Post positions drawn for 24th Breeders' Cup

Horseracing Betting Lines

10/23/2007 - Oceanport, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Post positions and the morning-line odds have been set for the 24th running of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held this Friday and Saturday at Monmouth Park for the first time.

The featured race is the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic at 1 1/4 miles. The event has drawn an excellent field of nine thoroughbreds, including Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense and Preakness champ Curlin.

The favorite for the Classic is four-year-old colt Lawyer Ron, who has established himself as the top older horse in North America. The winner of the Whitney and Woodward Handicaps is 5-2 in the program with John Velazquez riding. The pair will start from the inside post with Street Sense and jockey Calvin Borel next to him in post two.

Street Sense and Curlin are both 3-1 in the morning-line, with Curlin breaking from post four with Robby Albarado in the saddle. There are a total of five three-year-olds in the Classic field.

"I think it's one the best fields that's been put together," said Street Sense trainer Carl Nafzger. "You just can't get a better field put together. You got speed, you got closers. They've been beat, but they've been beat by each other. I think it's going to be a great Classic and I'm just glad to be part of it."

Haskell champ Any Given Saturday, 4-1 in the program, will start from post three with Garrett Gomez riding. Kentucky Derby runner-up Hard Spun has drawn post eight with Mario Pino and is 8-1. Santa Anita Derby winner Tiago is 12-1 with Mike Smith in the saddle. Tiago, coming off a victory in the Goodwood Stakes, will start from the far outside post.

"He's gotten bigger and stronger and he's more focused now, more into his races," Tiago's trainer John Shirreffs noted. "It's a terrific field for the Classic and we're glad to be part of it. It's a real treat for me to be here and stabled with Carl (Nafzger). I have the greatest respect for him. The old bull rider and the ex-Marine, we make a fine pair."

Completing the field for the Breeders' Cup Classic is George Washington, Awesome Gem and Diamond Stripes.

With the addition of three new races, that will be conducted on Friday, there are now 11 Breeders' Cup World Championships races.

The first three Breeders' Cup races will be televised on Friday by ESPN2 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. (et). On Saturday ESPN will broadcast from 12:00-7:00 p.m. (et) with the remaining eight races. Trevor Denman will again call the races.

Friday's weather forecast calls for mostly cloudy skies, winds from the east at 10 m.p.h. with a high near 65. A few showers are expected on Saturday with a high near 70 and winds from the south at 5-10 m.p.h.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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