Sports

2:00 PM ET Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. — All samples collected from horses competing in the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar have tested clear. The Kenneth L. Maddy Equine Analytical Chemistry Laboratory at UC Davis announced the results Thursday. All horses competing in the world championships last weekend were tested for total carbon dioxide levels

9:48 AM ET Associated Press The nascent Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority on Thursday released a draft of proposed anti-doping and medication control rules designed to bring uniformity to a sport that has operated for years under patchwork regulations in 38 racing states. Since July, HISA has been working with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to

5:00 AM ET The two-week international break might mean a pause for clubs, but it’s all systems go around the globe with World Cup qualifying and every continent is approaching the end of the road to Qatar 2022. Only three teams — including hosts Qatar, who qualify automatically — have already punched their tickets to

1:55 AM GMT Wallabies scrum-half Nic White has dubbed Eddie Jones the “king of mind games” ahead of Saturday’s clash at Twickenham, after the England coach wasted little time whipping up a pre-match sideshow on multiple fronts to start the week. It has already been a busy week for Jones, after he referenced US Open

9:30 AM ET Going into his UFC 268 main event against Colby Covington, welterweight champion Kamaru Usman already was No. 1 in the ESPN men’s pound-for-pound rankings. There was no room for upward movement. However, Usman’s strong performance at Madison Square Garden did earn him the backing of the last holdout on our voting panel.

7:58 AM ET It was an eventful week in the world of boxing. Canelo Alvarez claimed the vast majority of headlines as he became the undisputed super middleweight champion of the world by knocking out Caleb Plant on Saturday. So naturally, attention immediately turned toward what’s next for boxing’s pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter. In the

7:11 PM ET Associated Press AVONDALE, Ariz. — Kyle Larson won. That was the expected result of NASCAR’s season-ending championship race, right? Larson closed his comeback season in NASCAR with his first championship Sunday, where he capped his return from a nearly yearlong suspension with a title-winning victory at Phoenix Raceway. “I can’t believe it,”

11:58 PM ET It is notoriously difficult to see a truly great race car driver ever show us a lot of real, raw emotion. Not anger. We’ve all seen that plenty. Not celebratory joy. That’s what we see most, when the driver who has just pulled into Victory Lane finally shows us their face after

6:29 PM ET Associated Press PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico — Viktor Hovland won again on the PGA Tour, this time without a clutch finish. The Norwegian star was too dominant to give anyone else a chance Sunday in the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba. Hovland seized control with three birdies on the front nine,

12:04 PM ET Novak Djokovic won a record 37th Masters title by avenging his U.S Open final defeat against Russian Daniil Medvedev with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory at the Paris Masters on Sunday. Djokovic moved one clear of fellow 20-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal for Masters trophies, and nine ahead of Roger Federer,

1:59 PM ET Associated Press MIAMI — The NBA told its players, coaches and referees Sunday that they should receive booster shots against the coronavirus, with particular urgency for those who received the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The league and the National Basketball Players Association — working jointly based on guidance from the league’s

9:30 PM ET Associated Press DEL MAR, Calif. — Knicks Go burst into the lead out of the starting gate and kicked away to a 2¾-length victory in the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday at Del Mar. No one seriously pressed the colt, who earned his fourth straight victory and in the process

3:07 PM ET Texas A&M got a commitment Saturday from the No. 1-ranked prospect in the 2022 class — Walter Nolen. The 6-foot-4, 325-pound defensive tackle from Powell, Tennessee, chose the Aggies over Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and Michigan. He is the first No. 1 commit for coach Jimbo Fisher and his staff since joining Texas

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff The Week 9 NFL schedule for the 2021 season is stacked with great matchups, and we have you covered with what you need to know heading into the weekend. Our NFL Nation reporters bring us the biggest keys to every game, a bold prediction for each matchup and, of course,

9:30 AM ET Logan Couture remembers the sunny days for the NHL’s three California-based teams. “For five to seven years, it seemed like there was a California team in the conference final every year,” the San Jose Sharks captain said. “Teams that came from the East to play here would say that they just needed

6:36 AM ET The 38th edition of the Breeders’ Cup will kick off two days of action Friday afternoon at Keeneland. A lot of eyes will be on the Breeders’ Cup Classic, and with so many high-profile races in the mix, there are numerous opportunities to wager on horses that offer significant value. Chris “The

11:45 AM ET The 2021 World Series is in the books, with the Atlanta Braves triumphing over the Houston Astros in six games. Now, it’s 2021-22 MLB offseason time for all 30 teams, with trades to be made, extensions to consider, and free-agency decisions charting the courses of players and teams alike looming. Some of

6:31 PM ET LIVERPOOL, England — Liverpool were determined to ensure it was going to be different this time. Atletico Madrid‘s last visit to Anfield in March 2020 was a calamitous affair on and off the field. The Reds blew a two-goal lead to crash out in extra-time of a last-16 tie that many felt

5:14 PM ET Associated Press DEL MAR, Calif. — For the first time, all 14 Breeders’ Cup races this weekend at Del Mar will be run without race-day medication, the final step in a process that had the antibleeding medication Lasix prohibited in races for 2-year-olds at last year’s world championships. Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien

2:19 PM BST A number of players from Wales’ women’s team are set to receive a contract for the first time, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) announced on Wednesday. The Union have agreed for 25 contracts to be offered, up to 10 will be professional and up to 15 will be retainer agreements for a