Anybody's choice in 142nd Belmont Stakes

Horseracing Betting Lines

06/03/2010 - Elmont, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pick the horses out of a hat for Saturday's running of the $1 million Belmont Stakes. Any of the 12 horses has a good chance of winning the third jewel of racing's Triple Crown.

The two second-place horses from the first two legs of the series are the lukewarm favorites with the Dwyer Stakes winner the third choice. Ice Box is 3-1 in the program, First Dude is 7-2 and Fly Down is 9-2. None of the other nine entrants are less than 10-1 in the morning-line.

Ice Box and Fly Down are trained by two-time Belmont winner Nick Zito. Uptowncharlybrown, 10-1, is trained by Kiaran McLaughlin who had Jazil win the 2006 Belmont. Bob Baffert, who sends out Game On Dude, won the 2001 Belmont with favorite Point Given and Todd Pletcher, who trains Interactif, won the 2007 running with the filly Rags to Riches.

"Obviously (with favorites), there's more pressure, anxiety, on the other hand, if they run well, you have to be content," said Zito. "I always like to steal Billy Turner's line, 'It's pressure when you don't have Seattle Slew."

Post position should have no bearing on the outcome of the race. Belmont Park is the largest track in the country and all the jockeys are veteran riders. Alan Garcia, a young up and coming reinsman, won the race two years ago aboard Da' Tara.

Garcia and John Velazquez are the only two riders in the race to have won the Test of Champions. Velazquez won aboard Rags to Riches.

Ice Box won the Florida Derby, went off at better than 11-1 in the Run for the Roses and finished a fast closing second to Super Saver. His stablemate Fly Down was ninth in the Louisiana Derby and had a five week break before winning the Dwyer.

First Dude likes to be near the lead. He was fifth in the Florida Derby, third in the Blue Grass Stakes to Stately Victor and got second in the Preakness after being on the lead.

"He's a big, strong, long-striding colt, and this track should suit him," said trainer Dale Romans about First Dude.

Along with Uptowncharlybrown the other 10-1 horses in the race are Make Music for Me and Game On Dude. Uptowncharlybrown raced at Tampa Bay Downs this winter where he won the Pasco Stakes, was third in the Sam F. Davis and fifth in the Tampa Bay Derby. he was third in the Lexington behind recent winner Exhi.

"He's been doing great since we got him, and I am excited about our chances," said McLaughlin who succeeds the late Alan Seewald as Uptowncharlybrown's trainer. "I'm looking forward to running him."

Make Music for Me is trained by Alexis Barba, who can become the first female trainer to win the Belmont. The colt was fourth in the Kentucky Derby after being sixth in the Blue Grass.

Game On Dude is coming off a win in the Lone Star Derby in Texas. Earlier he was seventh in the Florida Derby and fifth in the Derby Trial.

"I am looking forward to seeing what he will do going a distance of ground," said Baffert. "That's the key to the Belmont -- having a horse who can go that far."

None of the horses in the race may ever run 1 1/2-miles again.

Veteran trainer Bill Mott is going after his first Belmont Stakes victory. He trains Drosselmeyer for WinStar Farm, the owner of Kentucky Derby champ Super Saver. Drosselmeyer was fourth in the Risen Star Stakes as the 2-1 favorite, came back to be third in the Louisiana Derby and was second in the Dwyer as the 7-10 favorite.

"I think he's in there with a chance," said Mott about his horse who is 12-1.

Also at 12-1 in the program is Interactif. As a two-year-old he did very well on the turf, winning two stakes and finishing third in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. Earlier this year he was second in the San Felipe Stakes and fourth in the Blue Grass.

Blue Grass Stakes winner Stately Victor is 15-1 in the morning-line. Trained by Mike Maker, the chestnut colt was eighth in the Run for the Roses.

Dave in Dixie and Stay Put are both 20-1 in the program and Spangles Star brings up the rear at 30-1.

Close your eyes and pick a winner. I like Make Music for Me to be part of the exacta. Throw in any of the other horses and you got yourself a winning ticket.

Wwwsportspage Horseracing Betting News

<< In the FCS Huddle: Top 10 FCS Receivers
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The dry erase board hanging in Tysson Poots' apartment lists his receptions, receiving yards and touchdown receptions during his first three seasons as a wide receiver at Southern Utah: - Freshman: 29, 433

<< Oakland P Anderson leaves game
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Oakland Athletics starter Brett Anderson left Thursday's game against the Red Sox with an undisclosed injury. Anderson had allowed two runs and five hits in two full innings before leaving. Vin Mazzaro took ove

<< Selig will not reverse umpire's blown call
NEW YORK (AP) -Bud Selig won't reverse an umpire's admitted blown call that cost Armando Galarraga a perfect game.Selig says Major League Baseball will look at expanded replay and umpiring, but not the botched call Wednesday night.Umpire Jim Joyce s

<< Chicago's Asllani named WPS Player of Week
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chicago Red Stars forward Kosovare Asllani was named Women's Professional Soccer Player of the Week for Week 7. Asllani lifted the Red Stars to their second win this season,1-0 over first- place FC Gold

<< Elmore joins USA Basketball Board
Colorado Springs, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Len Elmore, the chief executive officer of iHoops, has been appointed by the NCAA to the USA Basketball Board of Directors. Elmore replaces Kevin Weiberg, who was recently named the deputy com

Chris Wood takes Wales Open lead >>
Newport, Wales (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England's Chris Wood shot a six-under 65 to take the first-round lead Thursday at the Wales Open. Wood collected six birdies in a bogey-free round on the Celtic Manor course to finish with a one-shot lead

Warfield retires from Browns front office >>
Berea, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Paul Warfield has retired as the senior advisor to the Cleveland Browns general manager, a position he had held since 2004. The Browns selected Warfield in the first round of the 1964 draft and he spen

Golf Tidbits: American women struggling >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - To quote The Guess Who, "American woman gonna mess your mind." The LPGA Tour is one-third of the way through its season, and there has only been one American winner, with that lone victory coming in an uno

MLB decides against overturning Joyce's call >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Baseball has decided not to overturn the call umpire Jim Joyce made Wednesday to take a perfect game away from Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga. Galarraga retired the first 26 batters in

Benitez leaves Liverpool >>
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool has confirmed that manager Rafael Benitez will leave the club by mutual consent following a disappointing seventh-place Premier League finish last season. The club lost 11 league games

Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards