Animal Kingdom looks for two-thirds of the Triple Crown

Horseracing Betting Lines

05/20/2011 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If Animal Kingdom wins the Preakness Stakes, he will become the seventh horse since 1997 to go to the Belmont Stakes vying for a chance at horse racing's Triple Crown. The previous six failed to convert in New York, but Animal Kingdom has something the others did not possess - a pedigree geared to running the grueling 12 furlongs around the Belmont Park surface.

First, though, is a trip to Old Hilltop and a meeting with 13 other 3-year- olds in the Preakness Stakes. The middle jewel will be the toughest test for the Graham Motion-trained colt since it is extremely difficult for a Kentucky Derby-winning closer to bounce back two weeks later and cross the finish line first.

Since 1990, there have been 10 Derby winners that were in 12th position or worse after the first half-mile of the race and none won the Preakness. The two most recent were Mine That Bird and Street Sense. It will be interesting to see how Animal Kingdom fares considering he was in 12th position after the first four furlongs at Churchill Downs two weeks ago.

The one thing in his favor is the lack of quality around him. He already defeated the other four starters coming out of the Kentucky Derby and none of the other nine entrants has won a graded stakes race around two turns on conventional dirt. Furthermore, don't expect the short turnaround from May 7 to be a factor as Animal Kingdom has run his best races off shorter layoffs rather than long ones. His only two defeats came in his career debut and off a four-month respite.

With five races under his belt, the son of Leroidesanimaux still has room for improvement. He is an extremely versatile colt with victories from last place as well as second place after the first quarter-mile. The pace of the Preakness should be quicker than the Derby, so look for Animal Kingdom to sit further back than he was on the first Saturday in May, reminiscent of his win in the Spiral, when he cruised past the early leaders with ease approaching the top of the stretch.

That day, the pacesetters included Positive Response, Decisive Moment and Son of Posse. In the Preakness, the horses that will dictate the fractions will be Shackleford, Flashpoint and Dance City, and quite possibly Midnight Interlude. Shackleford will take some money on Saturday due to his fourth-place finish in the Derby. However, he got away with the easiest of fractions (48 3/5 and 1:13 2/5) that day and couldn't even hold on for third.

Flashpoint is bred to be a top-class miler and he finished fourth, beaten eight lengths, in the Florida Derby - his one trip around two turns. Breaking from post four, inside of the other speed, ensures the son of Pomeroy will be on the lead after the first quarter-mile.

Dance City, trained by Todd Pletcher, ran third in the Arkansas Derby last time out, losing to Archarcharch and Nehro by less than two lengths. What was most impressive about the son of City Zip's effort was how he held on for the show spot, pulling clear of Sway Away, who had taken the lead with a furlong to run. Moreover, Dance City kept going through the stretch, beating the other two speeds (The Factor and J P's Gusto) by seven lengths. If jockey Ramon Dominguez can rate Dance City on Saturday, there is a possibility of a new shooter being in the winner's circle.

Midnight Interlude was the one horse in the Kentucky Derby that ran far worse than expected. The 9-1 shot and fifth favorite in the betting finished 16th, beaten over 17 lengths. However, one has to keep him in mind since he did win the Santa Anita Derby and now gains the services of jockey Martin Garcia, who jumped on Lookin At Lucky for the first time to win last year's Preakness.

Sway Away comes into the race off a decent effort in the Arkansas Derby, a race he finished fourth to Archarcharch. The son of Afleet Alex was the victim of a poor ride that afternoon as Pat Valenzuela rushed him to the lead too quickly. With Garrett Gomez back in the saddle, look for a more patient trip on Saturday. Nevertheless, Sway Away looks to be a closer that does his best running around one turn.

SIX MORE NEW SHOOTERS

As is the case with Sway Away, Astrology is another non-Kentucky Derby starter that will get some support at the windows. The one problem with the son of A.P Indy is that he's not quick enough to run with the early speed and not tough enough to hold off the late closers. He did win the Iroquois Stakes and finished second in the Kentucky Jockey Club at Churchill Downs last year, but those two races were six and seven months ago.

Returning as a 3-year-old, Astrology couldn't hold off Twice the Appeal in the Sunland Derby and then had no answer for Adios Charlie in the Jerome. His backers will point to the fact the Sunland Derby run came off a four-month layoff, while the Jerome was run in the slop. Still, it's unproven he even wants 1 3/16 miles.

King Congie would love it if the Preakness were run on the turf. However, that is not the case. The Tropical Park Derby winner has been beaten over 30 lengths in his two lifetime dirt starts. Nonetheless, given the fact he lost to Fort Hughes and Uncle Mo, there is a chance he could surprise the rest of the field. The key for King Congie is to run in a straight path through the stretch, something that has been a problem for him in his last couple of appearances. With an expected fast pace up front, don't be shocked if the son of Badge of Silver is battling for the lead with a furlong to go.

Mr. Commons is a horse that needs to step it up if he wants to run with the big boys. He was a good third in the Santa Anita Derby, but if he couldn't keep up with Midnight Interlude and Comma to the Top, who ran 16th and last, respectively, in the Kentucky Derby, then it's doubtful he'll be able to move forward in the Preakness.

Concealed Identity has won two straight race, including the Federico Tesio at Pimlico on Derby Day. The horse will take some action from the fans in Baltimore, so the value will not be there. Still, don't immediately toss him from the exotics since local longshots have hit the board on numerous occasions in recent years.

Norman Asbjornson is well known to Derby-winning trainer Graham Motion since the son of 1998 Preakness winner Real Quiet raced against his Toby's Corner twice over the winter/spring. In the Gotham, Norman Asbjornson finished second to Stay Thirsty, defeating Toby's Corner by a length. Then he had little chance in the Wood Memorial after getting caught with his head in the air at the start, which caused him to break slowly from the gate. Nevertheless, he put forth a nice move heading into the stretch only to fade badly inside the final eighth of a mile.

Isn't He Perfect also comes out of the Wood, but the son of Pleasantly Perfect would be the surprise of the decade if he were to win the Preakness.

A PAIR OF DERBY COLTS LOOKING TO IMPROVE THEIR POSITIONS

Dialed In came into the Run for the Roses as the 5-1 favorite and left with an eighth-place finish. He did run the second-fastest final half mile in Derby history (behind Secretariat), finishing up in 23.79. However, how crucial is that number when the field crawled the first three-quarters in 1:13 2/5? Furthermore, Twice the Appeal, who was a non-threatening 10th, came home almost as fast in 24.01.

A lot of Dialed In supporters claim he'll have a much better chance in the Preakness with a faster pace to run at. I, for one, don't see him hitting the board. It's true he was too far back in the Derby, but for Nick Zito's star 3- year-old to run his first six furlongs in 1:15 4/5 when he had never raced slower than 1:14 1/5 in his life proves something is not quite right with the horse.

Mucho Macho Man got a decent trip in the Kentucky Derby, but didn't put it into overdrive until the final 1/16th when he passed a tiring Shackleford for the show spot. The son of Macho Uno has the best chance of any of the Derby runners to turn the tables on Animal Kingdom. However, he's still filling out into his massive body and might need more time to develop into a Grade 1- winning colt.

Selections: 1) Animal Kingdom; 2) Mucho Macho Man; 3) Dance City; Longshot) King Congie

Wwwcolosseumcasino Horseracing Betting News

<< Brooks may have won the battle and lost the war
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Give Scott Brooks credit, a very unconventional coaching decision helped his Oklahoma City Thunder even the Western Conference finals with Dallas on Thursday. Well aware that his bench was

<< Almagro ousts Berdych to reach Nice final
Nice, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Clay-court specialist Nicolas Almagro upset Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych on Friday to reach the final at the $640,000 Nice Open, a final clay-court French Open tune-up. The third-seeded Almagro handled

<< Udinese hopes to secure final Champions League place
Udine, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As Serie A heads into its final day of the season on Sunday, there isn't too much left up in the air. AC Milan has already been crowned champion, while Bari, Brescia and Sampdoria are each headed down.

<< Norway players strike; matches postponed
Oslo, Norway (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Approximately 100 players from Norway's first division, the Tippeligaen, went on strike Friday, leading to the postponement of matches scheduled for Sunday and Monday. Negotiations lasted several hours befor

<< Cards open series in KC with Carpenter on the mound
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - If the St. Louis Cardinals are going to stay at the top of the National League Central they are going to need Chris Carpenter to start pitching like Chris Carpenter. Tonight the former NL Cy Young Award winner can sta

Westwood, Donald advance; Casey ousted at Match Play >>
Costa del Sol, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lee Westwood and Luke Donald both won on Friday to advance to the quarterfinals at the Volvo World Match Play Championship. Westwood, the top-ranked player in the world, downed Aaron Baddeley,

Germany's Schweinsteiger to miss Euro qualifiers >>
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will miss Euro 2012 qualifiers against Austria and Azerbaijan in June because of a broken toe. The 26-year-old played the final three matches of the Bundesliga

Seattle seeks three points at home against K.C. >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Seattle Sounders FC has earned just eight of a possible 15 points in its five home matches this season, and hosts struggling Sporting Kansas City on Saturday in need of a win at Qwest Field. Seattle (3-3-5) h

Wozniacki tops Schiavone to reach Brussels final >>
Brussels, Belgium (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki outlasted French Open champion Francesca Schiavone to reach the final at the inaugural $618,000 Brussels Ladies Open, a final clay-court French Open tuneup.

AL West: Short-handed Rangers looking to create separation >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With their disabled list still quite crowded, the Texas Rangers have been able to maintain a slim hold of first place in the American League West by playing .500 ball. Texas (23-21) has split its last 14 games and entered

Betting Football

NFL Football Betting Online

Is there such a thing as a trap game in the NFL?

I once asked that question to Pete Korner, who at the time was office manager and a senior linesmaker for Las Vegas Sports Consultants.

Korner almost ripped my head off. There is no such thing as a trap game, he loudly berated me. It’s a myth. The numbers are made using power ratings, he said.

There are trap games, though. They just might not be what you think. The perception is of a good team, say Philadelphia, laying a small number against New Orleans.

Using the highly-respected power ranking from The Gold Sheet, you’d find the Eagles with a power rating of 4 and the Saints at 8. When you factor the game being played in New Orleans, you could see why the line opened so short at less than a field goal.

For some, this makes it enticing to take the Eagles. That’s not a real trap game, though.

A real trap game, says professional gambler Dave Malinsky, is thinking you’re getting value betting a bad team, which brings us to the Oakland Raiders-Denver Broncos matchup.

The Raiders are +15 in this long-standing division rivalry. Denver is on a short week having dispatched Baltimore Monday. However, the Raiders haven’t covered the spread their last 10 games.

Many bettors don’t trust the Raiders to give a full effort. Few think much of Art Shell and his Oakland’s coaching staff.

So oddsmakers have to do something to make Oakland attractive if they hope to get equal action.

Now Malinsky is a value shopper. But he won’t touch the Raiders even getting more than two touchdowns.

“I try to eliminate the undisciplined, unfocused teams because they’re the ones most likely to suffer the bad beats,” he said.

Near the top of Malinsky’s list of stay-away teams is the Miami Dolphins, who have yet to cover a spread this season.

“Whatever you think of Nick Saban, you have to look at the penalties and turnovers,” Malinsky said.

It’s easy to point out the Dolphins failed to get the money this past week against New England because Olindo Mare missed a field goal and had another field goal blocked. But even though the Dolphins outgained the Patriots, 283-213, they committed eight penalties.

Bad teams not only cost themselves victories, but pointspread covers as well. The Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers are two more examples.

The Cardinals couldn’t have been in a better position this past Sunday, up 14-0 at home against a mediocre Kansas City Chiefs squad. But they couldn’t hold it. The Packers got a push against St. Louis, but also could have won losing by three when Brett Favre fumbled at the St. Louis 11-yard line with 44 seconds left.

“The Packers were in a position to beat Philadelphia, too,” Malinsky said. “But they couldn’t even cover double digits.

“These teams just make mistakes and it costs you … they always will look good from a value standpoint. They really will. But that’s the trap.”

Houston and Tennessee rank among the six-worst teams. Malinsky wouldn’t be afraid to take either of these teams, however, if the price were high enough.

The Texans are bad, Malinsky said, but they have some discipline. The Titans showed they could not only come up with an outstanding game plan, but execute it as well, losing by one to the Colts on the road as an 18 ?-point underdog this past Sunday.

“Jeff Fisher is a worker,” Malinsky said of the Titans coach. “I’m not sure how hard Art Shell wants to work when he gets out of bed.”

Fisher, though, could be out as Tennessee coach after this season. Is he still worth backing in the right spot, with the right price, as a lame duck coach?

“It’s in his nature to keep working hard and not worry about any possible lame duck status,” Malinsky said. “He’s coaching for his resume.”

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting lines.