Davydenko, Blake reach semis; Simon ousted in Estoril

Tennis Betting Lines

05/08/2009 - Estoril, Portugal (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Three-time finalist Nikolay Davydenko and fourth-seeded American James Blake reached the semifinals, while top-seeded Gilles Simon of France came up a quarterfinal loser Friday at the $595,000 clay-court Estoril Open.

Seventh-seeded Spaniard Albert Montanes upended the world No. 8 Simon in 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) fashion at National Stadium.

Meanwhile, a second-seeded Davydenko moved within one victory of a fourth Estoril Open final with a 6-4, 6-3 handling of sixth-seeded American Mardy Fish on Day 6 at this French Open tune-up.

The world No. 11 Davydenko titled here in 2003 and lost to the great Roger Federer in last year's Estoril finale. The gritty Russian star also lost in the 2006 final.

Davydenko's semifinal opponent on Saturday will be Blake, who drove past eighth-seeded Frenchman Florent Serra 6-4, 6-1.

Blake is a flawless 6-0 lifetime against Davydenko, all on hardcourts. The two have never met on clay, Blake's worst surface.

The other semi will pit Montanes against Chilean Paul Capdeville, who overcame Spaniard Oscar Hernandez 4-6, 6-1, 6-4.

The 2009 Estoril champ will collect $96,000.

Wwwmenshealth Tennis Betting News

<< Broncos sign RB Walker
Englewood, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Denver Broncos signed free-agent running back Darius Walker on Friday. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. Walker, who will be entering his third professional season, split last year between

<< Cilic, Hewitt fall in BMW quarters
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Second-seeded rising Croat Marin Cilic and former world No. 1 star Lleyton Hewitt were among Friday's quarterfinal losers at the $595,000 clay-court BMW Open. The world No. 15 Cilic succumbed to

<< Russia tops U.S. to return to World Hockey final
Bern, Switzerland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Konstantin Gorovikov scored a power-play goal with just 1:47 remaining in the third period to give Russia a 3-2 win over the United States in the semifinals of the 2009 World Hockey Champio

<< Vancsik grabs Italian Open lead
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Argentina's Daniel Vancsik fired a six-under 65 on Friday to take the midway lead at the Italian Open. Vancsik, the 2007 Madeira Islands Open champion, finished two rounds at Royal Park I Roveri at nine-un

<< Rams release leading tackler Tinoisamoa
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Rams have released linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, the team's leading tackler last season. Tinoisamoa made 135 tackles, including 88 solo, last season. He also notched three sacks. "This was

Safina, Kuznetsova will clash in all-Russian Rome finale >>
Rome, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - For the second time in seven days, world No. 1 Dinara Safina and fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova will battle in a clay- court final. On Friday in Rome, Safina came from behind to beat fourth-seeded

Rachel Alexandra pointed to Preakness, Borel to ride >>
Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rachel Alexandra, winner of the Kentucky Oaks, is being readied to start in the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, May 16. Her new ownership and trainer announced the decision in a Friday

Juve finds itself in an awkward spot >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When Juventus travels to the San Siro on Sunday to meet AC Milan they will be trying to snap a season-long five-game winless streak, but if they are successful, they could also hand bitter rivals Inter M

Dolphins home renamed LandShark Stadium >>
Miami, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Miami Dolphins' home has been renamed LandShark Stadium after an agreement between owner Stephen Ross and singer Jimmy Buffett. Buffett, a south Florida resident, is famous for his song "Margarita

Valencia has Real chance to solidify CL berth >>
Valencia, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Valencia followed up a solid 2-2 tie against Barcelona with a disappointing 3-0 loss at Espanyol, and hosts Real Madrid on Saturday at Mestalla in need of a win to increase its Champions League hopes. Val

Terrell Owens could return for Cowboys next game
A bye week will allow Terrell Owens broken hand to recover just in time for the next game the Dallas Cowboys are slated to play, according to reports. MySportsbook.com, an football sportsbook, has posted football betting lines on TO playing.

Owens broke the bone leading to his right ring finger Sunday night and had a plate surgically attached to it Monday. Although Owens' hand was swollen and aching Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said he's optimistic the receiver will be back at work next week and catching passes a week from Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

MySportsbook.com online sportsbook listed Terrell Owens with odds of 7-2 (or $7 paid out for every $2 bet) to return back for the game against Tennessee.

"I certainly wouldn't rule it out now," Parcells said, referring to Terrell Owens immediate return. "Maybe five days from now I might, but I wouldn't rule it out now. ... I know we're looking to try to get him moving around pretty good in the next day or so. So we'll see where we are."

Owens did not speak with reporters Wednesday, but said Sunday he'd be out two to four weeks. A return against the Titans would be 13 days after the surgery. The Cowboys were listed as an early -7 1/2 favorite vs. the Tennessee Titans for Week 4 at MySportsbook.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Mastercard needs.

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.