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Bob Baffert horses dominate on opening day at Santa Anita

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Bob Baffert horses dominate on opening day at Santa Anita

Opening day at Santa Anita might have been delayed by two days because of heavy rain, but it was worth the wait for no other reason than to watch the stretch run of the $200,000 Laffit Pincay Jr. Stakes.

And for trainer Bob Baffert, it was even better than that. Not only did Nysos and Nevada Beach run 1-2 for him Sunday in the thrilling Grade 2 Pincay, but he also captured the two Grade 1 races he entered, the La Brea with Usha and the Malibu with Goal Oriented.

It was the fourth time Baffert won three stakes on the same day at Santa Anita, including the same trio of races on opening day in 2022.

He was especially excited after the Pincay, and not just by what he saw on the track.

“You know what’s great?” Baffert said as he stood in the winner’s circle and motioned to the grandstand, which was crowded with an announced 41,962 fans, the largest opening day audience since 2016. “It’s great to see this place packed. Look, everybody came out. They’ll come out to see a good horse and everybody was on the apron for this one. And they saw a great horse race.

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“It was actually fun watching.”

Particularly for Baffert, who knew as the field turned into the stretch he couldn’t lose. Nysos, the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile champion ridden by Flavien Prat, was on the inside of Nevada Beach, the Goodwood Stakes winner ridden by Juan Hernandez.

Nysos was the heavy 1-5 favorite, having lost only one of his seven lifetime races, but for at least a moment it looked as if he might not get past Nevada Beach, at 3 a year younger than his stablemate.

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But, in a virtual rerun of the Dirt Mile, when Prat and Nysos edged past Hernandez and another Baffert 3-year-old, Citizen Bull, the older horse once again prevailed, again by a head.

“I was close,” Hernandez said. “My horse ran really good. I was in front on the stretch for a couple of jumps and then it was just back and forth between Nysos and my horse. … He was giving me everything he had.”

The Grade 2 Pincay (formerly the San Antonio) was one of six stakes races on opening day, which is traditionally held the day after Christmas. It wasn’t one of the three Grade 1 races, but the presence of Nysos made it feel like the day’s main event.

Nysos returned $2.40 after running 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.36, the fastest since the Pincay was moved to that distance in 2017.

Baffert said in the leadup to the race that Nysos likely would start next in the $20-million Saudi Cup on Feb. 14 in Riyadh, while Nevada Beach was more apt to go to the $3-million Pegasus World Cup next month at Gulfstream Park. After the Pincay, he didn’t rule out sending both to Saudi Arabia.

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The only downside to Baffert’s stakes day was having to scratch Barnes and Cornucopian, the two morning-line favorites, from the Malibu. Barnes suffered a “minor setback” Saturday while Cornucopian had an incident in the paddock minutes before the race, which forced his withdrawal (he was uninjured).

No matter, though; Goal Oriented ($4.20) took over favoritism and earned his first stakes win, defeating stablemate Midland Money by a length in 1:20.97, the fastest Malibu since 2016.

“I’m just happy it turned out that we won it because it was so upsetting for a little bit,” Baffert said.

Usha ($13.20) was starting in a Grade 1 race for the first time, but she won the La Brea like a filly who has more victories in her future. She finished seven furlongs in a rapid 1:21.68 to beat 2-1 favorite Formula Rossa by 5¼ lengths.

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The first of the six stakes races was the $200,000 Mathis Mile for 3-year-olds on the turf. Tempus Volat, trained by Leonard Powell, led the race but was passed in the final yard by Hiding in Honduras ($21.40), a 9-1 long shot ridden by Antonio Fresu for Jonathan Thomas. Namaron, the 1-2 favorite ridden by Prat, finished third.

There was no such drama in the second turf stakes, the $100,000 San Gabriel, in which Cabo Spirit ($14.80), trained by George Papaprodromou, took the lead shortly after the start under Mike Smith and rolled to a 1¼-length victory over Astronomer. Stay Hot, the 2-1 favorite, lost a photo for third to Mondego.

The final race of the day was the other Grade 1 event, the $300,000 American Oaks, won by another Thomas trainee, Ambaya, a 12-1 long shot. The daughter of Ghostzapper was ridden by Kazushi Kimura, who picked up the mount when Fresu injured his ankle earlier in the day.

Etc.

The two cards that were rained out over the weekend will be made up Monday and Wednesday, with free parking and admission. Both days will offer two stakes races; Monday’s highlight is the $200,000 Joe Hernandez, which includes Motorious and Sumter, who were 1-2 in the race last year, and Imagination, last month’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint runner-up who will be racing on turf for the first time.

Rain is forecast beginning Wednesday, with track officials saying they will monitor the situation before deciding on how it will affect the racing, if at all. The schedule calls for racing Thursday through Sunday before Santa Anita begins its normal schedule of Fridays through Sundays on Jan. 9.

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Former Cowboys player Trysten Hill appears to grin after arrest tied to alleged assault of pregnant woman

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Former Cowboys player Trysten Hill appears to grin after arrest tied to alleged assault of pregnant woman

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Former NFL defensive tackle Trysten Hill was booked into a Texas jail last week on multiple charges relating to an alleged assault of a pregnant woman.

Ellis County Sheriff’s Office jail records list “assault of a pregnant person” and “interfering with an emergency request for assistance.” 

FOX 4 in Dallas obtained the records, which also showed Hill was arrested March 26.

Hill was booked and held on a $3,500 bond connected to two bond-forfeiture warrants from a 2025 criminal investigation, the sheriff’s office said.

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Trysten Hill  of the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium Oct. 20, 2019, in Arlington, Texas. (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)

Hill appeared to grin in his booking photo.

The identity of the alleged victim and any relationship to Hill were not disclosed. Fox News Digital contacted the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office, but a request for comment was not immediately returned.

WNBA PLAYER ‘WILLING TO TESTIFY’ AGAINST EX-BOYFRIEND JAMES PEARCE JR AFTER ALLEGED DOMESTIC DISPUTE

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After his three-year career at Central Florida, the Cowboys selected Hill in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He appeared in 25 regular-season games with the Cowboys, recording 39 combined tackles over four seasons.

Trysten Hill of the Dallas Cowboys at SoFi Stadium Oct. 9, 2022, in Inglewood, Calif. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Hill joined the Arizona Cardinals midway through the 2022 season, recording five solo tackles and one sack in six games. He signed with the Cleveland Browns in 2023 but was released before the regular season kicked off.

New England Patriots defensive tackle Trysten Hill reacts against the Carolina Panthers during the first half at Gillette Stadium Aug. 8, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (Eric Canha/USA Today Sports)

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The New England Patriots signed Hill to their practice squad later in 2023.

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Prep sports roundup: No. 2 St. John Bosco beats No. 1 Orange Lutheran in pitchers’ duel

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Prep sports roundup: No. 2 St. John Bosco beats No. 1 Orange Lutheran in pitchers’ duel

The much anticipated pitching duel between Gary Morse of Orange Lutheran and Julian Garcia of St. John Bosco on Wednesday under the lights at Hart Park exceeded expectations.

With both hitting 95 mph, Morse gave up two hits in six innings with eight strikeouts. Garcia struck out 10 and also gave up two hits, but one was a leadoff home run by Ricardo Hurtado.

St. John Bosco (11-2, 5-0) broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the seventh to defeat Orange Lutheran 4-1. It was the second consecutive Braves win. Orange Lutheran, which came into the week ranked No. 1 by The Times after winning the National High School Invitational, dropped to 7-3 overall and 0-2 in the Trinity League.

Closer Jack Champlin came in after a leadoff single in the seventh to pick up the save.

The Braves loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, then scored two runs on a wild pitch and added a third on James Clark’s single. The teams close out their three-game series in a 1:30 p.m. game Thursday at St. John Bosco.

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Gary Morse of Orange Lutheran struck out eight against St. John Bosco in six innings Wednesday.

(Nick Koza)

Concord De La Salle 1, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 0: Sam Lakey hit a two-out solo home run in the top of the seventh inning to break up a pitching duel and send De La Salle into Thursday’s championship game of the National Classic. It was the third consecutive shutout by De La Salle pitchers. Notre Dame’s Lachlan Clark made no mistakes other than giving up the home run. He struck out 10 in 6⅔ innings. Notre Dame twice had bases-loaded situations but failed to take advantage, including hitting into a double play in the bottom of the sixth.

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Corona Centennial 5, Cypress 1: Jacob Torres threw a complete game with nine strikeouts and Aiden Simpson homered to lead the Huskies in a semifinal game of the National Classic. They will face De La Salle on Thursday at 4 p.m. at El Dorado in the tourney final.

Vancouver (Wash.) Union 1, El Dorado 0: The Golden Hawks gave up a run in the bottom of the seventh. Julian Rodriguez gave up three hits in 6⅔ innings.

Fountain Valley 5, Edison 0: Four pitchers combined for the shutout. Ethan Cortez had two doubles.

Harvard-Westlake 7, Loyola 1: James Tronstein homered, Jake Kim had two RBIs and Evan Alexander struck out 10 in 5⅓ innings.

Bell 7, Chula Vista Olympian 3: The Eagles (15-1) received four RBIs from Eric Medina, including a two-run single in the seventh to break a 3-3 tie.

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Sylmar 5, San Francisco Lincoln 2: Tim Sepulveda had two hits and three RBIs while Rickee Luevano went three for three to lead Sylmar.

El Camino Real 6, La Costa Canyon 4: Michael Spancer and Shane Bogacz each had three hits while Blake Dubin had a two-run single for the Royals.

Cleveland 9, Marshall 3: The Cavaliers won their eighth consecutive game. Shiloh Wickliffe had two hits and three RBIs.

Quartz Hill 13, Palmdale 0: Parker White had three hits and threw a no-hitter in the Golden League win over Palmdale.

Ayala 4, Bonita 2: Easton Sarmiento struck out seven in 5⅓ innings for Ayala (11-1).

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Bishop Alemany 10, Chatsworth 0: Mikey Martinez, a transfer from Crespi, had three hits in his Alemany debut.

Carson 9, Classical 7: Nate Ruan had three hits, including a two-run home run. Skylar Vinson also had a two-run home run.

Foothill 6, Irvine 0: Jackson Phillips threw the shutout, striking out nine and giving up two hits.

Villa Park 5, Arcadia 2: Aidan Young had two hits for Villa Park. Logan Hoppie threw a complete game with six strikeouts.

Mira Costa 13, Torrance 4: Connor Collins drove in four runs for the Mustangs.

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Oaks Christian 5, Westlake 1: Dane Disney and Carson Sheffer each had two hits in the Marmonte League win.

Thousand Oaks 3, Newbury Park 1: Jake Ange continued his hot hitting with a home run, single and two RBIs.

Palos Verdes 7, Redondo Union 2: Franco Correa and Jackson Alba each finished with three hits for Palos Verdes.

Huntington Beach 8, Corona del Mar 2: Jared Grindlinger had four hits and four RBIs and Owen Bone homered for the Oilers.

Newport Harbor 7, Los Alamitos 3: Henry Mann was three for three with two RBIs for Newport Harbor.

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Norco 17, King 2: The Cougars (12-1) received four hits from Zion Martinez and three hits and three RBIs from Jacob Melendez to stay unbeaten in the Big VIII League. Jordan Ayala struck out seven and gave up one hit in four innings, setting him up to pitch against St. John Bosco on Tuesday in the Boras Classic.

Santa Margarita 6, Mater Dei 0: Tyler Unter struck out nine in six scoreless innings and Andre Owens had two doubles for the Eagles.

Servite 6, JSerra 4: Jaden Liu had two RBIs in Servite’s Trinity League win.

South Hills 5, McClatchy 2: Christian Santoyo threw a complete game for South Hills.

Mission Viejo 1, Tesoro 0: Jackson Krause, Caleb Tucker and Jackson Stonebarger combined for the shutout. Aiden Chapuis had three hits.

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Chaminade 4, Granada Hills 3: Nicholas Penaranda had three hits for the Highlanders in the loss. Isaac Hearn had two hits and two RBIs for Chaminade.

Corona Santiago 9, Las Vegas Basic 2: Jonathan Thornton had three hits and Striker Pence struck out six in five innings.

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Orange Lutheran 2, King 1: The Lancers won their first-round game of the Michelle Carew tournament. Rylee Silva struck out seven. Carlie Snyder had two hits.

Garden Grove Pacifica 13, Long Beach Poly 6: Matte Stern had a triple, single and four RBIs for Pacifica.

Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 7, Camarillo 2: Jackie Morales hit a two-run home run for the Knights.

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Fullerton 7, Chino Hills 5: Hayley Brock had a home run, double, two singles and four RBIs for 13-1 Fullerton. Malaya Majam-Finch struck out nine. Milena Medyn led Chino Hills with three hits.

Norco 4, Long Beach Millikan 0: Coral Williams struck out nine in the shutout. Angelina Gonzales hit a home run.

Marina 8, Rio Mesa 0: Mia Valbuena threw two no-hitters, first against Rio Mesa, then in a 1-0 win over Los Altos. She had 18 strikeouts against Los Altos.

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Golf influencer Paige Spiranac shares words of encouragement for Tiger Woods after DUI arrest

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Golf influencer Paige Spiranac shares words of encouragement for Tiger Woods after DUI arrest

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Golf influencer Paige Spiranac shared some encouraging words for Tiger Woods, who announced this week he would be stepping away from golf to “seek treatment” after his DUI arrest in Jupiter Island, Florida Friday. 

Spiranac reacted on social media after seeing Woods’ statement and the whole situation unfold after his rollover car crash. 

“I think we are all rooting for Tiger,” she posted on X. “Not as a golfer but more importantly as a person. None of us can fathom what he’s been through both emotionally and physically. 

“Not excusing any behavior, but I hope he’s able to get the help he needs in peace without the whole world dog piling on him in a very difficult situation.”

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Paige Spiranac hits a tee shot during The Creator Classic prior to the Truist Championship at The Philadelphia Cricket Club (Wissahickon Course) May 7, 2025, in Flourtown, Philadelphia.   (Tracy Wilcox/PGA Tour via Getty Images)

Woods entered a not guilty plea in court Tuesday, waiving his right to an arraignment and demanding a trial with a jury. He later released the statement, saying he would seek treatment and focus on his health. 

“I know and understand the seriousness of the situation I find myself in today,” Woods said in the statement posted on social media. “I am stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health. This is necessary in order for me to prioritize my well-being and work toward lasting recovery. 

AUGUSTA NATIONAL CHAIRMAN REVEALS TIGER WOODS’ MASTERS STATUS AFTER DUI ARREST

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“I’m committed to taking the time needed to return in a healthier, stronger, and more focused place, both personally and professionally. I appreciate your understanding and support, and ask for privacy for my family, loved ones and myself at this time.”

Woods’ attorney, Douglas N. Duncan, did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Fox News Digital. 

Tiger Woods was arrested on a DUI charge after a crash in Florida March 27, 2006. (AP/Martin County Sheriff’s Office)

Woods was arrested in Florida, and prescription opioids were found in his pocket after he was involved in a rollover crash Friday, according to court documents.

The 15-time major winner was arrested on charges of driving under the influence with property damage and refusal to submit to a blood alcohol level (BAL) test after law enforcement said his vehicle collided with another while driving impaired.

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According to an arrest affidavit obtained by Fox News Digital, deputies with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office reported observing several signs of impairment after the crash. They noted Woods was “sweating profusely,” his movements appeared “lethargic and slow” and his eyes were “bloodshot and glassy” as well as “extremely dilated” after removing his sunglasses. Woods admitted to being distracted before the crash. 

“Woods stated he was looking down at his cell phone and changing the radio station and did not notice the vehicle in front of him slowing down,” deputies wrote in the affidavit. 

Golfer Tiger Woods stands by his overturned vehicle in Jupiter Island, Fla., Friday, March 27, 2026.  (Jason Oteri/AP)

After Woods was placed under arrest, authorities found “two white pills inside Woods’ left side pant pocket,” which were later identified as hydrocodone, a prescription pain relief opioid.

This marks the second DUI arrest for Woods in the last decade. He was also taken into custody on Jupiter Island in 2017 after being asleep behind the wheel of a running vehicle at 3 a.m. after taking prescription drugs. 

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Woods was also involved in a 2021 rollover crash that resulted in serious leg injuries and emergency surgeries, which is what he was alluding to during the field sobriety tests. 

Woods just returned to The Golf League earlier this month for his first round of competition since undergoing more surgeries on his back while also needing to repair a torn Achilles. 

Paige Spiranac plays the 17th green during the Creator Classic at Philly Cricket Club prior to the Truist Championship at The Philadelphia Cricket Club (Wissahickon Course) May 7, 2025, in Flourtown Philadelphia.  (Ben Jared/PGA Tour via Getty Images)

While Woods was reportedly trying to get in shape to play in the Masters Tournament, his statement confirmed he won’t be participating in this year’s field. Woods also signed up for the U.S. Senior Open, according to TGL teammate Kevin Kisner, which is scheduled for early July. 

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Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley also confirmed Woods will not be at The Masters next week.

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