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07/04/2010 - Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Big Red Mike, ridden by Eurico Rosa da Silva, went wire-to-wire to claim victory in Sunday's $1 million Queen's Plate at Woodbine Race Course. The 1 1/4-mile race is the beginning of the Canadian Triple Crown.
Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain was in attendance for the 151st Queen's Plate.
A field of 13 Canadian-bred three-year-olds left the starting gate for the top thoroughbred race in the Great White North. Plate Trial runner-up Mobilizer and Woodbine Oaks champ Roan Inish were the 7-2 co-favorites.
Big Red Mike and Hotep were both 5-1 when the gate opened and that's how they ran as the race developed. Big Red Mike set the pace along the inside with Hotep racing second to the outside.
The pair remained in their positions up the backstretch and into the far turn. Making a slight move around the final turn was Mobthewarrior and Roan Irish.
Trained by Nicholas Gonzalez, Big Red Mike still had the lead coming off the turn for home and into the stretch. The chestnut gelding could not be overtaken down the stretch and went on to post a 1 1/4-length win over Hotep with Roan Irish third and Giant's Tomb rallying to finish fourth.
Rounding out the order of finish was Mobthewarrior, Dark Cloud Dancer, Smart Sky, Moment of Majesty, Who We Gunna Call, Mobilizer, Ghost Fleet, Vicar Street and D's Wando.
The time for the Queen's Plate was 2:04.89 on Woodbine's synthetic surface.
The victory was worth $600,000 for owner Terra Racing Stable and gave da Silva his second straight win in the Queen's Plate. Last year he won aboard Eye of the Leopard.
Big Red Mike was coming off a win in the Plate Trial on June 13. In that contest he also set the pace and was able to re-rally for the victory. The gelding has now won three of six career starts for $761,101, all at Woodbine.
"The thing that impressed me the most was when he got engaged, carrying 126 pounds and first time going that far. I was very proud of him that he dug in the way he did. He beat some good horses," said Gonzalez about the Plate Trial win. "The horse is a fighter. He's won on the inside before. He's fought some tough hard races on the outside. He's just that kind of horse where the competition is good for him."
This was the first Queen's Plate win for both the owner and trainer.
Big Red Mike returned $12.00, $6.30 and $4.40. Hotep, the 3-1 morning-line favorite, paid $6.90 and $4.70, and Roan Inish paid $4.30 to show.
The Triple Crown will continue with the Prince of Wales Stakes on Sunday, July 25 at Fort Erie Racetrack and the Breeders' Stakes on Sunday, August 15 back at Woodbine.
<< Bay and Pagan help Mets bounce Nationals
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jason Bay knocked in four runs, as the New
York Mets used an early surge to beat Washington, 9-5, in the finale of a
four-game set at Nationals Park.
Angel Pagan had three hits and drove in a pair f
<< Longoria sparkles as Rays down Twins
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evan Longoria went 3-for-5 with three runs
batted in and finished a home run shy of the cycle, as the Tampa Bay Rays
downed the Minnesota Twins, 7-4, in the finale of a four-game set at Target
Field.
<< Power dominant in Watkins Glen win
Watkins Glen, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Will Power put on a dominating performance
to win Sunday's IZOD IndyCar Series race, while his teammate, Ryan Briscoe,
finished second to give Team Penske a 1-2 finish at Watkins Glen
Interna
<< Posada leaves Sunday's game
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New York Yankees catcher Jorge Posada left
Sunday's 7-6 victory in 10 innings over Toronto due to a sprained right ring
finger.
Posada apparently suffered the setback when he was hit in the hand by a pitch
Tizdejavu wires Firecracker, Mine That Bird an also-ran >>
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tizdejavu, ridden by Jesus Castanon, led
every step of the way to win Sunday's $205,625 Firecracker Handicap at
Churchill Downs. The race featured 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird
making
Gwynn's hit lifts Padres over Astros in ninth >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Gwynn singled in the game-winning run
in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift San Diego to a dramatic 3-2 win over
Houston to finish off a four-game set.
Yorvit Torrealba led off the decisive frame
Yankees activate Thames from DL, option Huffman >>
Bronx, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Yankees activated outfielder Marcus Thames
from the 15-day disabled list on Sunday, and optioned outfielder Chad Huffman
to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
Thames arrived just in time to record the game-
Dodgers top D'Backs on Kemp's homer >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Kemp blasted the game-winning two-run
home run in the eighth inning to carry Los Angeles to a 3-1 comeback win over
Arizona to wrap up a three-game set.
Rafael Furcal doubled and scored twice for
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.
It’s time to see how the biggest NFL free agent signings will perform for their news teams. Some will work out and could be the difference that makes a difference in the win column.
We look at the best off-season signings and if they should influence your NFL betting this season. Julius Peppers – Peppers was the biggest prize available on the 2010 NFL free agent market and the Chicago Bears opened the bank to bring his talents to the south side.
Peppers is explosive, he can get around blockers and cause quarterbacks to lose their minds. We all remember the classic Peppers game last year against the Vikings where he hounded Brett Favre into his worst game of the season. Peppers joining the Bears could be the reason Favre retired for good Tuesday morning. In addition to Peppers, the Bears added Chester Taylor to back up Matt Forte, Forte didn’t have the same intensity in 2009 compared to 2008 and bringing in Taylor will challenge Forte to bring it every game or he’ll risk losing carries to Taylor.
Betting on the Bears is a good option this season because of Julius Peppers and to a lesser extent Taylor. Antonio Bryant and Terrell Owens – The Cincinnati Bengals signed two former number one wide receivers to line up with Chad Ocho Cinco. Antonio Bryant had a huge season in 2008 catching 83 passes for over 1200 yards but regressed last season. Playing for the Tampa Bay Bucs last season was a large part of the regression, everyone was bad in TB last season.
Bryant should have a bounce back season if he can win the number two spot from Terrell Owens. If Bryant wins the number 2 WR spot, it will open up a completely new set of problems for the Bengals. If Owens is forced to the bench in favor of Bryant, his attitude will create trouble for Carson Palmer and head coach Marv Lewis. If Owens is the number two receiver, it means Bryant can’t live up to his past numbers and the Bengals are still limited in the passing game. NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. 2010 football betting lines for this can be found at this top online sportsbook. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense.
NFL bettors should be wary of laying their money down on what could potentially be the biggest gong show in the league in 2010. Karlos Danby – The Miami Dolphins have a great running back tandem in Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown, a good young QB in Chad Henne and now the Bill Parcells regime is building a solid defense. They signed away the Arizona Cardinals top linebacker Karlos Danby. In the past two seasons, Danby has totaled 228 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles. The Dolphins are the forgotten team of the AFC East with the second longest odds to win the division but with the addition of Karlos Danby and a trade for WR Brandon Marshall makes the Miami Dolphins legitimate contenders in the AFC East and in the NFL’s Eastern Conference.
The Dolphins will make NFL wagering fans a lot of money this season, get in early and enjoy the cash.
To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.
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