Sports briefs for March 18, 2005

Friday, March 18, 2005 | 10:53 a.m.

Closure of Hollywood Park being discussed

The long-rumored closure of once-grand Hollywood Park appeared nearer to reality after the announcement Thursday of a plan to prepare Los Alamitos as an alternative site for thoroughbred racing.

Executives of Hollywood Park's parent company, Churchill Downs Inc., said they are "exploring options" but claimed a sale of the Inglewood track's 237 acres could be months away.

Meanwhile, horse owner Mike Pegram and Los Alamitos boss Ed Allred announced they have talked about teaming up on $40 million worth of improvements at the Orange County facility, expanding the five-eighths-mile main track to 1 mile and installing a turf course, expanding the stables and adding 3,000 grandstand seats.

"It sounds to me like they (Churchill Downs) are pulling out of Southern California racing," said Pegram, best known as the owner of 1998 Kentucky Derby winner Real Quiet. "If (so), we think Los Alamitos is the best solution."

A sale of the Hollywood Park land next to the Forum, possible racing-industry wrangling over the Hollywood Park racing dates, and months of construction at Los Al would come before any switch takes place. Sixty-seven-year-old Hollywood Park is scheduled to open a four-month season April 22 and a six-week meet Nov. 9.

But it is easier now to envision the first major change in the Southern California thoroughbred circuit -- consisting of Hollywood Park, Santa Anita, Del Mar and Fairplex Park -- since the addition of Hollywood Park's autumn season in 1981 gave the sport a year-round calendar.

Davenport wins again

Lindsay Davenport got off to a sluggish start, turned it up a notch in a tiebreaker, then went on to post another victory over Nathlie Dechy.

Top-ranked Davenport defeated Dechy 7-6 (2), 6-0 Thursday to reach the semifinals of the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Calif.

Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova beat Mary Pierce 6-4, 6-3 and next faces Davenport. Elena Dementieva and Kim Clijsters meet in today's other semifinal.

Defending men's champion Roger Federer ran his match mark for the year to 24-1 with a 6-4, 6-1 victory against Nicolas Kiefer in their quarterfinal.

Rain plagues PGA

Tiger Woods has played five times on the PGA tour this year, rarely without delay.

There was a four-hour rain delay in Hawaii, two days of fog delays in San Diego. Rain cut the Nissan Open to 36 holes and washed out the first day of the Match Play Championship. The only rain at Doral came when he started his second round.

So why should the Bay Hill Invitational in Orlando, Fla., be any different?

Woods, Ernie Els and Retief Goosen -- the marquee group of the first two rounds in a tournament that eventually might be loaded with drama -- managed to get in just seven holes when rain halted the first round Thursday.