Briscoe nips Dixon for Chicagoland win

Autoracing Betting Lines

08/30/2009 - Joliet, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Briscoe overcame an early-race pit road mishap and then beat Scott Dixon to the finish line by inches to win Saturday's Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 at Chicagoland Speedway.

Briscoe, the pole sitter, encountered a fuel problem on his first pit stop and fell back as far as tenth. He made his way through the field before catching Dixon. The two exchanged the lead several times in the final laps, but Briscoe edged Dixon at the finish by .007 seconds -- the fourth closest finish in Indy Car Series history -- to claim his third victory of the season and the fifth of his career.

Mario Moraes finished a career-best third, while Dario Franchitti came in fourth. Graham Rahal was fifth.

Briscoe's now holds a 25-point lead over Franchitti and a 33-point advantage over Dixon, as two races remain in the season.

Wwwnextmedia Autoracing Betting News

<< Niners wrangle Cowboys in Arlington
Arlington, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kory Sheets' nine-yard touchdown run in the final minute was the difference, as the San Francisco 49ers took a 20-13 win over the Dallas Cowboys in preseason play. Sheets, an undrafted rookie, finished

<< Sanchez impressive as Jets hold off Giants
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fresh off being named the New York Jets starting quarterback for 2009, Mark Sanchez played like one, throwing for 149 yards and a 31-yard TD pass in the Jets' 27-25 victory against the Giants in the ann

<< Zito solid as Giants down Rockies
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barry Zito hurled 8 1/3 stellar innings of one-run ball to help San Francisco take the middle test of a pivotal three- game series with Colorado, 5-3. Pablo Sandoval homered for the second straight gam

<< Braves pound Lee, Phillies in rain-shortened affair
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Garret Anderson finished 3-for-4 with a three-run homer, as the Atlanta Braves battered Cliff Lee and the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-1, in a rain-shortened affair at Citizens Bank Park. The game, which

<< Nordqvist grabs Safeway Classic lead
North Plains, OR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Anna Nordqvist shot three-under 69 Saturday to take a one-stroke lead after two rounds of the Safeway Classic. Nordqvist, who is coming off her first appearance on the European Solheim Cup team, c

Marte's homer helps Indians beat Orioles >>
Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt LaPorta had a career-high four hits and Andy Marte hit a three-run homer, as the Cleveland Indians downed Baltimore, 5-3, in the third of four games with the Orioles. Marte finished with two hits,

Falcons battle back to clip Chargers >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Redman's five-yard touchdown pass to Eric Weems with nine seconds remaining gave the Atlanta Falcons a 27-24 victory over the San Diego Chargers in preseason action. After Nate Kaeding's 37-yard field

Davis, Athletics edge Angels >>
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rajai Davis went 3-for-5 with a two-run single, helping the Oakland Athletics rally for a 4-3 win over the Angels in the third installment of a four-game series. Daric Barton hit the go-ahead RBI groundout for

Report: Michigan football players say team has broken NCAA rules >>
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Michigan's football program could be on the hot seat, as several players on the Wolverines have told a Detroit newspaper the school has violated NCAA rules regarding time limits on off-season workouts and in-

M's hit three homers, trip up Royals >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ian Snell threw five solid innings before a forearm injury forced him to leave, and Rob Johnson hit a two-run homer in Seattle's 8-4 win over Kansas City. Snell (3-1) gave up two runs on three hits and

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.