Times staff
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Horses
Bumped jockey to get windfall from derby win
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After missing out on riding eventual winner Animal Kingdom in the Kentucky Derby, jockey Robby Albarado will receive payouts from fellow rider John Velazquez and winning owner Barry Irwin.
Irwin said Wednesday that Velazquez will give an undisclosed portion of his share of the purse to Albarado and he will match it. The winner's share of Saturday's Derby was $1,411,800, so the standard 10 percent earned by Velazquez was $141,180.
"It's basically because we know what it means emotionally to a guy like that," Irwin said. "I like the guy and have a high regard for him as a jockey."
Albarado was set to ride Animal Kingdom but was replaced by Velazquez the day before over concerns about his health. He suffered a broken nose and facial lacerations when he slipped off his mount in a race earlier in the week.
But Albarado returned in time to win a Grade 1 stakes race on the Derby undercard. He did not return a call by The Associated Press.
Jockey death: Michael Baze, found dead in his car Tuesday in the Churchill Downs stable area, was set for a preliminary hearing on a cocaine charge today, court records show. According to an arrest warrant, he gave a Louisville detective consent to search him and his car on Nov. 18 and a small baggie of suspected cocaine was found in his pants pocket. There has been no report filed on the death because police say they are awaiting autopsy results.
Soccer
FIFA wants more info on alleged bid bribery
FIFA asked the former leader of England's 2018 World Cup bid and the Sunday Times newspaper to provide more evidence for their allegations that officials of soccer's world governing body were involved in bribery. Tuesday, David Triesman, speaking at a British parliamentary inquiry, alleged four FIFA officials requested bribes during the 2018 bidding, which went to Russia. The paper reported Qatar, which beat out the United States for 2022, paid $1.5 million to two FIFA officials.
Spanish league: Barcelona clinched its third straight title and 21st overall with a 1-1 tie at Levante. Real Madrid is assured of second for the third straight season.
ET CETERA
Hockey: Ex-NHL star Jaromir Jagr, 39, had a hat trick as the Czech Republic beat the United States 4-0 in the world championship quarterfinals in Slovakia. Also, Sweden beat Germany 5-2 behind a goal and two assists by St. Louis' Patrik Berglund. In today's quarterfinals, it's Canada-Russia and Finland-Norway.
Autos: Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne will miss his third race this weekend. Bayne spent a week at the Mayo Clinic for what doctors called only an inflammatory condition. Roush Fenway president Steve Newmark said the team is encouraged by Bayne's progress but is being cautious. He added he should be ready for next week's Sprint Cup All-Star race.
Cycling: Giro d'Italia organizers promised to inspect part of a route in response to riders' concerns after the death of Belgium's Wouter Weylandt. The descent on Stage 14, set for May 21, has never been used and is partially unpaved. Riders also are concerned there are no crash barriers, just ski netting. Weylandt died Monday when he crashed during the descent of Stage 4.
Greyhounds: Hi Noon Renegade remained undefeated and Brother Buck, Kiowa Grand Gary and Kiowa Rousey also won second-round qualifiers in the $20,000 Gold Trophy Juvenile at Derby Lane in St. Petersburg. Qualifying resumes Saturday.
Obituary: Bill Gallo, a cartoonist and columnist for New York's Daily News whose characters included Yankees owner George Steinbrenner in a spiked Prussian military helmet, died of pneumonia. He was 88. Mr. Gallo profiled, in ink and words, many great figures, including Jack Dempsey, Man O' War, Jesse Owens and Dizzy Dean.
Don Jensen, Times correspondent; Times wires