ARCADIA, Calif. - Buddy Gil won his last two races by a nose and a head. His biggest asset might be his heart.
The bay gelding overcame a coughing fit and defeated Bob Baffert's Indian Express by a head to win the Santa Anita Derby on Saturday, earning a trip to the Kentucky Derby.
"The horse is a real blue-collar horse. Arguably, he's modestly bred," co-owner Scott Guenther said. "This horse has got a huge heart. He wants to beat you."
Gary Stevens rode a record ninth Santa Anita Derby winner, breaking a tie with Hall of Fame jockey Bill Shoemaker.
Atswhatimtalknbout, whose owners include Hollywood directors Steven Spielberg, Gary Ross and Frank Marshall, finished fourth as the 3-2 wagering favorite in the field of nine.
Buddy Gil covered 11/8 miles in 1:49.36. The margin of victory was the second-smallest in the race's 66-year history.
ILLINOIS DERBY: Ten Most Wanted, ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Pat Day, came from behind over the final stretch to beat Fund of Funds by 6 lengths in the $500,000 Grade II stakes race at Hawthorne Race Course in Cicero. The Illinois Derby is one of a series of prep races for the Kentucky Derby. Last year's winner, War Emblem, took the Kentucky Derby and Preakness before stumbling at the gate and finishing eighth in the Belmont Stakes.
MORE HORSES: Azeri, the 2002 Horse of the Year, passed Take Charge Lady in the final sixteenth of a mile to win her second Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark. Medaglia d'Oro won the $500,000 Oaklawn Handicap for 4-year-olds and over. ... Dynever put away Supah Blitz to win the $250,000 Aventura Stakes at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach. ... Classic Endeavor won the $200,000 Excelsior Breeders' Cup Handicap at Aqueduct in New York.
SOCCER: Hamm scores winner
Mia Hamm scored in the 59th minute and added an assist as Washington beat host Carolina in the WUSA season opener. Hamm's shot bounced off the hands of rookie goalkeeper Meghann Burke. The former North Carolina star has scored the winning goal in three of the four games Washington has played at the Courage's home stadium. ... Briana Scurry got her 14th shutout and host Atlanta scored a team-record five goals to open with a 5-0 victory over New York.
MLS: Los Angeles defender Alexi Lalas cleared a shot off the goal line in overtime as the Galaxy and Columbus opened the season with a 1-1 tie.
HARKES RETIRES: Former national team captain John Harkes retired, ending a career that helped launch the resurgence of the sport in the United States.
OLYMPICS: Martin getting push
A U.S. Olympic Committee officer has proposed an election at this week's USOC board of directors meeting with the purpose of making acting president Bill Martin the next president. USOC vice president and Boston attorney Paul George made an informal proposal on Thursday. The board of directors meets Friday-Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas. Martin, the athletic director at Michigan, has said he is not interested in the position.
SPEED SKATING: Nancy Swider-Peltz, 16, was disqualified from a fourth-place finish at January's U.S. Junior Long Track Championships after she tested positive for pseudoephedrine.
ET CETERA
SWIMMING: Jenny Thompson won her 26th national title with a personal best of 25.02 seconds in the 50-meter freestyle at the U.S. Spring National Championships in Indianapolis. Tom Wilkens won his 17th men's crown with a win in the 200-yard individual medley.
BOXING: Germany's Markus Beyer (27-1) beat Eric Lucas (36-5-2) of Canada by a split decision to win the WBC middleweight belt in Leipzig, Germany.
RUNNING: Sara Wells of Edina, Minn., won the U.S. Women's Marathon in St. Louis to qualify for the Olympic trials.
COLLEGES: South Florida freshman pole vaulter Jonathon Miller of Bloomingdale High broke a school record with a vault of 16-6 at the South Florida Invitational. The record of 16-2 was set by Randy Nunang in 1994.
- Compiled from Times wires.
[Last modified April 18, 2003, 13:36:38]
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