Friday return for Borel at Churchill Downs

Horseracing Betting Lines

05/27/2010 - Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kentucky Derby winning jockey Calvin Borel will return to the races on Friday at Churchill Downs after being off his mounts with an eye infection. The condition has kept the Louisiana native away from riding since May 16.

Jockey agent Jerry Hissam told the Churchill Downs media relations department that Borel will ride during Friday's 11 race program. The 43-year-old Borel is named on eight mounts for Friday and nine on Saturday.

Borel, who won this year's Run for the Roses on Super Saver, has 22 wins and more than $2.3 million during the current Churchill Downs spring meet to lead all jockeys.

With 995 career victories at Churchill Downs, Borel is second only to Pat Days 2,482.

In 2005 Borel won the Kentucky Derby with Street Sense and is the regular jockey for defending Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra. The veteran rider also won last year's Kentucky Derby with Mine That Bird.

Weasywinning Horseracing Betting News

<< Red Wings sign 2007 first-round pick Smith
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Red Wings on Thursday signed defenseman Brendan Smith to a three-year, entry-level contract. Smith, taken 27th overall by Detroit in the 2007 draft, was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award l

<< Suns try to deal Lakers another blow in LA
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Phoenix Suns climbed off the canvas to punch the Los Angeles Lakers right in the mouth but if Alvin Gentry's club hopes to make it to the NBA Finals, they will have to find a way to win in Los Angeles. The Suns take an

<< Report: T'Wolves' Jefferson pleads guilty to DWI charge
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Al Jefferson pleaded guilty Thursday to fourth-degree driving while impaired, according to the Star Tribune. Jefferson was arrested February 28 near downtown Mi

<< Bayern signs Contento to two-year extension
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich rising star Diego Contento has signed a new two-year contract extension to tie him to the club until the summer of 2013. The 20-year-old defender became a regular member of coach Louis

<< Richmond sets home start times
Richmond, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The University of Richmond is set to usher in football at its $25 million Robins Stadium with a 1 p.m. kickoff against Elon on Sept. 18. The Spiders eliminated Elon from the FCS playoffs last season. Richmo

Astros to skip Norris' next start >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Astros will skip Bud Norris' next scheduled start after learning that the righty had biceps tendinitis in his right arm. No announcement has been made as to who will replace Norris in the rot

Broncos' Stokley sidelined by shoulder injury >>
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) -Wide receiver Brandon Stokley was held out of Thursday's passing camp practice by the Denver Broncos, the latest workout he's missed because of a shoulder injury.Coach Josh McDaniels says Stokley has missed several of the team

Howard, Tillman elected to college Hall of Fame >>
NEW YORK (AP) -Desmond Howard scored two of the most memorable touchdowns in the storied history of Michigan football and struck the pose that Heisman contenders have been mimicking since.Barry Alvarez resurrected a Wisconsin program that looked hop

Di Carlo takes over at Sampdoria >>
Genoa, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Domenico Di Carlo has been confirmed as the new coach of Sampdoria. Luigi Del Neri's departure to take the Juventus job last week left the Genoa club on the lookout for a new coach. Di Carlo left Chi

Jankovic, Dementieva advance at soggy French Open >>
Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - On a Thursday dominated by rain, former top-ranked star Jelena Jankovic and former runner-up Elena Dementieva managed to sneak in second-round victories at the French Open. The fourth-seeded Jankovic was te

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.