Jim Dandy Stakes up for grabs Saturday
Horseracing Betting Lines
07/28/2010 - Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saturday's $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga Race Course has attracted an evenly matched field of nine three- year-olds. The 1 1/8-mile contest is the local prep for the $1 million Travers on Saturday, August 28.
Heading the field is Belmont Stakes runner-up Fly Down. The chestnut colt, trained by Nick Zito, will be making his first start since the Belmont and will start from the far outside post with Jose Lezcano aboard.
"He's coming off a 1 1/2-mile race," Zito said Monday. "Obviously, we know his fitness level. We're hoping he's a little sharp for the race. He's a very good horse. He looks good."
Owned by Richard Pell, Fly Down has won two of four starts this year, including the Dwyer Stakes at Belmont Park on May 8. In his career the colt has won three of six starts and $382,070.
Another Zito entrant is Miner's Reserve. The lightly raced colt will be ridden by Calvin Borel from post six.
Trainer Todd Pletcher will be represented in the race by Aikenite, owned by Dogwood Stable. The colt will start from post four with David Cohen riding.
Aikenite notched his first win of the year in an allowance race at Belmont Park on June 19. In his six races of 2010 he has one win, one second and one third-place finish for $109,606. His best stakes results were a third to Eskendereya in the Fountain of Youth in February and a second in the Derby Trial to Hurricane Ike on April 24.
"As a younger horse, he wasn't a particularly ambitious work horse, and to me, he's gotten more aggressive," said Pletcher. "We're still trying to find his best distance. This will be a race that determines what he's going to do down the road.
"He did very well at a one-turn mile; whether that's going to translate into a top-class mile and an eighth effort, that's what we're getting ready to find out."
Former Kentucky Derby contender Winslow Homer continues his comeback from an early injury. The Fox Hill Farm colt will break from post seven with Ramon Dominguez in the saddle.
Trained by Tony Dutrow, Winslow Homer suffered a small stress fracture in his cannon bone after winning the Holy Bull Stakes in January at Gulfstream Park. He did not race until last month's Iowa Derby when he finished third to Concord Point.
The gray colt has earned $177,825 in five career starts with three wins and a pair of thirds.
Dutrow also has Louisiana Derby runner-up A Little Warm entered. The colt will be ridden by John Velazquez from post five.
Here is the full field for the Jim Dandy in post position order: Steinbeck, Garrett Gomez; Afleet Express, Javier Castellano; Stormy's Majesty, Edgar Prado; Aikenite, David Cohen; A Little Warm, John Velazquez; Miner's Reserve, Calvin Borel; Winslow Homer, Ramon Dominguez; Friend Or Foe, Rajiv Maragh and Fly Down, Jose Lezcano.
Post-time for the Jim Dandy will 5:50 p.m. (et).
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Seattle puts Rowland-Smith on DL, recalls French >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Seattle Mariners have placed pitcher Ryan
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Problem with Bears?
Chicago, IL - New Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and star linebacker Brian Urlacher shot down reports of a rift, saying they're simply not true.
"There's nothing between us," Cutler said Thursday, when he reported to training camp. "I just want to put that to rest. There never has been anything between us."
Urlacher added: "I never said what I was quoted as saying and that's it. I have a lot of respect for Jay. I think Jay knows that."
Former Bears receiver Bobby Wade caused a stir when he told Minneapolis radio station KFAN-AM that Urlacher used a profanity while questioning Cutler's manhood during a conversation in Las Vegas last weekend. Wade, who now plays for the Vikings, said Urlacher used a profane version of the word "wimp" during the interview that had to be edited out.
go radio station WSCR-AM also reported that Urlacher had to be restrained from confronting Cutler during organized team activities.
"I wouldn't go face-to-face with Brian, anyway," Cutler said. "No, that's never happened. I've hung out with Brian away from the facility numerous times and we've always gotten along."
Urlacher, noting he was limited by a groin injury, denied the reports in an interview with the Chicago Tribune and did it again when he reported to camp.
"I didn't practice this summer, so I don't know how I would fight the guy if I didn't practice," Urlacher said. "We have no problems. I'm excited about football starting. I'm excited to have him as our quarterback."
Why would Wade say that?
"I don't know," Urlacher said. "Maybe he's jealous because we have a good quarterback now."
Cutler said the first he heard of any friction was when he got a call from Urlacher to clear the air. Urlacher, however, said he had already taken several calls from teammates wondering if the reports were true when Cutler phoned.
"He called me and I said, What's up (expletive), what are you doing?'" a grinning Urlacher said, uttering the same word he allegedly used with Wade. "It's so dumb to me that this even got to this point, but it did and then here we are."
better place after going 9-7 and missing the playoffs for the second straight year. They have a franchise quarterback for the first time in decades after acquiring Cutler in an offseason trade with Denver. But there are questions about his attitude following a fallout with Broncos management and new coach Josh McDaniels.
His critics include former Bears coach Mike Ditka and former Indianapolis and Tampa Bay coach Tony Dungy, one of Smith's mentors. Smith, however, said Cutler has been a model teammate so far while denying any animosity with Urlacher.
"There's no issue with Jay and Brian, except Brian and Jay are both excited about being teammates for our club this year," coach Lovie Smith said. "No more than that. We can't spend a whole lot of time on something that isn't true. I have talked to the players. Whenever something comes out, you have to address it, but it's a non-issue."
In some ways, Cutler is getting a second chance in Chicago, an opportunity to repair his reputation.
Smith said another quarterback - Michael Vick - deserves one, although he doesn't see it happening with the Bears, who lack an experienced backup. The former Atlanta Falcons star, who served a 23-month sentence for running a dogfighting ring, said Thursday he is getting close to signing with a pro football team.
"A second chance, like everyone in society who has paid their debt to society," Smith said. "He deserves a second chance. As far as we're concerned, we like this team that we have right now."
Particularly the new quarterback.
"Me and Brian have been on a good relationship since I've been here, and I expect it to continue that way," Cutler said.
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MySportsbook.com: New College Football Clock Rules Examined
Coaches and bettors alike are desperate to make sense of the new time-keeping rules on the NCAA gridiron. One of the big stories to come out of the Ohio State-Texas clash last weekend was Texas coach Mack Brown's criticism of the NCAA's new clock rules that are intended to shorten the duration of college football games, therefore affecting college football betting.
"They scored with six minutes left and the game was over before we had a chance to do anything," Brown told ESPN.com. "I really hope whoever made these changes will go back and look them over."
Sure, it might be sour grapes; the Buckeyes thoroughly trounced the defending national champion Longhorns 24-7. However, Brown isn't alone in giving the changes their due thought. Bettors are also wondering about them, albeit for a completely different reason. Most experts agree that the changes will result in games being shortened by anywhere from 10 to 20 plays. The obvious consequence is lower scores, with more time rolling off the clock during changes of possession. (The Ohio State-Texas game flew well under the total of 52.)
According to research at the online sportsbook MySportsbook.com, more than 18 plays a game disappeared last weekend into thin air. That's a 10-percent reduction. In 2005, a typical game had 168.58 plays. For 2007 already, it's down to 150.26.
As a result, teams combined to gain an average of about 100 fewer yards a game last weekend versus the 2005 openers. Scoring was also down by about 4.5 points (attention Las Vegas sports lines).
Of course, oddsmakers were able to adjust to the changes before the season started. Proof of that came as the over went a balanced 8-9 at My Sportsbook on Saturday.
Other angles to consider:A shorter game should theoretically result in shorter lines. Whereas Team A might have been a 14-point favorite in a 168-play game (last year), if there are 10 percent less snaps in 2007, the line should also be reduced by 10 percent (to 13 or 12.5). Of course, this is an over-simplification of the matter, but something to keep in mind.
Less possessions means a better chance the game will be decided by three or seven points. For example, what might have been a 20-10 final score in 2005 may end at
17-10 in 2007. Granted, a 24-17 game last year might end at 21-17 these days, but the former - a three- or seven-point advantage being preserved as opposed to created - is the most likely scenario.
*UPDATE* - Sept. 25, 2007
New Clock Rules Boon for online bookmakers
By adjusting the time-keeping rules to shorten the duration of college football games, the NCAA hoped to make its product more enjoyable for the fans. While the NCAA's success in this regard is still up for debate, bookmakers couldn't be happier with the results.
"We are seeing a massive jump in college football betting," noted the MySportsbook.com management team. "With all the early Saturday games (12 a.m. ET) ending before the second wave begins (3:30 p.m. ET) - something that didn't always happen before the changes - bettors are now able to re-invest their winnings from the morning session in the afternoon games."
While not all bettors will choose to roll over their winnings, it doesn't take much for an impact to be seen on the bottom line. "Not all of the millions of dollars in morning payouts get re-bet. In fact, it's probably only 10 to 20 percent," noted the sportsbook management team. "Still, the increased football betting lines window will create a ton of growth for us over the course of the season."
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