Baze suspended for whipping injured horse

Russell Baze, the winningest jockey in thoroughbred racing history, was suspended for 15 days and fined on Sunday for using his whip on an injured horse who later died.

Baze, who has 9,826 victories, was headed to an easy win aboard Imperial Eyes in the first race Thursday at Bay Meadows when the horse took a bad step and broke down in the deep stretch. According to a Bay Meadows spokesman, Baze urged Imperial Eyes forward after the horse recovered from the initial bad step, using his whip twice.

Imperial Eyes still finished second but had a broken bone in his left front leg. The 4-year-old gelding was euthanized after going into distress while his handlers contemplated surgery.

Though Imperial Eyes’ trainer said he didn’t blame Baze for the horse’s death, saying Baze couldn’t have known the extent of the horse’s injury, the Hall of Fame jockey was repentant.

“I’m not going to try to defend what I did,” Baze said. “There is no way to defend it. I made a bad decision in the heat of the moment, and I am truly sorry. . . .

“Hopefully, this will not be the defining moment of my career.

“Hopefully, I’ll be judged on the right decisions I’ve made in the past and on the right decisions I’ll make in the future.”

Bay Meadows’ board of stewards held a hearing on Baze’s conduct Saturday and fined him $2,500 and suspended him from Sept. 2 to Sept. 16. Baze will miss 11 race programs.

Baze, 49, broke Laffit Pincay Jr.’s record for career victories on Dec. 1, 2006.

After Market, the 124-pound highweight and 2-5 favorite, earned a hard-fought but decisive triumph in the 68th running of the Grade II $250,000 Del Mar Handicap at a mile and three-eighths on the turf course at Del Mar.

Jockey Alex Solis urged the son of Storm Cat and Tranquility Lake to a three-quarters of a length victory over Runaway Dancer in 2:13.01. Spring House finished third.

SOCCER

Wambach should be OK for World Cup

X-rays on U.S. women’s national team striker Abby Wambach revealed no serious damage to her right toe, and she will play in next month’s Women’s World Cup in China.

Wambach, 27, has scored 77 goals in 96 games with the national team.

She will fly with the rest of the team to China today.

“It’s sore today, but thankfully we have a good medical staff that will get me ready to play and compete in this World Cup,” Wambach said on the U.S. Soccer Federation’s website.

-- Jaime Cárdenas

Defending champion Inter Milan was held to a 1-1 draw by Udinese, and European champion AC Milan rolled to a 3-0 win at Genoa as the title favorites opened the Italian league season.

Kaka scored twice and Massimo Ambrosini added another as Milan cruised against Genoa, which returned to Serie A after a 12-season absence.

Milan fans were barred from the match for fears of violence. Genoa fan Vincenzo Spagnolo was stabbed to death during a brawl with Milan supporters outside Luigi Ferraris stadium in 1995, and the two clubs had not met since.

Qualifying for the 2010 World Cup began with a pair of routs in soccer’s Oceania region.

Fiji beat Tuvalu, 16-0, and Solomon Islands defeated American Samoa, 12-1.

A record 204 teams entered qualifying, which runs through late 2009 and will produce 31 nations to join host South Africa in the tournament, which will be played from June 11 to July 11, 2010.

MISCELLANY

May-Treanor and Walsh win in beach volleyball

Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh defeated Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh, 21-18, 21-16, in the Brooklyn Open women’s beach volleyball final.

It was the 11th title of the AVP Tour season for May-Treanor and Walsh, who lost to Youngs and Branagh last week in the final at Boston.

“I felt like we had that win last week, so I’ve been really motivated to win this week,” Walsh said. “I always am, but especially this week. Elaine came out fired up, and I wanted to shut her down, and Misty and I did that together.”

Samantha Hunt scored in overtime to lead Canada to a 4-3 victory over the United States at Lake Placid, N.Y., giving the Canadians a three-game sweep in the under-22 women’s hockey series. Kacey Bellamy led the U.S. in the series with four points (one goal, three assists). Sarah Parsons and Jinelle Zaugg had two goals apiece.

Gary Russell Jr. dominated Roberto Marroquin, and Raynell Williams outlasted Hylon Williams in the final two matches of the U.S. Olympic boxing trials at Houston.

Russell beat Marroquin, 18-14, to win the 119-pound (bantamweight) spot on the Olympic team, and Raynell Williams won, 24-22, to take the 125-pound (featherweight) berth.

Midfielder Matt Striebel had three goals and three assists for the Philadelphia Barrage as it defeated the Los Angeles Riptide, 16-13, in the Major League Lacrosse championship game in front of 5,288 at Rochester, N.Y.

Rookie midfielder Greg Downing posted his first MLL hat trick and added an assist for the Riptide in the effort.