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Las Vegas - And now for the main event in Jacksonville tonight, it's Walt (The Vault) Harris, or Walt (The Big Ticket) Harris, or Walt (The Skull Crusher) Harris vs. Alistair (The Demolition Man) Overeem.

Harris is the favorite at -$145 (bet $145 to win back $100), with Overeem the underdog at +$125 (bet $100 to win back $125).

Obviously, the first issue to address is, Walt's three nicknames. Would normally ask you to chime in with a vote, but don't have enough time. Not trying to influence you, although I AM an INFLUENCER, but I'm kinda partial to The Vault, mainly because it rhymes with Walt. The Big Ticket reminds me more of Kevin Garnett than Harris, so that's out. The Skull Crusher ain't too bad, but there is no rhyming, so bye bye. Also, on a personal note, people have called me The Vault since the 1980s.

Back to basics, which means Tale of the Tape, and we'll start with Harris who is 36 years old from Birmingham, Alabama. The Vault tips the scale at 264 and small change, is 6'5 inches and has a 76.0 inch reach. His MMA record is only 13-7, but ALL 13 wins have come by KO. Harris has won three in a row, with one no contest. In that match against Andrei Arlovski, The Vault actually claimed a split decision win, but it was overturned after Harris tested positive for LGD-4033. Of course, you're curious about LGD-4033, and here's what Siri told me. It's a novel nonsteroidal, oral SARM that binds to androgen receptor with high affinity and selectivity. In animal models, LGD-4033 has demonstrated anabolic activity in the muscle, anti-resorptive and anabolic activity in bone, and robust selectivity for muscle versus prostate. Have NO FREAKIN' idea what any of that means, but it AIN'T allowed!

The Demolition Man, is a great nickname, but also a fabulous movie from the 90s starring Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes. If you want a quick review, Vincent Canby, the late, great film critic from the New York Times said, Typical futuristic action-melodrama. A frozen Sly thaws out like a volcano. Wow!

Okay, back to the Tape. Overeem is 39 years old from London, England, tips the scale at 253 and a hook, is 6'4 inches and has an 80 inch reach. His MMA record is 45-23, yea, he's been around for a while, and will be FORTY tomorrow. He has 23 wins coming by KO, 17 by submission and 5 by decision. Alistair has won only two of his last five matches, but on the plus side, his mother is Dutch, and the family tree connects him to King William III of the Netherlands. ROYALTY baby!

Now for the money. Not saying that Harris hits as hard as Francis Ngannou, but he does have 13 KOs, and we found out that Ngannou knocked Overeem COLD in the 1st round back in a 2017 match. Actually, The Demolition Man's last 10 losses were all KOs, so his chin is a bit suspect. So, gonna load up on The Vault to win, drop some chips on him to win by KO/TKO, and toss a few pennies on Walt to win in round 1 (5/2) and round 2 (6/1). Also gonna throw a handful of chips across the table at Claudia (Claudinha) Gadelha and tickle Dan (Dynamite) Ige.

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And for all my readers that like the ponies, here's my MAN, Martin Calia, the same guy who NAILED both ends of the Arkansas Derby, with some selections at Churchill Downs.

Talk to us Marty...

Race 4

It's the return of Monomoy Girl ! Last seen in 2018 winning the Breeders Cup distaff the 5 year old mare hasn't raced in 560 days ! She missed all of 2019, with colic and a stained muscle. By far the class of the race with 2.9 million in earnings and nine wins in 11 starts. She is three for four at Churchill Downs and two for two at the mile distance. Here is the question, is she ready to return to her dominating form after missing over a year. My guess is yes. Monomoy Girl is trained by Brad Cox, who is 14% with horses returning from a layoff of 180 plus days. The horse is working fantastic and is ready to roll! Usually I look at the tote board and see how the public is betting a horse after a long layoff, but in this case if she pays the morning line of 4/5 that's a bargain. So it's $100 win on MG, and a $5 exacta wheel number 2 MG with all.
Lets also play a $20 daily double with number 2-Monomoy Girl in the 4th and 12-Summer Palace in the 5th.

Race 5

Lets take a shot with number 12 Summer Palace. The colt comes from across the pond for trainer Brendan Walsh, who hits with 18% first timers in North America and 17% the first time he has a new horse . I also like that he picks up jockey Julian Leparoux who is an excellent rider at Churchill and on the turf course. The horse is working good, has blinkers on, first time lasix, and carries 10 lbs less than his first career start. The bet is $20 across the board on number 12 Summer Palace and a $2 exacta wheel 12 with all.

Race 10

The bet is number 11 Aurelia Garland. Previously trained by Wesley Ward, the three year old filly hasn't run since winning her first race last May. She has speed and is working well for her new trainer Rodolphe Brisset. Also top jock, Junior Ortiz picks up the mount. The bet is $20 across the board on number 11 and a $2 exacta wheel 11 with all. Lets also play a late daily double with the 11 Aurelia Garland in the 10th race and numbers 4-10- 11 in the 11th race.

Race 11

I really like both Wesley Ward horses, the 4 Karak and the 11 Chili Petin. But, ill take a stand and bet the inside post with number 4 Karak. The wager is $20 across the board on number 4 and a $5 exacta and trifecta box, 4-10-11.

Good luck, have fun and stay safe.

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