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03/18/2010 - Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Caroline Wozniacki gutted out a three-set victory late Wednesday to reach the semifinals at the $4.5 million BNP Paribas Open.
The native of Denmark, who was last year's U.S. Open runner-up and entered play as the second seed, downed 18th-seeded Zheng Jie of China, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, in a match which early on seemed to look like a rout but wound up lasting two hours, 18 minutes.
Her semifinal opponent will be Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska, who upended Russian star Elena Dementieva earlier in the day.
The fifth-seeded Radwanska dismissed the fourth-seeded Dementieva 6-4, 6-3 on the hardcourts, pulling off the upset in one hour, 31 minutes with the help of four service breaks on Day 8.
The two-time major finalist and 2008 Olympic gold medalist Dementieva was the Indian Wells runner-up in 2006.
Two other quarterfinal bouts will be staged here on Thursday, when sixth- seeded former world No. 1 Jelena Jankovic will meet 23rd-seeded Russian Alisa Kleybanova and eighth-seeded Aussie Samantha Stosur will face 28th-seeded Spaniard Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez.
The 2010 Indian Wells winner will earn $700,000.
<< Ryan nets two as Ducks continue Blackhawks' slide
Anaheim, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bobby Ryan notched a pair of goals as Anaheim
doubled up Chicago, 4-2, at Honda Center.
Todd Marchant and Saku Koivu also tallied and Corey Perry added a pair of
assists for the Ducks, who have won two i
<< Cal starter Amoke suspended on eve of NCAA tourney
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - California starting forward Omondi Amoke has
reportedly been suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules and is
not expected to suit up for the Bears' NCAA Tournament opener against
Louisvi
<< Magic stay hot, cool Spurs
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Vince Carter recorded 24 points and eight
assists, leading the Orlando Magic in a 110-84 rout of the San Antonio Spurs
in a matchup between the NBA's two hottest teams.
Both teams came in having won e
<< Mavs get back on track with win over hurting Bulls
Dallas, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Caron Butler scored 27 points and Dirk Nowitzki
added 26 as the Mavericks ran past Chicago, 113-106, sending the short-handed
Bulls to their ninth consecutive defeat.
J.J. Barea registered 15 points for Dalla
Clippers rally past Bucks to snap eight-game skid >>
Los Angeles, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Kaman scored 20 points and the Los
Angeles Clippers surged in the fourth quarter to snap an eight-game skid with
a 101-93 win over the Bucks.
Drew Gooden totaled 16 points and 11 rebounds for t
Nadal, Murray, Roddick advance; Djokovic stunned at Indian Wells >>
Indian Wells, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Andy Roddick
were among the top seeds to move on, while No. 2 seed Novak Djokovic was sent
packing in Wednesday's fourth-round action at the upset-plagued $4.5 million
BNP Par
Butler keeps 20-game winning streak in perspective >>
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -Every time Brad Stevens walks into Hinkle Fieldhouse, he peers into the rafters.There he sees the overflowing banners listing conference titles and NCAA tournament appearances and quickly realizes what Butler has become: A nationa
Pitt, Gibbs shooting for more in NCAA tournament >>
PITTSBURGH (AP) -Ashton Gibbs glanced at the statistics sheet following Pittsburgh's 50-45 loss to Notre Dame in the Big East tournament and didn't believe what he saw.The Panthers, forced into a slow-paced game by the Fighting Irish's deliberate of
(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."
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