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01/17/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After all the discussions about who should be voted 2011 Horse of the Year, it turned out the decision was not a hard one.
Fox Hill Farms' Havre de Grace was named Horse of the Year in a runaway among the 248 electors. The Larry Jones trainee received 166 first-place votes, outdistancing Acclamation by 140 votes and total points 1,897 to 552. Coming in third was Cape Blanco with nine top votes and 315 points. Game on Dude picked up 10 first-place votes but was fourth in points with 292.
"Havre de Grace is an amazing filly. She had a fantastic year and she deserves the award," said Michael Vild, Senior Vice-President and General Counsel at Delaware Park. "I congratulate Rick Porter, Larry Jones and the rest of team Havre de Grace in achieving this honor. Her victory in the Obeah Stakes was spectacular and the Delaware Handicap was one of the most memorable in the history of the race."
Havre de Grace is primarily stabled at Delaware Park, near the Wilmington home of her owner Rick Porter. She is currently at Fair Grounds Racecourse with Jones.
"Her performance in the Delaware Handicap will be one I will never forget," said John Mooney, Executive Director of Racing at Delaware Park. "Havre de Grace and Blind Luck were the two best horses in racing and they showed why in the Delaware Handicap. I applaud her connections for her campaign and Horse of the Year honors. Obviously, all of racing is very much looking forward to seeing her this year."
Along with being Horse of the Year, Havre de Grace was a near unanimous selection as champion older female. She received 245 first-place votes, easily outdistancing arch rival Blind Luck who got two votes and Awesome Maria's one vote.
Havre de Grace became the third straight female thoroughbred to be named Horse of the Year, following Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta. The victory over males in the Woodward at Saratoga was the clinching win for Rick Porter's horse along with a dominating performance in the Beldame over champion filly Royal Delta.
Receiving some support from the voters was Rapid Redux the consecutive wins record holder. The gelding, who posted 21 straight victories through 2011, garnered four top votes and 52 points to finish 11th. He extended his unbeaten streak to 22 with a win earlier this month and was honored with the Special Eclipse Award.
<< Wilander hospitalized
Melbourne, Australia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former tennis great Mats Wilander
was admitted to a Melbourne hospital after falling at his apartment in
Melbourne late Saturday.
The 47-year-old Wilander is being treated for a lacerate
<< Phils sign Pineiro to minor league deal
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies signed right-
hander Joel Pineiro to a minor league deal which includes an invitation to
major league spring training on Tuesday.
The 33-year-old hurler appeared in 27 game
<< Doubai joins Sochaux on loan
Montbeliard, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sochaux confirmed Tuesday that Udinese
midfielder Thierry Doubai has joined the club for the remainder of the season
with an option to buy at the conclusion of the loan spell.
Doubai, 23, has featur
<< Maryland picks Stewart as new defensive coordinator
College Park, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maryland has named Brian Stewart as its
new defensive coordinator.
Stewart spent the past two seasons as defensive coordinator at the University
of Houston and has also been an assistant on the NF
Phils ink Hamels to $15 million deal >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Phillies have avoided
arbitration with left-hander Cole Hamels, signing him to a one-year deal worth
$15 million plus incentives.
Hamels was 14-9 last season and pitched to a care
Royals agree to terms with Maier >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals have agreed to terms
on a contract with outfielder Mitch Maier for the 2012 season, avoiding salary
arbitration.
Financial terms were not disclosed.
Maier is the longest-tenured
Blue Jays sign Villanueva, avoid arbitration >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Blue Jays have signed pitcher
Carlos Villanueva to a one-year contract worth $2.27 million, avoiding
arbitration.
In 33 games last season, his first with Toronto, Villanueva held a r
Brewers, K-Rod come to terms >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Milwaukee Brewers and right-handed
reliever Francisco Rodriguez have reportedly agreed on a one-year deal, thus
avoiding arbitration.
Unable to land a free agent deal to his liking, Rodriguez ac
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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In part two of MySportsbook.com’s draft preview, we’ll take a look at a division that was extremely disappointing last season: the NFC South. Many “experts” predicted the Panthers to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, of course they could not even make the playoffs in an extremely weak NFC. The Saints definitely made up for the disappointing seasons of their NFC South brethren by exploding out of no where en route to the NFC Championship game. For the avid NFL gambler, it is imperative to pay attention to the NFL draft. Although free agency gets a ton of publicity, the successful franchises build their teams around the draft.
1. New Orleans Saints
Who would have thought this time last year that the Saints would be the favorites to win the NFC South for the 2007 campaign? New Orleans is loaded with firepower on the offensive side of the ball but with the exodus of Joe Horn they will most likely look to draft a WR on Day 1. Despite having the NFL’s 3rd ranked pass defense last season, the Saints will most likely upgrade their CB’s with one of their first two picks. Other possibilities for the Saints will be TE and DT. Because of where they will be selecting (27th), the Saints could go the “best available player” route which could net a LB.
Key additions: Eric Johnson TE, Troy Evans LB, David Patten WR
Key loses: Joe Horn WR,
Team needs: CB, WR, TE, LB, DT
Possible draftees: Aaron Ross CB Texas, Darrelle Revis CB Pitt, Ted Ginn Jr. WR OSU, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Chris Houston CB Arkansas, Greg Olsen TE Miami
2. Carolina Panthers
Carolina was one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL last season. With the signing of David Carr, expect the very first quarterback controversy to come out of Carolina if Jake Delhomme doesn’t rebound quickly from an average 2007 season. With veteran safety Mike Minter getting up there in age, they will look to draft a safety on Day 1 but probably not in the first round. LB is another need with the loss of Chris Draft to go along with Dan Morgan’s concussion problems. If TE Greg Olsen is still on the board, he might be too good to pass up despite their needs on the defensive side of the ball.
Key additions: David Carr QB
Key loses: Chris Draft LB
Team needs: LB, TE, S, OT
Possible draftees: Greg Olsen TE Miami, Patrick Willis LB Ole Miss, Paul Posluszny LB PSU, Levi Brown OT PSU
3. Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons were another NFC South team to have a disappointing 2007 season. The Falcons have been plenty busy during the off season with plenty of players coming and going including a new head coach. The Falcons were able to improve their draft position with the trade of coveted backup QB Matt Schaub. High on the list of Day 1 needs will be a defensive end to replace Patrick Kerney and a hard hitting safety since Lawyer Milloy is nearing the end of his career. With an additional 2nd round pick, the Falcons could attempt to trade up to acquire local product WR Calvin Johnson.
Key additions: Joey Harrington QB, Toniu Fonoti OG, Joe Horn WR
Key loses: Justin Griffen RB, Patrick Kerney DE, Matt Lehr OG, Ashley Lelie WR, Matt Schaub QB
Team needs: DE, S, OT, WR, DT
Possible draftees: LaRon Landry S LSU, Amobi Okoye DT Louisville, Levi Brown OT PSU, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas, Alan Branch DT Michigan
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Age really caught up to the Bucs last season. The Bucs still have plenty of household names on defense in Ronde Barber, Simeon Rice and Derrick Brooks but the one thing those three have in common is unfortunately age. It is imperative for the Bucs to get much younger, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Despite having bigger needs on the defensive side of the ball, WR Calvin Johnson is the most likely pick if he is still available when the Bucs pick at the four spot. This would suit Bucs’ faithful just fine as Johnson is widely considered the top talent in the draft and it is a position of need for the Bucs.
Key additions: Jeff Garcia QB, Kevin Carter DE, Torrie Cox CB, Cato June LB
Key loses: Dewayne White DE, Sean Mahan OG
Team needs: WR, LB, DE, CB (Youth on defense!)
Possible draftees: Calvin Johnson WR Georgia Tech, Gains Adams DE Clemson, Jamaal Anderson DE Arkansas
It is never too early to start betting on the NFL. Log on to MySportsbook.com to checkout all of the NFL futures for the upcoming season. On the clock: the NFC North
Odds to win the NFC South:
New Orleans Saints 8-5
Carolina Panthers 2-1
Atlanta Falcons 12-5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9-2
Odds to win the NFC:
New Orleans Saints 13-2
Carolina Panthers 7-1
Atlanta Falcons 20-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25-1
Odds to win the Super Bowl:
New Orleans Saints 18-1
Carolina Panthers 20-1
Atlanta Falcons 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 75-1
To visit this sportsbook get to MySportsbook.com for all your online sportsbook needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.
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