Off the wire

HORSE RACING Record victory for Dude

Game On Dude cruised to a record 8 1/2-length victory Sunday in the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar. The 6-year-old gelding ran 1 1/4 miles on the synthetic surface in 2:00.69 and extended his winning streak to six races. He captured California’s richest race after two previous failures, having finished second last year and fourth in 2011. Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and co-owner Joe Torre celebrated on the track. It was the largest winning margin in the race’s 23-year history, bettering the 5 1/2 lengths that Skimming won by in 2001. Game On Dude paid $5.40, $3.80 and $3.20 as the 8-5 favorite in the 13-horse field. Kettle Corn returned $5.60 and $4.40, while You Know I Know was another nose back in third and paid $9. Defending champion Dullahan faded to eighth.

FOOTBALL Ex-Titan charged

Former Tennessee Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck has been charged with felony robbery after a cab driver accused him of taking money during an argument. The driver was waiting outside a bar for a paid fare early Sunday when Bulluck approached him asking for a ride, police said in a statement. The driver said he declined and Bulluck grabbed him by his shirt, took a $100 bill and fled. In a statement to The Tennessean, Bulluck described the incident as a “misunderstanding between me and the cab driver about getting my money back for a service not rendered. At 2 a.m., things could easily get lost in translation, but regardless of who was right or wrong, I regret putting myself in that situation,” he said.Bulluck retired from football in 2012 after playing 11 seasons in the NFL, 10 of them with the Titans. Bulluck worked as an analyst for WKRN-TV Saturday night on the Falcons-Titans game. He is scheduled to work for the Titans-Vikings preseason game Thursday in Minneapolis. Station manager Stan Knott was quoted by The Tennessean as saying that a decision hasn’t been made on whether to replace Bulluck. Coach Mike Munchak said Sunday that hadn’t heard much of the incident and declined to comment. Munchak was Tennessee’s offensive line coach while Bulluck was a linebacker with the team. “When he was here playing as a football player, he made good decisions,” Munchak said. “I’ll wait to hear the information as to what happened, but I am sure it will all get worked out and I am sure it is something he is very innocent in, I hope.”

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie linebacker Jarvis Jones has been released from the hospital after being treated for a chest injury. The team said Sunday that tests were negative, but did not say what tests the first-round pick from Georgia underwent or whether he’ll play in the preseason finale Thursday at Carolina. Jones was hurt when he fell on the ball at the end of a third-quarter interception that was overturned against the Kansas Chiefs. He was on the turf for several minutes but walked off on his own power. He was wheeled out of Heinz Field on a stretcher late Saturday night. Pittsburgh opens the season Sept. 8 at home against Tennessee. Jones has been sharing time with Jason Worilds at right outside linebacker.

MOTOR SPORTS Power wins Sonoma

Will Power won at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, Calif., for the third time in four years Sunday, earning his first victory of the Indy-Car season when he took advantage of a late penalty to Scott Dixon for injuring three members of Power’s pit crew. Dixon led until he received a drive-through penalty with 15 laps to go for clipping a tire in the left hand of Power’s tire holder while Dixon drove out of his pit directly behind Power’s spot. The tire holder went flying into another crew member, and a third member was injured by an air gun. Dixon thinks Power’s crew got in his way on purpose. Dixon finished 15th and lost ground on overall IndyCar leader Helio Castroneves, who finished seventh. Justin Wilson was second, and pole winner Dario Franchitti was third.

CYCLING Armstrong, paper settle

British newspaper The Sunday Times has reached a settlement with Lance Armstrong after suing the disgraced cyclist to recover damages from a libel settlement. The paper paid Armstrong 300,000 pounds (now about $470,000) in 2006 to settle a case after printing claims that he took performance-enhancing drugs. But confirmation that Armstrong led a massive doping program on his teams came last year from a U.S. Anti-Doping Agency report, prompting a confession by the American, who was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles.The Sunday Times announced it was suing Armstrong for around $1.6 million to reclaim the 2006 settlement payment plus interest and legal costs. In Sunday’s editions, the paper said it and the article’s authors had reached a “mutually acceptable final resolution” with Armstrong, but said the terms are confidential. It was The Sunday Times chief sports writer David Walsh’s co-authored book, LA Confidential, that detailed Armstrong’s role in cycling’s doping culture and was serialized by his paper in 2004.

American Tejay van Garderen won the USA Pro Challenge on Sunday, finishing in the main pack in the final stage to complete a sweep of the two biggest races in the United States. Van Garderen, the 25-year-old BMC rider from Bozeman, Mont., led the race for the final four days, finishing 1 minute, 30 seconds ahead of Swiss Mathias Frank. The Tour of California winner in May, van Garderen was fifth last year in the Tour de France, then slipped to 45th this year. American Tom Danielson of Garmin-Sharp was third overall, 1:42 behind van Garderen. Slovakia’s Peter Sagan won the final leg for his fourth stage victory of the week, completing the eight-lap, 72.4-mile circuit race in 2:27:15. Canada’s Ryan Anderson of Optum-Kelly Benefit was second, a bike-length behind.

TENNIS Nadal in form at start of Open

Ask Rafael Nadal how his famously troublesome left knee is feeling on the eve of the U.S. Open, and he’ll balk a bit while formulating a response.

“I am …” the 12-time major title winner began, haltingly, during an interview with The Associated Press.

“You know …” he resumed, before smiling sheepishly and pausing again.

Eventually, Nadal offered something of a complicated answer.

“I have to say that I am very well, because the results have been amazing since I came back,” he said. “If I say something else, [it] will sound strange.”

That’s because when the year’s last Grand Slam tournament begins today, none of the players setting foot on the blue hard courts of Flushing Meadows possesses as much momentum - or is in as fine form - as the No. 2-seeded Nadal. He’s won his past 10 matches heading into the first round against the 97th-ranked Ryan Harrison of the United States.

Another past U.S. Open champion on this afternoon’s schedule is 2000-2001 winner Venus Williams, a former No. 1 now ranked 60th who will be taking on recent Wimbledon semifinalist and 12th-seeded Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium. At night, Williams’ younger sister Serena, the defending champion, plays 2010 French Open winner Francesca Schiavone of Italy, while 17-time major champion Roger Federer faces 62nd-ranked Grega Zemlja of Slovenia.

The biggest curiosity when it comes to Nadal these days is how his knees will hold up. They’ve presented recurring problems for him over the years, particularly the left one, which kept him out of action from late June 2012 until February 2013.He missed the London Olympics, last year’s U.S. Open and this year’s Australian Open.

“I feel more comfortable now than six months ago, that’s for sure,” Nadal said, then quickly added: “But I still have pain some days.”

He was asked whether he thinks that might be the case for the rest of his career.

“Hopefully not,” the 27-yearold Nadal said. “Hopefully not.”