Baffert takes both Southwest Stakes divisions

Horseracing Betting Lines

02/20/2012 - Hot Springs, AR (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trainer Bob Baffert sent two horses to Oaklawn Park for the Presidents' Day running of the Southwest Stakes hoping to come away with one victory. However, the race drew 21 entries splitting it into two divisions, each worth $250,000.

Baffert came away from Monday's Southwest Stakes with two victories as Castaway and Secret Circle each won a division of the mile event. Also claiming two wins was jockey Rafael Bejarano.

The first division had a field of 11 three-year-olds. Castaway broke well and joined Majestic Stride on the lead. Bejarano had his mount to the outside of the leader right on Majestic Stride's shoulder.

Castaway took over the lead coming out of the final turn and began to draw clear at the top of the stretch. The 6-1 fourth pick opened his lead down the stretch and posted a 3 3/4-length victory over the late running Jake Mo.

Finishing third was Reckless Jerry, who was second in the track's Smarty Jones Stakes last month. Completing the order of finish were Ring It Up, Majestic Stride, Longview Drive, Junebugred, No Spin, Unbridled's Note, Laurie's Rocket and Red Jack.

Castaway completed the mile in 1:38.09 on a fast track.

Owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, Castaway won for the just the second time and notched his first stakes win. The victory was worth $150,000 to bring the colt's total earnings to $209,930. The son of 2007 Kentucky Derby champ Street Sense broke his maiden four weeks ago after failing five times.

Castaway returned $15.40, $9.40 and $7.20. Jake Mo paid $19.00 and $7.40, and Reckless Jerry paid $4.20 to show.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint winner Secret Circle was sent off as the 3-5 favorite in the 10-horse second division. The colt and Bejarano were first out of the gate, but allowed Scatman and jockey Luis Quinonez to set the pace.

Scatman continued to set the pace with the favorite to his outside. Secret Circle drew along side on the final turn and had short lead entering the stretch. Scatman regained the lead at the top of the stretch and looked ready to pull off an upset.

Owned by Karl Watson, Paul Weitmann and Mike Pegram, Secret Circle was able to rally in the final yards and defeat Scatman by a half-length. Adirondack King was third followed by Pee H Dee, Cyber Secret, Z Rockstar, Chalybeate Springs, King Coral, Apprehender and Big Wednesday.

Secret Circle covered the mile in 1:37.08.

The colt also added $150,000 to his bankroll, which now stands at $518,990. Secret Circle began the year with a second to Out of Bounds in last month's Sham Stakes at Santa Anita as the 1-2 favorite.

After winning in his first career start, he won the John Goodman Stakes at Santa Anita and then captured the Juvenile Sprint at Churchill Downs as the 2-5 favorite.

Secret Circle paid $3.20, $3.20 and $2.40. Scatman returned $6.40 and $4.60, and Adirondack King paid $3.60 to show.

Next on the Oaklawn schedule for Kentucky Derby hopefuls is the $500,000 Rebel on March 17 and the $1 million Arkansas Derby on April 14. Archarcharch won last year's Southwest and Arkansas Derby.

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SPORTS BETTING - Tennis is an underrated and under-utilized bettors' sport.

Ten years ago, at just about this time, I called Alan Boston in Vegas and left him a voicemail that went something like this (abridged version): "Hey Alan, Chad Millman from ESPN The Magazine calling. I want to do a book about wise guys, you in?"

A couple weeks later I got a message back (abridged version): "I don't know, maybe," Boston said. "Call me and we'll talk about it. But not later today. I got $1,000 on Andre Agassi to win the French Open at 40-1, and he's in the finals."

Here's what happened next (abridged version): Agassi won his tourney. Boston won his $40,000. I wrote sportsbook.

In the ten years since, how much has been wagered on the big-time tennis events? Put it this way: The Nevada Gaming Commission doesn't even track the number year by year because it's so small.

"Tennis makes up about one-tenth of one percent of our take," says Lucky's bookmaking boss Jimmy Vaccaro. "The last big golf major we probably had $100,000 worth of bets. In tennis, we might have written two big tickets."

Tennis' lack of popularity amongst the American bettoratti is no surprise, really. For starters, the biggest sports betting holidays -- the Super Bowl, the NCAA tourney -- are must see TV. People, at least the degenerates I know, plan vacations around watching those events in Vegas sports books.

But Wimbledon? Doesn't exactly reel in the whales. "Seriously, it's the nuts as an event," says Boston. "But who even knows when it's on?"

Here's another reason that helps explain why golf gets traction, something I call "The Bubbe Theory." My Bubbe is pushing 95 and has cataracts so bad that, to her, even the most crystalline Chicago day is mostly cloudy. But she still listens to the Cubs games, and she still calls me in a fit if she disagrees with something Rick Telander writes in the Chicago Sun Times. She's a sports fan. If she doesn't know you, you're just filling a niche. And niche players, even historically good ones like Roger and Raf, don't drive betting volume. Only the highest profile names attract square money, which inflates wagering totals like a shot of saline to the lips. Bubbe, and the public, loved Agassi, tennis' last cross-the-rubicon, mainstream draw. She also has a crush on Tiger. She's given me standing orders to put a sawbuck on the big cat whenever I walk through a sports book (or mistakenly tap into one via my Internet machine.) That explains why the Masters is getting $100K in action at some books while the four tennis majors might not get that combined this year.

This isn't a case of tennis being a difficult sport to bet. In fact, in Europe, it's probably the second most popular sport for gambling after soccer. Granted, as the WSJ football betting last week and The Mag's Shaun Assael examined in even greater depth last year, that might be because gamblers across the pond see it as an easy game to fix. But it could also be because, over there it holds the kind of sway the big two do over here.

Street corners in Spain are peppered with public courts and kids doing their best Raffy impressions. In some war torn parts of Eastern Europe poverty-stricken kids view tennis as an escape route, like football or basketball here. A couple years ago The Mag's Lindsay Berra wrote a great piece about Belgrade's Jelena Jankovic, Ana Ivanovic and Novak Djokovic. They learned the game as kids while bombs were raining down on their homeland. They practiced in drained swimming pools. Not exactly Nick Bolletierri conditions.

In the United States, casual fans think tennis is played four times a year. But on the tightly packed European continent, national interest in homegrown talent runs deep every weekend. Of the ATP's current top 20 players, only two, tennis betting and James Blake, are American. Fourteen are from Europe, representing six different countries.

No wonder fans from Lisbon to Bhudapest get jacked up for the net game, whether it's Wimbledon or a low-level tourney like the Estoril Open in Portugal (congrats to Spain's Albert Montanes for winning that one, btw). Chances are good that someone representing their flag will not only be playing, but have a shot at winning.

And that's all any bettor can ask for.

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