Muddy track no problem for Rachel and Bird

Horseracing Betting Lines

06/28/2010 - Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A muddy racetrack at Churchill Downs proved no deterrent Monday morning for two of the best known thoroughbreds in training. Defending Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra and 2009 Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird worked out over an off track at the historic facility.

Rachel Alexandra, with Shaun Bridgmohan in the saddle, had her final workout before being sent to Saratoga by trainer Steve Asmussen. The four-year-old filly covered five-furlongs in 1:03 over sloppy footing. She galloped out six furlongs in 1:17.

"She handles it really well," Asmussen said. "She went good. We've got travel plans this week and want everything to go smoothly."

Asmussen will be sending the champion and others to historic Saratoga on Wednesday. The hot weather in Louisville convinced Asmussen to ship to upstate New York a week early.

"It's time," said Asmussen. "I'll be very happy when she's settled in there and we can get into our routine up there."

Owned by Stonestreet Stables and Harold McCormick, Rachel Alexandra got her win of the year on June 12 with a 10 1/2-length victory in the Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs. After two second-place finishes to begin 2010 the filly looked like her old self in the 1 1/8-mile stakes.

Later Monday morning, Mine That Bird put in a workout over a muddy Churchill track. The gelding went five-furlongs in a very fast 59 4/5 seconds. This was his final workout before making his 2010 debut.

Calvin Borel, the four-year-old's regular jockey, had Mine That Bird gallop out six-furlongs in 1:14 3/5 with trainer D. Wayne Lukas watching.

"I told Calvin we needed to let him do it with no prompting today, just let him do it on his own," Lukas said. "I told him I'd like to see him finish up and if he'd get it in a minute to 1:01, that would be about right. Once I turned him loose and I rode over by the rail to see how deep it was, I thought 'If he does that, he's going to be really going good'. And then he goes 59- and-four.

"I couldn't be happier. Every step has been right down the line. I like the way that he's changing, mentally and physically. That's the big thing. We know he can run if everything's right. Physically, he's so much stronger, he might be 150 pounds heavier than he was last year. And mentally, he's really getting good."

Overnight rains caused the Churchill track to come sloppy as training began Monday morning. As the day progressed the track condition improved to muddy.

"He's just blossomed out," said Borel. "How good is he? I don't know, but we're going to find out. I think he's a good horse. I don't care what anybody says, he wasn't a fluke."

Mine That Bird, owned by Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard Blach, has not raced since finishing ninth to Zenyatta in the 2009 Breeders' Cup Classic. He could start in one of two races this weekend at Churchill: a 1 1/16-mile allowance race on Saturday or Sunday's $175,000 Firecracker Handicap at a mile on the turf, closing day of Churchill's 42-day Spring Meet.

"We'd like to start him here,' Lukas said. "I used that Firecracker as a back- up. I know he's never been on the turf. I really don't want to ship him. I have the Salvatore Mile (July 3) at Monmouth, but I'd like to just leave him in his own stall and try him. If he gets beat, this first one is a means to an end.

"We'll wait and see how the next two days look. I have no reason to believe he won't bounce back from this work. He does every one of them so easy. He has amazing efficiency of motion. I've had some pretty good horses that I thought could get over the ground. I don't know if any of them got over it lighter than he does."

Last week Lukas indicated that the Whitney Handicap on August 7 at Saratoga is the immediate goal for Mine That Bird.

Wwwy28mark6 Horseracing Betting News

<< Report: Cheechoo, four others placed on waivers
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Ottawa's Jonathan Cheechoo is one of several players reportedly placed on waivers Monday. According to TSN.ca, the former Rocket Richard Trophy winner as the league's leading goal-scorer is expected to

<< Report: Nowitzki likely heading for free agency
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki will apparently opt out of the final year of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent, according to a report in the Dallas Morning News. The pap

<< Roddick stunned; Federer, Murray reach Wimbledon quarters
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Six-time champion Roger Federer and Australian Open runner-up Andy Murray were easy fourth-round winners Monday, while three-time runner-up Andy Roddick was stunned by Taipei's Yen-Hsun Lu at Wimbledon.

<< This Week in Golf - July 1st through July 4th
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - PGA TOUR - AT&T NATIONAL - Aronimink Golf Club, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania - Tiger Woods takes his tournament to the Philadelphia area this week. Aronimink Golf Club will begin its two-year stint

<< Watson soars 31 places in world rankings
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bubba Watson earned his first PGA Tour win on Sunday at the Travelers Championship and climbed 31 places to No. 45 in the world rankings. Ahead of Watson there was little movement among the top 20. Tige

Roddick stunned; Federer, Nadal, Murray reach Wimbledon quarters >>
Wimbledon, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Six-time champion Roger Federer, former champ Rafael Nadal and Australian Open runner-up Andy Murray were easy fourth-round winners Monday, while three-time runner-up Andy Roddick was stunned

Rockies/Phillies reschedule rainout >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Colorado Rockies announced a makeup date for their May 12 rainout against the Phillies to be played on September 2 at Coors Field. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m. (et). The game was originally sche

Brazil crushes Chile to reach quarterfinals >>
Johannesburg, South Africa (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Juan and Luis Fabiano scored in a four-minute stretch late in the first half, and Brazil cruised to a 3-0 win over Chile on Monday to reach the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup. Juan opened

Jackson's no-hitter lands him top NL honors >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arizona Diamondbacks right-hander Edwin Jackson has been named the National League Player of the Week for the period ending June 27. Jackson hurled the fourth no-hitter of the 2010 season on

Steelers' OL Colon injured >>
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle Willie Colon has suffered an Achilles injury, according to a statement released by the team on Monday. The injury occurred during a workout and is

Online Sportsbook Football Betting

LaDainian Tomlinson Favorite to be 2007 NFL MVP

With the first NFL preseason game less than two weeks away, it is time to start thinking about football once again at MySportsbook.com. Reigning NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson is currently the 5-1 co-favorite to win the award again alongside Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning.

This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone after his all out assault on the record books last season. For those suffering from amnesia or were under a rock last football season, all L.T. did last season was set the NFL record for rushing touchdowns (28), total touchdowns (31) and total points scored (186) to go along with his 1815 rushing yards and 508 receiving yards. At 6-1, Tom Brady is next in line which isn’t surprising considering all of the firepower the Pats added over the off-season. With the addition of Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth and Wes Welker; it would be quite difficult for Brady’s numbers not to improve from last years 3529 yards and 24 touchdowns. There appears to be some decent value in Drew Bees at 10-1 considering he probably would have won the award last year if it wasn’t for L.T.’s record breaking season.

There is no reason to think the Saints will come back to earth this season and playing in a weak NFC, they should have as good a shot as any to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. At 15-1, Donovan McNabb could also be worth a look. Remember, many felt he was the MVP of the first half of the season before going down with a season ending injury. Reportedly, he is in great shape and well ahead of schedule to return to form. Also, he could have some added motivation to put up big numbers this season with the Eagles using their first pick in the draft on McNabb’s future successor Kevin Kolb.

Be sure to log on to MySportsbook.com to check out the complete odds for NFL MVP as well as all of the new football related futures. With the popularity of NFL futures, these betting lines will be sure to change as the money comes in; get the early sports lines now.

MySportsbook is considered one of the finest football sportsbooks according to several surveys performed by independent industry analysts considering such factors as payout accuracy and timeliness, overall quality of website, and bettor satisfaction.

MySportsbook is a large company with strong financial backing. Considered the best sportsbook for betting football online You will find their customer service is second to none and their web site is extremely user friendly and easy-to-use. All major professional sports games are available. Once you signup with MySportsbook, you may never use another online sportsbook again.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your football gambling needs. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.