Horse racing notes: Juan Hernandez gets his first Kentucky Derby mount

• April 28, 2023

SANTA ANITA LEADERS

Through Thursday

JOCKEYS / WINS

Juan Hernandez / 5

Umberto Rispoli / 5

Edwin Maldonado / 4

Abel Cedillo / 3

Joe Bravo / 2

TRAINERS / WINS

Peter Eurton / 3

Craig Lewis / 3

Doug O’Neill / 3

Three tied / 2

WEEKEND STAKES (SANTA ANITA)

Saturday

• $200,000 Grade II Santa Maria Stakes, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, 1-1/16 miles

• $100,000 Grade III Providencia Stakes, 3-year-old fillies, 1-1/8 miles (turf)

Sunday

• $100,000 Grade III Wilshire Stakes, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, 1 mile (turf)

• $100,000 Santa Barbara Stakes, fillies and mares, 4-year-olds and up, 1½ miles (turf)

DOWN THE STRETCH

• The Bob Baffert-trained Adare Manor, fresh off an allowance victory, heads a field of six in Saturday’s $200,000 Grade II Santa Maria Stakes for older fillies and mares at Santa Anita. The 4-year-old Uncle Mo filly will be ridden for the third consecutive race by Juan Hernandez, winner of Santa Anita’s Classic Meet riding title in a breeze and tied with Umberto Rispoli with five victories apiece through the first week of the Hollywood Meet. Adare Manor has won three of nine races for earnings of $381,600.

• Edwin Maldonado, who turned 40 on Dec. 1, is riding as well as ever. He won a career-high-tying four races on one card at Santa Anita last weekend and is sparking memories of 10 years ago when he snapped Martin Pedroza’s stranglehold on the riding title at Fairplex Park and then won the Hollywood Park fall meet in 2012. Maldonado revitalized his career during the 2021 Del Mar summer meet thanks in great part to a potent working relationship with agent Tony Matos.

• Hernandez has parlayed immediate success since arriving at Santa Anita in 2020 with the chance to ride in his first Kentucky Derby. The 31-year-old Hernandez replaces Hall of Famer Victor Espinoza aboard the John Shirreffs-trained Skinner, who was third, beaten by only a half-length by Practical Move in the Santa Anita Derby. Skinner, 21st in the Derby points standings, drew into the race Thursday morning when Sunland Derby winner Wild On Ice, 20th on the list, suffered a catastrophic injury during a workout at Churchill Downs.

— Art Wilson

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

$2.28 billion award in Lake Elsinore child sex-abuse case could be largest ever

• April 28, 2023

A Riverside County jury has awarded $2.28 billion — perhaps the largest amount in a child sexual-assault case in U.S. history — to the stepdaughter of a one-time Lake Elsinore church elder who admitted in his criminal trial decades ago to committing lewd acts on a minor.

Before the jury on Tuesday, April 25, ordered the man to pay $836 million in general damages and $1.44 billion in punitive damages, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints settled out of court for $1 million and the woman’s mother agreed to pay $200,000, according to the attorney for the woman, who is now 41.

The stepfather did not show up to the civil trial, said the lawyer, Gary A. Dordick. The jury returned the verdict on the third day of deliberations.

The Southern California News Group is not identifying the relatives to protect the victim.

“Mrs. Doe wants everyone to know there is no shame in being a victim of abuse,” Dordick said.

The victim does not expect to receive much of the award, Dordick said, with her stepfather in his 70s and working in a trophy shop.

But she felt vindicated.

“It’s part of her healing process to have this despicable person held responsible,” the lawyer said. “The jury verdict was very satisfying to her emotionally. We would like to take whatever he has as punishment.”

Dordick told jurors that if Fox Corp. agreed to pay Dominion Voting Systems $787.5 million to settle the defamation lawsuit that damaged the voting machine company’s reputation, then his client was entitled to at least $1.6 billion in combined damages for suffering physical abuse.

The lawyer said he is not aware of a larger award in a similar case: “We think it’s the biggest. I’ve been doing this 36 years. It’s the largest sexual assault verdict in history.”

In 2018, when a jury in Georgia awarded $1 billion to a 20-year-old woman who said she was sexually assaulted by a security guard six years earlier, the woman’s attorney said he believed it was the largest such award to an individual in U.S. history.

In the Lake Elsinore case, the victim alleged in her lawsuit that the abuse began around 1987 and that after she joined the church, the abuse continued in the church sanctuary, parking lot and gymnasium.

According to the civil lawsuit, in 1994, when the girl was 13, she told a church bishop about her accusations and so he organized a meeting with her, him and the parents. “The bishop talked about forgiveness,” the lawsuit says.

The mother, in a court filing, denied the allegation that she knew about the assaults but did nothing to stop them.

The abuse continued, the civil suit says, until the victim told her high school basketball coach. Authorities were called, and the stepfather was arrested. In 1997, he pleaded guilty to one count of committing three or more acts of lewd conduct with a child under the age of 14, Superior Court records show.

In that case, the victim was his client, Dordick said.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Santa Anita horse racing consensus picks, Friday, April 28, 2023

• April 28, 2023

The consensus box of Santa Anita horse racing picks comes from handicappers Bob Mieszerski, Art Wilson, Terry Turrell and Eddie Wilson. Here are the picks for thoroughbred races on Friday, April 28, 2023.

Trouble viewing on mobile device? See consensus picks

Enjoy the consensus horse racing picks online? Subscribe

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

NFL draft: Chargers select TCU WR Quentin Johnston at No. 21

• April 28, 2023

LOS ANGELES — The Chargers provided quarterback Justin Herbert with another weapon, selecting TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston with the 21st pick in the NFL draft on Thursday night.

The 6-foot-3, 208-pound Johnston led the Horned Frogs in receiving the last three years. He had 60 receptions for 1,069 yards and eight touchdowns last season as TCU went from unranked at the beginning of the season to the College Football Playoff national title game, which it lost to Georgia.

Johnston joins a talented Chargers receiving room that already has Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Joshua Palmer. General Manager Tom Telesco and Coach Brandon Staley were looking for someone who can stretch the field or generate mismatches for explosive pass plays.

The Chargers also need to build depth at the position since Allen is going into his 11th season and missed seven of the first nine games last season with a hamstring injury. Williams was sidelined for five games.

The Chargers selected Johnston over Zay Flowers (Boston College) and Jordan Addison (USC). Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the first wide receiver to be selected, going to Seattle with the 20th pick.

Much more to come on this story.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

Linnea Johansson leads after 1st round of LPGA’s LA Championship

• April 28, 2023

By JILL PAINTER LOPEZ The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES — Linnea Johansson shot a 7-under-par 64 to take a one-shot lead after the first round of the JM Eagle LA Championship on Thursday at Wilshire Country Club.

Johansson had a bogey-free round, one of just five in the first round.

“Obviously a great day, great round,” said Johansson, who had a morning tee time. “Played fearless golf today and really went after a lot of pins and managed to hit them very close and roll in the putts. I actually managed to roll in the longer ones more than the shorter ones. It was just a great day.”

Minjee Lee, who won at Wilshire Country Club in 2019 when it was a different event, shot a 6-under 65 and is tied for second along with Gemma Dryburgh.

“I think it kind of reminds me a little bit of home, just the look of the bunkers and just how they’re situated on each hole,” Lee said. “Yeah, it just kind of gives me good vibes. I started pretty, just with pars, and then made three birdies in a row. That was nice to finish off my front nine. Then a couple more on the back nine. It was a nice, solid day.”

Lilia Vu, a Southern California native, won her first major at the Chevron Championship last week and shot a 2-under 69 to land five shots back. Both of her LPGA victories have come this season.

Nelly Korda, who just moved back to No. 1 in the world after a third-place finish at the Chevron Championship, also shot a 2-under 69.

NOTES

Eight of the top 10 golfers in the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings are in the field vying for the $3 million purse. … Just a few months ago, the underground tunnel that takes golfers from the front and back nines was under water because of the deluge of rain storms and some of the course was under water, too.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange County scores and player stats for Thursday, April 27

• April 28, 2023

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

Scores and stats from Orange County games on Thursday, April 27

Click here for details about sending your team’s scores and stats to the Register.

THURSDAY’S SCORES

BASEBALL

CRESTVIEW LEAGUE

El Dorado 4, Foothill 0

Note: El Dorado clinches CIF-SS playoff berth.

SEA VIEW LEAGUE

Aliso Niguel 6, San Juan Hills 0

Note: Aliso wins the Sea View championship, its first league title since 2019.

SURF LEAGUE

Fountain Valley 1, Corona del Mar 0

WAVE LEAGUE

Newport Harbor 2, Marina 1

GOLDEN WEST LEAGUE

Ocean View 4, Katella 1

ORANGE COAST LEAGUE

Orange 4, Santa Ana 0

Orange: Rodriguez 2-2, 2HR, 3R, 2BB. Laird (W, CG 7H 0R 1BB 5K).

SAN JOAQUIN LEAGUE

Capistrano Valley Christian 11, Pacifica Christian 0

BOYS GOLF

SOUTH COAST LEAGUE

Tesoro 178, Dana Hills 188

​ Orange County Register 

Land beneath Casa Romantica drops 10 feet, halts railroad service through San Clemente

• April 28, 2023

An already weakened bluff-top patio at San Clemente’s Casa Romantica cracked and fell about 8 to 10 feet down a hillside Thursday afternoon, April 27.

After cracking had appeared April 16 in the property’s ocean-view terrace, the City Council had approved on Monday spending $75,000 for a local geological firm to assess the extend of a landslide.

Crews from LGC Geotechnical Inc. had been drilling borings to install equipment in the ground to measure movement when the sandy earth began moving Thursday morning, said Councilmember Kevin Knoblock, who had been out to look at the damage to the patio at the back of the landmark.

At 1 p.m., the smaller terrace began slipping and then dropped; with it came the hillside, Knoblock said.

The drilling work had started Tuesday. Knoblock said crews from LGC were on site Thursday afternoon to continue to try and get better borings to assess the slide.

The area had been cordoned off, and nobody was injured. The debris field did get close to the railroad tracks that run at the foot of the hillside and passenger and freight service between Laguna Niguel and Oceanside was stopped “in an abundance of caution,” officials with Metrolink and the Orange County Transportation Agency said.

Service will only resume when it is determined safe, officials said. Updates can be found on the OCTA, Metrolink and Pacific Surfliner social media and website.

Related Articles

​ Orange County Register 

San Juan Hills’ Taylor Fox outduels friendly rival Ella Roselli of Mater Dei for CIF-SS diving title

• April 28, 2023

Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now

RIVERSIDE — The CIF-SS Division 1 girls diving championships returned to its familiar setting Thursday with ideal weather and tight competition but never stood a chance of really separating San Juan Hills’ Taylor Fox and Mater Dei’s Ella Roselli.

The training partners with the Mission Viejo Nadadores’ club are too close, and too supportive of each other, to be separated beyond the mandatory scores from the judges.

“I’m happy if she does good,” Fox said of Roselli.

“There’s no one better to lose to,” Roselli said of Fox.

So in some ways, the friendly rivals both won as they soared above the field at Riverside City College, which hosted the event for the first since 2019.

Fox’s clean technique and ability to adjust to the springboards contributed to a separation on the scoreboard. The junior committed to Texas delivered a consistent 11-dive list and claimed her second consecutive Division 1 title with a score of 582.85, outdistancing the Indiana-bound Roselli by about 30 points.

“(Her diving) is taking off,” Nadadores associate head coach Todd Mulzet said of Fox, who recently won U.S. regional titles on 3-meter and platform. “She’s very technical. All the mechanics are exactly where they need to be, and she is a competitor.

“If it comes down to ‘I got to hit this dive’ my money is on her,” he added of Fox. “She’s fierce.”

Fox showcased her technical side by earning several 9s and a 10 on a back dive on 1-meter.

She also was sound on more difficult dives, including a reverse 2 1/2 somersaults on 3-meter.

“I was happy with the consistency of my list,” said Fox, who improved her score from last season by almost 24 points. “One of my bigger goals is to be more consistent because I don’t do the hardest dives.”

Roselli, a senior, finished second with 552.80 points.

A former gymnast, Roselli started diving about 3 1/2 years ago and is headed to the Big Ten Conference. “I’ve come a long way,” she said.

Related Articles

Fox and Roselli both said won’t compete at the section’s state qualifier on Tuesday because of diving conflicts.

Mater Dei freshman Gianna Kenrick placed third with 488.45 points and hoped to compete next week.

Fullerton senior Abigail Ekstrom and Cypress junior Isabella Chen finished first and second in the Division 3 final on Wednesday with scores of 533.25 and 528.70, respectively. The Penn State-bound Ekstrom claimed her second consecutive title.

In boys results Thursday, Capistrano Valley Christian sophomore Grant Schneider won Division 4 with a score of 576.90.

​ Orange County Register