WASHINGTON — 

The House Judiciary Committee, which is spearheading the Democratic-led impeachment drive, will move swiftly to draft articles of impeachment against President Trump, possibly by the end of this week, the panel’s chairman said Sunday.

Trump’s congressional supporters separately found themselves on the defensive over the disclosure that the president’s personal lawyer, Rudolph W. Giuliani, traveled last week to Ukraine and met with political figures associated with efforts to dig up dirt on former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

Giuliani is a central character in the impeachment drama, having led what witnesses portrayed as a shadow foreign policy built around the president’s personal political agenda of advancing the discredited theory that Ukraine, not Russia, interfered in the 2016 election, and that the Bidens engaged in corruption.

The Judiciary Committee plans a hearing on Monday to hear evidence gathered by the Intelligence Committee during its investigation.

The results may determine how broad the articles of impeachment against Trump will be — in particular, whether they will reach back to episodes of possible obstruction of justice outlined in the Russia report submitted last spring by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

Mueller said he could not exonerate Trump of obstruction but indicated he followed Justice Department guidelines saying a sitting president could not be indicted. That was widely read as a suggestion that the only available remedy was impeachment.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), the Judiciary Committee chairman, said the scope and nature of the articles of impeachment were still under consideration. Abuse of presidential power in connection with Ukraine policy and obstruction of the current impeachment probe were expected to be the centerpiece.

“The fact is that we’re not going to make any decision as to how broad the articles should be, as to what they contain, what the wording is, until after the hearing” on Monday, Nadler said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

“We’ll bring articles of impeachment, presumably, before the committee at some point later in the week,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Citing what he called “uncontested” evidence that Trump acted improperly to pressure Ukraine, Nadler said the fast pace of the impeachment proceedings was dictated by pressing worries about the integrity of the 2020 campaign.

“The president, based on his past performance, will do everything to make it not a fair election,” Nadler said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week.”

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank), who heads the House Intelligence Committee, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” the proceedings should “focus on those issues that provide the greatest threat to the country.”

He added: “The president is engaged in a course of conduct that threatens the integrity of the next election.”

In the months since the August complaint by an anonymous whistleblower about Trump’s dealings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky kick-started the impeachment drive, the president has sometimes spoken in a manner that undercuts those trying to defend him.

This weekend, he seemingly gave his seal of approval to Giuliani’s latest trip to Ukraine, even while his congressional allies have claimed that the Democrats have not conclusively proven that the former New York mayor has acted at the president’s behest.

Trump on Saturday spoke enthusiastically of Giuliani’s visit last week to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, telling reporters at the White House: “I hear he has found plenty.” Trump also said Giuliani wanted to share his findings with Congress.

Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), a zealous Trump ally, said Sunday on CNN: “I don’t know of any role that Rudy Giuliani is playing on behalf of the president.”

He added, “I don’t know that he’s over there at the president’s direction, and in fact I would suggest that he is not.”

Another ardent Trump backer, Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, said on ABC that Giuliani’s trip was “weird” and “odd,” coming during the impeachment proceedings, but said if Giuliani wanted to appear before congressional investigators and explain his role, that would be “helpful.”

The White House, which has denounced the House proceedings as illegitimate, said Friday the president’s team would not take part in Monday’s hearing. The administration has blocked compliance with subpoenas for documents and testimony from senior officials.

Gaetz, however, suggested that Trump’s acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, together with Giuliani, should appear before investigators. It would be “to the president’s advantage to have people testify who could exculpate him,” Gaetz said.

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WASHINGTON — 

Elizabeth Warren was paid nearly $2 million for legal work stretching back three decades, her campaign disclosed Sunday night, amid calls from a top Democratic presidential rival that the Massachusetts senator should be more forthcoming about what she earned from past corporate clients.

In May, Warren released a list of close to 60 cases she worked on as an attorney going back to the 1980s. Fifteen pages of new data now show what she was paid in nearly 40 of those — about $1.9 million.

The list includes “all the income she earned from each case that we have been able to determine from public records, Elizabeth’s personal records and other sources,” Warren spokeswoman Kristen Orthman said.

“If Democrats are going to defeat Donald Trump, or whoever the Republican Party might replace him with, we must nominate a candidate who can create the most robust possible contrast against Republicans on conflicts of interest and corruption issues,” Orthman said in a statement. “Elizabeth does not sell access to her time — no closed-door big-dollar fundraisers, no bundling program, no perks or promises to any wealthy donor.”

The new information comes against the backdrop of an escalating feud between Warren and Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind. Last week, Warren decried the mayor’s attending of closed-door fundraisers, saying, “I think that Mayor Pete should open up the doors so that anyone can come in and report on what’s being said.” She added, “No one should be left to wonder what kind of promises are being made to the people that then pony up big bucks to be in the room.”

Buttigieg and his campaign shot back that Warren should release more of her past tax returns, shedding additional light on what she earned as an attorney for rich and powerful firms — setting the stage for Sunday’s disclosure. Warren had previously released 11 years of tax returns.

The pair have also clashed over Buttigieg’s past work for powerful consulting firm McKinsey & Co. from 2007 to 2010. Buttigieg on Friday released a summary of the work he did — but he has not heeded Warren’s calls to make public a full client list, citing a nondisclosure agreement he signed with McKinsey.

Warren’s campaign said Sunday’s disclosure provides more information on her business income than releasing additional, past tax returns would because her tax documents don’t fully itemize earnings the same way the details it released do.

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A steady rise in the polls throughout the summer landed Warren among the Democratic primary front-runners, but polling in recent weeks has suggested her support is plateauing or beginning to slip. At the same time, Buttigieg has seen his polling numbers improve enough to become a front-runner himself, with the leadoff Iowa caucuses now less than two months away.

Among the clients for whom Warren consulted were the attorneys for Rabobank, a Dutch financial institution that became a creditor in the Enron bankruptcy; former directors of Getty Oil, who were involved in Texaco’s bankruptcy; and women whose allegations of harm from silicone breast implants produced by Dow Corning were imperiled when the company filed for bankruptcy.

The cases listed involve Warren serving as a consultant, mediator or expert witness in addition to those in which she served as counsel. Her largest disclosed payday was nearly $187,000 for a case originally filed in 1995. Her campaign said Warren “represented a well-known chain of department stores to make sure that it could stay alive and pay its creditors. Elizabeth succeeded, and the company continued to employ people across its many stores.”

Warren taught at Harvard Law School before being elected to the Senate in 2012.

NEW YORK — 

Michael R. Bloomberg sat stone-faced behind an ornate desk at City Hall, as speaker after speaker berated him for four and a half hours.

“I may not be able to vote yet, but I know for a fact that what you are doing is wrong,” a 14-year-old from Brooklyn told him. “Quite frankly, Mayor Bloomberg, you are cheating.”

It was Nov. 3, 2008, the day before Barack Obama was elected president. The economy was in a deep recession. Bloomberg’s second term was near its end, and, against the advice of some of his closest advisors, he had strong-armed a divided City Council to extend a two-term limit that had been imposed by voters, so that he could run again. New York, he declared, needed him.

Before he could sign that extension into law, he had to endure days of withering face-to-face criticism from New Yorkers who accused him of hypocritically circumventing democracy. Bloomberg also paid a price: In 2009, he barely squeaked to a third term over a fairly weak opponent. And that was after spending $100 million of his own money.

It was audacious, humbling and ultimately successful. Bloomberg now hopes to parlay his largely successful tenure as mayor of the nation’s most populous city, along with his heavy spending on progressive causes like curbing gun violence and mitigating climate change, into a successful bid for the Democratic nomination for president.

Bloomberg’s strategists are modeling their effort on his longshot race for mayor in 2001. He was initially dismissed as yet another rich person indulging with politics as a hobby. Bloomberg turned that perception around by spending generously on direct mail and TV ads. He also convinced voters that his Wall Street experience and entrepreneurial ability were assets. The uncertainties of the 9/11 attacks, Bloomberg’s enormous spending and a last-minute endorsement from the incumbent mayor, Rudolph W. Giuliani, helped push him over the line.

Bloomberg used about $74 million of his fortune for his race in 2001, $85 million in 2005 and $102 million in 2009. With a net worth estimated at $54 billion, he can easily burn through multiple times the $1.6 billion that Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and their allies spent in total during the 2016 presidential campaign. Since he announced his candidacy on Nov. 24, Bloomberg has spent more than $60 million advertising on TV, cable and social media, according to Advertising Analytics, an ad tracking firm.

Still, even his admirers acknowledge that winning a national Democratic primary will be a uphill battle. Bloomberg is a billionaire seeking favor among Democratic voters who are deeply worried about inequality in income and wealth. His commitment to the party is tenuous: A longtime Democrat, he became a Republican so he could face a less-competitive primary when he ran for mayor in 2001, and then declared himself an independent in 2007 before returning to the Democratic Party last year.

Moreover, no New York City mayor has ever been a major-party nominee for president, though several — John V. Lindsay in 1972, Giuliani in 2008 and the current mayor, Bill de Blasio, this year — have tried.

Having thrice decided against running for president — in 2008, 2016 and most recently in March — Bloomberg changed his mind in November, when surveys conducted by his and other pollsters showed President Trump with a strong chance of winning six swing states that could likely decide the 2020 election.

Bloomberg entered the race too late to take part in the New Hampshire primary, and he is skipping the caucuses in Iowa, where his rivals have been campaigning for the last year. Instead he is placing his bets on Super Tuesday, hoping that a blizzard of TV and internet ads will sway Democratic voters in 14 states, including California and Texas, that will vote on March 3.

“I think that at age 77 he decided it was his last chance to get in to make his pitch, and to defeat Donald Trump,” said Eleanor Randolph, a veteran journalist whose largely sympathetic biography, “The Many Lives of Michael Bloomberg,” was published in September.

“He has told friends that he will reassess his position after Super Tuesday,” she said. “By then, if there’s no candidate, who knows? Seat belts, anyone?”

During Bloomberg’s mayoralty, from 2002 to 2013, New York changed in ways that were hard to miss. Nearly 40% of the city was rezoned; bike lanes and parks opened; skyscrapers sprouted; and Lower Manhattan emerged from the ashes of 9/11 as a vibrant residential neighborhood. The city became safer and more prosperous. Tourists descended in record numbers. Gentrification transformed sections of the city; Brooklyn came to rival Manhattan as measured by food, amenities and cost of housing. Bans on smoking indoors and in parks, and on trans fats in restaurants, made New Yorkers healthier.

But Bloomberg’s record has also come under harsher scrutiny since he left office. Steep increases in the cost of housing have squeezed the middle class. While race relations improved, the Police Department’s use of stop-and-frisk tactics disproportionately affected black and Hispanic residents, and was deemed unconstitutional. The city’s public schools, which the state put under the mayor’s control during Bloomberg’s first term, remain uneven. Public housing deteriorated under Bloomberg’s watch; poverty rose; and the city’s jail, Rikers Island, became a byword for chaos and violence. (The city is trying to shut it down.)

Recent interviews with a dozen longtime players in New York City politics revealed a profound ambivalence. Even those who respect his record thought it would be hard for a Jewish billionaire to be embraced in pivotal states like Ohio and Wisconsin — or even in liberal states like California, where voters seem skeptical or indifferent toward Bloomberg.

At the time of the term-limits debate, Letitia James was a Brooklyn councilwoman who fiercely opposed Bloomberg on issues such as policing and housing. James was later elected the city’s public advocate, and this year took office as the state’s attorney general.

“Right now we are facing some major challenges to our democracy,” said James, who has remained neutral in the presidential nominating fight. “I would like a candidate who can return our country to normalcy.”

Asked if she could see supporting Bloomberg, she replied: “I’m not there yet.”

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John C. Liu, a state senator from Queens, who as a councilman and as city comptroller often clashed with Bloomberg, agreed. “Anybody-but-Trump is a pretty strong motivation,” he said. “Bloomberg would be far preferable to the guy in the Oval Office right now. The question is not whether he can win the swing states. The question is whether he can prevail in the primary.”

Those who have worked for Bloomberg describe a meticulous and steady manager, with outsize ambitions and little interest in process or horse-trading.

“Mike is an optimist, but he’s a contrarian; he’s also extremely practical,” said Daniel L. Doctoroff, who was Bloomberg’s deputy mayor for economic development from 2002 to 2008, and then led Bloomberg’s privately held company.

Bloomberg did not expect to become mayor in 2001, Doctoroff said. But, he added, “The mistake no one should ever make is to underestimate Mike Bloomberg.”

Stephen Goldsmith, a Republican former mayor of Indianapolis who now teaches at Harvard, served as a deputy mayor for operations during Bloomberg’s third term. He said he did not think Bloomberg had entered the race out of vanity.

“I think he’s legitimately concerned about the country,” Goldsmith said.

In a 2017 biography of Bloomberg, Chris McNickle, a historian who lives in the Bronx, said the term limits debate was a low point for Bloomberg, but also proof of the billionaire’s tenacity.

“He was seen by a significant minority of New Yorkers as willing to bend democratic norms to suit his personal ambitions in an arrogant manner,” McNickle said in an interview. “Yet there is little evidence that it had an impact on his effectiveness.”

For 28 years, it was easy to find live television coverage of the California Legislature on cable systems across the state. The gavel-to-gavel broadcasting ensured that those who were interested could hold legislators accountable for their votes in Sacramento.

But that won’t be the case when the Legislature reconvenes four weeks from today. The California Channel, the venerable broadcasting organization launched in 1991, went dark on Oct. 16 after its cable television patrons decided to cut the funding and pull the plug.

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“Think about it nationally: If C-SPAN went away, people would lose their minds,” said Assemblyman Kevin Mullin (D-South San Francisco).

LIVE TV OR LIVESTREAM OF CALIFORNIA’S CAPITOL?

The California Channel was a mom-and-pop operation in comparison to C-SPAN. Its broadcast day was less than eight hours long until additional taped programs paved the way for an around-the-clock schedule in 2009. Even then, the effect was measured more in reach — 136 cable systems at last measurement — than actual ratings.

(Full disclosure: I served as moderator of a 2014 gubernatorial debate jointly produced by the Los Angeles Times, KQED and the Cal Channel.)

Times columnist George Skelton wrote in September that the Cal Channel’s annual budget was $1.2 million. Cable industry officials insist it was not money but relevance that led to their decision. The Legislature is now required to post recordings of all proceedings online within 24 hours, and there is some legislative-controlled livestreaming of floor debates in the state Senate and Assembly.

“The coverage provided by the Cal Channel became duplicative,” said Carolyn McIntyre, president of the California Cable & Telecommunications Assn.

Mullin and legislative officials have been studying the options for bringing legislative proceedings back to television screens instead of just relying on internet service. One hurdle, he admitted, is perception: They don’t want to be seen as being in charge of “state-run television,” as Mullin called it. The other dilemma is getting the signal to each cable provider, a process complicated by the fact that Cal Channel’s technical infrastructure has already been dismantled and in some cases donated to others.

“Itʼs more complicated than anyone realized,” he said last week.

The early effort will rely on streaming video sent by the Legislature to PEG (public, educational and government) access channels across the state. What happens after that depends on whether others — journalists and nonprofits alike — get involved. “I hope someone steps in and sees the public value in this,” said Mullin.

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NATIONAL ROUNDUP

— The House Judiciary Committee may draft articles of impeachment against President Trump by the end of this week, the panel’s chairman said Sunday.

— Democrats are unified on impeachment, and the only significant point of contention is how expansive of a case to make.

— Sen. Kamala Harris may not have run a perfect presidential campaign, but her exit from the race means more than adequate time to politically recover for consideration as vice president or reelection in 2022.

— Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., released new details on Friday about his confidential work with McKinsey & Co. a decade ago, while insisting the company should allow him to divulge even more.

— “This isn’t a line that we chose to cross. The line crossed us,” said Wisconsin businessman Bill Penzey of his decision to mix politics with his parsley and paprika — and support the impeachment of Trump.

— Expanded paid parental leave in exchange for a national “space force”? That could be the deal that’s on the table in Washington.

— A voting site in a majority-black Georgia community is reopened after a grass-roots fight.

TODAY’S ESSENTIALS

— Faced with an unprecedented string of wildfires across California, overtime costs for firefighters have surged by 65% in the last decade, pushing annual wages to nearly $5 billion, according to a Times analysis of state payroll records.

— As the end of his first year in office nears, Gov. Gavin Newsom has found himself on the wrong side of one of the most formidable factions of organized labor at the state Capitol — the State Building and Construction Trades Council of California — in a fight that could threaten his agenda.

— A new inspector general at Caltrans has found millions of dollars in misspending on transportation improvement projects in the last year as the state has seen its coffers swell from increases to California’s gas taxes and vehicle fees.

— California’s campaign watchdog agency has suspended a long-standing policy banning its members from contributing to federal candidates after one commissioner donated to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid.

— Three members of the Los Angeles City Council called for full taxpayer financing of city election campaigns, resurrecting an idea that was proposed nearly three years ago but went nowhere.

— An epidemic of car burglaries in San Francisco over the last few years has led one Democratic lawmaker to propose plugging a loophole in state law that allows some break-ins to go unpunished, but the Legislature has balked at prosecutors’ requests to make obtaining convictions easier.

LOGISTICS

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A playoff atmosphere permeated the Coliseum on Sunday — and with good reason.

Each of the Rams’ remaining games is essentially an elimination game as they attempt to make a run to a third consecutive postseason berth.

Coach Sean McVay felt it in the stadium before his team played the Seattle Seahawks.

“There was a buzz even just walking out,” he said.

The Rams stayed in the hunt for a third consecutive playoff appearance by defeating the Seahawks 28-12 before a crowd of 71,501.

Jared Goff passed for two touchdowns, Malcolm Brown and Todd Gurley rushed for touchdowns, and the defense neutralized Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson as the Rams improved to 8-5.

The Rams survived interceptions on consecutive third-quarter series, including one that was returned for a touchdown, and a blocked field-goal attempt thanks to a defense that has surrendered only a touchdown and two field goals in the last two games.

“It’s taken us a little while to get there, but I believe we’re hitting our stride at the right time,” safety Eric Weddle said.

The Rams’ victory does not affect their standing much in the NFC West.

San Francisco bounced back from a narrow loss to Baltimore and improved to 11-2 with a 48-46 last-second victory at New Orleans on Sunday. The Seahawks are 10-3.

But the Rams avoided falling off the pace for a possible NFC wild-card spot. They are chasing Minnesota (9-4), which defeated Detroit 20-7 on Sunday.

The Rams play the Cowboys next Sunday at Dallas, and then face the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium before concluding the season against Arizona at the Coliseum. The Rams probably need to win all of their games — and receive help from Vikings opponents — to secure a wild-card spot.

“We know what’s at stake,” edge rusher Dante Fowler said. “I mean, it’s no secret.”

Neither is the Rams’ mission.

“It’s more must-wins the rest of the way,” Weddle said. “We kept our season alive, and we’ve got to keep that energy.”

The Rams’ performance was uneven at times Sunday. But it was far better than the last time they played at the Coliseum. Two weeks ago, fans booed them during a 45-6 rout by the Ravens on “Monday Night Football.”

“That’s as bad as you can really get beat — on ‘Monday Night Football’ at home,” said Goff, who completed 22 of 31 passes for 293 yards, “and we’ve come back from that and shown that we do have some fight to us.”

The Rams went into Sunday’s game coming off last week’s 34-7 victory over the Cardinals. It was a win that showcased what appeared to be the rejuvenation of an offense that featured heavy doses of Gurley, play-action passes by Goff, and career performances by Woods and tight end Tyler Higbee.

On Sunday, the Rams picked up where they left off, building a 21-3 halftime lead on Brown’s short touchdown run and Goff’s scoring passes to Woods and Cooper Kupp. The Seahawks scored on Quandre Diggs’ 55-yard interception return, but the Rams put together a 95-yard drive that Gurley capped with a touchdown run that featured the stiff-arm move he used so effectively in 2017 and 2018.

“Vintage Todd,” according to Goff.

“He’s a bad man,” Goff said. “That’s what I told him. He’s a bad dude.”

Gurley rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown in 23 carries. He also caught four passes for 34 yards.

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Higbee caught seven passes for 116 yards, and Woods had seven catches for 98.

The defense made it easy for Goff and the offense by preventing the Seahawks’ offense from scoring a touchdown. That had not happened to Seattle since the 2017 opener against Green Bay.

“They played great,” Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said of the Rams. “They did just what they wanted to do.”

On Oct.3 at Seattle, Wilson torched the Rams for four touchdown passes in a 30-29 victory. But he faced a different defense Sunday, one that no longer featured cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib — who were traded — and now includes star cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

On Sunday, Wilson completed 22 of 36 passes for 245 yards with an interception. Linebacker Samson Ebukam sacked him twice, and Fowler and lineman Aaron Donald each had 11/2 sacks.

“They got up early, made some plays in the second half on defense, and stopped us on third down when they needed to,” Wilson said.

Ebukam said facing Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and Wilson — all dual threats — in consecutive weeks rather than scattered throughout the schedule helped the Rams.

Gurley said this past week that the Rams were “scratching” to get into the playoffs.

“We’re still scratching,” he said Sunday.

McVay and his players refused to look ahead, even to next Sunday’s game against the Cowboys. All they can do, they reiterated, is continue to win.

“We’ll see,” McVay said, “if we can keep things rolling.”

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There were no excessive stunts along the line or blitzes from the secondary. The Rams defense bottled up the dangerous and elusive Russell Wilson and hit the mute button on a high-powered Seattle Seahawks offense the old-fashioned way Sunday night.

The Rams stayed in their lanes, pushing their rush equally from the middle and the outside and not over-pursuing the quarterback, to generate pressure that collapsed the pocket around Wilson and left few escape routes for the NFL most valuable player candidate.

The evenhanded and effective rush, combined with some tight coverage, kept the Seahawks offense out of the end zone for only sixth time in Wilson’s 125 career starts and the first time since the 2017 season opener against Green Bay to snap a streak of 46 games.

“That was a focal point this week — we had to make sure [Wilson] didn’t hurt us as much as he did in the first game with his legs,” linebacker Samson Ebukam said after the Rams kept their playoff hopes alive with a 28-12 victory before a crowd of 71,501 in the Coliseum.

“We had to be disciplined. We had to do our job and trust that the plays are going to come to us instead of always trying to go make plays, because he will make you miss. He’s a baller.”

Wilson carved up the Rams in a 30-29 victory in Seattle nine weeks ago, completing 17 of 23 passes for 268 yards and four touchdowns and a 151.8 quarterback rating. He had flustered the Rams with a variety of play-action fakes and bootlegs and his knack for extending plays with his legs.

Compared to that performance, Wilson looked like he was operating in quicksand Sunday night. He completed 22 of 36 passes for 245 yards, no touchdowns and one interception for a rating of 69.8. He had only two completions of 20 yards or more and rushed five times for 28 yards.

The Rams sacked Wilson five times for losses of 43 yards, with Ebukam dropping him twice for a loss of 18 yards and edge rusher Dante Fowler and tackle Aaron Donald notching 1½ sacks each. The Seahawks converted only five of 14 third-down plays (36%) and one of two fourth-down plays.

“We decided to rush together today, to collapse the pocket and don’t let him get out of there,” Rams defensive lineman Michael Brockers said. “I think that’s the best way of rushing him. I’ve seen him wreck games when we try to rush our own way and he gets out.”

The Rams defense set the tone on Seattle’s first possession after Wilson drove the Seahawks from their 25-yard line to the Rams’ 15, where he was sacked by Ebukam for a six-yard loss on third down. Seattle settled for a Jason Myers 39-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead.

Midway through the second quarter, Wilson failed to complete a pass to Malik Turner — who was being covered by cornerback Jalen Ramsey — on fourth-and-one from the Rams’ 24-yard line. The first half ended with Fowler sacking Wilson for a loss of five yards.

Seattle safety Quandre Diggs intercepted quarterback Jared Goff on each of the Rams’ first two second-half possessions, returning the first 55 yards for a touchdown to pull the Seahawks to within 21-9 with 12 minutes, 54 seconds left in the third quarter.

But the Rams defense kept its thumb down on Wilson the rest of the way, forcing a three-and-out after Diggs’ second interception and sacking Wilson for a loss of 11 yards — by Donald — late in the third quarter.

Ebukam sacked Wilson for a loss of 12 yards midway through the fourth quarter, and Fowler and Donald combined for a high-low hit on Wilson for an eight-yard sack on Seattle’s last possession, which ended with Troy Hill’s interception in the end zone.

“I think the defense really turned the tide in the third quarter,” linebacker Clay Matthews said. “Look at how it started. Seattle got a pick-six coming out of the tunnel when we’re trying to put our foot on their throat, and it’s the Seahawks, where they get a little momentum, and you go, ‘Here we go again.’ But for us to rally and hold them to three points the rest of the game … we did a great job.”

Wilson had only one play in which he scrambled before completing a long pass, hitting D.K. Metcalf down the left sideline for a 35-yard gain on a third-and-22 midway through the fourth quarter.

“He presents a unique challenge because he can avoid the rush, let lanes in the pocket develop and scramble through them and find his receivers downfield,” Matthews said.

“I thought for the most part we did a great job of not getting too sloppy with our rush lanes, collapsing the pocket and keeping him in there, keeping him uncomfortable.”

The Rams get their fill of Wilson, playing the NFC West rival Seahawks twice a season, and they’ve had their fill of mobile quarterbacks in recent weeks.

Dual-threat Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had his way with the Rams in a 45-6 win on “Monday Night Football” two weeks ago. The Rams dominated Arizona rookie Kyler Murray in a 34-7 win last week.

“We’ve been playing scrambling quarterbacks for the last few weeks, so every one of them was like a preparation for this one,” Ebukam said. “But Wilson is a little special in the way he scrambles. All of them are different, but he has more experience, more savvy.

“We didn’t spy him a lot. We just had to stay disciplined and cover our gaps. Don’t over-pursue. Be patient. Do your job, trust others are going to do their jobs, and don’t always try to force a play, because that’s when he hurts you. He finds a gap and exposes that.”

The Rams didn’t dramatically alter their defensive scheme against Wilson, but there was one notable difference in their defense: Ramsey, the shut-down corner acquired from Jacksonville on Oct. 15. Ramsey, who mostly covered Metcalf, was still a member of the Jaguars when these teams last met.

“You look at the change in our defense since he joined our team — it’s allowed us to play different defenses that play to his favor, especially man-to-man, which allows a four-man rush,” Matthews said.

“When you know you have an elite cornerback there who can lock down their best receiver, it allows the rush to get home and when we do get there, to get the quarterback off the spot and not allow him to have time to throw it downfield. It’s kind of a yin and yang type thing, and it’s worked out really well.”

Yo, Chargers.

Little help?

The Rams are rolling now, in the wake of their 28-12 victory over Seattle on Sunday night, and they could use an assist from their future stadium mates. The Chargers play host to Minnesota on Sunday and the Rams are a game behind the Vikings in the scramble for a wild-card spot.

“It’s kind of ironic,” Rams safety Marqui Christian said with a smile. “I’m a fan of the Chargers, man, especially this week. I’m not a hater. L.A. for L.A.”

Of course, the Rams understand the only thing they can control is taking care of their business down the stretch, when they finish with games at Dallas and San Francisco, and a finale at home against Arizona.

At long last, they look like the team Sean McVay coached in his first two seasons. Misdirection plays, jet sweeps, wide-open receivers and a heavy dose of running back Todd Gurley. Beneath the Coliseum lights, and with a national audience watching, it was McVintage McVay.

Coming off a 45-6 humiliation at home against Baltimore on “Monday Night Football” two weeks ago, the Rams pounded NFC West foes Arizona and Seattle by a combined score of 62-19.

“I think this is a different team, a different mentality,” left tackle Andrew Whitworth said. “I think we’re shooting our shot the next three weeks.”

There are reasons for optimism, particularly with Dallas on deck. Even though they’re still in first place in the inept NFC East, the Cowboys have lost four of five games. They’re a ho-hum 3-3 at home and 2-7 outside of their division.

The lurking monster is San Francisco, a team that embarrassed the Rams in L.A. two months ago with a 20-7 victory that wasn’t as close as the score suggests. The Rams couldn’t budge against the 49ers and were 0 of 9 on third downs.

Now, the 49ers are the best team in the NFC, and are fresh off a thrilling 48-46 win at New Orleans. The Rams can’t afford to think about life beyond the Dallas game, but San Francisco is scary.

Regardless, Sunday night was a time for celebration for the Rams, who assembled their most complete game this season. They kept quarterback Jared Goff upright, denying the Seahawks a sack even with two rookies starting on the right side of the offensive line and a lightly experienced left guard in Austin Corbett.

Whitworth had an excellent game in what, opponents-wise, is his toughest stretch this season.

“I had one hell of a gantlet to start December, and it isn’t any fun,” he said, listing the pass rushers he has or will face. “Chandler [Jones] twice, [Jadeveon] Clowney, Nick Bosa and Robert Quinn.”

Then, with tongue firmly planted in cheek: “It’s a Christmas gift for a left tackle.”

So far, so good. Goff has been sacked once in two weeks. It helps, of course, that Gurley has gotten back on track and bears some resemblance to the player who was in the thick of the most-valuable-player conversation in each of McVay’s first two seasons.

Gurley had 113 yards from scrimmage, including a seven-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter when he took out cornerback Tre Flowers with a devastating stiff-arm. It was a highlight-reel play: My cause, you’re decleated.

Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp each caught touchdown passes, and tight end Tyler Higbee was a huge contributor with seven catches for 116 yards.

The Rams were having fun again, and that’s an unfamiliar feeling this season. Even their cheerleaders were a little out of step. At one point, they had gathered in one end zone when the Rams offense was about to snap the ball on the other side of the 50, and the referee had to shoo them out, drawing laughs from the crowd by announcing: “Need the cheerleaders off the field.”

The offensive flow was a welcome change, but the defense has been showing up week after week. A big change came in mid-October, when the Rams traded for cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

In the games since that move, the L.A. defense has been consistently stingy. It surrendered one touchdown or fewer to Atlanta, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Arizona. And Sunday night, against the NFL’s only team that was undefeated on the road, the Rams’ defense gave up only two field goals.

The lone exception, and it was an embarrassing one, was the lopsided loss to Baltimore. The Rams were torched by leading MVP candidate Lamar Jackson and the rest of the Ravens.

And rest assured, that was fresh in the minds of the Rams on Sunday night.

“Last time we were here, a team kind of ran the ball on us, so we had a little chip on our shoulders to stop the run today,” said linebacker Samson Ebukam, referring to the Ravens trampling them for 285 yards. “That’s not us. Everybody knew that that’s not us.”

If these are the true Rams, better late than never.

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The rest of the Lakers did the math at halftime.

Anthony Davis already had 27 points, which meant he was on pace for more than 50 against a team the Lakers were struggling to put away. DeMarcus Cousins and Avery Bradley weren’t playing, so they had time to notice, and as soon as halftime came, they started hounding Davis about it. That continued as the second half began.

“My teammates kept giving me the ball and they were saying, ‘Go get 50,’” Davis said. “At that point, you try to go get 50.”

He did it. Davis reached a milestone Sunday evening as the Lakers tabbed another win to improve to 21-3. They beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team they just simply had to outscore, 142-125. Davis also had a block, four steals, six assists and seven rebounds, while making 20 of 29 shots and all 10 of his free throws.

It was the fourth 50-point game of his career.

“The first thing that sticks out to me is that he has four steals, a block and great defense for all 39 minutes he was out there,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “He played strong on that end of the floor and anchored us, and to still go for 50 in what I feel like is an old-school, smash-mouth way of getting 50 — no threes? Right? Twenty for 29, and then living at the free throw line, post-ups, offensive rebounds, crashes, all those types of things.

“Just an old-school performance and one for the ages.”

It was the fourth straight Lakers win in which Davis went head to head with a talented big man. Last week he faced Denver’s Nikola Jokic, Utah’s Rudy Gobert and Portland’s Hassan Whiteside. On Sunday, Davis faced Karl-Anthony Towns, who finished the game with 19 points, eight assists and four rebounds.

“Going against another great big man in Karl-Anthony Towns and obviously you get up for some of those games,” Davis said. “And they’re a team who’s hungry, trying to get wins and when you start off pretty hot from the floor, you just want the ball and it kept going in.”

LeBron James scored 32 points with 13 assists and made six of eight three-pointers. But James was hampered a bit by early foul trouble. He picked up his fourth foul with 2:27 left in the second quarter, which relegated him to the bench until halftime.

“I’m not used to being in foul trouble,” James said. “But it’s great to have a team that can continue to keep up the pressure, the momentum.”

Highlights from the Lakers’ win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.

Although the Lakers briefly lost their lead in the second quarter, they went on an 11-0 run to close the second quarter and led 73-65 at halftime.

Davis took to heart his teammates’ words. Many of them didn’t give him a choice. At basically every timeout in the second half, Cousins reminded him that 50 points was in range.

A game after scoring 39 points through three quarters, Davis had 40 through three. But on Friday the Lakers were handily beating Portland entering the fourth quarter. On Sunday, they led by only seven. They’d need Davis.

“Just keep feeding him,” James said. “He was efficient all night. Getting the ball exactly where he wanted it. Mid-post, low post, perimeter. He can do it all, so it’s our job to continue giving him the ball.”

Davis missed a step-back jumper with 4:58 left in the game, and Rajon Rondo, who also was out with an injury, let him know he was one basket away.

Then Davis drove to the basket, went left and shot a floater to reach a Lakers superstar milestone.

“It was very special,” Davis said.

“To do something like that in front of these great fans, with a historical franchise and my teammates, especially the way we’ve been playing, it was nothing but amazing.”

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The pass traveled almost the entire length of the court, from LeBron James at the Lakers’ free-throw line to Anthony Davis near the left sideline deep on the other end.

Davis started toward the baseline, only to suddenly spin counterclockwise around Robert Covington. Karl-Anthony Towns retreated to help, but not in time to stop Davis from throwing down a two-handed dunk.

What was most remarkable about that sequence midway through the first quarter was how unremarkable the play was in the context of the 142-125 demolition of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Or this season, for that matter.

The Lakers are making the extraordinary look routine. They have become the Harlem Globetrotters, and every other team is the Washington Generals.

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Davis scored an effortless 50 points Sunday night at Staples Center. The Lakers improved to an easy 21-3, the best mark in the NBA.

A week earlier, their record could be downplayed as a reflection of their soft early-season schedule. They then went on a trip in which they downed the Nuggets in Denver and the Jazz in Utah.

Now, the question asked a week ago has to be asked again, except this time without the insinuation the Lakers might be frauds.

How good are they?

“We’re a good team,” coach Frank Vogel said. “We’re a really good team. We have confidence to win every time we take the floor throughout the league, whether we’re at home or on the road.”

The Lakers are 11-1 in away games. They’re on pace to become only the third team in league history to win more than 70 games.

As much happiness as they inspire on the basketball court, these Showtime Lakers are absolute killjoys when it comes to pondering whether they are, or could be, a historically good team.

“I’m the last person you could ask a question like that,” James said. “I live too much in the moment.”

Vogel was no more helpful, but he at least smiled.

“Not really allowing myself to go there,” Vogel said. “To me, I wake up every day 0-0. I’m asking my team to do the same and to look at only the game in front of us. All that stuff comes with your jobs. The media can talk about those things.”

The reality is that conversations about their place in history are probably premature. The Clippers, who are expected to be their greatest obstacle to a championship, are still learning how to play together.

The Lakers are closer to the team they want to be in the playoffs. Vogel went as far to say he was taken aback by how quickly James and Davis have meshed.

Highlights from the Lakers’ win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.

“To me, the two of them have hit the ground running, right from the start of the training camp,” Vogel said. “Both on and off the basketball court, their chemistry has been seamless, I think to the surprise of all of us. We all thought there would be a little bit more of a learning curve.”

Davis leads the Lakers in scoring at 27.7 points per game. James is close behind at 25.9. James also tops the NBA with 10.8 assists per game.

The Lakers scored 32 fast-break points Sunday, and Vogel acknowledged that he didn’t think that part of their game would be this developed as this stage of the season.

Davis’ ability to run the court was a reason why he only required to 29 shot attempts to score 50 points. Vogel also pointed to the four steals and one block Davis registered, saying the team can push the ball up the court better when it gets stops.

And, of course, there is James, who had 13 assists to go with 32 points of his own.

“LeBron James is just, he’s unbelievable with his throw-ins,” Vogel said. “He’s just putting the ball on target, in narrow spaces and getting guys easy layups.”

On the play after the one described above, JaVale McGee went up for a defensive rebound and made a touch pass to James, who again unfurled a cross-court pass to Davis for an uncontested layup.

“I think as a team we’re finding a rhythm,” Davis said. “That’s why we were able to score so many points. I think the way we approach the game now, just knowing that we’re finding our rhythm offensively, I think the whole team is playing at a high level.”

And perhaps a historical level.

Hello, my name is John Cherwa and welcome back to our horse racing newsletter as we have only one week of racing left before the break.

Before we get to the stewards’ rulings, a hearty thanks to the couple dozen of you who said you enjoyed Sunday’s lesson on the language. A lot of you provided me with your favorite misuse of the language, and I agree with all of them. As for the three of you who were greatly offended to having it in the newsletter, please contact the Los Angeles Times for a full refund of your newsletter subscription. Oh, that’s right.

Stewards’ rulings

These sets of rulings should close the books on those made by the Del Mar stewards. But, some of the decisions and violations that occurred during the meeting will be pushed forward for others to look at. So, let’s get to the last week of Del Mar.

–Exercise rider Jeff Catalan was fined $500 for disorderly conduct and entry to an area assigned to a trainer. On Aug. 1 at Del Mar was said to have entered a stall of a horse while he was intoxicated. Catalan must also adhere to the recommendations of the Winners Foundation and agree to be tested. If he doesn’t do those things, he will have his license suspended.

–Trainer Bob Baffert was fined $500 when his horse Cruel Intentions tested positive for Phenylbutazone, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, after the third race on July 27 at Del Mar. Cruel Intention finished third. Baffert accepted full responsibility and said he would initiate new barn protocols to keep this from happening again.

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–Trainer Bob Baffert was fined $1,500 when his horse Éclair tested positive for Phenylbutazone, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory, after Éclair finished fourth on Aug. 3 in the first race at Del Mar. The hearing was held on the same day as the previous violation hearing, Nov. 16. The stewards said Baffert was not aware of the first positive when the second one occurred. Nonetheless, it was his second violation in the last 365 days. Baffert and his attorney said it was probably due to an accidental treatment but weren’t sure. They said they were confident the new barn protocols would prevent any other violations. It was a majority decision with steward Kim Sawyer voting for a $1,000 fine.

–Jockey Aaron Gryder, in a confusing situation, dropped his appeal of a four-day riding decision made by Santa Anita stewards on Oct. 19. On Nov. 23, a retroactive suspension was then ordered by the stewards for Nov. 16, 17, 21 and 22. At the last CHRB meeting at Del Mar, Gryder addressed the board during the public comment period. During it, he played a recording of a message from the stewards’ office that he believed allowed him to change his suspension days. In the stewards’ minutes, this was said: “Confusion between headquarters and Jockey Gryder regarding which suspension days he would ultimately serve led to the issuance of this uncommon ultimate enforcement of CHRB rule #1699 (Riding Rules) violation. This retroactive ruling is not precedent setting in our unanimous opinion.”

OK, I know we almost always talk about rulings that were given. But I thought I’d end this with a ruling that wasn’t made just to reinforce the level of stuff the stewards have to rule on and the amount of material that crosses their desks. I have withheld the name of the person, because they weren’t guilty. If you absolutely have to know, you can find it in the stewards’ minutes.

“Groom (name withheld) appeared in the Stewards’ office to address a ‘security violation notice’ issued by Del Mar Security on November 16. On this day security alleged that (name withheld) exited Gate Z which is an ‘enter only’ gate. Groom (name withheld) told us that (gender withheld) turned (see previous) vehicle around and immediately complied to orders given by the security staff. DMTC security was not present for the hearing. In a unanimous decision this matter was dismissed with a warning.”

Who goofed, I’ve got to know?

It was me. I gave Los Alamitos credit for having the only graded stakes race on Sunday. Seems there was the Grade 3 $200,000 Fall Highweight Handicap at Aqueduct. The race was originally scheduled for Thanksgiving, when the card was canceled, and then Dec. 1, when the card was suspended after a couple races. So, it was rescheduled for a second time. Not an excuse, just what happened.

Los Alamitos daytime review

Sunday’s feature, the $100,000 Bayakoa Stakes for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles, took on a different look when Mirth, the morning-line favorite, was one of two scratches taking the field to six. In the end it was Queen Be to You who went from last to first to win the race by 3 ½ lengths.

Queen Be to You paid $7.20, $3.40 and $2.40. Zusha finished second and was followed by Lady Suebee, Kim K, Mongolian Humor and Arctic Roll.

Here’s what the winning connections had to say.

Andrew Lerner (winning trainer) “There was a little hesitation running her back [three weeks after her win in the Betty Grable at Del Mar]. But she came out of the race so well and we worked her back and she went so spectacularly that we said we have to go for it. The plan wasn’t to take her back that far, but she kind of missed the break a little bit. I could see she was traveling smoothly and [jockey] Ruben [Fuentes] always does a fantastic job with her.”

Ruben Fuentes (winning jockey): “She is very sharp right now. She settled early and relaxed perfectly and I knew she was loaded when I asked her for run.”

Big races review

A look at graded stakes or races worth $100,000 on Sunday.

Aqueduct (4): $100,000 Garland of Roses Stakes, fillies and mares 3 and up, 6 furlongs. Winner: Pauseforthecause ($4.60)

Gulfstream (7): $100,000 Confraternity Caribbean Cup, Caribbean-breds 3 and up, 1 1/4 miles. Winner: Kukulkan ($2.10)

Gulfstream (10): $115,000 Caribbean Cup Speed, Caribbean-breds 3 and up, 6 furlongs. Winner: Sacamandu ($67.00)

Aqueduct (11): Grade 3 $200,000 Fall Highweight Handicap, 3 and up, 6 furlongs. Winner: Happy Farm ($16.40)

Gulfstream (11): $300,000 Caribbean Classic, Caribbean-bred 3-year-olds, 1 1/8 miles. Winner: The Brother Slew ($92.80)

Woodbine (9): $125,000 Ontario Lassie Stakes, Ont-bred fillies 2-years-old, 1 1/16 miles. Winner: Curlin’s Voyage ($7.60)

Los Alamitos (8): Grade 3 $100,000 Bayakoa Stakes, fillies and mares 3 and up, 1 1/16 miles. Winner: Queen Bee to You ($7.20)

Final thought

Always looking to add more subscribers to this newsletter. Can’t beat the price. If you like it, tell someone. If you don’t like it, then you’re probably not reading this. Either way, send to a friend and just have them click here and sign up. Remember, it’s free, and all we need is your email, nothing more.

Any thoughts, you can reach me at [email protected]. You can also feed my ego by following me on Twitter @jcherwa

Now, here’s the star of the show, Sunday’s results. We’ll see you on Thursday.

Los Alamitos Race Course Charts Results for Sunday, December 8.

Copyright 2019 by Equibase Company. Reproduction prohibited. Los Alamitos Race Course, Los Alamitos, California. 3rd day of a 8-day meet. Cloudy & Good

FIRST RACE.

6 Furlongs. Purse: $17,000. Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Prices $16,000-$14,000. Time 22.51 46.51 58.96 1:11.91

Winner–Leading Indicator B.f.3 by Clubhouse Ride out of Logical Single, by Singletary. Bred by Harris Farms (CA). Trainer: Dean Pederson. Owner: Harris Farms, Inc.. Mutuel Pool $40,496 Exacta Pool $13,452 Superfecta Pool $3,333 Trifecta Pool $8,095. Scratched–Discrete Stevie B, Secret Maneuver.

LEADING INDICATOR saved ground stalking the pace, came out on the turn and four wide into the stretch, rallied under urging to the front nearing the furlong marker, drifted in a bit from the whip in deep stretch and won clear. PROMNESIA broke out a bit, had speed just off the rail then angled in and dueled inside, inched away into the stretch, could not match the winner in the final furlong and just held second. BELLAZANO prompted the pace three deep to the stretch, drifted in a bit and just missed the place. APPOLINA dueled between horses, fought back on the turn and weakened in the stretch. LEADING INDICATOR wore calks. HALF MILE HAND TIMED.

SECOND RACE.

5½ Furlongs. Purse: $40,000. Maiden Special Weight. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Time 22.63 46.76 58.75 1:04.96

Winner–Stormin Ranger Grr.f.3 by U S Ranger out of Stormin Mon, by Maria’s Mon. Bred by Liberty Road Stables (CA). Trainer: Brian J. Koriner. Owner: Jay Em Ess Stable. Mutuel Pool $77,580 Daily Double Pool $14,694 Exacta Pool $37,486 Superfecta Pool $25,367 Trifecta Pool $27,729. Scratched–none.

STORMIN RANGER dueled four wide, took a short lead into the stretch, drifted in and inched away, fought back when headed under left handed urging and gamely prevailed. INTO RISSA broke behind the field, settled off the rail then a bit off the fence into the turn, came out five wide into the stretch, drifted in and took a short lead outside the winner a furlong out and was outgamed. ROCKETANN dueled three deep between horses, weakened in the stretch but outfinished a rival for the show. LONSDALEITE had good early speed and dueled inside, took a short lead on the turn, fought back into the stretch, then weakened. SPANISH CHANNEL dueled between horses, fought back on the turn and into the stretch and also weakened. KITTY’S WHISKERS broke slowly, settled a bit off the rail then inside on the turn, came out into the stretch and was outrun.

THIRD RACE.

1 Mile. Purse: $40,000. Maiden Special Weight. 2 year olds. Time 23.48 48.06 1:13.34 1:26.08 1:38.59

Winner–Azul Coast B.c.2 by Super Saver out of Sky Treasure, by Sky Mesa. Bred by SF Bloodstock, LLC (KY). Trainer: Bob Baffert. Owner: Watson, Karl, Pegram, Michael E. and Weitman, Paul. Mutuel Pool $126,992 Daily Double Pool $11,342 Exacta Pool $69,488 Superfecta Pool $39,293 Trifecta Pool $47,039. Scratched–none.

$1 Pick Three (1-6-5) paid $23.30. Pick Three Pool $21,092.

AZUL COAST fanned five wide into the first turn, chased off the rail then five wide on the backstretch and into the second turn, came six wide into the stretch, rallied to the lead while drifting in under left handed urging nearing the furlong marker, drifted to the inside and won clear. SPECIAL DAY chased outside a rival then went up four wide on the backstretch and five wide on the second turn and into the stretch, drifted in three deep in the drive and bested the others. JEFFNJOHN’STHUNDR drifted out into the first turn then angled in and stalked inside, bid along the rail leaving the second turn and into the stretch, fought back inside in the drive and held third. DOCTRINAIRE off a bit slowly, went up three deep then took the lead and angled in, set the pace inside then dueled outside a rival leaving the second turn and into the stretch and was outfinished for the show. HEYWOODS BEACH stalked inside then between horses, went three deep between foes on the second turn and into the stretch and lacked the needed late kick. CEBOLLA angled in outside a rival then stalked between foes on the backstretch, went four wide on the second turn and into the stretch and could not offer the necessary response. HYDROGEN had speed inside then stalked the leader, was between rivals leaving the backstretch, dropped back between foes leaving the second turn, gave way and was eased in the drive. HEYWOODS BEACH wore calks.

FOURTH RACE.

5½ Furlongs. Purse: $21,000. Maiden Claiming. Fillies. 2 year olds. Claiming Prices $50,000-$40,000. Time 22.29 46.36 58.68 1:05.08

Winner–Sugar Pickel Dbb.f.2 by Candy Ride (ARG) out of Sweetest Sound, by Smart Strike. Bred by Whisper Hill Farm, LLC (KY). Trainer: Peter Eurton. Owner: Alesia, Sharon and Ciaglia Racing LLC. Mutuel Pool $116,661 Daily Double Pool $12,508 Exacta Pool $64,904 Superfecta Pool $39,207 Trifecta Pool $43,065. Scratched–La Rosa Drive.

$1 Pick Three (6-5-6) paid $137.50. Pick Three Pool $14,381.

SUGAR PICKEL chased outside then three deep on the turn and four wide into the stretch, rallied under left handed urging to gain the lead in deep stretch and proved best. TROUVILLE stalked a bit off the rail then inside on the turn, bid along the rail into the stretch to gain the advantage, inched away nearing the eighth pole, could not hold off the winner but saved the place. FROZEN BELLE dueled outside a rival then three deep leaving the turn and into the stretch, fought back in the drive and bested the others. I’M THE HERO had good early speed and dueled inside, battled between foes leaving the turn and into the stretch and weakened in the final furlong. TACOCAT stalked off the rail then between foes on the turn, continued just off the fence into the stretch and weakened. ELUSIVE RIDE chased off the rail then a bit off the fence into and on the turn, came out into the stretch and lacked a further response. MUCHOMONEYBABY unhurried outside on the backstretch and off the rail on the turn, came four wide into the stretch and gave way. MAGICAL PATH hopped in a slow start, settled off the rail to the stretch and failed to menace.

FIFTH RACE.

5½ Furlongs. Purse: $40,000. Maiden Special Weight. 3 year olds and up. Time 22.24 45.94 57.60 1:03.87

Winner–Loafers Boy B.g.3 by Coil out of All Star Cast, by Theatrical (IRE). Bred by George & Martha Schwary Racing LLC (CA). Trainer: Andrew Lerner. Owner: George and Martha Schwary Racing LLC. Mutuel Pool $187,815 Daily Double Pool $15,599 Exacta Pool $111,313 Superfecta Pool $58,442 Trifecta Pool $63,999. Scratched–R Matineigh Idol.

$1 Pick Three (5-6-7) paid $428.00. Pick Three Pool $32,540. $1 Pick Four (6-5-6-7) 4 correct paid $1,072.60. Pick Four Pool $67,814. 50-Cent Pick Five (1/3/5-6-5-6-7) 5 correct paid $2,166.95. Pick Five Pool $269,362.

LOAFERS BOY stalked three deep then outside a rival, came three wide into the stretch, bid outside the pacesetter to gain the lead, inched away under urging and won clear. JETOVATOR had speed outside a rival then set the pace a bit off the rail, fought back inside the winner in midstretch and was second best. AFTERNOON HEAT stalked between horses then outside a rival on the turn, came out into the stretch and edged a rival for the show. GRANDPA LOUIE saved ground stalking the pace, came a bit off the rail leaving the turn and was edged late for third. A MAN’S MAN fractious in the gate, broke slowly, settled just off the rail, split horses in the stretch and could not summon the needed late kick. SPENDAHOLIC stalked between horses then outside on the turn and four wide into the stretch and lacked the needed rally. POSTY saved ground stalking the pace, continued inside on the turn and in the stretch and weakened. STREET DEMAND chased between horses then three wide on the turn and four wide into the stretch and also weakened. SEA OF LIBERTY broke slowly, chased outside then four wide on the turn and five wide into the stretch and had little left for the drive.

SIXTH RACE.

1 Mile. Purse: $16,000. Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Prices $12,500-$10,500. Time 24.46 48.33 1:13.59 1:26.56 1:39.78

Winner–Tiz Wonderfully Dbb.f.4 by Tiz Wonderful out of Your Special Day, by Kafwain. Bred by Dr. Dorothee Kieckhefer (CA). Trainer: James M. Cassidy. Owner: James M. Cassidy. Mutuel Pool $134,149 Daily Double Pool $15,459 Exacta Pool $85,637 Superfecta Pool $52,439 Trifecta Pool $57,377. Claimed–Lucky Stepper by Garthwaite, Eric and Salvatore, Raymond. Trainer: Jonathan Wong. Scratched–none.

$1 Pick Three (6-7-4) paid $531.40. Pick Three Pool $31,144.

TIZ WONDERFULLY went up four wide on the first turn to press the pace then took the lead on the backstretch, angled in and set the pace a bit off the rail, battled outside the runner-up leaving the second turn and into the stretch, inched away under left handed urging a furlong out and won clear. REDS SACRED APPEAL had speed inside to duel for the lead then stalked along the rail, bid again inside leaving the second turn and into the stretch, could not match the winner in the final furlong but was clearly second best. SHANGHAI BARBIE fanned five wide into the first turn, chased four wide then three deep on the second turn, came four wide into the stretch and bested the others. LAKER JET had speed three deep then stalked between horses, came three wide into the stretch, drifted in and weakened. GREATER GLORY chased off the rail or outside a rival, came four wide into the stretch and lacked the needed rally. GIRL CAN PARTIE settled a bit off the rail then inside on the second turn, came out three wide into the stretch and also lacked the necessary response. REINAHERMOSA stalked inside then a bit off the rail on the backstretch and second turn and weakened. LUCKY STEPPER dueled between horses then stalked between foes, angled in on the second turn and also weakened. SHANGHAI BARBIE wore calks.

SEVENTH RACE.

1 Mile. Purse: $45,000. Allowance Optional Claiming. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $50,000. Time 23.90 47.76 1:12.67 1:24.99 1:37.53

Winner–Justinian Ch.c.3 by Justin Phillip out of Miss Wined Up, by Roman Ruler. Bred by Jamie Frost (KY). Trainer: Bob Baffert. Owner: Williford, Roberta, Williford, Ward and Winner, Charles N.. Mutuel Pool $163,051 Daily Double Pool $15,531 Exacta Pool $83,889 Superfecta Pool $45,677 Trifecta Pool $57,065. Scratched–none.

$1 Pick Three (7-4-6) paid $126.10. Pick Three Pool $51,545.

JUSTINIAN fanned five wide into the first turn, stalked off the rail then outside on the second turn, came four wide into the stretch, drifted in and took the lead outside a rival under urging in midstretch, inched away then drifted to the rail in deep stretch and was under a hold late. FULL OF LUCK (CHI) settled a bit off the rail, came out leaving the second turn and four wide into the stretch and gained the place late. RIVER ECHO (GB) dueled between horses then a bit off the rail on the second turn, inched away into the stretch, fought back inside the winner, drifted in late and lost second. PLAY MONEY four wide into the first turn, chased off the rail, came three deep into the stretch, drifted in and lacked a rally. I CAN DO THIS bobbled some and broke out a bit, had speed inside to duel for the lead, fell back some on the second turn and weakened. EROTIC broke a bit slowly and was squeezed back, then saved ground to no avail. MYSTERY MESSENGER dueled three deep, was between foes leaving the second turn and weakened.

EIGHTH RACE.

1 1/16 Mile. Purse: $100,000. ‘Bayakoa Stakes’. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Time 23.19 47.00 1:11.47 1:37.24 1:44.21

Winner–Queen Bee to You B.m.5 by Old Topper out of Silk Queen, by Touch Gold. Bred by Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, LLC (CA). Trainer: Andrew Lerner. Owner: St. Hilaire, Christopher and Vali, Adam. Mutuel Pool $140,440 Daily Double Pool $18,177 Exacta Pool $64,102 Superfecta Pool $36,708 Trifecta Pool $41,990. Scratched–Mirth, Mo See Cal.

$1 Pick Three (4-6-6) paid $64.30. Pick Three Pool $22,484. $1 Consolation Pick Three (4-6-3) paid $15.10.

QUEEN BEE TO YOU drifted out into the first turn, chased off the rail then outside, went four wide on the second turn and into the stretch, took the lead outside a rival in midstretch, inched away under some urging and won clear. ZUSHA chased a bit off the rail, split horses leaving the second turn and gained the place late. LADY SUEBEE stalked the pace off the rail, bid outside the pacesetter to gain the lead on the second turn, inched away leaving that turn, battled inside the winner in midstretch then drifted in and lost second late. KIM K stalked off the inside, went three deep between foes on the second turn and into the stretch and lacked the needed rally. MONGOLIAN HUMOR saved ground chasing the pace, fell back leaving the backstretch, came out on the second turn and into the stretch and did not rally. ARCTIC ROLL (GB) sent to the early lead inside, set the pace along the rail, dueled on the second turn, fell back leaving that turn, gave way and was eased in the drive. LADY SUEBEE wore calks.

NINTH RACE.

5½ Furlongs. Purse: $15,000. Maiden Claiming. Fillies and Mares. 3 year olds and up. Claiming Price $20,000. Time 22.55 46.79 59.29 1:05.94

Winner–Daddy’s Melody Dbb.f.4 by Scat Daddy out of Embur’s Melody, by Mr. Greeley. Bred by Josham Farms Limited (ON). Trainer: Craig Dollase. Owner: Masino Racing Stable. Mutuel Pool $156,835 Daily Double Pool $43,138 Exacta Pool $101,980 Superfecta Pool $77,695 Super High Five Pool $10,340 Trifecta Pool $76,872. Scratched–Miracle Miler, Suezaaana.

$1 Pick Three (6-6-10) paid $23.10. Pick Three Pool $74,827. $1 Pick Four (4-6-6-10) 4 correct paid $148.00. Pick Four Pool $356,589. $2 Pick Six (6-7-4-6-6-10) 5 out of 6 paid $280.00. $2 Pick Six (6-7-4-6-6-10) 6 correct paid $22,880.60. Pick Six Pool $42,828.

DADDY’S MELODY dueled three deep, took the lead outside a rival leaving the turn, drifted out into the stretch, inched clear under urging and drifted in some in the stretch and drew off under steady handling. CASILLALATER pulled and clipped heels in tight early, chased between rivals then a bit off the rail on the turn, came out some in the stretch and gained the place. SWINGN IT chased three deep, came five wide into the stretch, angled inward in midstretch and picked up the show. WRITING IN THE SKY stalked inside, came out leaving the turn and into the stretch and lacked the needed rally. PETRONILLA had good early speed and dueled inside, fought back on the turn and into the stretch and weakened in the final furlong. OSTERIA saved ground chasing the pace, came a bit off the rail in the stretch and weakened. LISTEN LINDA dueled between horses, stalked off the rail leaving the turn and weakened in the drive. CALI ROCKS stalked off the rail then outside a rival on the turn, came out four wide into the stretch and also weakened. LALA FLEUR between horses early, dropped back leaving the backstretch, angled in, came out into the stretch and gave way. MONCHICHI unseated the rider when fractious in the gate, was reloaded and broke a bit slowly, dropped back just off the rail on the backstretch and turn and was outrun.