Preakness Stakes is Big Brown's to lose

Horseracing Betting Lines

05/14/2008 - Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Coming out of the Kentucky Derby, it appeared that this year's Preakness Stakes could be a walk-over for Big Brown. He proved that post position is no deterent to him when he easily went from post 20 in the Run for the Roses to the winner's circle at Churchill Downs.

Big Brown has won his four career starts by almost 34 lengths, the Kentucky Derby win was by the smallest margin of 4 3/4 lengths. While speed is the name of his game, the colt showed in the Run for the Roses that he doesn't need the lead early to win the race.

"If we draw the outside, it would make me very happy, but we don't have a choice, so we're going to take what comes," said trainer Rick Dutrow, Jr. "I'm pretty confident things are going to be okay with him come Saturday."

The Preakness has special meaning for Maryland-native Dutrow. His father Dick was one of the top trainers in Maryland in the 1960's and 70's.

"Every time Preakness would roll around, dad would win a race on Preakness day," said Dutrow. "Naturally I would love to win a race like that. It's where I grew up. Most of the traits of the game are right there at Pimlico, Bowie, Laurel. I'm going to see a lot of my friends. I can't wait to get there."

A total of 12 three-year-olds will challenge Big Brown in the middle jewel of racing's Triple Crown. Several are speed horses, including Arkansas Derby champ Gayego.

The lone local winner is Icabad Crane who captured the Federico Tesio Stakes here in April. The winner of the Tesio normally gets extra support from the local horseplayers.

Icabad Crane has three wins in four lifetime starts. He likes to come from off the pace and will have Jeremy Rose in the irons. Rose was the winning jockey three years ago when Afleet Alex won the Preakness after nearly crashing to track coming into the stretch.

Gayego will be the only Kentucky Derby starter to run in the Preakness. It will be the sixth time since 1918, and the first since 1980, that just two Kentucky Derby runners will start in the Preakness Stakes.

Several of the starters are coming out of winning efforts in their last race. Behindatthebar captured the Lexington Stakes, Hey Byrn won the Holy Bull Stakes at the Preakness distance and Macho Again took the Derby Trial.

Racecar Rhapsody was fourth in both the Lexington and Lane's End Stakes. his only two starts this year.

"He's going to run his race," trainer Ken McPeek said. "We've just got to hope that Big Brown has got a hole in him someplace. We're coming with a horse that is ready. That's the biggest thing we can do."

Yankee Bravo finished third in the Louisiana Derby before a fourth place finish in the Santa Anita Derby.

Tres Borrachos is coming out of a third place finish behind Gayego in the Arkansas Derby.

"My thought coming into the Preakness is that he should like the tight turns and the sharp track. He's improved in every race," said trainer Beau Greely. "He ran a nice race in the Arkansas Derby. I liked the way he hung in there. His back form is good."

Giant Moon was fourth in the Wood Memorial, beaten two lengths by Tale of Ekati.

"The six weeks between the Wood and now I think will be good for him," observed trainer Richard Schosberg. "He's got to step it up. It's a whole different league of horses, but he represented himself well in the Wood."

Riley Tucker is coming out of a third place finish in the Lexington to Behindatthebar. He was second in the Transylania Stakes.

Stevil was fourth in his last effort in the Blue Grass Stakes. It was a tough trip for the colt trained by Nick Zito. Still, Stevil was beaten by just 2 1/2 lengths in the Blue Grass.

Kentucky Bear was also in the Blue Grass where was third behind Monba and Cowboy Cal.

"I think he's at the top of his game," said jockey Jamie Theriot. "In the Blue Grass I think it was just a lack of experience coming down the lane with the crowd and everything. He kind of hung on that left lead. I think now he's mentally ready for this kind of race."

To make money in this year's Preakness Stakes trifecta wagers appear to be the way to go. Box Big Brown, Gayego, Icabad Crane, Hey Byrn, Yankee Bravo and Macho Again.

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Betting the NFL preseason

Rule No. 1 in the gamblers' handbook states, "Avoid sports betting on meaningless games."

When you're drowning in a sea of baseball monotony, however, things change. Even a hint of pro football betting can persuade the most disciplined bettor to break a few rules. 

The NFL preseason is around the corner, with a tempting Hall of Fame match kicking off on Sunday. But bettors must stay vigilant. Wagering on NFL exhibition games is an entirely different beast than the regular season. Most fans don't recognize the players on the field because starters get as much action in August as Warcraft fans get on Prom night.

The only certainty about the NFL this time of year is uncertainty – and yet there are some who say betting in August can be a gold mine.

“I actually feel the NFL preseason presents solid profit opportunities for sharp bettors and handicappers,” Sports Expert Steve Merril explains. “My experience has been that the sportsbooks fear the preseason, which is evident by lower limits and massive moves.”

The line moves are attributed to the limited knowledge available regarding playing-time distribution. One team’s top unit out on the field for one more series has an impact on the pointspread. Setting lines in the preseason often is a shot in the dark.

“We base the betting lines mostly on public perception,” Pete Korner, founder of the Sports Club in Las Vegas, says. “It’s very tough to predict, almost a guessing game.”

The preseason is all about figuring out who’s in and for how long.

“It becomes a race between bettors and oddsmakers to find out how long the quarterbacks are going to stay in,” Korner admits. “If a sharp gets the information first, he could exploit an early line. I’m a full believer in moving the line in the preseason if the books find out something late in the week.”

Determining what each team’s motive is can help bettors handicap. To do this you must pay close attention to the philosophies head coaches employ in exhibition play.

“You need to know what a coach is trying to accomplish,” says Covers Expert Bryan Leonard. “Sometimes a new coach will want to instill a winning attitude. Others just want to make sure their starters don’t get hurt."

So how do you distinguish who’s playing scared and who’s playing for keeps?

“Head coaches on the hot seat or new coaches trying to implement a winning attitude usually try harder to win in the preseason,” Merril says.

Cleveland Browns head coach Romeo Crennel fits this criteria. He’s entering his third season as the sideline boss and has yet to lead the Browns to more than six wins.

Cleveland is an enticing bet as well because of the unresolved quarterback situation. General manager Phil Savage sacrificed the Browns’ first-round pick in next year’s draft for Brady Quinn, but the former Notre Dame quarterback hasn’t signed or reported to training camp yet.

Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson split time at QB last season and it looks like either player (or even Quinn) could be the opening-day starter.

“If a team has quarterback depth and the pecking order hasn’t been decided, it’s a big advantage,” Leonard says.

Even in the third week of the preseason when starters generally play the most, the final outcome of the game is in the hands of fringe players. A team's talent, all the way down to the last man on the roster, is something to consider.

The New England Patriots have long been considered one of the deeper teams in the NFL and coach Bill Belichick has said in the past he’s unafraid of stars getting hurt in games with nothing on the line. He shocked his colleagues in 2003 by playing some of his starters on special teams in the preseason.

“We want to have the team ready to play a tough, physical game and preparation has to go into that and I imagine a certain amount of injuries go with it,” Belichick told the Providence Journal in August 2003.

Bettors can only hope to find more teams that share the Pats' business-like approach to the preseason (New England is 17-9-3 against the spread since 2000) and take advantage of teams who detest the exhibition schedule.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.