Game On Dude and Ultimate Eagle likely for Big 'Cap
Horseracing Betting Lines
02/07/2012 - Arcadia, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This past weekend's stakes races at Santa Anita Park for older thoroughbreds gave early incite into the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic set for November at the southern California facility. However, next month's Santa Anita Handicap could prove an even better indicator.
Trainer Bob Baffert sent out five-year-old horse Game On Dude to convincingly win the San Antonio Handicap on Sunday. Despite a poor start, the veteran racehorse registered a 5 1/4-length win as the 3-10 favorite versus four rivals.
"He ran hard. He'd been training really well," noted Baffert following the Sunday event. "We knew he was up for a big race.
"I think Chantal (winning jockey Chantal Sutherland) did a great job not panicking when he didn't break. She got him running. They were going pretty rapid up front, but this horse, once you get him in a high cruising speed, he's so dangerous. If you grab a hold of him, he's not effective at all."
Co-owned by Joe Torre, Game On Dude is a speed horse who has proven he can cover a distance of ground. He was a solid second in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic behind 17-1 longshot Drosselmeyer.
Game On Dude won last year's Santa Anita Handicap and could very easily remain home for the race or go to the Dubai World Cup on March 31.
"A lot has to do with what kind of weight we get and all that stuff. Last year he got in really light (115 pounds)," Baffert said about Big 'Cap weight assignments. "We're just going to enjoy it right now. He's nominated to Dubai, but the thing about Dubai is it's getting more and more difficult for American horses to win there because of the new track layout and the synthetic, you don't know what to expect. We can think about. It's an option, so we're going to leave all options open for now."
Another strong contender for the Big 'Cap is Ultimate Eagle fresh off a win in Saturday's Strub Stakes for four-year-olds. The colt, trained by Mike Pender, went off at 7-1 and defeated Baffert's horse Jaycito by 7 1/4-lengths.
"It (my confidence in the horse) was unwavering and he just went out there and proved what I thought he could do all along. We did take the heart right out of (4-5 favorite) Tapizar, which I thought he (Ultimate Eagle) would.
"This is a special horse and people have to start realizing it. Just because he wins on the turf, it doesn't mean that he can't do it anywhere else."
Ultimate Eagle was making his first career start on a real dirt surface. He has five starts on turf with three earlier races on synthetic tracks. Last year he won both the Oak Tree and Hollywood Derbies.
Pender will not commit to the Big 'Cap, but is more than happy with anything his charge accomplishes.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Pender said about the Big 'Cap, "but we're just so pleased with the horse. It took so much to get to this point, with the near-death experience (colic in his three-year-old year). It's just an unbelievable miracle that we're here today."
Solid victories by Game On Dude and Ultimate Eagle give a nice foundation for this year's handicap division.
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari has a significant left ankle sprain and is out indefinitely, the team announced Tuesday. Gallinari suffered the injury in Monday's loss to the Rockets. A CT and MR
<< Haley lands in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Kansas City Chiefs head coach Todd
Haley has been named the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Haley was fired by the Chiefs on December 12 after a 5-8 start to his third
season
<< Reports: Ricky Williams to retire
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore Ravens running back Ricky Williams is planning to
retire, multiple media outlets reported on Tuesday.
The former NFL rushing champion assumed a reserve role with the Ravens this
past season, gaining 444 yards
<< Giants celebrate another Super Bowl title
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Giants celebrated another Super
Bowl title Tuesday with a parade up the Canyon of Heroes in lower Manhattan
and a ceremony at City Hall Plaza.
Thousands of fans lined the streets as playe
<< Juninho, Leonardo return to Galaxy
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Galaxy announced Tuesday that
Brazilian duo Juninho and Leonardo will return to the club from Brasileiro
side Sao Paulo, as Juninho rejoins the club on a season-long loan and Leonardo
signs
St Petersburg, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Portugal and Zenit midfielder Danny tore ligaments in his right knee Sunday and will be out six to eight months, the Russian club announced Tuesday. Danny, 28, will miss the remainder of the Cham
Ricky Williams calls it a career >>
Austin, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former All-Pro running back Ricky Williams has
decided to retire after 11 NFL seasons.
The 34-year-old Williams was a star at the University of Texas and a heralded
first-round pick of the New Orleans Sain
In the FCS Huddle: The curious case of App State >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It's not as if DeAndre Presley's college
career was only seven games long. But that's the experience he must build off
as he tries to build an NFL career.
There are 22 players from FCS programs who have be
Western Illinois tabs Ward as defensive coordinator >>
Macomb, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Ward has been named Western Illinois'
new defensive coordinator, head football coach Mark Hendrickson announced
Tuesday.
Ward was Drake University's defensive coordinator last season when the
Bulldogs pos
Prosecutors: Sandusky should stay inside >>
Harrisburg, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Prosecutors want the conditions of Jerry
Sandusky's bail to be modified to prevent the former Penn State assistant
coach from leaving the walls of his house unless it is to receive medical
treatme
2007 NFL Football Betting Preview
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.