Times wires
Friday, May 13, 2011
Horses
Trainer, 3 fillies to join Hall
Jerry Hollendorfer, who has been among the nation's leading trainers for nearly a quarter-century and is closing in on 6,000 career victories, was elected to the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
"It's something you can never expect in life to be put in the Hall of Fame," Hollendorfer, 64, said.
Champion fillies Open Mind, Safely Kept and Sky Beauty also were elected in the contemporary category by a 183-member panel. The Historic Review Committee will announce its picks next month, and the 2011 class will be inducted Aug. 2.
Et cetera
Hockey: Sweden and Finland advanced to the finals of the world championship in Slovakia. The Swedes got two goals from Blues forward Patrik Berglund in a 5-2 win over the defending champion Czech Republic. Finland beat Russia 3-0.
NFL: Quarterback Cam Newton, the top overall pick of the Panthers, is working out at IMG Academies in Bradenton with former NFL and FSU QB Chris Weinke.
Obituary: Former Cowboys running back Ron Springs, who spent the past four years in a coma after losing oxygen during a 2007 operation, died Thursday in Dallas without ever regaining consciousness. He was 54. Mr. Springs first slipped into the coma after undergoing surgery to remove a cyst from his forearm about seven months after receiving a kidney transplant.
Swimming: Michael Phelps finished sixth, 1.34 seconds behind winner Dominik Meichtry, in the 200-meter freestyle final at the Charlotte UltraSwim.
Times wires
Tennis
Venus joins sister IN skipping French Open
Venus Williams pulled out of the French Open on Friday, 24 hours after her sister, Serena, withdrew, making it the first Grand Slam tournament since 2003 without either Williams.
Venus' agent, Carlos Fleming, wrote in an e-mail to the Associated Press that the seven-time Grand Slam champion notified tournament organizers she wouldn't compete at Roland Garros, where play starts May 22.
Venus, 30 and ranked 19th, has been off the tour since January because of a hip injury. A left knee injury limited her to one event in the last six months of 2010.
Serena, 29 and ranked 17th, pulled out of the French on Thursday; she hasn't entered a tournament since early July. She cut her foot, which led to two operations.
Italian Open: Rafael Nadal will keep the men's No. 1 ranking after a 6-1, 6-3 quarterfinal victory over Marin Cilic in Rome. Nadal was at risk of losing the spot to Novak Djokovic if he failed to reach the semifinals. Djokovic extended his winning streak to 37 matches, 6-3, 6-0 over Robin Soderling. Djokovic will play Andy Murray, while Nadal will face Richard Gasquet. On the women's side, top-ranked Caroline Wozniacki defeated Jelena Jankovic 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 and will next face Maria Sharapova. Part-time Tampa resident Sam Stosur ousted Francesca Schiavone 6-2, 6-4 and will face Li Na.