1. Gainesville Sun file photo/CYNDI CHAMBERS
Florida will send right-handed ace Logan Shore to the
mound tonight in Game 1 of its Super Regional series
against Florida State.
By KEVIN BROCKWAY
The Gainesville Sun
GAINESVILLE — There will be some
familiarity and a touch of emotion when
Florida and Florida State begin their Su-
per Regional series today at McKethan
Stadium.
But with a trip to the College World
Series in Omaha, Nebraska, at stake, the
Gators don’t want to get caught up in the
rivalry aspect of the series.
“All in all, it’s just another team and
we’ve got to win two games to get to
Omaha,” Florida left fielder Harrison
Bader said. “Rivalries aside, Omaha is
the goal and we’ve got to get through
them. That’s the main focus, just focus
on us and playing our game.”
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Florida, FSU play for Series berth
FSU (44-19) at Florida (47-16)
Where: McKethan Stadium
When: Today-Sunday (if necessary)
At Stake: Berth in the eight-team Col-
lege World Series.
Schedule
Today: 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Saturday: 5 p.m. (ESPN2)
Sunday (if necessary): 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
or 7 p.m. (ESPN2)
SEE BERTH, PAGE 3B
NBA FINALS
Associated Press/BEN MARGOT
Golden State’s Harrison Barnes
shoots over Cleveland’s LeBron
James during overtime of
Thursday’s Game 1.
SPORTS SECTION
B
NEWS-JOURNAL
FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2015
HANGING ON
Top-ranked Serena Williams
survives another scare to move
on in French Open. PAGE 6B
Photo courtesy Wolfson family
Affirmed jockey Steve Cauthen, center, is congratulated by Louis Wolfson, far right, as wife, Patrice, watches
during the run to the 1978 Triple Crown. Steve Wolfson Sr. said American Pharoah is not a lock to win the
Triple Crown on Saturday at the Belmont Stakes in Elmont Park, New York.
By KEN WILLIS
ken.willis@news-jrnl.com
No matter his speed or his record,
a thoroughbred can’t outrun his
bloodline forever.
In other words, all of those who
find themselves pulling for Ameri-
can Pharoah to complete the Triple
Crown on Saturday, hold your hors-
es. It’s hard to drag your family tree
across Belmont’s 12 furlongs.
That’s the advice of Steve
Wolfson, whose actual words are
more detailed.
“Usually, over all the years in the
Belmont, the horse that wins will
be a horse whose pedigree indicates
it can go long,” he said. “The way I
look at it, I think there are at least
three or four horses that have better
breeding to go a mile-and-a-half.”
Wolfson lives in Ormond Beach,
but his mind often is occupied by
visions of places like Churchill
Downs, Pimlico and Saturday’s
big stage, Belmont Park. He has
a professional interest as a hand-
icapper and trained observer of
thoroughbred racing. He has a
personal interest as the son of the
late Louis Wolfson, whose Ocala
stable — Harbor View Farm — pro-
duced Affirmed, who won the Triple
Crown in 1978 and remains the last
to complete racing’s holy grail.
“I think it’s bad for racing if some-
one wins the Triple Crown,” said
Wolfson, who feels all the interest
and anticipation generated by a
Triple Crown hopeful is worth more
to the sport than an actual Triple
Crown winner.
When Secretariat won the Triple
Crown in 1973, he was the first since
Citation in ’48. By decade’s end, two
more horses did it: Seattle Slew in
1977 and Affirmed in ’78. In the 37
years since, 13 thoroughbreds have
left Baltimore’s Pimlico track with
two-thirds of the Crown, but
HORSE RACING
DEAL BREAKEROrmond’s Wolfson says don’t bet on American Pharoah
By MARK HERMANN
Newsday
For just one moment during
a hectic week that could turn
historic with the right amount of
speed, someone connected with
American Pharoah basically said,
“Not so fast.”
Ahmed Zayat, the horse’s
owner, interrupted trainer Bob
Baffert’s news conference Thurs-
day to caution everyone against
buying Baffert’s attempt to down-
play his own passion.
This occurred after American
Pharoah took what Baffert called
“a very positive gallop” around
the long, sandy Belmont Park
track, and after the trainer tried
to sound serenely philosophical
about the horse becoming the
first Triple Crown winner in 37
years.
“I’ve had my career. I’m just fin-
ishing it off,” he said at a lectern
Baffert downplays try at history
American Pharoah works out; owner says trainer wants win
Associated Press file/SETH WENIG
Trainer Bob Baffert is nervous about
Saturday’s Belmont Stakes.
Golden State vs. Cleveland
Golden State leads 1-0
All games to be televised on ABC
x-if necessary
Thursday: Golden State 108,
Cleveland 100 (OT)
Sunday: at Golden State, 8 p.m.
June 9: at Cleveland, 9 p.m.
June 11: at Cleveland, 9 p.m.
x-June 14: at Golden State, 8 p.m.
x-June 16: at Cleveland, 9 p.m.
x-June 19: at Golden State, 9 p.m.
Belmont Stakes
When: 6:40 p.m. Saturday
Where: Belmont Park in Elmont
Park, New York
Distance: 1.5 miles
TV: NBC
Also: Acorn Stakes at 3:15 p.m.
Saturday on NBCSN
Triple Crown winners
The 11 horses that have won the
Triple Crown (along with their
jockey):
1919: Sir Barton (Johnny Loftus)
1930: Gallant Fox (Earl Sande)
1935: Omaha (Willie Saunders)
1937: War Admiral (Charley
Kurtsinger)
1941: Whirlaway (Eddie Arcaro)
1943: Count Fleet (Johnny Longden)
1946: Assault (Warren Mehrtens)
1948: Citation (Eddie Arcaro)
1973: Secretariat (Ron Turcotte)
1977: Seattle Slew (Jean Cruguet)
1978: Affirmed (Steve Cauthen)
SEE DEAL, PAGE 3B
SEE HISTORY, PAGE 3B
By ANTONIO GONZALEZ
Associated Press
OAKLAND, Calif. — Stephen Curry
had 26 points and eight assists as
the Golden State Warriors held off
LeBron James and the Cleveland
Cavaliers for a thrilling 108-100
overtime victory in Game 1 of the
NBA Finals on Thursday night.
In the finals for the first time in
40 years, the Warriors gave their
long-suffering fans a treat. They
rallied from an early 14-point defi-
cit, absorbed a finals-best 44 points
from James and shut down Cleve-
land in the extra session.
James shot 18 of 38 from the field
and had eight rebounds and six
assists in 46 minutes. But the four-
time MVP missed a long jumper at
the end of regulation, and Cleve-
land missed its first eight shots of
overtime.
Adding to the Cavs’ frustration,
point guard Kyrie Irving limped to
the locker room after aggravating
his troublesome left leg in overtime.
He did not return.
James and Curry carried their
teams through the fourth quarter,
trading scores and assists in a
back-and-forth duel. Both also had
a chance to win the game in regula-
tion.
Curry, the current MVP, beat
Irving off the dribble and moved
in for the go-ahead layup. Instead,
Irving blocked Curry from behind,
J.R. Smith came up with the re-
bound and the Cavs called a time-
out with 24.1 seconds left.
James dribbled down the clock
and missed a contested jumper over
Andre Iguodala just inside the left
arc, and Iman Shumpert’s desper-
ation shot nearly rimmed in at the
buzzer, sending a collective sigh
through the crowd.
The Cavs never were close again.
Game 2 is Sunday night.
Warriors’
defense
stiffens
Golden State holds
Cleveland in OT
0002135951
ADVERTISEMENT
DAYS UNTIL ...
July 5
daytonainternationalspeedway.com
J l