Topsy Turvy 24 Hours in Horse Racing

Horse racing can be a cruel game and in a span of 24 hours I learned how cruel it could be. I've been heading out to Churchill Downs every day for the past week or so, covering the horses running in the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks. It's the 7th year I've been on the backside and I feel comfortable covering the sport. But on Monday I wondered if it was all too much.

First came the news that Florida Derby winner Quality Road would not run in the Derby. He had been battling a quarter crack injury for the last few weeks. He had missed some training time and on Monday trainer Jimmy Jerkins decided not to send him out for his final work before the Derby and instead took him out of the running. These kinds of things happen all the time. Horses are such fragile animals it would be wrong to race them if they weren't a hundred percent.

On Tuesday Doug O'Neill decided to pull his colt, Square Eddie, out of the run for the roses with sore shins. It's an injury that caused him to miss about three months of training before, but from March on he had been sound and ok to run. But after a workout this weekend his shins were hot and remained so for the next couple of days so O'Neill decided to give him some rest and skip the Derby. Once again these things happen and O'Neill and the owner made the right decision.

But what happened Monday after the renovation break, at around 8:45am was a freak accident. A horse trained by David Caroll dumped its rider and got loose on the front stretch. As Kenny McPeek's filly was turning around the Carroll horse rammed into the back of McPeek's horse sending the two horses and the jockeys sprawling to the ground. It was an ugly sight and my heart dropped immediately.

I've never seen a horse accident in person, and watching the two horses trying to get up brought tears to my eyes. I just thought to myself, let them be ok. But they weren't ok. The filly later had to be put down and I haven't received an update on the Carroll horse. But that freak accident brought to life for me that these horses are animals. I couldn't imagine something terrible happening to my two dogs or cat. I wonder if the trainers or owners, who spend hours each day with these horses feel the same way. Do they have a strong emotional bond with the horses?

All three incidents happened within about a 24 hour span. With the Run for the Roses just days away let's hope for smooth sailing, and that each horse remains healthy.

Charges Brought Against Karen Sypher in Rick Pitino Extortion Case

I haven't seen the affidavit yet but Karen Sypher has been charged for her role in the Rick Pitino extortion case. Here's the statement I received from Pitino attorney Steve Pence:

"Last week, my client, Coach Rick Pitino, issued a statement disclosing that he had reported an extortion attempt against himself and his family to the FBI. Today, the United States brought criminal charges against the perpetrator of this scheme. While Coach Pitino takes no comfort in this prosecution and remains astonished by these events, it marks a turning point that allows him to focus with a clear mind once again on his family and his team. Coach Pitino is grateful for the support so many people have shown him in recent days. Given that this is a federal criminal prosecution in which we are cooperating, I have directed Coach Pitino not to comment any further about this case. Any inquiries should be referred to the United States Attorney's Office or to me."

Statement From UofL Equipment Manager

Here's an update to the alleged extortion attempt against Cards coach Rick Pitino. The person making allegations against and allegedly trying to extort money from Coach Pitino is Karen Sypher the estranged wife of basketball equipment manager Tim Sypher. Early Sunday morning the University of Louisville released a statement from Tim Sypher.

Statement from Tim Sypher, University of Louisville men's basketball equipment manager:

"I am devastated by the bizarre allegations that my estranged wife is making against both Coach Pitino and myself. At this point, my primary concern is for my young daughter and four stepsons, both to the impact of their mother's actions on them, as well as the impact on Coach's family and the University. I love my children, and want to protect them. At the same time, I intend to defend the allegations vigorously and will have no additional comment at this time. "

Pitino Claims Extortion Attempt

There have been a number of rumors going around about the UofL basketball program and specifically Cards head coach Rick Pitino. On Saturday UofL released a statement shedding some light about what's going on. Earlier this week we (WHAS) received a call from someone claiming Coach Pitino had committed a crime against a family member and that the family member was being interviewed by the FBI. Apparently this same person has been speaking with other media outlets and UofL decided to respond to the speculation with the following press release:

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The University of Louisville has recently learned that
the FBI is investigating an attempt to extort money from its men's head basketball coach, Rick Pitino. In March 2009, Coach Pitino alerted the authorities of this attempt as well as the University. The matter is currently under investigation.

The following statements were issued by U of L President Dr. James Ramsey and Vice-President and Director of Athletics Tom Jurich on behalf of the University of Louisville, and by Coach Pitino:

Statement by University of Louisville President Dr. James Ramsey: "The University of Louisville supports Coach Pitino and his family. We stand by his decision to report this matter to the authorities and will now leave this criminal investigation in the
hands of the FBI."

Statement by University of Louisville Vice-President and Director of Athletics Tom Jurich: "Coach Pitino has informed us that he and his attorneys have reported a potential extortion attempt to the FBI. We cannot comment further about this
ongoing criminal investigation. We stand by Coach Pitino and support his decision to alert the authorities."

Statement by University of Louisville Men's Head Basketball Coach Rick Pitino: "My family and I were recently threatened as part of a criminal scheme to extort money. Upon receiving these threats, we reported this extortion attempt to the FBI. While I did not want to make this matter public, I recently learned that the individual behind this extortion attempt has already gone to the media with false, defamatory and outrageous allegations in an attempt to pressure me to cave in to this scheme. I want to make it clear that I intend to vigorously defend my reputation and the character of my family against any criminal scheme to extort money. I am hopeful that the media and public will recognize the slanderous nature of this direct and malicious attack. My family and I appreciate the support we have received from Tom Jurich, Dr. James Ramsey, and the entire Louisville family. Because this is a federal criminal investigation, I cannot comment further at this time."

Time for Some Spring Football

After about a month of practice the UofL football team gets to show off everything they've learned in Friday's Spring football game at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. It's supposed to be a huge fan friendly event. Former UofL players including Harry Douglas will be in attendance.

The biggest draw of the night however may be the 7-on-7 celebrity football game, which yours truly is a part of. It's been a while since I've hit the gridiron but I thoroughly expect Coach Steve Kragthorpe to ask me after the game if I have any eligibility left to suit up for the Cards. Anyways here's the full release UofL sent out on the spring game. Hope to see you out there:

The 2009 Louisville Annual Red-White Game is all set for Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Head coach Steve Kragthorpe announced a special scoring system for the game. Here is how the game will be scored.

Offense
TD: 6pts
Pat: 1 pt.
FG: 3 pts.

Defense
Stop: 2 pts
3 and out: 3 pts.
4th Down Stop: 3 pts.
Turnover returned for TD: 7 pts.

No Kickoffs. No punts.
A new series will be started after a TD, a FG, a turnover, or when the offense is stopped on downs or forced into a 4th down punting situation.

Here is also a schedule of events for the evening:
3:00 p.m. - Parking lots open
5:30 p.m. - Gates open, Streetfest opens
5:45 p.m. - Youth Football Clinic-Indoor Trager (admission free) Former and current U of L players conducting clinic

6:30-7:15 p.m. - National Champion runner Ups-WBB team to sign autographs at Streetfest 7:10 p.m. - Celebrity 7vs.7 on the field
7:30 p.m. - Spring game

First 500 fans receive t-shirts compliments of Class Act (Gates 4,5 & 9)
First 1,000 fans receive free pizza compliments of Papa Johns (Gates 4, 5 & 9)

Poster/roster cards available for a 1.00 donation to Dave Thomas Adoption Fund

Lineup for 7 vs. 7 Game
Mike Flores
Rasheed Holman
Antoine Simms
JT Haskins
Jason Hillard
Dave Ragone
Tom Andrews
Mike Josiah
Josh Minkins
Travis Leffew
Chris Leeter
O.J. Oleka
Andre McGee
Drew Deener
Tony Vanetti
Kyle Draper!!!
Sara Nord
Amy Send
Jeff Walz

UK Makes It Official, Porter Will Not Return

We reported Tuesday night on WHAS-11 News UK guard Michael Porter will not return for his senior season. Today UK officials confirmed it in a press release saying:

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky junior Michael Porter has decided not to return
to the University of Kentucky basketball program he announced on Wednesday.
“This has been a decision weighing on my shoulders for a while,” said
Porter. “Being married, and now with my little girl on the way, my priorities
have simply changed. I love basketball and will miss it a lot, but I think it’s
the best thing for me and my family at this stage of my life. This wasn’t an
easy decision to come to, but with a lot of thought and prayer, I have come to
peace and am looking forward to the next phase of my life.”
Set to graduate
in May with a business degree, Porter played in 90 career games for the
Wildcats. He started all 36 games this season, averaging 4.1 points while
hitting 32 three-pointers, second most on the team.

St. X vs. Trinity Football Game Moved Again

I just got off the phone with St. Xavier athletic director Alan Donhoff and he tells me the St. X-Trinity football game will now be played Saturday October 3rd at 6:00. It will still be played at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. This is the second time the game has been moved. It was originally scheduled to be played October 2nd but UofL has a home football game that night. it was then pushed back to Sunday October 4th but another conflict arose.

Meeks Declares for Draft

University of Kentucky junior Jodie Meeks has declared for the NBA Draft but will not hire an agent. This isn't a surprise. many people thought Meeks would throw his name in the draft to see where he stands. If he doesn't like the projections the scouts are giving him, he can still return to UK. He finished the season ranked 8th in the country in scoring at 23.7 points per game. NBADraft.net does not have him listen in the 2009 draft but projects he will go 37th in the 2010 draft. Meeks has until June 15th to take his name out of the draft and keep his eligibility.