Pair of Breeders' Cup races elevated

Horseracing Betting Lines

11/25/2008 - Lexington, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two of the three Breeders' Cup races introduced in 2007 have been granted Grade I status for 2009 by the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association. A third Breeders' Cup event has been designated as a Grade II stakes.

The committee met on Monday, November 24 in Lexington and decided that the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, along with the Dirt Mile, are worthy of the top designation of Grade I. Gaining Grade II for the coming year is the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. All three races were run for the first time last year when Monmouth Park hosted the World Thoroughbred Championships.

"We are pleased that the Graded Stakes Committee recognized the world-class quality of the competition in our new races," said Pamela Blatz-Murff, Senior Vice President, Breeders' Cup Racing, "and we believe its decision, along with the enthusiastic reaction of the top owners and trainers in the world, is another validation of our expansion from eight to 14 championship races."

Also elevated to Grade I are the Jamaica Handicap at Belmont Park, Pat P. Brien and Clement L. Hirsch Handicaps at Del Mar and Keeneland's Vinery Madison Stakes.

The committee lowered the status of Belmont Park's Suburban Handicap from Grade I to II.

Along with the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf, six other stakes were upgraded to Grade II, most notably the West Virginia Derby held at Mountaineer Park.

Among the 10 stakes moved up to Grade III are the Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs and the Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs.

"I am very pleased by the Graded Stakes Committee's decision," said Peter Berube, Vice President and General Manager of Tampa Bay Downs, "as the Sam F. Davis has become an integral part of the Tampa Bay Downs stakes program."

The Committee reviewed 746 unrestricted U.S. stakes races with a purse of at least $75,000, and assigned graded status to 488 of them, seven more than were graded in 2008.

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Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch

Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.

Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.

"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."

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








Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

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