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01/16/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hansen and Union Rags ran their hearts out last November in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile with the former defeating the latter by a diminishing head. Hansen comes into 2012 undefeated in three starts while Union Rags has three wins in four tries.
Will either colt be able to bring home the roses on the first Saturday in May? If recent history is a guide, the answer is a resounding no. The last horse that finished first or second in the "Two-Year-Old of the Year" voting to make any noise in the Kentucky Derby was five years ago when Street Sense prevailed under Calvin Borel.
Hansen, who will make his three-year-old debut in the Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park in less than two weeks, did nothing wrong as a two-year-old. However, his running style (on the lead) and pedigree (both top and bottom) will prevent him from being a major player on May 5th.
Union Rags has a much more reasonable chance of crossing the finish line first at Churchill Downs, but in order to do so, he must correct his tendency to drift out through the stretch, something that has troubled him in two of four career races. In fact, had he run a straight course down the long Churchill stretch in the Juvenile, he would have defeated Hansen and remained unbeaten heading into 2012.
The son of Dixie Union will have just two starts before the Kentucky Derby beginning with the Fountain of Youth Stakes in late February, followed by the Florida Derby five weeks before the first Saturday in May.
One colt that should not be overlooked is Creative Cause. The third-place finisher (beaten only a length) in the BC Juvenile has lost only twice in five lifetime attempts. Nevertheless, there are question marks about his ability to get the 1 1/4-mile distance and the February 19th San Vicente Stakes at seven- furlongs will not provide any legitimate answers.
Trainer Todd Pletcher has his usual highly-rated bunch of three-year-olds aimed for Kentucky with Discreet Dancer, Gemologist and Algorithms leading the way.
Discreet Dancer is undefeated in two starts, including a track record performance in his debut. After winning that race by 9 3/4-lengths, the son of Discreet Cat overpowered an entry-level allowance field by 5 1/2-lengths, while running the mile in a solid 1:36 1/5.
His capacity to handle nine or even 10 furlongs remains an issue since his sire (Discreet Cat) was a miler and his dam's only other foal (Travelin Man) was a sprinter. Pletcher doesn't know when Discreet Dancer will run next but it's obvious a stakes appearance is in order.
Gemologist, as is the case with Union Rags, will make just two starts prior to the Derby. The WinStar Farm colt concluded his two-year-old campaign with an impressive victory over favored Ever So Lucky in the Kentucky Jockey Club. Gemologist has won two of his three races around two turns and since he is sired by Tiznow (whose progeny usually improve as they get older), look for him to be a major player on the road to Kentucky.
Algorithms has started just twice in his young career but both times the son of Bernardini proved best. He rolled by over five lengths in his debut last summer at Belmont Park and then hit the winner's circle once again at Gulfstream Park on December 16th defeating the highly-rated Consortium by a length. He is a little bit behind the early contenders since he has yet to race further than 6 1/2-furlongs. However, the bay colt will meet up with Hansen in the one-mile Holy Bull Stakes later this month to prove he belongs.
OTHER POSSIBLE CHALLENGERS
Creative Cause is not the only star in California as Liaison, Out of Bounds, and Sky Kingdom could all become Kentucky Derby starters if they remain healthy.
Liaison has won back-to-back, two-turn, stakes events but questions will always come up about the 1 1/4-mile distance since Indian Charlie is his sire. Remember all the talk last spring about Uncle Mo (also sired by Indian Charlie) and how he failed miserably as the distances increased.
Out of Bounds was never involved in his initial race last October, but the Eoin Harty-trained colt has rebounded with a pair of victories, including the one-mile Sham Stakes at Santa Anita.
Sent off as the surprising 10-1 fourth choice, Out of Bounds collared the 1-2 favorite Secret Circle in the stretch to win by a half-length while completing the mile in 1:34 2/5 seconds. His next start will be the San Felipe Stakes on March 10th, followed by the Santa Anita Derby in early April.
Out of Bounds should be capable of winning at nine furlongs as his half- brother Etched and dam Unbridled Elaine had done so on multiple occasions. The big test will come in the 1 1/4-mile Kentucky Derby.
The 10-furlong distance will not be a problem for Sky Kingdom, who has won two of three races around two turns. The son of Empire Maker recently scored the easiest of victories in his first start on dirt as he mowed down Smart Ellis by 4 1/2-lengths, a number that could have been closer to 10 if jockey Martin Garcia had asked him for more through the stretch.
Previously, Sky Kingdom had run fourth in the Cash Call Futurity, a very good effort considering he was bumped at the start, which caused him to race further off the pace than usual.
As previously mentioned, Sky Kingdom is one of the few Kentucky Derby contenders bred for the 1 1/4-mile distance. His dam, Sky Beam, is a full- sister to 2008 Travers Stakes runner-up Mambo in Seattle, and his second dam, Weekend in Seattle, is a full-sister to 1992 Horse of the Year, A.P. Indy.
Other three-year-olds to watch in the coming month are Alpha, Sabercat, Rousing Sermon, Ever So Lucky, Brother Francis, I'll Have Another, Casual Trick, Fed Biz, Blingo, and Consulado.
JEFF FRANK'S INITIAL 2012 "DIRTY DOZEN"
1) Sky Kingdom; 2) Union Rags; 3) Algorithms; 4) Gemologist; 5) Discreet Dancer; 6) Hansen; 7) Alpha; 8) Out of Bounds; 9) Liaison; 10) Creative Cause; 11) Consortium; 12) Sabercat
<< Wagner makes huge leap in world rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Johnson Wagner's victory Sunday at the
Sony Open in Hawaii eared him a huge leap in this week's world rankings.
Wagner rocketed up 106 spots to No. 92 this week after his two-stroke victory.
Luke Do
<< Stars' Ribeiro lands on IR
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Stars placed center Mike Ribeiro on
injured reserve Monday.
The move is retroactive to January 7, when he suffered a lower-body injury
against the Edmonton Oilers.
In 40 games this season, Ri
<< Anderson, Stalberg, Malkin named NHL's 'Three Stars'
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ottawa Senators goalie Craig Anderson,
Chicago Blackhawks left winger Viktor Stalberg, and Pittsburgh Penguins center
Evgeni Malkin have been named the NHL's 'Three Stars' for the week ending
January
<< Syracuse remains top team in men's hoops poll
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Syracuse is again the top team in the latest
Associated Press men's college basketball poll.
The Orange, after double-digit wins over Villanova and Providence last week,
again earned 60 first-place vote
Winning on the road is as tough as it sounds >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - I wouldn't have wanted to be in Frank
Martin's locker room Saturday afternoon.
The same holds true for those of Roy Williams, or Tom Izzo or John Beilein.
Winning on the road is difficult in co
Royals sign C Pena to one-year deal >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals have avoided
arbitration with Brayan Pena, signing the catcher to a one-year contract.
The 30-year-old Pena batted .248 with 11 doubles, three home runs and 24 RBI
in 72 gam
Baylor still undisputed No. 1 in women's hoops >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baylor remained a unanimous choice as the No.
1 team in the Associated Press women's college basketball poll.
The Lady Bears again received all 39 first-place votes and a total of 975
points from a nati
Pirates, Morton avoid arbitration >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to terms with
pitcher Charlie Morton on a one-year contract, thus avoiding arbitration.
Morton made a career-high 29 starts for Pittsburgh in 2011, going 10-10 after
posting
Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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