Game On Dude and Ultimate Eagle likely for Big 'Cap

Horseracing Betting Lines

02/07/2012 - Arcadia, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - This past weekend's stakes races at Santa Anita Park for older thoroughbreds gave early incite into the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic set for November at the southern California facility. However, next month's Santa Anita Handicap could prove an even better indicator.

Trainer Bob Baffert sent out five-year-old horse Game On Dude to convincingly win the San Antonio Handicap on Sunday. Despite a poor start, the veteran racehorse registered a 5 1/4-length win as the 3-10 favorite versus four rivals.

"He ran hard. He'd been training really well," noted Baffert following the Sunday event. "We knew he was up for a big race.

"I think Chantal (winning jockey Chantal Sutherland) did a great job not panicking when he didn't break. She got him running. They were going pretty rapid up front, but this horse, once you get him in a high cruising speed, he's so dangerous. If you grab a hold of him, he's not effective at all."

Co-owned by Joe Torre, Game On Dude is a speed horse who has proven he can cover a distance of ground. He was a solid second in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic behind 17-1 longshot Drosselmeyer.

Game On Dude won last year's Santa Anita Handicap and could very easily remain home for the race or go to the Dubai World Cup on March 31.

"A lot has to do with what kind of weight we get and all that stuff. Last year he got in really light (115 pounds)," Baffert said about Big 'Cap weight assignments. "We're just going to enjoy it right now. He's nominated to Dubai, but the thing about Dubai is it's getting more and more difficult for American horses to win there because of the new track layout and the synthetic, you don't know what to expect. We can think about. It's an option, so we're going to leave all options open for now."

Another strong contender for the Big 'Cap is Ultimate Eagle fresh off a win in Saturday's Strub Stakes for four-year-olds. The colt, trained by Mike Pender, went off at 7-1 and defeated Baffert's horse Jaycito by 7 1/4-lengths.

"It (my confidence in the horse) was unwavering and he just went out there and proved what I thought he could do all along. We did take the heart right out of (4-5 favorite) Tapizar, which I thought he (Ultimate Eagle) would.

"This is a special horse and people have to start realizing it. Just because he wins on the turf, it doesn't mean that he can't do it anywhere else."

Ultimate Eagle was making his first career start on a real dirt surface. He has five starts on turf with three earlier races on synthetic tracks. Last year he won both the Oak Tree and Hollywood Derbies.

Pender will not commit to the Big 'Cap, but is more than happy with anything his charge accomplishes.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Pender said about the Big 'Cap, "but we're just so pleased with the horse. It took so much to get to this point, with the near-death experience (colic in his three-year-old year). It's just an unbelievable miracle that we're here today."

Solid victories by Game On Dude and Ultimate Eagle give a nice foundation for this year's handicap division.

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FOOTBALL BETTING

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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