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08/05/2009 - Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Commentator, a veteran of 23 career races, goes after his third Whitney Handicap victory Saturday afternoon at Saratoga Race Course. The eight-year-old gelding won the 1 1/8 mile race both last year and in 2005.
Six older thoroughbreds will take on the task of denying Commentator a third Whitney crown. The gelding and Asiatic Boy are co-highweights at 121 pounds, and Stephen Foster winner Macho Again will carry 119 pounds.
The $750,000 Whitney is a "Win and You're In" race, giving the winner guaranteed entry into the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita Park this fall.
Owned by Tracy Farmer, Commentator will start from the outside post in the seven horse field, with John Velazquez returning to ride. The eight-year-old is coming off a win at Belmont Park in June in the Kashatreya Stakes.
"He's already proved himself," said Farmer on Monday. "He has nothing to prove I should say. And it's exciting that he has the opportunity. There are going to be great horses running against him and he is a few years old. So I'm looking forward to it.
"I've never had a horse like this before, and I've owned several horses of the championship type. But Commentator is just something else. He loves Saratoga. It's like he's home when he's here. And he loves the Saratoga race track. He has won some phenomenal races and he can go down in history. Saturday it will be a history-making race if he succeeds."
Trained by Hall of Famer Nick Zito, Commentator has won five of his last seven starts, including last year's Massachusetts Handicap, which he won by 14- lengths. Overall, the gelding has won 14 starts and is on the verge of surpassing $2 million in lifetime earnings.
Commentator would become only the third horse to win the Whitney three times, joining the legendary Kelso and Discovery.
Asiatic Boy will be ridden by Alan Garcia from post two for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. The six-year-old is owned by Shaikh Mohammid bin Khalifa Al Maktoum.
Bred in Argentina, Asiatic Boy was second in each of his last two starts, the Suburban and Stephen Foster Handicaps. In his career, the six-year-old has won seven of 17 starts for more than $3.2 million.
Stephen Foster winner Macho Again has drawn post four, with regular jockey Robby Albarado riding. The gray colt is owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and trained by Dallas Stewart.
The four-year-old went past the $1 million mark in earnings earlier this year by winning the New Orleans Handicap. He threw in a clunker with a sixth-place finish in the Alysheba at Churchill Downs prior to the Foster Handicap.
Macho Again has earned nearly $1.5 million with six wins in 18 career starts.
The full field for the Whitney in post position order: Smooth Air, Jose Lezcano; Asiatic Boy, Alan Garcia; Bullsbay, Jeremy Rose; Macho Again, Robby Albarado; Tizway, Rajiv Maragh; Dry Martini, Edgar Prado and Commentator, John Velazquez.
The Whitney Handicap has a scheduled post-time of 5:47 P.M. (et).
<< Indians promote P Todd to majors; designate P Veras for assignment
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians reshaped their bullpen
Wednesday, recalling Jess Todd from Triple-A Columbus and designating Jose
Veras for assignment.
Todd, 23, was the player to be named later in the deal that
<< Negredo welcomes Roma link
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid striker Alvaro Negredo has
emerged as a possible transfer target for Roma.
The 23-year-old impressed while on loan at Almeria last season, but has now
returned to the Bernabeu, where hi
<< La Viola linked with Breno
Florence, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fiorentina have been linked with a move to
sign Bayern Munich's Brazilian defender Breno.
The 19-year-old South American center-back has made only a handful of starts
for the German giants and may consid
<< Angels recall O'Sullivan after no-hitter in minors
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Angels rookie pitcher Sean O'Sullivan was
recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake after throwing a no-hitter in his last time
on the mound in the minors.
O'Sullivan, who walked just one batter in the game, was
Report: Eagles DE Parker caught with marijuana >>
Bethlehem, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Juqua
Parker was reportedly taken into custody early Wednesday morning after the
player was apparently found in possession of marijuana while riding in a
vehicle
Shanahan returns to Devils >>
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Devils signed veteran left wing
Brendan Shanahan, who is set to return for his 22nd season in the NHL.
Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Newark Star-
Ledger repor
Canucks re-sign F Hansen >>
Vancouver, BC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Vancouver Canucks re-signed forward
Jannik Hansen to an undisclosed contract on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old recorded six goals and 15 assists in 55 games last season.
Prior to last season, he
Mets' bats, bullpen awaken in blanking of Cards >>
Flushing, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Angel Pagan finished 3-for-4 with a two-run
homer and four RBI, as the New York Mets downed St. Louis, 9-0, in the final
contest of a two-game series.
David Wright added three hits and also slugged a t
March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets
With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship. Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92. After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points. Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1. Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years. With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed. UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern. Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier. OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak. Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta. But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.
Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props. Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000. Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.
MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:
| EAST | National Championship | Region |
| Arkansas | 300-1 | 50-1 |
| Belmont | 1000-1 | |
| Boston College | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Eastern KY | 1000-1 | |
| George Washington | 75-1 | |
| Georgetown | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| Marquette | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Michigan State | 100-1 | 25-1 |
| New Mexico St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| UNC | 6-1 | 6-5 |
| Oral Roberts | 500-1 | |
| Texas | 15-1 | 5-1 |
| Texas Tech | 200-1 | 5-1 |
| USC | 75-1 | 20-1 |
| Vanderbilt | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Washington State | 40-1 | 15-1 |
| WEST | ||
| Duke | 50-1 | 10-1 |
| Florida A&M | 1000-1 | |
| Gonzaga | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Holy Cross | 300-1 | |
| Illinois | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Indiana | 75-1 | 40-1 |
| Kansas | 5-1 | 13-10 |
| Kentucky | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Niagara | 1000-1 | |
| Pittsburgh | 40-1 | 8-1 |
| Southern Ill. | 50-1 | 12-1 |
| UCLA | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| VCU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Villanova | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| VA Tech | 50-1 | 15-1 |
| Weber St | 1000-1 | |
| Wright St | 1000-1 | 300-1 |
| MIDWEST | ||
| Arizona | 50-1 | 30-1 |
| Butler | 40-1 | 30-1 |
| Davidson | 300-1 | |
| Florida | 4-1 | 4-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 75-1 | 25-1 |
| Jackson State | 1000-1 | |
| Maryland | 30-1 | 6-1 |
| Miami-OH | 300-1 | |
| Notre Dame | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| ODU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Oregon | 40-1 | 6-1 |
| Purdue | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Texas A&M CC | 1000-1 | |
| UNLV | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Winthrop | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Wisconsin | 15-1 | 7-2 |
| SOUTH | ||
| Albany | 200-1 | |
| BYU | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Central CT St. | 1000-1 | |
| Creighton | 100-1 | 35-1 |
| Long Beach St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| Louisville | 40-1 | 10-1 |
| Memphis | 30-1 | 4-1 |
| Nevada | 75-1 | 35-1 |
| North Texas | 500-1 | |
| Ohio State | 7-1 | 6-5 |
| Penn | 500-1 | |
| Stanford | 200-1 | 50-1 |
| Tennessee | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| Texas A&M | 12-1 | 11-5 |
| Virginia | 75-1 | 18-1 |
| Xavier | 100-1 | 40-1 |
About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.
To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.
Recently I had an email debate with an angry reader who said I did not understand "the science of oddsmaking", as he called it.
He said I was wrong for suggesting oddsmakers care about who wins or loses games.
"Oddsmakers only care about splitting the betting public 50/50 on both sides of the line and keeping the commission (a.k.a. juice)," he wrote.
He might have been right about not understanding "the science of oddsmaking". After all, I'm not an oddsmaker. That said, I stick to my assertion that oddsmakers (a.k.a. sportbooks) often do care about who wins games.
Granted, as a general rule, sportsbooks try to balance their action so that they're not exposed to big losses. However, there are times when this is difficult to pull off, regardless of how much a line has moved. There are also times when that general rule is ignored and a book pursues risk.
Generally speaking, it's safe to say the books in Vegas are risk-adverse. Unlike in the past when the wise guys ruled the town, Vegas is now corporate and the goal of most casinos is to make as much money as possible with as little risk as possible.
Thus, Vegas sportsbooks try everything in their power to balance the action. They're satisfied simply collecting the juice. But these profits are small, especially compared to the take from other casino games, namely slot machines.
Because the profits at Vegas sportsbooks are so small, you could argue that many casinos operate sportsbooks simply as a novelty to keep the tourists happy.
With a growing aversion to risk, it should come as no surprise that Vegas bookmakers have been panicking this NFL season.
Despite huge pointspreads, a disproportionate percentage of bettors are still laying their money on favorites like the Eagles, Colts, Pats and Vikings rather than the dogs (a common trend for the largely recreational bettors that visit Vegas).
And much to the dismay of the books, those favorites are finding ways to cover the thick chalk. In fact, prior to Week 7, the four teams listed above are a combined 16-2-2 (88 percent) against the spread. (The tables turned dramatically in Week 7, but more on that later.)
The result has been an early-season beating for the books, and a bonanza for bettors.
While Vegas increasingly hates risk, it's no longer a major player in the sports betting world. Most of the betting action now takes place offshore where sportsbooks are not as obsessed about balance. In fact, some books encourage exposure to risk because the rewards can be so much bigger.
Consider MySportsbook.com. On its website, the book has odds pages which actually display the amount of action it's getting on games. In other words, you can see how much action the book is taking on both sides of a pointspread, moneyline or over/under.
One look at these numbers and it's obvious MySportsbook.com does not balance every game. In fact, far from it.
Take last weekend's matchup between St. Louis and Miami. By game time on Sunday, 83 percent of the betting action at MySportsbook.com was on the Rams; only 17 percent was on Miami.
What's interesting is that MySportsbook.com opened the pointspread with Miami at +6 1/2. By game time, the spread had lowered to +5.
That goes contrary to the balancing theory. If MySportsbook.com had wanted to balance the action, it would have given Miami more points; instead, it took away 1 1/2. World Series odds are now up as well.
MySportsbook.com exposed itself to even more to risk, and rolled the dice on the underdog Dolphins. Why? I contacted a representative with the book to find out. His answer was simple.
"The line moved early based on 'smart money' from sharp players," said Jeff Gilroy, a spokesperson for the book. "We also knew from early in the week that we would need Miami, therefore (we dropped) the spread to encourage Rams money.
"At the end of the day, we liked the home team."
So the conclusion is this: MySportsbook.com respected the sharp action, and gambled that the sharp bettors had a better take on the game than the recreational bettors, who were hammering the visiting Rams.
In the end, the gamble paid off. Miami, desperate for a win in front of its home fans, pounded the overrated Rams, who are terrible on the road and even worse on grass. Final score: 31-14 Fish.
MySportsbook.com was also heavily exposed on numerous favorites in Week 7, including Philadelphia, Seattle and Denver. All three failed to cover.
The fact that sportsbooks are exposed to risk on certain games is really nothing new. The fact, that Sportsbook.com is willing to show the public where it's exposed is intriguing.
Armed with this type of information, bettors can make more educated wagers. They can get an idea where the sharp money is going and conversely where the public money is headed.
MySportsbook.com is opening up its cashbox, letting bettors look inside and challenging them to take their best shot at grabbing the cash.
To visit this online football betting got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting odds needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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