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Horse-racing writer Hirsch dies at 80
Joe Hirsch, who chronicled the world of thoroughbred racing for the Daily Racing Form for more than a half-century, died yesterday at age 80.
Hirsch, who had Parkinson's disease for 20 years and broke his hip in a fall last spring, died at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital Center in New York.
"He had a giant heart and was a friend to all," said Breeders' Cup publicist and longtime friend Jim Gluckson. "In the second part of the 20th century, he was the most important writer in thoroughbred racing history. He chronicled the game on an almost daily basis."
Hirsch, whose career spanned 55 years, reported on the road to the Kentucky Derby in his "Derby Doings" column, a detailed rundown of Derby contenders as the horses competed in prep races in Florida, California, Kentucky and New York.
Hirsch, who retired in 2003, also was known for helping new racing writers learn the sport and became the first president of the National Turf Writers Association in 1959. He was the rare journalist who had the respect of the racing establishment as well as fellow journalists and the public.
Funeral services are tomorrow in New York.
Golf
* Geoff Ogilvy took a one-stroke lead over D.J. Trahan after two rounds of the PGA Tour's opening event of the season, the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Kapalua, Hawaii.
Auto Racing
* The Indianapolis Motor Speedway will begin a multimedia series on its Web site Monday promoting its 100th anniversary celebration.
* Spain's Carlos Sainz regained the overall lead of the Dakar Rally in South America by winning a seventh stage. NASCAR star Robby Gordon placed third.
Sport Stops
* Rowing's international governing body will vote next month on a Swiss proposal that would restrict countries to entering a maximum 10 of 14 gold medal classes. The move is intended to give smaller European nations more chances to qualify.
* Defending champion Andy Murray beat Roger Federer, 6-7 (6), 6-2, 6-2, to reach the final of the Qatar Open, his fourth straight win over the former top-ranked player. Andy Roddick also advanced, by beating Gael Monfils, 7-6 (1), 3-6, 6-3.
* NCAA president Myles Brand, 66, has an unspecified illness that could keep him from appearing at the organization's annual convention in Washington, D.C., next week.
* Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo was voted the world's best player in a survey of 32,000 fans from 185 countries.
* Ekaterina Iourieva, of Russia, won the 7.5-kilometer sprint at a World Cup biathlon event in Oberhof, Germany. *
