Sports in brief: Mast Track upsets Go Between
Mast Track beat favored Go Between by two lengths Saturday in the 69th running of the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif.
Ridden by Tyler Baze and sent off at 10-1 odds, Mast Track ran a mile in 2:01.37, shattering the record of 2:03.21 Lava Man set a year ago when the Gold Cup was run on Cushion Track for the first time.
Mast Track became the third Gold Cup winner for trainer Bobby Frankel and his first as owner/trainer. It was the first Gold Cup victory for Baze.
“I just let him get comfortable by himself and find his own stride,” Baze said. “He just jumped into the bridle at the three-eighths and from then on it was just a matter of could we hold them off or not. I said, ‘Come on and just take one more breath,’ and he did.”
Mast Track, a 4-year-old son of Mizzen Mast, paid $23.60, $11.20 and $7.40. Go Between returned $3.40 and $3, and Student Council paid $4 to show.
Mast Track won for the fifth time in 10 starts, and earned $450,000 to boost his bankroll to $614,622.
Basketball
Smith won’t return to UW
University of Washington senior-to-be Joel Smith won’t return to the team.
The university says the 6-foot-4 guard from Lompoc, Calif., will earn his bachelor’s degree in American Ethnic Studies in three weeks. Smith averaged 4.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game in his Huskies career.
Smith redshirted two seasons ago and is eligible to play one more season.
He could transfer to a non-Division I school and play another season.
“The Seattle Storm cut little-used rookie guard Kimberly Beck, reducing their roster to 11 players.
“Polk Robison, whose success as Texas Tech’s basketball coach helped the school break into the Southwest Conference in 1956, died on Friday in Lubbock, Texas. He was 96.
Tennis
Gimelstob called out over remarks
Justin Gimelstob will make a donation to the Women’s Sports Foundation following his derogatory comments about Anna Kournikova.
Gimelstob was reprimanded by the Tennis Channel, where he is a commentator at Wimbledon, shortly after his sexually charged remarks were made on a radio show last week.
Tennis Channel issued a statement and apology on its Web site Wednesday and requested the “substantial” donation to the foundation, which was created by Billie Jean King in 1974.
Gimelstob used a slang word in referring to Kournikova and made sexual remarks about her and other players.
Miscellany
Swimmers move on after severe storm
Hundreds of swimmers resumed practice for the U.S. Olympic trials at the Qwest Center’s two pools in Omaha, Neb., while repairs were made to the arena after damage by a severe storm a day earlier.
Powerful winds tore siding off the front side of the building, and heavy rain overloaded the arena’s main drains.
About 600 swimmers, including superstar Michael Phelps, were ordered out of the competition and warmup pools late Friday afternoon and sent to the building’s interior hallways and lower floor.
“Running back Najeh Davenport was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers after the team couldn’t work out a trade for Willie Parker’s former backup.
Also released were safety Mike Lorello, long snapper Jared Retkofsky and offensive lineman Doug Legursky.
“Nicolae Linca, a boxer who won the welterweight gold medal at the 1956 Olympics while fighting with a broken wrist, died at his home in Transylvania, Romania. He was 79.