Three-Year-Olds Regain Spotlight on Saturday

Horseracing Betting Lines

03/05/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With last week's cancellation of the Sham Stakes at Santa Anita, there will be two graded three-year-old prep races this Saturday as that event joins the Gotham Stakes over in New York.

Eight of the 10 earlier Sham combatants will fight it out as Straightomidnight and Viva Macho have been replaced by Marcello and Boulder Creek. Unfortunately, the weather might not cooperate once again, as more rain is in the forecast. In the event Saturday's card gets washed away, the race will be run on Sunday.

Coinciding with the two stakes races, the second batch of 23 three-year-olds were announced earlier in the week for Pool 2 of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager.

Ten horses that were not on the original list now have found themselves as single-betting interests, including a pair entered in Saturday's Sham Stakes - Nextdoorneighbor and Setsuko.

Nextdoorneighbor scored by four lengths in his third career start - his first around two turns - giving trainer Michael Machowsky, who also has Caracortado in his barn, a possible second Kentucky Derby contender.

The son of Lido Palace, who has Beyered in the 80's in all three starts, is coming into the race in top form with four splendid workouts since his maiden victory. On the negative side, his jockey in all three races, Rafael Bejarano, will ride Setsuko so Mike Smith has the mount.

Setsuko also has just one win on his resume (in six lifetime starts) and that was at Hollywood Park, so he is winless in two career attempts on Santa Anita's Pro-Ride surface. In addition, Setsuko's maiden victory came as the heavy 1-2 favorite. It's obvious the field he beat that day leaves a lot to be desired, especially since Broken Tango, the second-place finisher, ran seventh in Nextdoorneighbor's lone triumph.

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if both colts failed to hit the board as there are three other top contenders that should finish in front of the two Pool 2 contestants.

Leading the way is Kettle River, winner of two straight, including a game victory over Hawaiian Springs and The Program on January 6 at 1 1/16-miles.

Trainer Eoin Harty, who has been high on this colt for a long time, might have lucked out with last week's postponement as Kettle River was behind in his training due to illness. With an extra week of preparation, look for the son of Congaree to be in top form in his first stakes appearance.

The Program bounced back after losing to Kettle River to win his next start, an entry level allowance event over 1 1/16-miles at Santa Anita. It was a struggle getting past Indian Firewater but he was able to wear him down by a nose at the wire.

His pedigree suggests he'll like the added distance as his second dam, Far Flying, is a half-sister to both the 1987 champion filly Sacahuista and John's Treasure, who finished right behind Danzig Connection in the 1986 Belmont Stakes. More importantly, he looks to be the lone speed after Straightomidnight's connections opted to run that colt on the turf in the Pasadena Stakes, also on Saturday.

Alphie's Bet, like Setsuko, raced on the turf in his last start, breaking his maiden by almost two lengths. It was an extraordinary performance as the Alexis Barba-trained colt was about 10 wide into the stretch while ripping home a final quarter mile in 22 3/5 seconds - the last eighth in an unbelievable 10 4/5. All that under a hand ride!

His lone stakes appearance was also impressive as he finished second to Caracortado in the California Breeders' Challenge in late December. On the negative side, the removal of Straightomidnight could hinder his ability to close as the early pace will most likely be on the slow side.

Selections: 1) Kettle River; 2) The Program; 3) Alphie's Bet.

HEADING EAST TO THE BIG APPLE

The Gotham Stakes could have been a tremendous race if all the horses that were pointed for the $150,000 event actually ventured into New York. Regrettably, both Tiz Chrome and Sidney's Candy decided to pass.

The 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 race still drew a field of 10 with Peppi Knows and Afleet Again, the top two finishers in the Whirlaway Stakes, surprisingly listed at 10-1 and 20-1 on the morning line.

Peppi Knows has four wins in six starts, including that one-length victory over Afleet Again last month. His two losses were also strong efforts, finishing second to Buddy's Saint and third to Noble's Promise.

Purchased for just $6,500, the gelding has been underrated his entire career and should hit the board for the sixth time in nine starts.

Afleet Again also must be respected with two wins, a second and a third in his last five, including a victory over Count Fleet winner Laus Deo and Sam F. Davis runner-up Schoolyard Dreams back on Halloween.

I've Got the Fever, who finished behind Aikenite, Super Saver, Rule and Brake Lights in his first four races, finally found a field he could beat winning by 2 3/4-lengths just two weeks ago - wearing blinkers for the first time. He also received a 90 Beyer figure for his effort, a 20-point rise from his previous race. Nevertheless, it's doubtful he'll be able to duplicate that performance, especially on just 14 days rest.

Wow Wow Wow comes into the Gotham off a win at Oaklawn Park, his second in seven career starts. Prior to that victory, he finished eighth in the Smarty Jones Stakes, a race he was wide throughout. In his previous start (an allowance race at the Fair Grounds), he made a winning move around the turn only to falter through the stretch finishing fifth behind Stay Put.

He's royally bred as his second dam, Bird Cage, is a half-sister to Belmont Stakes and Travers winner, Birdstone. Unfortunately, he drew the far outside post position - number 10 - and will most likely have to race wide once again.

Shrimp Dancer is bred for the turf on both sides but has run on the dirt in three straight races after three over the weeds. The son of Kitten's Joy picked up place money in his last two, failing both times to win as the heavy favorite. This New York State-bred seems up against it in this race.

Two wild cards in the Gotham are Yawanna Twist and Awesome Act.

Trained by Richard Dutrow, Yawanna Twist is undefeated in two starts but stretches out off a pair of six furlong sprints to 1 1/16-miles. His damsire is Oliver's Twist, who ran second in the 1995 Preakness, so there is a chance he could win around two turns.

Awesome Act comes into the Gotham off a fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf but that was four months ago. He's also only raced one time on the dirt (Polytrack) finishing third (beaten four lengths) in a five-horse field. The fabulously bred son of Awesome Again (his dam is full sister to Machiavellian and Coupe de Genie) is actually favored on the morning line but with the recent inactivity, it's best to look elsewhere.

The second choice is Three Day Rush, the colt that took the worst of it when Eightyfiveinafifty bolted in the Whirlaway. Still, he failed to run down Peppi Knows and was passed by Afleet Again inside the final eighth of a mile. He'll have to show some speed breaking from the rail so don't expect much through the stretch.

Nacho Friend, who hasn't raced since last July, could have a hard time getting the distance after a pair of sprints last summer, while the final horse, Turf Melody, needs to step it up after a sixth-place finish in the LeComte.

Selections: 1) Wow Wow Wow; 2) Peppi Knows; 3) Afleet Again.

THIS WEEKEND'S SPOT PLAYS

Saturday's best bet is Tom Kitten in the second race at Aqueduct. The three- year-old gelding finished a game third in his last effort over the track on February 20 despite a terrible trip.

Tom Kitten broke slowly from the gate and jockey Fernando Jara didn't help matters any by taking him wide down the backstretch. He also forced the New York State-bred into the seven path at the top of the stretch but the gelding was good enough to battle Midnight Billy for the lead only to wind up third. He's 6-1 on the morning line so go in with both fists.

Also on Saturday, 10 colts and geldings square off in the Pasadena Stakes at Santa Anita. The choice here is the eight-horse Lucky Rave. His two career victories came over Polytrack but he's bred top and bottom for the turf. His lone grass race in North America was a solid third in the Generous Stakes and an even better performance is in the cards in this one as a quick early pace should suit his come-from-behind abilities.

The sixth race on Sunday at Santa Anita also bears watching. It's a maiden special weight event for three-year-old fillies at six furlongs. Eoin Harty trains two of the 11 entered and both could have extraordinary futures. The first, Kayce Ace, is a full brother to Colonel John, while the second, Empress Way, is a half-sister to the late Eight Belles. They may not win this race but their futures could be outstanding if they're anything like their siblings.

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MySportsbook.com: NBA Championship Odds

With the playoffs about two months away, the top two teams in the Western Conference are the clear cut leaders to win the NBA Championship. The Dallas Mavericks have the best record in the NBA (44-9) and have been absolutely scorching since the second week of the season.  What makes the Mavs’ record more impressive is the fact that they dropped their first four games of the season.  Currently they have won 17 out of their last 18 and are MySportsbook.com’s favorite (2-1) to win it all.  Right behind the Mavs are the Pacific leading Phoenix Suns (39-13).  Last season, the Suns lost in the Conference Finals to non-other then the Mavericks four games to two.  Of course the Suns were without center Amare Stoudemire who has is averaging 19.9 PPG and 9.5 RPG since coming back from his knee injury.  Unlike the Mavs, the Suns have struggled a bit lately having lost their last three and four out of their last seven.  Of course the main reason for their three straight loses is due to the absence of two time MVP Steve Nash, who is out with a shoulder injury.  Heads-up, the Mavs have beaten the Suns in both of their meetings this season.

In the Eastern Conference, the Pistons (32-19) are the favorites to win it all at 6-1. The addition of Chris Webber seems to have been a good move for the Pistons.  Since coming over from the 76ers, Webber has averaged 13.1 PPG and 7.3 RPG and the Pistons are 11-4.  Even though the defending champion Heat are currently on the playoff making cusp, they are the Eastern Conference team that is getting the most action to win it all (9-1).  The fact that Shaquille O’Neal is back in the starting lineup after missing 39 games probably has something to do with this.  No doubt, Shaq makes a difference when in the lineup as their winning six out of their last seven would indicate.

Just because it is the All-Star break doesn’t mean that you can’t bet on NBA hoops this weekend.  Be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com to bet on who you think will cut down the nets this July. Also, be sure to check out all of the lines and props for All-Star weekend.  With the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry, there are plenty of ways to cash in on the NBA this weekend.

MySportsbook.com’s NBA Championship odds:

Atlanta Hawks 1000-1

Boston Celtics 5000-1

Charlotte Bobcats 5000-1

Chicago Bulls 20-1

Cleveland Cavaliers 20-1

Dallas Mavericks 2-1

Denver Nuggets 25-1

Detroit Pistons 6-1

Golden State Warriors 250-1

Houston Rockets 12-1

Indiana Pacers 60-1

Los Angeles Clippers 45-1

Memphis Grizzlies 5000-1

Miami Heat 9-1

Milwaukee Bucks 1000-1

Minnesota T-Wolves 200-1

New Jersey Nets 50-1

New Orleans Hornets 150-1

New York Knicks 150-1

Orlando Magic 75-1

Philadelphia 76ers 1000-1

Phoenix Suns 5-2

Portland TrailBlazers 1000-1

Sacramento Kings 250-1

San Antonio Spurs 9-1

Seattle Sonics 5000-1

Toronto Raptors 35-1

Utah Jazz 20-1

Washington Wizards 25-1

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American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout

An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.

Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off.  Randy was not impressed though.  Paula thought he started off fantastic.  "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either. 

Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed.  Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact.  He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition. 

Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula.  Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.

Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next.  Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential.  Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell.  He sang "Careless Whisper".

22 year old Chris Richardson was up next.  He was listed with +1100 odds coming in.  He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great. 

Nick was boring and pitchy.  Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week.  Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition. 

Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds .  These of course were the early odds.  He was considered original for picking an "odd song".  He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night. 

Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good. 

Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds.  Great voice and a great sense of humor.  He's a real standout.  Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit.  Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig". 

Jared Cotter followed.  He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition.  The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good. 

22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next.  "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon.  Though the judges felt he performed okay.  Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.

Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition.  He was the last to perform.  He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start. 

Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys.  Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.

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