標籤: honor

Chad Brown-trained horse Iron Honor heads into the 2026 Preakness Stakes as the current favorite. However, one racing insider believes there are two other legitimate contenders to win Saturday’s race.

The second leg of this year’s Triple Crown comes this weekend with the 151st edition of the Preakness Stakes. This year differs from recent editions as only three Kentucky Derby competitors will be at Laurel Park on Saturday, and none of them are race winner Golden Tempo.

Before Saturday’s race, Iron Honor, a horse trained by two-time Preakness winner Chad Brown, is the favorite. And according to racing insider Byron King, we may be getting the best version of the three-year-old colt yet.

“[Iron Honor] “It is projected as a slight 9-2 favorite due to the success of trainer Chad Brown, who has won this race twice before with new horses, excluding the Kentucky Derby,” King reported. player. “Iron Honor is racing with his “blinkers off”, which usually helps the horse settle and relax, and many believe he will run much better than his seventh-place finish in the Wood Memorial.

“…I quite like Iron Honor. Especially with the “blinker off” angle, which shows the horse is more experienced.”

Other horses to watch in the 2026 Preakness Stakes, including The Hell We Did

For bettors, this is useful information, but they also want to know about horses with long odds that can yield big returns on wins, places, and show stakes. King suggests that some of the Preakness competitors offer upside, especially if they are locally bred in Maryland.

“You have a lot of horses in the 5-1 to 15-1 range where you can make a case for them,” King said. “Some of the tried and true methods of picking a Derby winner are not in place this year. The home track edge may also be greater because the race is at Laurel Park instead of Pimlico this year.”

Racing Insider believes that a local contender, the Brittany Russell-trained colt Taj Mahal, is a contender for good reason. However, he has concerns about how he will be able to handle a more talented field.

“Taj Mahal is based in Maryland, so he has the ‘home track edge,'” says King. “He has shown early speed in previous long-distance races, but in this field he faces too much speed and gets pulled into the inside post position. I would be surprised if he wins, as it is a big step up from beating the Laurel Stakes horses to winning the Preakness.”

When it comes to sleeper picks in this year’s stakes, the name king tops is the Todd Fincher-trained colt The Hell We Did.

King said, “I also like a horse named The Hell We Did. He finished second in the Lexington Stakes and has great pedigree as a half-brother to Saudi Cup winner Senor Buscador.”

After earning a journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos worked as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sacca… More about Jason Burgos

The entire hockey world expected Matthew Schaefer to become the Calder Trophy winner for 2026 NHL Rookie of the Year.

But how Schaefer learned of his honor came as a surprise.

The New York Islanders rookie defenseman was named the unanimous winner of the 2026 Calder Trophy and was walked out of the honor when his brother and father surprised him on the set of “GMA3” on Wednesday.

On September 5, despite only turning 18, Schaefer tied the NHL record for single-season goals by a rookie defenseman (23). Schafer led the team, finished second on the team in goals and points (59), and was fifth in the NHL in average time on ice per game (24:41).

Schaefer became the fifth Islanders player to win the Calder Trophy and the third Islanders defenseman to earn Rookie of the Year honors, joining Brian Berard (1996) and Denis Potvin (1974). He is the first Islanders player to earn Calder Trophy honors since teammate Mathew Barzal in 2018.

Matthew Schaefer wins Calder Trophy

Not only was Schaefer selected first overall at the age of 17, but he made the team right out of training camp, adding immense pressure to the native of Hamilton, Ontario, just 50 miles southwest of Toronto.

But after a long season, Schaefer earned all 198 first-place votes among members of the Pro Hockey Writers Association. His 1,980 points surpassed Ivan Demidov of the Montreal Canadiens, Bennett Seneca of the Anaheim Ducks and Canadiens goaltender Jacob Dobbs.

“It’s definitely an honor to see so many great names on that trophy,” Schaefer told NHL.com. “It’s definitely a dream come true. Obviously, Demidov and Seneca, they’re great players and they could have won it. I think any of us could have won it, because we all had great years, especially him. They’ve done great things for the league.

“It’s definitely an honor and a privilege to receive this trophy.”

It was ‘amazing’ for Matthew Schaeffer to have his family with him

Schaefer is extremely close to her family, especially after her mother Jennifer died of breast cancer in February 2024 at the age of 56.

So having his father, brother and girlfriend there, as well as Matt Martin and his wife Sydney and their daughters, with whom Schaefer lived during his rookie season, was a huge feeling for Schaefer.

“My two ‘sisters,'” Schaefer said fighting back tears on “GMA3,” referring to Martin’s daughters Sydney and Winnie. “Obviously, this year has been very important to me. I wanted to do it for my mom and my family. It’s definitely an honor.”

His father Todd and brother Johnathan also flew in from outside Toronto to be there for Schaefer.

“It was amazing,” Schaefer said. “I definitely wasn’t expecting it. It was great to have my dad and brother and all of them come down [from Canada]”

Pat Pickens is an award-winning sports writer and author who has covered the NHL since 2013. He reveals more about Pat Pickens.

The NBA on Tuesday officially named Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month for February, marking the third time in his career that he has won the award and the first time he has earned the honor this season. Atkinson is only the third coach in Cavs franchise history to accomplish the feat, joining Mike Brown and the late, great Lenny Wilkens.

Cleveland went 8-3 last month with a league-leading scoring average of 120.9 points per game and the top field-goal percentage (49.8%). He also averaged the third-most assists per contest (28.9).

This coincided with the incredible dominance of Jarrett Allen and the trade deadline acquisitions of James Harden, Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder.

“Bringing in James has given us new confidence, if that means anything,” Atkinson said. “We understand we’re a better team and that feeling, that confidence, for some strange reason forces you to play more and compete harder and compete harder defensively, and I felt like we were losing that edge, that confidence. So I think we’re getting that back.”

Three of the team’s four lowest opponent-scoring totals were recorded in February against the New York Knicks (94) and Los Angeles Clippers (91), and the Wine and Gold held the Brooklyn Nets to a season-low 84 points at Rocket Arena.

Offensively, Cleveland scored at least 130 points three times last month, which tied for second in the East. Its average margin of victory was 10.9 points, which ranked third in the conference. Additionally, from February 1–20, the Cavs remained undefeated and had five consecutive road wins, despite the interruption of the All-Star break.

Atkinson won the NBA Coach of the Month award twice last year, with recognition for October/November 2024 and December 2024. To catch Brown’s leading total of five with the Cavs, he will have to win it twice more.

San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson won the award for representing the Western Conference.

The Cavs have already had a solid start to March despite nagging injuries throughout the campaign. They have earned the next four days off before welcoming the Boston Celtics to town on Sunday afternoon.