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In brief
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 15, 2003
OLDSMAR -- Burning Roma, a 5-year-old son of Rubiano owned by Clearwater's Harold Queen, will be a favorite today in the $100,000 Tampa Bay Breeders' Cup at Tampa Bay Downs.
Coming off a 102-day layoff, the winner of the 2001 Sam F. Davis Stakes and Tampa Bay Derby will race on turf for the first time. He has earned $1.2-million, and has 10 wins, two seconds and three thirds in 23 starts.
The morning-line favorite is Red Sea, a Canadian import who was third in the Grade II Appleton Stakes at Gulfstream Park.
First post is about 12:35 p.m. The 1 1/16-mile Breeders' Cup is scheduled for 4:35.
MORE HORSES: Laffit Pincay extended his record victory total to 9,521 by riding three winners at Santa Anita, including Skip to the Stone in the $68,600 allowance race for 4-year-olds and up. ... Harmony Lodge beat heavily favored Gold Mover in the $100,000 Grade III Shirley Jones Handicap for fillies and mares at Gulfstream. ... Aggadan beat Pure Harmony by a half-length in the $56,000 allowance feature at Aqueduct.
Hall of Fame jockey Johnny Longden, who won the Triple Crown aboard Count Fleet in 1943 and was the only man to ride and train a Kentucky Derby winner, died on his 96th birthday at his home in Banning, Calif., family friend Chase McCoy said. Mr. Longden retired in 1966, having ridden 6,032 winners from 32,413 mounts. "He was one of the greatest of all-time," said jockey Bill Shoemaker, who rode several winners trained by Mr. Longden. In 1969, Mr. Longden trained Majestic Prince, the winner of the Derby and Preakness.
BOXING PIONEER: Former welterweight champion Kid Gavilan, one of the first members of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, died at 77 of a heart attack at a Miami hospital. Born Gerardo Gonzalez in Camaguey, Cuba, on Jan. 6, 1926, he became a television regular in multiple fights against Ike Williams and Sugar Ray Robinson. One of the most popular fighters in the 1940s and 1950s, he had a 15-year professional career beginning in 1943, and was 107-30-6 with 28 knockouts.
LeBron James scored 46 to lead Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary to an 84-61 basketball victory over Zanesville hours after the court hearing on his eligibility was postponed. The hearing, scheduled for Wednesday, was moved to March 5 because of the death of a staff member in the Ohio High School Athletic Association's law firm. The OHSAA ruled James ineligible for accepting two sports jerseys worth $845. Judge James Williams reinstated James on Feb. 5, but ordered him to sit out another game. The regular season will be over before the hearing, and James will play in at least one playoff game.
Top-seeded Venus Williams beat Tina Pisnik 6-1, 6-4 to advance to the semifinals of the Diamond Games in Antwerp, Belgium. Williams, the defending champion, faces fourth-seeded Daniela Hantuchova in one semifinal, and second-seeded Kim Clijsters plays Justine Henin-Hardenne in the other.
Anna Kournikova withdrew from next week's Kroger St. Jude tournament in Memphis, citing a back sprain. ... American Justin Gimelstob and Italy's David Sanguinetti advanced to the semifinals at the Siebel Open in San Jose, Calif.
FIGURE SKATING: Americans Tanith Belbin and Benjamin Agosto finished second overall in ice dancing at the Four Continents Championships in Beijing. Fellow Americans and five-time national champions Naomi Lang and Peter Tchernyshev finished third.
BOXING: Laila Ali, daughter of former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali stopped Mary Ann Almager with 1:55 left in the fourth round to defend her IBA super-middleweight championship in Louisville, Ky.