10/23/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two days, 14 races, $25.5 million. The 25th running of the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships at Santa Anita Park has become bigger than anyone could have imagined when it began in 1984.
I will not attempt to handicap each of the 14 races that will be conducted on Friday and Saturday, and I never pick the two-year-old races, which now number four.
However, this website does have Breeders' Cup selections available from four of our most intelligent handicappers, including myself. Use these picks cautiously, but with expected multiple cashin' not trashin'
Starting with the big race, $5 million Classic at 1 1/4 miles. Defending champ Curlin is 7-5 in the program and if he goes off at that price it will be a steal.
Curlin must be included in all exotic wagers, but I will not single him in my straight bets. Breaking from the inside post will be Pacific Classic winner Go Between, 8-1 in the morning-line. He has become the master of the synthetic track.
Back in January, Go Between won the $1 million Sunshine Millions Classic on the old artificial surface at Santa Anita. Go Between then had consecutive second-place finishes on synthetic tracks at Santa Anita, Keeneland and Hollywood Park. I have liked Go Between since his three-year-old season and love his chance to upset Curlin on Saturday.
Friday's feature event is the $2 million Ladies' Classic, formerly the Distaff. The 3-5 odds-on favorite is the undefeated Zenyatta. She will start from the inside post with Mike Smith riding.
Zenyatta has not lost in eight career starts, but is barely past the $1 million mark in earnings. She comes from off the pace and may find herself in trouble breaking from the rail.
Let's go with defending champ Ginger Punch. This year she has won five of seven starts with a second and a third. The third was to Zenyatta back in April. Ginger Punch is 9-2 in the program and will start from post six with Rafael Bejarano. The mare will be on or near the lead before she rallies down the stretch to win in a photo-finish.
One of my favorite trainers, Jonathan Sheppard, has a horse in the Filly and Mare Turf. Forever Together, 6-1, has drawn post three with Julien Leparoux riding. The pair have won the Diana and First Lady Stakes. Look for her to come from way back to take the 1 1/4 mile race.
The 1 1/2 mile Turf on Saturday features the only horse to beat Curlin this year, Red Rocks. The five-year-old is the 5-1 second choice behind 7-2 favorite Soldier of Fortune.
Red Rocks won this race two years ago and was third last year to English Channel. Frankie Dettori has the mount from post two. If Red Rocks is good enough to defeat Curlin he's good enough for me.
The Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile appears to be the most evenly matched race on the entire card. Surf Cat, Mast Track, Well Armed and Pyro have been entered for the one-mile event over the Classic.
Goodwood winner Well Armed is the 3-1 favorite and will break from post eight with Aaron Gryder. Surf Cat has post two with David Flores and is 6-1 in the program. Also 6-1 is Hollywood Gold Cup winner Mast Track. He will start from post four with Tyler Baze. Mast Track has a quarter-crack and was held out of the Classic.
However, I like three-year-old Pyro in the Dirt Mile. At 20-1 he is an overlay in the 12 horse field. Pyro has been in the money in all but two starts. Even though he didn't like the artificial track at Keeneland, trainer Steve Asmussen must know what he is doing. Pyro will be ridden by Shaun Bridgmohan from post six, a perfect spot to pull the upset.
My final extended handicapping is for the Breeders' Cup Mile. Defending champ Kip Deville returns. This pick put me over the top last year when the miler went off at 8-1. The five-year-old is 5-1 in the program, behind 3-1 favorite Goldikova and 4-1 second choice Whatsthescript.
Kip Deville is coming off a disappointing fifth in the Woodbine Mile as the 1-2 favorite. But he won his first two starts this year and should primed for an excellent effort.
Good luck to everyone, especially to those directly involved with the Breeders' Cup.
<< Texas Open switching courses
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem announced
Thursday that the Texas Open will be shifting to a new host course.
The Texas Open was played as part of the Fall Series the last two years, but
shifts to May a
<< 2008-09 Predictions: The King and his court
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the unparalleled excitement of the
NBA preseason winding down, it's time to take a take a deep breath, gaze into
the crystal ball and see what is going to happen when they start playing for
real.
The
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Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Longhorns won the national
championship following the 2005 season behind superhuman efforts from current
Tennessee Titans QB Vince Young. His early departure to the NFL opened the
door for present s
<< Report: Brady underwent two more procedures on knee
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has
reportedly undergone three procedures to clear out an infection in his left
knee that could delay the rehabilitation process.
The Boston Herald reported Thursd
Arsenal's Eduardo close to returning >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said Thursday
expects Eduardo Da Silva to be back in competitive action within three weeks.
The Croatia forward has been sidelined since suffering a compound fracture on
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Lightning get veteran help on defense >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning signed free agent
defenseman Marek Malik to a one-year contract Thursday.
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Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - FC Dallas veteran midfielder Bobby Rhine revealed
Thursday he will retire from professional soccer following the teams last game
of the season Sunday.
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Celtic's Boruc fined over gestures >>
Glasgow, Scotland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc has avoided
a ban after escaping an improper conduct charge Thursday with just a fine and a
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Matt Kenseth And Kevin Harvick Favorites To Take NASCAR Nextel Cup Championship
(September 15)—The NASCAR season has hit the homestretch with the opening event on this year’s Chase for the Cup taking place this weekend at the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. With 10 races remaining to determine the Cup Series champion, leading online sportsbook MySportsbook.com today announced odds on all 10 Chase qualifying drivers capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.
One of the largest sportsbook sites on the Internet, MySportsbook.com currently lists the top two drivers in the point standings as the early favorites to win the Nextel Cup. Entering the Chase for the Cup with a slim five-point lead in the point standings, 2003 NASCAR champ Matt Kenseth has been made a slight favorite to win his second Cup at 7/2 betting odds. 2001 Cup Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick has betting odds listed at 5/2 and four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon is listed at 6/1 to capture the Nextel Cup this year.
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of his legendary father who won six NASCAR titles, Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands at 8/1 to breakthrough with his first Cup victory. Staying with the family theme, MySportsbook.com lists 2005 Rookie of the Year Kyle Busch at 14/1 to succeed big brother Kurt’s 2004 NASCAR title. While Kasey Kahne was the final driver to qualify for the Chase with a third place finish last week, the oddsmakers give him a fighting chance at 10/1 mainly due to several mile-and-a-half tracks remaining on the schedule. Despite going winless on the NASCAR circuit this season, Jeff Burton enters the Chase at 5/1 to capture the Cup title. Meanwhile, rookie Denny Hamlin is 4/1 to win the championship, while veteran driver Mark Martin enters the Chase for the Cup as a 15/1 long shot to win his first NASCAR title in his 24th and final season.
MySportsbook.com will offer comprehensive Nascar betting lines on every race remaining on the Nextel Cup series including driver match-ups, props and odds to win each race. For a complete list of NASCAR odds, please visit www.MySportsbook.com.
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Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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