Martens lifts AZ to top of Eredivisie

Soccer Betting Lines

02/11/2012 - Alkmaar, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A second-half brace from Maarten Martens handed AZ Alkmaar a 2-0 win over Excelsior on Saturday, lifting AZ into the top spot in the Eredivisie table.

A 6-0 win in midweek moved AZ level with PSV Eindhoven at the summit, and now Alkmaar moves three points clear with PSV set to host De Graafschap on Sunday.

Martens had to wait until the 58th minute to open the scoring, but he quickly added a second goal two minutes later to give AZ a lead it would never come close to giving up.

Ajax grabbed three needed points on Saturday by handing NAC a 2-0 home defeat as Dmitry Bulykin and Nicolas Lodeiro scored second-half goals for the Amsterdam side, which moved into the top four with the win.

A goal early in the second half from Sanharib Malki was all that was needed in Roda's 1-0 win over NEC, while Venlo moved to within five points of safety after taking down Groningen, 2-0, with Yanic Wildschut and Nwofor Uche both scoring inside of 30 minutes.

Wwwinternetcasinolist Soccer Betting News

<< Malkin's five-point game helps Penguins down Jets
Pittsburgh, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Evgeni Malkin had a goal and four assists, as the Penguins downed the Jets, 8-5, on Saturday. Kris Letang added two goals and an assist and Jordan Staal scored in his first game back from a knee in

<< Varejao out indefinitely with wrist fracture
Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao is out indefinitely after an MRI on Saturday showed a non-displaced fracture of the right wrist. A timeline for his return to action will be established next we

<< Islanders down Kings in OT
Uniondale, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Streit netted the game-winning goal 96 seconds into overtime as the New York Islanders downed the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1. Michael Grabner scored the lone goal in regulation for the Islanders, who

<< Seguin, Bruins take down Predators in SO
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyler Seguin and Patrice Bergeron scored in the shootout and the Boston Bruins beat the Nashville Predators, 4-3, on Saturday afternoon. Bergeron, Daniel Paille and Milan Lucic had goals in regulation as the

<< Montpellier joins PSG at the top of Ligue 1
Montpellier, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montpellier scored three second-half goals in the span of 14 minutes en route to a 3-0 win over Ajaccio at the Stade de la Mosson on Saturday. The victory moves Montpellier level on points wit

Milan rallies to down Udinese >>
Udine, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan scored twice in the final 15 minutes to claim a 2-1 comeback win at Udinese on Saturday, moving the Rossoneri two points clear of Juventus at the top of Serie A. Antonio Di Natale fired Udinese i

Hall lifts Oilers over Senators in OT >>
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Taylor Hall scored 17 seconds into overtime to lift the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. Magnus Paajarvi, Ben Eager and Shawn Horcoff also scored for the Oilers and Horcoff

Senior joins Pavin in the lead in Boca Raton >>
Boca Raton, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Peter Senior birdied the final hole Saturday to join Corey Pavin atop the leaderboard after two rounds of the Allianz Championship. Senior carded a four-under 68 in round two, while Pavin managed a two-under

Wojta powers Green Bay past Wright State >>
Green Bay, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Julie Wojta may only be six feet tall, but she stood head and shoulders above Wright State on Saturday. The undersized forward scored 30 points, pulled down 20 rebounds, blocked four shots and added eight

Marquette handles Cincinnati >>
Milwaukee, WI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder each scored 23 points, as the 18th-ranked Marquette Golden Eagles dominated the Cincinnati Bearcats, 95-78. Jamil Wilson and Vander Blue added 15 and 14 points

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.