Junebugred is golden in Smarty Jones

Horseracing Betting Lines

01/16/2012 - Hot Springs, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Junebugred, ridden by Joe Bravo, held on to win Monday's $100,000 Smarty Jones Stakes to begin Oaklawn Park's series for three-year-olds on the Kentucky Derby trail. The 6-1 third choice covered the mile distance in 1:38.45 on a fast track.

In the 12-horse field On Fire Baby, the lone filly to start, went off as the 3-2 favorite with Optimizer at 2-1.

Breaking from the gate first was Laurie's Rocket followed by No Spin, Jake Mo, Junebugred and On Fire Baby. Laurie's Rocket and No Spin battled on the front end up the backstretch and into the far turn.

On Fire Baby, with Joe Johnson riding, was four wide around the final turn with No Spin, Laurie's Rocket and Jake Mo to her inside. Junebugred had dropped back on the turn as 17-1 longshot Reckless Jerry came running on the outside.

At the top of the stretch Junebugred found room along the rail with Jake Mo, On Fire Baby, Laurie's Rocket and Reckless Jerry to his outside. Trained by Steve Hobby, Junebugred was able to take the lead in late stretch and hold off the late running Reckless Jerry.

Junebugred was able post a neck victory over Reckless Jerry with On Fire Baby finishing third. Holding on for fourth was Jake Mo followed by Laurie's Rocket, Optimizer, Copus, Prince Cheval, King Coral, No Spin, Fastestwhogetspaid and Hard Nosed.

Owned by Alex and Joann Lieblong, Junebugred was making just his third career start in the Smarty Jones. The win was worth $60,000 to bring the chestnut colt's earnings to $95,400.

The three-year-old made his debut last October at Monmouth Park when he finished third as the 13-10 favorite. Six weeks later he broke his maiden at Aqueduct at 8-1.

"We started him off and he showed us some talent," said Hobby about the colt. "His first time out he hadn't had any dirt in his face and he got to hopping and jumping around like a lot of first-time starters do. We went and sent him to David (trainer David Fawkes) in New York to give him a shot on the track up there."

Junebugred returned $14.80, $7.00 and $4.60. Reckless Jerry paid $12.80 and $6.20, and On Fire Baby paid $2.60 to show.

Next for three-year-olds is the $250,000 Southwest Stakes on Monday, February 20 followed by the $500,000 Rebel on March 17 and $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 14.

The Smarty Jones Stakes is named for the 2004 champion three-year-old colt who won the Arkansas Derby along with the Run for the Roses and Preakness Stakes. The stakes was won last year by eventual Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile champ Caleb's Posse.

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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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