Alpha rolls to victory in Withers

Horseracing Betting Lines

02/04/2012 - Ozone Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Odds-on favorite Alpha cruised to victory on Saturday in the $200,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct. The race, which was not run last year, is a prep event for Aqueduct's $1 million Wood Memorial on April 7.

Sent off as the 3-10 favorite in the six-horse field, Alpha was never far off the pace that was being set by How Do I Win. With Ramon Dominguez riding, the favorite drew even with the leader on the final turn and took command at the top of the stretch.

Trained by Kiaran McLaughlin, Alpha went on to post a 3 1/4-length victory over 44-1 longshot Speightscity. Coming from last to finish third was 6-1 third pick Tiger Walk followed by How Do I Win, King Kid and Hakama. Swag Daddy was a scratch.

The favorite covered the 1 1/16-miles in 1:44.23 on a fast track.

"He was great in the gate," said McLaughlin. "We've been schooling him a lot. It worked out today. Obviously it's nice to be outside, but at some point he's going to have to be inside, so we'll see how our schooling is working.

"I think he improved some (from the Count Fleet) because of how wide he was both trips, and he was better in the gate. He gets a better grade for this race - if it was a 'B' last time, he gets an 'A' this time."

Owned by Godolphin Racing, Alpha adds $120,000 to his earnings. In five career starts the colt has three wins for $300,000.

He was the 4-5 favorite when winning last month's Count Fleet Stakes at Aqueduct. The colt, whose sire Bernardini won the Withers in 2006, was second to Union Rags in the Champagne Stakes last October, but only 11th in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile.

"The plans will be to talk to Simon Crisford from Godolphin to see which way to go," said McLaughlin. "He's here in New York right now, but he could relocate, or he could run back in the Gotham in a month. We'll just have to talk about it. At least we got $120,000 in graded earnings going forward to the first Saturday in May. That's important."

Alpha returned $2.70, $2.50 and $2.10. Speightscity paid $16.20 and $5.40, and Tiger Walk paid $2.90 to show.

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2007 NFL Football Betting Preview


“You play to win the game!”

Those are the words of notoriously intense head coach Herman Edwards. Unfortunately, from a bettors’ perspective, most coaches don’t feel that way about the NFL preseason. August is a time to evaluate young players, finalize the depth chart and pray your star players stay healthy.

The trick to making money during the exhibition schedule is identifying coaches – like Edwards – who can’t stand losing even when there's nothing on the line.

The New York Jets betting won 15 of 21 preseason games and went 14-7 against the spread (ATS) during Edwards’s five-year tenure with the club. In his first season as the Kansas City Chiefs field boss, the team improved from 0-4 to 2-2.

Identifying win-a-holics like Edwards is a good start if you plan betting the preseason – even though most say you shouldn’t ... but what the hell do they know anyway?

Here’s a brief rundown of two teams that have a habit of winning during the second-stringers’ season, and another club that has a good chance of exceeding this year.

New York Giants betting lines

Playing in the media hub of North America can be stressful but the press can’t write anything negative about the way Tom Coughlin’s boys play in the preseason. The Giants won and covered all four games last summer, improving their record to 7-1 both straight up (SU) and against the spread over the last two years.

Coughlin has shown he’s not afraid to give his starters more time in the second preseason game than most of his colleagues, no doubt one of the reasons his team has been so dominant.

Dallas Cowboys betting lines

Bettors can count on America’s team early on. The Cowboys are 14-6 both SU and ATS since 2002 in warm-up contests. Former coach Bill Parcells, the coach of the team the last four years, has an intimidating, in-your-face presence – surely a reason Dallas has had so much early success.

The Big Tuna won’t be strolling the sidelines with looks of disgust, but new coach Wade Phillips will be anxious to make a good first impression for owner Jerry Jones.

Dallas plays the Indianapolis Colts and the Denver Broncos before things get serious. They then face the Houston Texans in their third contest (the game starters see most game time) and finish off with the Minnesota Vikings.

Expect a Dallas team able to walk away with another 3-1 preseason record.

Oakland Raiders betting lines

This team scored a league-worst 12 offensive touchdowns last season, so the rookies and veterans each have something to prove. There’s a bounty of first-unit jobs up for grabs and plenty of bodies competing for those slots.

First-time head coach Lane Kiffin will be eager to impress an owner who employs the philosophy, “Just win, baby!”

The 32-year-old Kiffin has to command respect from a locker room full of players older than him. All of these factors should lead to purpose in preseason. 

Don’t forget: before playing like a team that belonged in NFL Europe, Oakland went 4-1 (both SU and ATS) in exhibition games.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football wagering needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.