Betting Besides the Bowl
Super Bowl XL is, of course, the talk of the town, but sports bettors have other events on which to wager leading up to the big day. Basketball, college and pro, and golf are among the biggies, but the horses and buggies are in action -- or soon will be -- too. Thoroughbred racing already has kicked off its run to the Triple Crown, but the 3-year-old campaign will share the spotlight this weekend with a fairly new offering called the Sunshine Millions, a $3.6 million eight-race card that's designed for Florida and California-breds and alternates events between Gulfstream and Santa Anita Parks. Run for the Roses devotees will have the opportunity to wager on the first of three Kentucky Derby pools, being offered earlier than usual this year. Two others will coincide with big races in March and April. The key for those who participate in Derby pools is to pick the right one on which to wager, as odds fluctuate and horses move in and out of the picture. Pools list odds, made by Churchill Downs handicapper Mike Battaglia, on 23 horses, plus a field bet that encompasses all other 3-year-olds. Juvenile champion Stevie Wonderboy opened as the 8/1 choice, followed by Brother Derek, the horse that beat him in the San Rafael Stakes earlier this month, and First Samurai -- son of Kentucky Derby winner Fusaichi Pegasus -- at 10/1. Other odds and horses are: 15/1 -- Dr. Decherd, Private Vow, Your Tent or Mine. 20/1 -- Bluegrass Cat, AP Warrior, Bob and John, Henny Hughes, Lawyer Ron, Itsallaboutthechase, High Cotton, Barbaro, Halfhours, Cause to Believe. 30/1 -- Barbican, Achilles of Troy, Point Determined, Sorcerers Stone, Flashy Bull, Blazing Rate, Keyed Entry. The field is 4/1. Meanwhile, the Las Vegas Hilton has posted odds on 214 Derby potentials. Many of the Thoroughbreds in the initial Derby pool have higher numbers than those available in the Churchill Downs pool. Stevie Wonderboy is 12/1, for example, while First Samurai is 25/1 and Henny Hughes is 40/1. ***** Auto racing has become a big-time sport in the last half-dozen years or so, but NASCAR still has some major throwbacks to the 20th Century. Love him or hate him driver Jeff Gordon won his first two Daytona 500s in the 1990s, added his third last year and is Las Vegas oddsmakers' choice to hit victory lane again in 2006 at the 2 1/2-mile oval. Sam's Town, host for NASCAR's annual Las Vegas stop, has Gordon listed at 4/1 while the Las Vegas Hilton has him at 9/2 along with Tony Stewart, the 2005 Nextel Cup Champion. Dale Earnhardt Jr., scion of a prominent racing family, is 5/1 at both bet shops. "Looking at his record from last year, I don't see how," mused Stratophere Race and Sports Director Robert Jaynes. Sam's Town has Stewart, who recently was involved in a minor mishap with his car, and Jimmie Johnson, the defending Las Vegas champion, at 7/1. "Personally, I like Greg Biffle at 12/1," said Jack Snyder, the assistant race and sports book manager at Sam's Town. Biffle, a multople winner in 2005, was 25/1 at the Hilton. Snyder expects Daytona wagering to step up once Super Bowl crowds hit Vegas. "We've had smaller wagers, but nothing big yet," he said. "My question is, "Whatever happened to Dale Jarrett?' We have him out there at 40/1. I guess age really catches up to you." Jarrett is 30/1 at the Hilton, where racing numbers are made by NASCAR enthusiast/expert Ed Salmons. The Hilton lists Gordon. Dtewart, Biffle, Johnson and Carl Edwards as 6/1 co-favorites to nab the 2006 Nextel Cup. Hometown favorites Kurt and Kyle Busch of Las Vegas, are 15/1 and 25/1 respectively.
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