Breeders' Cup Classic has the speed

Horseracing Betting Lines

11/01/2011 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Going into Monday's post position draw for the Breeders' Cup I already had Havre de Grace penciled in as the 5-2 favorite for the $5 million Classic. So I was surprised that Churchill Downs handicapper Mike Battaglia did a misdirection on the morning-line for the 1 1/4-mile race.

The official morning-line for the Classic has three-year-old colt Uncle Mo at 5-2 and four-year-old filly Havre de Grace second at 3-1. Remember, Uncle Mo has just two wins this year while the filly has five with a victory over older males.

"I wasn't surprised he was made the (5-2) favorite," the colt's trainer Todd Pletcher said. "I anticipated him to be in that range somewhere at 3-1 or so."

Both horses are speed runners as is Uncle Mo's stablemate Stay Thirsty.

"He's proven at the mile and a quarter, and I think he's a horse that might have a lot to say at the end of it," Pletcher noted about Stay Thirsty.

All three horses drew outside posts in the 13-horse Classic field. Uncle Mo will be ridden by John Velazquez from post 12 and Javier Castellano has the mount on Stay Thirsty, 12-1 in the program, from the nine hole.

"I'm OK with it," Pletcher said about the favorite's post. "He gets away from the gate pretty well. I think he's doing as well as he could possibly be doing. We're really pleased with the way he ran in the Kelso and the way he's trained since. He's settled here well and we're optimistic. It's a tall order. We've come a long way since the beginning of May (sidelined by liver ailment) and we're hoping we can get all the way there.

"Stay Thirsty's doing great. He came out of his (Sunday) work super. He was really sharp this morning and had a great energy level."

Havre de Grace, ranked first in the National Thoroughbred Poll, will break from post 10 with Ramon Dominguez again in the saddle.

"I think we're in the perfect spot. A lot will depend on how fast they go up front, but we're happy with it," the filly's owner Rick Porter said.

The 5-1 third pick is European runner So You Think. The five-year-old drew post five with Ryan Moore getting the riding assignment from trainer Aidan O'Brien.

A winner of more than $7.5 million with 12 wins in 19 career starts, So You Think has never raced on a dirt track and I don't expect the New Zealand-bred is going win on Saturday.

Game On Dude, trained by Bob Baffert, is 10-1 with Chantal Sutherland set to ride from post eight.

"Game on Dude is a speed horse, so it doesn't really matter where he is," Baffert said.

Baffert's other Classic runner Prayer for Relief has been withdrawn from the race after spiking a fever.

Breaking from the far outside will be Pennsylvania Derby winner To Honor and Serve. The three-year-old colt is 12-1 with Jose Lezcano riding. Trained by Bill Mott, To Honor and Serve is another speed horse who will either set the pace or press it.

Mott's other horse is 2010 Belmont Stakes winner Drosselmeyer who is 15-1 in the program and will be ridden by Mike Smith who won the Classic two years ago with Zenyatta. Drosselmeyer was second to Flat Out in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and is a solid play on Saturday.

"My post positions are fine. With that long run down to the turn, I think it is ideal for To Honor and Serve. I think the 3 is also good for Drosselmeyer," Mott said.

Flat Out has drawn post two with Alex Solis riding. Trained by Scooter Dickey, the five-year-old is 6-1 in the morning-line off the Gold Cup win.

"We're in the gate, that's all I care about. If I could have chosen I would have probably gone a little further outside," Dickey said about the post, "but we're just glad to be in there. It'll be up to (jockey) Alex (Solis). He's just going to have to get him a place and see how the pace develops. It's good. We're in the gate. We get to run."

Flat Out's running style appears to be ideal for the 1 1/4-miles. With two wins over the dirt at Belmont Park and two seconds at Saratoga this summer the veteran looks to be my selection for the 28th Breeders' Cup Classic.

Flat Out is owned by Preston Stables with only 12 lifetime starts. His bankroll stands at $1,109,713 with five wins and three runner-up finishes. Following just one start in 2010, an allowance victory in December at Fair Grounds, the horse has really come into his own this year.

Dickey's charge should lay just a few lengths off the lead during the Classic. He'll swing wide, if needed, around the final turn and drive to the wire giving Solis his second Classic win.

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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards

Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.

Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.

Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.

Memphis vs. Ohio State

Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.

UCLA vs. Kansas

In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards