out of retirement to drive Earnhardts No. 88

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. Green Air Max 2018 . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. Wholesale Air Max 2018 .4 million title. Ryan Riess emerged with the title after a session in which he started behind, but used expert skill to gather the chips to his side amid the unpredictability of no-limit Texas Hold em. Riess put his final opponent Jay Farber all-in with an Ace-King. http://www.cheapairmaxsaleonline.com/ . The visitors took a deserved lead in the 16th minute with midfielder Yohan Cabaye curling the ball beyond Adrian from inside the penalty area. Cheap Air Max 2018 China . Hazard cut in from the left and scored with a swerving right-footed shot for ninth goal of the season, which proved to be enough for the victory despite Chelseas forwards again lacking a cutting edge up front. Air Max 2018 Outlet . The players spoke Jan. 13 during a Major League Baseball Players Association conference call after Rodriguez sued the union and Major League Baseball to overturn an arbitrators decision suspending him for the 2014 season and post-season.Rafa Benitez says he will take the positives after his first match in charge of Newcastle ended in a 1-0 defeat to Leicester on Monday Night Football. Shinji Okazakis first-half overhead kick at the King Power Stadium was enough to send the Foxes five points clear at the top of the Premier League, while Newcastle remain second bottom with 24 points from 29 games.The visitors started the game on top as Ayoze Perez squandered a presentable opening but they were soon punished by the league leaders, and Benitez admitted he was disappointed with the goal his side conceded. Okazaki scored an overhead kick to put Leicester in front in the first-half Im not happy [with the goal] because the ball bounced too many times and it is something we have to analyse, Benitez said.But I want to think about the positives because the team reacted well in the second half and we were pushing. Thats the positive thing for me. We need to analyse and improve.It was a pity because we started really well and had two good chances. After 20 minutes they started pushing and when they scored they had the game they like to play on the counter-attack. Okazaki celebrates his fifth Premier League goal of the season We had to close it down but they are fast and aggressive on the counter. We still had chances at the end of the game, like with Moussa Sissoko. We could have had a goal against a good team, because they play with a good tempo.Jamie Vardy appeared to be in an offside position when he nodded across goal for Okazaki to acrobatically volley home, but Benitez was keen to focus on what his team did well at the King Power Stadium.Normally I dont analyse these things because I cant change anything, he added. We were creating chances and had good team spirit, everything was there and now we have to correct the little things.The team was doing well and you could see the commitment and passion in the players.I am happy with the players that came from the bench as well, they were trying everything. It was a pity that we couldnt win, but the team showed they are convinced they could win.They remain one point behind Sunderland and Norwich in the battle for survival, with the Black Cats up next in the Tyne-Wear derby, live on Sky Sports next Sunday. Jamie Vardy looks to escape the attention of Vurnon Anita at the King Power Stadium And Benitez appealed to the Newcastle supporters to get behind his team as they search for the win that could take them out of the relegation zone.ddddddddddddEvery game will be important for us, he continued. We know it is a derby and we know how important it will be for everyone but I have the feeling our fans are really good and they know they are our No 12. We need them for the next game.We will train tomorrow and try to recover the players as soon as possible, and have one day off before we start working again. They need to rest and work hard, so we will manage the weeks workload. Leicesters Mark Albrighton joins Patrick Davison in the King Power Stadium tunnel to discuss their 1-0 win over Newcastle On his first impressions of Newcastle, Benitez added: I like the people, the staff, everybody is trying to help. The fans, the city, everybody is behind the team.Everything is positive and now we have to give them what they expect on the pitch. We cannot change this result but we can be happy in terms of the commitment of the players and we have to approach the next one with this in our head. Also See: Okazaki sends Leicester five clear Carra on Toons lack of quality Positive signs for Rafa? Leicester 1-0 Newcastle recap ' ' '