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10/25/2007 - Oceanport, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thoroughbred racing history will be made this week with the two-day Breeders' Cup World Championships at Monmouth Park. This is the first time, after 23 editions, that the Breeders" Cup will be held over two days, with 11 races being offered.
Three new races are now part of the Breeders' Cup and they will be run on Friday. The eight other races are set for Saturday at this beautiful track near the Jersey shore. When the Championships began in 1984, seven races were offered and then expanded in 1999 with the addition of the Filly & Mare Turf.
The weather forecast for the weekend is a wet one. Rain is called for Friday and thunderstorms on Saturday. The main track will be sloppy and the turf course could be soft at best.
Looking at the races, let's group them into categories. There are now three races for two-year-olds, including a turf race, three events on the turf for older horses, and the remaining five races, highlighted by the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic.
A dozen two-year-olds have been entered in the brand new $1 million Juvenile Turf at a mile. European horses would seem to have the advantage in this grass event. However, the 3-1 favorite is North America's Prussian who has won both starts. The colt broke his maiden at Saratoga and is coming off a win in a stakes at Woodbine.
Coming from Europe is Achill Island the 7-2 second pick. In his four starts he has only one win with three second place results. Achill Island has been second in both starts at one-mile.
The 9-2 third choice is Strike the Deal from England. He will be stretching out to one-mile for the first time, but will carry just 122 pounds, his lightest weight so far.
At 8-1 in the morning-line, Gio Ponti will actually drop back to a mile for this race. He has won both starts and likes to come from off the pace. Gio Ponti appears to be a good pick at a nice price.
On Saturday are the traditional races for two-year-olds. Both the Juvenile Fillies and Juvenile races will at 1 1/16 miles on the main track. It is always hard to predict winners in two-year-old races. Favorites and longshots win just as often as not. Last year Street Sense won the Juvenile at 15-1 and went on to win the Kentucky Derby to break a jinx.
Indian Blessing is the 3-1 favorite in the Juvenile Fillies. She has won both starts while running on the lead. Right next to her in the five-hole will be Irish Smoke who is coming off a bad loss as the favorite in a stakes race at Keeneland. Irish Smoke runs off the pace and should rebound from her poor effort on Keeneland's all-weather surface. Cry and Catch Me is scratched from the Juvenile Fillies.
The winner of the $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile automatically becomes the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby. Street Sense became the first Juvenile champ to pull off the double and the first division champion since Spectacular Bid to win the Run for the Roses.
Champagne Stakes winner War Pass is the 5-2 morning-line favorite. He is undefeated in three starts and likes to win as the pace-setter. The 7-2 second choice is Tale of Ekati who is trained by Barclay Tagg. This colt comes from off the pace as he did in winning the Futurity at Belmont Park.
Norfolk Stakes winner Dixie Chatter has been scratched from the race, which leaves Norfolk runner-up Salute the Sarge as the top California entrant. Salute the Sarge will start from the next last post in the 12 horse field. He was also second in the Del Mar Futurity.
Kicking off the Breeders' Cup on Friday will be the the initial running of the $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint at six furlongs. Ten females have been entered with Dream Rush the 2-1 favorite. The filly has won four of six starts this year and will start from post three.
The lightly raced La Traviata is the 5-2 second choice. She has just three career starts, all this year, and has never lost. The three-year-old won the Post Deb Stakes here by five lengths.
The longshot to play is Jazzy. This 20-1 outsider has three starts in this country since coming over from South Africa. She was second at Monmouth Park in the Incredible Revenge Stakes.
The two favorites in Saturday's $2 million Sprint will break from the two inside posts. Midnight Lute, the 2-1 favorite, has the two hole and 7-2 second choice Smokey Stover is to his inside.
Midnight Lute has raced primarily in California this year at nothing shorter than seven furlongs. He has just one win in four starts in 2007. Midnight Lute is not a speed horse, which could prove to a disadvantage from his post position.
Smokey Stover is coming off a win in the Icecapade Stakes at Monmouth and has won five of six starts this year. If he takes the lead at the start he may not be caught.
Attilas Storm has been scratched from the Sprint with a left front ankle injury.
Only nine horses have been entered in the $1 million Dirt Mile, which concludes Friday's races. Discreet Cat is the 2-1 morning-line favorite from the inside post. He will be making his second start since a seventh place finish in the Dubai World Cup in March, The four-year-old was third in the Vosburgh last month at Belmont Park.
Met Mile winner Corinthian is the 7-2 second choice. However, the horse who loves Monmouth Park is Gottcha Gold. This colt won the Salvatore Mile and Iselin Handicap here. He is 8-1 in the program and will start from post six.
The three turf races on Saturday are the Filly & Mare Turf, Mile and Turf. European horses are always a good bet to win any of the grass events.
Nashoba's Key is the 3-1 favorite for the Filly & Mare Turf. The four-year-old made her racing debut in January and is perfect in seven starts. Three of her wins have been on all-weather tracks and is at or near the lead on all surfaces.
Honey Ryder was second to males in the United Nations Handicap here. Last year she was third in this event, just 2 1/2 lengths off the winner. The six-year- old is 9-2 in the program.
The top European horse is the 4-1 second choice Passage of Time. The three- year-old filly has only one win in three starts this year. In 2006 she won three of four starts.
The Breeders' Cup Mile has a full field of 14 for the turf event. The 3-1 morning-line favorite is Excellent Art from Europe. After Market, based in California, is the 7-2 second choice and England's Jeremy is the 5-1 third pick.
However, the two intriguing horses are Kip Deville and Nobiz Like Shobiz. Kip Deville, 6-1 in the morning-line, began the year with two staight stakes wins. He has lost his last four starts, but was a solid second to the now retired Shakespeare in the Woodbine Mile.
Nobiz Like Shobiz is 8-1 in the program and is on a three race win streak. His last three starts have all been on the grass, but this will be his first effort against older horses.
The winner of the Breeders' Cup Turf is usually the Eclipse Award winner for turf runners. Only eight have entered for the 1 1/2 mile race. Defending race winner Red Rocks is 7-2 in the morning-line and 2006 runner-up Better Talk Now is 9-2. Better Talk Now won the Turf in 2004.
Leading European horse Dylan Thomas is the 7-5 favorite. He can become the first Arc de Triomphe champ to win the Breeders' Cup Turf. To his inside will be English Channel, third in last year's Turf. English Channel is coming off a win in the Turf Classic at Belmont Park. He was second in the Sword Dancer at Saratoga after winning Monmouth's United Nations Handicap for the second time.
Belmont Stakes winner Rags to Riches is sidelined with an injury, which takes away a little of the luster for the Breeders' Cup Distaff. The $2 million race has a field of 12 females.
Indian Vale is the 3-1 favorite, though she hasn't won since June. She has lost twice to Unbridled Belle, the 9-2 third choice, this year. Most recently, Unbridled Belle defeated Indian Vale by a head in the Beldame at Belmont Park. Unbridled Bell won the Delaware Handicap in July when Indian Vale finished fifth.
The 7-2 second pick, Ginger Punch, was third in the Beldame after posting three straight wins. Highly rated three-year-olds Bear Now, Octave, Lady Joanne and Lear's Princess are all entered.
Two runners have wins at Monmouth Park this year. Prop Me Up, 50-1, won the Lady's Secret Stakes and is on a three race win streak. Hysterical Lady, 8-1, captured Monmouth's top race for females, the Molly Pitcher. She is a speed horse who has hit the board in all seven starts this year.
Completing the Breeders' Cup weekend is the 1 1/4 mile Classic. The winner will no doubt be voted Horse of the Year for 2007. Nine have been entered with each horse a solid choice to win.
Included in the field are Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, Preakness champ Curlin and Santa Anita derby winner Tiago. Two other three-year-olds are Kentucky Cup Classic winner Hard Spun and Any Given Saturday who won the Haskell at Monmouth.
The 5-2 morning-line favorite is leading handicap horse Lawyer Ron. He set a record this summer in winning the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga.
The two longest shots are George Washington, 20-1, and at 30-1 Awesome Gem. George Washington was sixth in the 2006 Classic. Awesome Gem has been second in each of his last three starts, all in California.
The horse to look out for is 15-1 longshot Diamond Stripes. The four-year-old has been in the money all eight career starts. He won his first four races to begin his career. He then had three consecutive finishes in third place and is coming off a victory in the Meadowlands Cup earlier this month.
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The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.
They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.
"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."
Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.
New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.
Not so sound on the ground
If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.
Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com
“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.
Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.
Brees says bring it on
Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.
Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.
Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.
"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."
SportsBooks ready for a shootout
Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.
“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”
New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.
The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.
“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”
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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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