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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.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. Jalen Hurd Jersey . The No. 1-ranked Nadal tweaked his back warming up for the Australian Open final, which he lost almost four weeks ago in a major upset against Stanislas Wawrinka. His first stop after the layoff is the clay in Rio as he tests the back and tries to stay healthy for the French Open in three months. Tom Rathman Jersey . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. http://www.thesf49ersshoponline.com/Youth-dee-ford-49ers-jersey/ .C. -- Rodney Hood connected from all over the court while freshman Jabari Parker was busy swatting shots and scoring in transition. Deebo Samuel Womens Jersey .com) - The Montreal Canadiens embark on their first road trip of the season as they head out west to battle the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Deion Sanders Youth Jersey . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. MOSCOW -- At least 105 athletes from the 387-strong Russian Olympic team announced last week have been barred from the Rio Games in connection with the countrys doping scandal.International federations in canoeing, sailing and modern pentathlon ruled out eight on Tuesday, including an Olympic gold medalist. Rowing added 19 more athletes to three that had previously been announced. Swimming has also barred some athletes. Some appeals are likely.Russian President Vladimir Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that Putin had discussed the doping issue with his national security council.The topic of the recent International Olympic Committee ruling relating to Russian athletes was raised ahead of Putins planned meeting tomorrow with the Russian Olympic team, Peskov was quoted as saying.The vast majority of the Russian athletes who miss out are in track and field, where 67 athletes were ruled out when a ban on the Russian team was upheld at the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week.More are falling foul of new rules imposed in the wake of the countrys doping scandal.While Russia avoided a blanket ban from the International Olympic Committee, it has lost several medal contenders to new IOC rules imposed Sunday banning Russia from entering athletes who previously doped.Alexander Dyachenko, an Olympic champion in 2012, was among five canoeists ruled out after being named in a recent report by World Anti-Doping Agency investigator Richard McLaren alleging a state-sponsored doping cover-up.McLarens report last week specifically detailed how Russian state officials allegedly intervened to cover up hundreds of failed drug tests.Dyachenko won gold in the mens double kayak 200 meters at the 2012 London Games.The ICF will continue its strong zero-tolerance stance and remove all athletes that contravene its rules in anyway, said Simon Toulson, the International Canoe Federations general secretary. If you step out of line you wont make the start line.The four other banned canoeists are Alexei Korovashkov -- a 2012 bronze medalist in the C2 1,000 meters event -- Andrei Kraitor, Elena Anyushina and Nataliya Podolskaya.The ICF also said that Russia would not be allowed to enter boats in four events in which the excluded athletes would have raced. Therefore, Austria, Germany, Sweden and Iran are in line to receive their places.World Sailing said Pavel Sozykin, who had been due to race in the 470 class, would be excluded because he was mentioned in the McLaren report. Russias other six sailors were approve and Russia is able to nominate a replacement for Sozykin, the federation said.Meannwhile, the International Modern Pentathlon Union named the two Russians it had suspended as Maxim Kustov and Ilya Frolov, saying they both featured in the McLaren report.dddddddddddd. Kustovs place in the mens event passes to a Latvian athlete, while Frolov had only been entered for Rio as a reserve.There are now a total of 22 Russian rowers who have been excluded. They include Ivan Podshivalov and Anastasia Karabelshchikova, who were excluded because they previously served doping bans, while Ivan Balandin from Russias mens eight was implicated in the McLaren report, World Rowing said. The others, according to a release Tuesday, did not meet standards set by the IOC.Meanwhile, volleyball player Alexander Markin told local media he had been dropped due to a positive test earlier this year for the banned substance meldonium, even though he had not been banned. The international volleyball federation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The head of the Russian Wrestling Federation told the R-Sport agency that two-time world champion Viktor Lebedev was ineligible because he was given a doping ban in 2006.On Monday, swimmings world governing body FINA ruled out seven Russians including reigning world 100m breaststroke champion Yulia Efimova.Legal challenges are looming.Efimovas agent has said he is preparing an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and the Russian Canoe Federations general secretary Irina Sirayeva said that the five banned athletes could follow suit.The intention to defend the athletes is there, she told R-Sport.Triple jumper Ekaterina Koneva -- a former world championship silver medalist -- told local media she was considering a lawsuit in civil court.There was good news for Russia as its judo and shooting teams -- comprised 11 and 18 athletes respectively -- received approval to compete from their sports international governing bodies.Also, Russia also looks set to field a full team of four players in Olympic badminton, the Russian Badminton Federation said Tuesday, citing assurances from the Badminton World Federation.Previously, archery, tennis and equestrian sports world governing bodies said they had no objection to the Russians entered in their sports.Lists of Russian athletes approved by international federations must still be approved by CAS arbiters who can reject athletes not tested outside Russia.The IOC refused to accept testing done by Russian agencies because of evidence that the process was corrupted. 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