Horse racing

Baffert has heart attack in Dubai

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert had a heart attack early Monday in Dubai, where the 59-year-old was preparing to send out Game On Dude in Saturday's $10 million Dubai World Cup.

Baffert's assistant, Jim Barnes, said from Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., that Baffert was "doing very good."

Barnes said the trainer's wife, Jill, told him from Dubai the procedure went well and "everything should be fine."

Bernie Schiappa, co-owner of Game On Dude, said of Baffert from Dubai: "He had a heart attack, two arteries were blocked, 100 percent in one, 90 percent in the other. He had two stents put in one artery, one stent in the other."

Dubai's ruler, prominent Thoroughbred owner-breeder Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, visited Baffert at the hospital.

Daily Racing Form posted a 13-second video of Baffert speaking from his hospital bed.

"When you have Sheik Mo come visit you ... this is when you know you are being well taken care of," Baffert said in the video.

Baffert has won the Eclipse Award as North America's top trainer three times and has saddled three Kentucky Derby winners.

Senator seeks federal standards

Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., revived his push for uniform federal standards aimed at making horse racing safer after an investigation by The New York Times into a deadly and debilitating year — for both horses and jockeys — at tracks in New Mexico and elsewhere around the country.

Udall said the newspaper's findings paint a "very disturbing" picture of the racing industry in the United States and New Mexico in particular.

Analysis by The New York Times showed on average, 24 horses die each week at racetracks across America.

Golf

Woods' victory is must-see TV

Tiger Woods' five-stroke victory in Sunday's Arnold Palmer Invitational — his first PGA Tour victory in 30 months — generated a 4.8 overnight rating on NBC. That is an increase of 129 percent from final-round coverage of Martin Laird's victory last year, according to a USA Today report.

Woods' one-stroke victory at the event in 2009 — he made a 16-foot birdie putt on the final hole to beat Sean O'Hair — got a 4.9 overnight.

British bookmakers are among those impressed by Woods' victory.

William Hill, Ladbrokes and Coral have 14-time major winner Woods listed as the favorite to win the Masters, which starts April 5 in Augusta, Ga., at odds in the 7-2 to 4-1 range. Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy is the second choice for the Masters, at odds in the 9-2 to 5-1 range.

Palmer, 82, wasn't at the 18th green when Woods won Sunday because of an increase in his blood pressure. Palmer was hospitalized overnight as a precaution and released Monday morning, a tournament official said.

College football

BCS leaders discuss details

Bowl Championship Series leaders are starting to get into specifics in their discussions about possible — perhaps likely — changes in the postseason and how to determine a champion.

"The complexity is phenomenal, the level of details requires a great deal of time," BCS executive director Bill Hancock said after 11 conference commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director met for about 7 ½ hours in Grapevine, Texas.

Southeastern Conference commissioner Mike Slive said, "There's no consensus yet on anything."

LB is likely to miss season

Senior linebacker Julian Burnett of Georgia Tech is unlikely to play this season, coach Paul Johnson said. Burnett was injured in last season's Sun Bowl loss to Utah and school officials haven't offered many specifics. Burnett led Georgia Tech in tackles the last two seasons.

Alabama coach Saban gets raise

Alabama coach Nick Saban said he received overtures for other jobs after claiming a second national title in three years.

Instead of leaving, he has received a raise and contract extension worth an average of $5.62 million a year that he said represents his intention to finish his career in Tuscaloosa.

Saban, 60, got a two-year extension that will run through Jan. 31, 2020. He will make $5.32 million this year and $5.97 million in the final season of the contract.

Alabama assistant coaches also got raises.

Tennis

Roddick knocks off Federer

American Andy Roddick beat nemesis Roger Federer of Switzerland 7-6 (7-4), 1-6, 6-4 in a third-round match at the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Fla.

Roddick, ranked 34th in the world, is 3-21 against Federer, who is No. 3 and entered the match 40-2 since the U.S. Open in September.

"Nights like tonight are why you play the matches," Roddick said. "You don't know what's going to happen."

American Serena Williams rallied from a break down in both sets to beat Australian Samantha Stosur 7-5, 6-3 and advance to the quarterfinals.

Williams, bidding for a record sixth Key Biscayne title, avenged a loss to Stosur when they met in the U.S. Open final. Seeded 10th, Williams is playing in her first tournament since January after being sidelined by a left-ankle injury.

Elsewhere

• International Olympic Committee leaders will meet with British Prime Minister David Cameron this week to review final preparations for this year's London Olympics, including the delicate issue of which heads of state will be invited to the Games.

Seattle Times news services