HORSE RACING
Labor Dept. sues Asmussen
Trainer Steve Asmussen is being sued by the U.S. Labor Department, which alleges his stable hasn't paid overtime since at least 2012 to grooms and hot walkers who worked more than 40 hours in a week. The federal lawsuit filed last week in Louisville, Ky., accuses Asmussen and KDE Equine of violating federal wage law and also says two employees were improperly treated as exempt from overtime. The lawsuit seeks back wages and contends the stable didn't keep proper wage and hour records. Asmussen's lawyer, Clark Brewster, says his client is confident the regulations were met and no one was underpaid. The lawsuit says KDE agreed to pay $29,095.97 in back wages in a similar case in New York.
• Churchill Downs has renamed a stakes race to honor Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas. The $175,000 Lukas Classic for 3-year-olds and up on dirt on Sept. 26 will wind down the upcoming 11-date meet at the track. He has won the marquee Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks for fillies four times each. Lukas will turn 80 on Sept. 2. His stables are based in Barn 44 at Churchill, where the four-time Eclipse Award winner ranks second with 73 stakes victories and fourth with 510 victories overall.
• A Pennsylvania thoroughbred track will start its races more than two hours earlier and remove nearby bushes and trees to discourage deer from jumping onto the track. Officials at Presque Isle Downs & Casino in Erie say races will resume today at 3:05 p.m. instead of the normal 5:25 p.m. post time. That's to avoid racing at dusk when deer become more active. A fence around the track will also be made taller. The track canceled racing Monday and Tuesday after a deer ran in front of horses during Sunday's fourth race. Four later races were canceled that day.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
FSU QB charged
Florida State freshman quarterback De'Andre Johnson has been charged with punching a woman in the face in a nightclub. Assistant State Attorney Georgia Cappleman confirmed the misdemeanor battery charge in an email to The Associated Press. Cappleman declined further comment. The Tallahassee Police Department has issued a warrant for Johnson. He allegedly punched the woman at a Tallahassee nightclub about 11:30 p.m. June 24. The quarterback was suspended indefinitely Thursday by Seminoles Coach Jimbo Fisher for a violation of athletic department policy.
GOLF
Goosen qualifies
Two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen made birdie on the first playoff hole to qualify for the British Open. Goosen shot 67-72 at Woburn in St. Andrews, Scotland, to get into a three-for-one playoff for the final spot. Paul Dunne of Ireland was medalist at Woburn for the second year in a row. He was joined by Robert Dinwiddie of England, who finally made it after 16 tries. Qualifying was held at four courses in Britain, each offering three spots.
HOCKEY
Sharks acquire goalie
The San Jose Sharks found their starting goaltender for next season, acquiring Martin Jones in a trade from the Boston Bruins on Tuesday. The Sharks sent a 2016 first-round pick and unsigned forward prospect Sean Kuraly to the Bruins for Jones, four days after he had been dealt from San Jose's biggest rival Los Angeles to Boston. "Martin was at the top of our list of players that we had targeted," General Manager Doug Wilson said. "We're extremely excited to have him on board."
• The Chicago Blackhawks have traded forward Brandon Saad to the Columbus Blue Jackets in a seven-player deal. The 22-year-old Saad set career highs with 23 goals and 29 assists in 82 games this past season. The rugged winger then helped the Blackhawks to their third Stanley Cup title in six seasons. Saad was eligible for restricted free agency, and Chicago is trying to manage its salary cap with twin extensions for captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane kicking in for next season. The Blackhawks have also agreed to terms with veteran goaltender Michael Leighton on a one-year extension through next season. The 34-year-old Leighton went 22-13-4 with a 2.26 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage with the Rockford AHL affiliate last season.
• Drew Stafford is staying with the Winnipeg Jets. The Jets signed the veteran winger to an $8.7-million, two-year contract. The 29-year-old Stafford had nine goals and 17 assists in 26 games with the Jets last season. Stafford was part of the trade that sent Evander Kane to the Buffalo Sabres. In 589 games, Stafford has 154 goals and 187 assists.
• The Anaheim Ducks have acquired veteran defenseman Kevin Bieksa from the Vancouver Canucks for a second-round pick in the 2016 draft. Bieksa has spent his entire 10-year NHL career in Vancouver, compiling 56 goals and 185 assists in 597 games while developing a reputation as a tough-nosed, physical defenseman. The former fifth-round pick has one year left on his contract with a $4.8 million cap hit.
• The New York Islanders have signed forward Anders Lee to a four-year contract. Lee scored 25 goals in 76 games as a rookie last season, finishing second on the Islanders in goals and fourth among NHL rookies. The Islanders selected the 24-year-old in the sixth round of the 2009 NHL Draft. He has 57 points (35 goals, 22 assists) in 100 career NHL games.
• Forward Brian Flynn agreed to a $1.9 million, two-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday. Flynn was acquired by Montreal from the Buffalo Sabres on March 2 for a fifth-round draft pick. He had 17 points in 54 games for Buffalo and no points in nine regular-season games for the Canadiens. He added a goal and two assists, all in Game 1 of the first round against Ottawa, in six playoff starts.
TRACK AND FIELD
Bolt pulls out of Diamond League events
PARIS — Slowed by an injured left leg, Usain Bolt withdrew Tuesday from this month’s Diamond League meetings in Paris and Lausanne, dealing a blow to his title defense preparations for the world championships in August.
“I’m disappointed not to be able to compete in Paris and Lausanne,” Bolt said in a statement on his website. “I love running at these meetings, but at the moment I am unable to compete at 100 percent. I look forward to getting back into full training as soon as possible.”
The statement said the 28-year-old “has been feeling discomfort in his left leg since his last competition which has restricted his training.”
Bolt’s last race was a 200 meters in New York on June 13 that he described as “really bad.” His time of 20.29 was more than a second off his world record of 19.19. He said then that he felt good physically and was bewildered why he ran what he called “probably one of the worst turns I’ve ever had in my entire life.”
Bolt also was a no-show at the Jamaica trials last week where he had been expected to sharpen his sprinting form against the likes of Asafa Powell and Yohan Blake.
Bolt’s agent, Ricky Simms, said then that the 100- and 200-meter world record holder was never certain to run at the trials and suggested that Bolt’s coach, Glen Mills, instead preferred him to train rather than race ahead of the Paris meet on Saturday and the Lausanne event on July 9.
Bolt’s doctor in Munich, Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt, diagnosed a blocked joint “which is restricting his movement and putting pressure on his knee and ankle,” the statement on Bolt’s website said.
It said Bolt will spend the next couple of days in Munich getting treatment “after which he will resume full training in his quest to defend his titles” in the 100 and 200 meters at the world championships in Beijing.
Sports on 07/01/2015