Yes. The Jockeys Wear Very Manly Pants
TAGS: Sports Betting: Horseys
From a Philadelphia Inquirer profile memorializing the 30th anniversary of horse racing star Ruffian’s death:
“I feel my horse could have beaten her anyway, and I’ll always feel that way. It’s a tough game and you don’t play it in short pants.”
Ruffian’s Tragedy Still Fresh [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Does This Mean There Will Be Horses Driving Stock Cars?
TAGS: Sports Betting: Horseys
The Philadelphia Inquirer today poses an interesting piece of imaginative pseudo-journalism by projecting what might happen if certain sports entities were to merge with others. While the NBA bringing the three-point shot to NHL rinks is a colossally bad idea, and a WWE-influenced flair for the dramatic couldn’t possibly help us enjoy tennis more (Wait?!?! Is that Lindsay Davenport’s music?!?!), there was one idea floated that actually has quite a bit of merit - combining NASCAR and horse racing.
We know what you’re thinking… There’s no way Afleet Alex could keep up with Tony Stewart, even if he got himself in good drafting position. That’s not at all where we’re going with this. We’re not NASCAR fans here at Oddjack, but could maybe be brought to the tube if horse racing’s model of wagering was introduced. Exactas, trifectas, superfectas, and week-to-week pick sixes provide big payout potential, and these wagering opportunities are ones we’d have a hard time resisting. As it is now, simple 3/1 odds on a driver’s chances over the track at Dover don’t tickle our gambling jones. But give us a Stewart/Gordon/Busch trifecta box, and we’ll be hooked until the checkered flag.
Horse racing should also take a hint from NASCAR. The best horses in the country point towards fall’s Breeders’ Cup meet, where each different division (divided by sex, age, race distance, and surface) gets a chance to crown a single race champion. Where our interest flags, however, is that they all seemingly take a different route to get to their Breeders’ Cup starting gate. Like NASCAR, if there were a set schedule of big races that stretched from the spring to the fall Breeders’ Cup meet that awarded points to help determine each division’s yearly champ, we’d have a little better idea who these horses are, and who we should be rooting for as they round the final turn.
Well, that and if we could bring NASCAR fans to horse racing, we’d feel a little less embarrassed about our Calvin-pissing-on-Giacomo window sticker on our truck.
An Emerging Idea: Imaginary Merger [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Is Funny Cide Ready For The Glue Factory?
TAGS: Sports Betting: Horseys
We’re not laughing anymore. Saturday’s Suburban Handicap from Belmont was supposed to mark the return to form of near-Triple Crown winner Funny Cide, but bettors weren’t amused. Despite a jockey switch to Jerry Bailey, a training regiment change, and a return to a track and distance at which he’d been victorious previously, Funny Cide didn’t fire, leaving the betting favorite in the back of the pack for the entire race.
Offlee Wild won, with longshot Tap Day in second, and Pollard’s Vision closing for third. Offlee Wild paid $9.20 on the win, and should be considered a serious contender in this fall’s Breeders’ Cup Classic division against the likes of Afleet Alex, Roses In May, and Rock Hard Ten.
Race 9 Results [Equibase]
Offlee Wild Rebounds In Suburban [ESPN]
Remember Me? I Almost Won The Triple Crown!
TAGS: Sports Betting: Horseys
America’s long-forgotten “Horse of the People,” Funny Cide, is set to run in tomorrow’s $500k Suburban Handicap at Belmont Park. Since his attention-grabbing attempt at Triple Crown immortality in 2003, Funny Cide is only three for his last fourteen starts in the winner’s circle, facing tough Grade 1 stakes competetion at nearly every turn.
Can a switch to the legendary Jerry Bailey and a new workout routine get this gelding back to glory? We think so. There’s a lot to like about this spot for Funny Cide, who has proven to be a willing and able horse and should respond well to the changes he’s facing. It’s also worth noting that Eddington’s abrupt retirement due to injury this week has made this a much softer spot than it was just a few days ago.
Pollard’s Vision is currently listed as the morning line favorite at 5/2, with Offlee Wild at 3/1 and Funny Cide at 7/2. We like Funny Cide here, with Sir Shackleton at 8/1 a possibility to factor in the exotic plays.
July 2nd Entries for Belmont Park (Race 9) [Equibase]
Belmont Park [Official Site]
Funny Cide [Official Site]
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Easy Money In Today’s Crappy Maiden Claimer
TAGS: Sports Betting: Horseys
Another afternoon of racing at Churchill is upon us, and we’re still waiting to see if the $104,000 Pick Six carryover from Monday was hit.
Here at Oddjack, we like our PowerBall jackpots, our MegaMillions tickets, and asking the girl behind the counter at the gas station for a few of those scratch-offs with our six-pack of Schlitz. So far be it from us to ignore what could very well be a massive carryover to Thursday’s card. Thanks to The Daily Racing Form and their awfully nifty Formulator 4 software, even hack handicappers like us can take a crack at immortality.
Picks you say? We’re keeping our longshots close to the vest. But here’s who The Form likes in each race on the Pick Six card on Thursday:
FIFTH: Finnbar’s Promise, Dr. Double O, Bahia Cabana(In the ninth, “Fifth Edition” is listed on one handicapper’s card as the best bet of the day, and “Chilly Carson” in the tenth is listed on another as the same. )
SIXTH: Western Ocala, She’s A Brick House, October Optimist
SEVENTH: Way Fleeter, Arcana, Miss Misfit
EIGHTH: War Boy, Shoo Brush, Steamboat Express
NINTH: Prize Story, Fifth Edition, Saturday Deelites
TENTH: Chilly Carson, Will’s Wonder, Da Mullet
We here at Oddjack don’t mind sharing our genius from time to time, and since we’re not interested in giving up the true location of the Grail or our little workaround that makes the Unified Theory check out, we’ll share a little of our handicapping prowess instead.
Besides possibly being Philly street slang for the wad of soiled five spots from a motel quickie, Room Revenue is an interesting horse in Churchill’s fifth race. He got soundly smoked two back by a horse named Northern Stag, who has since been bounding up the rungs in Kentucky racing. No shame in that loss, even if it was by 25. So long as Stag didn’t tear out his heart on the way by in the stretch, Room Revenue is a good play at what’s likely to be a good price.
By the way, if by some freak chance Room Revenue doesn’t happen to hit the money, just tell your bookie you don’t have to pay up. Give him the Oddjack business card that says “Give This Man Anything He Wants” and you’ll be fine.Trust me. He’ll understand.
Today’s Card at Churchill Downs [Equibase]
Horseracing: Your Grandfather Is Lazy
TAGS: Sports Betting: Horseys
“Back in my day, I had to ride my horse to school in waist deep snow. Uphill - both ways.”
Fine, Frank Amonte Sr. didn’t say that exactly, but he may as well have. Stuck in the old man’s craw for durn near fifteen some odd years by gum was a record set by Willie Clark, a fellow jockey at Charles Town way back in the late 1900s (okay, 1991). Willie is believed to be the oldest jockey to ever have won a race, retiring at the ripe old age of 69. Amonte was a spring chicken-esque 56 at the time, and thought he had quite a bit of racing left in those old bones—never discount the magic of Geritol.
Amonte is pointing towards a small meet in September at the Northampton Fair, where he’s likely to get a mount on some nag who’s probably an eighth his age. He’ll turn 70 in the middle of the meet, and will have a great shot at breaking the record. You know, if we could all aim to mount up a much younger female while in our seventies, the world would be a happier place.
And just for our incorrigibly degenerate friends, we’re hoping BoDog books a prop bet on Amonte’s next winner. Maybe they’ll offer time of finish versus amount of time it takes Amonte to realize his blinker is still on after leaving the track that same night?
Finley: 70-year-old jockey looking to make history [ESPN.com]
Belmont Stakes: The Afleet Alex/Cancer/Nolan’s Cat Show
TAGS: Sports Betting: Horseys
Sure, everybody was somewhat happy that 6-5 favorite Afleet Alex came away with the victory. The whole “Alex’s Lemonade Stand” angle was very compelling and sweet. If you’re not familiar, Alex’s Lemonade Stand was started by a little girl dying of childhood cancer called neuroblastoma with the hopes that she could somehow cure the disease if she sold enough lemonade and dedicated all her sales money to research. The stand became a national phenomenon, she died, and now nobody in the country can buy a lemonade without thinking about cancer and dying kids. Ah, summertime happiness.
Afleet Alex bought into the whole concept as well, becoming an official sponosr of the lemonade stand and donating a proceed of its winnings to the charity. But we wish we wouldn’t feel so guilty buying iced tea all summer. Can’t they sell iced tea as well? And the other big winner at Saturday’s Belmont Stakes besides Afleet Alex and neuroblastoma, was 50-1 longshot maiden horse Nolan’s Cat, who ate up the long track and actually came in third—a nice little payout for all those who love longshots, cats, and dudes named Nolan.
Nolan’s Cat Puts On A Show
[Palm Beach Post]
Belmont Horse’s Victory Helps Cancer Charity [AP]
Dazzling Afleet Alex Goes the Distance [Seattle Times]
Belmont Stakes: Get Bombed Before You Arrive
TAGS: Sports Betting: Horseys
Forget about the coolers and leave the flask at home, because you can’t bring any booze to Belmont this year. Last year’s fiasco found hundreds of drunken fans confined to a small space waiting hours for trains. This year we notice this tiny little hard-to-spot note on the Belmont website:
“On Belmont Stakes Day, Saturday, June 11, 2005, no alcoholicbeverages of any kind will be permitted to be brought into thefacility. The restriction regarding alcohol has been enacted in the interest of patron safety and in an attempt to make sure that people drink responsibly.”
This means that everything will be confiscated and the jockeys and shit sweepers will party with your premium beer. You, on the other hand, will lose all your money at the mutuel window and then pay $5 for a can of Bud and even more for the nasty Belmont Cocktail.
Belmont General Info [New York Racing Association]
Belmont Stakes: Spoiling Your Day of Drunken Revelry
TAGS: Sports Betting: Horseys
So, even though there is no potential Triple Crown winner at the Belmont Stakes this year, that doesn’t mean you can pop in your old Saved By The Bell tapes and completely ignore gambling on the race. McDonald’s favorite newspaper, USA Today, maps out all the spoilers to bet on and win that will help you pay for your stepchild’s live-in rehabilitation facility.
Nine Spoilers Worth Long Look in Betting [USA Today]
Belmont Stakes: The Finest Legs Money Can Buy
TAGS: Sports Betting: Horseys
Pinnaclesports has posted its Belmont Odds, showing scrappy(less) Afleet Alex at -110 and offering Kentucky Derby Winner Giacomo a +389, which are no surprises. It does boast some great longshot odds on Oddjack’s pick Southern Africa, at +1,248, and Nolan’s Cat at +6,049. Just think for one $100 bet on Nolan’s Cat, you can buy your girlfriend breast implants. For $1,000 bet on Nolan’s Cat you can buy Laura Flynn Boyle breast implants.
Sports 911 Monitors Belmont Stake Odds [Sports 911]
Belmont Stakes Odds [Pinnacle Sports]
Belmont: Break Out Your Afleet Alex Costume
TAGS: Sports Betting: Horseys
In no surprise whatsoever, Preakness winner and(equine heartthrob) Afleet Alex is the 6-5 favorite to win this Saturday’s Belmont Stakes. The full-field is set and Giacomo, who suprisingly finished third at the Preakness after being a 50-1 shot at the Kentucky Derby and winning it, is given a 4-1 shot to win Belmont as well. The third betting choice is Reverberate at 6-1 seen here in the photo to the right. However, we want to stress that Reverberate is just sleeping inside this black car. He’s fine. He’s got a big race on Saturday, you know.
Belmont Odds Released [Bloomberg]
Belmont Stakes: All the Pretty Horses
TAGS: Sports Betting: Horseys
Even if the official odds aren’t out yet, it’s safe to say at this point that Preakness winner Afleet Alex will be the favorite. However, with the field set at 11, it’s a little early to predict exactly how well he’ll do—especially since Scrappy T has just been, er, scrapped from the field this time around. So, we’ll figure we’d make our longshot prediction anyway and just throw some feathers into the fan. You know, for shits and giggles.
Pick!: Southern Africa
Yeah. We ain’t gonna play Sun City.
Southern Africa: Belmont Stakes Contenders [Horses Wild]
Zito Hoping for Two Straight Belmont Wins [ABC News]
Watchmon Prepares for Belmont Stakes [Thoroughbred Times]
One day, everything will be a wager, from a hand of poker to the likelihood you'll be struck down by a bioterror attack before the next brain backup. One day. For now, there's Oddjack. It's a sneak peek at the future of gambling.
