Dein erstes Forum » ago, the Bulldogs are 18-3 following a loss. So wa

The Haskell Invitational is a great race. At a million dollars, the pot is right. The distance of a mile and one-eighth offers the kind of test that brings the proper horses together. It is run on a Sunday -- this Sunday -- which validates a day of the week that has been all but abandoned by major racing events, and it is presented at Monmouth Park, which remains one of racings most important properties.And yet, the question remains as to why any trainer whose name does not start with B and end with fert would want to buck obvious Haskell history. Bob Baffert has won all eight of his Haskells since the turn of the century, beginning in 2001 with Horse of the Year Point Given and most recently in 2015 with Horse of the Year American Pharoah.In between there were War Emblem, Roman Ruler, Lookin At Lucky, Coil, Paynter, and Bayern. This year Baffert has sent American Freedom, winner of the Iowa Derby, a credential that normally should not strike terror into the hearts of such Haskell heavyweights as Nyquist, Exaggerator, and Gun Runner. Still, theres Baffert.I know, I know, said Doug ONeill, trainer of Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist. I wasnt sure how they do it here. Are we all listed as assistant trainers? But winning five out of the last six, that is truly phenomenal. Hes really got it ironed out.ONeill tried the Haskell in 2012 with Handsome Mike, like Nyquist owned by Paul Reddam, but he finished fourth to Paynter. There have been other California-based trainers swoop in to take Haskells past, including Jerry Hollendorfer, Richard Mandella, and David Hofmans, so at least ONeill can hope. Also, Nyquist is 6-5.I think the track here is fairly California-ish, ONeill said. By all accounts speed is pretty tough here, and a lot of our top dirt horses for sure have a lot of speed.Including Nyquist, who went too fast for his own good in the Preakness, finished third, and came out of the race with an illness that required a weeks worth of antibiotics. That was his first loss in nine starts.Once his blood work was perfect and his temperature was normal for several consecutive days, then we gave him another week before we thought about training him again, ONeill said.It was nice for a change not to have a date circled as to where you wanted to go next, the trainer went on. For a while there, heading into the Triple Crown races, youre kind of in a zone and you hope your horse is there with you. And he was, right up to the Preakness.They are calling this the 49th running of the Haskell, although from 1968 through 1980 it was known as the Monmouth Invitational Handicap and was won by such stars as Wajima, Majestic Light, and Coastal.For the sticklers in the crowd, the modern Haskell began in 1997, which makes Sundays version its 20th as a million-dollar summer splash meant to lure the cream of the 3-year-old crop to the Jersey Shore -- and away from the Jim Dandy at Saratoga.Ive been to three of those, which hardly qualifies as bragging rights, but each of them turned out to be a race worth remembering.Belmont winner Touch Gold and Triple Crown iron horse Free House were the stars of that 1997 Haskell, with the exciting Tale of the Cat in the mix. With his damaged foot still patched from his Preakness stumble, Touch Gold won impressively, while his stablemate Awesome Again took the Jim Dandy the same afternoon. Dave Hofmans, front and center at Monmouth, trained them both.In 1998, the stars of the division were Real Quiet and Victory Gallop, who provided more than enough Triple Crown thrills. Coronados Quest was always waiting in the wings, though, nursing minor injuries and grudges. He was a bona-fide head case, tamed by Shug McGaughey to do some remarkable things. They let him leave the walking ring early for the Haskell and have his private post parade, after which he defeated Victory Gallop in a close finish that withstood a claim of foul.Following the Curlin trail in 2007 was the way to go, but his Haskell was a rare misfire in his nine starts that year. I tried not to blame myself when he finished third to Any Given Saturday and Hard Spun. Strangley enough, Baffert did not have a runner.As for Nyquist, Kentucky Derby winners have not had much to say about the Haskell. There have been Bafferts pair -- War Emblem and American Pharoah -- plus Big Brown in 2008. And thats it among the 49 winners. If ONeill is worried about that historical tidbit, he hid it well.We proud and privileged to be back in a big race and have him with a big chance, ONeill said.Of more concern was the Baffert tradition of consuming the house specialty at Maxs Hot Dogs in nearby Long Branch on Haskell Day. And if Baffert does not make the trip, assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes takes one at Maxs for the team.Were going to look for something different, make up our own lucky spot, ONeill said. Well see how the race goes, and if it goes our way Ill tell you where we ate that morning. Cheap Custom Jerseys China . -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Jordan Farmar will be out for roughly four weeks after tearing his left hamstring. Custom Dallas Cowboys Jerseys . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator. http://www.jerseyscustom.us/ . Cote was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 15. Cote helped running back Jon Cornish run for a league-high 1,813 rushing yards en route to being named the leagues most outstanding player. Fake Custom Jerseys . -- Most satisfying to Russ Smith about No. Custom Jerseys From China . PETERSBURG, Fla. INDIANAPOLIS -- Butler forward Kelan Martin understood exactly why he was pulled out of the starting lineup Saturday.If he keeps playing this way, it may not happen again.Martin scored 20 points, grabbed four rebounds and was the catalyst in two key second-half runs to lead the 16th-ranked Bulldogs past No. 22 Cincinnati 75-65.I had to come out with a different approach, he said. The other day (against Indiana State), I came out with no energy. Today, I came off the bench with a lot of energy.The change was as noticeable on the court as it was in the box score.In 31 minutes, Martin was 6 of 14 from the field, 3 of 7 on 3-pointers and 5 of 6 on free throws. He also had two assists, looked to get the ball quickly and into the right spots instead of settling for jump shots.And when the Bulldogs needed him most in the second half, Martin delivered with a big game that allowed Butler (9-1) to extend its home-court winning streak over non-conference foes to 34 games.We just were looking at a different lineup to start the game, coach Chris Holtmann said. It probably wont be the last time we mix up our lineup.Whatever the explanation, the change worked.Butler was 7 of 10 on 3-point attempts in the first half, 8 of 20 for the game and in control most of the way.Troy Caupain scored a season-high 22 points to lead the Bearcats (7-2) and Gary Clark added 14 points and 12 rebounds.We had to get stops and I think we only got one in the first half, Clark said. We didnt get many in the second half, either.The Bearcats spent most of the first half playing catch-up before tying the score at 35 on Caupains 3-pointer with about 1 second to go. They finally took a brief 38-37 lead early in the second half and tied the score again at 39.But Martins three-point play broke the tie and spurred a 14-4 run that gave Butler a 51-43 lead with 11:51 to go. Martin followed that with six points in a 12-5 flurry to seal the win.We tried not to make too much oof the other night (a loss) and I dont want make too much of today either, Holtmann said.dddddddddddd Pleased with it.Andrew Chrabascz had 12 points and four rebounds for Butler.BIG PICTURECincinnati: For the second straight season, the Bearcats hit a road block against Butler. The Bearcats certainly need to play better than they did Saturday if theyre going to meet expectations as the American Athletic Conference favorite.Butler: Maybe Holtmann is the streak buster. Since taking over as head coach three years ago, the Bulldogs are 18-3 following a loss. So was anybody really surprised Butler rebounded from its first loss of the season with a solid win over a ranked team? Not a chance.FOUL TROUBLEKyle Washington came into the game ranked 10th in the nation in double-doubles (5) and as the Bearcats leading scorer. He was nowhere close to those numbers Saturday. Washington was called for two fouls in the first 10 1/2 minutes of the game and two more in the first 9 minutes of the second half. It showed. Washington finished with seven points and no rebounds -- both season lows -- and was 2 of 8 from the field.CRONIN CRANKED UPBearcats coach Mick Cronin was particularly upset with the calls in the second half, and it cost him. With the Bearcats trailing 61-51 with 5:02 left, Cronin, angry about a non-call on a turnover, walked toward the midcourt line to argue and drew a technical foul. Martin made both free throws to give the Bulldogs their biggest lead of the game.UP NEXTCincinnati: Will try to rebound with a three-game home stand that begins Tuesday against Texas Southern.Butler: Will take the week off for finals before returning to action Dec. 17 against an old rival, No. 9 Indiana at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 . ' ' '