Louisiana Derby to get major upgrade

Horseracing Betting Lines

08/11/2009 - New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Louisiana Derby is being given a purse increase and an extended distance for next year's running. Fair Grounds Race Course announced Tuesday that its major Kentucky Derby prep race will also be conducted just five weeks before the Run for the Roses.

The Louisiana Derby will have its value boosted from $600,000 to $750,000 and the distance will now be 1 1/8 miles, instead of 1 1/16 miles. The stakes for three-year-old Kentucky Derby hopefuls in the past was held seven weeks prior to the Kentucky Derby. It will be run in 2010 on March 27.

"We're excited about being the premier racing venue for our nation's best three-year olds when preparing for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks." said Fair Grounds vice president and general manager Eric Halstrom in a release.

The Louisiana Derby is part of a three race series for three-year-olds at the Fair Grounds who are being pointed to the Run for the Roses. The other stakes events are the Lecomte and Risen Star Stakes.

For 2010 the Lecomte will be held on January 23 and the Risen Star will be run on February 20. The Lecomte will have a distance of a mile and 40-yards and the Risen Star will be contested over 1 1/16 miles. The $400,000 Fair Grounds Oaks for three-year-old fillies will Friday, March 26.

The Fair Grounds 2009-10 meet will be held from November 6 to March 28.

"Our racing staff is embarking on a new historic direction for the entire stakes schedule," Halstrom said in the release.

In an effort to bring the two leading thoroughbreds together, Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, the Fair Grounds has created a stakes race for fillies and mares to be run six weeks after the Breeders' Cup. The new race will be on the track's main dirt track at 1 1/8 miles.

"Horse racing fans desire to see Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta race against one another, and we're no different," Halstrom said. "By positioning this new race six weeks after the Breeders' Cup World Championships and three weeks after Churchill Downs' Clark and Falls City Handicaps, it gives all parties involved something to consider and opens the door for further discussions. Anything further at this point would be premature and circumstances could be different in four months, but this new race gives us an option to dream."

The yet unnamed race is slated for December 19 of this year with a tentative purse of $100,000. The purse would be increased if the race attracts Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta.

Cbssporys Horseracing Betting News

<< Wizards sign Oberto
Washington, DC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Wizards on Tuesday signed free-agent forward/center Fabricio Oberto. The 6-foot-10 Oberto averaged 2.6 points and 2.6 rebounds in 54 games for San Antonio last season. He was dealt to

<< Around FCS: Scholarships overwhelm talk in PL
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Patriot League commissioner Carolyn Schlie Femovich was quick to emphasize the 2009 football season when she spoke during the conference's media day last week, which is typical of these events. But even th

<< Tymoshchuk to get chance at Bayern
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - New Bayern Munich signing Anatoliy Tymoshchuk could be set for an extended spell in the first team after captain Mark van Bommel's injury. The Dutch international picked up a toe problem in t

<< Stewart is now NASCAR's king of the road
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tony Stewart's primary residence is in his hometown of Columbus, IN, but after winning at Watkins Glen International for a record fifth time, Stewart declared, "This is my house," referring to the 2.45-mile r

<< Murray reaches third round in Montreal
Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - U.S. Open runner-up Andy Murray was an easy second-round winner Tuesday at the $3 million Rogers Cup, an ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event. The third-seeded Murray handled rising Frenchman Jeremy Chardy 6-4,

Blackburn set to complete Kalinic deal >>
Blackburn, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Blackburn has been given the green light to complete the signing of Nikola Kalinic after the Croatia striker was granted a work permit. The 21-year-old has accepted a four-year contract with

Safina barely wins second-rounder in Cincy >>
Mason, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top-ranked Russian Dinara Safina went the distance on Tuesday to win her second-round match at the $2 million Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open. The French Open and Aussie Open runner-up Safina

Immelman withdraws from PGA Championship >>
Chaska, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trevor Immelman has withdrawn from the PGA Championship because of a nagging wrist injury. The 29-year-old South African will miss his third consecutive major because of the injured left wrist, which he

Real's Pellegrini eyes trophy treble >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Real Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini believes his team can win a treble of Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey this season. Real have spent an astonishing 250million euros on the likes of Cristi

Braves activate Infante, demote Hernandez >>
Atlanta, GA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Atlanta Braves on Tuesday activated infielder Omar Infante from the 15-day disabled list and optioned rookie infielder Diory Hernandez to Triple-A Gwinnett. Infante has not played since May 20

Online Sportsbook Football Betting

Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts US credit cards