Enquirer staff and wire reports

Favorite Scipion drew the rail in a field of eight 2-year-olds for the Grade III $200,000 Miller Genuine Draft Cradle Stakes Monday at River Downs.

Jockey Edgar Prado will make his first appearance at the Cincinnati track astride the son of A.P. Indy, who was installed the 7-5 early favorite for the 1 1/16-mile race. A $1.9 million yearling purchase, Scipion is owned by Virginia Kraft-Payson and is trained by Patrick Biancone.

In his only start, Scipion came from last to first with a furlong left in a 7-furlong race Aug. 14 at Saratoga.

Scipion is a three-quarter brother to former juvenile champion Vindication, who also was bred by Payson.

The 28th Cradle field with post position, rider, odds:

1. Scipion ( Edgar Prado) 7-5

2 Bellamy Road (Abel Castellano) 4-1

3. Copy My Notes (John McKee) 10-1

4. Quick Blend (Angela Owens) 15-1

5. Diamond Isle (Brice Blanc) 3-1

6. Capwikann (Nathan Solomon) 20 - 1

7. Cat Tourn ( Daniel Coa) 5-1

8. Flyrock (Jeff Johnston) 12-1

RD BASSINET TODAY: Im a Dixie Girl, one of three Bernie Flint trainees, is the lone stakes winner in a field of 11 2-year-old fillies entered in today's $100,000 Pepsi Bassinet Stakes at River Downs. She was an 8 1/4-length winner of the Colleen Stakes at Monmouth Park Aug. 7. Willie Martinez will ride today.

Im a Dixie Girl won an $80,000 maiden claiming race June 18 at Churchill Downs before finishing fourth in the Debutante Stakes 16 days later.

Angel Trumpet, another Flint trainee, is coming off second-place finishes in the Schuylerville Stakes July 28 at Saratoga and the Anna M. Fisher Debutante Stakes Aug. 21 at Ellis Park. She won her debut by 1 3/4 lengths June 24 at Churchill Downs.

The only other stakes-placed filly in the field is Gallant Secret, who ran second to the colt Lunarpal in the Three Chimneys Juvenile Stakes May 1 at Churchill.

Bassinet post time is 4:22 p.m. The race will be part of a one-hour ESPN2 telecast that begins at 4 p.m.

Hockey

WORLD CUP: Team USA finally showed some energy in beating Slovakia 3-1 in St. Paul, Minn., for its first win in the tournament.

Bill Guerin, Jason Blake and Bryan Smolinski scored for the younger, quicker, U.S. team, which moved into third place in the North American Division. Slovakia dropped to fourth at 0-2.

• In Prague, the Czech Republic scored three goals in three minutes during the second period and routed Germany 7-2. The win gave the Czechs third place in the European pool behind Sweden and Finland, dropping Germany to fourth. Sweden and Finland play for first place in Helsinki today.

Boxing

MAYORGA ARRESTED: Former world champ Ricardo Mayorga was arrested in Nicaragua on suspicion of rape. He is uncertain about the status of his Oct. 2 middleweight bout in New York against Felix Trinidad.

SPINKS DEFENDS TITLES: Cory Spinks, who has struggled for recognition despite big wins over Mayorga and Zab Judah in his last two fights, defends his undisputed welterweight titles against Miguel Angel Gonzalez tonight in Las Vegas. Lamon Brewster, who holds the WBO heavyweight title, will fight Kali Meehan.

Track and field

WORLD RECORDS: Pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia and steeplechaser Saif Saaeed Shaheen of Qatar set world records at the Van Damme Memorial meet. Isinbayeva leaped 16 feet, 1 3/4 inches, bettering by a half inch her winning vault at the Athens Games. Shaheen set a world record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase of 7 minutes, 53.63 seconds.