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03/13/2010 - Hot Springs, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Champion colt Lookin At Lucky made a successful debut Saturday as a three-year-old in the $300,000 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park. The 2009 champion two-year-old was the even-money favorite in the seven horse field.
The Rebel is the final local prep race before the $1 million Arkansas Derby, set for Saturday, April 10.
Trained by Bob Baffert, Lookin at Lucky was ridden by Garrett Gomez and broke from the two post. The Rebel was the colt's first career start outside of California.
Lookin at Lucky broke in a tangle when the field left the gate. He settled several lengths off the leaders as the field headed into the backstretch. Setting the pace was Royal Express with Uh Oh Bango in second and Cardiff Giant running in third.
Lookin At Lucky began his rally around the turn for home and was able to join the leaders at the top of the stretch. Noble's Promise had the lead in midstretch as the favorite continued to drive.
The two colts battled to the wire where Lookin At Lucky prevailed by a neck over Noble's Promise. Dublin finished third followed by Uh Oh Bango, Cardiff Giant, Pleasant Storm and Royal Express.
The time for the Rebel was 1:43.06 on a fast track.
Owned by Karl Watson, Mike Pegram and Paul Weltman, Lookin At Lucky earned $180,000 with the victory. He has won six of seven starts for more than $1.4 million.
The colt was second to Vale of York in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile last November, but came back to win the CashCall Futurity the following month at Hollywood Park.
Lookin At Lucky returned $4.20, $2.80 and $2.20. Noble's Promise paid $4.00 and $2.60, and Dublin paid $2.40 to show.
<< Yellow Jackets hold off NC State to make ACC final
Greensboro, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Derrick Favors registered 17 points and
eight rebounds, as Georgia Tech overcame sloppy play down the stretch to get
by NC State, 57-54, and advance to the ACC Tournament final.
Gani Lawal posted 12
<< Chad Collins leads in Puerto Rico
Rio Grande, Puerto Rico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chad Collins found himself alone in
the lead during the suspended second round of the Puerto Rico Open.
Collins is six-under par through 11 holes of his second round and is in first
place at nine-u
<< Minnesota crushes Purdue to reach Big Ten final
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ralph Sampson III scored a team-high 13
points and Minnesota continued its quest to an unlikely NCAA Tournament bid
with a dominating 69-42 drubbing of No. 6 Purdue in the semifinals of the Big
Ten Tou
<< Zardana edges Rachel Alexandra in New Orleans Ladies
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, making
her first start in six months, was defeated by Zardana in Saturday's $200,000
New Orleans Ladies at the Fair Grounds.
The 1 1/16-mile race had a field of five
NBA suspends Bulls' Hinrich one game, fines Suns coach Gentry >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NBA suspended Chicago Bulls guard Kirk
Hinrich for one game and fined Phoenix Suns head coach Alvin Gentry $25,000
for separate incidents from Friday.
Hinrich made contact with an official during
No. 2 Stanford handles Cal, on to Pac-10 final >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nnemkadi Ogwumike led all scorers with 18
points along with 10 rebounds as the No. 2 Stanford Cardinal handled the
California Golden Bears, 64-44 in the semifinals of the Pac-10 Conference
Tournam
Sidney's Candy garners San Felipe Stakes >>
Arcadia, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sidney's Candy, winner of the San Vicente
Stakes, made it two straight Saturday by winning the $150,000 San Felipe
Stakes at Santa Anita Park. The colt covered the 1 1/16-miles in 1:42.30.
Ridden by
Kansas captures Big 12 title with third win over K-State >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marcus Morris donated 18 points and nine
rebounds to lead No. 1 Kansas to its seventh Big 12 Tournament championship
behind a 72-64 victory over ninth-seeded Kansas State.
The Jayhawks (32-2) never
(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).
The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.
"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."
Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.
"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."
When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:
CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.
DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.
PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.
You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.
"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."
Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.
(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)
Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."
But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."
Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."
Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."
All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.
In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.
"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."
To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.
In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere.
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
Stay with us here as we take you through the best in NFL action on a consistent basis, with advice columns as well as handicapping selections. If you're looking for college football betting, that's in our NCAA section, which you can reach by clicking here. And if you're looking for a different kind of football, such as the Canadian Football League, which we'll deal with occasionally, or the Arena Football League, which we really like, you can find it in our Miscellaneous section by clicking
Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook betting credit cards
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