Jockey Club Gold Cup win sends Curlin to Breeders' Cup

Horseracing Betting Lines

09/30/2007 - Elmont, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Preakness Stakes winner Curlin overtook Lawyer Ron in deep stretch to win Sunday's $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park. The victory for the three-year-old gives him automatic entry into the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic at Monmouth Park on Saturday, October 27.

Curlin, ridden by Robby Albarado, was taking on older horses for the first time. Lawyer Ron had already made his way into the Breeders' Cup Classic with his Whitney Handicap victory this summer at Saratoga.

The pace in the 1 1/4 mile Gold Cup was set by long-shot Brother Bobby with Lawyer Ron running second followed by Political Force and Curlin in the seven horse field.

Brother Bobby, with Stewart Elliott riding, led the field up the backstretch and into the far turn. Around the turn for home Lawyer Ron and jockey John Velazquez assumed the lead with Curlin gaining on the outside.

At the top of the stretch Lawyer Ron had a short lead over Curlin as the two put away any challengers. With less than a 100 yards to run Curlin passed Lawyer Ron to record his first win since the Preakness.

Curlin, trained by Steve Asmussen, posted a neck victory over Lawyer Ron followed by Political Force, Sun King, Brother Bobby, Indy Wind and Malibu Moonshine.

The time for the Jockey Club Gold Cup was 2:01.20 on a fast track.

Curlin recorded his second richest win on Sunday. The victory was worth $450,000, second to the $600,000 Preakness win. The colt has won five of eight starts, all this year, for $2.4 million.

"Once you're around a horse like this you gotta be careful not to compare everyone to him because you'll definitely be disappointed most of the time," said assistant trainer Scott Blasi. "He's a special horse. He accomplished a lot a very short period of time over the spring."

Curlin was coming off a disappointing third the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park. Before that he was second as the favorite to Rags to Riches the Belmont Stakes.

"His Haskell was disappointing," Blasi said. "I don't think there's something you can really put your finger on, but the Belmont Stakes was a tough race on him."

Jockey Robby Albarado recorded his second Gold Cup win. He was aboard Mineshaft to capture the 2003 edition.

Curlin paid $6.20, $3.10 and $2.40. Lawyer Ron returned $2.40 and $2.10, and Political Force paid $2.70 to show.

Wsbgglobal Horseracing Betting News

<< Dynamo dominate Hoops in Western clash
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Houston Dynamo ran their unbeaten streak to six games Sunday in Frisco with a dominating 3-0 win over Texas rivals FC Dallas. Dwayne De Rosario, Eddie Robinson and Stuart Holden all scored to lead Hous

<< Colts' Harrison leaves game
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison left Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos with a bruised left knee. Harrison suffered the injury in the first quarter when blocking on a runnin

<< Great Britain & Ireland wins fourth Seve Trophy
Killenard, Ireland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Nick Faldo couldn't have hoped for a better end to his first captaincy at the Seve Trophy. Faldo's Great Britain & Ireland team won seven of the 10 singles matches on Sunday and halved two more t

<< White, Twins top BoSox
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rondell White's first-inning RBI single proved to be the game-winning hit, as Minnesota edged Boston, 3-2, in the series and season finale for both teams at Fenway Park. Torii Hunter and Garrett Jones knoc

<< Astros blank Braves in Biggio's final game
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Carlos Lee drove in two runs and Felipe Paulino pitched six solid innings as the Houston Astros defeated the Atlanta Braves, 3-0, in the season finale for both teams and Craig Biggio's last career

Padres lose, Rockies win, forcing wild card tiebreaker >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Garrett Atkins broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the eighth inning with a go-ahead RBI single, and Brad Hawpe followed with an ultimately necessary two-run double as the Colorado Rockies forced a one- game p

Hernandez, Mariners close out with win over Rangers >>
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jamie Burke and Jose Lopez each hit solo home runs to lead the Seattle Mariners past the Texas Rangers, 4-2, in the final game of the season for both clubs. Felix Hernandez (14-7) pitched 8 2/3 strong inn

Niners' QB Smith leaves game versus Seattle >>
San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith left Sunday's game versus the Seattle Seahawks with a right shoulder injury and won't return to the contest. Smith, who was replaced by veteran signal

Campbell shoots 69 to win Viking Classic >>
Madison, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chad Campbell closed with a three-under 69 Sunday to win the Viking Classic by one stroke. Campbell completed his fourth tour title at 12-under-par 276 despite a three- putt bogey at the par-five closing

Rockies down D-Backs to force one-game playoff for wild card >>
Denver, CO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Garrett Atkins broke a tie in the bottom of the eighth inning with a go-ahead RBI single, and Brad Hawpe followed with an ultimately necessary two-run double as the Colorado Rockies forced a one- game p

FOOTBALL BETTING : Crabtree's base deal: six years, $32 million

Football Betting

In the wake of the news that the 49ers have signed receiver Michael Crabtree after an extended holdout, there has been not a hint of the dollars to be paid to Crabtree.

And since this means that his agent hasn't leaked the numbers, it means that his agent feels no specific motivation to do so.

Possibly because his agent isn't all that thrilled to have his name on the deal.

So the numbers will come from sources other than Crabtree's agent. And we've gotten our mitts into them.

Per a league source, Crabtree has signed a six-year, $32 million contract. (The total includes guaranteed money, base salaries, and the one-time incentive based on achieving minimum playing time.)

The deal also includes $17 million in guaranteed money.

As reported elsewhere, the deal can void to five years based on performance triggers, wiping out a final year base salary of $4 million. But they won't be easily reached.

The source tells us that, in his first four seasons (including 2009), Crabtree must either qualify for two Pro Bowls, or he must qualify for one Pro Bowl in one year and he must participate in 80 percent of the offensive snaps in a separate year in which the team makes the playoffs.

In other words, if in 2010 he qualifies for the Pro Bowl and the team makes the playoffs and he participates in 80 percent of the snaps, he'll still need to make it to the Pro Bowl or achieve the 80-percent/playoffs in another season.

Since the chances of Crabtree making the Pro Bowl or participating in 80 percent of the offensive snaps this year is roughly zero percent, he'll have three years to get it done.

And it won't be easy. Frankly, he'll be hard pressed to make it to one Pro Bowl in three years with the likes of Larry Fitzgerald, Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Steve Smith, the other Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, DeSean Jackson, Johnny Knox, Percy Harvin, Greg Jennings, Roddy White, T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the same conference for sportsbook betting.

So, by all appearances, it's a six-year deal. And at $17 million in guaranteed money, the per-year guarantee is a tepid $2.83 million per year.

There's another problem with the deal -- it has no mid-tier incentive package. Instead, the additional $8 million that Crabtree can earn (pushing the max value to six years, $40 million) requires the kind of unrealistic, mega-star performances that no rookie is likely to ever achieve.

So while the contract paid to Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji covers five years and pays $22.5 million, he has the ability (if he's a solid player) to make up the difference between his base deal and Crabtree's five-year, $28 million haul via the mid-tier incentive package in Raji's deal.

And unless Crabtree meets the performance thresholds necessary to void the sixth year, he'll be stuck under contract for another year at a base salary of only $4 million.

There's one other area of concern with the deal. Crabtree, per the source, received no option bonus. Instead, he has significant money tied to a fairly new device known as a "discretionary salary advance," which unlike an opition bonus is subject to forfeiture if Crabtree decides in a year or two that he wants to hold out for a better deal. (We're also told that the 49ers have included language that would make certain escalators subject to forfeiture, too.)

Meanwhile, the deal falls well short of the mark for which Crabtree and agent Eugene Parker were aiming -- the five-year, $38.25 million contract paid by the Raiders to receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, the seventh overall pick in the draft.

Even if Crabtree successfully voids the final year, he'll make more than $2 million per year less on average than Heyward-Bey.

Thus, as we explained earlier in the day, this is a deal that Crabtree could have done in July, which would have given him a much better chance of making a contribution to the 49ers during his rookie year.

So while the final outcome can be described as win-win, the broader view suggests that it's really a lose-lose situation.

NFL Betting Lines

To visit this sportsbook go to MySportsbook.com for all your college football betting needs.