10/22/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 25th renewal of the Breeders' Cup will break new ground on three accounts. First, traditional dirt has been replaced by a synthetic surface called Pro-Ride at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita. Second, the two-day event will be broken down to five female races on Friday, with the males taking center stage with nine events on Saturday, and third, three new races will be run for the first time - the Juveniles Fillies Turf, the Marathon and the Turf Sprint.
The centerpiece of Saturday's action is the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic highlighted by Curlin, the richest thoroughbred in racing history, and Duke of Marmalade, winner of five Group 1 races this year in Europe. Big Brown would have been one of the favorites, but the Kentucky Derby champion injured his right front foot in a workout earlier this month and has been retired.
Last year's Breeders' Cup at Monmouth Park was dominated by the weather, as rain bombarded the Northeast all weekend long. This year looks to be much brighter, as the temperatures will be in the mid-80s with zero rain in the forecast. Of course, the synthetic track surface makes this a moot point, but at least the turf will be firm.
FILLY & MARE SPRINT
The first of five Friday races is the second running of the Filly & Mare Sprint. Last year, the two favorites, Dream Rush and La Traviata, cooked each other early, paving the way for Maryfield to come off the pace to win by a half-length at 8-1.
This year, speed will once again be a factor, as no less than five fillies are capable of running the first four furlongs in under 45 seconds. In addition, the expected heavy favorite, Indian Blessing, who should be sitting right off the lead, could get run down in the final furlong if John Velazquez moves into the expected hot pace too early.
With that in mind, the best way to attack this race is to find a closer to pick up all the pieces, preferably a filly that has already proven to handle the track. That horse is Tiz Elemental. The Carla Gaines-trained four-year-old is three for seven (with three seconds) on synthetics, including a win in the Las Flores Handicap back in April.
The choice to round out the exacta is Intangaroo, a big-time closer and a three-time grade one winner in 2008. She has three wins in five starts at the distance, including the Ballerina at Saratoga, a race Maryfield won last year prior to taking the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.
A long shot to keep an eye on is Tizzy's Tune. Despite going off at 20-1, she was able to win the Pine Tree Lane from off the pace, and a repeat effort could bring her right back to the winner's circle at a huge price.
JUVENILE FILLIES TURF
The inaugural running of the two-year-old fillies on the weeds is perhaps the weakest of the 14 events. The favorite should be Laragh, coming off an impressive victory in the Jessamine at Keeneland, a race in which she loped along un-pressured on the lead. With a serious lack of early speed in this race, the same scenario could take place once again.
However, it might be a tough turnaround returning from a 14-day respite though don't forget, she was 11-1 in the Jessamine.
The pick here, though, is Consequence. The regally-bred daughter of El Prado dominated maidens in her first outing at Saratoga, and then came up just short in her first route race in the Miss Grillo. Going off as the 6-5 favorite, she closed like gangbusters through the stretch to lose by only a half-length despite the yielding turf course.
The second choice is Saucey Evening. The two-year-old is coming into the race off a win in the Cal Cup Juvenile Fillies on the Pro-Ride surface in a faster time than the Juvenile colts ran the same day and she also won her only start on the turf.
JUVENILE FILLIES
Can anyone stop Stardom Bound? The daughter of Tapit has looked unbeatable in her last two races coming from out of the clouds to win the Oak Leaf and Del Mar Debutante. On the other hand, how many times can she get away with breaking slow and sweeping the field through the stretch?
The probable second choice will be Sky Diva. The Steve Klesaris-trained filly is undefeated with a pair of victories, but New York-based horses will be at a major disadvantage moving from dirt to synthetics.
The choice here is C.S. Silk. Dale Romans brings her over to Santa Anita after dismantling an 11-horse field in the Arlington Washington Lassie by six lengths. She was pressured on the lead through splits of 22 1/5, 45 2/5 and six furlongs in 1:10 1/5, and was still able to earn an 84 Beyer number.
The second choice is the Irish-bred, Pursuit of Glory. The daughter of Fusaichi Pegasus, who has already won on artificial dirt in Ireland, came back to finish third in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes in her next start in Great Britain, and appears to be up for the challenge.
The long shot pick is Black Magic Mama, who ran a deceptively strong race in the Oak Leaf while finishing fourth.
FILLY & MARE TURF
This event is the deepest of the five scheduled for Friday, as a case can be made for not just three or four challengers but almost every single member of the field.
The favorite should be Wait a While, the five-year-old mare who is undefeated on the Santa Anita turf. In addition, she has won three of four starts at the distance.
However, the top choice in this one is a three-year-old that will be at least 15-1, especially after drawing post 10. Pure Clan has won four of her five lifetime starts on the grass, including a win at the distance, and her only defeat came on a yielding course at Belmont Park.
Play Pure Clan to win, as well as on top and underneath of Wait a While.
LADIES CLASSIC (FORMERLY THE DISTAFF)
Zenyatta is the class of the field and should go off as the heaviest favorite of the day. She is undefeated with eight consecutive victories, including a win over the track in the Lady's Secret. Nevertheless, she has raced nine furlongs in just one of those eight starts, and the effort she put forth that afternoon in the Vanity Handicap was the least effective race of her career.
The pick in this one is Cocoa Beach. The Chilean-bred has won four straight against the girls with a huge win in the Beldame over last year's Distaff winner, Ginger Punch. Cocoa Beach has already taken to the Pro-Ride surface with a blistering five-furlong work over the track last weekend and could get the jump on Zenyatta as the field hits the stretch.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL TOP PLAYS
Although the Breeders' Cup takes center stage this weekend with Saturday's selections being released this coming Friday afternoon, week nine of the college football season cannot be forgotten. The two key selections for this week are San Jose State and Arkansas as both teams are getting points at home from Boise State and Ole Miss, respectively.
The secondary picks are SMU, Tennessee, Arizona, and Kentucky.
<< Bears place Bowman on injured reserve
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<< Sens continue homestand versus Panthers
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battle at the Prudential Center.
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Eagles G Andrews undergoes back surgery, out at least six weeks >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Philadelphia Eagles right guard Shawn
Andrews will miss a minimum of six weeks and possibly the rest of the season
after undergoing back surgery, the team announced Wednesday.
The two-time Pro Bow
Pujols named Sporting News Player of the Year >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert
Pujols was named the Sporting News' Player of the Year, as selected by a panel
of 314 major league players.
Pujols batted .357 with 37 home runs and 116 runs b
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Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan vice president Adriano Galliani has
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Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool striker Fernando Torres is
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Huskers' Lucky hospitalized for undisclosed reason
LINCOLN, Neb. -- Nebraska running back Marlon Lucky was hospitalized Monday for undisclosed reasons after Lincoln police responded to a call at his residence.
The Nebraska athletic department said in a release Monday that Lucky was admitted Sunday night.
MySportsbook.com has the Cornhuskers listed at +2500 to win the BCS National Championship odds.
A nursing supervisor at the hospital said all questions about Lucky were being referred to the athletic department. The athletic department said there would be no further comment from the department or Lucky's family.
A Lincoln Police spokesman said officers responded to a call at Lucky's residence 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The spokesman said he didn't know Lucky's condition at the time he was taken to the hospital.
Lucky, from North Hollywood, Calif., started six games last season as a sophomore and was the team's second-leading rusher, with 728 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 383 yards. He averaged 19.1 yards on eight kickoff returns.
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Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)
"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."
Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins
There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.
Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins
Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.
USC Trojans - 10.5 wins
A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.
Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy
Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.
"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."
Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1
The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.
Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1
If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.
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