Battle Hardened gains victory at Tampa Bay

Horseracing Betting Lines

02/04/2012 - Oldsmar, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lightly raced Battle Hardened came from off the pace to capture Saturday's $250,000 Sam F. Davis Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs. The 1 1/16-mile race is the final local prep for the Tampa Bay Derby on March 10.

Ridden by Julien Leparoux, Battle Hardened was bet down from 12-1 in the morning-line to 9-2 when the starting gate sprung open. Trainer Todd Pletcher's Ecabroni was the 7-2 favorite in the 11-horse field.

State of Play, making his first start on dirt, set the pace with Fox Rules in second and Gulfstream Park Derby champ Reveron running in third. Battle Hardened was fourth as the field went up the backstretch.

On the turn for home Reveron took the lead as Battle Hardened gained ground from the outside. Leparoux had his mount draw even with the leader and pulled ahead inside the furlong pole.

Trained by Eddie Kenneally, Battle Hardened hit the wire 1 1/4-lengths in front of runner-up and co-favorite Prospective. Reveron had to settle for third followed by Ravelo's Boy, Neck 'n Neck, Fox Rules, State of Play, Burning Time, Moroccan Brew, Holy Highway and Ecabroni.

The time for the Sam F. Davis Stakes was 1:44.58 on a fast track.

"He was very professional today," said Leparoux, who was riding Battle Hardened for the first time. "He broke good and put me in the right spot right away. In a big field, I knew we'd be in traffic. When he settled near the inside, he relaxed the way I wanted him to.

"I was inside, inside and then on the second turn, I was able to get out and this horse has a long stride and he kept going. Eddie told me to warm him up good and it went well. I knew he was a maiden, of course, but Eddie told me his last race at Gulfstream was kind of like a win because he had a bad post and some bad luck. He ran big today."

Battle Hardened used the Davis as his maiden win after three previous starts. Owned by Michael B. Tabor and Mrs. John Magnier, the chestnut colt picked up $120,000 with his first career victory.

"This was a really good bunch of quality horses, but no stars, and that was one reason we decided to take a shot today," said Kenneally. "He's been training brilliantly and we were happy with how he was coming into the race, so we decided to come here and get some of the big money.

"We'll definitely take a real good look at the Tampa Bay Derby and it's very likely. We knew when his races started to go longer he was going to be a better horse. Two-turn races are what he wants to do and he is very good at it."

Battle Hardened paid $11.00, $5.60 and $4.40. Prospective returned $5.20 and $3.60, and Reveron paid $3.60 to show.

Wwwwincity Horseracing Betting News

<< Levin extends lead at Phoenix Open
Scottsdale, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Spencer Levin didn't have the kind of big performance he put together during his first two days at the Phoenix Open, but avoided big mistakes Saturday and emerged with a commanding lead. Levin shot a

<< Alpha rolls to victory in Withers
Ozone Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Odds-on favorite Alpha cruised to victory on Saturday in the $200,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct. The race, which was not run last year, is a prep event for Aqueduct's $1 million Wood Memorial on April 7

<< No. 4 Stanford cruises past Arizona
Tucson, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Joslyn Tinkle led the way with 22 points and 11 rebounds and No. 4 Stanford demolished Arizona, 91-51, on Saturday. All five starters scored in double figures including Chiney Ogwumike, who had 18 points and 1

<< Moultrie lifts No. 22 Mississippi State over Auburn
Starkville, MS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Arnett Moultrie scored 21 points and pulled down seven rebounds to lift No. 22 Mississippi State to a 91-88 win over Auburn. Renardo Sidney had 17 points, Dee Bost added 15 points with seven assists

<< North Carolina downs Maryland
College Park, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tyler Zeller scored 22 points and Harrison Barnes had 18, as No. 5 North Carolina used a late surge to down Maryland, 83-74, at Comcast Center on Saturday. The Tar Heels (20-3, 7-1 ACC) had lost fi

Northern Iowa knocks off No. 13 Creighton >>
Cedar Rapids, IA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - After Antoine Young's three-pointer from the top of the arc tied the game at 62 with five seconds remaining, Anthony James raced up the floor and buried a step-back three-pointer at the buzzer, lifting

Nager elected USGA president >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The United States Golf Association announced on Saturday that Glen D. Nager has been elected the 62nd president of the organization. "It is a privilege to serve the game of golf," said Nager. "I look f

I'll Have Another surprises to win Robert B. Lewis Stakes >>
Arcadia, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - I'll Have Another, the longest shot in the field, pulled an upset in Saturday's $200,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita Park. The 1 1/16-mile stakes is a stepping stone to the $750,000 Santa Anita D

49ers' Jim Harbaugh wins coaching honor >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh has won the NFL Coach of the Year, in voting conducted by the Associated Press. Harbaugh, who wrapped up his first season as a head coach with a 13-3 regular season

Baltimore LB Suggs honored as top defensive player >>
Indianapolis, IN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Baltimore outside linebacker Terrell Suggs was named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year Saturday, as voted by the Associated Press. Suggs had 14 sacks among his 70 tackles to help lead the Rav

Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament odds  
As of February 9, MySportsbook.com has released its coveted 2007 Mens NCAA Basketball Tournament betting odds. “March Madness betting ” only a month away, the top ranked Florida Gators are favorite at 7-2 to win it all. The defending champs have not disappointed at all this season and currently have a 22-2 record and are undefeated (9-0) in SEC play. The Gators’ thrive off of their extremely balanced, experienced and versatile attack. All five starters started in last seasons National Championship game. What is most impressive with this group is their balance; the five starters all average between 10.7 and 13.6 PPG. The Gators have been on an absolute roll having won 15 straight by an average of 16.4 PPG.

Right behind the Gators are the 5th ranked UNC Tar Heels at 9-2. The Heels (21-3, 7-2) are absolutely loaded with top notch talent and are as deep as any team in the country. A concern for the Tar Heels might be inexperience. Of their top four scorers/ minute earners, three are freshmen and the other is a sophomore. The rest of the regular season, the Tar Heels play only one team that is currently ranked (Duke). Their remaining opponents do combine for an impressive 107-58 record though.

Other teams that the MySportsbook.com members seem to believe will win it all include the west coasts’ top team #2 UCLA (6-1), #3 OSU behind man-child Greg Oden (8-1), and #4 Wisconsin (10-1) behind their defense which has given up 70+ points only three times all season.

Below is a list of some of the favorites to win the 2007 Men’s NCAA Basketball Championship lines. For the full list of teams and March Madness odds be sure to log onto MySportsbook.com. If you want to use your credit card to bet on college hoops or any other event, MySportsbook.com has the highest credit card acceptance rate in the industry.

Arizona 20-1

Butler 20-1

Duke 30-1

Florida 7-2

Georgetown 30-1

Indiana 35-1

Kansas 15-1

Marquette 25-1

Maryland 40-1

Memphis 50-1

Nevada 50-1

UNC 9-2

OSU 8-1

Oregon 30-1

Pittsburgh 15-1

Texas 30-1

Texas A&M 18-1

UCLA 6-1

Wisconsin 10-1

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook betting needs.