Belmont Stakes - Curlins race to lose

Horseracing Betting Lines

06/08/2007 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A field of seven will go postward on Saturday for the 139th running of the Belmont Stakes. Curlin, winner of the Preakness, is the morning line favorite, followed by Kentucky Derby runner-up Hard Spun and the filly, Rags to Riches. The other four are C P West, Tiago, Imwildandcrazyguy and Slews Tizzy.

Curlin came into the Derby undefeated but had raced just three times, all in his three-year-old season. The Steve Asmussen-trained colt did not hit the track as a two-year-old, but was still the morning line choice in the Run for the Roses. The son of Smart Strike wasnt able to run his usual "sit-stalk- mow" race after a slow break from post two. He was backwardly placed in 13th at the half-mile pole, some 12 lengths behind the early pacesetters, but picked up eight lengths on the leaders as the field galloped around the far turn. Despite the solid gain, it was not the best move of the race as Street Sense took apart the rest of the field with his devastating trip up the rail. Nonetheless, the Derby proved Curlin had the ability, in spite of the tremendous lack of seasoning and bottom needed to win on the "First Saturday in May."

Curlins preferred racing style is to be three-to-five lengths off the early, lead then roar by the field around the final turn. Thats how he was able to win his earlier races, even though they came against suspect competition. After tasting defeat for the first time at Churchill Downs, his first true test came in the Preakness and one can honestly say he passed with flying colors. After stumbling out of the gate, he settled further back than expected, but the pace was extremely quick up front. It took him a few strides to change leads down the stretch, but once he did, he had enough left to pass Street Sense by a head as the two raced to the wire.

With the Preakness now behind him, there is no telling how good Curlin can be. A victory in the Belmont Stakes and the lightly-raced colt will have won two- thirds of the Triple Crown and that could make all the difference in the world when the Eclipse Awards are handed for 2007. A lengthy rest will follow as Asmussen gets Curlin ready for the late summer action.

THE FIELD

1) Imawildandcrazyguy - Prior to the Kentucky Derby, Imawildandcrazyguy had only two victories in 11 chances. His fourth place finish was the most surprising result of the entire race. The gelding was last for most of the Derby before unleashing a powerful drive around the turn while racing 10 wide into the stretch, by far and away the worst part of the racetrack. He ran his final four furlongs in :49 flat and a similar effort could get this February foal a good chunk of the million dollar purse.

2) Tiago - Like Curlin, this colt has just five career starts, but unlike the Preakness winner, Tiago will race for the first time since Derby Day. How much of a factor that is remains to be seen, but three of the last four Belmont Stakes winners have won off a five-week layoff. The Santa Anita Derby winner was extremely far back in Kentucky and gained ground late to finish seventh, beaten 10 lengths. Tiago wasnt anywhere near as wide as Imawildandcrazyguy and instead of making one huge bold move it was as if he was just passing tired horses. He does have the breeding for the grueling 1 1/2-mile distance, but the talent level is far off the level of the top choices.

3) Curlin - This years race is very similar to that of 2005 when Afleet Alex finished third in the Derby and then won the Preakness. Afleet Alex should have been 1-5 in the Belmont, but instead was let go at the insanely generous odds of 6-5. There is a decent chance that Curlins odds do not stray too far 6-5, which would present tremendous value for those placing win bets on the favorite. With the pace of this race expected to be much slower than the Preakness, look for Curlin to sit much closer to the front end, and then pounce on the leaders around the turn, a la Point Given and Risen Star. Dont be shocked to see a dominating performance as the rest of this field leaves a lot to be desired.

4) C P West - The Nick Zito-trained colt ran a credible fourth at Pimlico, beaten only 5 lengths by Curlin. A lot was made of Mario Pinos decision to move Hard Spun to the top way too early, but not much was written about Edgar Prados move on C P West. The son of Came Home ran his third quarter in a blistering 23 1/5, which left him zero chance of winning. Its also interesting to note that despite ranging up alongside Hard Spun at the top of the stretch, he did not have what it took to ever pass him and eventually ended up 1 lengths behind the Derby runner-up at the wire. Zito and Prado squashed the "Smarty Party" back in 2004 when their Birdstone prevented Smarty Jones from capturing the Triple Crown, but dont expect a similar result this time around.

5) Slews Tizzy - The speed of the race drew directly inside of Hard Spun with post-position number five. Slews Tizzy passed on the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness while winning the Lexington Stakes and Lone Star Derby, respectively. Prior to those two events, he finished 7th, beaten 11 -lengths by Circular Quay in the Louisiana Derby at odds of 57-1. He has yet to defeat any horse of quality and it will remain that way after Saturday. The favorite to finish last.

6) Hard Spun - He benefited from the track bias to finish second in Kentucky and received a terrible ride in the Preakness while picking up third money. Owner Rick Porter then decided to replace jockey Mario Pino with Garrett Gomez, which should help Hard Spuns cause for the "test of champions." The son of Danzig is the only horse in the field with three straight 100+ Beyer numbers and is an amazingly consistent colt. However, he failed to get the job done against Street Sense and Curlin, and Gomez has already wished he hadnt committed to him so early as he is the regular rider of the filly, Rags to Riches.

7) Rags to Riches - Only two fillies have ever won the Belmont Stakes with the last one coming all the way back in 1905. Genuine Risk and Winning Colors both failed in the Belmont after winning Kentucky Derby, and another filly, Silverbulletday, finished seventh in 1999. There are two schools of thought on Rags to Riches. One says she has proved herself worthy with dominating performances in the Santa Anita and Kentucky Oaks and is regally bred to go the 1 1/2-mile distance. The other says she was beating up on a mediocre crop of three-year-old fillies and has no chance against the big boys. My feelings on her fall somewhere in between. In a different year, I would give her zero chance, but there is not a single horse in this race that stands out as a legitimate contender besides Curlin.

HOW THE RACE WILL BE RUN

Look for Slews Tizzy to set the pace followed by Hard Spun. Curlin should be much closer to the lead than he was in his last two starts, while C P West sits in fourth. Rags to Riches will be fifth down the backstretch, with Tiago and Imawildandcrazyguy trailing the pack.

As the seven horses go around the far turn, Curlin will march to the top with Hard Spun, C P West and Rags to Riches giving chase. Slews Tizzy has seen better days and falls out of it. The two closers begin to gain some ground approaching the top of the stretch.

Its here where Curlin shows what hes made of. The favorite pulls away to a five-length lead and leaves Rags to Riches and Hard Spun in the dust. Through the stretch, Curlin opens up more daylight on the field, while Imwildandcrazyguy kicks it into high gear and moves past Rags to Riches and Hard Spun for second.

The final order of finish: 1) Curlin; 2) Imawildandcrazyguy; 3) Rags to Riches; 4) Hard Spun; 5) Tiago; 6) C P West; 7) Slews Tizzy

Betting-express Horseracing Betting News

<< Nationals don't have much to rely on
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Maybe the Washington Nationals should have re-signed Alfonso Soriano in the offseason after all. While the former Nationals outfielder is enjoying a solid season with the Chicago Cubs, his former team is strug

<< Galaxy putting pieces together for Dallas contest
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Galaxy have played the fewest games of any team in Major League Soccer this season, but the club has already been forced to rearrange its lineup because of injuries and international absence

<< Bailey set to make major-league debut
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Highly-touted pitching prospect Homer Bailey will make his major league debut on Friday after Cincinnati purchased his contract from Triple-A Louisville. Bailey, who is considered one of the to

<< Royals continue to falter
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While it's still early in the 2007 season, the only chase the Kansas City Royals are involved in is the one to avoid owning the worst record in the majors. Thanks to the Texas Rangers, the Royals are safe in that departmen

<< Green leads by one at halfway stage in Austria
Vienna, Austria (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Australian Richard Green posted a six-under 65 Friday to take a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the BA-CA Golf Open at Fontana Golf Club. Green completed 36 holes at 11-under-par 131. Martin Erlandss

Brewers' Fielder showing his power >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Honestly, should anyone be surprised of Prince Fielder's power numbers for Milwaukee so far this season? In just his second full season in the majors, Fielder has 21 home runs, 48 runs batted in and a .299 batting average

Teams on the rebound meet up in Chicago >>
Bridgeview, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Chicago Fire snapped a five-game winless streak last week with a 3-2 win against Columbus. Now, the Fire are looking to return to their early-season form and put together another run of strong

Molik, Santangelo capture women's doubles title in Paris >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Australian Alicia Molik and Italian Mara Santangelo paired to capture the 2007 French Open women's doubles championship on Friday. The 17th-seeded tandem of Molik-Santangelo secured its first-ever Gran

Tigers activate Wilson >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Tigers activated catcher Vance Wilson from the 15-day disabled list on Friday. Wilson, a backup to starter Ivan Rodriguez, has been out since the start of the season with a sore right elbow.

Wilson takes provisional pole in Portland >>
Portland, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former F1 driver Justin Wilson captured the provisional pole for Sunday's Grand Prix of Portland. The No.9 Rocketsports Racing driver posted a winning time of 58.000 seconds (121.903 m.p.h.) which was mor

Police report: Terrell Owens hospitalized after attempt

Terrell Owens will address the media at a 3:15 p.m. ET news conference outside the Cowboys' practice facility after an internal police report indicated he tried to kill himself by overdosing on prescription pain medication, even putting two more pills into his mouth after a friend intervened.

The Dallas police report said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

Owens left the hospital late Wednesday morning, giving reporters a "thumbs up" but making no comment as he was driven away in an SUV.

Michael Irvin said that Owens denied he attempted suicide and said he was rushed to the hospital as a result of an adverse reaction to medication. And a source close to Owens told Michael A. Smith that Owens wasn't attempting suicide.

NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders said he spoke with Owens shortly before his release from the hospital and that Owens was in good spirits.

"The fact that it has been reported a suicide attempt, he's laughed at that notion. It was a case that medication that was taken wasn't accepted well in his system with the other vitamins he's on," Sanders said.

The series of events began a little before 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Owens' publicist, Kim Etheredge, said she was at Owens' home when he took pain medicine for his broken right hand. Concerned by how he began acting, Etheredge said in various interviews Wednesday with Dallas-area media that she called 911. Owens was taken to a hospital, with Etheredge saying it was an allergic reaction to the medicine.

But early Wednesday, several media outlets received a police report -- that had yet to be released by the authorities -- saying Owens had attempted suicide by overdosing on the painkillers, even putting two more pills into his mouth after an unidentified friend intervened.

The police document, first reported by WFAA-TV, said Owens was asked by rescue workers "if he was attempting to harm himself, at which time [he] stated, 'Yes.'"

When officially released by police, about half the document was blacked out, including the phrases "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication" and "a drug overdose," as well as the details of Owens having two pills pried from his mouth and Owens saying "Yes" when asked if he intended to harm himself.

Etheredge, who said she was the friend cited in the police document, told Dallas-area media Wednesday that the police got the story wrong.

The tape of the 911 call could help clear things up. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get its contents, but fire department officials said it would not be available before late Wednesday.

The police report said the 32-year-old Owens told his friend "that he was depressed." Details of the police report were first reported by WFAA-TV.

The friend, who is not identified in the report, "noticed that [his] prescription pain medication was empty and observed [Owens] putting two pills in his mouth," the police report said.

Using her fingers, the friend attempted to pry them out of Owens' mouth. Owens told police he had taken only five of the 40 pain pills in the bottle he'd emptied before the incident.

Etheredge told the Star-Telegram that Owens was "fine."

Etheredge said she called 911 because Owens was groggy and lethargic. After taking some supplements "it kicked in a reaction" with the painkillers, she told the Star-Telegram.

"Here's a person whose body is so clean, it really had a negative reaction to the medication and supplements he was taking," Etheridge told The Morning News. "Thank goodness someone was there to call an ambulance."

Police Lt. Rick Watson said he could only confirm that paramedics called police to say they were taking Owens to the hospital. He said no more details would come from the police because no laws were broken.

It is not a crime in Texas for a person to attempt suicide.

"This is a high-profile person. We looked into it and we determined it is not a criminal offense," Watson said. "This a medical type of situation that occurred."

Watson and fire department spokesman Joel Lavender cited privacy laws for the lack of information they could provide. Lavender said more details could come from the 911 call. The Associated Press filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to get the contents of the call.

"Let's just look at the tape, review the tape," Lavender said. "I'll give you an honest answer once I know something."

At the police news conference, Watson released a version of the police narrative with certain sections blacked out. The full report was obtained by several news outlets and reported first by WFAA. The AP received the full version from WFAA.

According to the police report, Dallas Fire and Rescue was called regarding someone "attempting suicide by prescription pain medication." Officers arrived to find Owens being stabilized by ambulance workers, who then took him to Baylor University Medical Center.

Owens was hospitalized late Tuesday because of what his publicist said was an allergic reaction to pain medicine he was taking for a broken hand. Doctors reportedly tried to induce vomiting.

Owens, one of the league's top receivers during his 11-year NFL career, is best known for wild stunts on the field and other publicity-seeking antics off it.

When the Cowboys signed him to a $25 million, three-year deal in March, they said their background checks indicated no red flags. In fact, team consultant Calvin Hill -- who mostly deals with troubled players -- said during training camp that his department was not involved with Owens because he didn't have a history of those kinds of problems.

He missed most of training camp, and three of four preseason games, because of a hamstring injury. He was late for work during his recovery and was fined for it, but Owens laughed it off, saying he overslept. He said it had happened before, though not with Dallas, and would probably happen again.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger during a game a week ago Sunday. The next day, doctors screwed in a plate so the bone could heal without fear of further damage. Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said last week that the pain medicine made Owens ill.

Owens had not practiced since the injury, but because Dallas had a bye this past weekend he did not miss a game. He was expected to practice Wednesday, and Parcells had said there was a chance Owens could play Sunday against Tennessee.

Owens had been especially looking forward to the Cowboys' game after that -- Oct. 8, in Philadelphia, against the team that dumped him midway through last season only months after he helped them nearly win the Super Bowl.

Owens was seen laughing and joking on the practice field Tuesday morning. He chatted briefly with reporters in the locker room in the afternoon and seemed fine. A 2-inch scar on the top of his hand was puffy but not wrapped, and he said the swelling was doing down.

While in the locker room, he took a pill from a white paper bag and looked at another medicine bottle that was in the bag. He also called a business partner about a towel-wrap venture they're starting and joked to TV cameras that he wasn't talking until Wednesday and it was only Tuesday.

"My little boy knows better than that," he said, laughing, as he plopped onto a sofa in the middle of the locker room.

Also Tuesday, Owens was involved in launching a national campaign for the National Alliance to End Abuse, an organization aimed at helping at-risk youngsters. He appeared at a high school Tuesday morning and was scheduled to visit others but had to cancel because of changes in the team's practice schedule.

Owens has played two games for the Cowboys, catching nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown. For updated football betting lines and Dallas Cowboy Superbowl odds visit online sportsbook MySportsbook.com

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