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Montreal Alouettes remain undefeated with 30-20 road victory over Toronto Argonauts

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TORONTO – A little trickery and nerves of steel from head coach Jason Maas earned the Montreal Alouettes a record-setting victory Friday night.

Backup quarterback Caleb Evans threw a TD pass and ran for another as Montreal (4-0) earned a 30-20 road win over the Toronto Argonauts. Evans’ one-yard touchdown run at 9:15 of the fourth put the Alouettes ahead 30-12, but it was Mass’s bold third-down gamble in the third quarter that effectively delivered the game’s knockout blow.

Facing third-and-short, Evans appeared set to run for the first down. Instead, he lofted a pass to Cole Spieker, who completed the 44-yard scoring play at 9:20 to put the Alouettes ahead 23-9 before 11,165 fans at BMO Field.

“To have a coach that’s fierce, who wants to lead and isn’t afraid of the moment resonates with the guys,” Evans said. “As a team we’re not afraid of the moment, we’re ready for the opportunity.

“I told Cole, ‘Be ready for it,’ and he smiled at me. When you get that confidence from your guys, you’re like, ‘Let’s execute it.'”

On the same drive with Montreal facing second-and-20, running back Jeshrun Antwi hauled in a Cody Fajardo pass, then did an open-field kick. He recovered it to give the Als a fresh set of downs at their 47-yard line.

“That was a big drive, a big momentum swing in the game,” Mass said. “Football is based on momentum … that play was an integral moment in the game.

“We play well with a lead and I’m very proud of the guys.”

Montreal earned a team-record ninth straight regular-season victory and also extended its overall CFL win streak to 12 games that includes last year’s playoff and Grey Cup wins. Three of the Alouettes victories this season have come on the road.

“We prepare to win each week and I think that’s what defines our team,” Maas said. “Our team works like no other I’ve been a part of.

“When you go out there, you expect your preparation to pay off … we know they’re going to be tough, grind-out games, that’s how the CFL is. You’ve got to be on every game and every play and our guys are willing to do that.”

Fajardo finished 33-of-41 passing for 284 yards with a touchdown and interception.

Toronto (2-1) suffered its first home loss in 12 regular-season games. The Argos are the last team to beat Montreal with a 23-20 victory on Sept. 15, a span of 287 days.

But on Friday night all they could muster offensively was Makai Polk’s 40-yard touchdown catch — and Daniel Adeboboye’s two-point convert — with a minute to play. Toronto did itself no favours with 11 penalties for 120 yards.

Toronto starter Cameron Dukes was 22-of-32 passing for 199 yards and threw his first interception of the season. Backup Bryan Scott completed all five passes he attempted for 79 yards and the TD.

“Too many penalties,” said Toronto head coach Ryan Dinwiddie. “We just didn’t play winning football tonight … we had too many mistakes on offence.

“I could’ve given our quarterback better opportunities to throw the ball. It’s unfortunate, we never want to put on that performance in front of our crowd at home, but I think we have a lot to learn from.”

Tyson Philpot scored Montreal’s other touchdown. David Cote added three converts and three field goals.

Toronto’s Lirim Hajrullahu kicked four field goals.

Hajrullahu cut Toronto’s deficit to 23-12 with a 23-yard field goal at 12:31 of the third. Hajrullahu pulled Toronto to within 16-9 with a 40-yard field goal at 5:35.

Cote connected from 21 yards out at 3:35 to extend Montreal’s lead to 16-6. The 56-yard, eight-play drive was aided by face mask and roughing-the-passer penalties against Toronto.

Cote’s 10-yard field goal at 14:55 of the second gave Montreal its 13-6 halftime lead. The 52-yard, eight-play drive was set up by James Letcher Jr.’s 43-yard punt return to Toronto’s 54-yard line with 2:11 remaining.

Cote put Montreal ahead 10-6 with a 38-yard boot at 9:49.

Hajrullahu’s 21-yard field goal to end the first cut Montreal’s lead to 7-6. But Toronto settled for three after guard Ryan Hunter’s illegal procedure penalty with the Argos going for it on third-and-four inside the Alouettes’ 10-yard line.

Fajardo put Montreal ahead 7-3 with a 38-yard TD strike to Philpot at 9:23.

Hajrullahu’s 26-yard field goal opened the scoring at 6:21. It was set up by Toronto’s defence stopping Evans on third-and-one at the Alouettes’ 41-yard line.

ARGOS HONOUR TEAM GREATS

At halftime, former quarterback Ricky Ray was inducted as an all-time Argo. Former coach/executive Lew Hayman, Canadian linebacker/broadcaster Peter Martin and head coach/GM Bob O’Billovich were honoured as all-time Argo builders.

UP NEXT

The Argo travel to Regina on Thursday to play the Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-0).

The Alouettes host the Calgary Stampeders on July 6.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2024.

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My Boy Prince to race against older horses in $1-million Woodbine Mile

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TORONTO – He’s firmly among Canada’s top three-year-olds but My Boy Prince faces a stiff test Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack.

The ’24 King’s Plate runner-up will be part of a global field in the $1-million Woodbine Mile turf event. Not only will it be My Boy Prince’s first race against older competition but among the seven other starters will be such horses as Naval Power (Great Britain), Big Rock (France) and Filo Di Arianna (Brazil).

My Boy Prince will race for the first time since finishing second to filly Caitlinhergrtness in the Plate on Aug. 23.

“It’s his first try against older horses and it’s hard to say where he fits in,” said trainer Mark Casse. “This time of year running a three-year-old against older horses, it’s like running a teenager against college athletes.

“We’re doing it because we believe a mile on the turf is his preferred surface … we wanted to give him a shot at this. (American owner Gary Barber) is someone who likes to think outside the box and take calculated risks so we’re going to see where he fits in.”

Casse, 16 times Canada’s top trainer, is a Hall of Famer both here and in the U.S. He’s also a two-time Woodbine Mile winner with filly Tepin (2016) and World Approval (2017).

Sahin Civaci will again ride My Boy Prince, Canada’s top two-year-old male who has six wins and 10 money finishes (6-3-1) in 11 career starts. The horse will be one of three Casse trainees in the race with Filo Di Arianna (ridden by Sovereign Award winner Kazushi Kimura) and Win for the Money (veteran Woodbine jockey Patrick Husbands aboard).

Naval Power, a four-year-old, has finished in the money in eight of nine starts (six wins, twice second) and will race in Canada for the first time. He comes to Woodbine with second-place finishes in two Grade 1 turf races.

Big Rock, another four-year-old, makes his North American debut Saturday. The horse has five wins and five second-place finishes in 14 starts but has struggled in ’24, finishing sixth, 10th and fifth in three races.

Filo Di Arianna is a four-time graded stakes winner with nine victories, three seconds and a third from 17 starts. It was Canada’s ’22 top male sprinter and champion male turf horse.

Other starters include Playmea Tune, Niagara Skyline and Secret Reserve.

Playmea Tune, a four-year-old, is trained by Josie Carrol. The gelding has made three starts, winning twice and finishing second in the Grade 3 Bold Venture on Aug. 23.

Woodbine-based Niagara Skyline is a six-year-old with 13 money finishes (six wins, five seconds, twice third) in 24-lifetime starts. The John Charlambous trainee has reached the podium (1-1-1) in all three races this year.

Secret Reserve, also a six-year-old, has finished in the money in 15-of-26 starts (six wins, one second, eight thirds). The horse, at 44-1, was third in the Grade 2 King Edward Stakes over a mile on the E.P. Taylor turf course.

The Mile highlights a stellar card featuring six graded stakes races. Also on tap are the $750,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes (fillies and mares), $500,000 bet365 Summer Stakes (two-year-olds) and $500,000 Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes (two-year-old fillies), all Grade 1 turf events.

The Mile, Natalma and Summer winners earn automatic entries into the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar in November.

Casse has won all four races, earning his first E.P. Taylor title last year with filly Fev Rover, Canada’s horse of the year and champion female turf horse. Fev Rover will defend her title Saturday against a field that includes Moira, the ’22 King’s Plate winner and Canada’s horse of the year trained by Woodbine’s Kevin Attard.

“It (E.P. Taylor) was definitely on my bucket list because it had eluded us,” Casse said. “But I honestly hadn’t realized I’d won all four of them, hadn’t really thought about it.”

Casse will have horses in all four turf races Saturday. Arguably the most intriguing matchup will be between Moira and Fev Rover, who ran 1-2, respectively, in a photo finish Aug. 11 in the Grade 2 Beverly D. Stakes, a 1 3/16-mile turf race, at Virginia’s Colonial Downs.

“What’s funny is the two of them went all the way to Virginia and she beat us by a nose,” Casse said. “We could’ve done that at Woodbine.

“There’s two of the best fillies in the world both from Toronto and they’re going to be competing Saturday.”

Some question having so many solid races on a single card but Casse likes the strategy.

“I think it’s a good thing,” he said. “On Saturday, the main focus on horse racing in the world will be on Woodbine and that’s because it’s such a great card.

“It’s an international day, there’s horses coming from everywhere and we’re going to do our best to represent Canada.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.



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Former world No. 1 Sharapova wins fan vote for International Tennis Hall of Fame

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NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion, led the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan vote her first year on the ballot — an important part to possible selection to the hall’s next class.

The organization released the voting results Friday. American doubles team Bob and Mike Bryan finished second with Canada’s Daniel Nestor third.

The Hall of Fame said tens of thousands of fans from 120 countries cast ballots. Fan voting is one of two steps in the hall’s selection process. The second is an official group of journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers from the sport who vote on the ballot for the hall’s class of 2025.

“I am incredibly grateful to the fans all around the world who supported me during the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s fan votes,” Sharapova said in a statement. “It is a tremendous honor to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and having the fans’ support makes it all the more special.”

Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 in the world. She won Wimbledon in 2004, the U.S. Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008. She also won the French Open twice, in 2012 and 2014.

Sharapova was also part of Russia’s championship Fed Cup team in 2008 and won a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012.

To make the hall, candidates must receive 75% or higher on combined results of the official voting group and additional percentage from the fan vote. Sharapova will have an additional three percentage points from winning the fan vote.

The Bryans, who won 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, will have two additional percentage points and Nestor, who won eight Grand Slam doubles titles, will get one extra percentage point.

The hall’s next class will be announced late next month.

___

AP tennis:

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Roots sees room for expansion in activewear, reports $5.2M Q2 loss and sales drop

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TORONTO – Roots Corp. may have built its brand on all things comfy and cosy, but its CEO says activewear is now “really becoming a core part” of the brand.

The category, which at Roots spans leggings, tracksuits, sports bras and bike shorts, has seen such sustained double-digit growth that Meghan Roach plans to make it a key part of the business’ future.

“It’s an area … you will see us continue to expand upon,” she told analysts on a Friday call.

The Toronto-based retailer’s push into activewear has taken shape over many years and included several turns as the official designer and supplier of Team Canada’s Olympic uniform.

But consumers have had plenty of choice when it comes to workout gear and other apparel suited to their sporting needs. On top of the slew of athletic brands like Nike and Adidas, shoppers have also gravitated toward Lululemon Athletica Inc., Alo and Vuori, ramping up competition in the activewear category.

Roach feels Roots’ toehold in the category stems from the fit, feel and following its merchandise has cultivated.

“Our product really resonates with (shoppers) because you can wear it through multiple different use cases and occasions,” she said.

“We’ve been seeing customers come back again and again for some of these core products in our activewear collection.”

Her remarks came the same day as Roots revealed it lost $5.2 million in its latest quarter compared with a loss of $5.3 million in the same quarter last year.

The company said the second-quarter loss amounted to 13 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Aug. 3, the same as a year earlier.

In presenting the results, Roach reminded analysts that the first half of the year is usually “seasonally small,” representing just 30 per cent of the company’s annual sales.

Sales for the second quarter totalled $47.7 million, down from $49.4 million in the same quarter last year.

The move lower came as direct-to-consumer sales amounted to $36.4 million, down from $37.1 million a year earlier, as comparable sales edged down 0.2 per cent.

The numbers reflect the fact that Roots continued to grapple with inventory challenges in the company’s Cooper fleece line that first cropped up in its previous quarter.

Roots recently began to use artificial intelligence to assist with daily inventory replenishments and said more tools helping with allocation will go live in the next quarter.

Beyond that time period, the company intends to keep exploring AI and renovate more of its stores.

It will also re-evaluate its design ranks.

Roots announced Friday that chief product officer Karuna Scheinfeld has stepped down.

Rather than fill the role, the company plans to hire senior level design talent with international experience in the outdoor and activewear sectors who will take on tasks previously done by the chief product officer.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:ROOT)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



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