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02/18/2012 - Berkeley, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daddy Nose Best got his nose on the wire first to capture Saturday's $200,000 El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields. The 1 1/8-mile El Camino Real is the final local prep on the road to the Kentucky Derby.
Trained by Steve Asmussen, Daddy Nose Best was ridden by Julien Leparoux from the inside post. The colt went off as the 4-1 third pick in the 10-horse field.
Up the backstretch Daddy Nose Best was racing fifth just a few lengths behind pacesetters All Squared Away and 2-1 favorite Handsome Mike. Cal Derby winner Russian Greek was at the rear of the field.
Daddy Nose Best gained ground around the final turn, but was blocked briefly at the quarter-pole. Lucky Chappy, the 5-2 second choice, went from racing last into contention with a five wide move around the turn.
The two colts battled down the stretch and hit the wire together. The photo determined that Daddy Nose Best had indeed put his nose out first to win the race.
Handsome Mike was third followed by Unveiled Heat, Russian Greek, Lady of Fifty, All Squared Away, Rockinarz Recruit, Senor Rain and Cahill Chrome.
Owned by Cathy and Bob Zollars, Daddy Nose Best covered the El Camino Real in 1:50.46 on the Golden Gate synthetic track.
The win by Daddy Nose Best is the second straight for his trainer in the race. Asmussen sent out Silver Medallion to win the 2011 El Camino Real. The win was worth $120,000 to bring Daddy Nose Best's career earnings to $233,623 in nine starts.
The three-year-old was third last year in the Summer Stakes at Woodbine and sixth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs. In late November he won an allowance race at Churchill and was fifth in the Eddie Logan Stakes at Santa Anita on New Year's Eve.
Daddy Nose Best paid $10.20, $5.40 and $3.60. Lucky Chappy returned $4.60 and $2.80, and Handsome Mike paid $2.80 to show.
<< Animal Kingdom returns with win at Gulfstream
Hallandale Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Eclipse Award winner Animal Kingdom
made a successful return to the races on Saturday with a worst-to-first result
at Gulfstream Park. The four-year-old was making his first start since last
year's
<< Canaan helps Murray State beat Saint Mary's
Murray, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Isaiah Canaan scored a game-high 23 points while
shooting 5-for-8 from three-point range to lead No. 16 Murray State past No.
21 Saint Mary's, 65-51, at CFSB Center.
Donte Poole added 11 points and six r
<< Report: Flyers get Kubina from Tampa
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Flyers reportedly acquired defenseman
Pavel Kubina from the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
TSN of Canada is reporting the trade with the Flyers sending a second and
fourth round draft pick to t
<< NHL fines Pens F Staal
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The National Hockey League fined Pittsburgh
Penguins forward Jordan Staal $2,500 on Saturday.
The fine stems from a play earlier on Saturday during Pittsburgh's 6-4 victory
in Philadelphia.
At the 9:56
St. Johns stops UConn's home win streak at 99 >>
Storrs, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shenneika Smith scored 11 points, including the
go-ahead three-pointer with eight seconds left, and St. John's toppled No. 2
Connecticut, 57-56, Saturday to snap the Huskies 99-game home winning streak.
It was t
Sedins lead Canucks over Leafs >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Daniel Sedin had a goal and three assists as
the Vancouver Canucks pummeled the Toronto Maple Leafs, 6-2, at Rogers Arena.
Alexandre Burrows had two goals while Henrik Sedin posted four assists for the
Canuc
Stamkos helps Lightning edge Caps >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steven Stamkos scored his NHL-leading 40th goal
and the Tampa Bay Lightning held on to down the Washington Capitals, 2-1, on
Saturday night.
Tom Pyatt also scored for Tampa Bay and Mathieu Garon made 23 saves
Southwest Stakes has two divisions >>
Hot Springs, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A total of 21 three-year-olds were entered
for Monday's Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park. The large number of entries
necessitated that the stakes be divided into two divisions each with a
$250,00
(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.
NFL betting action is back! At MySportsbook, all of the pro football odds are posted for the NFC North. Check out how we see the four teams in this cloudy division stacking up this year in the chase for the playoffs! Green Bay Packers (+125) - With QB Aaron Rodgers leading the offense and DC Dom Capers working his magic on defense, the Packers are a real force to be reckoned with.
Virtually nothing changed on this offense for Green Bay from last year to this year, save for the addition of rookie OT Brian Bulaga to the bunch. Expect more huge numbers from the Pack, and a relatively favorable schedule should get them over the hump and into the playoffs once again this season. My NFL Betting Predictions: 11-5, 1st place in NFC North Minnesota Vikings (+130) - There are still too many unknowns about the Vikes this year. There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not.
There is a huge difference between QB Brett Favre and either Tarvaris Jackson or Sage Rosenfels under center. Plus, is Favre comes back, is he really going to be able to keep his pick total under double digits again? Depth at running back looked like it might have been an issue with RB Chester Taylor fleeing in free agency, but drafting RB Toby Gerhart should pick up the difference. This defense is still suitable, but with a first place schedule, making the playoffs is going to be very tough regardless of whether #4 comes back or not. Play this weekly NFL Football Contestto see if you can win.
Chicago Bears (+350) - The Bears are probably a bit of an overhyped team once again this year.No, we don't think it is plausible for QB Jay Cutler to have as bad of a season as he did last year, and we do think the additions of RB Chester Taylor and DE Julius Peppers are going to help immensely, but there's still something in the water in the Windy City that we aren't so sure about. Maybe Chicago finds its way to .500... but then again, maybe it doesn't. If Favre comes back, Cutler might be the worst quarterback in this division this year.
Detroit Lions (+1500) - The Lions are probably once again going to be the whipping boys for the rest of the teams in the NFC North, but they aren't just going to roll over and die once again. There is some real talent amassing on this team offensively, as the combination of QB Matt Stafford, RB Jahvid Best, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew should put a bunch of points on the board if the offensive line can even remotely hold up. The questions really lie on defense, where it feels like DT Ndamukong Suh is going to be trying to stop opposing teams all by himself. This year should show some marked improvement in the Motor City.
The Patriots will make NFL betting fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your NFL football betting needs.
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