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Honors Saturday for Rapid Redux and friendsHorseracing Betting Lines02/14/2012 - Laurel, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Record holder Rapid Redux and his connections will receive another honor on Saturday at one of their favorite tracks. The Maryland Jockey Club will recognize the gelding as well as his owner Robert Cole along with trainer David Wells and jockey J.D. Acosta at Laurel Park. Rapid Redux has won 22 straight starts including a perfect 19-for-19 in 2011. The six-year-old won as the 3-10 favorite on December 13 at Laurel Park for his 19th victory of last year, matching the modern mark for a single year held by Citation and early 20th-century horse Roseben. Citation equaled Roseben's record in 1948, the same year he won the Triple Crown. "We were able to run seven times in Maryland during the streak, including Timonium, and it is good it worked out that way because I am a Maryland guy," Cole said. "When the country was watching as we closed in on the record he was running here. Even though he trains at Penn National I think people think of him as a Maryland horse. David and I feel that way, too." Rapid Redux received the Special Eclipse Award at last month's ceremony in Beverly Hills. The honor was for extraordinary service, individual achievements in, or contributions to the sport of thoroughbred racing. "It was fun going to California and talking to all the big stars in racing," "It was a little scary being on the stage. The lights were so bright you couldn't see the crowd but I felt comfortable. I wanted the racing world to know how much I appreciated David's training and how proud I was of the horse. "He is doing fine on David's farm and we are hoping to extend the streak. If he was a normal horse he would be coming back to race for sure but we don't want to bring him back if he is not the same horse. That is the predicament we have and we don't know where we'll be in May or June when he is ready to go again. We are uncommitted at this time. He has given us everything he's got and you don't want to go to the well one too many times." The chestnut gelding also was recognized with the 2011 Secretariat 'Vox Populi,' or "Voice of the People," Award. The award is given to a horse "whose popularity and racing excellence best resounded with the American public and gained recognition for thoroughbred racing." The gelding began the win streak on December 2, 2010 at Penn National. He broke the record for consecutive wins last November at Mountaineer Park with his 20th straight victory. Rapid Redux has career earnings of $361,609 with 28 wins in 42 starts. Since being claimed by Cole in October, 2010 at Penn National, the gelding has won 23 of 24 races for $266,074. "I talked to Penny Chenery (Secretariat's owner) on the phone for 10 or 15 minutes," Cole said. "I got to tell her the story of how I won a three-way shake the night I took him. The night before I claimed a horse at Charles Town for $25,000 and he never ended up winning a race. That's how crazy this story is. You spend $25,000 on a horse who can't win then $6,000 the next night on a horse who wins 22 in a row. He certainly had upside when we claimed him because of the conditions he was eligible for and his early speed, which gave him potential to make us money. Wells transferred him into an unforgettable, priceless horse with a spot in history."
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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.
Marlins could start season without No. 2 starter JohnsonJUPITER, Fla. -- The Foorida Marlins are preparing for the likelihood that right-hander Grapefruit League action starts Wednesday, but Johnson, penciled in as the No. 2 starter, hasn't even thrown off a mound at full speed since September. He's experienced some soreness in his right forearm. MySportsbook.com have the Marlins listed with baseball betting lines at +800 to win the NL East this season . ''You guys know the math. If he's not on the hill then he becomes an opening day roster issue,'' manager Fredi Gonzalez said Saturday. ''We're borderline now.'' Johnson, who finished 12-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 2007, was supposed to throw on flat ground Saturday. That was canceled when he woke up with pain. He played catch on Wednesday with no pain but felt discomfort in a throwing session on Thursday. He's expected to try again Sunday. ''Like we always said from the very beginning, we're going to take it easy on him,'' Gonzalez said. ''He didn't feel right, so we shut him down. We're going to take it back to step one and see where we're at.'' Among the candidates to take Johnson's spot in the rotation are left-hander Chris George and right-handers Yusmeiro Petit and Jose Garcia. Right-hander Sergio Mitre, who missed most of last season with arm and shoulder problems, also is behind. With Johnson's status doubtful, Gonzalez said right-hander Ricky Nolasco will stay in the rotation and no longer will be considered a candidate for closer. Additional basbeall odds can be found at: www.MySportsbook.com To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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