Curlin posts prep victory for Dubai World Cup

Horseracing Betting Lines

02/28/2008 - Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Curlin, the 2007 Horse of the Year, kicked off his 2008 campaign with a win at the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse. The four-year-old captured the $175,000 Jaguar Trophy Handicap over five challengers.

The winner of last year's Breeders' Cup Classic was shipped to Dubai to prepare for the $6 million Dubai World Cup on Saturday, March 29. Trainer Steve Asmussen used Thursday's race as a tightener leading to the world's richest race.

Ridden by Robby Albarado, Curlin covered the 1 1/4 miles at Nad Al Sheba in 2:00.60 on a fast track. Finishing behind Curlin by two lengths was Familiar Territory followed by Jet Express, Arqaam, Imperialista and Engrupido.

Thursday's win was worth $105,000 to bring Curlin's bankroll to more than $5.2 million. Last year's Preakness champ has now won seven of 10 career starts, including his last three races.

Wwhitbox Horseracing Betting News

<< Raptors have been model of consistency
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - They're second in the Atlantic Division behind mighty Boston and fourth overall in the Eastern Conference, and the wins just keep piling up for the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors have been relatively quiet this seas

<< Report: Shawn Green retires after 15 seasons
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Outfielder Shawn Green, a 15-year major league veteran most recently with the New York Mets, has reportedly announced his retirement. Green, who spent the past season and a half with the Mets, told t

<< Indians sign Carmona, 12 others
Winter Haven, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians have signed pitcher Fausto Carmona and 12 others to one-year contracts, the club announced Thursday. Carmona, 24, made 32 starts for the Indians in 2007, posting a 19-8 r

<< Sens make the right decision on Paddock
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It never really made sense how the Ottawa Senators finally made the Stanley Cup finals for the first time last year and then decided to change their head coach. Now, it's not like the Senators fired anybody after the impre

<< The Kearse is over: Eagles cut Jevon
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia Eagles released defensive end Jevon Kearse Thursday, cutting ties with the ninth-year pro after four disappointing, injury-plagued seasons with the team. Kearse was one of

Niners sign KR Rossum >>
Santa Clara, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Francisco 49ers signed cornerback and kick returner Allen Rossum Friday, just three days after the veteran was released by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rossum has played in 140 career

Kuznetsova, Dementieva will meet in all-Russian Dubai final >>
Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova and two-time major runner-up Elena Dementieva will do battle in an all-Russian final Saturday at the $1.5 million Dubai Tennis

Mascherano inks permanent Liverpool deal >>
Liverpool, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Liverpool secured the services of Javier Mascherano on a permanent basis on Friday, signing the Argentina midfielder to a four-year deal. Mascherano spent a short period of time last season

Many forces came together to bring MLS to Philly >>
Chester, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The city of Chester became the birthplace of Pennsylvania when William Penn landed on its Delaware River shore on Oct. 27, 1682. Then, more than 325 years later on Feb. 28, 2008, when Major League Soccer

Vikes agree to terms with Tapeh >>
Eden Prairie, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Minnesota Vikings have agreed to terms with fullback Thomas Tapeh, who spent the first four years of his NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles. Tapeh appeared in all 32 games, starting 16, over

MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

To bet on March Madness games this online sportsbook accepts credit cards

About MySportsbook.com MySportsbook.com  is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, where millions of adult Americans bet on sports, play poker and enjoy blackjack and other casino games online in a regulated and licensed jurisdiction. Named the "Best US Sports Book" by the industry's top magazine, eGaming Review, MySportsbook.com has been leading the online gaming industry since 1996. Dwarfing its nearest competitors in the US, MySportsbook.com has been the first to achieve every significant industry milestone, from record turnover to active users to number of bets--achieving a peak of fifteen bets per second. As the US online gaming leader, the firm and it's products have been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, ESPN, Wall Street Journal, Barrons, Financial Times, USA Today and in every major newspaper in the US.