By – Sean Miller

Let ‘Em Run had an absolute rollercoaster of a ride this weekend, and we hope you were on for the trip! Horse racing can be a game of patience and persistence, and Saturday was a perfect example of that.

We started off a bit slow at Gulfstream Park, struggling to find the winner’s circle in the first three legs. In Race 7 and Race 8, our picks finished second, falling just short. Race 9 was another near miss, as we secured a second and third-place finish but couldn’t quite get over the line for a victory. Frustrating? Yes. But that’s horse racing, and the key is to stick with the process.

Then came our “Look Out” bet, and for the third consecutive week, it delivered. In Race 10, our top pick, #5 Runnin’ Rocket, delivered a thrilling stretch run to chase down the leaders and secure the win. The payoff was a modest $4.00, but a win is a win, and we’ll take it. The day ended with another runner-up finish in Race 11, giving us a mix of promising results and tough beats.

Derby Prep Fireworks: Turfway & Fairgrounds

If Gulfstream was a grind, the Derby Prep races made up for it in a big way. The real fireworks started at Turfway Park in the Jeff Ruby Stakes, where our top pick, Final Gambit (15-1), stunned the field with an explosive turn of foot, powering home to victory and paying $32.14. Those who backed our selection enjoyed a massive score, making up for the earlier Gulfstream struggles.

Over at Fair Grounds in the Louisiana Derby, we had another exciting run. Our pick, Chunk of Gold, ran a gutsy race, battling hard down the stretch before finishing second to the winner, Tiztastic. The effort still rewarded us with a solid $8.40 payout to place. Two strong performances in the Derby preps made for an exciting and profitable Saturday.

Looking Ahead: Florida Derby & Arkansas Derby

Next up on Saturday, March 29, are two more major Kentucky Derby prep races, featuring some of the top three-year-olds in the country.

Florida Derby (Gulfstream Park – Race 14, 6:42 PM EST)

This prestigious prep race features a field of ten, led by morning-line favorite Sovereignty (8-5), a horse with plenty of hype. Right behind him in the betting is Madaket Road (7-2), a serious contender who should challenge for the win. Expect a fast-paced race with several colts looking to secure their ticket to Churchill Downs.

Arkansas Derby (Oaklawn Park – Race 13, 7:48 PM EST)

Over at Oaklawn, the Arkansas Derby has drawn a field of nine, including the lightning-fast Sandman, who will likely set the pace early. Another interesting entry is Coal Battle, trained by the fan-favorite Lonnie Briley. This race should be a great betting opportunity with several live longshots in the mix.

Stay Tuned for More Action with Let ’em Run

Be sure to tune into our weekly “One Horse Wonder” segment on Thursday, March 27, at 8 PM, where we’ll break down these races in greater detail, discuss strategy, and take a deep dive into the best betting angles for Saturday’s action.

Thanks for following, and as always… Let ‘Em Run!

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — For 30 minutes, UConn showed the mettle and toughness that delivered back-to-back national championships for Dan Hurley, outplaying top-seeded Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

And then Walter Clayton Jr. took over.

The Gators’ first-team All-America guard scored 13 of his 23 points in the final eight minutes on Sunday, including two crucial 3-pointers down the stretch, and Florida rallied to a scintillating 77-75 victory over the Huskies, ending UConn’s pursuit of a third straight title.

Florida (32-4) advanced to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2017 and will play Colorado State or Maryland in the West Region semifinals in San Francisco.

“This is a great win for our program,” coach Todd Golden said. “The time was now for us to take that next step. Again, Florida basketball, back where it belongs. Being in the Sweet 16 is a great step in the right direction. … We made winning play after winning play down the stretch in the last six minutes.”

There’s little doubt about that.

But they also had help from the Huskies, who made some uncharacteristic mistakes, including twice allowing the Gators to corral offensive rebounds off missed free throws, resulting in four second-chance points.

The Huskies (24-11) came in with modest outside expectations as a No. 8 seed but led for most of the second half. During his postgame news conference, Hurley struggled several times to hold back tears.

“This was just historic run that these guys have been on and the guys that have worn the uniform the past couple years,” Hurley said. “If it’s going to come to an end for us, I wouldn’t have wanted it to be in a game where we lost to a lower seed.

“There’s some honor, I guess, in the way that this went down.”

UConn was seeking to become the first team to three-peat since UCLA’s run of seven straight titles from 1967-73.

The Huskies won the 2023 title in Houston and last year in Glendale, Arizona, joining Duke (1991-92) and Florida (2006-07) as the only schools to win back-to-back since the Bruins’ run under John Wooden.

Florida entered the game as a 9 1/2-point favorite and ranked No. 1 in KenPom’s adjusted offensive efficiency by scoring 128.9 points per 100 possessions, and the Gators of the powerful Southeastern Conference joined fellow 1-seed Duke as the only teams to rank in the top 10 on both sides of the ball, making them a popular pick to cut down the nets.

But the Huskies’ defense stymied Clayton and company for most of the game, holding Florida to 35% shooting through the first 30 minutes to build a 52-46 lead.

The Gators chipped away and then Clayton showed why he’s one of the best players in the country.

He made a 3 from the right wing with 2:54 left to put Florida ahead 62-61, and teammate Will Richard followed with a steal and dunk. Clayton’s 3 from the same spot with 1:06 left made it 70-64 — part of a 14-3 run that gave Florida an eight-point advantage with 40 seconds left.

Champs battle to the buzzer

Even when Florida seemed to have the game in hand, UConn kept fighting. Thomas Haugh’s two free throws with 5.9 seconds left pushed the Gators’ lead to five to seal the win.

Hurley watched, arms folded, standing on the sideline as Liam McNeeley’s 3-pointer at the buzzer sailed skyward and dropped through the net as the horn sounded.

Afterward, Clayton thanked his teammates for believing in him after his rough start.

“We knew this game wasn’t going to be easy,” Clayton said. “(UConn) has got a championship pedigree, back-to-back champions. That’s a great team. They had that experience. We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. We kept our composure.”

McNeeley led UConn with 22 points, and Alex Karaban scored 14. Alijah Martin contributed 18 points for Florida and Richard had 15.

Takeaways

UConn: A major rebuild is in store for the Huskies, who struggled to replace losing four starters to the NBA last season.

Florida: The Gators took a huge step forward. Golden has resurrected the program in a span of three years, but he had never won a March Madness game before this year.

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Tomas Hertl scored again and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 on Sunday.

Hertl continued his hot streak one night after netting his second hat trick this season, as he scored his team-high 31st goal midway through the first period to give Vegas a 2-0 lead.

Nic Roy opened the scoring with his 11th goal of the season midway through the first while Jack Eichel scored his 24th to give the Golden Knights a 3-0 lead. Nic Hague added an empty-netter for Vegas while Ilya Samsonov made 35 saves in his 199th career game.

Nick Paul and Nikita Kucherov scored for Tampa Bay while Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 26 shots.

Takeaways

Lightning: The Lightning were closing out a three-game road trip after stops in Dallas and Salt Lake City, including Saturday’s 6-4 loss to the Utah Hockey Club. Tampa Bay has now lost five of its last eight.

Golden Knights: Vegas improved to 11-3-2 since Feb. 6. The 24 points are the fifth highest in the league in that span.

Key moment

Hertl, who has seven goals in the team’s last four home games, left late in the third period with what appeared to be an upper-body injury. After having his breakaway attempt stymied by Vasilevskiy, Hertl slammed into the boards after being shoved by Tampa Bay defenseman Emil Lilleberg, who was assessed a penalty for boarding.

Key stat

Though both teams boast two of the most potent power-play units — the Golden Knights rank 2nd in the NHL while Tampa Bay ranks 5th – the teams combined to go 2 for 8 with a man advantage.

Up next

Golden Knights play at Minnesota on Tuesday to open a three-game trip, and Lightning host Pittsburgh to open a three-game homestand.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL