40-1 Danza is surprise winner in Arkansas Derby

4/13/2014

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Danza pulled away in the home stretch to shock a star-packed field in the Arkansas Derby on Saturday, giving trainer Todd Pletcher his second straight victory in the $1 million race.

The colt went off at 40-1 at Oaklawn Park and beat Ride on Curlin by 4¾ lengths, running 1 1/​8 miles in 1:49.68 in the Kentucky Derby prep.

Ridden by Joe Bravo, Danza paid $84.60, $28.40 and $11. Bayern finished in third place. Tapiture, who won the Southwest Stakes and was second in the Rebel Stakes, finished fourth.

■ LEXINGTON, Ky. — Dance With Fate charged past Pablo De Monte to win the $750,000 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland.

Ridden by Corey Nakatani, Dance With Fate ran 1 1/​8 miles in 1:50.06. Medal Count placed second, while Pablo Del Monte finished third.

College basketball

Bikramjit Gill of Owens Community College has been named to the third team of the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II All-America men’s basketball team.

Gill averaged 15.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 1.3 steals in 30 games. He finished seventh in the nation in blocked shots.

It marks the second consecutive year an Owens player earned NJCAA All-American honors. James Kelly, who currently plays at Miami (Fla.), was named to the second team in 2012-13.

Gill will continue his career, the fourth Owens in the last two years going to a NCAA Division I team, joining Kelly, Justin Edmonds (Marshall) and Joe Retic II (Liberty).

Tennis

HOUSTON — Nicolas Almagro and Fernando Verdasco set up an all-Spanish final in the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championship.

The fourth-seeded Verdasco beat Santiago Giraldo 6-4, 7-5, and the third-seeded Almagro advanced when American Sam Querrey pulled out because of a back injury.