2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, August
In this inter-league series, Boston took a 6–0 lead in the first game, and went on to a 10–6 win. Jackie Bradley Jr., Christian Vázquez, and Xander Bogaerts each homered. At an estimated distance of 478 feet (146 m), the homer by Bradley Jr. was the longest by a Red Sox player since Statcast was introduced in 2015. Boston completed the two-game sweep with a 7–4 win, as Eduardo Rodríguez got his 16th win of the season. Bogaerts hit two home runs, becoming the first Red Sox shortstop with 30 in a season since Nomar Garciaparra in 1998. J. D. Martinez and Rafael Devers also homered.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, August
In the series' opener, Boston took an early 4–0 lead, and had a 6–4 lead going to the bottom of the ninth inning, only to see the Angels tie the game and force extra innings. The tie held until Mookie Betts hit his second home run of the game in the top of the 15th inning, which proved to be the difference as the Red Sox won, 7–6. Duration of the game was 5 hours 23 minutes, and included the 33rd homer of the season by J. D. Martinez.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, August
In the middle game of the series, the Red Sox held a 4–3 lead after seven innings. In the bottom of the eighth, the Angels scored seven runs, and went on to win, 10–4. The loss left Boston with an overall record of 73–63, having accrued a record of 14–13 during August.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, September
With expanded rosters allowed starting on September 1, the team added four pitchers (Jhoulys Chacín, Travis Lakins, Ryan Weber, and Héctor Velázquez) and two position players (catcher Juan Centeno and outfielder Gorkys Hernández). Following the end of the Triple-A season, on September 4 the team added four additional pitchers (Colten Brewer, Trevor Kelley, Bobby Poyner, and Mike Shawaryn).


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, September
Boston won the third game of the series, 4–3. Xander Bogaerts and J. D. Martinez each homered, with Bogaerts going 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Brandon Workman recorded his 10th save of the season.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, September
In the first game of the series, Minnesota took a 6–0 lead through the middle of the fifth inning. Boston closed to 6–4 at the end of the fifth, and to 6–5 at the end of the eighth. Despite a leadoff single in the bottom of the ninth, the Red Sox were unable to score again. Rick Porcello fell to 12–11 on the season, while Rafael Devers and Andrew Benintendi both homered. Boston won the second game of the series, 6–2, as Mookie Betts had two home runs, including one to leadoff the game.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, September
Eduardo Rodríguez got his 17th win of the season, and Brandon Workman got his 11th save. The final game of the series was a 2–1 win by the Twins. The Red Sox had the tying run on base in the ninth inning, but Devers was thrown out at the plate trying to score on a two-out double that J. D. Martinez hit off of the Green Monster. Boston's run came on a Betts homer that hit Pesky's Pole.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, September
Jhoulys Chacín got the start in the first game of this four-game series, retiring all six batters he faced while striking out four. Powered mainly by a four-run fourth inning, Boston went on to win, 6–1, while using seven pitchers. Mitch Moreland hit his 15th home run of the season. The Yankees won the series' second game, 5–1, also mainly due to a four-run fourth inning. Boston's run came on a ninth-inning homer by J. D. Martinez. New York won the third game of the series, 10–5, scoring first and never trailing. Jackie Bradley Jr. and Mookie Betts each homered.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, September
Following the September 8 loss to the Yankees, which dropped the Red Sox to 76–67 on the season, the team dismissed president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. The team announced that baseball operations would be run by assistant general managers Brian O'Halloran, Eddie Romero, and Zack Scott on an interim basis.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, September
The final game of the series was a 5–0 Yankees win, which eliminated the Red Sox from AL East title contention. Prior to the game, David Ortiz threw out the ceremonial first pitch.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, September
The first game of the series was a 4–3 win by Toronto, after Boston had held leads of 1–0 and 3–2. Mookie Betts hit his 28th home run of the season. The second game of the series was an 8–0 win by the Blue Jays, extending Boston's losing streak to five games. The Red Sox only collected two hits, one each by Brock Holt and Rafael Devers. Boston won the final game of the series, 7–4, with Blue Jay starter and former Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz taking the loss. Boston used nine pitchers, with Brandon Workman notching his 12th save of the season.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, September
In this weekend inter-league series, Boston won the first game, 2–1. The winning run scored on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Benintendi in the top of the ninth inning. Boston also won the second game, 6–3. Christian Vázquez had a third-inning grand slam and a sixth inning solo homer.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, September
The opening game of this three-game inter-league series featured the Giants' Mike Yastrzemski, grandson of Hall of Fame inductee Carl Yastrzemski of the Red Sox; the younger Yastrzemski hit his 20th home run of the season in the fourth inning. San Francisco built a 5–1 lead through four innings, which became a 5–5 tie at the end of the sixth. With no further scoring in regulation, the game went into extra innings. The teams traded runs in the 13th inning, and the Giants pushed across a run in the 15th inning, for a 7–6 win.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, September
With a game duration of 5 hours and 54 minutes, the teams used a total of 24 pitchers, tying the major league record, and 50 players total. The second game of the series was an 11–3 win by the Giants, the 2,000th win of manager Bruce Bochy's career. Rafael Devers hit his 30th home run of the season, while Jackie Bradley Jr. hit his 20th. Before the game, a ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Carl Yastrzemski to his grandson Mike. The Red Sox won the final game of the series, 5–4, with Eduardo Rodríguez recording his 18th win of the season. All of Boston's run came in the first two innings. Xander Bogaerts was 2-for-4 with three RBIs, in his first MLB game as a designated hitter.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, September
The opening game of this four-game series was won in 11 innings by the Rays, 5–4. With the Rays defending Mitch Moreland's at-bats with four outfielders, he hit two home runs and had all four RBIs for the Red Sox. A win by the Cleveland Indians while Boston's game was in progress eliminated the Red Sox from postseason contention. The second game of the series was again a 5–4 Rays win in 11 innings. Tied 3–3 after nine innings, Moreland homered for Boston to take a 4–3 lead in the top of the 11th.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, September
With no outs and a runner on second in the bottom of the 11th, Nate Lowe hit a walk-off home run to give Tampa Bay the win. Xander Bogaerts and Rafael Devers both homered during regulation for Boston. The third game of the series was a 7–4 Boston win, with Nathan Eovaldi getting the win after holding the Rays to three runs in six innings. Christian Vázquez hit his 22nd home run of the season, going 3-for-5 with three RBIs. The final game of the series was won by the Rays, 7–4. The Red Sox led, 4–0, midway through the fourth inning; Tampa Bay then scored six in the bottom of the fourth, and held Boston scoreless for the rest of the game.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, September
The opener of this three-game series was won by the Red Sox, 12–10, with Eduardo Rodríguez earning his 19th win of the season, despite allowing seven runs in five innings. Mookie Betts hit his 29th home run of the season, giving the team 238 homers for the season, tying the franchise record set by the 2003 Red Sox. Boston won the second game of the series, 10–3, with starter Rick Porcello improving his record on the season to 14–12. A third-inning home run by Christian Vázquez was the team's 239th of the season, setting a new franchise record.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, September
Mitch Moreland and Rafael Devers added homers in later innings. The final game of the series was won by the Rangers, 7–5. Jackie Bradley Jr. and Chris Owings each homered for the Red Sox. This was Boston's final road game of the season; the team had an overall 46–35 record in away games.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Regular season, September
The final series of the season began with a 4–1 Baltimore win, as Boston's only run was driven in by Xander Bogaerts in the ninth inning. Baltimore also won the second game of the series, 9–4. Bogaerts and J. D. Martinez each homered for Boston. The final game of the season was a 5–4 Red Sox win, as Rafael Devers notched his 200th hit of the season. Eduardo Rodríguez, going for his 20th win of the season, had to settle for a no decision. Mookie Betts scored the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning, scoring all the way from first on a ground ball that went into right field.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Season standings, Red Sox team leaders
Minimum 3.1 plate appearances per team games played   AVG qualified batters: Benintendi, Betts, Bogaerts, Bradley, Devers, Martinez, Vázquez Minimum 1 inning pitched per team games played   ERA & WHIP qualified pitchers: Porcello, Rodríguez


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Roster, MLB debuts
Red Sox players who made their MLB debuts during the 2019 regular season:


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Roster, Transactions
Notable transactions of/for players on the 40-man roster during the 2019 regular season:


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Roster, Amateur draft
Boston's top ten selections in the 2019 MLB draft, which started on June 3, are listed below. The team did not have a first-round pick, due to being more than $40 million over the MLB luxury tax threshold.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Awards and honors
Martinez was subsequently named to start the All-Star Game due to an injury to Hunter Pence.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Awards and honors
Jackie Bradley Jr., Andrew Benintendi, and Christian Vazquez were also finalists for Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. Eduardo Rodríguez finished sixth in Cy Young Award voting. In AL MVP voting, Xander Bogaerts finished fifth, Mookie Betts eighth, Rafael Devers 12th, and J. D. Martinez was tied for 21st.


2019 Boston Red Sox season, Awards and honors
Jackie Bradley Jr.'s over-the-wall catch of a Trey Mancini drive on May 8 was selected as number one on the list of MLB Network's Top 100 Plays of 2019, while number two on the list was an over-the-wall catch by Stevie Wilkerson on a drive that Bradley hit on September 29 at Fenway Park.


2019 Boston Uprising season
The 2019 Boston Uprising season was the second season of Boston Uprising's existence in the Overwatch League.


2019 Boston Uprising season
The team finished the season with an 8–20 record – a far cry from their 26–14 record from 2018. A 3–2 victory over the Dallas Fuel in the final match of Stage 1 gave the Uprising a 4–3 record and qualified them for the Stage 1 Playoffs. However, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals after a 0–3 loss to the Vancouver Titans. Boston struggled to repeat the success they found in Stage 1, only winning four of their next fourteen matches before the implementation of an enforced 2-2-2 role lock by the league. The Uprising did not perform well under the new format, as a 0–4 loss to the Atlanta Reign on August 25 gave Boston a winless 0–7 Stage 4 record.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Preceding offseason, Player re-signings
From August 1 to September 9, 2018, all Overwatch League teams that competed in the 2018 season could choose to extend their team's players' contracts. Uprising released four of their ten players – tied with Los Angeles Gladiators for the most in the league by a playoff team – in Shin "Kalios" Woo-yeol, Connor "Avast" Prince, Mikias "Snow" Yohannes, and Stanislav "Mistakes" Danilov.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Preceding offseason, Free agency
Boston's first offseason acquisition was on October 22, when Uprising signed DPS player Jeffrey "blasé" Tsang from Overwatch Contenders team Gladiators Legion. On October 27, it was announced that flex support player Park "Neko" Seh-yeon had been signed to new expansion team Toronto Defiant. The team promoted Kelsey "ColourHex" Birse and Minseob "Axxiom" Park from their academy team Toronto Esports three days later. On November 4, Uprising signed main tank Cameron "Fusions" Bosworth, who had just recently competed in the 2018 Overwatch World Cup for team UK, on a two-way contract with Toronto Esports.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Preceding offseason, Free agency
On December 3, Uprising transferred Kwon "Striker" Nam-joo to San Francisco Shock. Two day later, the team signed Renan "alemao" Moretto, the first Brazilian player to sign to an Overwatch League roster. The team's final offseason transaction occurred on February 12, two days before the beginning of the regular season, when Uprising transferred main tank Noh "Gamsu" Young-jin to Shanghai Dragons.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Regular season, Stage 1
Boston opened their season on February 14 with a match against the New York Excelsior. Heading out of halftime 1–1, Boston tied map three and lost map four to begin their season with a 2–1 loss. The Uprising's next match was against the Houston Outlaws three days later. Main tank Cameron "Fusions" Bosworth performed solidly in the match, as the team took a 3–2 victory. The following week, Boston took on the Shanghai Dragons.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Regular season, Stage 1
With Fusions ineligible to play due to a two-way contract rule with Overwatch Contenders, the Uprising fell to the Dragons, who were led by Boston's former main tank Gamsu, by a 1–3 score, giving the Dragon's their first ever franchise victory. The Uprising's next match was against the Seoul Dynasty on February 28. With Fusions eligible to play, Boston took down Seoul 3–1 in a match that the Uprising were favored to lose. Three days later, the team faced the Toronto Defiant.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Regular season, Stage 1
Contrasted to their previous match, Boston was favored to win the matchup against Toronto; however, the Uprising fell by a score of 1–3. Boston's lone match of week four was against the Florida Mayhem on March 10. Needing a win to have a reasonable chance at qualifying for the Stage 1 playoffs, Boston swept Florida 4–0, led by a stellar D.Va performance by Lucas "NotE" Meissner. The Uprising faced the Dallas Fuel in their final match of Stage 1, needing a victory in order to stay in playoff contention.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Regular season, Stage 1
After going down two maps, Boston was able claim the following three maps in a row to complete the reverse sweep against Dallas and win the match 3–2. With the Vancouver Titans defeating the Guangzhou Charge in the final match of Stage 1, Boston clinched the sixth, and final, seed of the Stage 1 Playoffs.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Regular season, Stage 1
Boston faced the top-seeded Vancouver Titans in the Stage 1 Quarterfinals on March 21. Despite some bright spots in the match, such as a well-timed Graviton Surge-Self-Destruct combo by Colourhex as Zarya and NotE as D.va, the Uprising did not claim a single map against the Titans, losing the match 0–3.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Regular season, Stage 2
Two days prior to Boston's first match of Stage 2, the Uprising signed support player Zion "Persia" Yang, who had most recently played for Talon Epsorts of Overwatch Contenders Pacific. On the same day, Boston traded flex tank Lucas "NotE" Meissner to the Dallas Fuel in exchange for flex tank Richard "rCk" Kanerva. Boston began Stage 2 with a match against the Atlanta Reign on April 4. Despite losing the first two maps of the match, the Uprising completed a reverse sweep against the Reign, winning the match 3–2. Two days later, the Uprising faced the Toronto Defiant.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Regular season, Stage 2
Once again, Boston lost the first two maps but was able to pick up the following three, giving the team a streak of three reverse-sweep victories in a row in the regular season. The Uprising took on the Hangzhou Spark the following week. After splitting the first four maps, the match went to a fifth tiebreaker map, marking the fourth consecutive five-map match for Boston. Unlike their previous three matches, however, Boston fell in the fifth map, losing the match 2–3. Boston's next match was against the London Spitfire on April 20.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Regular season, Stage 2
Despite having the same 6–4 record for the season, Boston was handed their first 0–4 loss of the season by London. The team's next match was against the undefeated Vancouver Titans a day later. The Uprising, again, were unable to claim a map, losing 0–4; with the Titans win, Vancouver tied Boston's Overwatch League record of most consecutive wins (excluding playoffs) they set in their 2018 season at 14 wins. After a week off of play, the Uprising faced the Los Angeles Gladiators on May 3 in a must-win game to keep their Stage 2 Playoff hopes alive.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Regular season, Stage 2
Boston took the first two maps en route to a 3–1 victory, snapping the Gladiators 8-game win streak. In their final match of the stage, Boston took on the one-win Washington Justice. Boston jumped out to a quick 2–0 lead heading into halftime, but dropped three maps in a row to the Justice, losing the match 2–3 and ending their chances for a Stage 2 playoff berth.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Regular season, Stage 3
Boston began Stage 3 with a match against London Spitfire on June 7. The match saw the debut of Zion "Persia" Yang and Renan "alemao" Moretto; despite the roster change, the result was similar to their previous match in Stage 2, as Boston was swept 0–4. Their second match of the week, against the Paris Eternal two days later, did not end with much better results, as Boston fell by a score of 1–3. For their third match of the stage, the Uprising took on the Houston Outlaws.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Regular season, Stage 3
Outplayed and unable to adapt as the match went on, Boston was swept 0–4. Two days later, the team faced the Philadelphia Fusion. Despite going into halftime with a 1–0 lead, Boston dropped the final two maps, losing the match by a 1–2 scoreline. For their first match of week three, Boston faced the San Francisco Shock on June 20. The Uprising's struggles continued through the match; between rCk's poor Sombra play and the uncoordinated play from the support line, Boston was swept 0–4.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Regular season, Stage 3
Now on a season-high 6-game losing streak, Uprising faced the Paris Eternal in their sixth match of the stage on June 23. While Boston dropped the first two maps of the match, they were able to pull off a reverse sweep to win 3–2 and claim their first victory of Stage 3. Boston's final match of the stage was against the Philadelphia Fusion on June 29. The match went to a tiebreaker map, the eighth one of the season for Boston, but Fusion was able to take the final map, ending Boston's Stage 3 with a 1–6 record.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Regular season, Stage 4
Prior to the start of Stage 4, which would debut the League's enforcement of a 2-2-2 role lock, the Uprising acquired  DPS Lee "Stellar" Do-hyung, who had retired earlier in the season, from the Toronto Defiant. The Uprising's first match of Stage 4 was against the Guangzhou Charge on July 27; Boston was unable to secure a map, getting swept 0–4. The team took on the Chengdu Hunters a day later. The match went the distance, but a game MVP performance from the Hunter's support player Xianyao "Yveltal" Li on Mercy led Chengdu to a 3–2 win over Boston.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Regular season, Stage 4
With a week off to prepare for their sole matchup of week three, Boston took on the Washington Justice on August 9. However, fueled by the stellar play from Washington's DPS player Corey "Corey" Nigra, the red-hot Justice proved too much to handle, as Boston fell 1–3. The following week, the Uprising faced another team dramatically improved since the 2-2-2 role lock in the Florida Mayhem on August 15. Boston failed to win a map in the series and was full-held on two of them, falling to the Mayhem 0–4.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Regular season, Stage 4
The team's next match was two days later against the Los Angeles Valiant. After dropping the first two maps, the Uprising took map three. Map four, Havana, went to overtime rounds after both teams completed the map on their first attack, but Boston was unable to hold the Valiant on their second attack to fall 1–3 in the match. In the final week of the regular season, Boston head to The Novo in Los Angeles for the Kit Kat Rivalry Weekend, hosted by the Los Angeles Valiant. Their first match was against the New York Excelsior on August 24.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Regular season, Stage 4
While the Uprising were able to take a map in the match, they ultimately fell 1–3. Looking to avoid a winless stage, the Uprisings's final regular season match was against the Atlanta Reign a day later. After losing both points on Lijiang Tower and only one of three on Volskaya Industries, the Uprising entered halftime down 0–2. The team failed to hold Atlanta from completing both King's Row and Junkertown after halftime and were unable to complete the maps themselves, as they were swept 0–4.


2019 Boston Uprising season, Final roster, Transactions
Transactions of/for players on the roster during the 2019 regular season:


2019 Boston Uprising season, Awards
On May 1, Cameron "Fusions" Bosworth was named as a starter for the 2019 Overwatch League All-Star Game.


2019 Botswana general election
General elections were held in Botswana on 23 October 2019 to elect MPs and local government councillors. Despite a high profile split in the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in May 2019 when former President Ian Khama left the party and switched his support to the new Botswana Patriotic Front, the BDP's vote share increased to almost 53% as the party won 38 of the 57 elected seats in the National Assembly, a gain of one compared to the 2014 elections. The elections were the twelfth straight victory for the BDP.


2019 Botswana general election, Background
Following the 2014 elections, there were two opposing factions in parliament: the Umbrella for Democratic Change (an alliance of the Botswana National Front, the Botswana Movement for Democracy and the Botswana People's Party), and the Botswana Congress Party (BCP). In February 2017, the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) also joined the Umbrella for Democratic Change, uniting all parliamentary opposition parties. However, in October 2017, the Alliance for Progressives, led by Ndaba Gaolathe, broke away from the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD). The BMD was expelled from the coalition in October 2018 after it refused to forgo contesting constituencies that had originally been allocated to it.


2019 Botswana general election, Background
On 1 April 2018, Mokgweetsi Masisi of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) was sworn in as Botswana's fifth president, replacing Ian Khama. The BDP held its primary elections on 20 January and 25 August 2018 to select its candidates, with over 1,300 candidates running to be selected to contest the general elections. Following a falling out with Masisi, Khama left the BDP in May 2019 and announced that he would campaign against his former party in support of the Botswana Patriotic Front.


2019 Botswana general election, Electoral system
The 63 members of the National Assembly consisted of 57 MPs elected in single-member constituencies by first-past-the-post, four members appointed by the governing party, and two ex-officio members (the President and the Attorney General).


2019 Botswana general election, Electoral system
Voters were required to be citizens of Botswana and at least 18 years old, and have been resident in the country for at least 12 months prior to voter registration. People who were declared insane, held dual citizenship, were under a death sentence, had been convicted of an electoral offence or imprisoned for at least six months were not allowed to vote. Candidates had to be citizens of Botswana, at least 21 years old, without an undischarged bankruptcy and be able to speak and read English sufficiently well to take part in parliamentary proceedings.


2019 Botswana general election, Electoral system
Several proposed amendments to the Electoral Law, including the introduction of electronic voting and an increase in nomination fees, were dropped in September 2018.


2019 Botswana general election, Electoral system
Election day and the two following days were declared public holidays.


2019 Botswana general election, Aftermath
African Union and SADC called the elections free and fair, but criticized the lack of indelible ink and translucent ballot boxes at the polling stations.


2019 Botswana general election, Aftermath
In November 2019 Duma Boko claimed that there had been "massive electoral discrepancies" and stated that he planned to challenge the results in court. The appeal was initially dismissed by the High Court in December, but Boko appealed successfully to the Court of Appeal in early January 2020. However, in the full hearing in late January, the Court of Appeal dismissed the petitions on the basis that it did not have sufficient jurisdiction to hear them.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum
A non-binding independence referendum was held in Bougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea, between 23 November and 7 December 2019. The referendum question was a choice between greater autonomy within Papua New Guinea and full independence; voters voted overwhelmingly (98.31%) for independence.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum
The referendum was a result of a 2001 agreement between the government of Papua New Guinea and the Autonomous Bougainville Government that ended a civil war fought from 1988 to 1998. The vote is non-binding and the government of Papua New Guinea has the final say on what becomes of Bougainville. Observers have said that the clear result makes it difficult for Papua New Guinea to ignore or delay the result, but that independence could take years to achieve.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum
In July 2021, an agreement was reached between the governments of Papua New Guinea and Bougainville, in which Bougainville will gain independence in 2027.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Background
Discussions about an independent Bougainville had been held as early as 1968. Following a meeting in Port Moresby between the two Bougainville MHAs (Paul Lapun and Donatus Mola) and around 25 Bougainvilleans, a proposal was put forward in the House of Assembly to hold a referendum to decide whether the island should remain part of Papua New Guinea, join the Solomon Islands, or become independent. However, no vote was held. After Papua New Guinea became independent from Australia in 1975, Bougainville was given provincial status in 1976.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Background
In 1988, tension erupted into a civil war between the Bougainville Revolutionary Army and Papua New Guinea government forces. One key issue of conflict was the Panguna mine, which was closed in 1989. The civil war ended with a ceasefire in 1998, that was followed with the Bougainville Peace Agreement from 2001. The agreement established the Autonomous Bougainville Government, and mandated a referendum on the independence of Bougainville to be held 10-15 years later than the election of the first Autonomous Bougainville Government, which is June 2020 at the latest. The referendum would be non-binding, and the final say would rest with the Papua New Guinean government.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Background
In November 2019, Raymond Masono, Vice-President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, campaigned that he would plan to reopen the Panguna mine if the referendum resulted in a vote for independence. Panguna closed in 1989 due to the civil war and is now estimated to hold copper worth up to $60 billion. With independence, all of Papua New Guinea's interests in the mine would transfer to Bougainville, giving it a 60% share in all projects and retaining all mining licences. The remaining 40% would be left for investors to bid on.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Planning
The vote was originally scheduled for 15 June 2019, but was delayed to 17 October amid allegations that the national government was slow to provide most of the promised funding for the referendum. The referendum was delayed again to 23 November at the request of the Bougainville Referendum Commission to ensure the credibility of the referendum roll so more people can vote. Both governments said this delay would be the last. Voting was planned to take place over two weeks, from 23 November to 7 December.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Planning
The vote faced a high degree of difficulty to organise, with most of the population in small hamlets and villages, and about half the population being illiterate.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Planning
In October 2018, former Taoiseach of Ireland Bertie Ahern was appointed to chair the Bougainville Referendum Commission, which was responsible for preparing the referendum.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Planning, Voters
In November, the BRC completed the official "certified voter list" to be used in polling for the referendum. The final number of eligible voters was 206,731, out of a total population of nearly 300,000. Males undergoing the upe rite of passage were allowed to vote at special male-only polling stations. Bougainvilleans living in other parts of Papua New Guinea, or in Australia and Solomon Islands, were also allowed to vote.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Planning, Question
Do you agree for Bougainville to have: (1) Greater Autonomy (2) Independence?


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Results
The results of the referendum were announced on 11 December. Over 98% of valid ballots were cast in favor of independence. Prior to the election, it was widely expected that the independence option would win, with The Guardian reporting an estimate of 90% in favor of independence.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Results
An official reported that the referendum went "better than we expected," and that voters were enthusiastic, while observers from Divine Word University said that the voting took place in an atmosphere of celebration.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Results
On 24 January 2020, the result was declared "Petition Free", confirming that no appeals had been received within 40 days against the conduct or the result of the referendum and that none could be accepted in future. On the same day, the December result was commended by the Referendum Commission to the governments and the referendum process formally closed.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Aftermath
Following the announcements of the result, John Momis, President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, said, "at least psychologically, we feel liberated." Papua New Guinea's Minister for Bougainville Affairs Puka Temu said, "the outcome is a credible one," but also stated that Papua New Guinea should have time to absorb the result. As the referendum was non-binding, independence will need to be negotiated between leaders from Bougainville and Papua New Guinea. The final decision on Bougainville's status depends on the National Parliament of Papua New Guinea. Rod McGuirk of Time noted that "the process of becoming a separate nation could take years to achieve."


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Aftermath
Papua New Guinean Prime Minister James Marape acknowledged the referendum results and stated that he would only commit his government to develop "a road map that leads to a lasting peace settlement" in consultation with Bougainville authorities. Papuan New Guinean officials were concerned that Bougainvillean independence would set a precedent for copycat secession movements in other provinces such as East New Britain, New Ireland, and Enga.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Aftermath
Jonathan Pryke, director of the Pacific Islands program at the Lowy Institute in Sydney, stated that the referendum's results were disadvantageous for Papua New Guinea, adding that, "[i]f there were to be a smaller majority, say 55 or 65 percent, the PNG government could have found a way to justify really stretching this out and having a period of negotiation that could last years or decades. Now with such a phenomenal majority, it’s much harder for them to do that."


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Aftermath
Damien Cave of The New York Times reported that the referendum would serve as an inspiration for West Papua separatists in Indonesia and for voters in the 2020 New Caledonian referendum for independence from France. Cave noted that, as with other Pacific countries, Bougainville will likely make pleas to Australia and New Zealand for assistance in developing its institutions while China and potentially the United States may offer diplomatic and economic partnerships once independence is achieved. China is seeking to incorporate an independent Bougainville into its Belt and Road Initiative.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Aftermath
Negotiations on the outcome of the referendum began on 17 May 2021. Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama, who took over from Momis in 2020, stated his wish to see Bougainville become independent by June 2025. Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape for his part cautioned against setting a specific timetable. While Marape and his government have recognized the results of the referendum, he has expressed reluctance at granting Bougainville independence for fear it will potentially result in the breakup of the country. Toroama warned that anything short of independence was not an option for Bougainville.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Aftermath
In the meantime, Toroama launched the Independence Ready Mission to prepare the region for independence. He expressed hope of obtaining self-government by 2022, a prelude to full sovereignty.


2019 Bougainvillean independence referendum, Aftermath
On 7 July 2021, Toroama and Marape announced that the region will become independent by 2027.


2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election
The 2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election took place on 2 May 2019 to elect the inaugural members of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council in England, formed from the former unitary authorities of Bournemouth and Poole, and borough of Christchurch. At the same time an election for the new Christchurch Town Council was held.


2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election
A shadow authority comprising elected members of the three preceding councils and relevant members of Dorset County Council sat prior to the election. Elections for the two parish councils in the area were also held.


2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election, Background
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council held elections on 2 May 2019 along with councils across England as part of the 2019 local elections. The council elected all of its councillors for the first time under the auspices of the combined council. The merger of Bournemouth Borough Council, Christchurch Borough Council and Poole Borough Council's councils to form this new council was reported to save £500,000 per year.


2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election, Background
A shadow authority of councillors for the three preceding councils and relevant members of Dorset County Council sat as a shadow authority prior to the election, with the Conservative group controlling the council and a majority of councillors being members of the Conservative Party. Parish councils in the area also held elections, such as the newly formed Christchurch town council, replacing the former Borough Council, and the Highcliffe and Walkford Neighbourhood Council. Whilst the shadow authority had 125 members, the redrawn ward boundaries meant that the newly elected body has 76 members.


2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election, Background
Representatives from all of the main UK political parties, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, Labour, Green Party of England and Wales and UKIP, stood for election to the new council. Alongside the national parties, several localist groups also stood for election, such as the Poole People, Alliance for Local Living and the Engage parties, as well as the informal Christchurch Independents group.


2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election, Background
Poole People is a localist group which had previously stood in and won seats in the former Poole borough. For the 2019 election, they stood eight candidates in wards corresponding to Poole, winning seven seats in total. The Alliance for Local Living also stood parties, after being set up in 2018, and cooperating with Poole People; ALL intended to stand four candidates in total, but due to the timing of the official registration of the party, only two were able to be listed on the ballot paper; all four candidates also stood in Poole seats, but with only one win.


2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election, Background
In March 2019, seven Conservative candidates, including the leader of the council David Flagg, were suspended from the party following their opposition to the merger. Five of the suspended councillors (David Flagg, Margaret Phipps, Lesley Dedman, Nick Geary and Janet Abbott) alongside two existing independents (Colin Bungey and Fred Neale) stood as 'Christchurch Independents', in opposition to the Conservatives, with those holding seats forming a group in the council after the election.


2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election, Overall results
The composition of the shadow authority immediately ahead of this election was:


2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election, Summary
The table below only tallies the votes of the highest polling candidate for each party within each ward. This is known as the top candidate method and is often used for multi-member plurality elections.


2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election, Aftermath
The election resulted in no overall control, with no party winning the thirty-nine seats required for an overall majority; whilst the Conservatives were the largest party on the council, they lacked a majority. The Conservatives held seats in Bournemouth, with other parties and independents performing well in both Christchurch and Poole. The newly formed Christchurch Independents group, who were the third largest group with seven seats, said that they would be open to working with all parties except the Conservatives, who had led the creation of the new authority.


2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election, Aftermath
Conservative councillor John Beesley said that the Conservatives should run the council, and that he was prepared to run a minority administration if no other party would support him. The Liberal Democrats also announced their intention to form a coalition with other parties on the council. Subsequently, Liberal Democrat Vikki Slade was elected council leader of a "Unity Alliance" of all the parties except the Conservatives and UKIP, with 39 members in total.


2019 Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council election, Ward results
The statement of persons nominated was posted by the authority on 5 April 2019, 299 candidates are standing. Asterisks (*) denote sitting councillors seeking re-election.


2019 Bowling Green Falcons football team
The 2019 Bowling Green Falcons football team represented Bowling Green State University during the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Falcons were led by first-year head coach Scot Loeffler and played their home games at Doyt Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio. They competed as members of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC).


2019 Bowling Green Falcons football team, Preseason, Coaching changes
Seven games into the 2018 season, Bowling Green fired third-year head coach Mike Jinks; defensive coordinator Carl Pelini served as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. On November 28, 2018, the school announced that Scot Loeffler had been hired to become the new head coach. Loeffler had spent the previous three seasons as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Boston College. On December 4, Loeffler announced that he would retain Pelini as defensive coordinator and hired former Western Michigan tight ends coach Terry Malone to be the new offensive coordinator. On December 10, former Louisville defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder was announced as the new linebackers coach. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in February 2019 after Carl Pelini left to pursue other opportunities.


2019 Bowling Green Falcons football team, Preseason, MAC media poll
The MAC released their preseason media poll on July 23, 2019, with the Falcons predicted to finish in sixth place in the East Division.


2019 Bowling Green Falcons football team, Schedule
Bowling Green's non-conference schedule will consist of home games against Morgan State of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) and Louisiana Tech of Conference USA; and road games against Kansas State of the Big 12 Conference and Notre Dame, a football independent.


2019 Bowling Green Falcons football team, Schedule
In Mid-American Conference play, the Falcons will play home games against Toledo, Central Michigan, Akron, and Ohio; and road games against Kent State, Western Michigan, Miami, and Buffalo. They will not play games against West Division members Ball State, Eastern Michigan, or Northern Illinois during the regular season.


2019 Bowling Green Falcons football team, Game summaries, at Kansas State
Bowling Green managed 140 total yards (79 passing and 61 rushing) and completed just 8 of 19 passes. Kansas State led 31-0 and put up over 300 yards of total offense before the game was halfway through the second quarter. Kansas State ended up with 521 total yards by the end of the game and the final score was Kansas State 52, Bowling Green 0. The shutout was Bowling Green’s first since losing 37-0 at Virginia Tech in 2012.


2019 Bowling Green Falcons football team, Game summaries, Toledo
Bowling Green broke their 9-year drought with their first victory in the Battle of I-75 rivalry since 2009.


2019 Box Office Entertainment Awards
The 50th Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation Box Office Entertainment Awards (GMMSF-BOEA) was an awarding ceremony honoring the actors, actresses, showbiz personalities, movies and TV programs in the Philippines. It was held on March 24, 2019 at the Star Theater, CCP Complex, Pasay.


2019 Box Office Entertainment Awards, Winners selection
The GMMSF honors Filipino actors, actresses and other performers' commercial success, regardless of artistic merit, in the Philippine entertainment industry. The award giving body selects the high-ranking Philippine films for the calendar year 2018 based on total average rankings at box office published results as basis for awarding the three major categories in the awarding ceremonies, The Phenomenal Box Office Star, The Box Office King and The Box Office Queen.


2019 Boyd Gaming 300
The 2019 Boyd Gaming 300 was a NASCAR Xfinity Series race held on March 2, 2019, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas. Contested over 213 laps due to an overtime finish on the 1.5 mi (2.4 km) asphalt intermediate speedway, it was the third race of the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season.


2019 Boyd Gaming 300, Practice, First practice
Justin Allgaier was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 30.212 seconds and a speed of 178.737 mph (287.649 km/h).


2019 Boyd Gaming 300, Practice, Final practice
Justin Haley was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 29.949 seconds and a speed of 180.307 mph (290.176 km/h).


2019 Boyd Gaming 300, Qualifying
Qualifying was canceled due to rain. Cole Custer was awarded the pole for the second consecutive race due to 2018 owner's points. Again, Chad Finchum qualified 2nd.


2019 Boys' Youth Pan-American Volleyball Cup
The 2019 Boys' Youth Pan-American Volleyball Cup was the third edition of the bi-annual Continental Cup, played by seven countries from April 22–30, 2019 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Cuba won the tournament beating Mexico in the finals. As Cuba had already qualified for the  U19 World Championship through the NORCECA Championship, Mexico and the Dominican Republic qualified instead. Jose Miguel Gutierrez won the MVP award.


2019 Boys' Youth Pan-American Volleyball Cup, Final standing
Miguel Gutierrez,Christian Thondike,Adrian Chirino,Ricardo Gomez,Yoel Bolaños,Reynier Ibar,Alejandro Gonzalez,Francisco Valle,Vidal Allen,Alexei Ramirez,Ramon Andreu,Eduardo Hernandez


2019 Brabantse Pijl
The 2019 Brabantse Pijl was the 59th edition of the Brabantse Pijl cycle race and was held on 17 April 2019. The race started in Leuven and finished in Overijse. The race was won by Mathieu van der Poel of Corendon–Circus.


2019 Brabantse Pijl, Teams
21 teams participated in the race, including 8 UCI WorldTeams and 13 UCI Professional Continental teams. Each team had a maximum of seven riders:


2019 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election
The 2019  Bracknell Forest Borough Council election took place on 2 May 2019 to elect members of Bracknell Forest Borough Council in England.


2019 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election
The Conservative Party has controlled the council since its establishment as a unitary authority in 1997.


2019 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election, Background
Bracknell Forest Borough Council will hold local elections on 2 May 2019 along with councils across England as part of the 2019 local elections. The council elects its members in all-out elections, with all its councillors up for election every four years. Councillors defending their seats in this election were previously elected in 2015. In that election, forty-one Conservative councillors and one Labour councillor were elected.


2019 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election, Background
The council has been controlled by the Conservative Party since the unitary authority was created in 1997. The predecessor district council had been controlled by both the Labour and Conservative parties.


2019 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election, Overall results
After the previous election, and immediately before this election, the composition of the council was:


2019 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election, Overall results
The Conservatives held the council losing just three seats with two going to Labour and one to the Liberal Democrats.


2019 Bracknell Forest Borough Council election, Overall results
Following the 2019 election, the composition of the council was:


2019 Bradford Bulls season
This article details the Bradford Bulls rugby league football club's 2019 season. This is the Bulls 1st season back in the Championship after gaining promotion from League 1 by beating Workington Town 27-8 in the play off final.


2019 Bradford Bulls season, Season Review, August 2018
It was announced that first team prop forward James Davies left the club to sign for rugby union side Huddersfield RUFC. Recruitment for the new season started as on loan prop forward Callum Bustin signed a permanent contract with the Bulls until the end of 2019. Bradford brought some experience into the squad with the signing of veteran Super League centre Jake Webster from Castleford Tigers on a 2 Year Deal. Prop James Green who was on loan from Castleford Tigers signed a 1 Year Deal with the Bulls after a successful loan spell.


2019 Bradford Bulls season, Season Review, September 2018
Centre Ashley Gibson signed a 1 Year extension to his contract. Welsh international winger Dalton Grant also signed a 1 Year extension after scoring 18 tries in the previous season. It was also announced that former prop forward Jon Magrin would return to the club after a year with the Sheffield Eagles. Academy products Alix Stephenson (fullback), Elliot Culling (centre) and Thomas Doyle (hooker) all signed contracts for the first team following in the footsteps of Oliver Wilson, Matthew Storton, Rowan Milnes and Evan Hodgson. Young Hunslet R.L.F.C. winger David Foggin-Johnston agreed to sign a 1 Year Deal at the Bulls. Home grown fullback Brandon Pickersgill signed a 2 Year extension to stay at the Bulls until the end of 2020.


2019 Bradford Bulls season, Season Review, October 2018
Young hooker and academy product Reiss Butterworth signed for Super League side Huddersfield Giants on a 3-year deal after not featuring for the Bradford side in 2018. 2018 loanee Mikey Wood also put pen to paper on a permanent deal as he signed a 1 Year contract to join the Bulls for 2019 from the Huddersfield Giants. Continuing to recruit for the new season the Bulls announced the capture of seasoned hooker/halfback Matty Wildie on a 1 Year Deal from RFL Championship side Featherstone Rovers.


2019 Bradford Bulls season, Season Review, October 2018
Following this, the Bulls announced that hooker Vila Halafihi had departed the club later to sign a 1-year deal at Hunslet R.L.F.C.. Further good news was released by the club as winger Jy Hitchcox signed a 2 Year Deal with the club from Castleford Tigers despite interest from Toronto Wolfpack and London Broncos. Bradford re-signed free scoring back rower Elliot Minchella for 3 years on a full-time deal keeping him at Odsal Stadium until the end of the 2021 season.


2019 Bradford Bulls season, Season Review, October 2018
Further recruitment in the pack came in the form of Featherstone Rovers second rower Connor Farrell who signed a 2 Year Deal to play for Bradford. Captain and workhorse prop Steve Crossley signed a new 2 Year Deal with the Bulls. In a double coup for the club Joe Keyes signed a full time 2 Year Deal with the club, whilst out of contract halfback Dane Chisholm also signed up for 1 Year.


2019 Bradford Bulls season, Season Review, November 2018
The month started off with the announcement that the Bulls would host RFL Championship rivals York City Knights on Boxing Day. It was also revealed that the Bulls would face Super League side Huddersfield Giants on 13 January 2019 for Michael Lawrence's testimonial. The fixtures for the 2019 campaign were also released and Bradford would kick off their return to the Championship with a home match against Featherstone Rovers, it was also revealed that the Bulls would take on local rivals Halifax R.L.F.C. in the 2019 Summer Bash at Bloomfield Road.


2019 Bradford Bulls season, Season Review, November 2018
Young backrower Danny King left the club and subsequently signed a 1 Year Deal with Dewsbury Rams. Former player and current Wales assistant coach Garreth Carvell was brought to the Bulls to continue working under John Kear as his assistant. Prop forward Jordan Andrade also left the Bulls to link up with Dewsbury on a 1 Year Deal.


2019 Bradford Bulls season, Season Review, December 2018
December saw the Bulls sign ex Super League centre Rhys Evans on a 1 Year Deal from Leigh Centurions. Following this capture it was also revealed that the Yorkshire Cup would be resurrected after a 26 year absence in the form of a pre-season cup with Bradford, Batley Bulldogs, Dewsbury Rams, Featherstone Rovers, Halifax R.L.F.C., Hunslet R.L.F.C., Hunslet Club Parkside and York City Knights all participating. The Bulls will face Halifax at Odsal Stadium on 6 January.


2019 Bradford Bulls season, Season Review, December 2018
Bradford released their 2019 squad number with fullback Gregg McNally taking the number 1 shirt and new signings Jake Webster, Jy Hitchcox and Matty Wildie taking numbers 3, 5 and 9. During an interview owner Andrew Chalmers revealed that the Bulls would host Canadian side Toronto Wolfpack in a Friday night friendly on January 25. Young reserve player Harvey Burnett left the Bulls to join Dewsbury on a 1 Year Deal. The Bulls got their pre-season off to a winning start with a 20-12 victory over York.


2019 Bradford Bulls season, Season Review, January 2019
The new year started off with the news that fullback Gregg McNally would be released on compassionate grounds in order to move closer to his home in Leigh to care for his ill wife. The Bulls beat local rivals Halifax R.L.F.C. 26-16 in the resurrected RFL Yorkshire Cup meaning they progressed to a semi final against Dewsbury Rams. Following this win Bradford announced that they would face Toronto Wolfpack in a friendly on the 25 January in the Transatlantic Cup.


2019 Bradford Bulls season, Season Review, January 2019
The Bulls revealed that trialist Trae O'Sullivan signed a permanent deal with the club after impressing coach John Kear against Halifax. The Yorkshire Cup run continued as Bradford defeated Dewsbury 20-18 in the semi final earning their place in the first Yorkshire Cup final in over 25 years.


2019 Bradford Bulls season, Season Review, January 2019
The following day saw Bradford lose 56-12 to Super League side Huddersfield Giants in Michael Lawrence's testimonial, halfback Dane Chisholm scored a length of the field intercept try whilst new signing David Foggin-Johnston also crossed however the Super League side ran rampant as the Bulls finished the match with most of their Under 19's on the field. The Bulls claimed their first piece of silverware for the 2019 season as they won the Yorkshire Cup with a hard fought 14-12 win against Batley Bulldogs. The month ended with the Bulls losing 48-12 to Toronto in the final pre-season friendly.


2019 Bradford Bulls season, Season Review, February 2019
Bradford opened their 2019 Betfred Championship campaign with a hard fought 17-16 win over Featherstone Rovers. The Bulls also signed Toronto Wolfpack prop forward Olsi Krasniqi on a one month loan due to an injury crisis in the forward pack. Following their opening round victory the Bulls backed this up with a 31-12 win over Swinton Lions. The first loss of the season came in the form of a 24-10 defeat by Sheffield Eagles with prop forward James Green receiving a red card. The month finished on a sour note for the Bulls as they fell to a 24-14 home defeat by last seasons rivals York City Knights, winger Ethan Ryan scored a brace of tries.


2019 Braga Open
The 2019 Braga Open was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the second edition of the tournament which was part of the 2019 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Braga, Portugal between 6 and 12 May 2019.


2019 Braga Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2019 Braga Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received entry into the singles main draw as alternates:


2019 Braga Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received entry into the singles main draw using their ITF World Tennis Ranking:


2019 Braga Open – Doubles
Sander Arends and Adil Shamasdin were the defending champions but chose not to defend their title.


2019 Braga Open – Doubles
Gerard Granollers and Fabrício Neis won the title after defeating Kimmer Coppejans and Zdeněk Kolář 6–4, 6–3 in the final.


2019 Braga Open – Singles
Pedro Sousa was the defending champion but withdrew before the tournament began due to injury.


2019 Braga Open – Singles
João Domingues won the title after defeating Facundo Bagnis 6–7(5–7), 6–2, 6–3 in the final.


2019 Braidy Industries Women's Tennis Classic
The 2019 Braidy Industries Women's Tennis Classic was a professional tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the seventh edition of the tournament which was part of the 2019 ITF Women's World Tennis Tour. It took place in Ashland, United States between 22 and 28 July 2019.


2019 Braidy Industries Women's Tennis Classic, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2019 Braidy Industries Women's Tennis Classic – Doubles
Jovana Jakšić and Renata Zarazúa were the defending champions, but both players chose not to participate.


2019 Braidy Industries Women's Tennis Classic – Doubles
Sanaz Marand and Caitlin Whoriskey won the title, defeating wildcards Vladica Babić and Julia Rosenqvist in the final, 7–6(7–4), 6–4.


2019 Braidy Industries Women's Tennis Classic – Singles
Gail Brodsky was the defending champion, but lost in the second round to Katie Swan.


2019 Braidy Industries Women's Tennis Classic – Singles
Ellen Perez won the title after her compatriot Zoe Hives retired in the final at 6–2, 3–2.


2019 Braintree District Council election
The 2019 Braintree District Council election took place on 2 May 2019 to elect members of Braintree District Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.


2019 Braintree District Council election
Some minor ward boundary changes were made in February 2019. 49 members were elected from 26 wards.


2019 Braintree District Council election
Before the election, an alliance was formed between the Liberal Democrats, Greens and the two Independent candidates standing in Coggeshall, such that the two parties did not stand against each other in most wards, and neither stood in Coggeshall. The elected Green and Independent councillors formed a political group on the new Council.


2019 Braintree District Council election
The election returned a much reduced Conservative majority, down from 39 in 2015 to 19. The Green and Independent group became the largest opposition for the first time, with 8 seats, entirely in the southeast of the district.


2019 Brandenburg state election
The 2019 Brandenburg state election was held on 1 September 2019 to elect the members of the 7th Landtag of Brandenburg. It took place on the same day as the 2019 Saxony state election. The outgoing government was a coalition of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and The Left, led by Minister-President Dietmar Woidke.


2019 Brandenburg state election
The SPD, Left, and opposition Christian Democratic Union (CDU) suffered substantial losses. The SPD remained the largest party with 26% of votes, followed by the Alternative for Germany (AfD), which doubled its result to 23.5% and moved into second place. The CDU fell to third with 16%. The Greens improved to 11%, though they underperformed compared to prior opinion polling. The Left also recorded a result below expectations, falling from third to fifth place with 11%. The Brandenburg Free Voters (BVB/FW) narrowly passed the 5% electoral threshold and won five seats, up from three.


2019 Brandenburg state election
The incumbent government lost its majority. All parties ruled out cooperation with the AfD, and two possible coalitions were considered: a "Kenya coalition" of the SPD, CDU, and Greens which would hold 50 seats, and a "red-red-green" coalition of the SPD, Greens, and Left, which would hold 45 (a one-seat majority). On 16 November, both the SPD and CDU voted in favour of a Kenya coalition, followed by the Greens on 18 November. Woidke was re-elected Minister-President by the Landtag on 20 November.


2019 Brandenburg state election, Background
Since German reunification, the SPD has been the strongest party in Brandenburg on a state level, and has held the office of Minister-President continuously.


2019 Brandenburg state election, Background
The SPD and Left formed a coalition government after the 2009 state election, which was renewed after the 2014 state election. In the 2019 European Parliament election in Germany, AfD was the strongest party in Brandenburg on 19.9%, ahead of the CDU (18.0%) and SPD (17.2%).


2019 Brandenburg state election, Electoral system
In principle, the Landtag consists of 88 members. 44 are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies (direct mandates), and the remainder are filled by party-list proportional representation. The seats are distributed according to the largest remainder method (Hare-Niemeyer method). Only parties whose share of second votes exceeds the 5% electoral threshold or which have won a direct mandate (the "basic mandate clause") are allocated seats. Overhang and leveling seats can expand the Landtag to a maximum size of 110 seats. This is detailed in the Brandenburg State Electoral Act.


2019 Brandenburg state election, Electoral system
According to the state constitution and the state election law, the election date must be a Sunday or a public holiday, at the earliest 57 months and at the latest 60 months after the beginning of the election period. In 2019, the date was set for 1 September 2019.


2019 Brandenburg state election, Parties
The table below lists parties represented in the 6th Landtag of Brandenburg.


2019 Brandenburg state election, Results
By early afternoon, significantly more people had voted than at the same time in the 2014 election. According to the state election director, 31.3% of voters cast their ballots by 2:00 PM. At the time in 2014, the figure was only 22.4%.


2019 Brandenburg state election, Government formation
The governing SPD and Die Linke both suffered losses, bringing an end to their coalition. Incumbent Minister-President Woidke (SPD) invited all parties except AfD to coalition negotiations as his party remained the largest bloc. The CDU expressed interest in joining a so-called "Kenya coalition" with SPD and Greens, which would have 50 seats, and reiterated their refusal to govern with AfD. Woidke confirmed he called CDU leader Senftleben on election day to begin discussions, but expressed reservations about the party's poor performance under pressure from the right.


2019 Brandenburg state election, Government formation
He also did not rule out the possibility of a red-red-green coalition with Die Linke and Greens, which would have a bare majority of 45 seats. Greens leader Nonnemacher expressed willingness to participate in either coalition, but made it clear her party would bring its own policy goals to the table and refuse to merely prop up the existing red-red coalition.


2019 Brandenburg state election, Government formation
On November 16th, both the CDU and SPD voted in favor of a "Kenya coalition." The Greens approved the coalition on the 18th; Woidke was duly voted in for his second term as Minister-President two days later by a count of 47 to 37 with 3 abstentions. The coalition commands 50 seats.


2019 Brasil Open
The 2019 Brasil Open was a tennis tournament played on indoor clay courts. It was the 19th edition of the Brasil Open, and part of the ATP Tour 250 series of the 2019 ATP Tour. It tookn place from February 25 through March 3, 2019, in São Paulo, Brazil.


2019 Brasil Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2019 Brasil Open, Doubles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following pairs received wildcards into the doubles main draw:


2019 Brasil Open – Doubles
Federico Delbonis and Máximo González were the defending champions and successfully defended the title, defeating Luke Bambridge and Jonny O'Mara in the final, 6–4, 6–3.


2019 Brasil Open – Singles
Fabio Fognini was the defending champion, but chose not to defend his title.


2019 Brasil Open – Singles
Guido Pella won his first ATP title, defeating Christian Garín 7–5, 6–3 in the final.


2019 Brasil Open – Singles, Seeds
The top four seeds received a bye into the second round.


2019 Bratislava Open
The 2019 Bratislava Open was a professional tennis tournament played on clay courts. It was the first edition of the tournament which was part of the 2019 ATP Challenger Tour. It took place in Bratislava, Slovakia between 17 and 23 June 2019.


2019 Bratislava Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received wildcards into the singles main draw:


2019 Bratislava Open, Singles main draw entrants, Other entrants
The following players received entry into the singles main draw using their ITF World Tennis Ranking:


2019 Bratislava Open – Doubles
Sander Gillé and Joran Vliegen won the title after defeating Lukáš Klein and Alex Molčan 6–2, 7–5 in the final.


2019 Bratislava Open – Singles
Norbert Gombos won the title after defeating Attila Balázs 6–3, 3–6, 6–2 in the final.


2019 Brazil prison riots
Prison riots in Brazil that began on May 26, 2019 resulted in the deaths of at least 112 people as of July 29, 2019. The riots occurred at several prisons in the northern Brazilian state of Amazonas. Rival factions of the illicit Brazilian drug trade were responsible for the fighting.


2019 Brazilian Grand Prix
The 2019 Brazilian Grand Prix (formally known as the Formula 1 Heineken Grande Prêmio do Brasil 2019) was a Formula One motor race that was held on 17 November 2019 at the Autódromo José Carlos Pace in São Paulo, Brazil. The race was the twentieth and penultimate round of the 2019 Formula One World Championship. The race marked the 47th time the race had been run as a World Championship event since the first championship event in 1973, and the 48th time the race had been run overall.


2019 Brazilian Grand Prix
The race was won by Max Verstappen with Pierre Gasly and Carlos Sainz Jr. taking their first podiums in second and third respectively. Sainz also scored McLaren's first podium since 2014.


2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, Background, Entrants
The drivers and teams were the same as the season entry list with no additional stand-in drivers for the race. However, Nicholas Latifi drove in the first practice session for Williams, replacing Robert Kubica.


2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, Race
Max Verstappen maintained his lead down into the first corner, while just behind, Lewis Hamilton overtook Sebastian Vettel for second. Apart from a few minor changes in the midfield, and Charles Leclerc steadily making upwards progress from fourteenth on the grid, the order remained generally stable for the first few laps. On lap 9 Daniel Ricciardo attempted an overtake on Kevin Magnussen, but Ricciardo locked his tyres, causing a collision which resulted in Magnussen going into a spin and Ricciardo suffering damage to his front wing. Ricciardo was later given a five-second time penalty for the incident. By lap 11 Leclerc had made his way up to sixth place.


2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, Race
By lap 18 the soft tyres were generally running out of life with Sergio Pérez the first to stop the following lap. On lap 20 Mercedes pitted Hamilton, hoping to undercut Verstappen. The next lap, Red Bull pitted Verstappen to try to cover off Hamilton. The pit stop broke the record for fastest pit stop with a time of 1.82 seconds, beating the previous time of 1.88 seconds which was made during the 2019 German Grand Prix.


2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, Race
As Verstappen exited the pits the Williams of Robert Kubica pulled out in front of him, forcing the Red Bull to take evasive action; this resulted in Verstappen losing time and falling behind Hamilton. Verstappen and Hamilton quickly passed Leclerc, before Verstappen overtook Hamilton into turn 1. The two then passed Alexander Albon, Valtteri Bottas, and Vettel, who all pitted. At this point in the race, the cars outside the top six ran: Pierre Gasly, Kimi Räikkönen, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Sergio Pérez rounding out the top ten.


2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, Race
Over the next dozen of laps the wind started to pick up in speed. On lap 42 Bottas pitted for hard tyres, with his teammate, Hamilton, pitting two laps later to go onto the mediums. On lap 45 Verstappen pitted to prevent the undercut attempt from Hamilton. Further back, Bottas was unable to find a way past the Ferrari of Leclerc. Bottas retired on lap 52 with a hydraulics problem. His stopped car was adjudged to need a safety car to retrieve, initiating a round of pit stops. Hamilton was told to do the opposite of Verstappen, and so Hamilton stayed out whereas Verstappen pitted.


2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, Race
Further back, Leclerc and George Russell also pitted and any lapped cars were allowed to unlap themselves forcing the safety car to stay out for another couple of laps. At the restart, the order of the top ten was as follows: Hamilton, Verstappen, Vettel, Albon, Leclerc, Gasly, Romain Grosjean, Carlos Sainz, Räikkönen and Giovinazzi. Verstappen managed to overtake Hamilton into turn 1. Further back, the other Red Bull of Albon overtook Vettel for third, while Grosjean in the Haas started to have problems with his car, causing him to drop back.


2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, Race
On lap 66 Leclerc overtook Vettel in turn 1, but Vettel, on the back straight, tried to take the position back. The two collided, with Leclerc suffering a broken suspension and Vettel getting a puncture. Both Ferraris retired from the race with terminal damage, and the safety car was called out again.


2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, Race
Mercedes then pitted Hamilton, still on lap 66, onto fresh soft tyres. This put him in line behind the safety car in fourth position, ahead of the McLaren of Sainz, but behind the Red Bulls of Verstappen and Albon, and the Toro Rosso of Gasly. During the safety car, Lance Stroll retired with front suspension damage. At the race restart, on lap 70, Hamilton passed Gasly, but later made contact with Albon while trying to pass him at turn 10. Albon was sent into a spin and was forced to rejoin the field in fifteenth position.


2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, Race
Hamilton, too, was slowed by the contact, allowing Gasly to pass into second place. Verstappen came home to win his third race of the season. Six seconds behind him, Gasly beat Hamilton for second place by 0.062 seconds, meaning that this was the first time since 1991 that drivers using Honda-powered cars finished 1-2. Sainz, two seconds behind them both, finished fourth.


2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, Race, Post race
As the final lap of the race was being run, a stewards investigation was announced concerning the Hamilton–Albon incident on lap 70. The podium ceremony was run with Verstappen, Gasly, and Hamilton, but with the investigation ongoing for Hamilton. The stewards summoned Hamilton and Albon and Hamilton was given a five-second time penalty which dropped him from third to seventh.


2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, Race, Post race
His penalty promoted Sainz to third, representing Sainz's first podium finish (although Sainz was not present at the podium ceremony), McLaren's first since the 2014 Australian Grand Prix and also setting a new record for the youngest combined podium age, beating the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. The race was the first since the 1994 German Grand Prix in which two drivers scored their first podiums in Formula One.


2019 Brazilian Grand Prix, Race, Post race
The race also marked the first time in the turbo-hybrid era, introduced in 2014, and the first time since the 2013 United States Grand Prix, that the final podium trio did not feature a Mercedes or Ferrari driver. This race also meant that all 3 drivers on the podium are graduates of the Red Bull Junior Team programme.. Carlos Sainz Jr.'s podium finish meant that he was first Spanish driver to step on the podium since Fernando Alonso took his most recent podium finish at the 2014 Hungarian Grand Prix.


2019 Breckland District Council election
The 2019 Breckland District Council election took place on 2 May 2019 to elect members of Breckland District Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections. The boundaries for this election were the same as those used in 2015.


2019 Breckland District Council election
The Conservative Party held the council with a very large majority, losing one seat to the Green Party (who also won an independent seat and thereby gained their first ever seats in the district) and three to independent candidates, though they gained one seat from UKIP. UKIP lost all four of its seats, with the remaining three being taken by the Labour Party, which became the second largest party on the council with six seats.


2019 Breckland District Council election, Results
In addition to the elections, a referendum was held on the Swaffham neighbourhood plan. This passed 1572 votes in favour (81.5%) to 334 votes against (18.5%). 1930 ballot papers were issued and the turnout was 30.5%.


2019 Breckland District Council election, Breckland Politics 2015-2019
After the 2015 election, 42 councillors were Conservatives, 4 were UKIP, 2 Labour, and 1 independent. This had changed by 2015 in the following ways:


2019 Breckland District Council election, Breckland Politics 2015-2019
The Conservatives retained control of the council with a sizeable majority throughout this period, despite losing four councillors. The changes were caused by three defections or resignations from the Conservative group, one seat change in a by-election, and one death shortly before the 2019 election. Two Conservative councillors left to sit as independents.


2019 Breckland District Council election, Breckland Politics 2015-2019
One was Pablo Dimoglou of Mattishall, who resigned after accusing Council leader William Nunn of an undisclosed connection to the ownership of a local golf club in which the council had invested, before apologising for the allegation and resigning from the group; the other was Thomas Monument of Dereham Withburga, who was found guilty of assault after head-butting and punching an ex girlfriend. One Conservative (John Rogers of Saham Toney) left to sit as a Unionist. There was also a Labour gain from the Conservatives in a by-election in the Thetford Priory ward in September 2017. A UKIP councillor, John Newton of Castle Ward in, died in January 2019; his seat was not filled by a by-election due to the close proximity of this election.


2019 Breckland District Council election, Breckland Politics 2015-2019
There were also a number of Conservative holds in by-elections: Attleborough Queens & Besthorpe in 2016, and Harling & Heathlands and Saham Toney in 2017.


2019 Breckland District Council election, Breckland Politics 2015-2019
In the run-up to the 2019 election, the parties nominated a variable number of candidates. The Conservatives again by a wide margin nominated the most candidates, this time nominating one fewer than in 2015 and thus failing to contest just two of the 49 council seats. The Labour Party nominated 31 candidates, up from a previous 25, being the only party to significantly increase their candidate total. This was a major factor in far fewer wards being uncontested than in 2015. There were also more independent candidates, a total of eight, up from a previous total of three. The Green party meanwhile nominated two fewer candidates; the largest drop in candidate numbers was seen by UKIP, who having stood eighteen candidates previously now only stood two. The Liberal Democrats further decreased their number of candidates from two to one.


2019 Breckland District Council election, Breckland Politics 2015-2019
Unlike in 2015, none of the council's 27 wards were uncontested.


2019 Breckland District Council election, Full results by ward
Note: Anthony Crouch also contested this seat for UKIP in 2015, getting 23.1% on that occasion.


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election
A by-election was held in the UK Parliament constituency of Brecon and Radnorshire (Welsh: Brycheiniog a Sir Faesyfed) on 1 August 2019 after Chris Davies, who had held the seat for the Conservatives since the 2015 general election, was unseated by a recall petition. The by-election was won by Jane Dodds of the Liberal Democrats.


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Background
Richard Livsey, a Liberal standing for the SDP–Liberal Alliance, won the seat in the 1985 Brecon and Radnor by-election and retained it in 1987. He lost it narrowly as a Liberal Democrat MP to the Conservative Jonathan Evans in the 1992 general election. The Liberal Democrats regained the seat in the 1997 election and held it until 2015, when Chris Davies won it for the Conservatives. Davies retained his seat at the 2017 general election with an increased majority of 8,038 over the Liberal Democrat candidate.


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Background
A seat with the same name and boundaries exists in the Welsh Assembly. At the time of the by-election, the seat had been represented by Liberal Democrat Kirsty Williams continuously from its creation in 1999.


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Background
In February 2019, Davies was charged with claiming false expenses, pursuant to the Parliamentary Standards Act 2009. He pleaded guilty in March and, in April, was sentenced to a community order of 50 hours unpaid work and a £1,500 fine. Under the Recall of MPs Act 2015, this conviction triggered a recall petition. After receiving notice from the sentencing court, the Speaker of the House of Commons indicated on 24 April 2019 that he would be instructing the constituency's petition officer to begin the recall process. The petition opened on 9 May and remained open for signatures until 20 June 2019. It required 5,303 signatures (10% of eligible voters) to be successful. The Conservative Party were officially registered as campaigners for the petition's failure, while the Liberal Democrats, Labour and Plaid Cymru campaigned for its success.


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Background
This petition was successful, receiving 10,005 signatures (19%), significantly in excess of the 10% of constituents required. Davies was removed from the seat, creating a vacancy to be filled at a by-election, in which he was permitted to stand.


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Background
The by-election occurred shortly after Boris Johnson won the 2019 Conservative leadership election and became Prime Minister, as well as Jo Swinson taking office after winning the 2019 Liberal Democrats leadership election. The result reduced the working majority of the government (including confidence and supply from the DUP) in the House of Commons to one. This makes him the PM to serve the shortest period before losing a by-election, just 10 days.


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Background
The by-election came against the continuing backdrop of Brexit. The constituency lies within the county of Powys, where, at the 2019 European Parliament election, the Brexit Party gained the most votes.


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Background
It was the first Westminster by-election to take place in the month of August since the second Fermanagh and South Tyrone by-election of 1981.


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Candidates and campaign
The by-election was administered by Powys County Council. The deadline for candidate nominations was 5 July, by which time a total of six candidates had registered.


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Candidates and campaign
Davies wished to stand for re-election as the Conservative Party candidate and was chosen by the local party. The Liberal Democrat candidate was Jane Dodds, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. The Labour Party candidate was Brecon town councillor Tom Davies. The Brexit Party candidate was retired police chief superintendent Des Parkinson, who previously stood in Montgomeryshire as a UK Independence Party (UKIP) candidate for election to the UK parliament in May 2015, to the Welsh Assembly in May 2016, and as Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner, also in May 2016.


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Candidates and campaign
Dodds, the Liberal Democrat candidate, was also supported by Plaid Cymru, the Greens, Change UK and the Renew Party. Plaid Cymru first indicated that it might not stand a candidate in order to support another party supporting a second referendum on Brexit. Change UK called for an independent joint Remain candidate in a letter to the Liberal Democrats, Plaid and the Greens. Plaid and Change UK subsequently confirmed that they were in talks with other Remain-supporting parties. Plaid Cymru decided not to put up a candidate, and instead to support Dodds. The Green Party also chose not to stand a candidate, in order to "maximise the chances of the candidate most likely to beat the Conservatives and the Brexit Party." The Renew Party likewise chose not to stand a candidate for the same reason.


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Candidates and campaign
Shortly after the result of the recall petition was announced, bookmakers made the Liberal Democrats odds-on favourites to win. In the final week before the election, Heidi Allen MP, former leader of Change UK and now sitting with The Independents, came to the constituency to campaign for Dodds. The new Liberal Democrat leader, Jo Swinson, visited the constituency four times, but the New Statesman noted that The Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage had not, and described the party's campaign infrastructure as "threadbare".


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Candidates and campaign
Days before the election, BBC Cymru Wales reported that, in May 2019, the Conservative Party's Brecon and Radnorshire chairman, Peter Weavers, had discussed a pro-Brexit pact with Nathan Gill, a Welsh Brexit Party MEP. Gill dismissed the idea due to Davies' support for the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated by Theresa May's government. Weavers denied the claim.


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Opinion polling
Only one poll was conducted, with fieldwork taking place from 10 to 18 July. The poll was completed before Johnson and Swinson were elected as leaders of the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats respectively. Commenting on the paucity of polling, Britain Elects noted: "Constituency opinion polling isn’t tried much in the UK these days; it’s difficult to get a sample with such a small electorate, and when it was tried on a large scale in advance of the 2015 election it fell victim to the same polling failures that beset that election."


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Opinion polling
The poll, by Number Cruncher Politics, was the first UK by-election poll to be conducted entirely online.


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Result
The result was announced at around 2:20 a.m. on 2 August. In her victory speech, Jane Dodds said she would urge Prime Minister Boris Johnson to "stop playing with the future of our communities and rule out a no-deal Brexit". By failing to secure at least 5% of the votes cast, both the Official Monster Raving Loony Party (1.05%) and the UK Independence Party (0.76%) forfeited their deposits. The 59.6% turnout figure was the highest recorded in a Westminster by-election since Winchester in 1997.


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Result
The Liberal Democrat majority was smaller than the number of votes polled by the Brexit Party, leading many commentators to suggest that vote splitting between the Conservatives and the Brexit Party was a significant threat to the party. The Brexit Party did however underperform relative to polls (although they got nearly twice as many votes as the Labour Party and came a clear third), with the BBC suggesting that the appointment of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister had helped the Conservatives win back some Brexit Party supporters.


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Result
Meanwhile, the narrow win for the Lib Dems bolstered support for a "Remain Alliance", but the largest increase in Lib Dem votes appeared to come from those who voted Labour in 2017. The Guardian noted that although Labour had prioritised beating the Conservatives over winning the seat themselves, Labour's result was still "at the lower end of what was credible".


2019 Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, Result
The extremely small vote share for UKIP was reported as an embarrassment for the party, and their failure to beat even the Official Monster Raving Loony Party was compared to the May 1990 Bootle election in which David Owen's continuing Social Democratic Party received fewer votes than the Loonys and collapsed shortly after.


2019 Bredene Koksijde Classic
The 2019 Bredene Koksijde Classic was the 17th edition of the Bredene Koksijde Classic road cycling one day race and the first edition of the rebranded Handzame Classic. It was held on 22 March 2019, starting and finishing in the titular towns of Bredene and Koksijde, respectively.


2019 Bredene Koksijde Classic, Teams
Eight UCI WorldTeams, fourteen UCI Professional Continental teams, and one UCI Continental team made up the twenty-three teams that participated in the race. Each team could enter up to seven riders, but Team Katusha–Alpecin, Team Sky, and Trek–Segafredo each entered five, while Corendon–Circus entered six. Of the 154 riders who entered the race, there were 137 finishers and two non-starters.


2019 Breeders' Cup
The 2019 Breeders' Cup World Championships was the 36th edition of the premier event of the North American thoroughbred horse racing year. The 14 races, all but one of which were Grade I, took place on November 1 and 2 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. The races were telecast by NBCSN on Friday and early Saturday, and by NBC later on Saturday.


2019 Breeders' Cup
The Breeders' Cup is generally regarded as the end of the North American racing season, although a few Grade I events take place in later November and December. The event typically determines champions in many of the Eclipse Award divisions.


2019 Breeders' Cup, Qualifying
A maximum of 14 horses (12 in the Turf Sprint and Juvenile Turf Sprint) are allowed to start in each race. Horses can automatically qualify by winning one of the designated races in the Breeders' Cup Challenge series, which provide "Win and You're In" berths in a specified division of the Breeders' Cup. Other pre-entries are ranked by a points system and the judgement of a panel of experts.


2019 Breeders' Cup, Qualifying
On October 21, pre-entries to the event were submitted for 188 horses, including 47 from overseas. During this stage, the connections of the horses indicated their intention to enter a specific race, and could also list a possible alternate. After assessing the potential competition, the connections made their final decision and paid the necessary entry fees on October 28. At that time, the field for each race was set, barring injury or other unforeseen circumstances.


2019 Breeders' Cup, Qualifying
Fifty of the pre-entries qualified automatically via the Breeders' Cup Challenge series. These included the two leading candidates for the Classic, McKinzie (Whitney Handicap) and Code of Honor (Jockey Club Gold Cup). Other highly ranked qualifiers included Bricks and Mortar (Arlington Million) in the Breeders' Cup Turf and Midnight Bisou (Ogden Phipps, Personal Ensign Stakes) in the Distaff, both undefeated in 2019 and considered leading candidates for Horse of the Year.


2019 Breeders' Cup, Event preparation
On August 17, 2018, the Breeders' Cup organization announced that Santa Anita Park would host the event for a record tenth time. The track committed to over $5 million in improvements, including new suites on the upper level of the grandstand. The selection became controversial however when 30 horses died during Santa Anita's 2018-9 winter-spring meeting, raising concerns over the safety of the equine athletes. The management of Santa Anita undertook several changes, including extensive testing of the track surface and changes regarding pre-race medication. "It's been an area of concern," said Chad Brown, Eclipse Award-winning trainer. "But ultimately I didn't avoid running any horses in the Breeders' Cup due to this issue. I did have some questions from clients, but I feel confident Santa Anita management will make the track safe, and I agree with all the safeguards their management has put in."


2019 Breeders' Cup, Event preparation
Out-of-competition testing for the event was also extensive, including the use of hair samples for the first time.


2019 Breeders' Cup, Event preparation
Extensive wildfires in California, including the Getty Fire in western Los Angeles, did not affect the Breeders' Cup as they were all downwind from the facility.


2019 Breeders' Cup, Results
Santa Anita took several actions to increase the safety of horses and jockeys, such as closing the downhill turf course after several horses had been injured while crossing over the main track. This meant that the turf sprint races were run at 5 furlongs instead of the normal 6+1⁄2 furlongs. They also increased the number of veterinarians in attendance, which resulted in several scratches before racing began. Despite the precautions, Mongolian Groom was seriously injured during the running of the Classic and had to be euthanized.


2019 Breeders' Cup, Results
Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. won the Shoemaker Award as the leading jockey during the event. He rode four winners, including Bricks and Mortar in the $4 million Turf and Vino Rosso in the $6 million Classic.


2019 Breeders' Cup, Results
Trainer Chad Brown was the leading trainer of the event with three winners: Bricks and Mortar in the Turf, Uni in the Mile and Structor in the Juvenile Turf. This gave Brown 15 lifetime wins at the Breeders' Cup, tying him for second with Bob Baffert. D. Wayne Lukas has the all-time lead with 20 wins.


2019 Breeders' Cup, Results, Friday, November 1
The on-track attendance was 41,243, down slightly from the Friday attendance in 2018 at Churchill Downs. However, all-source wagering was up 5.4%, to a record of $56,517,228.


2019 Breeders' Cup, Results, Friday, November 1
For the second year in a row, all five Breeders' Cup races on "Future Stars Friday" were for two-year-olds. The day featured several upsets, most notably that of Storm the Court in the Juvenile at odds of 45-1. The favorite, Dennis' Moment, stumbled at the start and was never a factor, ultimately finishing last. Storm the Court took the early lead and turned back a late challenge from Anneau d'Or, another longshot.


2019 Breeders' Cup, Results, Friday, November 1
The only favorite to win was Four Wheel Drive in the Juvenile Turf Sprint. Four Wheel Drive is from the first crop of horses sired by Grand Slam winner American Pharoah.


2019 Breeders' Cup, Results, Friday, November 1
An asterisk after the odds means the horse was the betting favorite.


2019 Breeders' Cup, Results, Saturday, November 2
Saturday attendance was 67,811. Betting handle for the 14 Breeders' Cup races on Friday and Saturday was a record $154 million, up 12% from 2018.


2019 Breeders' Cup, Results, Saturday, November 2
Only two favorites won on the Saturday card, Covfefe in the Filly and Mare Sprint and Bricks and Mortar in the Turf. Both horses are expected to win their respective divisions at the Eclipse Awards, and Bricks and Mortar is the leading candidate for horse of the year. Mitole, second choice in the Sprint, won that race and is expected to win the champion sprinter title. Despite being upset in the Distaff, Midnight Bisou will likely be named the Champion Older Female Horse. The female turf division is likely a tossup between Uni, who won the Mile, and Sistercharlie, who finished third in the Filly and Mare Turf. The three-year-old divisions are still undecided as none of the leading colts and fillies won.


2019 Breeders' Cup, Results, Saturday, November 2
Iridessa was the only European-trained horse to win at the event. Her trainer Joseph O'Brien became the youngest trainer, at age 26, to ever win a Breeders' Cup race. The son of Aidan O'Brien also became just the second person to have Breeders' Cup wins as both a jockey and trainer: Freddy Head being the other.


2019 Breeders' Cup Challenge series
The 2019 Breeders' Cup Challenge series consisted of 86 horse races that provided the respective winners with an automatic "Win and You're In" Berth in the 2019 Breeders' Cup, held on November 1 and 2. Races were chosen by the Breeders' Cup organization and included key races in the various Breeders' Cup divisions from around the world. The Breeders' Cup organization paid the Breeders' Cup entry fee for the challenge race winners, provided they had been nominated as foals.


2019 Breeders' Cup Challenge series, Summary
The 2019 Breeders' Cup Challenge series consisted of 86 races, 64 of which were Grade/Group One, from across 11 countries. There were 7 new races from the 2018 Series: the Gran Premio International Carlos Pellegrini (Turf), Prix Morny (Juvenile Turf Sprint), Fourstardave (Mile), Jockey Club Derby (Turf), the Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint (Turf Sprint), Cotillion (Distaff), Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp (Turf Sprint) and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Turf). The following races were removed from the series: Doncaster Mile, Legacy Stakes, Gran Premio 25 de Mayo, Highlander, Forego, Spinaway, and Joe Hirsch Turf Classic. The International Stakes, formerly a qualifier for the Turf, became the first ever European qualifier for the Classic.


2019 Breeders' Cup Challenge series, Summary
On October 21, fifty of the Challenge race winners were pre-entered in one or more of the Breeders' Cup races. Shortly before entries were taken, Magical – a leading contender in the Turf – was retired after spiking a fever.


2019 Breeders' Cup Challenge series, Summary
Entries were taken on October 28. Several challenge race winners opted to enter a different division of the Breeders' Cup. For example, Omaha Beach, who qualified for the Sprint by winning the Santa Anita Sprint Championship, was instead entered in the Dirt Mile. Conversely, Catalina Cruiser and Mitole qualified for the Dirt Mile but instead were entered in the Sprint. Uni ran in the Mile instead of the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf. Elate was entered in the Classic after qualifying in the Distaff.


2019 Breeders' Cup Challenge series, Summary
On Friday, two automatic qualifiers won their respective division of the Breeders' Cup. On Saturday, there were another three:


2019 Breeders' Cup Challenge series, Summary
Mitole, who qualified for the Dirt Mile by winning the Metropolitan Handicap, won the Sprint. Uni won the Mile after qualifying in the First Lady Stakes for the Filly and Mare Turf.


2019 Breeders' Cup Challenge series, Challenge Series races
The following table shows the Breeders' Cup Challenge races for 2019 and the respective winners. The status column shows whether the horse was subsequently entered in the corresponding Breeders' Cup race, and whether they finished in the money.


2019 Breeders' Cup Challenge series, Television coverage
For the 2019 Breeders' Cup Challenge, NBCSN will produce 11 live broadcasts, covering more than 20 of the races in North America. The races will also be live streamed. This is in addition to NBC's coverage of the American Triple Crown series and Royal Ascot, the latter of which has four Breeders' Cup Challenge races.


2019 Breeders' Cup Classic
The 2019 Breeders' Cup Classic was the 36th running of the Breeders' Cup Classic, part of the 2019 Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships program. It was run on November 2, 2019 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California with a purse of $6,000,000. The race was won by Vino Rosso.


2019 Breeders' Cup Classic
The Classic is run on dirt at one mile and one-quarter (approximately 2000 m). It is run under weight-for-age conditions, with entrants carrying the following weights:


2019 Breeders' Cup Classic
The race was broadcast on NBC with a post time of 5:44 PM Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) – prime time on the East Coast.


2019 Breeders' Cup Classic, Contenders
Pre -entries for the 2019 Classic were announced on October 21 with the post position draw held on October 28.


2019 Breeders' Cup Classic, Contenders
The 2019 Classic was considered to be wide open, given that the major races in the division for both three-year-olds and older male horses were split between many contenders. The favorite was McKinzie, a 4-year-old colt who had finished either first or second in all of his starts in 2019, including a win in the Whitney Handicap. The top-ranked three-year-old in the race was Code of Honor, who had won the Travers Stakes and Jockey Club Gold Cup, the latter by disqualification. The mare Elate attempted to become just the second female horse to win the race, the other being Zenyatta in 2009.


2019 Breeders' Cup Classic, Race description
War of Will went to the early lead and set moderate fractions, pressed by Mongolian Groom and McKinzie, who had to check strides a few times along the rail. Vino Rosso was a few lengths further back in fourth, then began his move on the far turn while racing three wide. McKinzie had also started his drive, moving to the lead at the head of the stretch. Vino Rosso gradually closed the gap to McKinzie, then pulled away in the final sixteenth of a mile to win by 4 1⁄4 lengths.


2019 Breeders' Cup Classic, Race description
It was the first Breeders' Cup Classic win for all of Vino Rosso's connections: co-owners Mike Repole (Repole Stable) and Vince Viola (St Elias Stable), trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr.


2019 Breeders' Cup Classic, Race description
Pletcher felt that the colt's earlier win in the Gold Cup at Santa Anita, run over the same course and distance, was pivotal to his success in the Classic. "It gave us confidence that the horse handled the track", he said. "We had a blueprint in place that worked. So we tried to follow that pattern exactly, and we did."


2019 Breeders' Cup Classic, Race description
Joel Rosario, who rode McKinzie, felt his horse simply got tired. "I let him run a little bit on the backside just to get my spot", he said. "That might have cost him a little bit. He ran his heart out, so we can't be too disappointed. We were just beaten by the best horse on the day."


2019 Breeders' Cup Classic, Race description
Mongolian Groom suffered a severe injury to his left hind leg during the stretch run and was later euthanized. Santa Anita had instigated a number of changes to enhance equine safety after a troubling number of deaths during its winter/spring meeting. "It's something we were all very concerned about coming in", said Pletcher. "I think everyone took every possible precautionary measure."


2019 Breeders' Cup Classic, Results
Times: 1⁄4 – 23.09;  1⁄2 – 47.16; 3⁄4 – 1:10.71; mile – 1:36.35;  final – 2:02.80. Splits for each quarter-mile: (23.09) (24.07) (23.55) (25.64) (26.45)