Game On Dude and Ultimate Eagle likely for Big 'Cap

Horseracing Betting Lines

02/07/2012 - Arcadia, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This past weekend's stakes races at Santa Anita Park for older thoroughbreds gave early incite into the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic set for November at the southern California facility. However, next month's Santa Anita Handicap could prove an even better indicator.

Trainer Bob Baffert sent out five-year-old horse Game On Dude to convincingly win the San Antonio Handicap on Sunday. Despite a poor start, the veteran racehorse registered a 5 1/4-length win as the 3-10 favorite versus four rivals.

"He ran hard. He'd been training really well," noted Baffert following the Sunday event. "We knew he was up for a big race.

"I think Chantal (winning jockey Chantal Sutherland) did a great job not panicking when he didn't break. She got him running. They were going pretty rapid up front, but this horse, once you get him in a high cruising speed, he's so dangerous. If you grab a hold of him, he's not effective at all."

Co-owned by Joe Torre, Game On Dude is a speed horse who has proven he can cover a distance of ground. He was a solid second in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic behind 17-1 longshot Drosselmeyer.

Game On Dude won last year's Santa Anita Handicap and could very easily remain home for the race or go to the Dubai World Cup on March 31.

"A lot has to do with what kind of weight we get and all that stuff. Last year he got in really light (115 pounds)," Baffert said about Big 'Cap weight assignments. "We're just going to enjoy it right now. He's nominated to Dubai, but the thing about Dubai is it's getting more and more difficult for American horses to win there because of the new track layout and the synthetic, you don't know what to expect. We can think about. It's an option, so we're going to leave all options open for now."

Another strong contender for the Big 'Cap is Ultimate Eagle fresh off a win in Saturday's Strub Stakes for four-year-olds. The colt, trained by Mike Pender, went off at 7-1 and defeated Baffert's horse Jaycito by 7 1/4-lengths.

"It (my confidence in the horse) was unwavering and he just went out there and proved what I thought he could do all along. We did take the heart right out of (4-5 favorite) Tapizar, which I thought he (Ultimate Eagle) would.

"This is a special horse and people have to start realizing it. Just because he wins on the turf, it doesn't mean that he can't do it anywhere else."

Ultimate Eagle was making his first career start on a real dirt surface. He has five starts on turf with three earlier races on synthetic tracks. Last year he won both the Oak Tree and Hollywood Derbies.

Pender will not commit to the Big 'Cap, but is more than happy with anything his charge accomplishes.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Pender said about the Big 'Cap, "but we're just so pleased with the horse. It took so much to get to this point, with the near-death experience (colic in his three-year-old year). It's just an unbelievable miracle that we're here today."

Solid victories by Game On Dude and Ultimate Eagle give a nice foundation for this year's handicap division.

Wwwlorbitz Horseracing Betting News

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Chiefs' Treen Green out for Sunday's game

How long Trent Green will remain sidelined is unknown. Coach Herm Edwards said Monday he will miss a second straight start Sunday when the Chiefs host the San Francisco 49ers.

A two-time Pro Bowler, Green was going into a feet-first hook slide when he was knocked unconscious by a thunderous, head-snapping hit from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers.

Oddsmakers at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com currently have the Chiefs listed as 7-point favorites versus the 49ers.

The 49ers got beat by Philadelphia 38-24 as a 6.5-point underdog last week. The combined score went OVER the posted over/under total (42.5).

Alex Smith completed 27-of-46 passes for 293 yards with a touchdown. Michael Robinson rushed for 29 yards and a pair of touchdowns on five carries.

The Chiefs lost 9-6 to Denver last week as an 11-point underdog. The combined score was well UNDER the posted over/under total (38).

Larry Johnson rushed for 126 yards on 27 carries. Damon Huard completed 17-of-23 passes for 133 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

To visit this online sports book got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs.

Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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