Horse-friendly riding crops becoming standard

Horseracing Betting Lines

08/13/2009 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Humane treatment of thoroughbred racehorses has been front and center since the tragic accident Barbaro suffered early in the running of the 2006 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.

This week and next two major racing venues institute use of horse-friendly riding crops. Del Mar in California began using the new crop on Wednesday of this week and next week jockeys at Monmouth Park in New Jersey will carry the softer instrument.

"This is a great step for racing," commented champion jockey Garrett Gomez at Del Mar. "All the jocks discussed it and wanted to make this move. One of our biggest problems was getting enough riding crops for everybody. With Del Mar's help, we were able to get a big enough supply, including for riders who couldn't necessarily afford them. With the new riding crop, horses seem to react to the sound of the popper rather than from a physical reaction to the whip. It's good for racing and we wanted to be at the forefront."

Del Mar purchased 40 crops from four different suppliers so that an adequate number will be available.

"Both the jockeys and Del Mar are pleased to achieve this milestone," said Darrell Haire, regional manager for the Jockeys' Guild. "Thanks to the cooperation of Del Mar management, especially Joe Harper (track president and general manager) and Craig Fravel (Del Mar executive vice president), as well as Bo Derek and the California Horse Racing Board, we were able to attain this goal that will be beneficial to the welfare of the horses competing at the meet."

The new crops have been endorsed by the Jockeys' Guild, which represents riders on the national level.

"Del Mar management has been exemplary in their cooperation and communication with the jockeys," said Terry Meyocks, national manager of the Jockeys' Guild. "If all segments of the racing industry worked together the way that Del Mar has worked with the riders, many of the challenges that the industry faces could be overcome."

Monmouth Park's director of racing, Mike Dempsey, announced Thursday that the new riding crops used by jockeys will become standard at the Jersey shore track on Wednesday, August 19.

All Monmouth Park jockeys will use the new riding crops in all races starting that day. Riders at the Oceanport facility have used the softer crop in the last race each racing day since Wednesday, July 8.

The new riding crop has been mandated for use at Delaware Park and Philadelphia Park. Jockeys have been voluntarily using the lighter and softer crop at Saratoga Race Course.

Trygambling Horseracing Betting News

<< Wolves acquire Mancienne on loan from Chelsea
Wolverhampton, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Wolverhampton has secured a major coup by signing Chelsea's England Under-21 defender Michael Mancienne on a season-long loan. The versatile 21-year-old spent two months on loan at Molineux

<< Woods leads Harrington by one at PGA
Chaska, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods fired a five-under 67 Thursday to take the lead during the first round of the season's last major, the PGA Championship. Defending champion Padraig Harrington, who played with Woods on Thurs

<< Beckham '95-99 percent' sure about leaving L.A.
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - England midfielder David Beckham has confirmed that he will return to Europe in January at the end of his latest campaign in the MLS with the Los Angeles Galaxy. The 34-year-old ended last season on loan wi

<< Schalke claims United is interested in Neuer
Gelsenkirchen, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Schalke head coach Felix Magath has claimed that goalie Manuel Neuer is a transfer target for Manchester United. The 23-year-old Germany international was expected to join Bayern Munich earlie

<< Barca anxious to get injured Messi back
Barcelona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Barcelona is anxiously awaiting the return of Lionel Messi to Spain after the Argentina star was ruled out of international action this week with a leg muscle injury. Messi missed Argentina's f

Sixers sign C Brezec >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Philadelphia 76ers signed free agent center Primoz Brezec on Thursday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Brezec last played in the NBA during the 2007-08 season, splitting time betwe

Juve's Giovinco to miss opening games >>
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Rising star Sebastian Giovinco will miss the start of Juventus' Serie A campaign after picking up a thigh injury. The Italy Under-21 playmaker limped out of the midweek 4-1 preseason friendly loss to Villar

Villarreal's Rossi only open to top clubs >>
Villarreal, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Giuseppe Rossi's agent has warned potential suitors that the Villarreal striker will only return to Italy with one of Serie A's leading clubs. The Italy striker currently plays in Spain but ha

Lightning acquire F Miller for F Artyukhin >>
Tampa, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Lightning acquired forward Drew Miller and a 2010 third-round draft choice from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for forward Evgeny Artyukhin. Miller has appeared in 53 career NHL games, all w

Bolton's Megson voices striker fears >>
Sunderland, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bolton's Gary Megson is concerned that his club could pay a high price if it fails to sign a new striker before the transfer window shuts. With only Kevin Davies and Johan Elmander at his disposa

Football Betting

NFL Football Betting Online

The San Francisco 49ers (5-11 SU, 5-10-1 ATS in 2007; 1-1 SU & ATS in pre-season) found some offensive life last week, and they will try to build some momentum on Thursday night as they travel to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears (7-9 SU & ATS in 2007; 0-2 SU, 0-1-1 ATS in pre-season) in an NFL matchup that is set to get underway at 8 PM ET at Soldier Field (natural turf) in Chicago.

Thursday, August 21

NFL betting odds: CHICAGO -3 (-120), Total 37

NOTABLE STAT: San Francisco was last in points, last in total offense in 2007
KEY NFL BETTING TREND: SF has lost its last seven SU on pre-season road

In the BetUS NFL pre-season football betting odds, the Bears are listed as a three-point favorite (laying -120), with the total posted at 37 points.

Here are some NFL football betting trends as they relate to this matchup (reflecting numbers going into the 2008 season):

* SF has lost 11 of its last 14 games SU
* SF has covered three of its last 11 games
* SF has lost six of its last seven road games SU
* SF has covered one of its last seven road games
* CHI has covered five of its last eight games
* CHI has played five of its last seven games OVER the total
* CHI has covered four of its last 13 home games
* SF has lost its last seven pre-season road games SU
* CHI has covered two of its last seven home pre-season games

Well, I guess we should congratulate the Bears on making their quarterback choice for the season's opening game, as they have designated Kyle Orton the starter against Indianapolis. The Bears obviously have lost patience with Rex Grossman, and what they do with him at this point is anybody's guess. But suffice it to say that there isn't a quarterback competition anymore, at least in training camp.

Meanwhile, the quarterback competition may also be settled in San Francisco, where the Niners bounced back from a lackluster 18-6 loss to the Raiders, in which they turned the ball over four times, to execute a 34-6 rout of the Packers last Saturday. However, coach Mike Nolan has stopped short of saying that, insisting that the job is still open. But J.T. O'Sullivan, the longshot of the trio of Niner signal-callers who opened camp, will start his third straight pre-season game here. Against Green Bay, O'Sullivan was only 8-for-17, and was intercepted, but he also threw for 9.1 yards an attempt, which included a 59-yard TD pass to Josh Morgan. The others struggled.

Some offensive cohesion is badly needed, in light of the Niners' dismal 2007 campaign, in which they were dead last in the NFL in scoring, with just 13.7 points a game. And O'Sullivan is the guy who is most familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's exacting system, because he learned it last year in Detroit. O'Sullivan will go at least the entire first half and may even last longer. He'll be relieved by Alex Smith, with Shawn Hill doing the mop-up work. Three receivers who were out last week - Bryant Johnson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle - will miss this game too.

That may hurt a little here, especially since the Bears will be using a lot of their defensive starters. And it's the defense that has been keeping the Bears in games thus far. In fact, the defense and special teams were responsible for the first 19 points Chicago scored against Seattle last time out, as the offense really struggled with Grossman at the controls. But maybe the first-team offense has a chance to settle a little bit as it works more with Orton at the helm.

Certainly we have concerns about the Bears' offensive line, but we like the scenario for them here, especially if O'Sullivan doesn't make some bis plays. The Niners may have nowhere else to turn right now, and they have lost seven straight road games in the pre-season. Let's take Chicago, the three-point favorite in the NFL football betting odds.

CHICAGO -3 (-120) **
(Graded on a scale of 1-4 stars)

The 2008 NFL betting lines season is almost upon us! If you like to bet on the NFL, you are in the best possible place for online betting. The sportsbook has NFL odds up on a ton of futures, and you will also find NFL lines up for early games as well. Join sportbook today and we'll help guide you right through to Super Bowl XLIII and beyond!

Note: Monday night game will be picked Monday. Lines used are from football betting odds .