Fast Break
Horse racing
Alysheba, 25, euthanized
Alysheba, winner of the 1987 Kentucky Derby and Preakness and 1988 Horse of the Year, has died. The champion stallion was 25.
Dubbed “America’s Horse” by racing fans, Alysheba was euthanized Friday night following a fall in his stall at the Kentucky Horse Park’s Hall of Champions in Lexington, Ky., where he was buried Saturday.
The son of racing legend Alydar became a sensation for trainer Jack Van Berg and owners Dorothy and Pamela Scharbauer during a brilliant career that included a win in the 1988 Breeders’ Cup Classic. He retired as horse racing’s all-time money winner with more than $6.6 million in earnings from 11 victories in 26 lifetime starts.
Hall of Fame jockey Chris McCarron, who piloted Alysheba to victory in the first two legs of the Triple Crown, called him “the most talented horse I ever rode.”
The talent became evident during Alysheba’s stirring Derby win over Bet Twice. He stumbled in the stretch before catching himself to run down his rival in the final yards.
“He just had unbelievable ability,” Van Berg said.
Alysheba backed up the Derby win by taking the Preakness. His bid for a Triple Crown ended with a disappointing fourth-place finish in the Belmont, a rare dull performance from a horse who won fans over with his consistency and durability.
One of his greatest performances may have come in defeat. Alysheba lost to 1986 Derby winner Ferdinand in a photo finish at the 1987 Breeders’ Cup Classic, a setback that likely cost him Horse of the Year honors.
Cycling
He’s back in the saddle again
Lance Armstrong is back on the bike.
Three days after surgery to fix his broken right collarbone, Armstrong posted a photo of himself training on his Twitter feed Saturday afternoon.
“Got on the spin bike for half an hour today,” the seven-time Tour de France champion wrote.
The 37-year-old American cyclist was expected to resume training almost immediately to meet his goal of racing in the Giro d’Italia, which begins May 9.
He also plans to ride in the Tour this July, his first since 2005.
Calling all camps
Deadline near for camps guide
We’re again putting together a summer camp guide, which will appear in the paper on April 15. And this year, we’re asking two things from our readers:
•If you have a camp that you would like listed, please send the information to summercamps@spokesman. com; fax to (509) 459-5098; or mail to Summer Camp Guide, The Spokesman- Review, 999 W. Riverside Ave., Spokane, WA 99201. Include a description of the camp, location, dates, times, recommended ages, cost and contact information.
•If you ever went to summer camp, we’d like to hear your favorite memory – good or bad, whether you’re an adult or a kid. Send to the same addresses listed above. We’ll print as many responses as we can in the camp guide.
All submissions must be received by the end of business on Tuesday. Questions? Call (509) 459-5485.