IN BRIEF

HORSE RACING

Zenyatta improves to 12-0 with Del Mar win

Sensational mare Zenyatta improved her record to 12-0 with a narrow victory in Sunday's Clement L. Hirsch Stakes in Del Mar, Calif.

Zenyatta ran four horses wide into the stretch and rallied to win by a head under strong urging from Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith.

"Wasn't that something!" he said.

Zenyatta covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.24 and paid $2.40, $2.20 and $2.10 as the 1-5 wagering favorite. Heavy betting on her created a minus show pool of $95,010.

Anabaa's Creation returned $7.60 and $5.80, while Lethal Heat was another three-quarters of a length back in third and paid $5.20 to show. Three horses were scratched, leaving Zenyatta to face six rivals in the Grade 1 race on the synthetic surface.

Also: Fabulous Strike, the nation's leading male sprinter, overcame a challenge from longshot Go Go Shoot to win the $250,000 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap by a length at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Ridden by Ramon Dominguez, Fabulous Strike ran six furlongs in 1:08.69. It was the 6-year-old gelding's second victory from three starts this year.

Go Go Shoot held second after yielding to the winner at midstretch. Kodiak Kowboy finished third of six.

Trained by Todd Beattie, Fabulous Strike earned $150,000 for owner Walter Downey. Heavily favored Fabulous Strike paid $4.00, $3.00 and $2.30. Go Go Shoot returned $8.40 and $3.80 while Kodiak Kowboy paid $3.10.

TENNIS

Roddick denied fourth Legg Mason crown

Top-seeded Andy Roddick lost to Juan Martin del Potro in the Legg Mason Classic final in Washington, falling 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (6) to the defending champion.

The winning shot came on a crosscourt forehand. The replay system on Roddick's challenge confirmed the ball hit the outer portion of the sideline, and del Potro raised both arms above his head in celebration.

It was the first loss for Roddick in four Washington finals. Roddick won the tournament in 2001, 2005 and 2007.

Also: Flavia Pennetta took advantage of error-prone Samantha Stosur for a 6-4, 6-3 victory in the LA Women's Championships in Carson, Calif., giving the Italian her second title of the year.

Pennetta followed up a three-set semifinal victory over Maria Sharapova by making quick work of Stosur, an Aussie doubles specialist who has yet to win a WTA Tour singles title.

MISCELLANEOUS

Legacy beats Utah in Little League regional

Dylan Pletsch had three hits, including a home run, as Las Vegas Legacy improved to 1-1 in pool play of the Little League West Regional in San Bernardino, Calif., with a 10-9 victory over Cedar City, Utah.

Bryce Harrell went 3-for-3 and Ryan Jackson had a three-run homer, as Legacy bounced back from a 7-1 opening-game loss Friday night to the Northern California representative, Granite Bay.

Legacy plays Southern California representative Chula Vista on Tuesday night.

Also: Long considered the heir apparent to Phil Jackson in sunny Los Angeles, Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis is taking a much different, and colder, route to a head coaching job.

Rambis and the Minnesota Timberwolves have an oral agreement and are completing details of the contract, which is expected to be announced early this week, according to a person with knowledge of the negotiations.