HORSE RACING

Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike is the third betting choice on the morning line for the Belmont Stakes, with Triple Crown newcomer We the People installed as the favorite.

Rich Strike opened at 7-2 odds and drew the fourth post position in a field of eight horses for the 1 1/2-mile third leg of the Triple Crown. We the People drew the rail and opens at 2-1, with Todd Pletcher-trained No. 6 Mo Donegal set at 5-2.

A month after Rich Strike pulled off an 80-1 upset to win the Derby and bypassed the Preakness for extra rest, trainer Eric Reed thinks the colt is training just as well at Belmont Park as he was at Churchill Downs.

“He’s done real good since he’s been here,” Reed said Tuesday at the post position draw. “I see the energy level a little higher now, and he seems a little more confident.”

We the People is coming off winning the Grade 3 Peter Pan Stakes at Belmont Park on May 15. With another wet track possible Saturday, France-born trainer Rodolphe Brisset said he “wouldn’t be upset” if rain is in the forecast.

As for We the People opening as the favorite, Brisset said: “Everybody knows we like the horse since this winter. I don’t look at the odds, but it makes sense.

Pletcher has two horses in the field: Mo Donegal, who finished fifth in the Derby, and filly Nest, who ran second in the Kentucky Oaks the day before. He already has won the Belmont once before with a filly – Rags to Riches in 2004 – and is willing to take this chance with Nest, who drew the third post and opens at 8-1.

BASKETBALL

WNBA: The Los Angeles Sparks have fired Coach and GM Derek Fisher the team announced.

Fisher took over the team in 2019 and became the GM a year later. He finished his career with a 54-46 record as coach.

Assistant Fred Williams will take over as interim head coach.

“After a thorough evaluation of the state of our team, the Sparks and GM/Head Coach Derek Fisher have agreed to part ways,” managing partner Eric Holoman said. “On behalf of our ownership group, I want to thank Derek for his efforts and contributions to the Sparks franchise. We wish him the best moving forward. I have full confidence in Fred Williams to step into the role of interim head coach, bringing a wealth of experience leading WNBA teams.”

The Sparks missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2011 and bolstered their roster by adding All-Star Liz Cambage in the offseason. They had a difficult schedule to start the season with nine of their first 12 games on the road and are 5-7.

•  Sabrina Ionescu had 26 points, eight rebounds and eight assists to help the New York Liberty rout the visiting Minnesota Lynx 88-69.

The Liberty’s No. 1 draft pick in 2020 had 13 points, seven assists and six rebounds in the first half, including hitting a shot from half-court at the end of the second quarter to give New York (4-8) a 45-37 advantage at the break. That brought her college coach at Oregon, Kelly Graves, to his feet in the stands.

SOCCER

GERMANY: Schalke appointed Frank Kramer as coach to help ensure the team’s survival in the Bundesliga after one season in the second division.

The Gelsenkirchen-based club said Kramer has signed for two seasons and will replace Michael Buskens, who led the team to promotion as interim coach.

Buskens, already a Schalke club great from his playing days, is returning to his position as assistant coach.

BELGIUM: Striker Romelu Lukaku will miss the national team’s next two Nations League matches because of the ankle injury he picked up against the Netherlands, Coach Roberto Martinez said.

Lukaku has been ruled out of Wednesday’s game against Poland and won’t play at Wales on Saturday, Martinez said. Lukaku got injured in the 4-1 loss to the Dutch last week in Brussels.

FIGURE SKATING

AGE LIMIT: No 15-year-old figure skaters will be allowed to compete at the 2026 Olympics following the controversy surrounding Russian national champion Kamila Valieva at this year’s Beijing Games.

A new age limit for figure skaters at senior international events was passed by the International Skating Union in a 110-16 vote that will raise the minimum age to 17 before the next Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

The limit will be phased in with 15-year-olds continuing to be allowed to compete next season, a minimum age of 16 in the 2023-24 season, rising to 17 the season after, which is the last before the Olympics.

The ISU said the new rule was “for the sake of protecting the physical and mental health, and emotional well-being of the skaters.”

TENNIS

STUTTGART OPEN: Two-time Wimbledon champion Andy Murray defeated Australian qualifier Christopher O’Connell 6-4, 6-3 in the first round in Germany.

Murray, 35, dropped the first three games of the match but recovered to break O’Connell four times and celebrate his tournament debut with a 95-minute win.

Murray missed much of the clay-court season to focus on his preparations for grass. He reached the semifinals of the Surbiton Trophy last week, when he was beaten by Denis Kudla.

Seventh-seeded Alexander Bublik defeated Kudla 7-6 (3), 7-5 later to prevent a rematch. Murray will now face Bublik in the second round.

Also, Swiss qualifier Dominic Stricker surprised American player Maxime Cressy 6-7 (2), 7-6 (5), 7-6 (2). The 19-year-old Stricker next faces top-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Marton Fucsovics came back to beat Austrian qualifier Jurij Rodionov 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-4 for a second-round meeting with third-seeded Hubert Hurkacz.

Arthur Rinderknech defeated compatriot Ugo Humbert 4-6, 7-6 (4), 6-4 and will next face another French player, Benjamin Bonzi. Bonzi defeated Spain’s Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 6-1 on Monday.

Also, Nick Kyrgios defeated Jiri Lehecka 7-6 (3), 6-3.

The fifth-seeded Nikoloz Basilashvili was leading Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 4-2 when their first-round match was suspended due to rain.

INJURY: U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu has “no idea” if she’ll be ready for Wimbledon in just under three weeks after retiring from her match  with a “freak injury” to her left side.

Raducanu was facing Victorija Golubic in her opener at the Nottingham Open and was trailing 4-3 when she stopped playing.

“I think I pulled something, I am not really sure what exactly happened,” the 11th-ranked Raducanu said, describing it as an “absolute freak injury.”

The next Grand Slam tournament begins on June 27 at Wimbledon.

COLLEGES

MEN’S BASKETBALL: JR Reid has resigned as an assistant coach at Monmouth University to pursue opportunities outside of college basketball.

The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference school announced the decision without saying what plans Reid had.

Reid spent four seasons at Monmouth and was an integral part of the program, contributing to 65 overall victories, the 2021 MAAC regular-season title, and trips to the MAAC title game in 2019 and 2022.

Reid played for North Carolina in the 1980s and won a bronze medal in the 1988 Olympics. He played in the NBA for the Charlotte Hornets, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers in a pro career that spanned from 1989-2003, ending overseas.