A Little Warm knocked out of Preakness

Horseracing Betting Lines

05/10/2010 - Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Louisiana Derby runner-up A Little Warm has been taken out of consideration for Saturday's Preakness Stakes. The three- year-old colt suffered bleeding during a workout Monday at Delaware Park.

"He worked fine, but he just didn't scope out good," according to Spring Hill Farm manager Chris Baker from the farm in Virginia. "We're going to have to withdraw him from consideration from the Preakness. We just have to get him well, and hopefully he'll be able to get back to racing in 30 days or so."

Owned by Edward P. Evans, A Little Warm worked five-furlongs in 1:01 2/5 for trainer Anthony Dutrow before being scoped.

A Little Warm has won two of seven career starts for $284,280. In January he won the Spectacular Bid Stakes at Gulfstream Park and followed with a second- place finish to D'Funnybone in the Hutcheson Stakes. He did not have enough graded stakes earnings to start in the Kentucky Derby.

Starbuck-casino Horseracing Betting News

<< Pirates active P Ohlendorf from DL
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Pittsburgh Pirates reinstated right- handed pitcher Ross Ohlendorf from the 15-day disabled list prior to his start against the Cincinnati Reds on Monday. The 27-year-old has been out since April 1

<< Oakland's Braden captures AL weekly honor
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Thanks to his perfect game, Oakland Athletics pitcher Dallas Braden has been selected as the American League Player of the Week for the period ending May 9. The 26-year-old left-hander threw the second pe

<< Phils OF Werth takes NL weekly award
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth was named the National League Player of the Week for the period ending May 9. Werth posted National League highs of four home runs and 25 total bases, and finis

<< This was not the plan
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The shelf life of a scandal really isn't that long. That had to be the prevailing theme in Tiger Woods' mind. Once he got back on the course, and was the Tiger of old, the questions of car accidents, af

<< Next start for Rachel Alexandra undecided
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Less than two weeks after suffering a second straight loss, reigning Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra is back in training for an as yet unknown race. "All options are open," trainer Steve Asmussen said on

Cowboys, Rams swap former first-round picks >>
Irving, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Cowboys acquired offensive tackle Alex Barron from the St. Louis Rams in exchange for linebacker Bobby Carpenter on Monday. Carpenter, the 18th overall pick out of Ohio State in 2006, has appeared

USA loses again, Canada wins again at Worlds >>
Cologne, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Patrick Galbraith made 30 saves and Stefan Lassen scored the overtime winner, as Denmark took a 2-1 win over Team USA to hand the Americans their second straight loss of the tournament. Coming off a

Suns' 'synergy' carries them to conference finals >>
PHOENIX (AP) -Coach Alvin Gentry calls it ``synergy,'' a word that means, essentially, something greater than the sum of its parts.That's perfect for these upstart Phoenix Suns. They are, in simpler terms, a lot better than just about anyone expecte

Monfils wins Madrid opener >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Athletic Frenchman Gael Monfils was among Monday's first-round winners at the $3.6 million Madrid Open, a clay-court French Open tune-up. The 12th-seeded Monfils handled fellow Frenchman Stephane Ro

Bengals agree to terms with S Wilson >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals came to terms with veteran safety Gibril Wilson on Monday. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. "We're excited to have Gibril join our secondary group," said B

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.

Big Ten Conference odds

Teams that should be in: Michigan State, Indiana
Work left to do: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan, Iowa

Behind the big two, the pecking order might be in a bit of flux. Has Michigan State passed Indiana after handling the Hoosiers in East Lansing? Where is Illinois in that mix? What looked like a four-big league last week could be morphing into five -- and even six is not unthinkable at this point if everything breaks right.

Should be in:

Michigan State [21-8 (8-6), RPI: 20, SOS: 15] The Spartans made it four-for-four on the homestand, a gigantic accomplishment that leaves them in extremely good shape. MSU is only 1-6 on the road and is at Michigan and at Wisconsin to close things out, meaning the date with the Wolverines on Tuesday looms very, very large. Beating Texas early will hold up well, as will the rout of Bradley and the win over BYU, but will 8-8 be enough? It very well could be, as the computer numbers are good, but why chance it?

Indiana [18-9 (8-6), RPI: 24, SOS: 32] Hmm ... good thing the last two are at Northwestern and home to Penn State, because IU might want to get both to feel completely safe after dropping its third in the last four, fading after halftime at Michigan State. Who knew the best nonconference win would be over Southern Illinois, which is a gift that keeps on giving for the Hoosiers. The win over Wisconsin also looks good on the mantel.

Work left to do:

Illinois [21-9 (9-6), RPI: 31, SOS: 25] A good performance at Penn State leaves the Illini in pretty good shape. Can they go to Iowa and take care of business to really look on their way? That's a huge game, as there is a possible cluster of teams that will end at 9-7. Illinois beat Bradley, but has lost to Xavier. A 9-7 mark and a semifinals trip in Chicago could be enough with the computer profile hanging in there, but it would be better not to mess around, clinching at least a tie for third.

Purdue [18-10 (7-7), RPI: 47, SOS: 28] Couldn't get it done at Iowa, but did win at Northwestern to put 9-7 squarely in sight. Where does that leave the Boilermakers, though? Even if they beat Minnesota and Northwestern at home, that won't help the computer numbers. Nonconference wins over Virginia, DePaul and Oklahoma are solid, but not spectacular. The Boilers very well might need an upset in the B10 quarters to have a legit claim.

Michigan [19-10 (7-7), RPI: 55, SOS: 53] Well, Michigan did what it needed to do, winning at Minnesota to take control of its fate. The Wolverines have Michigan State and an already-wrapped-up-the-league Ohio State at home to close, so the chances are there. Win both and we can talk. There is no marquee win yet in the profile, and the Wolverines were splattered in several games against name opponents. A mediocre computer profile fueled by a lack of road wins isn't helping, either.

Iowa [16-12 (8-6), RPI: 80, SOS: 64] For the sake of being complete, we'll add Iowa, this season's Stanford. It's plausible that the Hawkeyes could get to 10-6 (at Penn State, vs. Illinois left), but where does that leave them after a gruesome nonconference performance where the best win was over ... Toledo? Iowa State? Cornell?? If they get to 10-6, we can start to look at what they need to do in the B10 tourney, although my gut sense is that they would need to make the final and have knocked off Ohio State or Wisconsin on the way to have any real claim.

For more College Basketball betting lines go to MySportsbook.com

Additional sports lines can be found at: www.Sportsbooks.com

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards.