Advertisement

Rick Pitino wins two-sport exacta with Louisville on the hardwood, Goldencents on race track

Few athletes or coaches have enjoyed the kind of day Louisville coach Rick Pitino experienced Saturday when he coached his Cardinals to a victory in the final four, advancing to the national title game, while a horse he co-owns named Goldencents won the Santa Anita Derby, earning a spot in next month's Kentucky Derby.

Louisville is the favorite to win it all as the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament, but Goldencents went off at Santa Anita at 6-1 odds.

The Cardinals overcame a 12-point second-half deficit to rally and beat Wichita State. Goldencents held off a late charge from race favorite Flashback to earn his victory in the 11/8-mile race in 1:48.76.

Goldencents is trained by Doug O'Neill, who trained 2012 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner I'll Have Another.

Pitino has named three horses after players on this season's Louisville team, including Russdiculous (named after guard Russ Smith), Siva (named after guard Peyton Siva) and Gorgui (named after center Gorgui Dieng).

Follow Kyle on Twitter @KyleRingo