OCEANPORT, N.J. — Is Big Brown really back?
After a too-close-for-comfort victory in Sunday’s $1 million Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, there could be more questions than answers about Big Brown’s future.
Yes, the Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner bounced back from his last-place finish in the Belmont Stakes eight weeks ago. But no, the win was far from overpowering against six weak rivals who had combined for two graded stakes wins.
Neither trainer Rick Dutrow nor co-owner Michael Iavarone would commit to Big Brown’s next race after his 1 3/4-length victory over Coal Play, but Dutrow all but ruled out the Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 23. Both were noncommittal about possible races next month before a planned career-ending run in the $5 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Santa Anita.
Bryant, Anthony lead the way
SHANGHAI, China — Kobe Bryant scored 19 points and Carmelo Anthony added 17 as the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team beat Russia 89-68 in what was by far its most competitive tuneup yet for the Beijing Games.
The U.S. had been scoring 118 points per game while winning its first three exhibitions by an average of 41 points.
• Sylvia Fowles scored eight of her 13 points during a late fourth-quarter run to lead the U.S. women’s team to a 84-74 victory over Latvia in the FIBA Diamond Ball tournament in Haining, China.
• American gymnast Chellsie Memmel hurt her right ankle while training on the floor exercise but is still expected to compete in team competition this weekend.
• Brandon Knight struck out 10 and the U.S. baseball team hit four home runs in a 9-1 exhibition victory over Canada in Durham, N.C.
Murray wins Masters title
MASON, Ohio — Forced to play another tiebreaker after wasting four match points in the second set, Andy Murray pulled off the best shot of the game — an in-the-corner backhand — that set up a 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) win over Novak Djokovic for the Cincinnati Masters title.
• Dinara Safina won her second straight tournament, defeating Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 6-1 to win the Rogers Cup in Montreal and improve her record since May to 27-3.
Footnotes.
Rookie quarterback Colt Brennan threw two touchdown passes in the second half for Washington, and Matterral Richardson returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown to rally the Redskins in a 30-16 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in the Hall of Fame Game.
• All-star Kenny Cooper scored on a penalty kick in the 81st minute after Toronto FC’s Amado Guevara received a red card, propelling FC Dallas to a 2-0 MLS win.
• Darren Huckerby scored one goal and had an assist as the San Jose Earthquakes beat the Los Angeles Galaxy, ending an eight-match winless streak.
• McLaren driver Heikki Kovalainen won his first Formula One race after an engine problem forced Felipe Massa out of the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest with three laps to go.
The Associated Press
