10/24/2008 - Arcadia, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maram, ridden by Jose Lezcano, held on for a nose victory over Heart Shaped in the first ever running of the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. The two-year-old filly covered the one- mile distance in 1:35.15 on the grass.
Winner of the Miss Grillo Stakes at Belmont Park, Maram made a late surge down the stretch to catch the front-running 5-2 favorite Laragh. Heart Shaped, with jockey John Murtagh, came charging down the lane to nearly catch Maram at wire.
Laragh finished third and Saucey Evening was fourth in the 12-filly field.
Maram is perfect in three starts for owners Karen Woods and Saud bin Khaled. Trained by 29-year-old Chad Brown, Maram earned $540,000 and has earnings of $663,120. All three starts have been on the turf.
Sent off at 11-1, Maram paid $24.20, $13.20 and $6.40. Heart Shaped returned $11.60 and $6.60, and Laragh paid $3.40 to show.
<< Ivanovic lands in Linz semis
Linz, Austria (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic was a
quarterfinal winner Friday at the $600,000 Generali Ladies Linz tennis event.
No. 7 Italian Flavia Pennetta was no match for the top-seeded Ivanovic,
falli
<< Blue Jays bring in Loewen
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays signed first
baseman/outfielder Adam Loewen to a minor league contract on Friday.
Loewen was formerly a pitcher, but after suffering through stress fractures
in his throw
<< Report: Several NFL players violate steroid policy
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saints running back Deuce McAllister and
defensive end Will Smith were reportedly two of a possible 10 players that
have violated the NFL's steroid policy.
Denver's Fox 31, citing an unnamed sourc
<< Rams RB Jackson game-time decision
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson
will be a game-time decision for Sunday's contest against the New England
Patriots.
"It will be a game day decision," said Rams head coach Jim Haslett. "He
Steelers deactivate WR Holmes, RB Parker doubtful >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes was
ruled inactive for Sunday's game against the New York Giants, a day after
Pittsburgh police discovered marijuana in his vehicle.
Holmes is expected to face
Arizona names Pennell interim men's hoops coach >>
Tucson, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona named Russ Pennell interim men's
basketball coach on Friday, officially tabbing the man who will replace, at
least for this season, legendary coach Lute Olson.
The 74-year-old Olson retired
Guardiola: Barcelona won't overlook Almeria >>
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola is cautious
entering Saturday's La Liga game, warning his club that Almeria is a "very good
team."
Barcelona has won eight straight games in all competitions, scoring 26 go
Stardom Bound grabs Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies >>
Arcadia, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stardom Bound, the 8-5 favorite, made a move on
the final turn and cruised to a 1 1/2-length win in the $2 million Juvenile
Fillies race at Santa Anita. Ridden by Mike Smith, the two-year-old filly
covered
The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.
Thursday, August 21
NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37
NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road
In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.
Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):
* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games
Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.
Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.
Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.
That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.
Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.
CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)
The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!
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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.
Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.
According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).
Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.
''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.
Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.
''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''
Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.
”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.
For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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