Heart attack claims life of Bob Holthus

Horseracing Betting Lines

11/22/2011 - Louisville, KY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Veteran trainer Bob Holthus passed away Tuesday morning in Louisville at suffering a heart attack. The 77-year-old Holthus had been suffering from heart disease for several years.

A native of Nebraska, Holthus was a fixture at Oaklawn Park and Churchill Downs after beginning his training career at Columbus Racetrack in Columbus, Nebraska in 1952.

Holthus trained Lawyer Ron and Proper Reality to victories in the 2006 and 1988 Arkansas Derby, respectively. Proper Reality also won the 1989 Met Mile and Iselin Handicap. As a three-year-old Lawyer Ron also won the Southwest and Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park.

Holthus notched 2,824 wins from nearly 20,000 starts, as well as more than $46 million in earnings.

He is survived by his wife Bonnie, sons David and Paul, and daughter Debbie.

Skynook Horseracing Betting News

<< Benford, Council top All-OVC
Brentwood, TN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tennessee Tech senior wide receiver Tim Benford and Tennessee State senior linebacker Rico Council were named the Ohio Valley Conference's offensive and defensive players of the year, respectively, on Tuesday.

<< Tsonga reels in Fish at World Tour Finals
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Sixth-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga straight- setted eighth-seeded Mardy Fish in Group B round-robin action Tuesday at the season-ending $3.5 million ATP World Tour Finals. The French Tsonga (1-1) doused the

<< Nadal will lead Spain in Davis Cup final
Seville, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former world No. 1 Rafael Nadal will lead mighty Spain against visiting Argentina in next week's Davis Cup final. The best-of-five championship round will be staged indoors on red clay at Seville's O

<< Predators try to extend Edmonton's road woes
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While the Oilers continue to sit near the top of the Northwest Division, their recent play on the road has raised some concerns. The Predators have no such worries playing at Bridgestone Arena. Nashville looks t

<< Maple Leafs aim to rebound versus Lightning
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Toronto Maple Leafs will try to bounce back tonight after losing the first game of a road trip, as they visit the Tampa Bay Lightning at St. Pete Times Forum. Toronto ended a three-game losing streak with Saturday's im

Boca maintains eight-point lead over Racing >>
Buenos Aires, Argentina (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Boca Juniors and Racing played to a 0-0 draw on Sunday as the top clubs in Argentina's Apertura, who both remained unbeaten, stayed separated by eight points after 15 matches this season. Although B

Chivas USA acquires Smith from Sporting KC >>
Carson, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chivas USA has acquired midfielder Ryan Smith from Sporting Kansas City in exchange for its first and third round picks in the 2012 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft. Smith, 25, played 32 matches over

Lum, Schaetzke headline Patriot Leage honors >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Lehigh senior quarterback Chris Lum and Georgetown senior defensive end Andrew Schaetzke were named the Patriot League offensive and defensive players of the year, respectively, on Tuesday. Georgetown adde

Blues try to stay hot at home against Kings >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - There's a major contrast between playing at home and on the road this season for the St. Louis Blues, who have made Scottrade Center a safe haven through the first nine games. The Blues are back in the Gateway City and wi

Boies' strategy? Help Boies >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - On a day where Major League Baseball is set to unveil a new labor deal, one secured with little acrimony, those holding out hope that David Stern and David Boies were going to sit down and hammer

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.