St Trinians tries boys in Saturday's Big 'Cap

Horseracing Betting Lines

03/03/2010 - Arcadia, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 73rd running of the $750,000 Santa Anita Handicap (Big 'Cap) at Santa Anita Park has attracted 13 males and one female. The 14 thoroughbreds will be asked to run 1 1/4-miles Saturday on Santa Anita's synthetic track.

The lone female in the field is Santa Maria Handicap winner St Trinians. The five-year-old mare would become the first female to win the Big 'Cap which was first run in 1935. In 2004, four-year-old filly Island Fashion was second behind Southern Image.

Trained by Mike Mitchell, St Trinians will start from post two with Joel Rosario again riding. The mare is undefeated in four starts since coming to the United States from England.

"It's kind of a plus, I think," Mitchell said about the failure of 41 females in their attempts to win the Big 'Cap. "We know they can do it, and she gets a little better break in the weights than if I ran against Zenyatta a week later. If there is a question, it's if she can go a mile and a quarter, and I think she can, the way she finished winning the Santa Maria."

Owned by Dan Capen and Laura Chavers, St Trinians has won seven of 11 career starts for $268,587. She won the Paseana Handicap in January at Santa Anita, where she is perfect in three tries.

"When she won going 7 -furlongs at Hollywood off a layoff (last December 3)," Mitchell continued, "she was on the lead most of the way, and that kind of surprised me. Nobody really wanted to take the lead, and she was fresh, but now, you can kind of do whatever you want with her, depending on who goes in this race. With a full field, it looks like there's a fair amount of speed."

Turf specialist Loup Breton will attempt a synthetic surface for the first time on Saturday. With jockey Garrett Gomez in the saddle, the six-year-old will break from post six for trainer Julio Canani.

"This horse probably can make the conversion," Gomez said, "because he works well on synthetic all the time, although working on it and running on it are two different things. But his style is good for this distance and he's a really nice horse."

Owned by Guy Wildenstein, Loup Breton has raced exclusively on grass in his 21 lifetime starts and has earnings of $677,614 with five wins. In January he won the San Marcos Handicap at 1 1/4-miles and in December was second to Proudinsky in the San Gabriel Handicap.

"Anabaa is the leading synthetic sire in Europe," Canani said about Loup Breton's sire. "He sired Anabaa's Creation, who was second by a head to Zenyatta in the Clement Hirsch (in August, 2008 at Del Mar), so we're taking a shot."

Here is the full field for the Big 'Cap in post position order: Pick Six, Alex Solis; St Trinians, Joel Rosario; Rendezvous, Joe Talamo; Neko Bay, Mike Smith; Eagle Poise, Tyler Baze; Loup Breton, Garrett Gomez; Mast Track, David Flores; Pool Play, Chantal Sutherland; Marsh Side, Martin Pedroza; Tiger's Rock, David Cohen; Dakota Phone, Victor Espinoza; Delightful Kiss, Juan Leyva; Misremembered, Martin Garcia and Jeranimo, Rafael Bejarano.

Also on the Saturday card is the rescheduled Sham Stakes with 10 three-year- olds entered. The 1 1/8-mile race is a prep for the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby on April 3.

The Santa Anita Handicap has a scheduled post-time of 7:38 p.m. (et) and the Sham is set to go off at 6:07 p.m. (et).

Cvssportsline Horseracing Betting News

<< Blue Jackets send Modin to Kings
Columbus, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Columbus Blue Jackets traded veteran forward Fredrik Modin to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a 2010 seventh- round draft pick. It has been an injury-plagued campaign for the Swede, who has

<< Bears tender contracts to eight players
Lake Forest, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Bears tendered contract offers to eight free agents on Wednesday. One-year deals were tendered to restricted free agent linebackers Nick Roach and Jamar Williams, defensive end Mark

<< Oilers ship Staios to Flames
Edmonton, AB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Edmonton Oilers acquired defenseman Aaron Johnson and a third-round draft pick from the Calgary Flames in exchange for veteran rearguard Steve Staios. Johnson appeared in 22 games this season for the Fl

<< Thrashers acquire F MacArthur from Sabres
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Thrashers acquired forward Clarke MacArthur from the Buffalo Sabres for third and fourth-round picks in the 2010 draft on Wednesday. MacArthur, a third-round selection by Buffalo in th

<< Caps re-acquire D Jurcina
Arlington, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Capitals made another depth move on Wednesday, re-acquiring defenseman Milan Jurcina from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for a 2010 conditional draft pick. Jurcina, who was ship

Boyd lands in Nashville >>
Nashville, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Nashville Predators acquired forward Dustin Boyd from the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 2010 fourth-round draft pick. The 23-year-old Boyd has compiled eight goals and 11 assists in 60 games fo

Braves bring final 11 under contract >>
Lake Buena Vista, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves agreed to terms with the final 11 players on their 40-man roster Wednesday. One-year contracts have been granted to right-handers Jair Jurrjens, Kris Medlen and Luis Valdez

Hurricanes deal Alberts to Canucks >>
Raleigh, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Carolina Hurricanes dealt defenseman Andrew Alberts to Vancouver on Wednesday in exchange for the Canucks' third-round draft pick in 2010. Alberts posted two goals and 10 points in 62 games for Caroli

Yelle returns to the Mile High City >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Avalanche have acquired forward Stephane Yelle from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Cedric McNicoll and a 2010 sixth-round draft pick. Yelle returns to the franchise with wh

Rangers pick up D Eriksson from Phoenix >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Rangers added some depth to the blue line by acquiring veteran defenseman Anders Eriksson from the Phoenix Coyotes prior to the trade deadline on Wednesday. Eriksson was sent to the Ran

FOOTBALL BETTING : Cassel Signs Contract

Kansas City, MO - Kansas City has not officially named Matt Cassel its starting quarterback, but there can be no doubt now.

NFL Betting
After praising his leadership and work ethic through spring workouts, the Chiefs announced Tuesday they had signed the 27-year-old Cassel to a multiyear contract. Terms were not disclosed, but he will almost certainly be one of the highest-paid members of the team.
"We are excited to be able to reach a long-term agreement for Matt Cassel to be a Kansas City Chief for many years to come," owner and board chairman Clark Hunt said in a statement. "His proven leadership on and off the field will be a tremendous asset to the organization."
Patriots made him their franchise player, meaning his salary for this season will be about $15 million.
New head coach Todd Haley, taking over for Herm Edwards after a 2-14 season, refused to name a starter at any position during offseason workouts. But it was obvious to everyone the team belonged to Cassel.
"I go out there each and every day with that focus that I'm the starter," Cassel said during a June minicamp. "Competition brings out the best in everybody."
The signing will come as welcome news to Cassel's new coaches and teammates. Amiable and hardworking, he appeared to win over everyone at minicamp.
"I think he's got some unique leadership qualities. I think his teammates like him and have respect for him. I think he's doing a pretty good job on the field, too," Haley said last month. "He's doing everything that I'm asking him, that our coaches are asking him to do. I don't have one single complaint how he's carrying himself."
After one workout, wide receiver Devard Darling declared Cassel "a breath of fresh air."
"He has a lot of swagger, a lot of confidence. It's good for us," said Darling. "We trust in him that he's going to go out there and lead us all the way."
nse to accommodate his specific abilities.
Trapped on the bench behind Heisman winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart at USC and then unable to unseat Super Bowl MVP Brady at New England, Cassel seemed destined to be a backup all his life. As Brady was helped off the field last September, Cassel seized the opportunity he'd been waiting for since high school.
In his only sustained action since his teens, he hit 349 of 555 passes for 3,949 yards at New England. He had 23 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions as the Patriots, who had gone unbeaten through the regular season the year before, finished 11-5 and out of the playoffs.
Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli, who had been Bill Belichick's assistant in New England, engineered the trade after the Patriots became convinced that Brady would recover fully from his knee operation.
"Since Matt arrived in Kansas City, he has embraced the team and the community," Pioli said. "His work ethic, his ability and competitive presence is what we expect from our players."

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.

SPORTS BETTING: NFL Football Sportsbook Betting

NFL owners, already life's biggest winners, want to try their luck with the lottery.


That was the news out of their meetings last week, where team bosses voted unanimously to allow stamping state and local lottery tickets with franchise logos, if, ahem, any governments wanted to do a deal.

A shocker: Within days the Pats announced they'd be sponsoring the Massachusetts state lottery, the Skins said they'd slap their sticker on Virginia scratch-offs and the Ravens admitted they were talking to Maryland lottery bosses. In all likelihood, it won't be long before every team is a presenting sponsor of scratch-offs or just plain old pick fives. "The change in policy was approved 32-0," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. "So you can expect to see more deals soon."

It's a branding opportunity too big for the owners to ignore, and one a couple of dozen baseball franchises have enjoyed for years. The fact the NFL has been slower to act than those slack-brained Seligites is indicative of its complicated relationship with all forms of gambling. Consider this: Last Thursday, as the Pats and the Redskins finalized their new lottery deals, a lawyer representing the NFL argued before Delaware's Supreme Court that the state's newly signed sports betting law should be repealed.

The NFL betting is the face of opposition to sports gambling . And as much as it would like to share that responsibility with other leagues, that's not going to happen as long as more than 40% of all money legally wagered on games is bet on football. That's why the Brewers can do a multi-million dollar deal with a local casino, or the Celtics can make their own pact with the Mass lottery, and the response is, "Sweet, let's play." But when the NFL does it the stakes are higher, and everyone from NPR's Frank Deford to the Associated Press to the guys blogging at Deadspin will line up to play gotcha.

So I asked Aiello, who surely knew there'd be piling on, how the league can rail against being bait for sports bettors, then allow its franchises to be just that for lotteries, the most insidious and addictive form of gambling around. He emailed me this response: "We are not moral crusaders. NFL personnel are permitted to engage in legal forms of gambling, except for betting on NFL games. We are making a distinction here between the spread of gambling on the outcome of our games and supporting state lottery scratch-off games, that have nothing to do with the outcome of our games."

Here's where I should rip him. But, the thing is, he's right. Not to get Obama on you, but this is a complicated, nuanced issue. As much as lotteries are considered a tax on the poor, the NFL isn't a socially obligated government program -- it's just a business. Scratch-off's help the bottom line, sports betting doesn't. Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors … But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal.

Now, it's okay to call the league hypocritical when it releases injury reports, which players have told me only helps bettors. And it's okay to mutter something obscene when the league pretends gambling doesn't help drive TV ratings and fan interest and put money in owners' pockets. But when it supports other forms of gaming? Big Deal. The Bears should put an orange "C" on every deck of cards dealt at Harrah's in Joliet; the Eagles should slap their logo on roulette wheels at the Borgata in Atlantic City; the Dolphins should hold training camp at the El San Juan in Puerto Rico.

Seriously.

The NFL's problem, when it comes to the gambling world, isn't hypocrisy, it's worse: The bosses lack vision. That's why the league is picking unwinnable fights in Delaware and taking pot shots from critics after making smart sponsorship deals. Roger Goodell and his gang are acting and thinking locally rather than globally, which is rare for them, especially compared to their professional (and amateur) counterparts.

The NBA held its All Star game in Las Vegas and David Stern's kingdom didn't crumble (although the town did bring plenty of players to their knees.) I'd say it's 6 to 5 and pick 'em that Lebron will make a road swing through Sin City before his career is over.

Even the NCAA College Football Betting is more progressive on this issue than the NFL. Several years ago Rachel Newman Baker, college sports' gambling czar, opened a dialogue with Vegas bookmakers to learn about how they do business. She's visited Nevada sports books, studied their operations and listened to how they regulate action. Now she knows she can expect a call from bookmakers, who lose money when sports are fixed, if they think something sketchy is going on in NCAA games. She's not in favor of sports betting, but, as she once told me, "I know it's not going away, either."

The NFL can't seem to accept that. And until it can find peace with the idea, it'll get flack, even when it's right.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts MasterCard needs.