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ELMONT, N.Y. -- Baseball isnt the only game of inches.Fans of the horse Syndergaard -- including the New York Mets pitcher for whom he was named and who was in attendance Saturday at Belmont Park -- were reminded of that as Practical Joke, after a furlong battle, got his nose down on the wire in front of Syndergaard to win the Grade 1, $500,000 Champagne.The victory was one of three graded stakes that trainer Chad Brown won on Saturdays card at Belmont. Practical Joke earned an automatic berth into the $2 million Breeders Cup Juvenile on Nov. 5 at Santa Anita but he is not Breeders Cup nominated and his connections - owner Seth Klarman and Bill Lawrence - would have to pay a $100,000 nomination fee. After that, his shipping expenses would be picked up by the Breeders Cup through the Win and Youre In program.Practical Joke overcame a slow start as, breaking from the rail, he took a left-hand turn and nearly went into the opening between the chute and the main track. Jockey Joel Rosario straightened him out, saved all the ground he could for more than six furlongs before tipping his horse off the rail turning for home.Syndergaard, under John Velazquez, had set torrid fractions of 22.74 seconds for the quarter-mile, 44.63 for the half, and 1:08.76 for six furlongs while being hounded by Big Gray Rocket.Syndergaard disposed of Big Gray Rocket at the three-sixteenth pole but was soon confronted by Practical Joke. The pair raced in lockstep through the final furlong and it was going to come down to a head bob, with this one going to Practical Joke.He got a beautiful pace setup but he had a terrible break as well, said Brown, who trains Practical Joke for Seth Klarman and Bill Lawrence. He showed how good a horse he is. The runner-up is a very good horse as well. He deserves a lot of credit for fighting as well as he did. It was a close bob at the end but Im glad we got it.It was 6-1/2 lengths back to Favorable Outcome - also trained by Brown. He was followed, in order, by Big Gray Rocket, Thirst for Victory, and Lookin At Blessing.Practical Joke, who added the Champagne to his narrow victory in the Grade 1 Hopeful at Saratoga, covered the mile in 1:34.68 and returned $7.90 to win.Rosario, who was riding Practical Joke for the first time, said he could sense the horse wanted to do something mischievous coming out of the gate. He said the break cost him a few lengths but he thought he would benefit from an anticipated quick pace.I was going to be stalking it looked like because it looked like on paper there was a lot of speed, Rosario said. I was planning to take my time with him and keep coming with that long run he has.There was a bit more buzz surrounding the Champagne as the presence of Syndergaard, the pitcher, drew a lot of interest from fans who chanted No-ah, No-ah when they saw him in the paddock.Syndergaard, sipping a bottle of Corona, watched the race from the box seats and thought the horse had won, raising his hands in victory.He was not nearly as frustrated, however, as Todd Pletcher, the colts trainer.It was just unfortunate Mike never gave us a breather, said Pletcher, referring to Mike Smith, the rider of Big Gray Rocket. It set up well for somebody to come from off the pace. I thought the horse ran very courageously. Frustrating loss. Air Max 97 Outlet . -- Aldon Smith believes he is on the path to being sober for good. Air Max 97 Plum Chalk . Rob Manfred, baseballs chief operating officer, testified last week during the grievance filed by the players union to overturn Rodriguezs 211-game suspension. A person familiar with the hearing, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Saturday that Manfred testified the sport wasnt concerned whether Bosch distributed performance-enhancing drugs to minors because MLBs interest was his relationship with players under investigation. http://www.airmax97outlet.it/scontate-balenciaga-x-nike-air-max-97.html . Robinson finished with 17 points, all but two in the second half, and Lawson had 14 after halftime and finished with a game-high 11 assists as the Nuggets handed Dallas its first home loss in eight games this season. J.J. Hickson led Denver with 22, and Kenneth Faried added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Air Max 97 Ultra Premium .com) - The red-hot Los Angeles Kings will try to extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games when they visit the Edmonton Oilers for Sundays clash at Rexall Place. Air Max 97 Ultra 17 . -- Stanford squashed Oregons national championship hopes again, schooling the Ducks in power football. WASHINGTON -- Mets pitcher Noah Syndergaard cleared up some questions about the status of his elbow, acknowledging Wednesday he has a bone spur but calling it pretty insignificant.(I can) pitch through it with no pain. Ill be ready to go in five days, he said before New Yorks game against the Washington Nationals.Syndergaard said hes being treated with medication.As long as Im staying on my anti-inflammatories, and my mechanics are on point, Im able to go out there every five days and compete, he said.Syndergaard (8-3) struggled Monday night in Washington, squandering a 4-0 lead in a loss that ended his six-game winning streak. He lasted only three innings while giving up five runs and three walks, both season highs.Asked after the game about reports indicating he has a bone spur, the right-hander said he was fine and insisted his elbow wasnt the cause of his shaky performance. He reiterated Wednesday that the poor results were due to his mechanics.Honestly, I just think it wwas because I felt really, really good out there, he said.dddddddddddd My mechanics were kind spiraling out of control. I felt too good. I was trying to throw it harder and harder and it doesnt work like that. ... I was sacrificing location.In his previous outing last week, Syndergaard beat Kansas City but was pulled after six innings because his elbow flared up, manager Terry Collins said. Syndergaard had an MRI between starts that showed no structural damage, the team said.Fellow Mets starter Steven Matz also is dealing with a bone spur in his pitching elbow. The left-hander had his scheduled start pushed back from Wednesday to Thursday this week.Perhaps tiring of the topic, Syndergaard on Wednesday tweeted, Hey Matz, you want to talk about bone spurs some more?......Matz?.....(hash)letsgetawin, accompanied by a GIF of a man jumping out a window. ' ' '