BIG AL MCMORDIE
BIG AL's BELMONT STAKES WINNER + EXACTA BOX WAGER!
At 6:15 pm, on Saturday, our selection is on Animal Kingdom to win the Belmont Stakes, and we also have an Exacta Box wager on Animal Kingdom + Master of Hounds.
Our recommendation is to put 6 units on Animal Kingdom to win, and to do a 2 unit exacta box on Animal Kingdom and Master of Hounds (i.e., $600 on Animal Kingdom to win; $200 on exacta of Animal Kingdom on top of Master of Hounds; and another $200 on exacta of Master of Hounds on top of Animal Kingdom)
There are two things you won't see this weekend in the Belmont Stakes: a Triple Crown Winner and the best three-year-old horse in the world. The latter title probably belongs to a freakish horse named for a deceased American trainer (Frankel) who is undefeated running in Europe and looking like a combination of Secretariat and Man-o-War in the process. Hopefully, we'll see Frankel over here in the Breeders Cup this fall. But that still leaves us with a horse that is clearly the best three-year-old racing in the USA by the name of Animal Kingdom. Not only has Animal Kingdom done very little wrong in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, he's done virtually nothing wrong in any of his prior races and he has looked absolutely stunning in all of his workouts. If he had gotten a better start in the Preakness, then we almost certainly would be looking at a Triple Crown winner this weekend. The fact is that 20 or so years ago, Animal Kingdom would look like a very good three-year-old in a group of very good three-year-olds, but the crop of horses we've seen go forward in the triple crown races lately have been pretty weak and this year's crop is the weakest we've seen in some time. Animal Kingdom is a standout and no less than seven of his rivals on Saturday are horses he beat pretty soundly on the first Saturday in May (an eighth horse -- Isn't He Perfect -- ran poorly in the Preakness after not running in the Derby) and the ones that came back for a shot in Preakness he pretty much destroyed as well, except for Shackleford who got a dream trip that day. He will once again have the best jockey -- Johnny Velazquez -- on his back and you can bet that Johnny V will make sure this time he gets off to a better start than he did in the Preakness, and even if that happens again, he will have another 2 1/2 furlongs to make up for it in this race.
Looking at potential price horses to play with Animal Kingdom in the Exacta, it quickly becomes obvious which horses NOT to play with him. Shackleford and Nehru will not offer enough value in this race, and none of the horses that didn't compete in either the Derby or Preakness (of which there appears to be three) stand much of a chance of hitting board in the Belmont, so that brings us to roughly six horses. Of the six, the most intriguing is Master of Hounds, whose trainer opted to keep him in the U.S. and focus on this race rather than head back to Europe. Master of Hounds' Derby effort, in which he finished fifth, was not bad considering it was his first start on the dirt over here, and he is eligible to improve off of that one. You might get 10-1 on this horse, which would be a decent price, so an exacta box with him makes a lot of sense. The only other two to consider in the exacta with Animal Kingdom would be Brilliant Speed and Santiva, but Master of Hounds would be our choice for the exacta box. Take Animal Kingdom to win (6 units) and play him in the exacta with Master of Hounds (2 units on each combination, for a total of 4 units invested in the exacta). Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
BIG AL's BELMONT STAKES WINNER + EXACTA BOX WAGER!
At 6:15 pm, on Saturday, our selection is on Animal Kingdom to win the Belmont Stakes, and we also have an Exacta Box wager on Animal Kingdom + Master of Hounds.
Our recommendation is to put 6 units on Animal Kingdom to win, and to do a 2 unit exacta box on Animal Kingdom and Master of Hounds (i.e., $600 on Animal Kingdom to win; $200 on exacta of Animal Kingdom on top of Master of Hounds; and another $200 on exacta of Master of Hounds on top of Animal Kingdom)
There are two things you won't see this weekend in the Belmont Stakes: a Triple Crown Winner and the best three-year-old horse in the world. The latter title probably belongs to a freakish horse named for a deceased American trainer (Frankel) who is undefeated running in Europe and looking like a combination of Secretariat and Man-o-War in the process. Hopefully, we'll see Frankel over here in the Breeders Cup this fall. But that still leaves us with a horse that is clearly the best three-year-old racing in the USA by the name of Animal Kingdom. Not only has Animal Kingdom done very little wrong in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, he's done virtually nothing wrong in any of his prior races and he has looked absolutely stunning in all of his workouts. If he had gotten a better start in the Preakness, then we almost certainly would be looking at a Triple Crown winner this weekend. The fact is that 20 or so years ago, Animal Kingdom would look like a very good three-year-old in a group of very good three-year-olds, but the crop of horses we've seen go forward in the triple crown races lately have been pretty weak and this year's crop is the weakest we've seen in some time. Animal Kingdom is a standout and no less than seven of his rivals on Saturday are horses he beat pretty soundly on the first Saturday in May (an eighth horse -- Isn't He Perfect -- ran poorly in the Preakness after not running in the Derby) and the ones that came back for a shot in Preakness he pretty much destroyed as well, except for Shackleford who got a dream trip that day. He will once again have the best jockey -- Johnny Velazquez -- on his back and you can bet that Johnny V will make sure this time he gets off to a better start than he did in the Preakness, and even if that happens again, he will have another 2 1/2 furlongs to make up for it in this race.
Looking at potential price horses to play with Animal Kingdom in the Exacta, it quickly becomes obvious which horses NOT to play with him. Shackleford and Nehru will not offer enough value in this race, and none of the horses that didn't compete in either the Derby or Preakness (of which there appears to be three) stand much of a chance of hitting board in the Belmont, so that brings us to roughly six horses. Of the six, the most intriguing is Master of Hounds, whose trainer opted to keep him in the U.S. and focus on this race rather than head back to Europe. Master of Hounds' Derby effort, in which he finished fifth, was not bad considering it was his first start on the dirt over here, and he is eligible to improve off of that one. You might get 10-1 on this horse, which would be a decent price, so an exacta box with him makes a lot of sense. The only other two to consider in the exacta with Animal Kingdom would be Brilliant Speed and Santiva, but Master of Hounds would be our choice for the exacta box. Take Animal Kingdom to win (6 units) and play him in the exacta with Master of Hounds (2 units on each combination, for a total of 4 units invested in the exacta). Good luck, as always...Al McMordie.
NORM HITZGES
BELMONT
·******** 9—Animal Kingdom
·******** 1—Master of Hounds
·******** 2—Brilliant Speed
·******** 12—Shackleford
MLB 223-219* -30..75
·******** Cincy +145 vs SF
·******** Mets even vs Pittsburgh
·******** Arizona -125 vs Florida
·******** St. Louis/Milwaukee Under 7.5
·******** Dodgers /Colorado Over 8.5
·******** San Diego / Washington Under 6.5
·******** Detroit -115 vs Seattle
·******** CWS -120 vs Oakland
BELMONT
·******** 9—Animal Kingdom
·******** 1—Master of Hounds
·******** 2—Brilliant Speed
·******** 12—Shackleford
MLB 223-219* -30..75
·******** Cincy +145 vs SF
·******** Mets even vs Pittsburgh
·******** Arizona -125 vs Florida
·******** St. Louis/Milwaukee Under 7.5
·******** Dodgers /Colorado Over 8.5
·******** San Diego / Washington Under 6.5
·******** Detroit -115 vs Seattle
·******** CWS -120 vs Oakland
INSIDERS EDGE CLUB-LUKE ALBERTS
2 UNIT* MLB* San Diego Padres (-118)
2 UNIT* MLB* St. Louis Cardinals (+118)
INSIDERS EDGE CLUB-TRENT BAILEY
2 UNIT* MLB* Baltimore Orioles (+120)
2 UNIT* MLB* Florida Marlins (+111)
INSIDERS EDGE CLUB-RYAN DAVIS
2 UNIT* MLB* Minnesota Twins (+119)
2 UNIT* MLB* Seattle Mariners (+112)
2 UNIT* MLB* San Diego Padres (-118)
2 UNIT* MLB* St. Louis Cardinals (+118)
INSIDERS EDGE CLUB-TRENT BAILEY
2 UNIT* MLB* Baltimore Orioles (+120)
2 UNIT* MLB* Florida Marlins (+111)
INSIDERS EDGE CLUB-RYAN DAVIS
2 UNIT* MLB* Minnesota Twins (+119)
2 UNIT* MLB* Seattle Mariners (+112)
HANDICAPPERS PARADISE-WORLD WIDE SPORTS
15 UNIT* MLB* Atlanta Braves -115 ML
15 UNIT* MLB* Milwaukee Brewers -125 ML
15 UNIT* MLB* LA Dodgers +145 ML
15 UNIT* MLB* KC Royals +135 ML
15 UNIT* MLB* NY Mets +110 ML
15 UNIT* MLB* Boston Red Sox +110 ML
15 UNIT* MLB* Tampa Bay Rays -125 ML
15 UNIT* MLB* Florida Marlins +110 ML
15 UNIT* MLB* Atlanta Braves -115 ML
15 UNIT* MLB* Milwaukee Brewers -125 ML
15 UNIT* MLB* LA Dodgers +145 ML
15 UNIT* MLB* KC Royals +135 ML
15 UNIT* MLB* NY Mets +110 ML
15 UNIT* MLB* Boston Red Sox +110 ML
15 UNIT* MLB* Tampa Bay Rays -125 ML
15 UNIT* MLB* Florida Marlins +110 ML
John Chang
---Start Time 1:07 PM EST---
Boston Red Sox/TORONTO BLUE JAYS over 9.5 runs, 10 dimes
This game has all the makings of a high scoring affair. Despite yesterday's under result, the Sox have been racking up 8 over the totals in their last 10 games. They've been tearing the cover off of the ball, scoring at least 6 runs in 7 out of their last 8. Today, they face Brandon Morrow on the hill, who's been anything but spectacular at home this season (over 6.00 ERA.) Morrow also has a troubled history facing the Sox, sporting an 0-1 record with an ERA of over 10.00 and a WHIP of well over 2.000 in his last 3 starts against them. Meanwhile, Toronto has been averaging well over 5 runs per game at home this season. That shouldn't be a difficult number to exceed today against John Lackey. This former Ace has been getting shelled on a regular basis. You know things are bad when he's excited about his last start that yielded 3 earned with a homer, two walks, and only 2 K's in less that 6 innings. Not worthy of boasting in my mind, and today he should get a big dose of reality. Lackey has been awful against the Jays, going 0-3 with a near 10.00 ERA in his last 4 starts against the birds. This game should easily eclipse 10 runs. Take the over.
---Start Time 7:05 PM EST---
Seattle Mariners (+105, list both pitchers) over DETROIT TIGERS, 10 dimes
---Start Time 1:07 PM EST---
Boston Red Sox/TORONTO BLUE JAYS over 9.5 runs, 10 dimes
This game has all the makings of a high scoring affair. Despite yesterday's under result, the Sox have been racking up 8 over the totals in their last 10 games. They've been tearing the cover off of the ball, scoring at least 6 runs in 7 out of their last 8. Today, they face Brandon Morrow on the hill, who's been anything but spectacular at home this season (over 6.00 ERA.) Morrow also has a troubled history facing the Sox, sporting an 0-1 record with an ERA of over 10.00 and a WHIP of well over 2.000 in his last 3 starts against them. Meanwhile, Toronto has been averaging well over 5 runs per game at home this season. That shouldn't be a difficult number to exceed today against John Lackey. This former Ace has been getting shelled on a regular basis. You know things are bad when he's excited about his last start that yielded 3 earned with a homer, two walks, and only 2 K's in less that 6 innings. Not worthy of boasting in my mind, and today he should get a big dose of reality. Lackey has been awful against the Jays, going 0-3 with a near 10.00 ERA in his last 4 starts against the birds. This game should easily eclipse 10 runs. Take the over.
---Start Time 7:05 PM EST---
Seattle Mariners (+105, list both pitchers) over DETROIT TIGERS, 10 dimes
JLB'S PICKS (JLB4422 On Twitter)
**228-181-7 +103.01Units YTD** (46-28-4 L78 MLB Picks Streak)
4:10 PM TIP-PICKS #1:
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**MLB** HAMMER! (8Units)
*MEMBERS PICK* ARIZONA D'BACKS @ FLORIDA MARLINS (Will try to post before game time)
**228-181-7 +103.01Units YTD** (46-28-4 L78 MLB Picks Streak)
4:10 PM TIP-PICKS #1:
FREE PICK:**MLB** GOLD DIGGER (5Units)
*FREE PREVIEW* SF GIANTS -ML (-155)
4:10PM PICK #2:
**MLB** GOLD DIGGER (6Units)
*MEMBERS PICK* TEXAS RANGERS / MINNESOTA TWINS OVER 8 (-110)
7:10PM PICK #3: *MLB GAME OF THE DAY*
**MLB** HAMMER! (8Units)
*MEMBERS PICK* ARIZONA D'BACKS @ FLORIDA MARLINS (Will try to post before game time)
