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06/11/2007 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It took 102 years for the third filly to win the Belmont Stakes. It also took a female to upstage the plight of trainer Todd Pletcher. Amid countless Eclipse Awards and stakes victories by the score, the former assistant to D. Wayne Lukas finally got the monkey off his back with a victory in a Triple Crown event.
Rags to Riches was superb on Saturday, holding off even-money favorite Curlin to win the "Test of Champions" at Belmont Park. After stumbling at the start (eerily similar to Curlins break in the Preakness), the filly was placed wide around the clubhouse turn by jockey J R Velazquez so she wouldnt have a ton of dirt kicked in her face by horses right in front of her.
Pletchers plan was exercised to perfection throughout the entire race, as Rags to Riches was wide throughout, especially around the far turn. Curlin, on the other hand, stayed closer to the rail, a la Street Sense, but that, among a few other possibilities, was his downfall.
Was the Preakness winner just plain tired down the stretch from four tough races in a 56-day span? Did Rags to Riches benefit from the five-pound weight allowance? The answer to the first question is, no, as Curlin ran his final four furlongs of 1 -mile race in 48 seconds flat. He also would have won the Belmont by a wide margin if the filly were not in the race.
The second question gives a little more credence to why Rags to Riches won the race. For the most part, weight is the most overrated angle in horse racing, except when the distances increase to 1 -mile and up. The six colts carried 126 pounds as opposed to 121 for the filly and it was apparent that the difference in weight gave Rags to Riches the slight edge in the 1 -mile race, even though she probably would have won if the two had run at equal weights. The bottom line is that she was the much better horse on this particular day. She had by far the tougher of the two trips and still got the job done.
GIVE IT UP FOR TODD PLETCHER
ESPN commentator Randy Morse continually stated throughout the telecast that Rags to Riches, statistically, had the best chance to win of all the previous 28 Triple Crown runners from the Todd Pletcher barn. She went off at 4-1, slightly lower than the 9-2 odds Bluegrass Cat was in last years Belmont.
For all his stakes victories and record money earnings, Pletcher had not won a Kentucky Derby, Preakness or Belmont. He also has won just two Breeders Cup races in 41 attempts. Many media pundits were questioning his move by entering Rags to Riches in the Belmont as another example of his trying to hard to win a marquee event. They were flat out wrong.
The daughter of A.P. Indy (1992 Belmont winner) is also a half-sister to Jazil (2006 Belmont winner) so the bloodlines were extremely evident. She had dominated her sex with four straight victories, including two wins by a combined 10 lengths in the Kentucky and Santa Anita Oaks. Her Beyer number of 104 on Oaks day at Churchill Downs was higher than every race by her six rivals except for Curlins Preakness win and Hard Spuns second in the Derby.
Rags to Riches was also the fresher horse, having not raced in 36 days, while Curlin and Hard Spun had both run in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. She is now the fifth horse in the last six years to win the Belmont Stakes after skipping the Preakness.
Its true the other fillies Rags to Riches had beaten would have had zero chance against the likes of Curlin since she is, by far and away, the runaway leader in her division. But that didnt prevent Pletcher from making the decision to send her to New York. He is a master horseman who learned the tricks of the trade from one of the best trainers ever in D. Wayne Lukas. Pletcher was his assistant for many years before going on his own in 1995.
The Dallas native gets criticized at times for his failures, but all that can now be put away to pasture with his win on Saturday. The same can now be said for a fillys chance to win the Belmont Stakes.
HOW SHE DID IT
The early pace was slow - 24 3/5 for the first quarter of a mile. Robby Albarado, as expected, had Curlin much closer to the pace, just two lengths off C P West and Slews Tizzy down the backstretch. Rags to Riches sat one- half length behind Curlin as the field of seven hit the half in a dawdling 50 seconds flat.
Hard Spun, sent off as the third choice at 5-1, sat third under a tight hold by new rider Garrett Gomez. The positions were virtually unchanged for the entire run down the backstretch, but once they raced around the far turn, Rags to Riches began her assault on the outside, getting the early jump on Curlin. Nevertheless, once Slews Tizzy began to fade, a hole opened for Curlin, and the Preakness winner charged alongside C P West at the top of the lane.
Hard Spun was in the three-path with the filly to his outside. Excitement was ecstatic all around the Belmont grandstand as the two top choices (Curlin and Rags to Riches) opened up daylight from Hard Spun and C P West. It was a "down the stretch" duel to remember for the final 3/16ths of a mile as Rags to Riches looked like she was going to run right by Curlin, but the Steve Asmussen-trained colt fought back to close the gap.
The filly opened up a slight lead inside the final 1/8-mile, but once again Curlin came on again. It was like the 12th round of a heavyweight fight with neither horse giving way. The filly, however, proved best as Velazquez, with a smart tactical move, pinned Albarado and Curlin to the rail inside the final 50 yards of the race, making sure Rags to Riches would prevail. And that she did, finally giving Pletcher his moment in the sun.
<< 107th U.S. Open Championship Preview
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<< Mexico falls to Honduras; Panama, Cub draw at two
East Rutherford, N.J. (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Costly scored two second-half
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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
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