HORSE RACING

Forte is finally getting a crack at running in a Triple Crown race. The colt, who was scratched the day of the Kentucky Derby, is the early favorite for the Belmont Stakes.

Forte, last year’s 2-year-old champion, was made the slight 5-2 favorite on Tuesday for the grueling 1 1/2-mile race.

Trained by Todd Pletcher, the colt will break from the No. 6 post in the nine-horse field on Saturday at Belmont Park.

Pletcher’s other horse, Tapit Trice, is the 3-1 second choice and drew the No. 2 post. He finished seventh in the Derby.

Forte was the early Derby favorite, but was scratched by Kentucky officials the morning of the May 6 race because of a bruised right foot. He was on a vets’ list that kept him out of the Preakness, but has since come off it.

Mage, the Kentucky Derby winner, is skipping the Triple Crown finale after finishing third in the Preakness on May 20.

Angel of Empire is the third choice at 7-2 and will wear blinkers to keep him focused. He finished third in the Derby and is one of three horses in the race trained by Brad Cox.
National Treasure, the Preakness winner trained by Bob Baffert, is 5-1. He drew the No. 4 post.

Arcangelo is 8-1 and will break from the No. 3 post. He is trained by Jena Antonucci, who will try to become the first woman trainer to win the Belmont. Dianne Carpenter saddled Kingpost to a second-place finish in the 1988 edition for the highest finish by a woman trainer.

BASKETBALL

WNBA: Guard Aari McDonald is expected to miss three to four weeks as she recovers from a torn labrum.

McDonald, who has started each of Atlanta’s first five games and leads the team with 3.8 assists per game, suffered the injury in Friday’s 92-87 loss to the Las Vegas Aces.

• The Los Angeles Sparks re-signed guard Karlie Samuelson to a contract for the remainder of the season.

She is averaging 9.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists, starting once in five games this season. Her 59% shooting from 3-point range ranks second in the WNBA.

Samuelson was signed by the team to a hardship contract on May 18. She played with Phoenix last season on a hardship deal.

• A’Ja Wilson scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and the defending champion Las Vegas Aces remained undefeated (7-0), holding off host Connecticut 90-84 in a rematch of the teams in last year’s WNBA Finals.

• Marina Mabrey scored 18 of her 28 points in the first half, Dana Evans scored all 19 of her points after halftime and the host Chicago Sky beat the Indiana Fever 108-103 in overtime.

HOCKEY

NHL: The Philadelphia Flyers have traded Ivan Provorov, sending away the defenseman who boycotted the team’s Pride night as part of a three-team trade that included the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Los Angeles Kings.

The seventh overall pick of the 2015 draft, the 27-year-old Provorov lands in Columbus and is set to enter the fifth season of a $40.5 million, six-year contract. He was the centerpiece of the first major move under new Flyers’ leadership.

Philadelphia traded Provorov and forward Hayden Hodgson to Los Angeles in exchange for goalie Cal Petersen, defenseman Sean Walker, defenseman Helge Grans and the Kings’ 2024 second-round pick.

Columbus acquired defenseman Kevin Connauton from Philadelphia in exchange for a 2023 first-round pick (22nd overall) and a conditional second-round pick in either the 2024 or 2025 NHL Draft. Columbus acquired Provorov from Los Angeles in exchange for Connauton.

COLLEGES

MEN’S BASKETBALL: Marquette Coach Shaka Smart has received a contract extension after leading the Golden Eagles to their first outright regular-season championship and tournament title in the Big East.

Smart’s contract now runs through the 2029-30 season. This is the first extension Smart has received since signing a six-year deal when he took over as Marquette’s coach in 2021.

Marquette didn’t release financial terms of Smart’s deal.

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