Finalists announced for Racing Hall of Fame

Horseracing Betting Lines

02/22/2008 - Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A total of 12 finalists, including seven thoroughbreds, have been nominated for the 53rd class of the Racing Hall of Fame.

Three of the best jockeys in recent history -- Randy Romero, Edgar Prado and Alex Solis -- are also among the finalists.

Romero, retired since 1999, registered earnings of more than $75 million with 4,294 wins in better than 26,000 mounts. In his 26-year career, Romero won three Breeders' Cup races and was the regular rider for champions Go for Wand and Personal Ensign.

Prado gained international acclaim in 2006 with his Kentucky Derby-winning ride aboard Barbaro and his actions two weeks later in the Preakness Stakes when Barbaro suffered a career ending injury.

The 40-year-old Prado is a native of Peru and has compiled more than 6,000 victories and earnings of better than $202 million. He was the winning jockey of the 2002 and 2004 Belmont Stakes -- both times preventing Triple Crown sweeps by War Emblem and Smarty Jones, respectively.

Solis has earned more than $205 million in 4,534 victories through the end of 2007. He won the 1986 Preakness Stakes with Snow Chief and has captured three Breeders' Cup races.

The two trainers named finalists are two-time Kentucky Derby winner Carl Nafzger and the late Robert Wheeler.

Nafzger won the 1990 Run for the Roses with Unbridled and last year's Kentucky Derby with 2006 two-year-old male champion Street Sense. The 66-year-old Texas native is approaching 1,200 wins and has earnings of better than $50 million.

Robert Wheeler passed away at the age of 72 in 1992. He trained 1959 co- champion three-year-old filly Silver Spoon. Wheeler won the 1959 Santa Anita Derby with Silver Spoon and again in 1960 with Tompion.

The three contemporary male horses nominated as finalists are Best Pal, Manila and Tiznow.

Best Pal was owned by Mr. and Mrs. John C. Mabee and won the 1991 Pacific Classic, 1992 Santa Anita Handicap and 1993 Hollywood Gold Cup. He finished his racing career with $5.6 million in earnings.

Tiznow is the only two-time winner of the Breeders' Cup Classic, taking the event in 2000 and 2001. He was named 2000 Horse of the Year as a three-year- old and was 2001 champion older male. Owned by Cecilia Straub Rubens, Tiznow earned better than $6.4 million with 12 wins in 18 starts.

Manila won the 1986 Breeders' Cup Turf, which helped him to that year's Eclipse Award as champion male turf runner. He won 12 of 18 lifetime starts for $2.7 million for owner Bradley Shannon and trainer Leroy Jolley.

The four female finalists are Silverbulletday, Sky Beauty, Inside Information and Open Mind.

Silverbulletday was the 1998 champion two-year-old filly and Eclipse Award winner in 1999 as top three-year-old filly. Owned by Mike Pegram, Silverbulletday earned just over $3 million with 15 wins in 23 lifetime starts.

In 1993 Sky Beauty captured the Alabama Stakes along with a sweep of the New York Triple Tiara series. Trained by Allen Jerkens, the filly was voted 1994 champion older thoroughbred female. She won 15 of 21 career starts for $1.3 million.

Inside Information was the 1995 champion older filly or mare for owner Ogden Phipps. Trained by Shug McGaughey, Inside Information won the Breeders' Cup Distaff in 1995 and finished her career with $1.6 million in earnings with 14 wins in 17 races.

Open Mind, owned by Eugene Klein, was the 1988 champion two-year-old filly after winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Filly, and the 1989 champion three- year-old filly. Trained by D. Wayne Lukas, Open Mind won 12 of 19 lifetime starts for more than $1.8 million.

The finalist with the highest number of votes in each category will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Monday, August 4 in Saratoga Springs.

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Super Bowl 2009 Betting

Super Bowl 2009 Betting propositions

Underdog bettors love the Super Bowl and, history suggests, the underdogs love them back. And the big dogs bite harder.

Even so, there is a warning in store for Super Bowl gamblers who must love dogs: The Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl betting lines might not be enough of a Cinderella to make it worth your while.

Although the Cardinals were widely panned as one of the worst division winners and least playoff-worthy teams in recent memory, their trip to Super Bowl XLIII Jan. 31 in Tampa against the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl betting lines comes with a little more respect from the oddsmakers than you might imagine. They are a 7-point underdog at most sports books.

If you count yourself among those who covet the big dog in the big game, this isn’t exactly great news. You should have been hoping for more points. This is because the facts show that the bigger the dog, the better the bet in the Super Bowl.

Case in point: Over the past 13 seasons, double-figure underdogs in the Super Bowl are 4-0-1 ATS and have won the past three outright. In fact, the last double-digit chalk to do the deed for bettors was the 1995 San Francisco 49ers, who managed to beat the astounding 19-point spot afforded backers of the San Diego Chargers in the 49-26 romp in Super Bowl XXIX.

By contrast, 7-point favorites are 2-1-1 ATS in the same span, the last such contest resulting a cover grinded out by the Colts in their 29-17 win over the Bears two seasons ago in Super Bowl XLI.

In 2004, the Patriots failed to cover the number in their 32-29 triumph over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl props while the Rams and Titans gave everyone a refund in 2000 after the Rams posted a 23-16 win as a seven-point favorite.

So while Arizona’s run has included impressive upsets as a 10-point road underdog to the Carolina Panthers and Sunday’s 32-25 win in the NFC championship game to the 4-point favored Philadelphia Eagles, their long-shot story lacks a bit of the David vs. Goliath storyline of past Super Bowl underdogs.

While the seven-point spread represents a significant gap in the perception of strength between the two teams, it is far from monumental. For example, last season the Giants were the wild-card afterthought turned road-warrior buzzsaw, with stunning wins over the Buccaneers, Cowboys and Packers to earn their place in the Super Bowl.

There, they played spoiler to New England’s bid to become the first 19-0 team in NFL history and cemented their place in sports betting lore with a 17-14 win as a 12.5-point underdog.

In other words, the Cardinals appear to have their work cut out for them as a mid-range underdog. But in homage to the spread beaters who have come before them, here is a brief look back at recent colossal upsets in the Super Bowl:

SB XLII -- 2008 -- New York Giants 17, New England Patriots 14 (Giants +12.5) – Eli Manning’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Plaxico Burress in the final minute clinched the historic upset for the Giants, who used a masterful defensive plan to slow down Tom Brady and the previously undefeated New England Patriots.

XXXVI -- 2002 -- Patriots 20, Rams 17 (Patriots +14) – This was the coming out party for the aforementioned Brady, who went from obscure sixth-round draft pick to Super Bowl hero in one fell swoop. He led the game-winning drive in the final minute – eschewing analyst John Madden’s advice to take a knee and play for overtime – leading to Adam Vinatieri’s memorable 48-yard field goal that split the uprights as time expired.

XXXII 1998 Broncos 31, Packers 24 (Denver +12) – The first of John Elway’s two consecutive Super Bowl titles to put an end to his Hall of Fame career was an upset for the ages. The Broncos used the determination of Elway and a 157-yard, three-touchdown performance from Terrell Davis to turn back Brett Favre and the heavily favored Packers.

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