In Brief

HORSE RACING

Pioneer of the Nile nets Lewis Stakes win

Pioneer of the Nile rallied from off the pace to win Saturday's $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes in Arcadia, Calif., giving trainer Bob Baffert a Kentucky Derby candidate.

The colt won his 3-year-old debut by a half-length over Papa Clem, running 1 1/16 miles in 1 minute, 41.90 seconds on Santa Anita's synthetic surface.

On the same card, Stardom Bound made a successful 3-year-old debut in the $300,000 Las Virgenes Stakes, and Cowboy Cal won the $250,000 Strub Stakes.

Stardom Bound used her trademark late run to beat seven rivals by 11/4 lengths. Ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, Stardom Bound covered a mile in 1:36.43 and paid $2.80, $2.40 and $2.10 as the 2-5 wagering favorite.

The gray filly gives her new owner, IEAH Stables, a Kentucky Derby candidate.

Also: Friesan Fire showed he was a legitimate Kentucky Derby contender with an impressive victory at the Grade 3, $200,000 Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans, the final prep for the Louisiana Derby.

Friesan Fire won the 1 1/16-mile race by two lengths in 1:45.11.

Haynesfield moved a step closer to a Triple Crown race, easily winning the $107,600 Whirlaway Stakes at Aqueduct in New York.

The victory, with a time of 1:44.48 for 1 1/16 miles, was the fourth straight for the New York-bred chestnut colt.

HOCKEY

Ferraro lifts Wranglers over Salmon Kings

Chris Ferraro's goal early in the third period helped the Wranglers to a 2-1 win over the Victoria Salmon Kings in Victoria, British Columbia.

Brandon Straub also scored for Las Vegas (23-18-4), and goalie Glenn Fisher had 23 saves as the Wranglers posted their fifth straight victory.

Also: Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom will miss up to five weeks because of hernia surgery, but he should be healthy for the playoffs, general manager Ken Holland said.

The Dallas Stars placed controversial left wing Sean Avery on waivers, moving him one step closer to a possible return to the NHL.

A league source told The Associated Press that Avery has completed a counseling program under the NHL/NHLPA behavioral health program.

MISCELLANEOUS

Top Fueler Brown leads way in NHRA qualifying

Antron Brown raced to the No. 1 Top Fuel qualifying position in the season-opening Kragen O'Reilly NHRA Winternationals in Pomona, Calif.

Brown powered his dragster to a 3.708-second pass to claim the top spot. Robert Hight (Funny Car) and Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) led their respective divisions.

Also: The College of Southern Nevada baseball team split two games at the JUCO National Classic, beating Walters State Community College 15-9 before losing to Chipola College 3-2 in Marianna, Fla.

Against Walters State, CSN (2-5) scored eight runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead for good. Reliever Gabe Weidenaar had 10 strikeouts and no walks in 4 2/3 innings to get the win.

The Coyotes were coming off an 8-0 loss Friday to St. Petersburg College.

The UNLV men's tennis team (5-1) lost to New Mexico State 4-3 at the International Tennis Center in a match moved indoors due to rain.

The Rebels' Elliot Wronski beat Roman Stoisavljevic 7-5, 6-2 at No. 1 singles for his ninth straight win.

The UNLV women's swimming and diving team won all 14 swimming events to beat New Mexico 195-103 in Albuquerque, N.M. Zsuzsanna Jakabos won the 200-yard butterfly, 200 backstroke and 200 individual medley.

The UNLV softball team's Kick-Off Classic at Eller Media Stadium was washed out, altering the tournament format to doubleheaders today between the four teams. The Rebels will play Seton Hall twice, starting at 1:30 p.m.

Joe Lauzon submitted Jeremy Stephens with an armbar late in the second round in the main event of an Ultimate Fighting Championship card in Tampa, Fla.

Heavyweight Cain Velasquez (5-0) posted a second-round stoppage of Denis Stojnic, and Josh Neer submitted Mac Danzig.

John Kucera became the first Canadian men's skier to win the downhill at the world championships, while American Bode Miller finished eighth.

Kucera clocked 2 minutes, 7.01 seconds on the course in Val d'Isere, France.

Doctors in Innsbruck, Austria, have started to wake Swiss skier Daniel Albrecht from an induced coma following his World Cup downhill training crash last month.

The 25-year-old Albrecht has been kept unconscious since he crashed and suffered brain and lung injuries Jan. 22 in Kitzbuehel, Austria.

Jill Craybas of the United States and Argentina's Gisela Dulko won in straight sets to leave the countries tied 1-1 after the first day of their first-round Fed Cup match in Surprise, Ariz.

Craybas beat Betina Jozami 6-2, 6-1, and Dulko countered with a 6-2, 7-5 win over 17-year-old Melanie Oudin.

Meb Keflezighi edged Tim Nelson to win the men's title, and Emily Brown easily won the women's race at the USA Cross Country Championships in Derwood, Md.

Jenn Stuczynski set an American women's indoor record in the pole vault by clearing 15 feet, 93/4 inches at the Boston Indoor Games.

Betty Jameson, one of the 13 founding members of the LPGA Tour in 1950, died at age 89, the tour announced.