08/23/2008 - Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Santa Anita Derby winner Colonel John survived a stretch long duel with Mambo in Seattle to win Saturday's $1 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, The "Mid-Summer Derby" attracted an evenly matched field of 12 three-year-olds.
Colonel John, ridden by Garrett Gomez, went off as the 4-1 second choice behind 7-2 favorite Pyro. Harlem Rocker and Mambo in Seattle were both 5-1 with Jim Dandy Stakes champ Macho Again getting little attention at 7-1.
Da' Tara, winner of the Belmont Stakes, set the pace, closely followed by Tizbig in the 1 1/4 mile race. The two colts held their positions up the backstretch while Colonel John and Tres Borrachos dueled behind them.
Jockey Alan Garcia kept Da' Tara on the lead around the final turn and into the stretch. The two looked to be increasing their lead coming out of the turn.
With a quarter-mile to run Colonel John took a short lead as lightly raced Mambo in Seattle hooked him for the stretch drive. The two battled down the stretch and hit the wire together, with almost nothing to separate them.
The photo revealed that Colonel John prevailed over Mambo in Seattle by the smallest of margins. Jim Dandy runner-up Pyro finished third followed by Harlem Rocker, Da' Tara, Court Vision, Tale of Ekati, Macho Again, Tizbig, Amped, Cool Coal Man and Tres Borrachos.
The time for the 139th Travers was 2:03.20 on a fast Saratoga track.
Colonel John collects $600,000 with the victory for owner WinStar Farm and trainer Eoin Harty. The colt has now won five of nine career starts for $1,468,830.
"I'd rather be inside rather than outside in a big field," Harty said before the race, "don't want to get caught up in any traffic.
"I think the Travers, with the exception of the Kentucky Derby, is the three- year-old race to win. It's a race steeped in tradition. It's very important to a stallion's career. I just think it's one of those really great races that kind of define a horse and a trainer's career."
He was coming off a third-place finish in the Swaps at Hollywood Park as the 4-5. Earlier this year he won the Sham Stakes, but finished sixth in the Kentucky Derby.
Colonel John returned $10.40, $5.40 and $4.30. Mambo In Seattle paid $6.30 and $5.10, and Pyro paid $3.70 to show.
In other news in the three-year-old division, Big Brown will make his next start on Saturday, September 13 at Monmouth Park in the $200,000 Monmouth Stakes on the turf. The Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner will face older horses for the first time.
"We were looking for a grass race for him and the Monmouth grass surface should be perfect for Big Brown," said Michael Iavarone, co-president and co- CEO of IEAH Stables. "Monmouth was cordial enough to put up a nice purse for him and the fans really took to Big Brown last time he was there.
"We'll use this race to go to the synthetic surface at Santa Anita and the Breeders' Cup Classic."
As part of the conditions of the race, the $200,000 purse for the Monmouth Stakes will be increased to $500,000 should Big Brown start in the turf test.
"We're overjoyed that Big Brown will be returning to New Jersey," said Bob Kulina, vice president and general manager of Monmouth Park. "Big Brown coming back to the Jersey Shore will provide added excitement to September racing at Monmouth and should be an across the board winner for his connections, the fans, and the racing industry in New Jersey."
Big Brown won the Haskell Invitational in his last start at Monmouth.
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Albert Pujols to be This Year's Home Run Champ Says Online Sportsbook
Barry Bonds is a 50-1 long shot to be this year's home run champ odds. The favorite to be this year's home run champ is none other than Albert Pujols, however.
Now that Barry Bonds is signed and in Giants camp, it is on to his pursuit of all of sports most prestigious records: the all-time home run mark. Bonds sits just 21 homers shy of tying Hank Aaron for the career mark at 755. Word out of Giants’ camp is that Bonds is the healthiest he has been in a few years. Bonds is just two seasons removed from his injury riddled 2005 campaign where he played in only 14 games and hit only 5 home runs. He did come back last year and had a solid season hitting .270 with 26 bombs. All eyes will be on Bonds this spring and summer not only because of his home run chase but his highly publicized steroid abuse allegations. If and when Bonds breaks the record, he surely will not get the positive attention one should for breaking a record that was once thought of as “unbreakable”. Despite Bonds decent season last year, he is just 50-1 at MySportsbook.com to lead the MLB in long balls this season.
Not surprisingly, the favorites to go deep the most times this season are Albert Pujols 5-1, Ryan Howard 6-1, David Ortiz 8-1 and Alex Rodriguez 12-1. With 49 homers, Pujols finished second in the National League behind Howard (58). Pujols is considered the favorite due to the consistent power numbers that he has posted since breaking into the league in 2001. Also one must consider the fact that he played in 16 fewer games then Howard did due to an injury. Howard smashed 58 homers in his first complete season of big league play en route to the National League MVP odds award. He silenced his critics by successfully hitting left-handed pitching. Howard also displayed the ability to use his power to the opposite field. Two attributes which should keep Howard amongst the league leaders in long balls for years to come. From the American League representatives, David Ortiz leads the field. Ortiz was second in the majors last year with 54 home runs. Except for 1999 when he only played in 10 games, Ortiz has improved on his home run numbers each year he has been in the majors (1997).
Be sure to log onto online sports betting site MySportsbook.com to check out the odds for who will lead the MLB in home runs this season. Below is just a sample of the players listed. With the highest credit card rates in the industry, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on baseball this summer.
World Series odds
Adam Dunn 15-1
Albert Pujols 5-1
Alex Rodriguez 12-1
Alfonso Soriano 15-1
Andruw Jones 25-1
Barry Bonds 50-1
Carlos Delgado 40-1
David Ortiz 8-1
Jermaine Dye 40-1
Ken Griffey Jr. 100-1
Lance Berkman 40-1
Manny Ramirez 20-1
Richie Sexson 40-1
Ryan Howard 6-1
Travis Hafner 20-1
Vladimir Guerrero 40-1
To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.
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