Online Horse Racing – Long List Of Options Available When Betting On Horse Racing

Posted December 22, 2011 – 7:28 pm in: Horse Racing Betting 101

There is a long list of wagering options when it comes to sports betting on horse racing, and it can be difficult to figure them all out when first starting out. The most obvious is also one of the hardest to do, as it is never easy to pick a race winner. The most common bet is picking the horse that will win the race, but at the same time that can be difficult, especially as the fields become bigger and more competitive at the highest levels. Another of the most basic horse betting options is to pick a horse to place, which means lesser odds, but it also means that the wager will be considered a winner if it places either first or second. The third basic option is to take a horse to show, which means that it just needs to place in the top-three, which obviously increases the chances of winning once again while also paying out less, similar to when playing a teaser in the NFL.

While betting a horse to win, place, or show is pretty straightforward once it is understood, the combination bet is among the most complex, as this wager requires the player to correctly pick horses from two to four in a specific order. While there are more combinations that can be played for individual races, such as the quiniela or perfecta, there are also combinations that can be selected which cover multiple races, such as the pick3 or pick6. These two wagers require the player to pick the winner in either three consecutive races or six consecutive races, the payouts are extremely high because the chances of beating the pay head bookies and getting every pick right is one of the more rare outcomes in betting on horses.

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Horse Racing – Gio Ponti To Be Remembered For Incredible Consistency

Posted December 8, 2011 – 7:31 pm in: Sports

While becoming the best in any given sport requires beating the best on the biggest stage, there is something to be said about a career built on consistency and the ability to remain among the sports betting favorites through the course of it. While we always heard more about horses like Zenyatta, Rachel Alexandra, or even Goldikova during his time, Gio Ponti was easily one of the most reliable options when it came down to laying money on horses, and that consistency defined what was an outstanding career. Gio Ponti was retired following an impressive career that perhaps never got the attention that it deserved, but as we take a look back now, there is something to be said about such a strong resume.

For those that logged on to betonline and wagered on horse racing over the years, there is no doubt that it was never easy to determine exact winners, as parity has dominated the sport at its highest level over the past couple of years. But with Gio Ponti, there has always been a sense that he would be there at the line when the top horses crossed it, and there is a reason why the horse earned that reputation. With a career record of 29-12-10-1, Gio Ponti had always been considered one of the locks to at least compete for the top spot in the grade one stakes races that it ran according to the pay head bookies, and with three Eclipse awards throughout a career in which he finished off of the board just six times, there is no doubt that Gio Ponti deserved that appointment.

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Horse Racing Betting – McGoey Another Example Of Being In It To Win It

Posted November 24, 2011 – 7:37 pm in: Horse Racing Betting 101

When it comes to sports betting, there are always those stories about players that decided to try their hand on a specified wager, only to have that bet pay off big time in the end. Following the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge at the historic Churchill Downs, we can add another name to that list. An average horse player that spends most of his time as a partner in a commercial litigation firm, Patrick McGoey established himself as one of those big winners when he turned a $100 online qualifying spot in to a $270,000 reward for his work.

In it’s third year, the BC betting challenge featured 115 of the best horse players in the US clash in a live-money $10, 000 buy-in tournament. McGoey only managed to earn a spot in that challenge by winning a $100 qualifying event in which he earned his $10,000 buy-in and got he opportunity to pay head wheel with house money. Heading in to the final race of the challenge, McGoey was nowhere near the top of the scoreboard, but as is the case in many of these events, one longshot winner could end up making the difference in the end. Sure enough, the underdog laid his money down on an underdog horse that could give him a chance at making it into the prize pool, and he wagers $7,000 on the 14-to-1 shot Drosselmeyer to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Drosselmeyer came through and out of nowhere McGoey emerged as the $270,000 sportsbook reviews winner.

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Horse Racing Betting – Looking Ahead To 2011 Kentucky Derby

Posted November 10, 2011 – 12:25 pm in: Horse Racing Betting 101

With the 2011 Breeders’ Cup Classic now in the past, some horse racing fans are already looking ahead to next year’s Triple Crown, and the Kentucky Derby. The sports betting odds are that next year’s winner at Churchill Downs will have won at least one race as a two-year old or more, and when we look at the list of winners for this season we can get a better idea of the possible sports betting candidates to win next year’s Triple Crown opening leg.

The obvious pay head horse to talk about in this situation is Hansen, the 2011 winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile race. Trained by Michael Maker, Hansen came out of nowhere to win the $2 million purse, but should now be on everyone’s radar for next season. Another horse that has impressed this season is Drill, the silver-haired horse that won at the Del Mar Futurity earlier this year. Perhaps the most impressive run so far this season for two-year old horses however was the performance of Motor City at the Arlington-Washington Futurity. The gelded son of the 2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense, Motor City showed his endurance and strength by going six-wide to finish third at the race and could be due for a big year as his strength and conditioning improves to a top level. It is still early and the spring season in 2012 will provide us with a better guide, but at this point those are three intertops horses to keep an eye on for next year’s Kentucky Derby going forward.

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Breeders Cup Betting – To Honor And Serve Could Surprise In 2011 Classic

Posted October 27, 2011 – 1:03 pm in: Horse Racing Betting 101

With the announcement of the entrants for this year’s Breeders’ Cup races earlier this week, the sports betting odds have been released for the biggest race of the weekend, and there are no surprises at the top of the list of favorites. As is usually the case, the top horses from this past year are listed at the top, with the Todd Pletcher-trained Uncle Mo at 4/1 odds, followed by potential Horse of the Year candidate Havre De Grace at 6/1. While both of those horses have the resumes to support their status as favorites, the fact is that each of them have had long seasons, and may not have what it takes to win such a big race with a competitive field.

One horse that should get some attention at favorable pay head odds is To Honor And Serve, which has treaded under the radar this week despite looking like a strong contender. With all of the attention on Uncle Mo’s training numbers and Havre De Grace’s resume for this season, trainer Bill Mott’s top entry could be the best sleeper bet to win the $5 million prize. To Honor And Serve had leg issues earlier in the year, but bounced back at Saratoga and could have something to prove in its last stand of the season. Mott has gone on the sportsbook reviews record as saying he likes the horse’s chances, and if it can manage a favorable post-position draw it won’t be a surprise if To Honor And Serve at least shows at Churchill Downs.

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Horse Racing Betting – Will The New Generation Ever Embrace The Sport?

Posted October 13, 2011 – 12:29 pm in: Horse Racing Betting 101

What once ranked among the most popular sports betting options over decades has now become almost an afterthought to the new generation. In a world where technology has led to unprecedented insight and options when it comes to wagering on professional sports, the idea of betting on horse racing has slowly become an afterthought to a new generation of pay head players. With so many pay head options listed nearly all of the time, the idea of young people waiting around for a stable of horses to run around an oval makes little sense to the new generation, which has become so fascinated with Lebron’s failures and Brady’s accomplishments, but there could still be time to save the sport from a playing perspective.

With pay per head players already exposed to the ability to wager around the clock, more significant events on a more constant basis is one way that the horse racing world can get a piece of the modern pie. With the opportunity to bring event entertainment out to the track, there has to be more options for the owners and organizers to get the attention that they need. Perhaps lowering the costs associated with a day at the track and the promotion of the races will help bring more fans out to watch, but there has to be a greater sense of urgency for those in charge to find a way to get people out from behind their laptops and out to watch live. Horse racing is a dying sport in front of a new generation, and even with major changes it could be only a matter of time before its popularity completes flickers out.

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Horse Racing News

Posted June 26, 2011 – 10:28 pm in: Horse Racing News

With the recent crazy weather in the United States, horse betting enthusiasts received a huge scare, as race track Churchill Downs came into the path of a twister. The 136 year old track, which houses the Kentucky Derby annual betting event, nearly was destroyed. Here is the latest update on the condition of the track, as well as the horses.

There was both good news and bad news surrounding Churchill Downs Race Track this week, as a twister touched down in Kentucky. The bad news was that seven barns on the track were decimated by the sharp winds to make up the twister. However, the good news was nobody whether human or horse was killed by the twister.

Since it was built in 1873, Churchill Downs has survived many weather oriented attacks, including heavy rain fall, hail, and two twisters including the one this week. The last time a twister hit Churchill Downs, was 1928.

Dale Romans, the trainer of Triple Crown hopeful Shackleford, along with his crew, had to pull 20 horses out of their barn on Wednesday night, thanks to the twister. Many of the horses were moved to other barns on site, as well as a few race courses in Lexington.

What’s perhaps most intriguing about the twister, is that despite being classified as an F1 which reaches 100 MPH, the Twin Spires, and the clubhouse all went undamaged. For those new to hearing about Churchill Downs, the Twin Spires sit atop the clubhouse where fans can watch the Kentucky Derby and various other races at Churchill Downs take place. The Spires were built in the early 1900s and have never been renovated or anything.

In terms of renovations, this is the third time since 2002 that Churchill Downs has been renovated, as the track was renovated in both 2002 and 2003 with an estimated cost of just over $200 million combined.

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Horse Racing News

Posted June 13, 2011 – 4:54 am in: Horse Racing News

In just over 24 hours, the 2011 Belmont Stakes betting lines will close, as the 12 horse field enters the gat and one horse rides victorious. This year’s Belmont betting race has had plenty of animosity, as Preakness Stake’s winner Shackleford, despite leading the entire way for both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, has received little to no respect from the bookies and experts alike. Here is the latest news heading into the Belmont Stakes tomorrow.

Ever since the Florida Derby on April 3rd, 2011, Shackleford has received the short end of the stick from oddsmakers. In the Florida Derby, Shackleford at astonishing odds of 68 to one came within a length of defeating Kentucky Derby favorite Dialed In, for the Florida Derby crown. Then, at the Kentucky Derby, despite narrowly losing to Dialed In, Shackleford went off as a 25 to one underdog before the race. Recall that during the race despite the long odds, Shackleford ran really well, as it led for the majority of the race, before running out of gas entering the final turn at Churchill Downs. Making matters more confusing for horse race handicappers, at the Preakness Stakes, despite leading for the majority of the Kentucky Derby, Shackleford was listed as a 12 to one underdog to win the race. Finally, Shackleford entered this weekend’s Belmont Stakes as a five to one favorite to win the race.

However, making matters more intriguing was Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom’s owner, Barry Irwin, who earlier this week proclaimed that not only was Shackleford overrated, but he was no match for Animal Kingdom. Now, we’d just like to say, that if Shackleford was no match for Animal Kingdom, how come Shackleford won the Preakness Stakes and Animal Kingdom did not? With such a lack of respect from peers and bookmakers alike, Shackleford is the horse we hope wins the Belmont Stakes, despite being a pace setting horse.

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Belmont Stakes Prediction

Posted May 28, 2011 – 5:22 am in: Horse Racing Betting 101

In just over two weeks, the third and final stage of the Triple Crown, the 2011 Belmont Stakes betting lines will close. This year’s field has the potential to be one of the best in the history of the Belmont betting event, as it marks the rubber match between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winners. Here is a preview of the race.

For the 20th time in Triple Crown history, the winners of the Kentucky Derby and Preakness will race in a rubber match to find out who is the best three year old colt of the season. On paper, Belmont Park was built for both Animal Kingdom and Shackleford, as both long distance and speed horses have found much success on the track.

Animal Kingdom the 2011 Kentucky Derby winner was able to use its stamina to catch up to Shackleford on the one and one 16th quarter mile track at Churchill Downs to kick off the festivities for 2011. However, at the much shorter track at Pimlico Racecourse, it was the speed of Shackleford that allowed the horse to once again lead from wire to wire, but hold on for victory at the Preakness Stakes.

As we mentioned earlier, the Belmont Parks race track has seen much success for both long distance and speed horses. On the one hand, long distance horses have had a ton of success because the course in one and a half miles long. Conversely, speed horses have also found success at Belmont Park, because as soon as they jumped out to a lead, the lead was safe since no other horse in the field could catch them.

For all intents and purposes, we predict that Animal Kingdom will win the 2011 Belmont Stakes, as under the guidance of jockey John Velazquez, Animal Kingdom has been able to dominate during Triple Crown season. At Churchill Downs, Animal Kingdom’s endurance proved to be the key to its success. Yet, at Pimlico last weekend, Animal Kingdom simply ran out of race track, and finished second to Shackleford. If Animal Kingdom can continue to have strong runs, it should be fine at Belmont Park.

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Can Animal Kingdom Win The Triple Crown?

Posted May 17, 2011 – 4:38 am in: Horse Racing Betting 101

In just less than two weeks time, the biggest question surrounding the 2011 Preakness betting lines will be answered. It has been nearly 33 years since one colt managed to win all three stages of the American Triple Crown. With one of the most open fields in Triple Crown history, many Preakness Stakes betting handicappers are wondering, can Animal Kingdom win the Triple Crown?

If there was ever a year for a colt to finally break the Triple Crown curse, 2011 would be the year. Essentially, this year’s Triple Crown field has a mix of a few gems but mainly duds that have only won a couple of starts. For Animal Kingdom, now ridden by John Velazquez, the colt was a long shot at best to win the Kentucky Derby, as bookmakers only gave it 24 to one odds to win the race. However, with Velazquez on its back, Animal Kingdom was able to become the first horse in Kentucky Derby victory to run on dirt for the first time in its career and win.

Looking closer at Animal Kingdom, and horse racing fans will see a horse that was sired by one of the greatest turf horses in Eclipse Award history, and whose damsire was an amazing horse for running long distances. Considering that the Preakness Stakes in a couple of weeks is a turf course, and the Belmont Stakes in a month is a long distance race, Animal Kingdom has the pedigree to win the Triple Crown.

What’s more, when breaking down the Triple Crown for Animal Kingdom, going into last week’s Kentucky Derby, the course at Churchill Downs, was actually supposed to be the hardest stage for Animal Kingdom. Considering he won the race, and has a pedigree for the other two, we believe that Animal Kingdom could win the Triple Crown.



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