Sports shorts
Auto Racing Spade dominates race
Scott Spade led turned in a dominating performance in winning the hot stocks feature at Roaring Knob Raceway last Saturday.
Spade, of Farmington, led the race wire to wire to take his second checkered flag of the season and also led every lap of his qualifier.
Randy Butler was second and Curt Hager third. Rounding out the top 10 were a group of local drivers as Gibbon Glade’s Fred Spiker took fourth, followed by McClellandtown’s Jim Byers, Masontown’s Chuck Capanna, Uniontown’s Joe Malarich, Dunbar’s Bob Nelson, and Mill Run’s Sam King and Josh Bryner. In addition to Spade, Nelson and Jim Bendishaw, Jr. were heat winners.
Farmington’s Marty Spade won the stock 4-cylinders feature with Ike McCleary second, Hopwood’s Dave Friend third and Aaron Lucy fourth. Lemont Furnace’s Jim Crossland was fifth, followed by local drivers Mack Henckel of Gibbon Glade, Eddie Livingston of Uniontown, Mark Peck of Lemont Furnace and Tony Fornili of New Salem. Crossland and Henckel were heat winners.
Tom Simpson won the modified 4-cylinders feature. Dunbar’s Floyd Leonard was fifth and Farmington’s Frank Spade was sixth.
Other winners were Nick Jones in the late models feature and Eric Hay in the classic lites feature.
Ciferno, Turek in second
Ruffsdale’s Eugene Ciferno and Mount Pleasant’s Frank Turek both pressured for the lead, but had to settle for second places Friday night at the Motordrome Speedway in Smithton.
Ciferno led through the first seven laps in the Kelly Auto Air Pro Trucks 20-lap race before he was overtaken by eventual winner Marion Reno.
Turek pushed for the lead throughout the 20-lap Subway Street Stocks feature, but had to settle for second place behind Mark Blohm. White’s Robin Rimmel was fourth and Hopwood’s Bill Ashton finished fifth.
Golf
Doyle nets hole-in-one
Bud Doyle fired his first career hole-in-one Wednesday at Springdale Golf Course, using a 7-wood on No. 6. Playing partner Ken Doyle witnessed the shot.
Basketball
Pitt’s Knight has surgery
PITTSBURGH (AP) – Pitt point guard Brandin Knight needs at least two months of rehabilitation from arthroscopic knee surgery before he can play basketball again.
Knight, a third-team All-America point guard who led Pittsburgh to a school-record 29 victories last season, had a piece of floating cartilage removed from his right knee on Tuesday.
Knight injured the knee in the final seconds of regulation play in a 74-65, double-overtime loss to Connecticut in the Big East Conference final. He returned to play briefly in overtime because coach Ben Howland was assured Knight couldn’t further hurt the knee by playing.
Knight also played in Pitt’s three NCAA tournament games.
“He’s had some discomfort for a while, and it was important to take a look,” Howland said. “He knows he has a future in basketball so he’ll do what’s best for him. I’m not concerned.”
Knight will require crutches for a while, but Howland said he can still work on his free throw shooting and his upper body weight lifting.
With four months remaining before the season begins, Howland said Knight has plenty of time to get healthy.
Horse racing
Megahertz declared winner
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) – The inaugural running of the $500,000 American Oaks had all the ingredients of a good race – a full field of 14, big money and controversy.
Megahertz was declared the winner after Dublino was disqualified and placed second for interfering with the British-bred in the stretch Saturday at Hollywood Park.
That gave Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel the victory on a day in which he started seven horses at tracks in California, New York, New Jersey and Iowa.
Dublino, ridden by Kent Desormeaux, crossed the finish line first in 2:00 2-5 in the 11/4-mile turf race for 3-year-old fillies. Each carried 121 pounds.
Alex Solis, aboard Megahertz, said his filly was bumped by Dublino at the eighth pole.
Irish-bred Alozaina was third.
Megahertz paid $5.80, $3.60 and $2.60 as the wagering favorite. Dublino returned $5 and $3.40, while Alozaina paid $4.40 to show.
Fans booed heartily and shouted derisively when the final order was posted.
“In mid-stretch, Dublino came out several lanes, made contact with Megahertz, turning her sideways, and causing her a chance for her rightful position,” steward Pete Pedersen said.
Laura De Seroux, who trains Dublino, conceded the contact.
“I don’t think it affected the outcome of the race and I wish the stewards had taken it into consideration, but I’ll take it on the chin,” she said. “Horses make contact in races all the time. It looks more incriminating than it was.”
Humberto Ascanio, Frankel’s assistant who saddled Megahertz, disagreed after reviewing the replay.
“After I looked at it a second time, the other filly bumped her a couple times,” he said, referring to Dublino. “Alex said he thought he would go by her otherwise.”
Created by racing secretary Martin Panza, the American Oaks featured six European horses, and 10 that shipped in, a rarity for Hollywood Park, where full fields for major stakes are unusual. First place was worth $300,000.
The disqualification kept Megahertz’ U.S. record perfect, with five consecutive wins. The filly had won one of eight starts in Europe before joining Frankel’s stable last fall.