NEW YORK — Big Brown’s perfect path has its first bump.
The unbeaten Triple Crown contender has a slight crack on his left front hoof, although trainer Rick Dutrow Jr. was confident the injury won’t keep his colt from running in the Belmont Stakes.
However, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner has missed two days of training at Belmont Park and will miss at least several more while being treated by hoof specialist Ian McKinlay for a five-eighths of an inch quarter crack on the inside of his left heel.
“We’re all concerned because there’s a big race coming up,” Dutrow said. “But Ian has us pretty well relaxed. He’s telling me it’s nothing and he’ll be fine in a few days.”
Leslie leads Sparks
ATLANTA — Lisa Leslie had 14 points and 10 rebounds and Candace Parker followed up her record-breaking rookie debut with 12 points to lead the Los Angeles Sparks to a 74-56 victory over the Atlanta Dream.
Parker, who set a WNBA record with 34 points against the Phoenix Mercury in her first pro game, also had seven rebounds and six assists.
• Plenette Pierson scored 25 points and Deanna Nolan added 14 to help the Detroit Shock beat the New York Liberty 72-62.
• Alana Beard hit two free throws with 2.1 seconds remaining as the Washington Mystics defeated the Houston Comets 69-66.
Contador takes Giro lead
PASSO FEDAIA, Italy — Emanuele Sella won his second straight mountain stage at the Giro d’Italia, and Alberto Contador took the overall lead.
Sella finished the 15th stage, a 95-mile leg from Arabba to Passo Fedaia with five steep climbs, in 4 hours, 53 minutes, 24 seconds.
• Gustavo Cesar Veloso of Spain won the Volta of Catalunya after finishing second in the seventh and final stage in Barcelona.
Knowing he had won the overall race, Cesar Veloso allowed compatriot Jose Leon Carrasco of Andalucia-Cajasur to finish the stage ahead of him in 2:20.38.
Fire downs Red Bulls
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Chad Barrett scored twice and Cuauhtemoc Blanco added a goal and three assists to lead the Chicago Fire to a 5-1 win over the New York Red Bulls.
The Fire broke the game open with four second-half goals, snapping the Red Bulls’ five-game unbeaten streak.
Footnotes.
North Carolina, which lost to Oregon State in the championship game in Omaha the past two years, joined conference champion Miami, Florida State and North Carolina State as ACC hosts for the NCAA Tournament regionals. Each of the 16 host schools are guaranteed berths in the 64-team tournament, which starts Friday.
• Russell Moldenhauer had a career-best four hits and drove in four runs as Texas beat Kansas State 15-7 in the Big 12 championship game in Oklahoma City.
• Authorities in Gainesville, Fla., have charged Chicago Bulls forward and former Florida star Joakim Noah with possession of marijuana and having an open container of alcohol.
The Associated Press
