National Sports

Jockey Javier Castellano will have his hands full Saturday in the inaugural US$7-million Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational.

The Canadian men's rugby sevens team will wear orange laces at the New Zealand Sevens this weekend in support of Paisley MacRury, a four-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., who is battling leukemia.

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Whitecaps have added Brazilian winger Lucas Venuto to their growing roster. The club used targeted allocation money to acquire the 24-year-old from FK Austria Wien in the Austrian Bundesliga.

Canadian rugby takes a big step Saturday as the Toronto Arrows kick off life in North America's pro circuit.

MELBOURNE, Australia — Canadian teenager Leylah Fernandez has earned herself a spot in the final of the Australian Open's junior girls' tournament. The 16-year-old from Montreal downed Anastasia Tikhonova of Russia 6-1, 6-3 in Friday's semifinal.

Thursday's Games NBA Golden State 126 Washington 118 Oklahoma City 122 New Orleans 116 Portland 120 Phoenix 106 Minnesota 120 L.A. Lakers 105 --- AHL Chicago 5 Cleveland 1 --- Friday's Games (All Times Eastern) NBA Washington at Orlando, 7 p.m.

ASPEN, Colo. — Canada's Cassie Sharpe and Laurie Blouin opened the Winter X Games with gold-medal performances on Thursday, while fellow Canadian Rachael Karker grabbed a bronze. Sharpe, from Comox, Ont.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. — Alberta's Selena Sturmay has one more draw to play at the Canadian junior curling championship, but it's only for practice.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Canada's top two women's tennis players will square off for the first time on Friday at the Oracle Challenger. Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., will face Bianca Andreescu of Mississauga, Ont.

MONT-TREMBLANT, Que. — One year ago, Canadian moguls skier Justine Dufour-Lapointe and her sisters announced that their mom, Johane, had won her battle with cancer and was in remission.