Leading Off

They Shoot Horses
The fans at Churchill Downs treated the start of the Kentucky Derby as a photo op, snapping away as the 20 horses left the gate last Saturday. Barbaro, a 6-to-1 shot with Edgar Prado up (inset), broke from the eighth post position and ran away with the 132nd Run for the Roses by 6 1/2 lengths (page 54).

Some Drive It Hot
At the Crown Royal 400 in Richmond last Saturday, the engine in Kevin Lepage's Dodge blew after 90 laps, causing an oil fire. Lepage walked away, but his car was finished for the night. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (inset) won the race, his first victory on the Nextel Cup circuit in his last 27 starts.

Shot in the Dark
As Phillies catcher Sal Fasano and umpire Paul Nauert watched, Barry Bonds launched career homer number 713, off Jon Lieber on Sunday night at Citizens Bank Park. The ball (above the rightfield lights) struck the McDonald's sign on the facing of the upper deck. Bonds's solo blast, estimated at 450 feet, left him one shy of Babe Ruth's total (page 39), but it was not enough for the Giants, who lost 9--5.

> For more Leading Off pictures, go to SI.com/photos.