NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - Zippy Chippy, thoroughbred racing's all-time loser, made it 0-for-100 Friday when he finished last in an eight-horse field at the Three-County Fairgrounds.
The 13-year-old brown gelding's awful record has made him something of a celebrity. He was a crowd favorite in Northampton, where plenty of brave bettors wagered on Zippy Chippy at 7-2 odds.
Zippy Chippy never recovered from a slow start in which he bumped shoulders with Patuxent Wind coming out of the gate.
Despite the milestone, owner-trainer Felix Monserrate said he had no plans to put Zippy Chippy out to pasture.
BELMONT: Ghostzapper held off Saint Liam and won Saturday's $500,000 Woodward Stakes, one of three Grade I races in New York leading to the Breeders' Cup on Oct.30. Stellar Jayne won the $250,00 Gazelle for 3-year-old fillies, and Magistretti took the $500,000 Man o'War on the turf.
BOXING: St. Petersburg resident loses unanimous decision
George Walker's belated professional career suffered a big blow Friday when the St. Petersburg light welterweight was beaten by Atlanta's Paul Delgado (11-4-1, 2 KOs) at the DoubleTree Westshore Tampa. Walker (8-2-1), who trains out of the Fourth Street Boxing Club, lost a unanimous decision, 80-72 on all three judges' cards. Haitian Julio Jean (4-4-1) took control of the six-round bout early, bloodying Hudson's Brian Chiary (6-4-1) and winning a unanimous decision 59-55, 60-54 and 60-54. Oldsmar 124-pounder Oscar Manuel Rivera (2-0) and Clearwater cruiserweight Rob Ochoa won in four-round unanimous decisions.
SOCCER: 45 wins and counting
Arsenal stretched its unbeaten record in the Premier League to 45, winning 3-0 at Fulham behind two second-half goals by Freddie Ljungberg and one by Jose Antonio Reyes.
MLS: Alecko Eskandarian scored twice and Jaime Moreno had three assists, leading D.C. United to a 3-0 win over visiting Dallas. Freddy Adu got his fourth goal of the season for United. ... Reserve forward Cornell Glen scored in the 68th minute to help the MetroStars to a 3-2 win over visiting New England.
FIRED: El Salvador national coach Juan Ramon Paredes was fired after two recent losses in World Cup qualifying games. He had coached the team since 2002.
COLLEGES: Track inquiry at TCU
Former TCU track and field coach Monte Stratton was fired for providing improper financial benefits to incoming recruits, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported. Stratton set up recruits with places to live and provided incoming athletes with money to help with significant travel costs, the newspaper said. The school is investigating who provided Stratton with the funds. Athletic director Eric Hyman declined comment but said school officials are investigating several possible NCAA rules violations.
CROSS COUNTRY: Alex Brutvan led the Miami men to a sweep of the top five at the FIU/Lourdes Invitational. They won with 15 points. For the women, Melanie Schultz got her third career victory. UM was second with 44 points, four behind winner FIU.
MEN'S GOLF: Florida State's Matt Adcock and Adam Wallace were tied for 19th at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate in Jonesborough. Both were 1-over 145 after 36 holes. The Seminoles were tied for 11th at 590, 18 strokes behind leader Oklahoma.
ET CETERA
CYCLING: Olympic gold medalist Tyler Hamilton won the Spanish Vuelta's individual time trial while fellow American Floyd Landis took the overall lead. Hamilton covered the 24.9-mile eighth stage in 47 minutes, 16 seconds. Landis, riding for U.S. Postal Service, was 18 seconds back in third.
WNBA: Host Charlotte opened with a league-record 21 straight points, and Charlotte Smith-Taylor scored 13 in the Sting's 60-50 win over Minnesota.
YACHTING: America's Cup winner Team Alinghi of Switzerland finished second in the first regatta leading up to the 2007 Cup. San Francisco-based BMW Oracle Racing wrapped up first Friday.
Times staff writer John C. Cotey and Times correspondent Christopher Cook contributed to this report, which used information from other news organizations.
