11/12/2008 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The major part of the 2008 thoroughbred racing season has been completed, so let's take a few seconds to look back and forward.
Three names came to dominate the headlines this year: Curlin, Big Brown and Zenyatta. All three secured themselves at least one Eclipse Award with the only question being, Who is the 2008 Horse of the Year?
Defending Horse of the Year Curlin made thoroughbred history in 2008 by becoming the first horse to surpass the $10 million mark in lifetime earnings. The four-year-old colt went past Cigar on the career earnings list with a second straight win in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.
With Robby Albarado in the saddle for all seven starts, Curlin won five times in 2008 to bank $5,399,000. While it has not been officially announced, Curlin closes his Hall of Fame career with $10,501,800. The only thing he was unable to accomplish was repeating as Breeders' Cup Classic champ.
Leading three-year-old Big Brown may have had the strangest of years. After blowing away the competition in the Florida Derby, Run for the Roses and Preakness Stakes, he failed miserably in the Belmont Stakes.
We will never know exactly why the best three-year-old of 2008 was pulled up at the top of the stretch in the Belmont Stakes by jockey Kent Desormeaux. The official chart shows that he never finished the 1 1/2 mile Test of Champions.
Owned by IEAH Stables, Big Brown came back with a win in the Haskell Invitational after looking beaten in mid-stretch by Coal Play. Big Brown's final start was on the turf in the Monmouth Stakes in preparation for the Breeders' Cup.
Unfortunately, Big Brown suffered a hoof injury during training for the Breeders' Cup and was retired. He finished with $3,614,500 having won seven of eight career starts.
I never bet on Big Brown, nor consider him an all-time great. However, I give his connections credit for getting him to the starting gate for the Belmont Stakes plus two more starts. He suffered some setbacks following the Preakness and I expected Big Brown to be retired sometime during the three week break between the final two Triple Crown events.
Other than Curlin, Breeders' Cup Ladies Classic champ Zenyatta is the only possible thoroughbred who could be voted 2008 Horse of the Year. The four- year-old filly is undefeated in nine career starts, seven this year, and has career earnings of better than $2.1 million.
Zenyatta had a very well orchestrated schedule. She started eight times in California, all on synthetic tracks. Her lone race elsewhere was the Apple Blossom Handicap this year at Oaklawn Park when she was the second choice behind 2007 Eclipse winner Ginger Punch who finished third.
Breeders' Cup Classic winner Raven's Pass has been retired to Sheikh Mohammed's Kildangan Stud in County Kildare, Ireland. The three-year-old closes his short career with seven wins in 11 starts and $3,664,833,
Looking ahead to the Triple Crown races of 2009, Breeders' Cup Juvenile champ Midshipman has been taken to Dubai to prepare for the Kentucky Derby. Midshipman, owned by Shiekh Mohammed, has won three of four starts for $1,380,200. Shiekh Mohammed is desperate to win the Run for the Roses.
Juvenile Turf winner Donativum is owned by Princess Haya of Jordan, the wife of Shiekh Mohammed. Trained by John Gosden, the gelding has three wins in six starts and better than $1.5 million. His status for the Kentucky Derby is unknown.
In early odds for the 2009 Kentucky Derby, Midshipman is roughly 15-1 and Donativum is 20-1. Keep in mind that lightly raced three-year-olds are becoming the rule not the exception leading to the Kentucky Derby.
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In terms of sports wagering, the NFL is "the most popular game in town." The explanation behind that is easy.
It is called the "pointspread."
Many years ago, NFL games, as well as the more popular college games, used straight odds as a vehicle for betting. For example, if the Bears were playing the Giants, and it shaped up as a competitive contest, the Bears might be, say, a 7/5 favorite. If they were playing an also-ran, it might be 10/1. Well, there is a point where a line becomes prohibitive, as far as betting the favorite. And who would waste money betting an underdog that has virtually no chance? Such a setup did not contribute to promoting betting action.
But in modern sports betting, a "pointspread" is used.
A NFL pointspreads are exactly that, a pre-established point difference between the two sides that will, for all intents and purposes, create a handicap that evens things out, and in doing so, produces comparable wagering activity on both sides of that proposition. So in lieu of a odds figure in which to bet the team to win outright, the Bears might be a three-point favorite over the New York Giants, and a 17-point favorite over the also-ran. Now that the team that is the underdog can "get" points, there can be equal action on both sides.
In sportsbooks, this is usually done with efficiency by charging the losing bettors 10% extra - in effect, bettors are laying 11/10 on those games. So they are actually betting $110 to win $100. If they lose, they pay the "vig." If they win, they simply collect.
The establishment of the pointspread as the corner stone around which team sports like football can be wagered upon was truly what brought gridiron betting into the stratosphere.
Don't believe it? Just take a look at what happens around the Super Bowl.
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