Top two-year-old back in training
Horseracing Betting Lines
12/13/2011 - Hallandale Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Leading two-year-old Union Rags is being slowly brought back to training in time for the 2012 Triple Crown races. The colt, trained by Michael Matz. is back at Gulfstream Park to begin light workouts.
"We got on his back Saturday and just walked him for about a half hour. Starting on the 15th, he's going to be ridden every day," Matz said. "Then after the first of the year, we'll take him down to Palm Meadows to start some serious training."
Undefeated in his first three starts Union Rags, owned by breeder Phyllis Wyeth, lost by a head to Hansen in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs on November 5. Since that race he was sent to a farm in Wellington, FL for some rest and relaxation.
"He's got a terrific disposition. He's a real smart horse. I had him in the paddock where he's away from other horses," Matz explained. "He was a little restless in the paddock, so we put him in a paddock right by the side of where the horses go to train. He loved it. He watched them all go by, and he just loved it."
With more than $800,000 already banked, Union Rags is the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May. Matz is looking to use Gulfstream's three-year-old stakes series to prepare for the Run for the Roses.
"I would say the logical schedule would be the Fountain of Youth (Feb. 26) and the Florida Derby (March 31)," Matz said. "He's here and we don't have to ship around. If something happens where we have a change of plans where we have to do something different, we're going to nominate him to just about everything."
Union Rags has Javier Castellano as his rider, winning the Saratoga Special and Champagne before the Breeders' Cup Juvenile loss.
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison has been suspended one game without pay for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy. The hit occurred during Thursday night's
<< Buccaneers sign DE Reed
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buccaneers have signed defensive end Nick
Reed.
The 24-year-old made six tackles in seven games with the Chicago Bears this
season before being released November 14.
As a rookie in 2009, Reed play
<< Sharks and Avs begin home-and-home in Denver
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Jose Sharks will conclude a three-game road trip
tonight against the Colorado Avalanche in the opener of a home-and-home set at
the Pepsi Center.
San Jose is 0-1-1 on the swing and suffered a 3-2 overtime loss at
<< Streaking Wild visit Jets, shoot for eighth straight win
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Wild are off to a blistering start after 30
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when they wrap up a five-game road trip tonight against the Winnipeg Jets.
Minnesota lead
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(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators will continue a four-game
homestand this evening versus the Calgary Flames at Bridgestone Arena.
The Predators opened the residency with a 3-2 win versus Anaheim on Saturday,
as Jordin Tootoo poste
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, it had to feel like beating his older brother in a game of one-on-one in the driveway for the first time. The shifty back scored four touchdowns in
Friberg leaves Seattle for Sweden's Malmo >>
Renton, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Sounders FC midfielder Erik Friberg has
transferred to Sweden's Malmo, the Major League Soccer club announced.
A native of Goteborg, Sweden, the 25-year-old Friberg signed with Seattle in
December of
Nets sign F Williams >>
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets signed free agent
forward Shelden Williams on Tuesday.
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United's Fletcher sidelined by bowel disease >>
Manchester, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Manchester United midfielder Darren
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English Premier League club announced Tuesday.
Fletcher, 27, required several break
U.S. forward Gomez joins Mexico's Santos >>
Mexico City, Mexico (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - United States forward Herculez Gomez,
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Elite 8 NCAA Tournament Betting at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com
In what should be an outstanding Saturday of March Madness betting action, the top four teams in the South and West Regions square off in what should be extremely close match-ups. Three of the four teams are coming off extremely close games on Thursday evening, only UCLA won semi comfortably over Pitt 64-55.
Ohio State is coming off their second game in a row where in all reality they should have lost. Of course that doesn’t matter now since the name of the game is “survive and advance” but as the tournament continues, they can’t afford to keep getting down to their opponents early. Kansas also avoided a scare by holding off a scrappy Southern Illinois squad. In the third thrilling game of the evening Memphis pulled off the minor upset (+3.5) despite being the higher seed to Texas A&M.
Although the spreads are fairly small for Saturday’s games, MySportsbook.com continue to bet against the underdogs. Despite OSU’s two scares, 86% of the “betting public” feels the Buckeyes (-1.5) have what it takes to make the Final Four. In fact, so much of the early money is on OSU that the line has already moved from -1 to -1.5. In the second game of the doubleheader, Kansas and their high-powered offense are 2 point favorites as they take on UCLA and their effective defense. About 63% of the early money thus far is once again backing the favorites. If those percentages stay that high, don’t be surprised if this line moves as well. If you like Kansas (-2) you might want to jump on it early.
Memphis vs. Ohio State
Both squads were involved in thrillers on Thursday evening and should come out fired up. OSU can ill afford to get behind early like they did versus their previous two opponents (Xavier, Tennessee). Greg Oden needs to stay out of foul trouble; the Buckeyes are a completely different team when he is on the court. Memphis definitely has the athleticism and length to match-up with OSU. Of Memphis’ five leading minute earners, the shortest of the bunch is 6’5”. Each team has a very effective defense; Memphis surrenders 62.3 PPG whereas the Buckeyes give up only 61 PPG. With those type of numbers, it isn’t surprising that Memphis covered the UNDER almost 69% of the time this season. As a favorite, OSU has covered the UNDER almost 66% of the time over the last three seasons. The major concern for Memphis which is magnifies this time of the year is their brutal foul shooting (62%). This season, OSU is 17-11 ATS versus teams with a winning record and 7-2 ATS in all tournament games. Memphis has been an extremely reliable cover in tournament play in recent years with a 23-8 ATS record over the last three seasons.
UCLA vs. Kansas
In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, UCLA will play in a role which they are very unfamiliar with that of the underdog. Only twice this season have they been getting points from the handicappers and both times they covered. Over the last three seasons UCLA is a reliable 23-7 ATS in this unfamiliar role. UCLA has not fared well against Big 12 opponents recently going 1-7 ATS since 1997. Giving up only 59.6 PPG, UCLA will definitely look to do what they do best: keep this game as low scoring as possible. Their defense has been especially tough during the tournament. UCLA opponents have been able to muster up only 48.7 PPG while shooting a combined 34.5% from the field. UCLA definitely has a challenge at hand with a Kansas team that is capable of putting points on the board in bunches. As a team, they average 79 PPG and shoot an impressive 49.6% from the field and 39.4% from beyond the arc. During the tournament Kansas has been “lights out” from the field having shot 56.2%.
With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action. Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at MySportsbook.com’s “Betting Trends”. By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.
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