Sports Briefs: Skip Away won’t race in Toronto

Wednesday, Oct. 16, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

SUN WIRE REPORTS

Cigar won't have a chance to even the score against Skip Away.

Skip Away won't run in the Breeders' Cup Classic on Oct. 26 in Toronto, so racing fans won't get to see a rematch of his victory over Cigar earlier this month in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.

Skip Away's trainer, Sonny Hine, decided not to enter the 3-year-old colt in the $4 million Breeders' Cup. Hine remained hospitalized with kidney stones Tuesday as the deadline passed for paying one-third of the $480,000 supplemental fee for the race.

Hine entered a Lexington, Ky., hospital last Saturday. Skip Away's workouts for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday had to be postponed and Hine never got to see the horse work before the deadline expired.

Hine needed to pay the supplemental fee because the original breeder of Skip Away didn't pay a $500 fee when the horse was born.

The decision means fans won't get to see a rematch between Skip Away and Cigar, who won 17 of 18 races before losing the Gold Cup. It will also likely take Skip Away out of the running for Horse of the Year honors.

Henderson bowler contends

Julie Gardner, a former Team USA member still looking for her first national title, held a 34-pin lead over Lisa Wagner on Tuesday night after two rounds of qualifying in the $80,000 LPBT Columbia 300 Deleware Open at Claymont. Rounding out the top five were Carol Norman with 3,786 and Jackie Sellers and Henderson's Wendy Macpherson, who were tied with 3,745. Macpherson had held the lead after the first round, while Gardner was fourth.

Blackhawks to give Zhamnov $15 mil.

Holdout center Alexei Zhamnov has agreed to a five-year, $15 million deal with the Chicago Blackhawks, newspapers reported today. Zhamnov, a restricted free agent acquired in an Aug. 16 trade that sent Jeremy Roenick to Phoenix, had been seeking $4.5 million a year. "I'm under the impression the kid has accepted the salary part of it and will be in this weekend," Blackhawks general manager Bob Pulford told the Chicago Tribune.

Rahman whips Berbick

Unbeaten heavyweight Hasim Rahman registered a lopsided 10-round unanimous decision over Trevor Berbick at Caesars Atlantic City Hotel Casino. The 23-year-old Rahman, 18-0 with 15 knockouts, nearly stopped the former WBC heavyweight champion in the first round of Tuesday night's fight. Rahman, of Baltimore, decked the 42-year-old Berbick with two booming rights to the chin seconds into the fight. He then wobbled Berbick with chopping rights and left hooks to the head throughout the remainder of the round. Berbick offered no resistance and was fortunate to survive the opening round. With the exception of some left hooks to the body in the third round, Berbick was never in the fight. Berbick, based in Miami, fell to 45-9-1 with 32 knockouts.

In other boxing news:

* Former world champion Wilfred Benitez regained consciousness after nearly losing his seven-year battle with an inflammation of the brain. The 38-year-old is being treated in a San Juan, Puerto Rico, hospital general medicine wing where doctors gave him strong sedatives to calm him.

Dodgers lose 4 to free agency

Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Mike Blowers, outfielder Chad Curtis, right-hander Jim Bruske and infielder Oreste Marrero have elected to become free agents. In addition, the Dodgers acquired infielder-outfielder John Wehner on a waiver claim from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Blowers, 31, hit .265 with six homers and 38 RBIs in 92 games this season, before injuring his left knee July 17. Curtis, 27, hit .212 with two homers and nine RBIs in 43 games after being acquired from Detroit on July 31. In 104 games for the Tigers, Curtis hit .263 with 10 homers and 37 RBIs. Wehner, 29, hit .259 with two homers and 13 RBIs in 86 games for the Pirates. He was 9-for-29 with two homers and six RBIs as a pinch-hitter.

* Outfielder Mike Greenwell was designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox. He hit .295 with seven homers and was limited by injuries to 77 games last season. He has a .303 career average with 130 homers in 1,269 games.

Patriots sign Byars

Keith Byars signed with the New England Patriots, two weeks after being released by the Miami Dolphins and a month after his streak of 130 games with at least one reception ended. Byars, converted to tight end this year after spending 10 NFL seasons as a fullback, is expected to return to his old position, backing up Sam Gash. In 146 NFL games before this season, Byars started 134, including all 41 he played with Miami after seven seasons with Philadelphia.

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