Rachel Alexandra takes Woodward

Star filly Rachel Alexandra made history at Saratoga Race Course in New York by becoming the first female to win the prestigious Woodward Stakes on Saturday, holding off Macho Again by a head.

The sensational 3-year-old took her ninth consecutive victory and all but clinched Horse of the Year honors.

Rachel Alexandra, with Calvin Borel aboard, dueled early with 2008 Belmont Stakes winner Da'Tara before taking the lead along the backstretch. She set a blistering early pace on the way to running 11/8 miles in 1:48.29.

The 3-10 favorite, Rachel Alexandra paid $2.60, $2.40 and $2.10. Macho Again paid $3.80 and $2.80. Bullsbay, winner of the Whitney Handicap last month, paid $4 to show.

Co-owner Jess Jackson called the race "perfect."

"Those were a lot of big animals she was running against, but she showed her spirit. She showed her class," he said. "She didn't give up. That's my Rachel."

Claiming Crown winner in Breeders' Cup

Low scores dominate PGA event Sean O'Hair went 8 under par in an eight-hole stretch at the PGA Tour's Deutsche Bank Championship in Norton, Mass., shooting 7-under 64 and taking a share of the lead with Jim Furyk after 36 holes on the TPC Boston.

O'Hair and Furyk, who made six birdies in his round of 67, played in the same group with Retief Goosen, who had a 67 and wound up two shots behind.

Tiger Woods made birdies of his own, timely ones. He was on the cut line when he made the turn but gave himself seven consecutive birdie putts inside 12 feet on the back nine. He made four for a 67, and he was seven shots behind.

Pettersen takes 5-shot lead at Canadian Open

Norway's Suzann Pettersen shot a 5-under 66 at Priddis Greens in Priddis, Alberta, taking a five-shot lead over Angela Stanford into the final round of the Canadian Women's Open.

The United States will play Canada, which beat Sweden 7-2 in a semifinal, for the championship today.

Jocelyn Lamoureux also scored for the United States, on an assist by twin sister Monique. The Lamoureux sisters played last season for the Gophers and have transferred to North Dakota.

WNBA: The Phoenix Mercury clinched the Western Conference's regular-season title with a 100-82 victory over the Atlanta Dream in Phoenix. The second-year Dream missed a chance to secure a playoff berth one year after finishing with a league-record 30 losses but remained one game ahead of third-place Detroit with two games to play. ... Vickie Johnson made 11 of 14 shots and equaled her career high with 27 points, helping the San Antonio Silver Stars take an 89-72 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks in San Antonio.

Cycling: Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland won a rainy individual time trial and regained the overall lead at the Spanish Vuelta.