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01/29/2012 - Hallandale Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Algorithms, ridden by Javier Castellano, overtook a tiring Hansen down the stretch to capture Sunday's $400,000 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The 5-2 second choice covered the mile in 1:36.17 over a sloppy track.
Hansen, the 2011 champion two-year-old colt, stumbled at the start under jockey Ramon Dominguez but was rushed up to quickly take the lead. Algorithms was dueling with 12-1 longshot Silver Max for second followed by Fort Loudon, 3-1 third pick Consortium and My Adonis.
Hansen had the lead into the far turn with Silver Max second and Algorithms three wide in third. Entering the stretch the 9-10 favorite began to weaken as Algorithms cut into the lead.
Trained by Todd Pletcher, Algorithms easily went past Hansen and registered a five-length win over the 2011 Breeders' Cup Juvenile champ. My Adonis, a 22-1 longshot, rallied to finish third followed by Fort Loudon, Silver Max and Consortium.
Owned by Starlight Stable, Algorithms used the Holy Bull as both his season and stakes debut. The victory was worth $240,000 to bring the three-year-old colt's earnings to $301,500. It was his third win in as many starts.
"This race was going to tell us where we were with him, running against the two-year-old champion," said Pletcher. "Now he's done everything we've asked him to.
"He's by Bernardini and I don't think he'll have distance limitations. So we just have to sort things out from here."
Algorithms first raced last June at Belmont Park and posted a five-length win as the 7-10 favorite. His only other start was last month at Gulfstream when he registered a length victory over Holy Bull rival Consortium.
"I don't think two turns will be a problem for him," noted the winning jockey. "I rode his father Bernardini to win the Preakness and other big races and hopefully this horse can be like that. He's certainly in the right hands with Todd Pletcher."
Algorithms returned $7.00, $2.80 and $2.40. Hansen paid $2.40 and $2.10, and My Adonis paid $4.00 to show.
The favorite's trainer and rider were not completely displeased with the effort by the three-year-old.
"Ramon said pretty much after he stumbled he popped up and jumped right into the bit and was a little headstrong and fresh, but other than that it was a good effort and he galloped out strong," said Hansen's trainer Michael Maker. "We're pleased."
"He has a lot of speed and he might have been a little bit fresh today too which is why we went a little faster than I was looking for," Dominguez said. "He stumbled coming out of the gate and he picked himself up pretty quickly, but sometimes that scares a horse a little bit and they go a little fast. The stumble probably didn't help but it's not an excuse. I'm not happy that he didn't win but I'm not totally disappointed. When he got passed, he really dug in and he galloped out really well."
<< Ajaccio leaves it late to escape relegation zone
Valenciennes, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Christian Kinkela scored 3 minutes
into stoppage time as 10-man Ajaccio edged Valenciennes, 2-1, on Sunday at the
Stade du Hainaut to climb out of the relegation zone in France's Ligue 1.
Ajaccio w
<< No. 6 Kentucky downs Alabama
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Keyla Snowden had 14 points to lift No. 6
Kentucky to an 82-68 win over Alabama in an SEC battle.
A'dia Mathies scored 13 points and Bria Goss added 11 for the Wildcats
(20-2, 9-0), who have won n
<< Inter's winning run halted by Lecce
Lecce, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Inter Milan saw its seven-match winning streak
in Serie A come to an end on Sunday at Lecce as Guillermo Giacomazzi's 40th-
minute goal was enough to give the hosts a 1-0 win.
The goal arrived from a Mas
<< Banham leads Minnesota to upset of No. 9 Ohio State
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rachel Banham had 20 points as Minnesota
took down No. 9 Ohio State, 76-65, in Big Ten action.
Kiara Buford donated 15 points and seven assists for the Golden Gophers
(12-11, 4-5 Big Ten), who sna
Gaborik's hat trick gives Team Chara the win at NHL All Star Game >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Marian Gaborik notched a hat trick and an assist
as Team Chara exploded in the third period to take a 12-9 victory in the 2012
All Star Game from Scotiabank Place.
Jarome Iginla, Marian Hossa and Phil Kessel al
Heat hold off Bulls >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - LeBron James ended with 35 points and 11
rebounds, and the Miami Heat held off the Chicago Bulls, 97-93, in a rematch
of last season's Eastern Conference Finals.
Miami was up by eight with 2 1/2 minute
Allmendinger, Michael Shank Racing win Rolex 24 at Daytona >>
Daytona Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michael Shank Racing pulled off a
stunning win in Sunday's Rolex 24 at Daytona, with NASCAR driver A.J.
Allmendinger behind the wheel of the team's No.60 Ford-Riley during the final
stint.
Tennessee uses big second half to beat Georgia >>
Athens, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shekinna Stricklen had 24 points, seven rebounds
and two steals, as the seventh-ranked Tennessee Lady Vols used a big second
half to beat the 17th-ranked Georgia Lady Bulldogs, 67-50.
Ariel Massengale added
Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.
Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.
Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.
If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.
Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.
By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.
In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.
So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.
While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.
There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.
In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:
SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.
XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.
XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.
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The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
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