Quality Road heads Whitney Invitational

Horseracing Betting Lines

08/04/2010 - Saratoga Springs, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Quality Road, trained by Todd Pletcher, tops a field of six for Saturday's $750,000 Whitney Invitational at Saratoga Race Course. The winner of the 1 1/8-mile Whitney gains automatic entry into this year's Breeders' Cup Classic.

Owned by Edward Evans, Quality Road will be ridden by John Velazquez from post three. The winner of last year's Florida Derby has been made a heavy 2-5 program favorite for the Whitney.

"I think we have a fit and happy horse, which is the goal," Pletcher declared.

Perfect in three starts this year, Quality Road has a career bankroll of more than $1.6 million with seven wins in 10 lifetime starts. The colt is coming off a win in the Met Mile on Memorial Day at Belmont Park.

In February he won the Donn Handicap by more than a dozen lengths at Gulfstream Park. Quality Road began his 2010 season in January by taking the Hal's Hope Stakes at the south Florida track.

Last year at Saratoga, Quality Road won the Amsterdam Stakes and was third to Summer Bird in the Travers.

Quality Road has been second most of the year in the National Thoroughbred Poll behind undefeated mare Zenyatta.

"I think Quality Road certainly belongs in any conversation about the best horse in training," Pletcher noted. "I think if you look at his Donn Handicap, for example, that was just an unbelievable race, and then to come back with a similar performance in the Met Mile - we believe he is the best horse in training."

Stephen Foster champ Blame will make his second career start at Saratoga in the Whitney. The four-year-old won last year's Curlin Stakes for three-year- olds.

Trained by Al Stall, Jr., Blame will be ridden again by Garrett Gomez from post two and is the 4-1 second choice.

"I believe he will improve off his Stephen Foster victory; hopefully, the trip will work out tactically," said Stall. "At least with a smaller field, he won't be hung out in the 11 hole.

"He can handle anything. Nothing bothers that horse. We're ready for the task. This is his third race this year. We're excited to be here and run in the Whitney. We are ready to take on all comers. I'm looking forward to it."

Blame has earned better than $1 million for owner Adele Dilschneider. In 10 career starts the colt has seven wins, including his last four in a row. This year he also won the William Donald Schaefer Stakes at Pimlico.

Also in the field are 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird, Suburban Handicap champ Haynesfield and Met Mile runner-up Musket Mam.

Here is the complete field for the Whitney in post position order: Mine That Bird, Calvin Borel, 12-1; Blame, Garrett Gomez, 4-1; Quality Road, John Velazquez, 2-5; Haynesfield, Ramon Dominguez, 12-1; Jardim, Julien Leparoux, 30-1; and Musket Man, Rajiv Maragh, 6-1.

Post-time for the 83rd Whitney is set for 5:50 p.m. (et).

Wmarketwatch Horseracing Betting News

<< Big Ben strikes again in Detroit
Auburn Hills, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Detroit Pistons re-signed veteran center Ben Wallace on Wednesday. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed, but the Detroit Free Press reported it is a two-year contract worth jus

<< Lucky Chucky versus nine in $1.5 million Hambletonian
East Rutherford, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Champion colt Lucky Chucky will start from post two in Saturday's 85th running of the $1.5 million Hambletonian at The Meadowlands. The one-mile trot is harness racing's premier event. The Hambleto

<< Seattle's Montero named MLS Player of the Month
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fredy Montero was voted Major League Soccer's Player of the Month for July, it was announced on Wednesday. Montero has been on fire recently, registering a goal or an assist in eight straight league matche

<< Alex Rodriguez hits home run No. 600
NEW YORK (AP) -Alex Rodriguez became the youngest player to hit 600 home runs Wednesday, reaching the milestone after a 12-game drought - and exactly three years to the day after his 500th homer - with a drive off Toronto's Shaun Marcum in the first

<< Syracuse in field for 2010 Legends Classic
PRINCETON, N.J. (AP) -Syracuse, which was ranked No. 1 for one week last season, and fellow NCAA tournament teams Georgia Tech and UTEP will be host schools in the 2010 Legends Classic.Michigan will be the other team in the field guaranteed a berth

Blues sign Dave Scatchard >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The St. Louis Blues have signed forward Dave Scatchard. Terms of the two-way contract were not released. Scatchard spent last season with Nashville and its minor league affiliate in Milwaukee. He regis

Chargers' third-round pick Butler to miss season >>
San Diego, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Diego Chargers announced linebacker Donald Butler, a third-round selection in the 2010 draft, will miss the upcoming season due to an Achilles injury suffered on Tuesday. Butler starred at W

McGee takes Brook Lopez's spot at Team USA camp >>
Colorado Springs, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brook Lopez, center for the New Jersey Nets, withdrew from consideration for the 2010 USA Basketball World Championship team due to a battle with mononucleosis. JaVale McGee, center for the

Bills release Schobel >>
Pittsford, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Buffalo Bills have released veteran linebacker Aaron Schobel. The moves comes after the Bills announced Monday that Schobel was not in their plans for the 2010 season, though did not outright

Bradley announces roster for Brazil friendly >>
Chicago, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - U.S. men's national team soccer coach Bob Bradley officially named his 18-player roster for a Aug. 10 friendly against Brazil at the New Meadowlands Stadium. Fourteen players on the roster were part of

Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.