NEW YORK -- Connect beat Divining Rod by a head at the end of a stretch duel Saturday in the $500,000 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct.A late developing 3-year-old facing older horses for the first time in a stakes race, Connect won for the fifth time in six starts this season. Ridden by Javier Castellano and trained by Chad Brown, the Pennsylvania Derby winner was part of a four-horse battle turning for home. It turned into a two-horse contest as Connect and Divining Rod pulled away from the pack in the final furlong.Divining Rod held the slightest advantage until Connect pushed on in the final strides.It was an exciting race, Brown said. This is such a nice horse. Javier really rode him good. He had to move a little earlier than he wanted and he got a bit of a wide trip, but he knew how to time it just right.It was the first race for Connect since the Pennsylvania Derby on Sept. 24. Brown opted to give the colt a break after that race.There is always a risk doing that, Brown said. He could be a little short, but he had just enough today and got it done at a mile.Arnaud Delacour, Divining Rods trainer, took the tough-luck defeat in stride.I thought it was a great stretch run from both horses, he said. I think Connect is a great horse, so Im thrilled.Connect paid $5, $3.30 and $2.80 as the 3-2 favorite.Divining Rod returned $5.10 and $4.90 and Realm paid $7 to show.The time was 1:35.34 in the final Grade 1 stakes of the year in New YorkConnect earned $300,000 for the win, lifting his career earnings to $1.25 million for owner Paul Pompa Jr.On the undercard, Mo Town stepped up from his maiden win to take $300,000 Remsen Stakes for 2-year-olds.With the victory, he also moved into next years Triple Crown picture.The son of Uncle Mo is 2 for 3 for trainer Tony Dutrow. The latest was a very professional effort by an inexperienced colt.After Takaful, the 4-5 favorite, opened a big lead down the backstretch, jockey John Velazquez and Mo Town made a decisive move from fourth into second, narrowing the gap right behind the leader.Mo Town took over from Takaful in the final eighth of a mile and pulled clear to a 2 1/2 length score over No Dozing. Takaful was third.Mo Town paid $10.40 to win.- Paco Lopez rode a pair of upset stakes winners.He rallied Verves Tale rallied past 3-5 favorite Lewis Bay for a 20-1 upset in the $250,000 Comely Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.After losing her first seven races, Verves Tale has now won two straight. She prevailed by a neck, paying $43.60 to win for trainer Barclay Tagg.Lopez reversed tactics in the $300,000 Demoiselle for 2-year-old fillies, posting a front-running victory aboard 5-1 shot Miss Sky Warrior.She held off Jamyson `n Ginger, the 9-5 choice, by a half-length. 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Custom Bucks Jersey China . -- The proud fathers huddled near the Dallas Stars dressing room, smiling, laughing and telling stories while wearing replica green sweaters of their sons team. Stumps Zimbabwe 305 for 6 (Ervine 115*, Moor 71, Chibhabha 60, Santner 2-102 trail New Zealand 582 for 4 (Latham 136, Taylor 124, Williamson 113) by 277 runsScorecard and ball-by-ball detailsZimbabwe celebrate their heroes on August 8, and in Craig Ervine they certainly found one. His maiden Test ton and 148-run sixth-wicket stand with debutant PJ Moor took Zimbabwe to within 78 runs of avoiding the follow-on. Perhaps more crucially, he frustrated a New Zealand attack that now has a maximum of two days - could be lesser if the visitors have to bat - to take 14 wickets and on a flat Queens Sports Club surface.In their favour is the fact that New Zealand have discovered the best way to break through - reverse swing. With the second new ball that is more than 30 overs old, they may start looking for it again early on fourth morning. When they found it with their first ball, they made life uncomfortable for the Zimbabwean line-up, who were suffocated with close fields to the spinners.With just eight Tests under his belt, Ervine, the most experienced of Zimbabwes line-up going into this match, played the way a senior should. His approach combined caution with clever stroke-play and ensured the scoreboard kept ticking over. Zimbabwe scored 250 runs on the day, 120 in the final session alone. The dismissal of Moor for 71 in the last half hour lifted the morale of the visitors, who were run ragged after a spirited start.Ervine was needed after Zimbabwes openers - Chamu Chibhabha and Tino Mawoyo - gave the team their best start in 13 Tests, over five years, with a 65-run stand. Chibhabha was lucky to survive a confident shout off a Trent Boult delivery that tailed back in late. There was a bat-pad noise which may have put umpire Paul Reiffel off.His opening partner Mawoyo appeared to be better equipped to play defensively and bullishly. He fronted up to Neil Wagners short-ball strategy before inside-edging a drive onto the stumps.ddddddddddddAfter they were separated, Sikandar Raza, batting at No. 3 in place of the injured Hamilton Masakadza, squandered an opportunity to present his case further. By then, a spell of uncertainty had been woven into the Zimbabwean mindset. For 9.3 overs, Raza looked to have put away his aggressive streak but then drove lazily at a wide Wagner delivery with no foot movement to give Kane Williamson at gully a present on his 26th birthday.Chibhabha, for all his fidgeting, had shown ability to occupy the crease. He fought his way to fifty and looked like he would see out the opening session. But Williamsons decision to introduce spin in the form of Mitchell Santner paid off as Chibhabha drove with hard hands to find short cover.New Zealand could have had one more in the opening session when Southee tempted Ervine to drive, only to see Ross Taylor grass an opportunity in the slips. Instead, they had to wait until after the break when Prince Masvaure brought about his own dismissal as the ball bounced back off a half-hearted defense to hit leg stump.That brought Zimbabwes most assured pair of Ervine and Sean Williams together. While they were watchful, they also cashed in when the bad balls came their way. Williams, fresh off a century in the previous Test, was in sparkling form till he was adjudged lbw off a premeditated reverse-sweep against Ish Sodhi.After a period of settling in, Moor scored freely, especially off the second new ball, which became available with 25 minutes left in the session. But Williamson, who waited until there were only 10 overs left before taking it, may need to wait a little longer before it brings rewards. ' ' '