Also-eligibles approved for Preakness

Horseracing Betting Lines

12/20/2011 - Laurel, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - On the heels of also-eligibles being approved for the Kentucky Derby, the second jewel of thoroughbred racing's Triple Crown will also allow substitutes.

Beginning with the 2012 edition, the Preakness Stakes will permit two horses to be designated as also-eligibles. Churchill Downs announced last week that the Kentucky Derby will have four also-eligibles.

"It is very similar to what Churchill is doing for the Derby," said Maryland Jockey Club racing secretary Georganne Hale. "It enables us to still run a full field of 14 if there is a late scratch by 9 a.m. Friday morning. We have set the deadline because on that afternoon advanced wagering starts on the Preakness."

At its month meeting Tuesday at Laurel Park, the Maryland Racing Commission approved 146 days of racing in 2012 for Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course. The approval came after last week's agreement by the Maryland Jockey Club and Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association on the dates.

"We are very pleased to be racing next year," said Maryland Jockey Club president Tom Chuckas. "I would like to personally thank Governor O'Malley, his chief legislative officer Joe Bryce and the Maryland Racing Commission, especially John McDaniel, for mediating the process. This agreement provides a foundation for continuing efforts to create a long-term solution to Maryland racing."

Laurel Park will have a winter and fall meet in 2012 and Pimlico, home of the Preakness, will conduct a spring meeting. The Laurel Park winter race meet will begin on Wednesday, January 4 through Saturday, March 24.

The 137th Preakness Stakes will be held on Saturday, May 19.

Ww5dimes Horseracing Betting News

<< Stephen F. Austin sets challenging 2012 schedule
Nacogdoches, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Stephen F. Austin football will face a particularly difficult stretch during its 2012 schedule, announced by the Southland Conference university on Tuesday. The Lumberjacks, who won their final five games t

<< Trezeguet to join River Plate
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - France striker David Trezeguet, who won both the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 for his country, will join Argentine side River Plate in January, according to the relegated giants. The 34-year-old Tre

<< Devils' Elias to miss Tuesday's game
Newark, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Jersey Devils center Patrik Elias will miss Tuesday's game against the New York Rangers because of an illness. Elias, who became the franchise's all-time leading goal scorer on Saturday, missed practice

<< Darryl Sutter to debut as Kings coach
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darryl Sutter was officially named head coach of the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday. Sutter, who has taken an NHL team to the playoffs in 10 of 11 seasons as a head coach, will take over beginning wit

<< FCS title game sold out
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2011 FCS championship game is sold out, according to the NCAA's website. Pizza Hut Park holds 20,086 for football, and drew 13,027 for last year's match-up between Eastern Washington and Delaware. North D

Rays re-sign veteran reliever Peralta >>
St. Petersburg, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays have avoided arbitration with Joel Peralta, signing the pitcher to a one-year contract. The 35-year-old right-hander went 3-4 with six saves and a 2.93 earned run average

Ohio State banned from postseason in 2012 >>
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ohio State received a one-year postseason ban among the sanctions handed down Tuesday by the NCAA for a memorabilia scandal that cost Jim Tressel his job as head football coach. The postseason ban means the Bu

Afflalo re-ups with Nuggets >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets have re-signed guard Arron Afflalo to a multi-year contract. The Denver Post reported the 26-year-old agreed to a five-year, $43 million deal. "Arron is a tremendous young player w

Liverpool's Suarez suspended eight games >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool's Luis Suarez was suspended eight matches and fined $62,000 on Tuesday by the English FA, which found him guilty of making racists comments toward Manchester United's Patrice Evra. The FA found Su

Diego Simeone steps down as Racing coach >>
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Argentina international Diego Simeone has stepped down as coach of Racing, which finished second in the recently completed Apertura season. Simeone, 41, played 106 times for Argentina

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.