Aug 27, 2019 4 min read

At The Meadows

Suddenly Royal abandoned the pocket past the quarter and made the move stand up as she won her third straight – and gave Jim Pantaleano won of his five victories on the 13-race card – in Tuesday’s feature at The Meadows, a $13,500 Filly & Mare Conditioned Pace.

Although Suddenly Royal was sitting behind the 2-5 favorite, Lakeisha Hall, Pantaleano wanted that one in his rear-view mirror and took the point. Suddenly Royal downed Lakeisha Hall by a length in 1:52 over a “good” surface, with Easy Three third. Suddenly Royal appeared to bear out briefly down the backside, but following an inquiry, the judges did not disturb the order of finish.

The 4-year-old daughter of Dragon Again-Resilient is owned by A Piece Of The Action LLC and trained by Christen Pantaleano, who sent out three of her husband’s winning quintet.

Royals owner open to selling

Two people familiar with the situation tell the Associated Press that the ownership of the Kansas City Royals is open to the possibility of selling the franchise if the right buyer is found.

The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sale.

The Athletic reported Tuesday that team owner David Glass was in discussions with a group led by Kansas City native and Cleveland Indians vice chairman John Sherman. But the depth of those discussions is unclear, and one person told the AP that the club has been open to offers for some time.

The Royals declined in a statement to address any speculation about a potential sale.

Glass, the former president and CEO of Wal-Mart, was appointed interim chairman of the club in 1993 after the death of its founder, Ewing Kauffman. The Glass family bought the team for $96 million in April 2000 with the understanding that the Royals would remain in Kansas City.

Earlier this year, Forbes calculated the franchise value at $1 billion.

Arizona’s Peralta done for season

Arizona Diamondbacks left fielder David Peralta has decided to undergo season-ending right shoulder surgery after landing on the injured list for a third time this season and regularly trying to play through pain.

Peralta, who hadn’t played since Aug. 23, is scheduled to undergo a cleanup procedure Friday for inflammation in the AC joint. Dr. Timothy Kremchek in Cincinnati will perform the surgery, and Peralta is expected to be ready for spring training 2020, which manager Torey Lovullo called a “silver lining.”

Still, losing him is a tough one for the contending D-backs. Peralta was batting .275 with 12 homers and 57 RBIs in 99 games. Lovullo spoke with Peralta on Tuesday and could sense the outfielder was down about his season ending this way.

Dodgers’ Turner suspended

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner was suspended for one game by Major League Baseball on Tuesday for making contact with umpire Rob Drake after striking out looking to end a game the night before.

MLB also fined Turner an undisclosed amount. Turner is appealing the discipline, meaning he is allowed to play until the process is complete.

He was not in the lineup Tuesday night when the NL West leaders faced the Padres in the middle game of a three-game series, but he and manager Dave Roberts said it was a planned day off.

“There’s nothing to comment on, guys,” Turner told reporters. “It’s under appeal right now. If you want to talk about the incident last night, you’re wasting your time right now.”

Venezuela to fight MLB ban

Venezuelan officials say they’re fighting a ban by Major League Baseball that blocks its players from the South American country’s winter league under strict U.S. sanctions against the socialist government.

The Venezuelan Professional Baseball League on Tuesday said it’s asking the U.S. Treasury for an exception. Major League Baseball announced last week that its players are banned from the Venezuelan Winter League, citing the economic sanctions.

Eight teams in the Venezuelan league say the MLB’s ban was made against their interests and the nation’s passion for baseball.

U.S. officials in early August announced a new, broad round of economic measures blocking companies and individuals from doing business with Venezuela’s socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, known as PDVSA, has been a major sponsor of the nation’s professional baseball league.

The Venezuelan Winter League is one many that major league players use to hone their skills in the offseason.