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LONDON -- Serena Williams insisted she was not focused on No. 22.Said she wouldnt discuss it.Kept coming close without quite getting it.Now she finally has it. And so she can flaunt it.Williams lifted both arms overhead and raised two fingers on each hand right there on Centre Court to show off the magic number after winning her record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title by beating Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-3 in the Wimbledon final on Saturday.Definitely had some sleepless nights, if Im just honest, with a lot of stuff, Williams said. My goal is to win always at least a Slam a year. It was getting down to the pressure.She pulled even with Steffi Graf for the most major championships in the Open era, which began in 1968. Now Williams stands behind only Margaret Courts all-time mark of 24.This was Williams seventh singles trophy at the All England Club -- only Martina Navratilova, with nine, has more in the Open era -- and second in a row. The victory at Wimbledon a year ago raised her Grand Slam count to 21, where it remained until Saturday.Its been incredibly difficult not to think about it. I had a couple of tries this year, said Williams, who went back on court a few hours later to win the doubles title with older sister Venus. But it makes the victory even sweeter to know how hard I worked for it.There was a stunning loss to Roberta Vinci in the U.S. Open semifinals in September, ending Williams bid for a calendar-year Grand Slam. Then losses in finals to Kerber at the Australian Open, and to Garbine Muguruza at the French Open.Time heals, said Williams coach, Patrick Mouratoglou. By losing, you realize things.In the rematch against the fourth-seeded Kerber -- the first time in a decade two women met to decide multiple major titles in a single season -- the No. 1-ranked Williams came through. This goes alongside six championships at the U.S. Open, six at the Australian Open and three at the French Open.The 34-year-old American did it, as she often does, with nearly impeccable serving. She slammed 13 aces. She won 38 of 43 first-serve points. She faced just one break point -- at 3-all in the second set, representing Kerbers only real opening -- and shut the door emphatically with aces at 117 mph and 124 mph.There was more that Williams did well, though. Much more. Facing the left-handed Kerbers reactive, counter-punching style, Williams dictated exchanges and compiled a 39-12 edge in winners.Williams hammered second serves that floated in at 75 mph, breaking once in each set. She volleyed well, too, winning the point on 16 of 22 trips to the net, including a tap-in on match point. Soon, she was wrapping Kerber in a warm embrace, then holding up those fingers to symbolize 22.I was trying everything, but she deserved it today. She really played an unbelievable match, said Kerber, who hadnt appeared in a major final until beating Williams in Melbourne. I think we both (played) on a really high level.Kerber, a German who knows Graf well, defeated Venus in the semifinals and hadnt dropped a set until Saturday. But she could not keep up with the trophy on the line, although it was a high-quality final that was tighter than the scoreline might indicate.Played a good match, Kerber said. That makes it a little easier for me.Later Saturday, Williams earned a second piece of hardware when she and Venus defeated Timea Babos and Yaroslava Shvedova 6-3, 6-4 for their sixth doubles trophy at Wimbledon and 14th from all majors.In singles, Williams got better as the tournament went along, taking the last 12 sets she played after dropping a tiebreaker to open her second-round match against Christina McHale. After that set, Williams smashed her racket and flung it away, drawing a $10,000 fine.There had been some thought that Williams was really stung by her loss to Vinci in New York, that it was too big a disappointment to push aside and lingered, somehow, when she followed with the setbacks against Kerber and Muguruza.If anything, I was able to show resilience that, no, thats not going to shake me, youre not going to break me, Williams said, its going to make me stronger.So, Williams was asked Saturday, is she already thinking about No. 25, to surpass Court?Oh, God, no, Williams said. One thing I learned about last year is to enjoy the moment. Im definitely going to enjoy this.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrichAir Force 1 Low Cheap . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59. Air Force 1 Nz Cheap . -- Aaron Murray threw for 408 yards and three touchdowns, ran for another score, and led No. http://www.airforce1salenz.com/air-force-1-lv8-nz.html . Louis Blues teammates who would also be participating in the Olympics, Alex Pietrangelo felt right at home, no different in some ways to the travel experience of any old road trip – save for the length of the journey, that is. Air Force 1 Low Nz . The visitors took a deserved lead in the 16th minute with midfielder Yohan Cabaye curling the ball beyond Adrian from inside the penalty area. Air Force 1 Sage Low Nz . Haas said he "felt a lot of pain" in his right shoulder when he slammed his racket to the ground in frustration after losing his serve at 3-3 in the first set.There are fans of the sport of Thoroughbred racing, and there are fans of Thoroughbred racing because of the intellectual challenge of handicapping and betting. There is some cross over between these two spheres. For example, my love for the game is fueled by both the wagering component, and by my huge respect for the history of the sport. But by and large, Thoroughbred racing is a dichotomous entity.This comes to mind because of Saturdays stakes activity. The road to the Breeders Cup takes a serious turn Saturday with five Grade 1 stakes at Santa Anita, each of them Win and Youre In events for the Breeders Cup on Nov. 4 and 5 that Santa Anita will host. There are also five graded stakes at Belmont Park, three of them Grade 1 contests, two of which are also Breeders Cup WAYI races. And there are stakes-heavy cards at Churchill Downs and Gulfstream Park, although those cards carry less of a significant Breeders Cup impact.Many of these stakes on Saturday are very important from a sporting perspective. A few are even critical, and I will explain why in a moment. But from a wagering standpoint, many of these stakes are, frankly, duds.As prep races for the Breeders Cup go, the stakes at Santa Anita would be important even if you didnt know a single horse entered in any of them. All five of these stakes will be run on the same main track or turf course that their corresponding Breeders Cup races in November will be run on. It is for this reason that these preps take on an added degree of significance. And Saturdays Rodeo Drive, Chandelier, and FrontRunner Stakes will not only be run on the same surface as their corresponding Breeders Cup races, they will also be run at the same distance as the Filly & Mare Turf, Juvenile Fillies, and Juvenile, respectively.Santa Anitas Awesome Again Stakes, the local prep for the Breeders Cup Classic, boasts California Chrome, the best horse in the world (right now, at least), and the future book favorite for the Classic. If California Chrome wins Saturday, hell become an even stronger favorite for the Classic. If he loses, it will turn the Classic on its head.Klimt is in a similar position in the FrontRunner. I have Klimt as the future book favorite for the Juvenile in DRF, and whatever race the favorite for any Breeders Cup event has his or her final prep in, it makes that race a key prep.The Zenyatta, the other big stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday, lured Beholder and Stellar WWind, currently the two best older dirt females in the country, leading candidates for the Breeders Cup Distaff, and two horses the likes of which Songbird has not yet met.ddddddddddddAt Belmont, Flintshire, Americas dominant male turf horse and the favorite for the Breeders Cup Turf, gets his final tune up in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic.Also at Belmont, A. P. Indian, winner of two Grade 1 events during the Saratoga meet, and X Y Jet, freakish in Florida early this year and who was a narrowly beaten second in the Dubai Golden Shaheen despite chipping a knee, meet in the Vosburgh. By any measure, A. P. Indian and X Y Jet are top contenders for the Breeders Cup Sprint.And at Churchill Downs, Runhappy, last years champion male sprinter, makes his belated 4-year-old debut in the Ack Ack Stakes, a return that could have significant implications for a couple of Breeders Cup events, and beyond.Clearly, there is big stuff going on Saturday. It doesnt take F. Lee Bailey to make that case.But if youre a bettor who is not a chalk-eating weasel (a term of endearment, sort of, for people who like to wager on short-priced horses), how many of these races are you eager to bet on?Runhappy will be a prohibitive favorite and, in my view, there arent any appealing wagering alternatives in his race.California Chrome will also be a prohibitive favorite. Dortmund looks like the only imaginable alternative to him in the Awesome Again, and even though Dortmund just doesnt seem as good as California Chrome, he wont be much of a price, either.Klimt looks very imposing, and so do A. P. Indian and X Y Jet. But all three will be short prices.Flintshire, who might be the tiniest price of the day, faces only three opponents. And only three others lined up to face Beholder and Stellar Wind, who were going to be heavily bet no matter how many showed up to oppose them.Look, I know declining foal crops have resulted in a shallower pool of available stakes horses. That said, short fields and competitive racing are not necessarily mutually exclusive. You still can have six or seven horse races that are competitive, and thus reasonably attractive, betting-wise.And thats the rub. As important as many of Saturdays stakes might be, satisfying the sports purists, many are also decidedly uncompetitive, frustrating bettors. ' ' '