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The article presents a profile of finch speed-song racing in New York City. Topics addressed include a description of the sport, wherein chestnut-bellied seed finches are brought together to see how quickly they can sing different calls; an interview with Ray Harinarain, a leader and organizer of the sport in Queens, New York City; and discussion of U.S. federal animal control regulators who are suspicious of the legality of the practice.

This article describes some of the homing pigeon clubs and their members in and around New York City. A typical pigeon race held at the Frank Viola Homing Pigeon Club on Coney Island is described. Pigeon clubs have been declining for the last 50 years, but there are still nearly two hundred pigeon fliers in the city.

The article focuses on the New York City's organizations of bullfighting enthusiasts. There are two clubs in the city for bullfighting fans, who are part of a national network of such clubs. The New York City clubs meet once a month, usually at a Spanish restaurant or at a member's home, to eat, drink and watch films of bullfights. Some members see one another on bullfighting tours of Spain or Mexico; a few are amateur bullfighters. Fearing animal rights protestors, the clubs do not disclose where they meet, and they do not recruit.

The article focuses on the horse races at Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain in August 2015.

The article focuses on the move of Hall of Fame horse trainer Bill Mott to use Royal Delta, a 4-year-old filly who will defend her title in the Ladies' Classic with $2 million at stake in the race in the U.S. It mentions that Mott is facing an uncomfortable position of being popular as he attempts to repeat the rare sweep he accomplished at Churchwill Downs in 2011. Also, it notes that the older horses of Mott tend to thrive in a sport wherein there is an increased rate of attrition.

International COLOMBIAN REBELS A DANGER [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BEIJING -- Big Red Belly, his thick limbs nourished by a strict liver-tofu-ginger diet, should have been a contender. Instead, as his trainer watched in dismay, the young fighter nervously circled his more menacing adversary and then skittered to a corner of the ring, prompting jeers from a half-dozen spectators. ''Worthless,'' his patron, Chang Hongwei, a retired mechanical engineer, growled as he yanked Big Red Belly from the arena and unceremoniously ended his brief fighting career. ''Next!'' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CAVE CREEK, Ariz. -- Here is what not to do at a bull run: Pull the tail of one of the bulls. Stop to pick up a fallen cellphone as the crowd -- and the bulls -- bears down on you. Wear a costume that makes it hard to see the oncoming animals. Participants in Running of the Bulls America, held Friday and Saturday on a quarter-mile dirt track at a ranch in this town just north of Phoenix, broke all those rules and more. But because the Arizona animals were tamer than their Spanish counterparts, injuries were kept to a minimum. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom, who was bumped and nearly unseated his jockey in the opening strides of the Belmont Stakes, has a minor injury to his left hind leg. The colt's trainer, Graham Motion, noticed that Animal Kingdom was stiff on Sunday and was a little off in his left hind leg early this week. So Motion sent him to the New Bolton Research Center in Kennett Square, Pa., for a bone scan. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Lucky Chucky was made the 5-2 favorite in a field of 10 3-year-olds in the $1.5 million Hambletonian at the Meadowlands on Saturday. A winner in 10 of 15 races this year, Lucky Chucky will leave from the No. 2 hole. Cassis is the 7-2 second choice from the rail and Pilgrims Taj is the 9-2 third choice from post No. 3. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

MADRID -- Lawmakers in the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia voted to ban bullfighting on Wednesday, dealing the most significant blow so far to a tradition considered by many Spaniards to be an essential part of their cultural patrimony. In many ways, however, the ban reflected less on the animal rights than on a political debate over Catalan identity and a push by local parties for greater independence from the rest of Spain. With the strong support of separatist parties, the ban passed by a larger margin than expected: 68 to 55, with 9 abstentions. It is to go into effect in 2012. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

SUMMER is in full swing in the Hamptons. On the beaches, surfers and piping plovers vie for sand space, and at the Bridgehampton Polo Club the games have begun. In East Hampton, the fresh lobster salad at Claws on Wheels is selling briskly at $60 a pound. Every weekend, the parade of cars from the city snags horribly in Watermill. And renters have returned in large numbers to snap up houses from Southampton to Montauk. For those who wish to join this sun-bleached and sandy set, it is not too late to rent a place: options are still available in every price range. And this year they are down from prerecession heights, and owners are being more flexible on the lengths of rentals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Super Saver's two-and-a-half-length victory Saturday in the Kentucky Derby was seen on NBC by an average of 16.5 million viewers, up from 16.3 million for Mine That Bird's win last year, and the most since 18.5 million watched Sunday Silence win in 1989. Viewership peaked at 18.8 million from 6:30 to 6:45 p.m. Eastern on Saturday. The common thread between Super Saver and Mine That Bird is the jockey Calvin Borel, who predicted that he would win the Triple Crown aboard Super Saver. Through its 10 years of carrying the Derby, NBC has averaged 14 million viewers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Lookin at Lucky has been anything but in 2010. In the Rebel Stakes, the colt clipped the heels of another horse, stumbled and needed a late rush to eke out a head victory. In the Santa Anita Derby, he got pinned to the rail and virtually stopped before regaining his stride to finish third. The run of misfortune for Lookin at Lucky, the son of Smart Strike, continued Wednesday when he drew the No. 1 hole for the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. Only 12 horses have won from the rail; the last was Ferdinand in 1986. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- The for-sale signs on horse farms are as common as the bluegrass and the limestone fences here, and breeders have grown accustomed to sending horses through the auction ring and feeling fortunate when they fetch half of their asking price -- or anything at all. The run-up to the Kentucky Derby is normally an exciting time for lawyers playing matchmaker between deep-pocketed clients and owners of can't-miss stallion prospects. No more. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Much has been made about the filly Devil May Care's running on Saturday in the 136th Kentucky Derby, but perhaps the reason she will be competing against the boys is that she would be running for second place in the Kentucky Oaks. Blind Luck was installed as the 6-5 favorite at Tuesday's draw for the ''fillies run for the lilies.'' Blind Luck will break from the No. 5 post in a full field of 14 in Friday's Grade I $500,000, mile-and-an-eighth race. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The field for the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby is finally taking shape, and the most obvious conclusion so far is that it is going to be a rich bunch. Spots in the starting gate are determined by graded stakes earnings, and right now, Homeboy Kris holds the 20th spot with $250,500 in eligible purse money -- the highest total ever for the last spot in the field. Last year, it took only $55,500 for Nowhere to Hide to be the last horse in the Derby field. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

On this year's Kentucky Derby trail, two colts have towered over the current crop of 3-year-olds. Eskendereya was a crushing eight-and-a-half-length winner in the Fountain of Youth in Florida; Lookin at Lucky easily came from behind to win the Rebel Stakes by a head. On Saturday, they will run their final tuneups on opposite coasts. Eskendereya comes to New York from Florida and will be the prohibitive favorite in the $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. Lookin at Lucky will stay in his home base of California for what looks like the more competitive $750,000 Santa Anita Derby. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Less is more. The maxim is truer than ever in horse racing, and this summer Monmouth Park is going to prove it. Beginning May 22, the charming track on the Jersey Shore will offer fewer racing dates but for a lot more money: 50 days with $1 million in purse money up for grabs on each of them. It is a bold move that New Jersey needed to make if horse racing is going to survive in the state. It puts the future of the sport on the backs of the horses -- theoretically, the fast, high-quality ones -- instead of on the slot machines most of the East Coast has turned to for the sport's salvation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

LOS ANGELES -- When Washington took the court Saturday afternoon, the Huskies were not sure if they had done enough over the previous four months to earn a berth in the N.C.A.A. tournament. So they made sure they did enough in the next 40 minutes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Awesome Act, a 3-year-old colt based in England, rallied in the stretch to beat Yawanna Twist in the $250,000 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct. Alphie's Bet, ridden by Alex Solis, won the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita in California, helping establish his Kentucky Derby credentials. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The filly Rachel Alexandra and the mare Zenyatta never met on the track but will compete for Horse of the Year. They were the only horses receiving votes for Horse of the Year, while there were three finalists in each of the other 16 Eclipse Award categories. The winners will be honored Jan. 18. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Muscle Hill has been made the 3-5 favorite for Saturday's World Trotting Derby for 3-year-olds at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in Illinois. Muscle Hill will start from the sixth post with his regular driver, Brian Sears, against eight other colts and geldings. Muscle Hill has a 14-race winning streak, with the only loss of his career coming in his first career start. He won the Hambletonian on Aug. 8 and has earned $1.9 million. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The favorite Gio Ponti overcame a stumble at the start to win the 27th running of the Arlington Million in Arlington Heights, Ill. Gio Ponti, a 4-year-old colt owned by Castleton Lyons and ridden by Ramon Dominguez, captured his fourth straight Grade I race and earned an automatic berth into the Breeders' Cup Turf. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Steve Asmussen, the trainer of the star filly Rachel Alexandra, indicated he would not determine the horse's next race for at least two weeks. On Sunday, Rachel Alexandra won the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., for her eighth straight victory and 10th in 13 career starts. Asmussen said Rachel's co-owner Jess Jackson was not likely to announce the filly's next start until mid-August. Among the options under consideration are the Travers Stakes on Aug. 29 for a possible matchup of all three Triple Crown race winners; the Personal Ensign on Aug. 30 against older females; and the Woodward Stakes on Sept. 5 against horses 3 and older. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Quality Road, who was an early favorite to win the Kentucky Derby before being sidelined by a hoof injury, set a track record in winning the $150,000 Amsterdam Stakes for 3-year-olds at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The final time, 1 minute 13.45 seconds, eclipsed the record for the six and a half furlongs of 1:14.40 set by Topsider in 1979. Quality Road won by two and a quarter lengths. He has won four of his five career starts, including the Fountain of Youth Stakes and Florida Derby. Quality Road, trained by Todd Pletcher, paid $3.50 for a $2 bet to win and earned $90,000 for the owner-breeder Edward P. Evans. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Sea the Stars won the English Derby in Epsom, becoming the first horse in 20 years to win the race after capturing the 2,000 Guineas. Mick Kinane rode Sea the Stars, an 11-4 shot, to a one-and-three-quarter-lengths victory over Fame And Glory to match the double last achieved by Nashwan in 1989. Masterofthehorse was a neck behind in third. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

When Mine that Bird won the Kentucky Derby as a 50-1 long shot, many fans scratched their heads in wonder. Where did this horse come from? A video that appeared on YouTube the next day helped answer part of that question. The four-and-a-half-minute clip showed his second start, last summer at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. Mine That Bird, a bay gelding, defeated a modest field that day. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

At least 14 polo horses, worth as much as $1.5 million, collapsed and died before competition at the U.S. Open polo championships in Wellington, Fla., The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported. The horses were part of the Venezuelan-based Lechuza Caracas team. The cause of death was not confirmed. Veterinarians tried to save the ponies as fans looked on. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

State officials said late Friday that they had begun dismantling one of the largest dogfighting rings in the country that night, arresting eight people and seizing 187 dogs used by a sophisticated network of bettors throughout eastern Texas. Investigators continued to search for suspects Saturday. In all, 55 people were indicted after an undercover investigation that lasted 17 months. Officials said the network's matches drew crowds of up to 100 people, who placed tens of thousands of dollars in wagers on a single fight. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

IN their polo shirts, khakis and Top-Siders, some of the patrons at Bar Martignetti on Broome Street in SoHo might have blown in from Nantucket on a gust of salt air. They included establishment regulars like Ross (right), who preferred to be identified by his first name only. Ross accessorized his yachting regalia with the requisite gold Rolex and Turk's head rope bracelet, his hair coiffed in the manner of the young J. F. K. Was his preppie style authentic? Hard to say. These days the look is nine-tenths aspirational, noted Anthony Martignetti, one of the owners. ''The real boarding-school types have gotten a lot more hipster,'' he said. ''They eschew the country club look.'' [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Kentucky horse racing regulators on Monday approved a sweeping steroid ban for the state's thoroughbred and standardbred races, but dramatically toned down the proposed penalties for trainers whose horses test positive. With a unanimous vote from the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, the steroid ban could take effect as early as this fall's meet at Turfway Park. While the ban is tough, it is not nearly as tough as the one proposed by Kentucky's Equine Drug Research Council earlier this month. That group called for suspensions of up to three years for trainers and veterinarians whose horses fail a steroid test, but the authority revised the penalties, capping them at a 60-day suspension for first-time offenders. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Belmont Stakes runner-up Denis of Cork will miss the rest of the year because of a hairline fracture to his right rear leg. His owner, William Warren Jr., said the colt would run as a 4-year-old. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article offers information on the Calaveras County Fair and Jumping Frog Jubilee, a world series of competitive frog jumping event, that was organized in Angeles Camp, California, and refers to a clash amongst supervisors of the event. The competition is said to be started by the Angels Camp Boosters, and has been inspired by author Mark Twain's 1865 tale "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County."

The article presents information on the carriage driving sport. It is a part of equestrian sports and consists of three events in which four horses drag an open stagecoach. The horses of right temperament play a vital role in the events. They should be obedient and able to put up with the rattle of the carriage behind them. The sports requires the horses to develop team dynamics. Georgina Frith is the winner of three European championships of the sport.

The article presents information on the Eclipse Awards winner racing horses. The racing horse named Bernardini won the male championship award, the horse was the winner of the Preakness Stakes race and received 210 votes against 56 for the nearest rival. The Horse of the Year award was won by the horse named Invasor.

The article presents information about a sport called coleo played in Barinas, Venezuela.

The article reports on the perceived classiest horse derby in the U.S. history after three of champion horses will battle for the crown.