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In brief
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 17, 2003
NEW ORLEANS -- Badge of Silver romped to a 10-length victory in the $150,000 Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds on Sunday in his first stakes race.
Lone Star Sky finished second and Defrere's Vixen third. Favored Indy Dancer was never a factor and finished seventh in a field of 12.
Badge of Silver won a maiden race at Keeneland in April by 9 lengths. After recovering from a broken bone in his lower leg, he returned last month at the Fair Grounds and won an allowance race by 7 lengths.
Owned by Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey and trained by Ronny Werner, Badge of Silver paid $7.80, $5.40 and $4.80. He next races March 9 in the Louisiana Derby.
GULFSTREAM PARK: Man From Wicklow surged from back in the pack in the final furlong to win the Breeders' Cup Handicap by almost 5 lengths. Man From Wicklow, with Jerry Bailey aboard, has finished in the money in five of his past six starts, all stakes races. He paid $5.20, 3.80 and 2.80 after finishing the 13/8 miles in 2 minutes, 11.3 seconds. Also, trainer Mark Shuman tied the track's single-season victory record with 39. Bill Mott set the mark in 1996.
SANTA ANITA: Starrer won the $200,000 Santa Maria Handicap by 41/2 lengths. The 5-year-old returned $4.20, $2.40 and $2.10.
Mike Tyson missed his scheduled flight to Memphis, another indication his comeback fight with Clifford Etienne may not happen Saturday. Manager Shelly Finkel said the fate of the fight rests on how Tyson is feeling this morning. Tyson's behavior last week was erratic, with the former heavyweight champion getting a large tattoo on the side of his face Tuesday, then skipping scheduled workouts the rest of the week.
IBF BANTAMWEIGHT: Rafael Marquez caught Tim Austin with a vicious right hand midway through the eighth round Saturday night in Las Vegas, knocked him through the ropes with a combination and was pummeling him when the fight was stopped by referee Vic Drakulich. Marquez took the title, joining his brother, Juan Manuel Marquez (IBF featherweight), as a world champion. It was the first defeat in an 11-year pro career for Austin, who fought on the 1992 Olympic team and was making the 10th defense of his 118-pound title.
Sprint Classic champion Ben Awhile won the Irish feature Saturday night at Derby Lane. The Irish Greyhound Board was in St. Petersburg to launch simulcasting of Irish racing in the United States. WW Unjinx Me, Oneco Spirit, BD's Bogart and Rooftop Moby will compete at Hallandale Beach in the $75,000 Hollywood World Classic Stakes, which begins qualifying Feb. 26. Talentedmrripley, Dodgem By Design, Ben Awhile, Kiowa Sweet Trey and Kiowa Sweet Joe were named to the AGTOA All-America team.
When Kettering Alter forward Andrew Stichweh blocked LeBron James' shot, the Alter student section began chanting "overrated!" James silenced those fans a minute later, turning a stolen pass into a tomahawk dunk. The nation's top high school basketball player had 22 points, 11 rebounds and five dunks to lead No. 1 Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (Ohio) to a 73-40 victory in its final regular-season game. More than 13,000, a sellout, packed the University of Dayton Arena.
Mia Hamm scored her 137th international goal as the United States beat Iceland 1-0 on a cold, rainy night in Charleston, S.C. The Americans, who have not lost at home in 18 matches, struck quickly when Aly Wagner found Hamm open at the top of the penalty box. Hamm dribbled deep into the box and hit a shot on the ground that beat goalie Thora Helgadottir in the third minute. The match gave U.S. coach April Heinrichs a last look at the team before she selects the roster for the Algarve Cup in Portugal from March 14-20.
Croatia's Ivica Kostelic won a World Cup slalom in St. Moritz, Switzerland, to join sister Janica in making skiing history and denying American Bode Miller a shot at a third gold medal. Miller finished sixth and completed the two-week event with three medals. It was Ivica Kostelic's first major title, and the first time a brother and sister won the same event at a world championship. Janica won the combined last week and the slalom Saturday. Miller was trying to become the first American to earn four medals at a world championship.
SPEED SKATING: Russian Yevgeny Lalenkov won the 1,500-meter race in a World Cup event at Baselga Di Pine, Italy, moving 20 points ahead of American Derek Parra in the overall standings. Parra finished fifth.
MOTORCYCLES: Two-time defending champion Ricky Carmichael won his fourth 250cc World Supercross of the season at the Metrodome in Minneapolis on Saturday. Brandon Jesseman won his second career 125cc Eastern Regional AMA Supercross Series.
TRACK AND FIELD: Mickey Grimes beat former U.S. teammate Jon Drummond in the 55 meters Saturday night in the Los Angeles Invitational indoor meet. Grimes closed on Drummond in the final steps and won in 6.10 seconds, .01 better than Drummond. Kenya's Bernard Lagat, former NCAA champ from Washington State, won the mile a record fifth consecutive year. Steve Scott won four straight from 1989-92.