Appalachian State adds three newcomers for spring

NCAA Football Betting Lines

01/18/2012 - Boone, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two FBS transfers and a true freshman have joined Appalachian State's football program for the spring semester.

The transfers are Alex Coulthard, a 6-foot-6, 310-pound sophomore offensive lineman from the University of North Carolina, and Quartterrio Morgan, a 5-10, 180-pound freshman running back from Western Kentucky.

Joining them is true freshman Tysean Holloway, a December graduate of Asheville (N.C.) High School.

Coulthard will have three seasons of eligibility remaining at ASU, while Morgan and Holloway both have four seasons of eligibility remaining.

ASU is coming off an 8-4 season under veteran head coach Jerry Moore.

Lasvgas NCAA Football Betting News

<< Racers hope to run past Eagles in OVC showdown
Morehead, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - As one of only two undefeated teams left at the Division I level, the 12th-ranked Murray State Racers continue their dream season as they tangle with the Morehead State Eagles tonight in an Ohio Valley Conference

<< TCU takes shot at No. 14 UNLV
Las Vegas, NV (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 14th-ranked UNLV Runnin' Rebels try to shake off their loss in the Mountain West Conference opener over the weekend and get back on track tonight as they entertain the TCU Horned Frogs at the Thomas & Ma

<< Texas visits No. 25 Kansas State
Manhattan, KS (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 25th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats look to turn their fortunes around, as they return home to take on the Texas Longhorns in Big 12 action this evening at Bramlage Coliseum. Frank Martin's Wildcats have tu

<< Hoosiers visit Huskers in Big Ten bout
Lincoln, NE (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Making their first trip to Lincoln in 70 years, the 11th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers will play a Big Ten Conference game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers tonight at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Indiana had been c

<< No. 19 Creighton seeks redemption in visit to Missouri State
Springfield, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hoping to exact some revenge for their only Missouri Valley Conference loss of the season, the 19th-ranked Creighton Blue Jays have come to Springfield to tangle with the Missouri State Bears. Creighton has

Panthers aim for a victory in Colorado >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Florida Panthers will try for just their second win in 2012 when they visit the Colorado Avalanche for tonight's interconference clash at the Pepsi Center. The Panthers have a 1-2-2 record in January but are still lead

It's first vs. worst when Thunder visit Wizards >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oklahoma City Thunder own the best record in the NBA. Tonight, they hope to pad that lead when they play the league's worst team, the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center. Oklahoma improved to 12-2 with an impressi

Magic aim to keep Spurs winless on the road >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The San Antonio Spurs take another crack at their first road win of the season this evening when they wrap up a Sunshine State sojourn against the Orlando Magic at the Amway Center. The Spurs' road woes continued on Tuesda

Nets and Warriors tangle in Newark >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Jersey Nets have only played four games at home this season, losing all of them, and look to give the friendly faithful something to cheer about when they host the Golden State Warriors tonight. The Nets are 0-4 on

Knicks hope to snap skid vs. struggling Suns >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New York Knicks attempt to avoid dropping their fourth straight game when they entertain the Phoenix Suns tonight in the second portion of a four-game homestand from Madison Square Garden. The Knicks suffered their thi

Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.