Sports Horse Racing

If only our visits to the doctor were this much fun, not to mention profitable. For us, I mean.

Three weeks back, Camilo Villegas had a session with his sports psychologist and not only came away with a sackful of valuable silver coins, but an attitude adjustment that has put him back near the top of the heap on the PGA Tour.

The weekend before the Accenture Match Play Championship, Villegas and his longtime mental coach met on the putting green at Old Palm Golf Club, which is located just a across the street from this week’s tour event, the Honda Classic.

Dr. Gio Valiante laid a series of $200 Canadian Maple Leaf coins on the putting green and told Villegas that he could pocket a coin every time he made a 7-foot putt. Amazingly, there was no catch. it was donating one to the team.

Villegas gleefully won 50 of the silver coins, worth about $10,000. Thankfully for Valiante, his top client not only grabbed the cash, but grasped the point the psychologist was making. Paydays have been steady ever since.

Since his for-profit putting lesson, Camilo Villegas has been in contention every week. (AP) After a so-so 2009 season, Villegas continued his blistering spring run Friday with a second consecutive 4-under 66 for a share of the lead at the halfway point at PGA National, where he’s in contention for a third consecutive week.

Not coincidentally, the streak dates back to the Feb. 13 session he had with the psychologist, whom he has known since he was 19 during his freshman year at Florida. After Valiante had handed over a small fortune in coins, he asked Villegas how completing the drill had felt.

“It was awesome,” Camilo said. “I had nothing to lose.”

Valiante suspected he had set the hook, and he followed up by asking Villegas what his rookie season in 2006 was like. Not surprisingly, Villegas said he was mostly just honored to be on tour, had few expectations and didn’t feel discouraged when he had a rough patch.

Conversely, after it had all changed. Wound too tight and fixated on results, Villegas had been beating himself up for months, unhappy that he wasn’t playing at the same high level as in late ‘08. Once stationed as high as No. 7 in the world, Villegas was asked by Valiante if he was trying to live up to his ranking. Again, the answer was an affirmative.

“That’s the equivalent of playing prevent defense in football,” the psychologist, a longtime professor at Rollins College, told him.

Like that series of lucrative putts at old Pa play golf, enjoy yourself and stop fixating so much on the minor details. Villegas has been preaching for three weeks about how much less stress he has placed on himself and has finished third at the Match Play and T8 in Phoenix. So it wasn’t hard to trace the roots of the makeover.

“When your attitude’s good, you can do a lot of things,” said Brett Waldman, Villegas’ caddie, as his boss signed autographs nearby.

Pardon the pun, but Valiante coined a term to describe the new bent: “Attitude of gratitude.”

In other words, playing golf for a living, for millions of dollars, in front of people who care about you, isn’t a life-or-death proposition. Now, every Monday, when the pair speak on the phone to discuss things, Valiante makes the Colombian cite something he’s grateful for.

The new philosophical framework has been remarkably fruitful, and fast. Villegas said after his round Friday that if somebody treated him as poorly as he had been treating himself, “we would have had a problem.”

As they might say in South Florida, where Villegas lives: He’s gone from beating himself up to beating nearly everybody, from collecting booty to kicking it.

There’s a new coin of the realm for the Colombian. By the way, he uses one of the pricy Canadian medallions as a ballmark, just as a reminder.

“I would say that was the most significant of his career in terms of his mental development,” Valiante said. “I believe it was truly his biggest leap forward.”

All online betting cappers know that its not only about betting on the now, its also betting on the next. When it comes to horse racing, you always have to look at the up-and-comers to hop on the value while there is some. If the public gets a hold of a good horse, there isnt much in the odds to go around. On that note, here is a list of some good horses on the rise:

War Echo
Trained by Steve Asmussen, we all know that thats already a good start. Prior to its pre-Valentines Day race, War Echo was an Asmussen four-year-old filly on a winning streak, which some people wanted to compared or mix up with Rachel Alexandra.
War Echo was the odds-on favorite at the Pelleteri but finished third. That ended a nice streak but this horse still had a nice run at the Pelleteri. She raced mostly in sixth and lost ground on the final turn, but made up quite some ground to finish in third.
Last falls injury are behind her and War Echo is a force once again. She could be a nice horse betting pick at the Azeri Stakes at Oaklawn next month.

Eskendereya
Looking for an early Kentucky Derby contender? How about Eskendereya, who has the stalk, speed, power and endurance to get the job done. Eskendereya open some eyes and earned a few wows at Fountain Youth with a win by 8 ? lengths. Outside of the pessimistic did he peak too early questions, the reality is that this horse is big enough and powerful enough to put forth another huge effort in about six weeks time even though hes running really well right now.
He is owned by Ahmad Zayat of Zayat Stables, who recently filed for bankruptcy.

Conveyance
Conveyance is another Roses contender and this one is a Bob Baffert baby. Conveyance took the Southwest Stakes this past Saturday, which gives Baffert two of the top three (along with Lookin At Lucky) Derby contenders, according to most racebook pundits.
This was his first conventional dirt foray and clearly, it wasnt much an issue to capture the Grade 3 $250,000 Southwest Stakes. This is also a hot horse on a winning streak and previous to this won, had an easier one at Santa Anita for the Grade 3 San Rafael.
We next might see this horse at the Arkansas Derby on April 10th.

Kentucky Derby hopefuls will be lining up at Gulfstream Park, Fair Grounds and Oaklawn Park on Saturday. Lets see if we can ferret out the winners of The Fountain of Youth, The Risen Star, and The Southwest, and fatten our bankrolls in the process.

The Fountain of Youth appears to be lacking pace, which will make it doubly tough on closers over this typically speed-favoring surface. The winner is likely to come from one of several presser/stalker types. Im leaning toward Eskendereya, who has been training forwardly and should appreciate the stretch-out. He won in front-running fashion last out going a one-turn mile, but I expect him to revert to his usual stalking tactics here. This horse has what it takes to be a major factor on the Triple Crown trail. Buddys Saint is talented and unbeaten, but may need the race. Jackson Bend is a tough little customer, but may be overbet. Ice Box ran a big one in his comebacker, but must overcome a difficult outside post. Lost Aptitude is an interesting newcomer, having raced on grass exclusively. Hes shown speed in all of his two-turn starts, but its hard to tell if that will be the case on dirt. Ill bet on #8-Eskendereya to win at odds of 7-2 or better.

Unlike The Fountain of Youth, theres ample early lick in The Risen Star, so the closers should perform well. While Stay Put made a last-to-first move in his most recent start, I dont expect him to come from the clouds in this spot. In the race prior, he worked out a nice stalking trip, and that would serve him well again on Saturday. He won carrying 122 lbs. last out, and will be dropping six lbs. for his stakes debut. Trainer Steve Margolis is having a fabulous meet, and the trainer/jockey tandem of Margolis and Theriot have won at a 23% clip in 2009-10, with a positive ROI of $2.12 (for each $2.00 bet). Favorites Drosselmeyer and Ron the Greek figure to be tough, but their odds wont be very enticing. My moneys on #9-Stay Put at odds of 6-1 or better.

The Southwest has attracted a trio of California-based runners, led by the highly-regarded and undefeated Conveyance. Hes the speed of this field, but could get an early argument from either Dryfly to his inside or Mission Impazible to his immediate outside. Dublin figures to be the beneficiary, as he breaks from Post 3 and should enjoy an inside, stalking trip. Dublin underwent minor throat surgery after his lackluster effort last November in The Iroquis at Churchill Downs. Hes been training up a storm for D. Wayne Lukas, and could recapture the form that propelled him to victory in the Grade 1 Hopeful last summer at Saratoga. Ill bet on #3-Dublin to win at odds of 7-2 or better.

Those are my horse racing betting tips for this weekend.

The Apple Blossom betting odds are going to have some high stakes this year. After some back and forth, and unlike the Floyd Mayweather Jr-Manny Pacquiao blockbuster event in boxing, it looks like online betting fans will actually get to see the showdown at the Apple Blossom.

Since Rachel Alexandras magical run at The Preakness and since Zenyatta tore up the circuit in the second half of last season, a lot of horse betting fans have been itching to see the two thoroughbreds matchup.
Zenyatta has been in 14 races and it has placed first each and every time. Zenyattas biggest win metaphorically, financially and distance-wise was at the Breeders Cup. After such a dazzling year, the filly was named as a runner up to Serena Williams as the AP Female Athlete of the Year.
Meanwhile, while Zenyatta had a good year, Rachel Alexandra had an even better banner year in 2009. The filly came out of virtually nowhere to win the Preakness Stakes and finished the year with a perfect 8-0 record. She all set some remarkable records with the largest winning margin at the Kentucky Oaks and the Mother Goose Stakes and set the fastest times at Golden Rod Stakes and Martha Washington.
As the two have emerged as the best thoroughbreds around, it was only a matter of time before they finally got together in a head-to-head matchup.
Charles Cella, the owner of Oaklawn Park, stepped up and made a genuine case for the two horses to race: $5 million. At the Apple Blossom Invitational, if both Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra start the race, the purse will bump up to $5 million. If they dont, the purse will be much smaller.
The main goal has been to orchestrate a spectacle for the fans and a showdown between the horses. Many racebook handicappers are already talking about the prospects of this race and beyond that, many are talking about the potential of a Triple Crown like showdown between the three with three races between them at different points in the year.
All in all, its a good event for everyone and it should get the attention on the sport of kings for more than just regular Triple Crown races this year.

Who: Thoroughbreds Rule, Uptowncharlybrown, Munnings, Biker Boy
What: Horse Racing Betting Tips The Sam F. Davis, The Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship
Where: Tampa Bay Downs, Gulfstream Park
When: Saturday, February 13th

Both The Sam F. Davis at Tampa Bay Downs and The Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship have attracted highly accomplished morning-line favorites. Rule enters the Sam Davis off a pair of two-turn stakes wins at Delta Downs, the most recent being The Delta Downs Jackpot (Grade 3). His earnings ($596,700) exceed those of the rest of the field combined. Munnings is the leading money earner ($617,240) in The Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship, and is the only member of the field with a pair of Grade 2 stakes scores on his resume. Nevertheless, both favorites appear vulnerable on Saturday. Lets examine why, and identify the alternatives.

Rule has never started at Tampa Bay Downs, nor has he trained over the track. The quirky Tampa Bay Downs surface has been the undoing of many talented shippers. The home-track advantage at this quaint little venue is not to be taken lightly. Also note that Rules substantial bankroll virtually assures him a spot in The Kentucky Derby (in the event that it is over-subscribed), so his connections can take their time with him. He wont be fully cranked for this event. On the other hand, local hero Uptowncharlybrown has won his only two sprint starts here by wide margins, and his running style and breeding both suggest hell relish two turns. Theres adequate speed in this field to set up his late kick. You can be reasonably certain that his handlers have him set for a big effort, because hes in need of graded earnings. Ill bet #6-Uptowncharlybrown to win at odds of 9-5 or better.

Trainer Todd Pletcher has always been high on Munnings, and his faith in him was rewarded when Munnings posted back-to-back Grade 2 scores going seven furlongs at Belmont last summer. He earned lofty Beyer Speed Figures of 110 and 111 in the process. Munnings has failed in his last three starts, but note that they all came on off trackshe clearly prefers the going fast. That should be the case on Saturday at Gulfstream Park. The problem is, hes never raced at Gulfstream, and hes coming off a break of more than four months. He ran big in his comebacker last year at Churchill Downs, but couldnt hold off Warriors Reward. In a field lacking a ton of speed, Im leaning toward Biker Boy, who is 3-for-3 going seven furlongs at Gulfstream Park. Those wins were by a combined 24 lengths! Hell be tough to catch. Ill bet #4-Biker Boy to win at odds of 3-1 or better.

Those are my horse racing betting tips for the weekend. Best of luck and happy gambling!

With heavy rain threatening to muddy the stakes picture at Santa Anita on Saturday, well focus our attention on a pair of Grade 1 events at Gulfstream Park. The Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap and The Donn Handicap will feature heavy favorites in Court Vision and Quality Road, with the former appearing to be the more vulnerable of the two. Lets examine each race and formulate a betting strategy.

Court Vision is the leading money earner in The Gulfstream Park Turf Handicap by a wide margin, and has logged seven Beyer Speed Figures of 100 or higher on the lawn, while none of his rivals has broken the century mark on grass in the U.S. Hes in the capable hands of trainer Rick Dutrow and gets the services of regular rider Robbie Albarado. Despite all the positives, a few words of caution are in order. Three victories in ten grass starts hardly qualifies him as a win machine, yet his odds are likely to be less than even money.in other words, an underlay. Also note that he finished third in this race last year as the favorite, albeit against a tougher bunch. Hes coming off a three-month break, so fitness may be an issue. He won off a similar freshening last fall at Keeneland, but it was by a scant nose going a mile on turf labeled soft. Ill look elsewhere for value.

Ill take a shot with Yates Black Cat, a 7YO Dale Romans trainee that appears to be in career form. Granted, he hasnt done much vs. top-level competition, but he gets in relatively light and loves this course. Jockey Kent Desormeaux got a huge effort out of him last out, and may have learned a bit about his mount in the process. Ill bet #2-Yates Black Cat to win at odds of 5-1 or better, and wheel him top and bottom in the exacta with #3-Court Vision, #4-Never On Sunday, and #5 Take the Points. Ill also bet him in the Daily Double with my choice in the next race, #4-Quality Road.

Quality Road towers over his competition in The Donn Handicap, and its hard to separate the handful of lesser lights lined up to face him. With his gate antics apparently behind him, its hard to see this extremely talented 4YO getting beat, especially with what figures to be a comfortable, pace-pressing trip near the inside. Since I cant figure out which horses to use underneath, Ill bet him to win, and as mentioned earlier, hook him up with #2-Yates Black Cat in the preceding race.

Those are my horse racing betting tips for the weekend.

Saturdays Holy Bull (Grade 3) at Gulfstream Park features a host of talented runners, with several likely to make noise on the Triple Crown trail. The trick on Saturday will be to figure out which horses are primed to fire their best shot, and which are being pointed toward bigger things down the road. Lets take a look at the entire field:
#1-Thank U Philippe: Horse has a serious case of seconditis, with a record of 8-1-5-0. Hes been defeated soundly by Homeboykris and Jackson Bend, and its not likely hell turn the tables on both those runners in The Holy Bull. Hell try blinkers for the first time, which could mean send. Hes the only horse in the field with a race over the track…may hang on for a minor award.
#2-Homeboykris: Trainer Rick Dutrow touted this guy as the best 2YO in his barn, and Homeboykris justified Dutrows enthusiasm when he won The Champagne (G1) going away. Hes the fields sole Grade 1 winner. Kris never fired in the subsequent Remsen, and Dutrow was unable to find a reason. A repeat of his Champagne effort (also a one-turn mile) could put this guy back in the winners circle. Ill play him to win at odds of 4-1 or better.
#3-Litigation Risk: He looked good breaking his maiden at Belmont, but would have to improve by leaps and bounds to be competitive with this bunch.
#4-Piscitelli: Exits a pair of Grade 1s in which he outran his huge odds both times. His Beyer Speed Figures have improved each time outanother move forward puts him squarely in the mix.
#5-Williams Kitten: Didnt do much running in The BC Juvenile, but came back to get second in the Kentucky Jockey Club (G2) at Churchill Downs last out. Come-from-the-clouds type may not get the pace he needs to run at in here.
#6-Winslow Homer: This $310K yearling purchase owns the fields best pedigree, and hasnt done much wrong in his brief career (3-2-0-1). Hes been heavily favored in all three starts, but thats not likely to be the case on Saturday. Trainer Tony Dutrow feels that this guy needs two turns, so hell be happy with a good effort to build upon. WH may be the best Kentucky Derby prospect in this group, so keep an eye on him down the road.
#7-Wild Lime: This appears to be an ambitious spot for a runner that struggled at Tampa Bay Downs last out.
#8-Aikenite: Pletcher trainee exits a trio of Grade 1s in which he was quite competitive. Like Williams Kitten, this guy usually comes from out of it, so hell be at a disadvantage. Also, Pletcher describes him as a thick horse that probably wont be ready off workouts alone. Hell improve with racing.
#9-Jackson Bend: Nick Zito takes over the training chores from Stanley Gold. The fields top earner ($477,820) also owns the top Beyer Speed Figure (100). The outside post should benefit this pressing/stalking type, whos getting a new pilot in Jeremy Rose. All of Jackson Bends success has come across town at Calder, so the Gulfstream Park strip remains a question mark. Hell be heavily bet, and probably wont offer much value.
In addition to a win bet on #2-Homeboykris, Ill use him on top in exactas over the 1, 4 and 9.
Thats my horse racing betting tip for the weekend.

This could be the penultimate year of the traditional Tuesday start to Cheltenham. The idea of a Saturday climax to the Festival, previously deadbatted by the organisers, was given fresh momentum yesterday when Edward Gillespie, the managing director, indicated it was very possible in 2012.

Gillespie ascribes the development to Racing For Change. Saturday is not an option while we have to buy our way into it by acquiring someone elses fixture. It makes no business sense simply to make another course rich. But were aware that the opportunity may now arise through Racing For Change opening up the fixture process.

I wouldnt say were under pressure to do it but I do feel there is an appetite for Festival Saturdays. In my view, 2012 is the earliest it could happen and its not inevitable even then. We havent begun any consultations but wed be competing with Premier League football and international rugby, so wed need to be sure-footed.

Gillespie, who dismissed all thought of a five-day Festival, revealed that Friday is currently twice as profitable as any of the other three days, casting doubt on whether the Gold Cup would be moved to a Saturday. Opinions are divided on that one, he said.

More than 190,000 Festival tickets have been sold so far and Gold Cup day is close to capacity. Also approaching sell-out is the stock of 5,000 scarves purchased by Cheltenham to promote the third duel between Kauto Star and Denman. Kauto is outselling his rival 60-40.

Daffodils were finally beginning to bloom on the roundabout at Cheltenhams entrance yesterday but Simon Claisse, the clerk of the course, admitted that severe winter weather has put his preparations behind schedule. Its been the coldest winter for 31 years, Claisse said. We had six weeks of snow cover or frost after Christmas and the average January temperature here was 1.7C. Its been a very testing season for the groundstaff and the place doesnt look as good as we would like.

The going at Cheltenham is soft, good to soft in places, but forecasts suggest this will improve. There is no rain predicted until at least the end of next week, Claisse said. Watering, then, is not yet ruled out.

Spare a thought for Anthony Cosgriff. Having boldly brought two horses halfway round the world, hoping to be the first Australian-based trainer to compete at Cheltenham, Cosgriff has been dogged by ill luck. Gorge, his principal hope, has suffered a stress fracture, while his efforts to get an exploratory run into Onajet - a speculative entry for the three-mile novice hurdle - have been foiled three times by abandonments. Its taken the wind out of our sails, Cosgriff says with understatement.

Cheltenham offers a rare chance for racing to migrate into general news and sports media but marketing men seeking such exposure are having mixed fortunes. On the plus side, page three girls from The Sun will adopt racing themes in Festival week and a picture shoot with Go Native, the Champion Hurdle aspirant, is already fixed. Negative reaction, though, from Skys Soccer AM programme, which politely rejected the chance to have Tony McCoy and Ruby Walsh - fans of Arsenal and Manchester United respectively - on a March show.

Perpetual trophies are an integral part of the Festival but the same has curiously been untrue of the Derby. Until now, winning connections have received a one-off memento rather than something readily identified with the race. Investec, the new sponsors, are about to rectify this.

Charlie Langton, the renowned artist, has been commissioned to design an iconic trophy, intended to represent the Derby just as the Ashes urn or the World Cup characterise those contests. It will be launched by John Oxx, trainer of last years winner Sea The Stars, at Epsoms April meeting and then be taken on tour around the Derby trials.

A six-day delay of the $250,000 Southwest Stakes caused trainer Jim Barnes to look for a new jockey, and some new clothes, before the rescheduled race on Saturday.

None of those changes affected Conveyance one bit.

Conveyance surged out to an early lead and never looked back to win at Oaklawn Park on Saturday.

“It was what it was, Barnes said with a shrug of the nearly weeklong delay. “It was just something we had to deal with.

Conveyance made it look just as easy as Barnes made it sound.

The winner of the $100,000 San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita, Conveyance was to have had Garrett Gomez aboard for the race on Presidents Day. Gomez had another commitment so Martin Garcia was aboard the Bob Baffert-trained horse and he won for just the second time in his career.

Conveyance paid $5.60, $4 and $3.40. Dublin, ridden by Terry Thompson, returned $5 and $4.20. The show price on Cardiff Giant, with Christian Santiago Reyes aboard, was $8.60.

The 45th running of the one-mile race was originally scheduled for Monday, but a frozen track cut that days racing short.

Barnes, an assistant to Baffert, had originally planned to be in Arkansas for only a few days, but the weather changed his and his horses plans.

With the race pushed back, Barnes stayed in Arkansas, but hadnt packed enough clothes to carry him through the trip.

His solution was a simple one.

“I just went shopping, he said. “I went to Dillards.

The delay didnt affect the 10-horse field for the Kentucky Derby prep race, but it did shuffle the order. Conveyance was originally scheduled to go from the second position, but on Saturday raced out of the ninth position. It didnt seem to bother Garcia or Conveyance.

Conditions at the track were fast and weather wasnt an issue Saturday with a mostly sunny sky and temperatures in the 50s at race time.

Dryfly, who had Calvin Borel aboard, was an early favorite and is owned by Oaklawn owner Charles Cella, but finished a disappointing ninth and stopped in the drive.

The Southwest was the 10th race on Saturday, and came after the $60,000 Spring Fever Stakes, a sprint for fillies and mares. It was won easily by One Smokin Lady.

Oaklawns series of Kentucky Derby prep races continues with the $300,000 Rebel Stakes on March 13 and the $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 10. The track has rescheduled the $5 million Apple Blossom to April 9 so it can feature Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta.

Oaklawn Park postponed the $250,000 Southwest Stakes because of freezing conditions Monday, putting off the Kentucky Derby prep race until this weekend.

Track announcer Terry Wallace said the mile race for 3-year-olds will be held Saturday. It will be redrawn on Thursday and entrants on the card Monday could opt out. He said there could be some jockey changes because of prior commitments.

The race was to have featured a trio of top finishers from the $100,000 San Rafael Stakes at Santa Anita and a promising mount belonging to Oaklawns owner among the 10-horse field.

Conveyance was the 5-2 favorite on Monday, but the race was called off after jockeys said conditions were deteriorating.

“The track was starting to ice up. It (the ice) was balling up, it was flying back and hitting the jockeys, Wallace said. “A couple had broken goggles.

After a delay following the fourth race, the track canceled its final six races.

Wallace said the scheduled $60,000 Spring Fever for older fillies and mares will go on as scheduled on Saturday, but the Southwest Stakes will be the feature race.

Despite the frigid weather, the track was packed Monday with Presidents Day patrons. Attendance wasnt immediately available.

Oaklawns series of Kentucky Derby prep races continues with the $300,000 Rebel Stakes on March 13 and the $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 10. The track earlier rescheduled the $5 million Apple Blossom to April 9 so it can feature top fillies Rachel Alexander and Zenyatta.