Posted on 5/8/2008 1:40:12 PM

Online Horse Wagering - Padding Your Bankroll

By Michael Dempsey

National horse racing handicapper Michael Dempsey will attempt to pad his bankroll and yours with his daily column. He will feature at least one Pick 3 or Pick 4 play from a major track along with coverage of major stakes races, longshots, and he will keep you up to date on what is happening on the circuits he covers.

Today’s feature is a cheap $15,000 claiming race for non winners of two, but if Executive Chief runs back to her last two efforts over the Churchill Downs surface we could be padding our bankroll handsomely today.

We will also invest $24 in the Late Pick 3 at Belmont Park.

Today's Play of the Day from Churchill Downs:

CD Race 6 Clm $15,000N2L (3:45 et)

#11 Dominic's Desire 3/1

#12 Executive Chief 30/1

#2 Boobooliscious 5/1

#10 Marina Monster 10/1

Analysis: #11 Dominic's Desire was off poorly last out, bobbling and veering out at the start, made a mild move round the far turn and flattened out in the stretch in a fourth place finish. The outing was coming off a five-month layoff and the gelding caught a good group, the winner coming back to beat $10K non-winners of three while the runner up won his next two starts. Was claimed out of his last start by Amoss barn that is 30% winners first off the claim.

#12 Executive Chief comes in here off two lousy efforts on poly but look at her two tries on the main track here. She broke her maiden here going 4 1/2 furlongs and last November earned a career top speed fig in a fourth place finish against $50K starter allowance foes. Barn is 26% winners moving runners from route to sprint. Worth tossing in the mix here at a big price.

Wagering

WIN: #11 to win at 2/1 or better.

EX: 11,12 / 2,10,11,12

TRI: 11,12 / 2,10,11,12 / 1,2,3,10,11,12

Belmont Park Late Pick 3

Starting in Race 7: $1: 2,5,6,7 / 3,4 / 3,5,7 = $24

BEL Race 7 Clm $30,000N2L (4:12 et)

#2 Classic Love, #6 Watch My Lass, #5 Happens in Vegas, #7 Divorce Court

#2 Classic Love set the early fractions and faded to finish fourth last out against $35K starter allowance foes in her first start off the claim by Autrey barn. Returns off a two month break and lands with Levine barn that is 29% winners (with a +ROI) with newcomers to the barn. Owns a solid pace profile with the edge in early and mid pace numbers. Her last pair of speed figs are tops in here and she is back in for a tag here and facing non-winners of two. Looks well spotted for her local debut.

#6 Watch My Lass made a mild late rally along the rail to finish third last out in her first go against winners. She was all out two back to beat $15K NY bred maiden claimers but does appear to be heading in the right direction and gets in light with bug Branch.

BEL Race 8 Gaviola S. (4:45 et)

#4 Love Co, #3 I Lost My Choo

#4 Love Co makes her first start on grass here for Contessa barn that is 7% winners with horses moving from dirt to turf. Last out the filly set the early fractions on the inner in the Busher before weakening to finish fourth. The winner Little Belle came back to win the G1 Ashland and then ran second in the G1 KY Oaks. Runner up Sweet Vendetta came back to win the Andover Way on 3/19. She has a nice turf pedigree, by Not for Love (10% winners first turf) out of a unraced Cozzene mare. We should catch a generous price on this filly.

#3 I Lost My Choo was rank in the early going chasing the early pace and finished gamely for third in the G3 Appalachian, beaten a head and a nose for the top spot. The race snapped a three-race win streak for the filly. She looks real tough in this spot.

BEL Race 9 Md $45,000 (5:17 et)

#3 Citizen Janks, #7 Outonthebeach, #5 Nightime Appeal

#3 Citizen Janks drops in for a tag and tries grass for the first time here in her third career start. She was not much of a threat in two tries on the inner but should appreciate the easier company and should take to the turf. She has three sibs that are winners, two on turf including stakes winner Rock Opera ($249K). Barn is 25% winners (with a +ROI) with horses making their first start on turf.

#7 Outonthebeach makes her first start since last fall for Tagg barn that is 24% winners with horses coming back off a +180 day layoff. The filly has been in the money in all three of her career turf starts, last out a good second behind repeat winner Rosamund, who beat $25K non-winners of two in her next start on 11/17. Has a steady strong of works at Fair Hill, which should have this gal ready to go off the bench.

Live Longshots:

These are price plays to watch today. A small win-place wager is in order or if your pockets are deep enough, use these runners in your trifecta and Pick 3 and Pick 4 wagers. One or two of these could be the difference between a regular day at the track and hitting the IRS window with a signer.

Churchill Downs

R2: #5 Pure Bling

R3: #5 Davids Expectations 8/1

R5: #5 Redi Roller 8/1

R6: #12 Executive Chief 30/1

R6: #10 Marina Monster 10/1

R7: #12 Sustain 10/1

R9: #3 Ready’s Rocket 12/1

R9: #10 Ludington 8/1

Belmont Park

R2: #2 One More Lillian 10/1

R4: #6 barberry 8/1

R4: #3 Ocala Jorge 15/1

R5: #8 Pinky Swear 8/1

R6: #8 Wicked Affair 20/1

R6: #3 Frisky Rosie 8/1

R6: #6 Dancetothetune 15/1

R7: #6 Watch My Lass 15/1

R7: #7 Divorce Court 8/1

R8: #4 Love Co 15/1

R8: #8 Sherine 8/1

R9: #5 Nightime Appeal 12/1

Good luck padding your bankroll today!

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Posted on 5/7/2008 3:36:17 PM

Wagering on Preakness Stakes - Any Way to Beat Big Brown?

By D.S Williamson

Some might say that Big Brown’s performance this past online horse wagering Saturday in the Kentucky Derby is the sign that he is indeed a super-horse. After all, he attended a quick pace from the 20 hole and pretty much ran a lot of his other 3-year old counterparts into the ground.

A lot of very good horsemen, with a lot more knowledge regarding horse racing then me, have pegged Big Brown as the 2008 winner of the Triple Crown. He’s the only one who has a shot as the winner of the Kentucky Derby, and the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown, looks like a shoo-in for him…but I’m not sold.

Not yet. Maybe, it’s the fact that horse racing has changed to the point that I just can’t believe in a horse with soft feet like Big Brown. Maybe, it’s the fact that I checked out his Kentucky Derby run again and realized that he didn’t run as fast as it looked during the actual running. Brown finished the Kentucky Derby with a winning time of 2:01. That’s about what Street Sense did last year. The question now becomes is there a new shooter out there who can take Big Brown down?

I think that there is. We need to remember the hype regarding Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000. FuPeg was the undisputed Triple Crown winner until Red Bullet beat him down in the Preakness. It can happen again with my upset special horse. Whether he makes the Preakness or not depends on a work this weekend, but I do believe that if trainer Todd Pletcher puts my number one ranked Derby prospect into the race, there will be no winner of the Triple Crown this year.

Preakness Stakes Preview

1. Harlem Rocker - - His BetUS online racebook odds are currently 9 to 2. Since there shouldn’t be more then six or seven horses in the Preakness field, this guy is easily the top pick to upset Big Brown and to win the Preakness stakes. He’s bred to be a runner. He is undefeated, had to check at the break in his last race which shows he can overcome trouble, and trains super fast. He runs for Todd Pletcher which means you know that he is a quality horse.

2. Big Brown - - BetUS online racebook odds of 1 to 3 actually make the Kentucky Derby winner an overlay. If you think I’m full of it with Harlem Rocker, then please log onto the BetUS online racebook site and bet this guy to win right now! His odds will be 1 to 9 in the Preakness. So, 1 to 3 are excellent odds.

3. Recapturetheglory - - Here’s hoping that Louis Roussell III puts his speedster into the Preakness. Recapturetheglory is a quality enough animal to stick it to Big Brown on the lead. He also will find the 1 3/16th miles of the Preakness much more to his liking. If he gets the lead, Big Brown will have to go with him - - or not. If not, then Recapturetheglory could pull an upset. He would be hard to run down in the lane at Pimlico.

4. Riley Tucker - - Like Louis Roussell III, the trainer of this one, Bill Mott, hasn’t committed to the Derby. Trust me, he should. This horse is moving in the right direction for Mott and the Preakness is a much easier race for turf trainers, like Mott, to switch their horses to the dirt then the Kentucky Derby is. The BetUS online racebook hasn’t released odds on this guy yet. No worries. Once Mott commits we’ll be staring at 50 to 1.

Horse racing with BetUS Racebook Online Racebook. We've got up to date lines and odds on 85+ racetracks. Join BetUS today to get in on the action.

Posted on 5/7/2008 2:01:53 PM

MLB Futures Betting – The Biggest Losers

By Charles Jay

Something for BetUS Sportsbook bettors to keep in mind - a manager (I forgot which one) once said, "You've got to be a pretty good pitcher to lose 20 games in a season." It may sound crazy to the uninitiated, but there may be a ring of truth to it. First of all, a pitcher has to be good enough to keep in the rotation and hand the ball over to every fourth or fifth day to even get enough opportunities to lose 20. Those who aren't will find themselves in the minor leagues, on waivers, or in the major league Siberia that is long relief.

And a pitcher doesn't necessarily have to be awful to lose twenty, or to lead the league in losses either. The performance of his team, particularly the offense, is a key factor. Many a pitcher has been a victim of non-support. Of course some are just bad and playing for bad teams, which is what we call the "losing exacta."

With that in mind, let's take a look at the field that has been out before us:

BetUS MLB Futures Odds

Player to lose most games in 2008 season

Barry Zito 10/1

Chad Billingsley 15/1

Joe Blanton 12/1

Boof Bonser 14/1

Matt Chico 8/1

Jason Jennings 9/1

Bronson Arroyo 15/1

Dave Bush 20/1

Kevin Correia 10/1

Tom Gorzelanny 15/1

Ted Lilly 15/1

Francisco Liriano 25/1

Gil Meche 25/1

Matt Morris 12/1

Brett Tomko 8/1

C.C Sabathia 18/1

Steve Trachsel 16/1

Justin Verlander 45/1

Jared Washburn 15/1

Odalis Perez 14/1

Mike Mussina 25/1

Kerry Wood 45/1

Let's start things off by crossing a few names off the list. Barry Zito of the Giants (10/1 at BetUS) has been sent to the bullpen after losing his first six decisions. I think he'll eventually be back in the rotation, but he'll lose enough turns to keep him out of the running. Matt Morris (12/1 at BetUS) was released by the Pirates, who were hoping he could pitch well enough to be trade bait. He is contemplating retirement and may come back with Pittsburgh as a coach. Kerry Wood (45/1 at BetUS) has been anointed the Cubs' closer, which keeps him out of danger of losing too many games, at least for now. Chad Billingsley of the Dodgers (15/1 at BetUS) has actually come around to pitch a couple of good games in a row. He's not going to be a candidate in the end. Joe Blanton (12/1 at BetUS) of Oakland has lost five games, but he is playing for a team that is probably too good for that to sustain itself; furthermore, I'm sure they would make changes in the rotation before letting him get too far. However, I will include the caveat that if the A's fold, and stick with him the whole way, he'll contend, because he eats innings and will get decisions.

C.C. Sabathia's five defeats happened early on; in his last three starts he's allowed five earned runs in 20-1/3 innings. last year's Cy Young winner looks like he's showing some of his familiar self, so his 18/1 posting at BetUS is most likely moot. Francisco Liriano (25/1 at BetUS), an All-Star in 2006, is too good to go to these depths. Kevin Correia of San Francisco (10/1 at BetUS) is on the disabled list with a left oblique strain and could be out a month. Ted Lilly (15/1 at BetUS) but in a great outing for the Cubs just recently, and his team is going to win enough games, even if by accident, to keep him out of contention. Certainly the same goes for Mike Mussina (25/1 at BetUS) who is now over the .500-mark and has allowed just five runs in his last 18 innings. Brett Tomko (8/1 at BetUS) could wind up losing a lot of games, but my feeling is that he'd be released by Kansas City first in favor of a younger arm.

Of the guys that are remaining after that process of elimination, here are my comments:

Steve Trachsel of Baltimore (16/1 at BetUS) is one of those guys where I didn't even realize he was still in the league until I saw him on this list. He's actually earned the "honors" before; leading the National League in losses in 1999, so you can't absolutely count him out, but my feeling is that the Orioles would get rid of him before he could do too much damage. Gil Meche (25/1 at BetUS) is a guy who will not be abandoned by the Royals, not after signing that big free agent contract before last season. If Kansas City goes into a swoon, he'll be around to take a pounding.

But the guys I "like" the best here are JASON JENNINGS (9/1 at BetUS), who has let quite a few runs cross the plate on him (8.56 ERA) and has gotten little offensive support (2.67 runs per game), but should be able to stick around the whole season with the Rangers because frankly, they really don't have very much in the way of starting pitchers; and MATT CHICO (8/1 at BetUS), who has failed to get through the fifth inning in any of his last three starts. Chico has a 6.87 ERA and lost each of his first five decisions. Until "erupting" for nine runs in his last start against Pittsburgh, Chico's Washington teammates had scored nine runs in his last five starts. The Nationals are averaging less than four runs per contest and have not been able to take advantage of the new, hitter-friendly Nationals Park. But opponents sure have. This team will lose a lot of games; struggle to score runs, and leave Chico out there, more often than not, to take a pounding. Washington is in the same boat as Texas in that its is starved for starting pitching, so they've got little choice but to go with Chico at this point.

Go to the BetUS sportsbook today and take a swing at Major League Baseball online betting. We have the most current baseball odds and lines, as well as player, game and series props throughout the MLB baseball season. To help you bet on sports, check out the Free Picks section of the Locker Room for sports betting free picks and predictions. Join BetUS to experience the best in online sports betting action!

(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com touches all the bases as a regular contributor to the BetUS Locker Room)