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The Melbourne Cup is the biggest event on the Australian horse racing calendar
With Fiorente, Waterhouse May be On Track For Her First Melbourne Cup
Betting on the Melbourne Cup is one of the biggest events on the sporting calendar for bookies in Australia and this week sees the whole of Australia turn their eye towards the ponies with many hoping the Gai Waterhouse can finally break her duck in the event.
There has never been anyone in Australian thoroughbred racing quite like Gai Waterhouse.
The 59-year-old has a story that is the stuff of legend. A native of Scotland, she is the daughter of Tommy Smith, an immensely successful trainer of horses himself, and indeed, she served as an apprentice for fifteen years at her father’s side, carefully learning the trade.
But she had another life beforehand – that of an actress, appearing most notably on the Australian soap opera The Young Doctors. She’s not escaped scandal, as transgressions on the part of her husband and son brushed up against her (not that she was completely clean, mind you) and even made getting licensed a chore. But once she was established, she was hard to stop. Five Sydney training premierships can attest to that.
She’s been saddling entrants in the Melbourne Cup for 20 years now, having sent her first challenger, Te Akau Nick, to post in 1993. In that race her charge finished second to Vintage Crop, and there must have been the feeling that there would be many trips into the winner’s circle after that result.
Well, there haven’t been. In fact, in her Hall of fame career (that accolade awarded her in 2007), a Melbourne Cup win is the one prize that has eluded Waterhouse.
Of course, as far as many Australians are concerned, it is THE prize. And it leaves a tremendous void.
You see, for Aussie sports bettors “Down Under,” there is nothing quite like the Melbourne Cup, which takes place on an annual basis at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne. When an event carries a tag line like “the race that stops a nation,” and delivers on that brand, you know you’ve got something very big. For its length (two miles) it is the richest handicap race in the world. And it plays host to some of the sport’s premier marathon runners.
It is older than any of America’s Triple Crown races, having been first run in 1861, and it accommodates more contestants than any of them do. Indeed, there could be many more. Although there are hundreds of horses who aspire to be involved (actually, we’re pretty sure it’s their connections who harbor the aspirations) the field is “limited” to 24 starters (for safety reasons). That is done through a process of “balloting,” which takes into account many factors, including the prize money the horse has won over the previous two years, and performances in the prep races that come before. Since there are horses from all over the world, it is difficult to come up with uniform standards to use. But there is a list of races that offer an exemption and automatic entry to the winner. Among them are the Arlington Million and San Juan Capistrano Handicap in the United States.
This year Waterhouse may have her best chance yet to win the Cup, as she will send the 13/2 favorite, Fiorente, to the gate on Tuesday at Flemington. Here are the odds on the contenders as they are posted at leading Aussie bookmaker Bet365.
Fiorente 13/2
Mount Athos 7/1
Dandino 9/1
Verema 9/1
Sea Moon 12/1
Simenon 12/1
Hawkspur 14/1
Voleuse De Coeurs 16/1
Seville 16/1
Brown Panther 16/1
Fawkner 16/1
Royal Empire 16/1
Tres Blue 20/1
Dear Demi 20/1
Foreteller 28/1
Green Moon 33/1
Masked Marvel 33/1
Dunaden 40/1
Red Cadeaux 50/1
Super Cool 50/1
Ruscello 50/1
Ethiopia 66/1
Ibicenco 100/1
Mourayan 150/1
Waterhouse will have not just one horse, but two in the running when the Cup gets underway. Aside from Fiorente, she’s got Tres Blue as well. And she feels pretty good about that three-year-old’s chances, saying that he “oozes talent, that fellow.”
Tres Blue is priced at +2000 in the Melbourne Cup odds at Bet365.
But Fiorente could be due. He ran second to Green Moon in last year’s Melbourne Cup, running for the first time in Australia.
A win in the Group I Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes and then third place in the Cox Plate, in what was not the best of trips, reinforces the chances for Waterhouse’s horse in the minds of many.
This is actually one of the few Australian-trained horses in the race, although Waterhouse has had him only a little over a year. The fact that all the Australian bettors (punters) have seen the horse now contributes to his favorite’s status.
So does the post position, which puts Fiorente in the #5 “barrier.”
Some experts in the horse racing betting community think that Waterhouse’s star may have had too much taken out of him in the Cox Plate to come back on such short notice and put out for this race. But not everyone is on board with that, obviously.
Crown Casino founder Lloyd Williams, who, as owner, directed Green Moon along the Cup path last year, describes Fiorente’s form as “impeccable” and adds that “if none of his SIX entrants is worthy of winning this year’s race, I hope Gai does. I’d be as thrilled for her to win the race as I would be for myself. I would just love her to win the Cup.”
But he would REALLY love to see Green Moon (33/1) win it for the second straight year. That’s something only four other horses have done – Archer, who took the first two Melbourne Cups in 1861 and 1862; Rain Lover (1968, 1969), Think Big (1974, 1975) and of course, Makybe Diva, the only three-time winner of the race, from 2003-05. Green Moon drew the #10 barrier. Dunaden (40/1 at Bet365), the 2011 winner (in what has been the closest finish ever), who has won three out of four starts in Australia, is on the inside #1 barrier.
Your headquarters for betting “the race that stops a nation” is www.Bet365.com!
Title Chase is Over, But Vettel Has F1 Records in Sight at Abu Dhabi
Last week in India, Sebastian Vettel wrapped up another world driving championship, which was totally expected. With that, Vettel has joined an exclusive club, and now he can scale new heights as he continues to circulate among the all-time greats. On Sunday he will be seeking his seventh straight Formula One victory as he competes in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at the Yas Marina circuit.
Vettel and his Red Bull Racing team have dominated the sport for years; the team itself won its fourth straight Constructors title as well last week. But there is no “cruising” to the end of the season; there is too much money at stake for that to happen, as teams like Vettel’s spend well into the nine figures on their racing operations. So you will see an honest effort by both Vettel and colleague Mark Webber to capture the checkered flag.
In the Formula One betting odds that have been posted at Bet365, Vettel is the overwhelming favorite to win:
Sebastian Vettel -333
Mark Webber +400
Lewis Hamilton +1400
Romain Grosjean +1600
Kimi Raikkonen +2200
Nico Rosberg +4000
Fernando Alonso +4000
Felipe Massa +25000
Jenson Button +25000
Sergio Perez +50000
Paul di Resta +100000
Daniel Ricciardo +100000
Nico Hulkenberg +150000
Adrian Sutil +150000
Jean-Eric Vergne +200000
Esteban Gutierrez +200000
Pastor Maldonado +250000
Valtteri Bottas +250000
Giedo van der Garde +500000
Max Chilton +500000
Charles Pic +500000
Jules Bianchi +500000
If you are watching this on television (check your local listings), you may think you’re seeing something unusual, and you will be. Not only is the course part of a breathtaking locale, but it is also run counter-clockwise. Don’t adjust your set. It is one of the few places you’ll see that. And the drivers will be starting in daylight, but completing the 55 laps under the lights.
Vettel, who joined Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio as the only drivers to win the championship four years running, is not the defending champion in this event, and even though he won the race in 2009 and 2010, he also suffered the “agony of defeat” on this course as he had to retire from the race in 2011.
Kimi Raikkonen (+2200 to win at Bet365) captured the Abu Dhabi title a year ago, and there was a certain level of significance to it as well. Not only did he manage to win when starting behind the front row (not a frequent occurrence in F1), he also brought Lotus into the winner’s circle for the first time since way back in 1987. Raikkonen, as many F1 bettors can recall, left the Grand Prix circuit after the 2009 season; one where he was, at $51 million, the highest-paid driver in the business, to race in the World Rally Championship. The 2012 Abu Dhabi win was his first in three years.
However, last year’s Abu Dhabi event was also a triumph of sorts for Vettel, in that he had to start at the back of the grid due to rules violations during the qualifying phase, yet came on strong to finish third. They just can’t seem to keep him off the podium.
And lately he has been right at the top of that podium. Alberto Ascari of Italy holds the all-time Formula One record for consecutive races won, with nine, spanning the 1952 and 1953 seasons. But Vettel has a chance to equal the so-called “modern” record this weekend; it is a mark currently held by the legendary Schumacher, who captured seven straight wins for Ferrari in the 2004 campaign, and Jim Clark, who did it in 1965.
Lewis Hamilton (+1400 in the F1 odds at Bet365) won last year’s pole, but in the brief history of this particular event (only four races), only one driver has won from the pole. As Formula One standards go, that makes this pretty competitive.
What do we mean? Well, Vettel has won ten races this year; no one else has more than two. And victories in these races (16 of them thus far) have been restricted to just four teams – Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes and Lotus. There are drivers who have labored for quite a while without even scoring a point (for a finish from 1-10) in the F1 series. In fact, nobody with the Caterham or Marussia teams has done it in their three Formula One seasons. And it’s very tough in a driver’s first year; in fact, Esteban Gutierrez (+250 to score points in this race in F1 betting) is the only rookie to do that this year, for the Sauber team. Considering that scoring points constitutes the substance of some Formula One props, this carries some significance for sports bettors.
There are some other interesting “sporting” propositions at Bet365. Raikkonen, for example, is priced at +200 to lead this race on ANY lap; Mercedes is +1000 to have the winning car; Toro Rosso, which is Red Bull’s “farm team” *(for the uninitiated, that means “red bull” in Italian) is favored to be the first team to have a driver retire from the race, along with Force India. Vettel is even money to have the fastest lap of the race, and he indeed holds the record for the fastest lap ever at Abu Dhabi, clocking at a minute 40.279 seconds in 2009. His teammate, Webber, is -250 to reach the podium (which happens with a top three finish).
Check out all the Formula One odds and props at Bet365!
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Indian Grand Prix Will Go Off as Planned – We’re Relatively Certain
When you look around at the landscape of Formula One racing, you’ll see that there is a lot of money involved. We’re not kidding; sponsors like Red Bull don’t pour millions into their cars; they pour HUNDREDS of millions. Racers make ten figures routinely; a couple of them have made up to $3 million a race.
But from a financial standpoint, it doesn’t always run so smoothly. And F1 bettors who follow the sport closely are well aware of that.
The Indian Grand Prix is in trouble, and the organizers can’t even do anything to disguise that fact. It is too public for it not to be a subject of discussion in F1 circles.
It’s become a foregone conclusion that the event will not be run next year. In fact, it has been dropped from the 2014 F1 calendar, with the best hope that it may be able to return in 2015. Ostensibly the reason was to switch the race from this time of year to the spring, with it being very unfeasible to have to stage the race again so soon.
But it was THIS year’s event that someone wants to put in jeopardy, although it will probably not play out that way. But that kind of uncertainty puts the Formula One teams in a rough position, because they are all in place. And it also spoils the fact that Sebastian Vettel, the world championship points leader by a wide margin, could conceivably clinch that title this week.
The promoters, Jaypee Sports International, have certainly not been in the best of financial shape, and they don’t seem to have many friends or supporters in the government, even though everyone would agree that the Grand Prix is among the country’s top international sporting events.
A local activist named Amit Kumar launched a “Public Interest Litigation” that contended Formula One was not sport, but “entertainment” and therefore should not be exempt from entertainment taxes. The promoters of the Indian Grand Prix did not pay their entertainment taxes in 2012. And that opens up a potential can of worms, because 25% of ticket revenues were supposed to be withheld so that the state government of Uttar Pradesh could be paid.
Of course, if we’re making casual conversation, we acknowledge that sports IS entertainment, but when we are talking about India and its laws, the distinction becomes extremely important. If it is a “sport,” then there are tax exemptions to be had; as entertainment there are none. There are also issues with visas and entries on the part of the members of the various Formula One teams that come to compete that rely on how the event is classified.
The amount of paperwork everybody involved has to fill out is extraordinary – all because it is “entertainment” and not sport. Chess is considered a sport in India, but not F1 racing.
A hearing was to be held on Friday in front of India’s Supreme Court, where the petition to cancel the Grand Prix was to be heard.
Vicky Chandhok, leader of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, was confident that the government would not step in and cancel the event. And it would indeed be extremely short notice for such a cancellation to be ruled upon.
Groups in India have large amounts of money invested in the sport (yes, we’re in that camp), not the least of which is the Sahara Force India team (+500 to have a car “retire” first in Bet365’s odds), which features Paul di Resta (+2000 to score a top six finish in this week’s race) as its main driver. He said it would be considered a “big letdown” for his team and its efforts if the Grand Prix were to be lost.
When the Indian Grand Prix launched in 2011, it gained much praise from the outside sporting world, because it was successful as a result of being a completely private enterprise. In fact, they drew 110,000 fans. Seven of the teams drew one-race sponsorship deals. Everyone seemed to be happy. Bernie Ecclestone, the guy who runs Formula One, has said about India, “you can’t let it get away.” They’re not necessarily looking to be subsidized by the government itself, although as a “sport,” such a thing would be possible.
For now, the organizers would just settle for having everyone get off their backs.
There’s only one place to be if you’re betting F1 racing, and that’s Bet365!
This year’s World Series betting odds are extremely tight with the Sox a small favorite
Allen Craig is back.
And that generally creates bad news for any opponent the St. Louis Cardinals face.
In this specific instance, that opponent is the Boston Red Sox. And the stakes are the highest they could possibly be. That is why it is a particularly joyous occasion that Craig has pronounced himself healthy enough to play after sitting out almost seven weeks with a sprained left foot.
With apologies to people like Freddie Freeman, Andrew McCutcheon, Paul Goldschmidt and even his own teammate, Yadier Molina, Allen Craig may be the most valuable player in the National League. When you hit .454 with runners in scoring position, like he has, you always have to be smack dab in the middle of that discussion.
The Cards will settle for him being smack dab in the middle of their lineup on Wednesday night, when they begin the World Series in Boston against left-hander Jon Lester. He will be the designated hitter, which of course is a rule in effect when the games are played in the American League park.
Here are the odds on winning the World Series, as they are posted at BetOnline:
Boston Red Sox -145
St. Louis Cardinals +125
When you look at reasons the Cardinals are in the World Series, you have to consider not just what Craig has been able to do with runners in scoring position, but the other run producers in the lineup as well.
Out of all the players, in fact, who have come to bat more than 100 times with runners in scoring position, take a look at where these various Cards stand and prepare to be astounded. There are FIVE members of the batting order who are among the top nine in the major leagues in that category, and six in the top 25:
Allen Craig .454 (1st)
Matt Holliday .390 (4th)
Matt Carpenter .388 (5th)
Carlos Beltran .374 (8th)
Yadier Molina .373 (9th)
Pete Kozma .322 (25th)
As a team, St. Louis hit .330 with runners in scoring position. .
Maybe this gives you some perspective, but Albert Pujols’ lifetime average with runners in scoring position is .334, and his RISP averages were .329, .339 and .361 in his three MVP seasons. These guys have done a little better than that.
Also, in 85 at bats, Pete Adams, the youngster out of Slippery Rock who had 17 homers in 296 at bats in his first full big league season, had a .329 average with five homers with men in scoring position. Depending on what they do with Craig, he may be coming off the bench in the home games, as will David Descalzo, whose RISP average was .361 with 36 RBI in 72 at bats.
Ah yes, what will they do with Craig when the World Series leaves Boston? That’s a question baseball bettors at BetOnline will want to know the answer to. And that answer does not really have to be revealed by Mike Matheny until Saturday, when Game 3 happens.
At that point the Cardinals can’t have a DH, but they could conceivably put Craig at first base if they wanted to. Would his foot hold up on defense? There would seem to be no reason why it couldn’t, and if he is in the field that would put Adams on the bench. But if they wanted to hold Craig back, could you imagine a better “wild card” they could insert into the game as a pinch hitter in a critical situation – preferably one where the red Sox couldn’t afford to pitch around him – than a player who hit .454 with runners in scoring position?
No, you can’t. There’s no way you possibly could.
That might be one reason the Cards are a very live underdog in this series. They have the players like Craig who, in situational baseball, could make the difference between winning and losing. Just picture him coming up in the ninth inning, with the bases loaded, against someone like Koji Uehara, who has given up two earned runs in his last 58 innings.
That’s the kind of stuff World Series dreams are made of.
Open an account, bet the World Series and get all kinds of wagering options at www.betonline.ag
Vettel Ready to Be Crowned F1 Champ in India
As far as the battle for the right to be called the world champion driver is concerned, it is all over but the shouting. But we didn’t need to see Sebastian Vettel win five straight races to know that.
The only doubt about this season’s winner was exactly when the Red Bull star might wrap up his fourth straight championship. He hasn’t eliminated Fernando Alonso quite yet, but that should happen on October 27 at the Buddh International Circuit in the Indian Grand Prix. Regardless of what Alonso does, if Vettel finishes fifth or better, he will end the whole thing officially.
Last Sunday Vettel won the Japanese Grand Prix, but was only going to be able to clinch the title if Alonso finished ninth or lower. But Alonso (of the Ferrari team) finished fourth, so the champagne will have to wait a bit before being popped.
Talk about an anti-climax.
Vettel is now 90 points ahead of Alonso, after completing this run of five straight, which is the first time that has been done on the Formula One circuit since Michael Schumacher did it 2004.
These are the posted odds to win the Indian Grand Prix, as they appear at www.Bet365.com:
Sebastian Vettel -200
Mark Webber +650
Lewis Hamilton +900
Fernando Alonso +1200
Kimi Raikonnen +1200
Romain Grosjean +1200
Nico Rosberg +2200
Felipe Massa +10000
Jenson Button +25000
Nico Hulkenberg +25000
Sergio Perez +50000
Daniel Ricciardo +50000
Adrian Sutil +100000
Esteban Gutierrez +100000
Jean-Eric Vergne +100000
Paul DiResta +100000
Pastor Maldonado +200000
Valterri Bottas +20000
Charles Pic +50000
Giedo van der Garde +50000
Jules Bianchi +50000
Max Chilton +50000
As you can see, Vettel is a prohibitive favorite in the F1 betting odds, and Webber, though far behind, is the next man behind him nonetheless. The Red Bull duo finished 1-2 in Japan, and that was enough to sew up the constructors’ title for the fourth straight season for the very well-heeled team.
Romain Grosjean of Lotus, who has not won yet as an F1 driver, was actually the leader for a full 28 laps, having come to the front from a second-row start, but lost the lead to Vettel and then was overtaken by Webber with a lap to go. He is currently +1200 to win in India at Bet365. Grosjean is noted for his talent, but he has had to work hard to escape a reputation for being somewhat reckless at the start of races. In fact, Webber once labeled him a “first-lap nutcase” for a collision he had with the Frenchman at last year’s Japanese GP.
Vettel, who was the youngest driver ever to win a Formula One race and the youngest world champ, is just 26 years old but is about to win his fourth consecutive F1 title, which will put him in some very exclusive company. He will join Juan Manuel Fangio (1954-57) with that four-year string. Schumacher won five straight F1 world championships from 2000-2004. There is also a very short list of drivers who have won four titles overall. Schumacher won seven; Fangio captured five, and Alain Prost was a four-time world champion.
There has always been certain amount of tension for Webber surrounding Vettel’s status as “favored son” of the Red Bull team. Last Sunday he was asked to make three pit stops, as opposed to just two for Vettel, despite the fact that, as he described it, “there was life in that set of tires, and that I might just have been able to hold on to the end.” By this time he has almost become numb to Red Bull’s patronization of Vettel, so he takes those kinds of things in stride.
And it hardly matters all that much for the driver who is in fifth place in points. Webber is leaving the Formula One ranks after the last race of the season, as he is headed to Porsche and its sports car program. The heavy rumor is that Lotus’ Kimi Raikonnen will get his spot with Red Bull Racing, and the right to play second fiddle to Vettel.
For his part, Alonso, the second-place driver, feels that his Ferrari team was too slow in adapting its cars to the new adjustments Pirelli made to the tires after the blowouts that happened at the British Grand Prix.
“I think the problem was our development,” he told a reporter. “We didn’t adapt to the tire, or didn’t have the steps that we planned.”
This year it is feared that the Indian Grand Prix is bidding its final farewell. There will be no such event in the 2014 F1 schedule, and though there is hope that it can return in 2015, that will all depend on economic conditions. Reportedly the organizers of the event are looking to the government for bailout money in order to keep the event going, but they haven’t gotten too far with that.
From India, the Formula One circuit moves to Abu Dhabi (November 3), the United States (at Austin on November 17) and Brazil (November 24), though with Vettel likely to retain his title this weekend, there won’t be a huge amount to play for.
It’s Velasquez vs. Dos Santos in the One That “Settles It All”
At UFC 166, the main event brings one of those fight fans have been awaiting for quite some time.
Cain Velasquez, the two-time champion, makes a defense of his UFC heavyweight title in the main event as he takes on Junior Dos Santos. It’s a rubber match, with each of the competitors winning once apiece. It takes place at the Toyota Center in Houston on Saturday night (October 19).
Here are the UFC betting odds from www.bovada.lv:
Cain Velasquez -205
Junior Dos Santos +165
Under 3.5 Rounds -140
Over 3.5 Rounds +110
Velasquez (12-1), an All-American wrestler at Arizona State, ripped his way through the first eight bouts of his mixed martial arts career, which included a one-round KO over Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in a title eliminator, before taking on Brock Lesnar at UFC 121 in Anaheim. Velasquez had taken care of five of his opponents within a round up to that time, and he did the same with Lesnar, winning a TKO on punches to capture the UFC title
In that fight he sustained an injury to his rotator cuff, and was out of action for over a year. When he returned, Dos Santos (16-2) toppled him in 64 seconds to win the championship. It came to light that both fighters had been injured before the bout; Dos Santos had a torn meniscus, while Velasquez had re-injured the rotator cuff in training. .
Velasquez worked his way into a rematch wit a win over Antonio Silva, then got his rematch with Dos Santos at UFC 155 (December of last year). And he was dominant, winning all five rounds and taking Dos Santos down eleven times. This time, there were no injury excuses for either man. Velasquez has since fought a rematch with Silva, winning that one rather easily.
Dos Santos (the +165 underdog) had his first seven pro fights in Brazil, then debuted in the UFC with a surprise win (that was also surprisingly easy) over Fabricio Werdum. He earned his first title shot by running through a series of fights against Gabriel Gonzaga, Roy Nelson and Shane Carwin, then blasted out Velasquez in one round. He defended successfully against Frank Mir, but the loss in the rematch to Velasquez was really a downer, as his face was battered to a pulp.
He blew out Mark Hunt (a substitute for Alistair Overeem) with a spinning wheel kick in his last bout back in May, which established him as the #1 contender.
In order to perhaps give himself a little more confidence in advance of this rubber match, Dos Santos has convinced himself that, in his own words, “I didn’t lose because he’s a better fighter than me” and “As I watched the fight again, I was saying ‘That’s not me in there’.”
He said that he had actually peaked fifteen days before that fight. Indeed, he says that he had developed something called rhabdomyolysis, which is a breakdown of the muscle fiber due to extreme physical exertion. And his urine was brown for some time after that. As he asserts that he has taken steps to get that situation under control, UFC bettors wonder if that will be a real difference-maker.
For those who accept it as a legitimate excuse for the one-sided nature of the last fight, it does indeed add to the intrigue.
Interestingly, these two are 1-1 against each other, but they are 18-0 against everyone else in the UFC, with fifteen early endings.
Okay, maybe it isn’t Ali vs. Frazier, but it’s about as close as they are going to get at the heavyweight level. And perhaps it is the kind of rivalry that could extend itself for a few years, although Velasquez figures “I think this is the one that settles it all.”
Kenny Florian, the UFC fighter who writes a column for Fox Sports, offered this, among other things, in analyzing this third bout between the two:
“JDS (Dos Santos) is a master knockout artist but must attack the body of Velasquez, especially in the early rounds. Throwing shots at the head allows a takedown expert like Velasquez to change levels and attack the legs.”
When you think about the kind of shape Velasquez always comes in, as well as the furious pace he set in that second fight, even with an injury, one would imagine that unless he does something very decisive to get Velasquez’s attention early, this can become another fight in which he gets overwhelmed.
In another heavyweight bout of note on the card, Daniel Cormier (12-0) puts his undefeated record on the line against rough-and-tumble Roy Nelson (19-8). Here are the odds for that one:
Daniel Cormier -550
Roy Nelson +400
Over 1.5 Rounds -275
Under 1.5 Rounds +215
This one comes with a little comedy. Cormier is concerned with the length of Nelson’s beard, and complains that he looks like an extra form the reality show “Duck Dynasty.”
Nelson, a protege of Renzo Gracie, is a former champion in the short-lived IFL who’s won a few and lost a few in his four-year tenure in the UFC. He’s gone the distance with Dos Santos, Mir and Werdum, and his best win was probably a one-round KO of Chieck Kongo at UFC 159. he lost to Stipe Miocic last time out at UFC 161 in Canada.
Cormier, a wrestling star at Oklahoma State, came fourth in the 2004 Olympics and was the captain of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team but had kidney failure and could not take part. he comes from Strikeforce, where he was the Grand Prix heavyweight champion, scoring wins over Jeff Monson, Antonio Silva and Josh Barnett. In his UFC debut, back in April, he won a decision over Mir.
To bet on any of the fights at UFC 166 check our our list of the best UFC betting sites.
PGA Tour players are in the desert this week. They will travel to TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas to compete in the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, which begins Thursday and runs through Sunday. This is one of those tournaments that is being held as one of the FIRST events of the season, instead of one of the last, because of the new scheduling on the PGA Tour. And there are FedEx Cup points available in this tournament for the very first time. Therefore, it is going to be a place for a lot of players to get a jump on others as they seek placement as the season progresses.
Well, certainly Hideki Matsuyama can be one of them. The Japanese youngster finished tied for third in the Frys.com Open last week. This followed his debut in the Presidents Cup, where he didn’t necessarily do well but got his feet wet. Let’s not forget; he is only 21 years old. Last week he was the best driver in the field, and that will help him immeasurably on this course. He is one of the listed favorites at +2500 in golf betting odds.
Here is the list of players who are priced at +4000 or lower, along with some very familiar names who are further down the list, as they are posted at Bovada:
Zach Johnson +1200
Nick Watney +1600
Webb Simpson +1600
Graham Delaet +2200
Brendon De Jonge +2500
Hideki Matsuyama +2500
Ryan Moore +2500
Jimmy Walker +2800
Kevin Na +2800
Martin Laird +3300
Robert Garrigus +3300
Scott Piercy +3300
Charley Hoffman +4000
Vijay Singh +5000
John Peterson +5000
Angel Cabrera +8000
David Toms +10000
Geoff Ogilvy +10000
Trevor Immelman +10000
Davis Love III +20000
Lucas Glover +20000
Zach Johnson, the former Masters champion, is one of those players who is attracted to the event because of the points that are available. Johnson has been playing some very good golf; of course if you followed the FedEx Cup, you know that he won at Conway Farms, but he has also had some extended success, with seven top ten finishes in his last eight starts. He has not played in Las Vegas since 2008, but he is the +1200 favorite for this week.
Webb Simpson (+1600) is on board this year for the first time since 2010. The former U.S. Open champion showed great form late, finishing tied for fourth place at the TOUR Championship, then went on to win two matches in the Presidents Cup.
Brendon De Jonge (+2500) is yet another player who is coming off playing in the Presidents Cup. But unlike Matsuyama, he took a week-long break after that. He has every reason to expect that he will be a candidate for heavy FedEx Cup points here, since he was all alone in second place last year at TPC Summerlin.
You have to figure Ryan Moore has this course dialed in to a certain extent. He would have to, since he is the defending champion (having beaten out the aforementioned De Jonge) and set a tournament record last year by firing a 260 over four rounds, at 24 under par. This included an opening round of 61, which had the field chasing him from the start. He lives nearby, so it is one place where he will be greatly disappointed if he doesn’t do well.
Another player who lives locally and likes the course is Scott Piercy, who has hit the top ten the last two years in this event. Can he improve upon his tie for sixth place last year? This is a good chance for him to establish himself; he had great outings at the PGA Championship, where he finished tried for fifth, and the Phoenix Open, where he was third all by himself. At +3300 in PGA Tour betting, maybe he brings some value.
And if you’re talking about Las Vegas residents, Nick Watney deserves very strong consideration. Watney came on strong during the FedEx Cup playoffs, tying for ninth at The Barclays, finishing as the runner-up at the BMW Championship and tying for 14th in the TOUR Championship. And he really likes the TPC Summerlin, going T6, second and T10 the last three times he has played the tournament. He is rightfully one of Bovada’s favorites at +1600.
John Peterson (+5000), who was the leader on the Web.com Tour, may have been a bit of disappointment last week as a T21 in a relatively thin Frys.com Open field, but he’s got a chance to recover here. Kevin Na (+2800) has won just once on the PGA Tour, and it was right here at Summerlin, two years ago. He has had to endure some injury problems, and a lot of people are familiar with the bulging discs he tired to play through but couldn’t. After treatment he came back and soared to a third-place tie at the Frys.com Open, rebounding from an opening round of 75 to post back-to-back 64’s on Saturday and Sunday.
And then there is the player who won last week. Jimmy Walker was “Dy-no-mite!” at the Frys.com Open, working his way out of a lot of jams and finishing with 62-66 to take home first prize and $900,000. Because that tournament was also awarding FedEx Cup points for the first time, he is off to an early lead in the standings. And last year he posted his first top ten finish in four tries at TPC Summerlin. Maybe form will hold up? He’s +2800 at Bovada.
Players can score here; in fact, this was determined, by way of scoring average, to be the second easiest Par-71 course to solve during the 2012 PGA season.
One of the things that most of the players usually don’t have to worry about is that adverse conditions will affect play. We’re not talking about the heat; everybody expects that in Las Vegas. But there won’t be wind or rain to worry about, according to the weather forecasts.
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