Rachel Alexandra absence does not affect Zenyatta
Horseracing Betting Lines
03/15/2010 -
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The hoped for meeting next month at
Oaklawn Park between 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra and champion mare
Zenyatta has been put on hold.
Rachel Alexandra's majority owner Jess Jackson announced on Sunday that his
four-year-old filly will not take on her older rival in the Apple Blossom
Invitational on Friday, April 9. Both females began their 2010 season on
Saturday with different results.
Racing in the New Orleans Ladies at the Fair Grounds, Rachel finished second
to Zardana, a stablemate of Zenyatta. Zardana, trained by John Shirreffs, got
the best of the 1-20 favorite in the 1 1/16-mile race. Rachel came up three-
quarters of a length short of getting the win.
"Yesterday's race while a disappointment," Jackson said on Sunday, "helped us
define Rachel Alexandra's racing condition. While she is healthy, just as I
had anticipated, she is not in top form. Therefore, I decided today she will
not be going to the Oaklawn Invitational on April 9. Steve and I discussed
this fully and we now regret we tried to accelerate her training in order meet
the Apple Blossom schedule. We have a whole season before us to help define
her greatness. She will tell us when her next race will be.
"We tried and we really wanted to go (to the Apple Blossom). It's unfortunate
but the timing just wasn't right. For the health of the horse. It's obvious
she's not in top shape. The race yesterday was to define how far along she
was. I repeatedly told people she was only 80 or 85 percent of what I thought
was up to her top condition last year. That race proved it."
Zenyatta, on the other hand, exhibited her now classic style of racing.
Sitting last in the nine horse field, Zenyatta and jockey Mike Smith did not
begin to move past other horses until the far turn.
The two-time champion mare had to maneuver around horses down the stretch, but
eventually prevailed over Dance to My Tune by 1 1/4-lengths. Unlike Rachel who
was the overwhelming 1-20 favorite, Zenyatta was the 3-10 favorite in the
1 1/8-mile Santa Margarita Invitational.
"Everybody really loves her," owner Jerry Moss said about Zenyatta.
"Everybody's so pleased to have her back and to root for her, and when she
wins, she makes everybody happy. It's sort of like something going on inside
each and every one of us. She's perfect. She's the idol of perfection we all
strive for. That's about as profound as I get.
"We're disappointed that we're not going to be able to face each other in the
Apple Blossom. Hopefully, we can meet down the line. We respect both Steve
(Asmussen) and Mr. Jackson as horsemen and they're going to do what's right
for their horse. That's all anybody could ask for. We'll go on to the Apple
Blossom as planned."
The Apple Blossom will now revert to its original $500,000 purse due to the
absence of Rachel Alexandra. Oaklawn Park did everything it could to
facilitate a meeting between the two champions. The race was originally
scheduled for April 3, but was pushed back six days to accommodate both
parties.
The question now is whether Rachel is going race again this year? It appeared
on Saturday that she was capable of winning, but jockey Calvin Borel felt the
filly simply needed the race.
"We had talked about her being 75 or 85 percent fit," trainer Steve Asmussen
said. "The filly got tired but she cooled out fine and came back well from it;
it's just a case if we can move forward in a positive direction fitness-wise,
as well as with everything else. Her physical condition and her state of mind
are what we need to concern ourselves with and we'll address that moving
forward."
As has always been the case Jess Jackson is in no hurry to have Rachel race
before she shows she is ready.
"It's up to her," Jackson commented. "She has to show us that she's back up to
her '09 form. We had progressively accelerated her conditioning and it didn't
work, so we're going to gear back, let her develop at her own pace. I can't
give you a prediction as to when, but it might take a couple of months."
While the racing world is anxious to have Rachel and Zenyatta meet, we have to
commend Mr. Jackson and his crew for their diligence in keeping the filly's
health primary.
<< Nuggets press on without Karl; meet Rockets
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Nuggets continue their push toward the
postseason without head coach George Karl tonight against a desperate Houston
Rockets team.
The Nuggets have played without Karl, who is undergoing radiation and
chemother
<< Lakers shoot for another season sweep of Warriors
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pacific Division foes square off for the last time this
season on Monday when the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers head up
the California coast to take on the Golden State Warriors.
The Lakers - Warriors rivalry h
<< Fading Hornets resume road trip vs. Clippers
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The fading New Orleans Hornets resume a five-game road trip
at Staples Center tonight hoping for their 13th straight win over the Los
Angeles Clippers.
The Hornets dropped the opener of their trek in Phoenix last night whe
<< Jazz return home to face hapless Wizards
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Utah Jazz hope a return to Salt Lake City against a
hapless Washington team will get them back on the winning track as the
postseason approaches.
The short-handed Jazz dropped the final two games of a four-game road tr
<< Celtics and Pistons clash in Beantown
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Celtics hope to bounce back from a tough loss in
Cleveland on Sunday when they welcome Eastern Conference also-ran Detroit to
Beantown.
In a possible playoff preview the C's came up short against the Cavs when
Colts sign OT Terry >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Indianapolis Colts have agreed to
terms with offensive tackle Adam Terry, who had spent his first five NFL
seasons with Baltimore.
Terry missed the entire 2009 campaign because of an in
Roy Williams re-signs with Cincinnati >>
Cincinnati, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cincinnati Bengals made it official on
Monday and re-signed safety Roy Williams.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed for Williams, who had become an
unrestricted free agent after an injury-s
Charlotte fires men's hoops coach >>
Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Charlotte has fired men's basketball coach
Bobby Lutz after a 12-year stint.
Charlotte collapsed at the end of the season, losing seven of its last eight
games, including a 59-56 setback against Massachu
Huddlestone inks new Spurs deal >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tom Huddlestone has put pen to paper on a
new long-term contract with Tottenham.
The 23-year-old midfielder has agreed to terms on a new deal which will keep
him at White Hart Lane until the summer of 2
Brown gets the ax at Hull City >>
Hull, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Phil Brown has been relieved of his
managerial duties with immediate effect.
The Tigers have confirmed that Brown's three-and-a-half year reign has been
ended and that assistants Brian Horton
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The 2007 college football rules changes that were implemented to shorten games are now history. The NCAA rules committee did what they set out to do; games were cut by an average of 14 minutes per game last season. There were also, on average, 14 fewer plays per game. We’ll get into how that did (or didn’t) affect games in regards to the pointspread a bit later.
While the NCAA rules committee may have had the betterment of the game in mind, they'll now “turn back the clock” for next season. Two key rules have now been overturned by the NCAA committee for the 2007 season, something definitely for the better.
For those of you who may not remember what those rules actually were, let us refresh your memory.
1) The first one was actually starting the clock on a kickoff as soon as the kicker touched the ball rather than waiting until the returner touched it. The problem here was near the end of the half (or game), if the team leading was kicking off, they could milk the clock by intentionally running offsides and then re-kicking. They could run 10-15 seconds off the clock each play while taking just five-yard penalties each time. They could run the clock down and simply cause the half (or game) to end on a kickoff, keeping the opposing offense off the field. In 2007, the clock will now start when the returner touches the ball as it had before last season.
2) The second rule dealt with starting the clock after a change of online football betting possession rather than waiting until the ball was snapped. This took a lot of time off the clock throughout the game as teams changed possession, however it caused the most problems late in games (or halves). Rather than huddling up and calling a play, the offensive team would have to rush onto the field as the clock started. This was a definite disadvantage to a team that was trying to come from behind late in the game. This year the clock will start on a change of possession, after the ball is snapped.
How did those rules affect the college game last year and will it make a difference this year when it comes to the pointspread? We commonly heard two theories when it came to these changes. First, it would affect scoring negatively. Second, it would hurt favorites as they would have less time and fewer plays to cover the number.
Did the rules hurt scoring? Yes. It seemed obvious that shortening the game by what amounted to 14 plays would push scoring downward. That was the case last year. Of the 119 Division 1A teams, 69 squads scored fewer points in 2007 than they did in 2005. Just 48 teams had a higher PPG scoring average and two stayed the same. Almost 59 percent of the teams in college football last year had a lower PPG average than they did in 2005. Expect more scoring in 2007 as we revert back to the old rules.
Did the rules hinder favorites from covering the number in 2007? Not really. Last year the favorites posted an overall spread record of 336-350-16 (48.9 percent). The year before, favorites were 316-326-13 (49.2 percent). In 2004, the favorites were 316-339-2 (48.2 percent). In fact, college football favorites have been above 50 percent for the season just once in the last seven years (in 2003). Last year’s numbers fell right in line with where they have been historically.
How about big favorites? The rules must have hurt them? Maybe a little bit. Double-digit favorites last year came in at a 47.8 percent clip compare with an average of just over 50 percent over the last seven years. Since 1980, favorites of -10 or more have covered at exactly a 50 percent clip (measured over 6,716 games).
Even bigger favorites must have struggled? Not really. In fact, it was just the opposite. Favorites of three TD’s or more were 59-54-2 last year (52.2 percent). Since 2000, those same favorites (-21 or higher) hit at 51.3 percent and since 1990 came in a clip of 50.3 percent. Stepping it up a notch to four TD favorites or higher, we actually see they've covered at a much better rate last season than before. Last year, favorites of -28 or more were 31-21-1, or almost 60 percent. Historically, four-TD-or-higher favorites have come in at a 50.7 percent spot since 2000 and only 48.9 percent since 1990. The “perceived” problem with the favorites covering at a reduced rate really never came to fruition.
Bottom line is, there might be some more scoring in 2007, but no real revelations when it comes to finding any pointspread golden nuggets.
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Bonds nearly hits HR 751, SF wins
4 and drove in
a pair of runs, and Barry Bonds nearly hit homer No. 751 as San Francisco beat
1, in the middle contest of three at AT&T Park.
6) allowed five hits and one run over 6 2/3 innings, fanning
eight and walking three.
game slide.
Bonds, who came within five homers of Hank Aaron's record on Friday, went
1 with three walks, an RBI double and scored twice. The double ...
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