Derby and Preakness winners to skip Belmont

Horseracing Betting Lines

05/16/2010 - Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver and Preakness Stakes champ Lookin At Lucky will both skip the Belmont Stakes.

Both respective trainers, Todd Pletcher and Bob Baffert, said Sunday morning that both would be kept out of thoroughbred racing's third jewel of the Triple Crown, set for June 5 at Belmont Park.

Lookin At Lucky captured the Preakness on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course after finishing sixth in the Derby. Super Saver tired in the stretch Saturday and wound up eighth on the heels of his victory at Churchill Downs.

The Belmont Stakes, a grueling 1 1/2 miles, will be run without the two previous classic winners for the second time in five years. In 2006, Barbaro won the Derby and suffered devastating injuries two weeks later in the Preakness, which was won by Bernardini, who then skipped the Belmont.

Cvssportsline Horseracing Betting News


<< A's try to get on track in finale with Angels
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Suffering with the longest losing streak in the American League at the moment, the Oakland Athletics try to close out their three-game set in southern California on a positive note as they take on the Los Angeles Angels of An

<< Phillies try to extend Brewers' home troubles
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With the back end of Philadelphia's bullpen a little banged up, the Phillies might need to rely on their starting pitchers some more over the next few weeks. Cole Hamels, arguably the club's least consistent starter this y

<< Giants send Zito to the hill aiming for another sweep of Astros
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Francisco's Barry Zito will try to rebound from a wild first loss of the season as the Giants try for their second sweep this year of the Houston Astros in today's finale of a three-game series at AT&T Park. Zito,

<< Dodgers hope for sweep of division rival Padres
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The surprising Padres came into this series sitting in first place in the National League West. However, a pair of losses to the Dodgers has quickly reminded them just who the defending division champs are. San Diego will

<< Francis set for season debut as Rockies close out set with Nats
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jeff Francis is expected to make his first start in well over a year this afternoon for the Colorado Rockies, who are coming off a sweep of yesterday's doubleheader and will look to secure a series win over the Washington Nat

Rangers activate INF Arias >>
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Texas Rangers on Sunday activated infielder Joaquin Arias from the 15-day disabled list and optioned right-hander Pedro Strop to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Arias had been sidelined with a lower back stra

Another Serie A crown for Inter >>
Siena, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Inter Milan claimed its fifth successive Serie A title on Sunday as Diego Milito's goal in the 57th minute was enough to give Inter a 1-0 win at Siena. The Nerazzurri entered the final day of the season wit

Hanson overcomes penalties, wins Mallorca playoff >>
Son Servera, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peter Hanson parred the first playoff hole Sunday to beat Alejandro Canizares and win at the Iberdrola Open Cala Millor. Hanson overcame a penalty for a double-hit on a chip and an unplayable

Suns, Magic plan to play spoiler >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When you talk rivalries, the Lakers- Celtics is right up there with Yankees-Red Sox and Ohio State-Michigan as the best in all of sports. The NBA's two marquee teams have met in the Finals 11 different tim

Rezai stuns Venus in Madrid final >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aravane Rezai of France earned her third career WTA Tour title with a straight-set victory over Venus Williams in Sunday's final at the Madrid Open. Rezai notched a 6-2, 7-5 triumph for her third

How did changes to college football betting rules affect bettors?

The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.

While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.

For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.

1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.

2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.

How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.

Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.

Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.

How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).

Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.

Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on college football needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football betting sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.

MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs.