randy Rosenbloom is leaving town
It’s time to reveal memories, laughs and crazy times from Randy Rosenbloom’s 55 years as a TV/radio broadcaster in Los Angeles. He’s hopping in a car next Sunday with his wife, saying goodbye to a North Hollywood house that’s been in his family since 1952 and driving 3,300 miles to his new home in Greenville, S.C.
“When I walk out, I’ll probably break down,” he said.
He graduated from North Hollywood High in 1969. He got his first paid job in 1971 calling Hart basketball games for NBC Cable Newhall for $10 a game. It began an adventure of a lifetime.
“I never knew if I overachieved or underachieved. I just did what I loved,” he said.
Randy Rosenbloom (left) used to work with former UCLA coach John Wooden for TV games.
(Randy Rosenbloom)
John Wooden, Jerry Tarkanian and Jim Harrick were among his expert commentators when he did play by play for college basketball games. He called volleyball at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games for NBC and rowing in 2004. He’s worked more than 100 championship high school events. He did play by play for the first and only Reebok Bowl at Angel Stadium in 1994 won by Bishop Amat over Sylmar, 35-14.
“There were about 5,000, 6,000 people there and I remember thinking nobody watched the game. We ended up with a 5.7 TV rating on Channel 13 in Los Angeles, which is higher than most Lakers games.”
He conducted interviews with NFL Hall of Famers Gale Sayers and Johnny Unitas and boxing greats Robert Duran, Thomas Hearn and Sugar Ray Leonard. He’s worked with baseball greats Steve Garvey and Doug DeCinces. He called games with former USC coach Rod Dedeaux. He was in the radio booth for Bret Saberhagen’s 1982 no-hitter in the City Section championship game at Dodger Stadium. He was a nightly sportscaster for KADY in Ventura.
Randy Rosenbloom, left, with his volleyball broadcast partners, Kirk Kilgour and Bill Walton.
(Randy Rosenbloom)
He was the voice of Fresno State football and basketball. He also did Nevada Las Vegas football and basketball games. He called bowl games and Little League games. He was a public address announcer for basketball at the 1984 Olympic Games with Michael Jordan the star and did the P.A. for Toluca Little League.
Nothing was too small or too big for him.
“I loved everything,” he said.
He called at least 10 East L.A. Classic football games between Garfield and Roosevelt. He was there when Narbonne and San Pedro tied 21-21 in the 2008 City championship game at the Coliseum on a San Pedro touchdown with one second left.
Probably his most notable tale came when he was doing radio play-by-play at a 1998 college bowl game in Montgomery, Ala.
“I look down and a giant tarantula is crawling up my pants,” he said. “My color man took all the press notes, wadded them up and hit the tarantula like swinging a bat.”
Did Rosenbloom tell the audience what was happening?
“I stayed calm,” he said.
Then there was the time he was in the press box at Sam Boyd Stadium and a bat flew in and attached itself to the wooden press box right next to him before flying away after he said, “UNLV wins.”
Recently, he’s been putting together high school TV packages for LA36 and calling travel ball basketball games. He’ll still keep doing a radio gambling show from his new home, but he’s cutting ties to Los Angeles to move closer to grandchildren.
“I’m retiring from Los Angeles. I’m leaving the market,” he said.
Hopefully he’ll continue via Zoom to do a weekly podcast with me for The Times.
He’s a true professional who’s versatility and work ethic made him a reliable hire from the age of 18 through his current age of 74.
He’s a member of the City Section Hall of Fame and the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. He once threw the shot put 51 feet, 7 1/2 inches, which is his claim to fame at North Hollywood High.
One time an ESPN graphic before a show spelled his name “Rosenbloom” then changed it to “Rosenblum” for postgame. It was worth a good laugh.
He always adjusts, improvises and ad-libs. He expects to enjoy his time in South Carolina, but he better watch out for tarantulas. They seem to like him.
Sports
Becky Lynch enters exclusive WWE club with Women’s Intercontinental Championship win at WrestleMania 42
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LAS VEGAS – Becky Lynch entered an atmosphere no other WWE women’s superstar has ever reached as she won the Women’s Intercontinental Championship over AJ Lee on Saturday night at WrestleMania 42.
Lynch became the first person to hold the Women’s Intercontinental Championship three times after she pinned Lee. She first won the title against Lyra Valkyria in June 2025 and then again against Maxxine Dupri in November.
Becky Lynch celebrates with the belt after defeating AJ Lee during their women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
She dropped the belt to Lee at the Elimination Chamber, sparking a monthslong feud with her.
Lee gave Lynch the chance at the title in the weeks prior to WrestleMania 42. But it appeared Lee played right into Lynch’s plans. Despite arguing with referee Jessica Carr for most of the match, Lynch was able to tactfully tear down a rope buckle and use it to her advantage.
Lynch hit Lee with a Manhandle Slam and pinned her for the win.
WWE STARS REVEAL WHAT MAKES WRESTLEMANIA SO SPECIAL: ‘IT’S THE SUPER BOWL OF PRO WRESTLING’
AJ Lee reacts after losing to Becky Lynch in their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
It’s the second straight year Lynch will leave Las Vegas as champion. She returned to WWE at WrestleMania 41, teaming with Valkyria, to win the women’s tag titles. She will now leave Allegiant Stadium as the women’s intercontinental champion.
Lynch is now a seven-time women’s champion, three-time women’s intercontinental champion and two-time tag team champion.
Becky Lynch withstands AJ Lee during their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match on night one of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Lee’s reign as champion ended really before it could really begin. WrestleMania 42 was her first appearance at the event in 11 years. It’s unclear where Lee will go from here.
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