k derby both

Las Vegas - My MAIN horse guy is back in the saddle, so, say hey to Martin Calia and his Derby pick...

The Run for the Roses is upon us again you Baconites! Its the 148th Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 7th. So I've done my usual homework ( if I studied this hard in school I coulda been a doctor), watched race replays and workouts, read any article pertaining to derby hopefuls, reviewed speed ratings and thorograph sheets. After digesting months of information I had an ah ha moment. Not with who is going to win ( you'll have to continue reading ) but what this year reminds me of in terms of owners, trainers, and even jockeys who will participate. It reminds me of a good old fashioned soap opera! You have your blue blood family matriarchs like the Pletchers and Assmussens, who this race usually centers around. But you also have your up and coming families like the Browns, Coxes, and McPeeks, who are constantly challenging the upper echelon. And it's the same with the jocks. You have the Ortiz brothers who win at a phenomenal rate ( neither have won a derby) , who are chomping at the heels of proven top jockeys like Smith and Velasquez. But, I've left out what makes all soap operas worth watching, and, that's the VILLIAN! In this case it's the notorious Bob Baffert. Unless you live under a rock or you're not a horse racing fan, Baffert has been suspended for 2 years by Churchill Downs, after his horse, Medina Spirit, tested positive for a banned substance. So, Bob had to give his horses in training to former assistant trainer Tim Yakteen. Those horses are Taiba and Messier. Baffert has to stay away from the Derby, but wouldn't it be ironic if one of the two he trained win today? A great way for the villain to exact revenge no? And that's were my pick comes in. I'm going with number #6 Messier. He has the right style to win this race and jockey, Johnny Velasquez, has won the last two Run For The Roses. You need speed to either take them wire-to-wire or just stalk the pass, and Messier, the horse, not the Hall of Fame hockey player, has been working real well under Yakteen ( wink wink). So, lets play #6 Messier, $100 win and a $20 exacta wheel #6 with all. Good luck

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Got another horse racing guy, with another opinion, and he tells me that Taiba is worth a crack at odds of around 12/1. He has only started twice as a three year old, but he has won BOTH. Taiba also has a Beyer Speed Figure of over 100 in both races. And his jockey, 'Money' Mike Smith, might be 56 years old, but he KNOWS how to win. If you don't remember, scroll back to 2018 when 'Money' Mike won the Triple Crown aboard Justify! And just in case it's a sloppy/wet track, we'll throw down some cash on Epicenter, and bet him to win, place and show. Riders UP!!!

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Close out a phenomenal Saturday on the Strip in Vegas for the Canelo Alvarez/Dmitry Bivol fight. Gonna try the same formula we used for the wager on the Tyson Fury/Deontay Wilder fight. Fury was a gigantic favorite to win straight up, around -$600, and that was TOO rich for my blood. So we took the smaller price on a FURY KO, -$140, and cashed a sweet ticket. Same deal here. Not about to lay -$550 on Canelo, but will take a fat underdog price with Alvarez for the KO at +$280ish. There's another plus prop that looks very tasty, and that's Canelo to win in rounds 7-12. Once he wears Bivol down, Alvarez should be able to finish him off, and at +$350, my bank account is gonna be VERY happy!

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