HORSE RACING
A federal judge denied Bob Baffert’s request to lift his two-year suspension by Churchill Downs Inc., ruling Friday that the Hall of Fame trainer did not prove its discipline hurt his business and reputation.
Baffert will miss his second consecutive Kentucky Derby, and per a Churchill Downs rule, he has until Feb. 28 to transfer his Derby-eligible horses to other trainers in order for them to possibly run in the May 6 race.
Baffert last year transferred Taiba and Messier to former assistant Tim Yakteen for the Derby. Taiba finished 12th and Messier was 15th among 20 horses.
Baffert had sued Churchill Downs following his banishment in June 2021 after a failed postrace drug test by now-deceased colt Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first in the 147th Derby. The Kentucky Horse Racing Commission ultimately disqualified the colt in February 2022 and suspended Baffert for 90 days for a series of failed tests by his horses.
BASKETBALL
HALL OF FAME: Three international greats – Pau Gasol, Dirk Nowitzki and Tony Parker – were among the list of Class of 2023 finalists unveiled Friday by the Basketball Hall of Fame, putting them on the doorstep of enshrinement this summer. Also on that list: Gregg Popovich, the winningest coach in NBA history with the San Antonio Spurs, and Dwyane Wade, part of three championship teams with the Miami Heat.
Also making the finalist cut were four selections from the Women’s Committee – 1990 national player of the year, Olympic champion and world champion Jennifer Azzi; six-time WNBA All-Star and WNBA championship-winning coach Becky Hammon; and longtime coaches Gary Blair and Marian Washington. The other finalists from the North American Committee include Gene Bess, with 1,300 wins to his credit; two-time Division III national champion David Hixon; and seven-time Big Ten coach of the year Gene Keady.
SKIING
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: Marco Odermatt won the men’s giant slalom in Courchevel, France, to become the first Swiss skier in 36 years to earn two gold medals at the same world championships.
Odermatt’s victory came five days after he was the surprise winner of the downhill. He matched Pirmin Zurbriggen, who won the super-G and downhill at his home world championships in Crans-Montana in 1987.
Odermatt, the Olympic giant slalom champion, was second after the opening run but beat Swiss teammate Loic Meillard by 0.32 seconds. First-run leader Marco Schwarz of Austria finished 0.40 seconds behind to take the bronze medal.
• American skier Paula Moltzan will miss the women’s slalom race Saturday after breaking her left hand again.
Moltzan was injured while helping the United States win the gold medal in the team event on Tuesday, having already competed for most of last season with the same hand broken – in a different place.
Having sat out the individual parallel race, Moltzan competed in the giant slalom on Thursday with her pole taped to her glove but went out in the first run after getting spun around.
“My team and I have done everything to make the slalom happen tomorrow, but it isn’t enough. The pain is too much when I ski,” Moltzan wrote Friday on Instagram. “I am headed to Vail tomorrow to have it operated on.”
Moltzan earned her first career podium in slalom in December when she finished second behind Mikaela Shiffrin in Semmering, Austria – marking the first 1-2 finish in women’s slalom for the U.S. in more than half a century.
SOCCER
MANCHESTER UNITED: A Qatar-based bid for Manchester United was confirmed Friday, with Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani promising to rid the iconic soccer team of debt and return the club to former glories.
Sheikh Jassim is the chairman of QIB, which is one of Qatar’s leading banks, and has submitted a 100% offer to buy out current owners the Glazer family.
While plans to invest in the first team and redevelop Old Trafford will be well received by fans, there is likely to also be opposition after Qatar was heavily criticized for its treatment of migrant workers and human rights record ahead of hosting last year’s World Cup.
Friday is the final day for serious contenders to step forward in the race to buy United.
MLS: Defender Julián Araujo was transferred from the LA Galaxy to La Liga’s FC Barcelona.
The Major League Soccer club will retain a sell-on percentage of the transfer fee if Araujo is sold to another club.
The 21-year-old Southern California native came up through the LA Galaxy’s academy program before playing four seasons in MLS. He made 89 starts in 100 regular-season appearances with LA and has been a two-time All-Star selection.
Araujo played in 39 games last season with 35 starts. He had one goal with a career-high nine assists.
AUTO RACING
FORMULA ONE: The governing body for Formula One issued guidance Friday on a rule recently introduced that prohibited drivers from speaking out on political and controversial issues.
The FIA’s original rule barred “political, religious and personal statements” without prior consent, and expressed no limitations on where that restriction applied. Drivers were nearly unanimous in their criticism of the ruling and seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton said he would not follow the ban.
The guidance issued Friday puts limits on when the FIA can apply the rules – and the restrictions will be upheld during pre- and post-race events and on the track.
The guidance noted drivers “can express their views on any political, religious or personal matter before, during and after” the race “in their own space, and outside the scope of the international competition.”
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