Briscoe leads Penske front row for Chicagoland

Autoracing Betting Lines

08/28/2009 - Joliet, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ryan Briscoe will start on the pole for the Peak Antifreeze and Motor Oil Indy 300 after edging his Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves in Friday's qualifying at Chicagoland Speedway.

Briscoe, the current IndyCar Series points leader, recorded a four-lap average of 215.364 m.p.h. to capture the pole at the 1.5-mile oval for the second year in a row. He was awarded one point for his pole victory, which gives the Australian driver a five-point advantage over Dario Franchitti in the championship standings with three races to go this season.

"Definitely at this point, we'll take any points we can get," Briscoe said. "It's an extra point for the pole."

Briscoe qualified 0.07 seconds quicker than Castroneves, who secured the outside pole. Last year, Castroneves had to start from the rear of the field after Indy Racing League officials disallowed his time for running below the white line several times.

"I made sure that I did not touch the white line," Castroneves said after making his qualifying run. "I made sure that I could go as close as I did without doing anything wrong."

Castroneves charged to the front and then nipped Scott Dixon in one of the closest finishes in series history. While Castroneves captured his second win of the 2008 season, Dixon clinched the championship by 17 points.

Franchitti from Chip Ganassi Racing and Andretti Green Racing's Tony Kanaan will share row two, while Graham Rahal from Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing and Franchitti's teammate, Dixon, will occupy the third row.

Dixon, who is currently 21 points behind Briscoe, has finished second in the last two races at Chicagoland.

AGR teammates Marco Andretti and Danica Patrick will start seventh and 10th, respectively. Mario Moraes from KV Racing Technology claimed the eighth starting position, and NHLR's Oriol Servia took the ninth spot.

Saturday's 300-mile race is scheduled to start around 10:00 p.m. (et).

Myracetracks Autoracing Betting News

<< Alamo Bowl partners with Pac-10
San Antonio, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Alamo Bowl announced Friday a four-year partnership with the Pac-10 Conference. Following the 2010 season, the No.2 team from the Pac-10 will play in the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio again

<< Lightning re-sign D Lashoff for two years
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning agreed to terms with defenseman Matt Lashoff on a two-year contract Friday. Financial details of the contract were not disclosed. "We were extremely pleased to bring Matt into the

<< Bayern's Ribery, Robben may play vs. Wolfsburg
Munich, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bayern Munich is off to its worst start in 43 years, but Saturday's clash with Wolfsburg at the Allianz Arena may feature a much different side - one that includes Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben. French st

<< L.A., Chivas USA square off in final SuperClasico of season
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Major League Soccer rivals, the Los Angeles Galaxy and Chivas USA, square off in the third and final SuperClasico of the regular season on Saturday night at The Home Depot Center. The first meeting in e

<< Revs aim to keep surging vs. San Jose
Foxborough, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New England Revolution will aim to continue their climb up Major League Soccer's Eastern Conference table when they host the San Jose Earthquakes at Gillette Stadium on Saturday evening. The Re

Soriano's blast helps Cubs top Mets >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alfonso Soriano went 3-for-3 and hit the game- winning three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift the Chicago Cubs over the New York Mets, 5-2, in the opener of a three-game series at Wrig

Gonzo to announce retirement, return to Diamondbacks >>
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Longtime outfielder Luis Gonzalez is returning to the Arizona Diamondbacks, but his playing days are finished. The team will hold a news conference Saturday at 4 p.m. (et), when the 41- year-old Gonzalez

Indians get Pino from Twins >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Cleveland Indians acquired right-handed pitcher Yohan Pino from the Twins to complete the August 7 trade that sent righty Carl Pavano to Minnesota. The 25-year-old Pino has split the 2009 season

K.C., RSL square off with valuable points on the line >>
Kansas City, KA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two bottom-third Major League Soccer clubs meet on Saturday night when the Kansas City Wizards host Real Salt Lake in an inter-conference match-up at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. The Wizards are in desper

Crafton earns pole at Chicagoland >>
Bristol, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Matt Crafton will start on the pole for Friday's inaugural EnjoyIllinois 225 Camping World Truck Series race after posting the fastest lap in qualifying at Chicagoland Speedway. Crafton rounded th

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.