Rematch between Blame and Quality Road not immediate

Horseracing Betting Lines

08/09/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saturday's dramatic stretch drive between Blame and Quality Road in the Whitney Handicap will have to satisfy race fans for more than a month. The earliest the two four-year-olds will meet again appears to be the Jockey Club Gold Cup in October.

Whitney winner Blame, co-owned by Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider, will be given time off until the October 2nd running of the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park.

"Seth Hancock (of Claiborne Farm) was here this morning (Sunday) and we firmed things up - the Jockey Club Gold Cup will be his next race," said trainer Al Stall, Jr. "It will be that, and then the Breeders' Cup Classic. We'll take him back to Keeneland in a couple of weeks, let him train there, and bring him back up to Belmont."

Trainer Todd Pletcher confirmed that beaten favorite Quality Road will start in the Woodward Stakes at Saratoga on September 4, a race won last year by Rachel Alexandra.

"If he continues to do well, I see no reason to change our plans," Pletcher said. "It was still a very good effort and we lost to a very good horse."

The Whitney turned out to be one of the best races of the year.

Quality Road, who was sent off as the 1-2 favorite in the six horse field, set a modest pace in the 1 1/8-mile stakes. Undefeated in three starts this year coming into the Whitney, Quality Road appeared set for a big win under jockey John Velazquez.

"He was basically alone on the lead," Pletcher noted. "He's generally a little more focused when he has a target (but) there wasn't anyone eager to take the lead."

Quality Road had a clear lead at the top of the stretch until Blame, ridden by Garrett Gomez, dug in to offer up a challenge.

"I thought if he (Blame) were in striking distance at the three-eighths pole, he had a shot," said Stall. "He really does have a great punch from the three- eighths pole, and Garrett was just reeling Quality Road in, reeling him in. Inside the eighth pole, you could see he had a little more momentum than Quality Road."

Blame drew even with Quality Road in deep stretch and was able to get past the favorite only yards before the wire.

"I was just biding my time until we turned for home," winning jockey Gomez said following the race. "I just didn't want to sit too long because he's got a long, consistent run and just keeps coming."

Gomez timed his ride perfectly to edge out Quality Road by a head in the 1 1/8-mile effort.

"He (Quality Road) got beat spotting an extremely good horse five pounds," Pletcher commented. "Not taking anything away from Blame; we look forward to trying him at equal weights."

Third-place finisher Musket Man came out of the Whitney in good shape and will continue to face the best in the handicap division.

"He looks pretty good, no problems," Musket Man's trainer Derek Ryan said on Sunday. "We'll probably keep him going long now for the rest of the year. One of these days he's going to get a legitimate pace and a race will set up for him. I'll probably either run him back here (in the Woodward) or wait for the Hawthorne Gold Cup, then the Breeders' Cup."

The 1 1/4-mile Hawthorne Gold Cup at Hawthorne Race Course is the same day as the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Saturday, October 2.

Also coming out of the Whitney was 2009 Kentucky Derby champ Mine That Bird. Winless since taking last year's Run for the Roses, Mine That Bird was fifth and will probably start in the Woodward.

"Right now that would be the next stop," said trainer D. Wayne Lukas. "I'll talk to the owners, get their input, but that's definitely an option."

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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.”

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