Team Valor calls audible for Animal Kingdom
Horseracing Betting Lines
02/17/2012 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saturday marks the return to competition for 2011 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom after eight months on the sidelines. The 4-year-old colt last raced in the Belmont Stakes in June.
Owner Team Valor International and trainer Graham Motion made a surprise move on Wednesday by entering the champion colt in a $60,000 allowance race on the turf at Gulfstream Park for Saturday. The 1 1/16-mile grass race has a six- horse field with none of the other five starters having close to Animal Kingdom's credentials.
Early this month, the colt's connections announced that the Eclipse Award winner would hit the track in the Tampa Bay Stakes on February 25 to begin his 2012 season.
"He (Motion) would have worked the horse seven furlongs next Monday to get him ready for the Tampa race, but for this kind of allowance race, I think the horse will be fine on Saturday," Team Valor president Barry Irwin said. "He's doing super, but we don't want him to be too primed for a big race first time back. We want him to get something out of the race, not leave his Dubai World Cup race on the course."
Animal Kingdom will have the services again of jockey John Velazquez for the colt's second start on the turf. Motion is using the grass race as a prep for the $10 million Dubai World Cup on March 31.
"I believe that I'm running him with the bare minimum of works that I would want to run him with. But with this race being this weekend, it gives me six weeks to Dubai, which I think gives me ample time for him to recover from the race," Motion indicated. "In whatever race we ran him in, the objective of running him was to get him to Dubai in the best possible shape.
"The problem with waiting until next weekend at Tampa is that it would be the only option I would have before running in Dubai. If for some reason we had bad weather like we had last weekend, I wouldn't have a backup plan. That's what's so attractive running this week."
Animal Kingdom was voted the 2011 champion 3-year-old male despite not having started the second half of the year. After finishing second in an allowance race last March at Gulfstream, the colt captured the Spiral Stakes at Turfway Park.
For the Run for the Roses, Animal Kingdom was a 20-1 long shot in the 19-horse field. Ridden by Velazquez, he powered down the stretch to a 2 3/4-length victory over Nehro.
The Preakness, two weeks after the Derby, saw Animal Kingdom go off as the 2-1 favorite versus 13 rivals. Following a slow start, Velazquez got the colt rolling, but missed by a half length from catching Shackleford and jockey Jesus Castanon.
The Belmont Stakes was a lost effort for Animal Kingdom. He finished sixth, nearly 10 lengths behind Ruler On Ice. It was later discovered he had suffered an injury that ended his 3-year-old season.
"I believe he is a special horse that did not get to show how good he was, and I hope he gets that chance this year," Motion said. "This is just a start, but it doesn't all have to happen this weekend. But I hope he gets a chance this year to show what a super horse he is."
In seven career starts, Animal Kingdom has three wins and an equal number of seconds for more than $1.9 million in purses.
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Timberwolves will try to take the season series from the Houston Rockets and their old friend Kevin McHale when the two teams hook up at Toyota Center on Friday. Houston had traditionally dominated the
<< Magic entertain Bucks at Amway Center
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Orlando Magic take aim at a fourth straight win this
evening when they conclude a three-game homestand versus the Milwaukee Bucks
at Amway Center.
The Magic continued to roll on Wednesday, as Ryan Anderson scored
<< Rounding Third: In Carter, baseball loses one of its good guys
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Growing up in New York whether you were a
fan of the Yankees or the Mets, it was hard not to get caught up with what was
going on at Shea Stadium in the Summer of 1986.
A big reason for the excitement that
<< Wizards pay a visit to Jazz
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Washington will resume a five-game road trip on Friday
against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena.
After winning during the first two stops on their trip against the Pistons and
Blazers, the Wizards were tripped
<< Lakers open home-and-home set with Suns
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pacific Division rivals renew hostilities at Staples Center
on Friday when the Los Angeles Lakers open up a home-and-home series with the
Phoenix Suns.
Fresh off a 3-3 Grammy Road Trip the Lakers returned to SoCal on Tu
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder have performed quite well following a loss this season and look to keep it that way when the Golden State Warriors pay a visit to Chesapeake Energy Arena tonight. The Th
Hornets try to stop Lin, Knicks at MSG >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Some think New Orleans will put an end to the Lin-sanity
that has engulfed New York City on Friday. Others think it will eventually be
Carmelo Anthony.
The thought was Jeremy Lin and Anthony could be in the star
J.R. Smith bound for New York >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Free agent swingman J.R. Smith used social media to reveal
who he'll be playing for this season, tweeting on Friday, "New York Knicks It
Is!"
There has been no official word from the Knicks yet.
Smith, who recently r
Mertesacker out 'for a while' >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger revealed
Friday that defender Per Mertesacker will be out for unspecified period of
time after undergoing surgery to repair an ankle problem.
The German defender sus
Almagro reaches Brasil Open semis >>
Sao Paulo, Brazil (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top seed and defending champion
Nicolas Almagro was an easy quarterfinal winner Friday at the $475,300 Brasil
Open.
The Spanish Almagro cruised past fifth-seeded Argentine Carlos Berlocq 6-3,
6-2 in
2007 NFL Football Betting Preview
“You play to win the game!”
Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.
The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.
The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.
Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?
Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.
Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.
Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.
Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.
The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.
Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.
Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.
This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.
First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”
The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason.
Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.
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How to bet pro football
There is little doubt that the NFL is where the sportsbooks see the most action and also make the most loot. The NFL possesses betting friendly attributes that are unlike any of the other major sports. First off, there are relatively few teams to keep track of in comparison to college football betting or college basketball. And second, these teams play only once a week which makes staying on top of the results much easier than it is in the daily leagues such as the NBA, NHL, and MLB.
These dynamics, along with the sheer excitement of watching and wagering on football, brings more square action to the table than any of the other sports. Almost every Tom, Dick and Harry in America is an NFL expert in their own mind and that is precisely what the oddsmakers prey upon.
Understanding who bets the games is just as important as understanding which teams are playing the games. The market at times will dictate price, which in the betting world means the oddsmakers cater to the public rather than reality.
Knowing the market inside and out is the basis of our NFL handicapping model. That is, our approach to NFL handicapping is of the contrarian or value seeking variety. We will at times place a higher premium on public sentiment than on the fundamentals. This strategy dictates playing dogs and/or lesser competent teams, or teams the public wants nothing to do with. Or better yet, fading the teams the oddsmakers want you to bet on.
Along these same lines, we carry a similar notion that the first week of the NFL season presents one of the ripest opportunities for the astute gambler. This conflicts with conventional wisdom and/or handicapping lore, as most would say it is better to watch a few games and assess each team before jumping in with both feet. That’s all fine and dandy, but there are some interesting trends to exploit in Week 1 and we’d be remiss to ignore them. Let us quickly explain.
Gone are the days of dynasties, where the same core players stay intact and dominate the league year after year. Free agency and player movements can completely transform teams from one season to the next. In today’s parity-driven NFL, poor teams typically don’t stay poor for all that long and excellent teams must constantly reinvent themselves to stay on top.
The temptation might be to assume prior year results are the best indicator of who is going to cover in Week 1. To Joe Public, playoff teams from the prior season, home teams, favorites, and so one, look even more enticing than usual since there is no current season performance to judge them against. But the question begs: are the oddsmakers setting a trap?
To find the answer, we culled five years worth of Week 1 NFL data. As always, all of our analysis is done from an ATS perspective. The purpose here is to share the most important angles we unearthed and try to explain the logic behind them. So strap on your helmet, throw on your shoulder pads, and follow our lead as we expose some rare holes in the oddsmakers’ line of defense.
Home vs. Away Teams
Over the past five seasons, NFL home teams in Week 1 are just 31-42-7 ATS (42 percent). This of course implies that roadies are a 58 percent winning proposition during this time. The public at large has a tendency to overvalue home teams and this is especially true in Week 1 when there is no current season data to make predictions from. Consequently, the oddsmakers almost surely shade the home teams, by and large making road teams the choice for the value player.
Conclusion: Look long and hard at road teams first when handicapping the opening week.
Price ranges
Favorites are just 31-42-7 ATS (42 percent) in the opening week over the past five NFL seasons (Coincidentally, home teams hold the same ATS record as noted above). This means that underdogs bark at a 58 percent clip. Mid-range favorites performed the worst among our specified price ranges. In particular, favorites priced between –3 1/2 and –6 1/2 are only 8-15 ATS (35 percent) during this time.
The same basic pattern holds true when looking at home favorites (road favorites gravitate towards a 50 percent mean). Home favorites indeed are just 21-32-3 ATS (40 percent) in the first week of NFL action since 1999. Again, mid-range favorites are similarly the poorest performers when we look at home teams. Consider that home teams priced between –3 1/2 and –6 1/2 have stumbled to a 6-13 ATS (32 percent) mark in Week 1 games the past five seasons.
Conclusion: Like home teams, favorites and particularly mid-range favorites are generally overvalued in Week 1.
Playoff teams
It might surprise you to learn that playoff teams from the prior year versus non-playoff teams from the prior year are a mere 16-23-3 (41 percent) ATS in NFL Week 1 games over the past five seasons. Home teams which made the playoffs versus teams which did not make the playoffs from the prior season drop to a meager 7-14-1 ATS (33 percent) during this time.
Why are playoff teams, and in particular those at home, such bad bets the past five openers? Just as the case with home teams and with favorites, oddsmakers intentionally overprice playoff teams in the opening week to compensate for the public’s propensity to over bet them.
This theory holds true just looking at straight-up records from the past season as well. That is, home teams with winning records from the prior season vs. road teams with losing records from the prior season are just 8-13 ATS in Week 1 NFL games since 1999.
Conclusion: Playoff teams from the prior year and in particular, home playoff teams, are overvalued in Week 1 NFL games.
Scoring defense and scoring offense
Do good defenses and for that matter good offenses from the prior season fare better against the number the following year in Week 1 games? Well, sort of. Generally speaking, teams with a solid offense or defense from the prior season tend to do well in the opening week so long as they are on the road. As a host, however, the best offenses and best defenses from the prior year tend to be overvalued in Week 1.
Consider that the top five scoring defenses (i.e. points allowed) from the prior season are a nice 8-4 ATS (66 percent) on the road in NFL openers the past five seasons. Meanwhile, the top five scoring defenses from the prior season are just 3-8-2 ATS (27 percent) as a host in Week 1 during the same time period.
There is no discernable advantage or disadvantage for teams with a top five scoring offense (i.e. points scored) in Week 1 games. However, when we look at scoring offenses from the bottom up (isolating the five worst offenses from the prior season), the results are rather interesting. In particular, teams ranked in the bottom five in scoring offense from the prior season are 9-4-1 ATS (69 percent) when on the road in Week 1.
The logic is simply that the public perception is a poor scoring offensive unit from the year prior will have little chance of winning on the road in Week 1. In turn, the oddsmakers compensate for this perception and these poor offensive teams from the year prior carry extra line value on the Week 1 trail.
Conclusion: Teams with top-ranked defenses from the previous season are good bets when playing on the road, but poor bets when playing at home. Also, teams ranked among the bottom five in scoring offense from the prior season are generally a good value in their Week 1 openers, provided they are playing on the road.
Scoring margin
An exceedingly straightforward way of measuring scoring offense and scoring defense together as a whole is to look at a team's “margin." Margin is simply scoring offense minus scoring defense, which is a fairly clear-cut measure of how a team does on both sides of the ball. Typically, the higher the margin, the better the team.
In this regard, it might seem counterintuitive that teams carrying the higher margin from the prior season in week one matchups are merely 31-42-7 ATS (42 percent). Furthermore, road teams with the higher margin are 14-20-6 ATS (41 percent), while home teams with the higher margin are 17-22-1 ATS (44 percent). Once again, these results line up with the theory that better teams from the prior year are overvalued come opening day of the following season.
Conclusion: “Better” teams, which often boast a higher margin than their opponent, are overvalued the following season in NFL openers.
In sum
Oddsmakers cater NFL betting lines to match public perception and also to bait the public into poor bets. The temptation to use the prior year’s success as a buy sign for how a team will perform against the spread in Week 1 of the following season is an enormous trap.
The fact is, isolating road teams, road dogs, non-playoff teams vs. playoff teams, teams with a losing record or low margin vs. playoff teams or ones with a high margin from the previous year is where the line value resides. Quite simply, taking the road less traveled is your surest path to NFL betting profits.
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