Cody’s Wish setting the pace among Horse of the Year contenders

• June 23, 2023

By now, most horse racing enthusiasts have heard the heartwarming tale involving Cody Dorman, afflicted with the rare genetic disorder Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, and Cody’s Wish, the horse named after the teenager.

It’s a story that screams Hollywood, and it wouldn’t be surprising if someday there’s a movie depicting the connection between a boy and a horse that can run like the wind. Cody’s Wish is undefeated in two Grade I races this year, the Churchill Downs Stakes on Kentucky Derby day and the Met Mile on the Belmont Stakes undercard.

Dorman and his parents and sister visited Gainsborough Farm in Versailles, Kentucky as part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Cody was introduced to the curious colt and eventually, the 6-month-old weanling laid his head in the wheelchair-bound Dorman’s lap. The touching scene spurred Godolphin to name the foal after Dorman.

As we approach the halfway point in the race for Horse of the Year, Cody’s Wish is in front, not only for what he’s done on the track but the fact some Eclipse Award voters will cast their vote for him solely on the tear-jerking circumstances.

A 5-year-old son of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, Cody’s Wish burst upon the scene last year when he won four of five starts, including the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland. He’s won nine of 13 career races and is unbeaten in seven tries at a mile.

The big question is whether the Bill Mott trainee can go a mile and a quarter. In his only two starts around two turns, he finished third at 1-1/8 and second at 1-1/16. But both of those races were before he matured and became the horse he is now.

Cody’s Wish is probable for the Grade I Whitney Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 5. That’s at 1-1/8 and will tell us a little more about his ability to successfully navigate two turns.

Here’s a look at my top five for Horse of the Year as we approach this summer’s big races and then the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita for a record 11th time on Nov. 3-4:

1. Cody’s Wish

If he wins the Whitney and climaxes the 2023 campaign with a victory in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, he’s a shoo-in for Horse of the Year. He seems to be getting better each race, as his string of seven victories in his last eight races would suggest.

“I thought he had a possibility of being a good horse before we ever ran him,” Mott said. “It took us a couple of races to get him going in the right direction and to get him educated enough to where he knew how to use his run. He’s finally figured it out.”

Indeed. After taking four races to break his maiden, Cody’s Wish has turned into a monster.

2. Top Three-Year-Old

Take your pick – Kentucky Derby winner Mage, Preakness winner National Treasure or historic Belmont Stakes winner Arcangelo. Will any of the three stand out in this summer’s Haskell or Travers Stakes?

If they do, and then also win the Breeders’ Cup Classic, they’ll be in the running for Horse of the Year. Forte ran a huge Belmont off a long layoff and is still very much a factor. Keep an eye out for Arabian Knight as well. He’s back in training after being taken off the Derby trail and his connections have been pointing him to the summer classics. Another Bob Baffert-trained colt, Arabian Lion, also is in the mix.

3. Clairiere

The 5-year-old Curlin mare’s resume includes victories in a pair of Grade I stakes this year – the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park and Ogden Phipps on Belmont Stakes day. Trained by Steve Asmussen, she’s finished third (2022) and fourth (2021) in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff and, health permitting, she’ll get another chance this year to find the winner’s circle.

4. Defunded

Another colt that is improving with each race. The 5-year-old gelded son of Dialed In is 2 for 4 in 2023, including a victory in the Grade I Hollywood Gold Cup on May 29 at Santa Anita. He might race next in the Grade II San Diego Handicap at Del Mar on July 29.

5. Up to the Mark

The 4-year-old son of Not This Time has won four of five this year, including the Grade I Manhattan on Belmont day. He’s a turf specialist, but that doesn’t work against him. Bricks and Mortar was Horse of the Year in 2019 along with being named top male turf horse.

Follow Art Wilson on Twitter @Sham73

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2023 NBA Draft: UCLA’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. goes to Heat at No. 18 overall

• June 23, 2023

Another Bruin is in the NBA.

UCLA guard Jaime Jaquez Jr. was selected 18th overall by the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA draft on Thursday night.

The 22-year-old, who was among the prospects in attendance at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, was among the oldest of the available players, but that’s what he thinks set him apart throughout the draft process.

“Any experience is good experience,” Jaquez said during the ESPN broadcast. “I just treat it as such. That’s what I tried to emphasize to these teams, that I have a lot of experience and a lot of games under my belt that I can use to help an NBA team in the future.”

The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Jaquez becomes just the second player to graduate from a Ventura County high school (Camarillo) and be selected in the first round of the NBA draft, according to Cal-Hi Sports. The first was Simi Valley product Don MacLean, who was drafted 19th overall by the Detroit Pistons in 1992 after starring at UCLA from 1988-92.

Jaquez did have another year of college eligibility remaining due to the COVID-19 pandemic disrupting the 2020-21 season, but he elected to forego that option and put his name into the mix for this year’s draft. The second-team All-American led the Bruins with 17.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game, earning Pac-12 Player of the Year honors. The Bruins won the Pac-12 regular-season title for the first time since 2013 and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the second consecutive season after making the Final Four during his sophomore season.

Jaquez finished his UCLA career ranked eighth in program history in scoring (1,802 points), 11th in rebounds (842) and eighth in steals (178). During his four years, he made three All-Pac-12 teams as the Bruins went 99-36.

He is just the third Ventura County (graduated) high school player to be drafted into the NBA, joining MacLean and James Ennis, who prepped at Ventura High and was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the second round of the 2013 NBA Draft (50th overall) out of Long Beach State. Jamaal Wilkes played for Ventura High but graduated from Santa Barbara High in 1971.

More to come on this story.

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Lakers take Indiana PG Jalen Hood-Schifino with 1st-round pick in NBA draft

• June 23, 2023

EL SEGUNDO — The Lakers selected Jalen Hood-Schifino, a point guard from Indiana, with the 17th overall pick in the NBA draft on Thursday night. He was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year after averaging 13.5 points on 41.7% shooting in 32 games for the Hoosiers in 2022-23.

Hood-Schifino, listed at 6-foot-5½ and 217 pounds, also averaged 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists this past season. During one three-game stretch against Ohio State, Northwestern and Iowa, he averaged 26 points per game, making 16 of 24 shots from 3-point range, plus five assists.

He turned 20 on Monday.

“NBA teams were able to see that I can take over a game, create my own shot, run a team, that I have a high IQ, that I’m tough and that I have a unique pace to my game,” he said during an interview with ESPN.

Hood-Schifino comes from an athletic family. His father, Glenn Hood, was a quarterback at Santa Monica College. His mother, Adrianne, played basketball at Lock Haven (Pennsylvannia). His uncle, Jake Schifino, was a fifth-round pick in the 2002 NFL draft and appeared in 14 games. Another uncle, Drew Schifino, played basketball at West Virginia.

Hood-Schifino attended Chris Paul’s Rising Stars Camp as a high school freshman. He grew up in the Pittsburgh area, but the family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina while he was in middle school. He helped Montverde Academy to high school national championships in his junior and senior seasons.

More to come on this story.

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Report: Resort temporarily shuttered in wake of Newport Beach couple’s death

• June 23, 2023

The luxury Baja California Sur resort where a Newport Beach couple was found dead on June 13 has been temporarily closed, according to a report from ABC News. 

The Rancho Pescadero hotel, a Hyatt property, was shuttered June 18 so a third-party investigation can take place, the news report said. Abby Lutz and John Heathco, who were found dead in their hotel room, apparently died of “intoxication by an undetermined substance,” according to Mexican authorities.

It was not immediately clear when the hotel will be reopened.

A GoFundMe page set up for Lutz’s funeral and transportation costs said the family was told carbon monoxide poisoning could have caused the couple’s deaths.

Good Morning America reported that paramedics responding to the couple’s hotel room also became sick, but it was unclear what caused their apparent illnesses.

“My partner and I, we started to feel dizzy. We went out of the room as soon as possible,” Fernando Valencia, one of the firefighters, told GMA.

Hyatt denied carbon monoxide or another substance was found in the hotel in a June 16 statement to the Southern California News Group.

“We understand authorities immediately tested the air quality in the room after responding to the situation, and at the time, did not report any findings of gas or carbon monoxide and advised that the hotel was cleared to continue normal operations,” a Hyatt spokesperson said in the statement.

As of Thursday evening, Hyatt did not respond to multiple requests for comment on the report that it has temporarily closed the resort

The 28-year-old Lutz, originally from Utah, worked as a nanny and had lived in Ladera Ranch, according to her Facebook page. A family friend of Lutz, Mari Sisti, described her as helpful and kind in an interview with SCNG.

Heathco, 41, was an engineer and self-described “health and wellness junkie.” He ran a supplements company and other startups, according to his personal website.

The Associated Press and staff writer Hanna Lykke contributed to this report. 

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United Way program connects students to practical careers

• June 23, 2023

About two dozen Orange County high school students spent a recent day getting a feel for what a typical shift might be like as an EMT.

The students spent part of the day on Wednesday, June 21, at the U.S. headquarters of Falck Mobile Health in Anaheim, a provider of emergency medical services and transportation worldwide.

Using medical manikins, the students practiced CPR, taking blood pressure, dressing wounds, techniques to stop bleeding and other potential life-saving skills.

Students also explored the inside of an ambulance and all the life-saving equipment available to EMTs in the field.

The students were participating in the United Way of Orange County’s First Responders Academy, part of the nonprofit’s Youth Career Connections, a work-based learning program that combines classroom instruction with real-world experiences by connecting students directly to employers.

The goal of the Youth Career Connections program is to expose youngsters to careers they might not have known existed and were open to them, said Sergio Contreras, executive director of the United Way’s United for Student Success initiative.

More than 100 students recruited by the United Way in Orange County have participated in the First Responders Academy, which stems from a three-year partnership between the nonprofit and Falck.

The careers program also includes workplace mentorships, classroom speakers, industry site visits, the Summer Career & Life Prep Academy and the Start Up Bootcamp for students interested in becoming entrepreneurs.

“These opportunities that our employers create for our students give them that wider lens on what else is around them in Orange County that they normally would not see,”Contreras said. “At the end of the day, what we want is for students to have workplace learning experiences to explore those growing career fields in Orange County.”

And, with the shortage of EMTs at near crisis levels following the coronavirus pandemic, the partnership between the United Way and Falk is also an excellent way to expand interest in emergency medical service careers, said Scott White, Falck’s regional managing director for California.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to get kids who are maybe juniors and seniors in high school and show them what EMS (emergency medical services) looks like and take away some of the mysteriousness of it and give them a great experience,” White said. “We’re hoping to convert some of these folks into EMTs.”

Falck is awarding five scholarships to United Way students to pay for a formal training course, White said. “The hope is that by the end of the year, Falck would retain them to serve as EMTs for the company.”

In its first three years, the Youth Career Connections program has served nearly 1,200 students at 13 county schools, mostly in Anaheim, Garden Grove, Stanton and Westminster, Contreras said, adding that finding businesses willing to participate has been one of the biggest challenges.

The Youth Career Connections program falls under the umbrella of the United Way’s Student Success Initiative. The initiative recently wrapped up its e-mentorship program for the school year, which helps high school seniors stay on track and graduate on time.

“We are trying to create equity in Orange County by creating these opportunities,” Contreras said.

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3-alarm fire breaks out at Irvine strip mall

• June 21, 2023

One unit in an Irvine strip mall was damaged after a three-alarm fire broke out Tuesday evening, authorities said.

The blaze broke out at the 5300 block of Walnut Avenue shortly after 6 p.m., according to Orange County Fire Authority spokesperson Capt. Thanh Nguyen. No injuries were reported, Nguyen said.

The cause of the fire remains unknown, and a crew of 43 was required to knock it down, the OCFA said.

Westbound Walnut Avenue was closed at Jeffrey Road while firefighters worked on the blaze, Irvine Police said in a Tweet around 7 p.m., adding that part of the shopping center was shut down.

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LAFC gets Dénis Bouanga back for showdown with Seattle

• June 21, 2023

Throughout a season-worst defeat in Houston earlier this month, the Los Angeles Football Club played scattered and slow.

Notable in its absence: LAFC’s timely press, which forces turnovers across dangerous areas and keys counter-attacks for the team with the most goals in MLS since 2018.

“Everybody had their own idea and that’s never going to look good,” LAFC coach Steve Cherundolo said. “We have one collective idea. Even if it’s a poor idea. It’s still better than 11 good individual ideas.”

Saturday in Kansas City, Kansas, for the first time in several weeks, LAFC played like it had an idea of what to do and ended its three-match winless streak as well as a club-record scoreless drought.

“We were in better positions as a group,” Cherundolo said. “Closer and connected and compact. That makes a world of difference. We’re all on the same page.”

Success born from group efforts has been the norm under Cherundolo – making the moments when LAFC has stumbled more pronounced.

Beating Sporting Kansas City gave Cherundolo the most regular-season wins (29) and points (96) for a manager in his first 50 MLS regular-season matches. It also drew LAFC (8-3-5, 29 points) level with St. Louis (9-6-2) atop the Western Conference standings, one point above Wednesday’s opponent at BMO Stadium.

Hosting the habitually competitive Seattle Sounders (8-6-4, 28 points), LAFC will get a boost as forward Dénis Bouanga returns for the important midseason confrontation.

After missing his first two MLS matches of the season while playing internationally in an African Cup of Nations qualifier for Gabon, Bouanga fell three goals behind Hany Mukhtar in the MLS golden boot race.

Though Bouanga and his 10 league goals are back in the mix, other pieces won’t be.

Midfielder Jose Cifuentes remains with the Ecuadorian national team, which played Tuesday.

Defender Aaron Long has joined the U.S. men for the upcoming Gold Cup.

Jesus Murillo is out for a couple of weeks, Cherundolo said, with an injury suffered in Kansas City.

Sergi Palencia remains sidelined.

Kellyn Acosta and Timothy Tillman continue to be questionable in the midfield.

The state of affairs has created opportunities for LAFC’s youthful players to get meaningful minutes.

Their next chance comes against a western stalwart that had not scored more than once over 10 straight league matches until a 3-3 draw in Charlotte on last weekend.

Raul Ruidiaz’s two goals in his return to the Sounders’ starting lineup for the first time since mid-April accounted for the difference.

“The team being in an attacking mindset and scoring three goals on the road was a real step forward,” Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer said.

With scoring difficult to come by, Seattle’s Stefan Frei has stepped up.

Conceding nearly two goals per game less than expected thanks to an MLS-best nine shutouts midway through his 10th season as the Sounders No. 1 goalkeeper, Frei, 37, kept LAFC off the board at Lumen Field in Seattle on March 18, preserving a scoreless draw opposite John McCarthy.

SEATTLE AT LAFC

When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.

Where: BMO Stadium

TV/radio: Apple TV+ (MLS Season Pass), 710 AM, 980 AM

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Huntington Beach council wants options for making it harder for children to access sexually explicit books at city libraries

• June 21, 2023

A Huntington Beach City Council majority supports finding ways to make it harder for children to access sexually explicit books at city libraries.

Councilmember Gracey Van Der Mark’s proposal passed in a 4-3 vote shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday, June 21, with the council’s conservative majority asking the city attorney and city manager to return with various options in a September study session.

“What I am asking is that we look into different ways to protect kids from this,” Van Der Mark said after having presented several books she had concerns about that she found in the local library. She said she wasn’t looking to ban books, but remove them from access by children without adult supervision. “Parents check these books out. If this is what you want for your kids, go for it.”

Mayor Tony Strickland said when he first heard about Van Der Mark’s proposal, he had concerns, but was “floored by what’s in those books.”

Tensions simmered throughout the meeting, with residents focused on Van Der Mark’s proposal to screen out “obscene and pornographic children’s books” from city libraries.

The meeting began at 6 p.m. on Tuesday and public comment lasted well into the night. More than a hundred people spoke and more than 600 emailed comments to the City Council. Strickland pounded his gavel several times throughout the night, demanding the room to calm down.

During her PowerPoint presentation, Van Der Mark read several excerpts from books that she said showed sexually explicit passages and illustrations, some of which she said she found in young adult and children’s sections of the Huntington Beach Public Library.

Some had LGBTQ themes, some covered various sexual topics. Van Der Mark blurred some of the material in her 13-slide presentation.

Huntington Beach resident Laszlo Lak said the material in question “is not something that is uplifting” and a line should be drawn somewhere over what’s appropriate for children to access.

Early in the evening, Councilmember Rhonda Bolton questioned why Van Der Mark had singled out some LGBTQ books. Dozens of speakers brought Pride flags to signal their opposition to the book proposal.

Councilmember Natalie Moser said the city libraries already have a process in place to have books reviewed.

Mark Dixon, a longtime Huntington Beach resident, said elected officials shouldn’t have power over what books are appropriate in libraries.

“I want people who are trained and qualified to select the books for our children to see,” Dixon said.

Author Elana K. Arnold, who’s had several of her books banned, said librarians have an education on what books should be in libraries. “They should be in charge.”

Before the meeting, State Sen. Dave Min, who represents parts of Huntington Beach, asked the City Council to reject Van Der Mark’s proposal. He called the proposal wrong and said parents can choose which books are appropriate for their children.

“The bill will further add to the growing perception that Surf City is a hostile and unwelcoming place to those with diverse ideas or perspectives,” Min said in a statement.

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