Casino Drive Might Just Beat Big Brown In Belmont (Update: If He Runs)

I just don't like the foot problems Big Brown experienced after the Preakness. It had to take away from his training. Also, Richard Dutrow has been very cocky going into this race which could be a negative. The one thing in horse racing is that horses who lose races make more adjustments than horses who win races, which usually end up equaling the playing field more next time around.
Casino Drive is very lightly raced, but like Big Brown, he is undefeated. The huge thing that Casino Drive has going for him is the fact that he is a half brother to the last two Belmont winners. His dam Better Than Honour (notice the Canadian spelling) produced both Rags To Riches and Jazil.
After reading Andrew Beyer's article on the background information on Big Brown's connections, I have to say that Casino Drive might be the sentimental favourite for the Belmont. I'm sure though, you could dig up lots on many owners and trainers all over North America. Many people have skeletons in their closets. It is part of being human.
The Belmont seems to be void of any front runners except for Da' Tara, which makes him very dangerous and a horse you have to throw in you triactor and superfecta tickets. It looks like Da' Tara will get an easy mile loose on the lead. Macho Again would be logical speed as well, but because of his successful second in the Preakness, his trainer is kind of handcuffed to keep the same running style he used last time out. I think Macho Again will bounce.
The other horse I like to round out the exotics is Icabad Crane. He looks like he'll easily handle the grueling mile and a half, and he wouldn't be a complete surprise to even win the event.
Belmont Superfecta: 5-1-6-10
Free Past Performances For The Belmont Stakes

UPDATE: Looks like Casino Drive may be scratched.



Surprised that The Score did such a scathing video on David Clark. It was definitely negative and it painted the ORC and WEG in a bad light for morally/ethically allowing Clark to continue riding. Since WEG does a lot with The Score, from live broadcasts to the 1-2-3 Contest, usually these type of reports never make it to broadcast.


PICK 7 at Woodbine Keeps Growing
The Pick 7 hasn't been won once this year. The carryover is up to $75,000, but don't waste your money on it today. The card is next to impossible. You'll be lucky to pick 3 winners if you use 2 horses a race. Buy lottery tickets instead (the takeout is pretty close to what Woodbine charges) Yesterday even with almost $15,000 bet on it, the best anyone could do was pick 4 out of 7.
Handicappers realize that picking winners at Woodbine is a total crap shoot. It is probably the toughest track in North America to handicap, and when you take into consideration their grotesque track takeout, it is hardly worth playing period.
That is one of the reasons the Pick 7 pools has taken almost 35 days to grow into just 75k.
And to think, Woodbine is available just about everywhere while many tracks are involved in ADW wars in the US. This is time for Woodbine to shine, but for the new bettors trying out the track, it is just causing more disillusionment in the WEG product.
If you are going to race big fields on the unpredictable Poly, the track takeout needs to be drastically reduced.

Baymount announces construction firm for new Belleville Racino project.

Fort Erie's Save The Race Track Campaign Marred In Controversy Besides the fact that the $300 million project is just plain ridiculous, it seems that some alleged grey area dealings have been going on. I still don't see why Nordic Gaming's BILLIONAIRE owner (Yitzhak Tshuva) needs government handouts, or why the local government should be spending money that he should be spending in a lobbying effort.
How much money has Nordic spent on their "monorail" (remember the Simpson's episode) project? The reason Tshuva is a billionaire is that he doesn't spend good money after bad money.
There is no way Fort Erie can be a major resort, and especially if SLOTS is all it has to offer outside of a B racetrack. Maybe in 5000 years, when Niagara Falls will be eroded to where Lake Erie and the Niagara River meet.

Canadian Firm That Processed Transactions For American Gamblers Agrees To Pay $9.1 Million For Facilitating Illegal Gambling

Illinois race tracks may get a boost from casino revenues