Almagro to face Volandri for Brazil title

Tennis Betting Lines

02/18/2012 - Sao Paulo, Brazil (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Top seed and defending champion Nicolas Almagro and Italian veteran Filippo Volandri were semifinal winners Saturday and will meet for the title at the $475,300 Brasil Open.

The Spanish Almagro beat countryman and No. 8 seed Albert Ramos 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), while Volandri rallied from a set down to post a 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 victory over fourth-seeded Brazilian Thomaz Bellucci.

Almagro won this event in 2008 and bested Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov in last year's finale. He owns an 18-4 career tournament record, and heads into Sunday with a 10-4 lifetime mark in finals.

Volandri advanced to his ninth title match -- all on clay -- and is looking to capture his third career crown. His last title came in Palermo in 2006.

Almagro has won six of nine meetings with Volandri.

The 2012 Brasil Open champion will collect $85,800.

Wwwvouyerdorm Tennis Betting News

<< Federer survives Davydenko, will face del Potro in Rotterdam final
Rotterdam, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Roger Federer needed three sets and two hours, 15 minutes, but the Swiss world No. 3 took down Russian Nikolay Davydenko to advance to the final at the ABN AMRO World tournament. Top-seeded Fed

<< Perry in command at ACE Group
Naples, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kenny Perry fired an impressive 10-under 62 on Saturday to move atop the leaderboard after the second round of the ACE Group Classic. Perry finished two rounds at 18-under 126 and obliterated the fo

<< Elliott, Blues shut out Wild
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Saturday might have been the easiest shutout of Brian Elliott's NHL career. The 26-year-old netminder needed to make just 13 saves to record his sixth shutout of the season and 15th of his career as t

<< No. 3 Missouri rolls over Texas A&M
College Station, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kim English had 21 points to lead four Missouri players in double figures, as the third-ranked Tigers beat Texas A&M, 71-62, on Saturday. Michael Dixon totaled 15 points and six assists for Misso

<< Louisville dominates DePaul in OT
Rosemont, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kyle Kuric scored a season-high 25 points and 19th-ranked Louisville used a dominant overtime to subdue DePaul, 90-82, at Allstate Arena. Chris Smith and Russ Smith had 20 and 16 points, respecti

Juve turns back Catania to go top >>
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juventus returned to the Serie A summit on Saturday after securing a 3-1 win over Catania at home. Juve had played to a pair of 0-0 draws in its last two matches and fell behind inside of four minutes as

Feyenoord denied by late Braber goal >>
Rotterdam, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Feyenoord was denied three points on Saturday in the 87th minute when RKC Waalwijk's Robert Braber scored the equalizer in a 1-1 draw at De Kuip Stadion. Feyenoord was in position to claim a f

Debuchy returns Lille to the win column >>
Lorient, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lille brought an end to its poor run of results on Saturday as Mathieu Debuchy's goal in the 76th minute gave the club a 1-0 win at Lorient. A 5-4 defeat to Bordeaux last time out left Lille with just

Benzema's brace helps Real cruise past Racing >>
Madrid, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Karim Benzema netted a goal in each half as Real Madrid coasted to a 4-0 win over Racing at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday. The result stretches Madrid's lead to 13 points over second-place Barce

No. 1 Kentucky takes down Ole Miss >>
Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kentucky's offensive depth was too much for upset-minded Ole Miss. Terrence Jones posted a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, as the No. 1 Wildcats came away with a 77-62 win over the Rebels on Sat

Anybody who knows about online sports betting knows MySportsbook.com! They are probably the most famous offshore sports gambling website located on the web! After nearly 10 years of online sportsbook service, MySportsbook.com is still impressing their visitors with great customer service, live odds, fast payouts, and an easy-to-use website. MySportsbook.com has everything that die-hard sports fans want. For those looking to bet on all major sporting events, look no further. Make MySportsbook.com your one-stop shop for NFL football, college football, baseball, baseketball, boxing, and horseracing.

MySportsbook.com has one distinct advantage over all other online sportsbooks: They have been in the football gambling industry the longest and have served the most satisfied customers. So if you're in the market for a new online sportsbook for the next upcoming season, be sure to check out MySportsbook.com today! We are absolutely positive that you will not be disappointed with this company.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football betting lines needs.

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.