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Mine That Bird works with eye toward TraversHorseracing Betting Lines08/25/2009 - Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - One week after undergoing successful throat surgery, Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird worked six-furlongs Tuesday morning at Saratoga Race Course. A final decision on his entry into the $1 million Travers Stakes is expected on Wednesday. "Doc (Dr. James Hunt) is happy with the way he looked today," said trainer Chip Woolley. "He'll look at it again in the morning, and we'll make a final decision in the morning. If we irritated his throat today, and it looks bad, we won't run him. If he's not irritated in the morning, you have to feel like he's doing OK. It's just that simple. We're not going to take chances with him. If we see something in there we don't like, we're not going to run." The three-year-old gelding had throat surgery last Tuesday for an entrapped epiglottis. Dr. Patricia Hogan performed the surgery at the Ruffian Equine Medical Center located across the street from Belmont Park. Jockey Jamie Theriot was aboard for Tuesday's work. He was timed for a half- mile in 49.76, five-furlongs in 1:01 4/5, and finished six-furlongs in 1:14.80. "His work was pretty nice, we couldn't ask for much more right now," said Woolley. "He looked really strong and the numbers show he's striding right on out past the wire. That part of it I have no problem with, we just don't want to do anything with him that might be detrimental down the road, long-term. He's got to come first. "He's galloped strong, but this is the first time we put the hammer down on him and let him stress. We have to make sure he's 100-percent. He's too important to us and too important to the racing community right now." Owned by Dr. Leonard Bloch and Mark Allen, who were both looking on Tuesday morning, Mine That Bird was a 50-1 longshot when he won the Kentucky Derby. Two weeks later he was second in the Preakness Stakes to the filly Rachel Alexandra and was third to Summer Bird in the Belmont Stakes. Mine That Bird, 2008 Canadian champion two-year-old, has earned $1,892,200 with one win in six starts in 2009. Rachel Alexandra will not start in the Travers, instead she will take on older handicap horses the following week at Saratoga in the $750,000 Woodward Stakes. The Woodward is 1 1/8 miles while the Travers is run at 1 1/4 miles. Summer Bird is expected to be in the Travers along with Florida Derby winner Quality Road and Jim Dandy champ Kensei. The field for the Mid-Summer Derby will be drawn on Wednesday. Should Mine That Bird not go in the Travers, Woolley said the gelding will not start in the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Philadelphia Park on Labor Day. Mine That Bird is scheduled to lead the post parade for the $2 million All America Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico on Labor Day.
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SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?" A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."
Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook. In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small. "Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets." But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?" Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year. This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here. Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions. In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries. No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning. And that's all any bettor can ask for. To visit this sports book go to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. MySportsbook features easy-to-use online betting software that’s the most reliable in the industry. If you’re looking to bet underdogs, then this Sportsbook is the place - we have the best betting lines in the business. MySportsbook is your one-stop shop for all your betting needs - sports betting, poker, casino, and horse racing . MySportsbook offers every bet type with lightning fast settlement of wagers. Take advantage of free statistical analysis - including against-the-spread and straight-up trends - in MySportsbook’s game previews section. With MySportsbook there are unlimited free deposits and payouts - and no transaction fees! To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards. |
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