09/02/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Curlin will become the first repeat Horse of the Year since Cigar in 1995 and 1996. The four-year-old colt has proven himself incapable of turning in a poor performance.
In last Saturday's Woodward Stakes he methodically ran down the pacesetters in the 1 1/8 mile race and had jockey Robby Albarado keeping him focused down the stretch.
"There was a little concern going into the first turn with the traffic," noted trainer Steve Asmussen. "He got bumped around a little bit. But you could tell halfway down the backside that Robby was very comfortable with where he was at. And Robby went to him when he needed to and it looked like Curlin came back with something left."
Asmussen gets all the credit he deserves in preparing Curlin for a return to the main track after a near miss on the turf in the Man o'War Stakes. The colt hasn't lost on dirt since finishing third in last year's Haskell Invitational.
"The mystique of Saratoga, winning a Grade 1 here, the Graveyard of Champions, all of that works into your head leading up to this," Asmussen said following the Woodward effort. "But he came through like Curlin does and we're extremely proud of him. Curlin is meant for the big moment. He takes it all in stride."
The one negative aspect of Curlin's current season is the possibility of him not defending his title in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Because the World Thoroughbred Championships will contested on the synthetic track at Santa Anita, Curlin's connections are purportedly planning to avoid the 1 1/4 mile race.
"The perfect scenario would be to run in the best races," said co-owner Jess Jackson, "the Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Breeders' Cup, then go overseas to the Japan Cup. But that will be hard to press into a four-week schedule. We'll wait and see. He loves Belmont and now I think he loves Saratoga."
Asmussen has stated that Curlin will remain at his Saratoga barn for the time being and breeze there early next week. The Jockey Club Gold Cup is Saturday, September 27, four weeks after the Woodward.
"He'll train back here right now," Asmussen said from Saratoga. "I spoke with Mr. Jackson and we really like the circumstances for him right now. We talked last night. We're very pleased with how he cooled out. We'll let him go back to the track in a couple of days, kind of enjoy what happened and admire him for a little bit and then try to make a decision on where he's at and what's best for him."
Curlin could stop competing right now and still claim Horse of the Year quite easily. His people want him to conclude his illustrious career as the all-time money earner over Cigar.
Cigar totaled $9,999,815 when retired. With the Woodward victory Curlin went by Skip Away on the career list and now has more than $9.7 million. The $450,000 winner's check from the Jockey Club Gold Cup would put Curlin above $10 million in lifetime winnings.
This is the final year of Curlin's Hall of Fame career. It is obvious he will go out a champion and spend a comfortable life on the farm making little Curlins.
<< Sun Belt Conference News and Notes
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
ARKANSAS STATE: The Red Wolves made the biggest headlines for the SBC this
past week, as they marched into College Station and upended Big 12 power Texas
A&M by an 18-14 score. ASU amassed an impressive 2
<< Conference USA News and Notes
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
EAST DIVISION:
EAST CAROLINA - The Pirates pulled off the season's first big upset, as they
knocked off ACC power and then 17th-ranked Virginia Tech 27-22 on Saturday.
T.J. Lee's blocked punt and subseq
<< Independents News and Notes
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
ARMY: The second season under coach Stan Brock didn't get off to a much
better start than the first, as the Black Knights fell at home to Temple,
35-7. The loss was Army's seventh straight, dating back to las
<< Broncos deal CB Foxworth to Falcons
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos traded cornerback
Domonique Foxworth to the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday in exchange for an
undisclosed pick in the 2009 draft.
Foxworth, a third-round draft choice in 2005
Singh up to third in World Rankings >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vijay Singh won his second FedEx Cup
Playoff event on Monday when he took the Deutsche Bank Championship, and in
the process moved up to third in this week's Official World Golf Rankings.
Singh,
Pac-10 Conference News and Notes >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
ARIZONA: The Wildcats had to wait out a lightning storm before opening their
season, but once they took the field they did not waste any time dismantling
the Idaho Vandals. Arizona set a school record with 49
Mountain West Conference News and Notes >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
AIR FORCE: The Falcons began their 2008 campaign on Saturday with a resounding
41-7 win over Southern Utah at home, scoring at least seven points in every
quarter and beginning with a safety midway through th
Western Athletic Conference News and Notes >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
BOISE STATE: The Broncos won a battle for Gen State bragging rights, to a
degree, on Saturday with a 49-7 victory against Idaho State at home. Boise
State scored at least a touchdown in every quarter and roll
Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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