Covello still leads suspended Players Cup

Golf Betting Lines

07/17/2010 - Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vince Covello is one-over through 11 holes, but is still in the first during Saturday's suspended third round of The Players Cup.

Covello is nine-under par for the championship and one shot ahead at Pine Ridge Golf Club.

There was a five-hour weather delay on Saturday with the final groups yet to tee off. When play resumed, the final threesome got through 11 holes before play was called for darkness.

The golfers will return to the course at 8:15 a.m. (et) Sunday morning to finish the third round. The plan is to start the final round at 11:10 a.m. in threesomes off both the first and 10th tees. The final group will tentatively go off at 1:00 p.m.

Jose de Jesus Rodriguez is two-under through 13 holes and is second at eight- under par. Richard Lee is also two-under after 13 and is third at seven-under par.

Lee Curry and Brady Stockton are tied for fourth place at six-under par and are on the course.

Rob Grube and Josh Habig are the leaders in the clubhouse after both shot rounds of five-under 66 on Saturday. They finished at five-under 208 and are tied for sixth with Mike Grob, Alan McLean, Johnny Bloomfield, Danny Sahl and Aaron Goldberg.

NOTES: Covello has never won on the Canadian Tour, but finished third in February...Brock Mackenzie, the leading money winner in 2010 on the Canadian Tour, is one-over through 13 hole and is four-under for the championship.

Wwwasurebet Golf Betting News

<< Volquez solid in return to mound; Reds rout Rockies
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Edinson Volquez made a triumphant return to the mound in his first start in more than a year and was backed by four home runs, as the Reds crushed the Rockies, 8-1, at Great American Ball Park. Volqu

<< One More Laugh captures Meadowlands Pace
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One More Laugh, driven by Tim Tetrick, turned the tables on Rock N Roll Heaven to win Saturday's $1 million Meadowlands Pace at The Meadowlands. The three-year-old gelding covered the mile in

<< Youkilis' sac fly lifts Red Sox over Rangers in 11th
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Youkilis' sacrifice fly in the 11th inning gave the Boston Red Sox a 3-2 win over the Texas Rangers in the third contest of a four-game set from Fenway Park. With Alexi Ogando (3-1) on the mo

<< Wambach leads U.S. women over Sweden
East Hartford, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Abby Wambach scored two goals to lead the United States women's national team to a 3-0 win over Sweden on Saturday night in a friendly at Rentschler Field. Megan Rapinoe opened the scoring in the 34th min

<< A's rally to slip past Royals
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adam Rosales drove in the go-ahead run with a single in the top of the ninth inning, as the Oakland Athletics rallied past the Kansas City Royals, 6-5, in the second test of a three-game series at Kauffma

Walker leads 17-hit attack, Pirates finally beat Astros >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Neil Walker collected three hits, scored three times and knocked in a pair of runs as Pittsburgh pounded out 17 hits in a 12-6 win over Houston in the middle meeting of a three-game set. Jose Tabata and

FC Dallas snaps Real's 10-game unbeaten streak >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brek Shea and Atiba Harris scored in the second half and FC Dallas snapped Real Salt Lake's 10-game unbeaten streak with a 2-0 win Saturday night at Pizza Hut Park. Shea opened the scoring in the 69th minute an

Edwards spins out Keselowski and takes Gateway win >>
Madison, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The feud between Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski in NASCAR reached another boiling point on Saturday when Edwards spun out Keselowski for the lead coming out of the final turn of the last lap to win

Kansas City holds on for draw at Colorado >>
Commerce City, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Davy Arnaud scored in the 20th minute and the Kansas City Wizards held on for a 1-1 draw against the Colorado Rapids on Saturday night at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Kansas City earned its first road win

Rivera's HR lifts Angels to win over M's >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juan Rivera went 3-for-4 and hit the go-ahead home run in the seventh inning, lifting the Angels to a 7-6 victory over the Seattle Mariners. Mike Napoli went 2-for-4 with a home run for the Angels, who had

Horse Betting

(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.