Crowded Ballot for Racing Shrine

Voters face some difficult choices on this year’s Racing Hall of Fame ballot. The nominations -- five for jockey, five for trainer and five each for two horse categories -- were announced Monday by the hall in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Eligible jockeys include Eddie Maple, Randy Romero and Jose Santos, who were on the ballot last year, when Kent Desormeaux was elected. Those three are joined by Craig Perret and Milo Valenzuela, who retired in 1980 with 2,545 wins, including 22 aboard Kelso, the five-time horse of the year in the 1960s.

Trainers Nick Zito and John Veitch are holdovers from last year’s ballot. Other trainers nominated are Dale Baird, Mel Stute and Gary Jones. Baird, who has won a record 9,000 races, has been on the ballot before but failed to gain enough support because he has spent his career at minor tracks.

The male contemporary horse group -- retired at least five years, and having raced in the last 25 -- includes Silver Charm, Best Pal, Housebuster, Lure and Manila. All have outstanding credentials, but Silver Charm will be hard to beat. He won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, the Dubai World Cup, and earned almost $7 million.

Female horses nominated were Mom’s Command, Open Mind, Sky Beauty, Inside Information and Silverbulletday.

Under new rules, the 163 voters will be allowed to vote for three nominees in each category. To be elected, a candidate must be named on at least 75% of the ballots. If more than one candidate gets 75% or more, only the nominee with the highest percentage will be enshrined. In previous elections, one candidate from each category was elected, based on total votes.Results will be announced May 31.

-- Bill Christine

Pro Football

Travis Henry is through playing for the Buffalo Bills, intent on sitting out as long as it takes the team to trade him.

“I’m definitely not going back to Buffalo, if that’s what you want to hear,” he said.

Henry, a starting running back during his first three seasons in Buffalo, has one year left on his contract and is unwilling to spend another year as Willis McGahee’s backup.

The Baltimore Ravens have matched the one-year, $3-million offer sheet running back Chester Taylor signed last week with the Cleveland Browns.

The deal includes a $2-million base salary, a $1-million signing bonus and two $100,000 incentive clauses.

Free-agent linebacker Ed Hartwell signed a four-year, $26.25-million contract with the Atlanta Falcons

Hartwell, a starter in Baltimore since 2002, will take over at middle linebacker.

The NFL will play its first regular-season game outside the United States on Oct. 2, when the Arizona Cardinals meet the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City. Arizona will be the home team.

The Miami Dolphins signed free-agent guard Damion Cook to a one-year deal and released wide receiver James Newson.... The New York Giants re-signed quarterback Jesse Palmer.... Linebacker Chris Clemons re-signed with the Washington Redskins.

Miscellany

Mexico’s Julio Cesar Chavez, who has had 113 fights (106-5-2, 88 knockouts) in a career that has stretched over a quarter-century, will make what is billed as his “Los Angeles farewell” at Staples Center on May 28. Chavez will fight in the main event that night against fellow super-lightweight Ivan Robinson.

Lleyton Hewitt withdrew from this week’s Nasdaq-100 Open tennis tournament at Key Biscayne, Fla., because of a toe injury.

Cal State Fullerton, the defending Division I college baseball champion, moved to the top of the Baseball America top 25 poll. USC returned to the rankings at No. 23.

Former Carolina Panther player Rae Carruth was denied a new trial in the 1999 shooting death of his pregnant girlfriend. The former wide receiver is serving a sentence of at least 18 years 11 months.