The roster of breeds carrying the colors of the United States in the equestrian competition beginning this weekend at the Summer Olympics includes three Belgian Warmbloods, three Dutch Warmbloods, a Danish Warmblood, a Westphalian, an Irish Sport Horse, a Holsteiner, a Hanoverian stallion ?And a former Thoroughbred racehorse named Blackfoot Mystery. Clearance NFL Jerseys Australia .Anyone who took 35-1 on Blackfoot Mystery in a maiden claimer at Hollywood Park on the quiet Friday afternoon of July 13, 2007, probably tore up the ticket after he finished last of six going 1-1/16 miles on the main track. Too bad.Now a proud and robust 12, that same Blackfoot Mystery and rider Boyd Martin are part of the eventing team being fielded by the U.S. this week in Rio de Janeiro. These are the versatile equestrian triathletes, required to compete in jumping, dressage, and cross-country, with medals on the line for both teams and individuals.In the modern era, the list of former Thoroughbred racehorses who have made the U.S. Olympic team is short. The bar was set by For the Moment, the winner of the 1977 Blue Grass Stakes and eighth in the Kentucky Derby, who was part of the 1988 team-jumping silver-medal glory in Seoul, South Korea.For a former racehorse to get even close to such rare air is cause for celebration. Blackfoot Mystery is a poster boy for life after the racetrack, even though his career lasted only three races and he never picked up a check or, for that matter, beat a horse.He was lucky, though, to be trained by Jesus Mendoza, who donated Blackfoot Mystery to Leigh Grays Thoroughbred Rehab Center at the Winners Circle Ranch of Dr. Don Shields in Bradbury, just east of Santa Anita Park.Gray, a veterinary technician, ranch manager, and former racing official, has spent what probably feels like a lifetime in the rehabilitation, retraining, and offtrack placement of racehorses who can no longer make the grade. She was already the go-to resource at Southern California tracks for years before she founded the Thoroughbred Rehab Center in 2003. More recently, the TRC has developed a close working relationship with the California Retirement Management Account, which helps to fund the states qualified aftercare programs.The call Gray received from Mendoza nine years ago had a familiar ring.It was clear that racing was not going to be Blackfoots forte, Gray said. When he called me, he said, Youll love this one, which is pretty much what he says every time he calls. He was attractive but big and gangly. He was really easygoing, the kind of disposition I look for that makes them easier to place. He just needed more time because he was going to be such a big horse.Blackfoot Mystery is a Kentucky-bred son of the Coxs Ridge stallion Out of Place, who suffered an irreparable injury in his Claiborne Farm paddock in 2010 at the age of 23. He is buried at Claibornes Marchmont Cemetery, alongside such champions as Damascus, Ack Ack, Easy Goer, Conquistador Cielo, Unbridled, Numbered Account, Moccasin, and Dearly Precious.Blackfoot Mysterys dam is True Mystery, a daughter of Proud Truth, the 1985 Breeders Cup Classic winner who bequeathed his grandson his chestnut color and considerable size. He was 16-1 or 16-2 when I had him as a youngster, Gray said. And he only got bigger from there.The journey from last place in a maiden claimer to the starting team for the Olympics took Blackfoot Mystery from Gray in Southern California to Shirley Aronson and then Lisa Peecook in Northern California, then eastward to Kelly Prather in Pennsylvania, and finally to Olympian Boyd Martin, who was part of the 2012 U.S. team.Martin and Blackfoot Mystery must handle all three eventing disciplines. But it is the cross-country that has their fans excited.Thoroughbreds are perfectly suited for this sport, Gray said. They have the endurance to go the distance. They have the fortitude, the brain, theyre strong, and they can bring the speed. Dressage is always a difficult phase for eventers, but its the cross-country that is the main, hard test.In Olympics past, the cross-country courses were unforgiving, sometimes downright brutal.Cross-country has changed, Gray said. Its now pretty fast, and they ask different questions. They have narrows and corners, which means the horse has to be very agile, thinking on his feet. Thoroughbreds do that in spades.All the major betting shops encourage play on the Olympics, equestrians included. With 15 countries represented, Coral has the German team heavily favored to win the eventing competition, with Britain and New Zealand next and the United States offered at 12-1.The dressage portion was scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, while Blackfoot Mystery and his teammates will take to the cross-country course on Monday. (DVRs should be set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Eastern on the USA network.) The eventers wrap up on Tuesday with the jumping competition, after which Blackfoot Majesty can kick back and enjoy the synchronized swimming.I cant wait, Gray said. I think he is talented enough and has the potential to get a medal, but there are some incredibly tough competitors from Europe wholl be there. Out of 580-something horses that Ive rescued so far in the last 15, 20 years, this is my Olympian - and probably will be my only one. Im going to relish every minute. NFL Jerseys Outlet . Following a lopsided 5-2 loss against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night, Paul MacLean told reporters that "theres a lack of focus, theres a lack of leadership and theres a lack of preparation" with his struggling team. That came on the heels of Bryan Murray taking the unusual step of going into the locker room at the Prudential Center and addressing the players himself. Cheap NFL Jerseys Free Shipping . Inter president Erick Thohir says in a club statement on Wednesday that Vidic is "one of the worlds best defenders and his qualities, international pedigree, and charisma will be an asset. http://www.cheapnfljerseysaustralia.com/ . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. Welcome to the last week of the 2016 MLB regular season. For some, titles will be won and lost over the next seven days. For others, its one last week set DFS lineups for MLB.We have our normal abbreviated Monday slate with a surprising number of good choices on the rubber. Good luck everyone. Lets bring home a championship or two.PitchingEliteCorey Kluber is the only arm that checks in as elite for Monday, as his Cleveland Indians opening a set in Motown. The Detroit Tigers are in the middle of the wild-card hunt, so theyll be using their A-team. This adds some risk to Klubers profile, despite the fact hell enjoy the platoon edge over the majority of the home teams sluggers. Theres enough strikeout upside to use Kluber in a GPP in the hopes the Tribe gives him one more shot to earn Cy Young votes.SolidSpeaking of pitchers angling to add onto their Cy Young resume, Kyle Hendricks and the Chicago Cubs head to the Steel City for a date at PNC Park with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 26-year old righty is in a good spot for a typically strong performance, facing a Bucs squad thats been struggling since the All-Star break. Hendricks has tossed at least six frames in 11 of his past 12 outings and should do so again, making him the top cash game option on the day.After suggesting theyd shutdown Drew Smyly early, the Tampa Bay Rays are sending their lefty to the hill at least one more time. All things considered, 2016 has to be considered a step back for Smyly, despite the fact he set a career high in innings. Home runs and a drop in strikeouts were the primary downfalls. Smyly get the ball at U.S. Cellular Field to take on the Chicago White Sox so he has the chance to head into 2017 on a strong note.The St. Louis Cardinals will reinsert Jaime Garcia into their rotation, replacing Luke Weaver. Presently sitting at 170 2/3 innings, the oft-injured lefty has surprised in terms of health but has been a major disappointment when it comes to performance. Garcia has the chance to end the season on a high note with a home affair against the Cincinnati Reds. When hes on, Garcia is more known for his floor than ceiling, but this season his uncharacteristic consistency is better suited for GPP play, especially against an offense with an above-average strikeout rate against lefties.If Sean Manaeas second half is a harbinger of next year, the Oakland Athletics have a front-end of the rotation starter on their midst. The lefty is sporting a 2.72 ERA and 1.09 ERA over his last 10 efforts, fanning 57 with only 15 walks in those 59 2/3 innings. Next up for Manaea is the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim. The strikeout potential is lacking for DFS GPP consideration, but the 24-year old is very much in play for cash action.David Ortiz is getting all sorts of accolades for what hes doing at 40 years of age, and rightfully so, but lets give Bartolo Colon some credit. Hes on the verge of his fourth consecutive campaign tossing at least 190 innings at the ripe age of 43. With all the injuries to their staff, the New York Mets needed every one of those frames as they enter the last week of the season entangled with the Giants and Cardinals for the two NL wild-card berths. Colon leads the Mets into Marlins Park where his workmanlike approach is quite suitable for DFS cash game play.Perhaps if the Toronto Blue Jays and Boston Red Sox were reversed in the standings, it would be J. Wholesale NFL Jerseys Australia. A. Happ and not fellow 20-game winner Rick Porcello garnering the AL Cy Young Award buzz. Instead, Happ is keying the Jays flight towards the wild-card game, taking the hill at Rogers Centre for a make-up game against the New York Yankees. Happ doesnt generally pitch deep into games, and there isnt much strikeout potential, so if the price is right, Happ fits best for DFS cash play.Tanner Roarks campaign is a big reason why the Washington Nationals are NL East division champions for the third time in five years. Next on the docket for the soon-to-be 30-year old is a home date with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Roarks floor puts him in play for cash while the Snakes strikeout-prone lineup elevates him to tournament consideration.StreamersPickings are slim for an under-the-radar spot starter. If wins are your fancy, Martin Perez and the Texas Rangers are in the thick of the race for the American Leagues best record, which rewards home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Milwaukee Brewers visit Arlington and will be decided underdogs.AvoidJered Weaver and Matt Garza make this list by virtue of their sub-45 projected game scores. Technically, Perez should qualify as well, but since he was mentioned as a streamer, its only fair to warn against an option not in the automatic avoid range. As alluded to, the Rays hit righties well, especially in terms of power. Considering how homer-prone James Shields has been for most of the season, its best to leave him on the sidelines.HittingMaking a rare visit to the top spot are the Rays with their juicy matchup against Shields. Its likely not a shock that the White Sox righty has surrendered the most homers in the league. What may be surprising is only the Baltimore Orioles have taken right-handers deep more often than the Rays. Brad Miller and Corey Dickerson enjoy the platoon edge while Logan Forsythe and Evan Longoria are in play despite the righty-righty encounter.The Rangers check in the second spot with their home date against Matt Garza and the Brewers. Lefty swingers thrive facing Garza, yielding Nomar Mazara, Rougned Odor, Mitch Moreland and Carlos Beltran?as the main targets. The Rangers are fighting for home field, so they arent likely to use their call-ups, but just in case: Keep an eye out for Joey Gallo or Jared Hoying getting a start.Second to Shields with respect to homers allowed is Jered Weaver. The Los Angeles Angels righty takes the hill in Anaheim against the Oakland Athletics. The guests dont have the power potential of the Rays, but theyre dangerous nonetheless. Joey Wendle has excelled from the leadoff spot with Stephen Vogt recently occupying the two hole. The table-setters have the platoon edge, but the real power comes from Ryon Healy, Khris Davis and Danny Valencia.Most likely to hit a homer: Corey Dickerson has powered 21 of his 23 homers against right-handers, so lets designate him as the Ray most likely to take Shields out of the park.Most likely to steal a base: Adam Frazier has been leading off most of the time, stealing four bags in five tries in his young career. Look for him to do some running against the Cubs, a squad that does not put a premium on controlling the running game. Wholesale China Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Nike NFL Jerseys China Wholesale Nike Basketball Jerseys Hockey Jerseys China Supply Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Sale Authentic College Jerseys MLB Jerseys China Stitched Soccer Jerseys Cheap Jerseys From China Cheap Nike Jerseys ' ' '