09/02/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Curlin will become the first repeat Horse of the Year since Cigar in 1995 and 1996. The four-year-old colt has proven himself incapable of turning in a poor performance.
In last Saturday's Woodward Stakes he methodically ran down the pacesetters in the 1 1/8 mile race and had jockey Robby Albarado keeping him focused down the stretch.
"There was a little concern going into the first turn with the traffic," noted trainer Steve Asmussen. "He got bumped around a little bit. But you could tell halfway down the backside that Robby was very comfortable with where he was at. And Robby went to him when he needed to and it looked like Curlin came back with something left."
Asmussen gets all the credit he deserves in preparing Curlin for a return to the main track after a near miss on the turf in the Man o'War Stakes. The colt hasn't lost on dirt since finishing third in last year's Haskell Invitational.
"The mystique of Saratoga, winning a Grade 1 here, the Graveyard of Champions, all of that works into your head leading up to this," Asmussen said following the Woodward effort. "But he came through like Curlin does and we're extremely proud of him. Curlin is meant for the big moment. He takes it all in stride."
The one negative aspect of Curlin's current season is the possibility of him not defending his title in the Breeders' Cup Classic. Because the World Thoroughbred Championships will contested on the synthetic track at Santa Anita, Curlin's connections are purportedly planning to avoid the 1 1/4 mile race.
"The perfect scenario would be to run in the best races," said co-owner Jess Jackson, "the Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Breeders' Cup, then go overseas to the Japan Cup. But that will be hard to press into a four-week schedule. We'll wait and see. He loves Belmont and now I think he loves Saratoga."
Asmussen has stated that Curlin will remain at his Saratoga barn for the time being and breeze there early next week. The Jockey Club Gold Cup is Saturday, September 27, four weeks after the Woodward.
"He'll train back here right now," Asmussen said from Saratoga. "I spoke with Mr. Jackson and we really like the circumstances for him right now. We talked last night. We're very pleased with how he cooled out. We'll let him go back to the track in a couple of days, kind of enjoy what happened and admire him for a little bit and then try to make a decision on where he's at and what's best for him."
Curlin could stop competing right now and still claim Horse of the Year quite easily. His people want him to conclude his illustrious career as the all-time money earner over Cigar.
Cigar totaled $9,999,815 when retired. With the Woodward victory Curlin went by Skip Away on the career list and now has more than $9.7 million. The $450,000 winner's check from the Jockey Club Gold Cup would put Curlin above $10 million in lifetime winnings.
This is the final year of Curlin's Hall of Fame career. It is obvious he will go out a champion and spend a comfortable life on the farm making little Curlins.
<< Sun Belt Conference News and Notes
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
ARKANSAS STATE: The Red Wolves made the biggest headlines for the SBC this
past week, as they marched into College Station and upended Big 12 power Texas
A&M by an 18-14 score. ASU amassed an impressive 2
<< Conference USA News and Notes
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
EAST DIVISION:
EAST CAROLINA - The Pirates pulled off the season's first big upset, as they
knocked off ACC power and then 17th-ranked Virginia Tech 27-22 on Saturday.
T.J. Lee's blocked punt and subseq
<< Independents News and Notes
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
ARMY: The second season under coach Stan Brock didn't get off to a much
better start than the first, as the Black Knights fell at home to Temple,
35-7. The loss was Army's seventh straight, dating back to las
<< Broncos deal CB Foxworth to Falcons
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos traded cornerback
Domonique Foxworth to the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday in exchange for an
undisclosed pick in the 2009 draft.
Foxworth, a third-round draft choice in 2005
Singh up to third in World Rankings >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vijay Singh won his second FedEx Cup
Playoff event on Monday when he took the Deutsche Bank Championship, and in
the process moved up to third in this week's Official World Golf Rankings.
Singh,
Pac-10 Conference News and Notes >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
ARIZONA: The Wildcats had to wait out a lightning storm before opening their
season, but once they took the field they did not waste any time dismantling
the Idaho Vandals. Arizona set a school record with 49
Mountain West Conference News and Notes >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
AIR FORCE: The Falcons began their 2008 campaign on Saturday with a resounding
41-7 win over Southern Utah at home, scoring at least seven points in every
quarter and beginning with a safety midway through th
Western Athletic Conference News and Notes >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) -
BOISE STATE: The Broncos won a battle for Gen State bragging rights, to a
degree, on Saturday with a 49-7 victory against Idaho State at home. Boise
State scored at least a touchdown in every quarter and roll
While the NFL is the sport wagered on the heaviest, college football betting lines has become more and more popular as people realize it’s a game that can be beat. The NCAA football season gets longer each year with the addition of numerous bowl games and with that comes more opportunities for more money in your pocket, if handled correctly.
Betting on college football is not the same as with the NFL, so make sure you separate the two. Because of the vast number of teams, the parity between college football programs is slight and thus, you are going to see some high numbers in the NCAA. Teams favored by more than 40 points are not uncommon especially early in the season when teams playing their non-conference schedules.
The best advice when trying to tackle these enormous spreads and is to just stay away. A team that is favored by 40 points is favored by that many for a reason while teams getting 40 points are bad enough that they shouldn’t be touched. Set yourself a spread limit. Getting rid of these games will cut down on the number of contests that you need to handicap while staying away from backdoor or front-door covers.
What is a backdoor and front-door cover you ask? A backdoor cover is a team that is getting beat by more than the spread, but scores late to get within that number thus covering the spread. A front-door cover is just the opposite where the favorite scores late and covers the number they are favored by.
These front-door and backdoor covers are common when second and third string players enter games in college football and it can be the worst nightmare for some bettors. These players can also be your best friend, but ask any bettor and he will give you more instances on losing in this situation than winning. It just seems to work out that way even though everything evens out in the end.
College football betting has some of the softest lines of any sport and it’s being able to find these lines that will make you a successful college football handicapper. The NFL and NBA have the tightest lines around and while those sports can be beat by looking at situations and systems, college football doesn’t quite work that way. It’s much more manual, but when done correctly, it’s much more gratifying as well.
Getting into the nuts and bolts of college football means looking at the many stats in order to beat the number. As opposed to pro football, college football is less dependent on situations and angles and more on certain statistics. Rushing offense and defense, pass efficiency offense and defense and turnover margins are huge. These are vital in the NFL, but even more so when it comes to college football.
Being able to run the ball in college football has always been a key factor in the overall success of a team. The same adage also goes for teams who have the ability to stop the run. Putting these two factors together can produce some positive results in a team’s record both straight up and against the spread. These numbers show huge differences in teams and the spread may not take those into effect, which is where the value comes into play.
Passing yardage numbers both for and against can be a misinterpreted statistic. However, pass efficiency has always been one of the best ways to look at a teams’ passing game ability both offensively and defensively. But is it really a true indication of how they perform? I wouldn’t say so since they are raw passing numbers with nothing else taken into consideration.
I use pass efficiency ratings when doing my handicapping but I adjust my numbers based on a number of factors including power ratings, strength of schedules, personnel and injuries. This gives a much better picture of a team’s ability to pass effectively and also being able to defend the pass. Tweaking pass efficiency stats instead of raw passing yards is the key.
Turnovers are the single most frustrating, and at times the most gratifying, aspect of a college football lines, mostly because they are so unpredictable. They are part of the game and most of the time nothing can be done to control them. However, turnovers are contagious and they can carry over from game to game and season to season.
It’s important to know how to forecast these unforeseen events and how to use them to your advantage. You can find ways to give yourself an edge by looking at past histories of teams and coaches and how they have fared in turnover wars in the past. Instead of turnovers hurting you at the wrong times, find ways to use them to your advantage.
As you can see, college football handicapping is very labor intensive and isn’t just based on where teams are ranked in the AP and coaches polls. Experience, coaching and match-ups are all important since unlike the NFL, college teams turn over much more often with new personnel at most positions every single year. Keeping current on this information is vital.
Betting NCAA football can be lucrative if done correctly, but more importantly, it’s just plain enjoyable because it can be beat. College football is one of the best sports to watch with some of the best rivalries taking place in all of sports. The only downfall is that a championship isn’t decided on the field but on a computer-based system that is the Bowl Championship Series. That will change someday and we will all be better off for it.
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your NCAA college football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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