09/17/2008 - East Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Whitney Handicap winner Commentator goes after his second straight Breeders' Cup Challenge victory in Saturday's $500,000 Massachusetts Handicap (MassCap) at Suffolk Downs. The MassCap champ will gain automatic entry into the Breeders' Cup Classic as part of the "Win and You're In" program.
The 1 1/8 mile race has attracted seven older thoroughbreds.
A gelding, Commentator is trained by Hall of Famer Nick Zito for Tracy Farmer and is the 3-5 morning-line favorite. The seven-year-old will start from post two with John Velazquez returning to ride.
Commentator recorded his second career Whitney victory, in his last start, to go along with his 2005 win. Also this year he was second to Divine Park in the Metropolitan Mile Handicap at Belmont Park on Memorial Day.
"He gets in that league with Kelso and Forego," Zito noted after the Whitney victory, "which I wanted him to be in so they couldn't take him out. He's in that special league. He's an amazing horse."
A winner of 12 races in 19 career starts, Commentator has lifetime earnings of more than $1.54 million.
The 7-2 second choice is Dr. Pleasure, third in last year's MassCap behind Brass Hat for trainer John Ward, Jr. Owned by John Oxley, Dr. Pleasure will be ridden by Cornelio Velasquez from post six.
A winner of just two of 15 lifetime starts, the five-year-old snapped a 13- race losing streak this year after undergoing throat surgery by winning an allowance race at Saratoga. Dr. Pleasure has career winnings of $308,098 Two years ago he was third in the Travers and fourth in the Jim Dandy Stakes.
Shipping in from Monmouth Park is Cuba, the 6-1 third pick in the program. The seven-year-old will break from post four with regular rider Pedro Cotto, Jr. aboard.
Trained by Bobby Dibona for Leo-Sag Stable, Cuba is coming off a fifth-place finish in the Iselin Handicap at Monmouth. He has won six of his last nine starts.
"This horse has done so many great things this year that I thought he deserved a chance," said Dibona. "I'm confident he can get a piece of that pot. I never had a horse for the MassCap before. Cuba is the first one I've had that I thought deserved the chance. With a little racing luck, he can do really well in the MassCap."
In his career Cuba has won 11 of 37 races for $443,594.
Here is the complete field for the MassCap in post position order: Beck and Call, Tammi Piermarini 20-1; Commentator, John Velazquez 3-5; Won Awesome Dude, Dalton Nedrick 8-1; Cuba, Pedro Cotto, Jr. 6-1; Volcanic Force, Clifford Dooley, 20-1; Dr. Pleasure, Cornelio Velasquez 7-2 and Riversrunrylee, Pedro Gonzalez 15-1.
The 66th MassCap has a scheduled post-time of 5:45 p.m. (et).
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In the FCS world, one regular-season game has been on the mind
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.”
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