Joe Talamo hopes for successful Kentucky Derby trip

Horseracing Betting Lines

04/07/2010 - Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jockey Joe Talamo thought he had the horse to beat in the 2009 Kentucky Derby. The young rider had the mount aboard Run for the Roses favorite I Want Revenge.

Trained by Jeff Mullins, I Want Revenge came into the Kentucky Derby off a solid victory in the Wood Memorial at Aqueduct. He was made the 3-1 morning- line favorite for the 135th Run for the Roses.

However, Talamo never got a chance to compete for the roses. I Want Revenge was scratched that Saturday morning with an injury of his left front ankle. The colt has not run since.

Now Talamo has a mount on one of the favorites for this year's Kentucky Derby. The 20-year-old rider is the jockey for Santa Anita Derby winner Sidney's Candy.

"To have a horse in the Kentucky Derby, any kind of horse, is a tremendous feat," Talamo said after the win last Saturday. "I feel very honored and blessed just to make it back this year, after what happened last year. We'll see how good he is in the Derby, but the way he handled himself today was unbelievable. He relaxes so well and he does things three-year olds don't do."

Trained by John Sadler, Sidney's Candy will be making his first start on real dirt at Churchill Downs on the first Saturday in May. Along with the Santa Anita Derby victory, the colt has wins this year in the San Vicente and San Felipe Stakes.

"I don't think he's going to have a problem," Sadler said. "He's a good horse."

Sadler plans to leave California on Monday, April 12 headed toward Louisville.

Talamo has been the only rider Sidney's Candy has had in his six race career.

"He works the horse, we like him, and he just happened to be in the right place at the right time," Sadler said about the young jockey.

The expected Kentucky Derby favorite is again the Wood Memorial champ. Eskendereya, trained by Todd Pletcher, posted a 9 3/4-length victory last Saturday at Aqueduct. He was returned to Florida before heading to Kentucky.

"We'll just try to keep him happy," said Pletcher. "We'll keep doing what we have been doing."

Lookin At Lucky's troubled trip in the Santa Anita Derby, where he finished third, probably won't be reflected in the Kentucky Derby odds. The 2009 champion two-year-old colt may well be second in the morning-line behind Eskendereya.

"Lookin At Lucky looks fantastic today," said trainer Bob Baffert on Sunday. "He's happy, so that's good. He leaves on the 12th (for Churchill Downs) and yeah, (Garrett) Gomez will ride him back.

"Garrett came by the barn this morning and we talked things over. I didn't like where the horse was the first 100 yards, but I should have told Garrett exactly what to do. I just left it up to him and I messed it up.

"In the Rebel (Stakes on March 13), he was really knocked out after the race. But this is the best the horse has ever come out of a race. He was ice cold and he was bouncing. We learned a lot about the horse that will really help his chances in the Derby. We got beat by a very nice horse, and you can't make any mistakes against a horse like that. We're not the favorite (for the Derby) anymore. We've dropped down a few notches."

Along with Sidney's Candy, another speed horse headed to the Kentucky Derby is Illinois Derby winner American Lion.

"There is only one Derby and we plan on being there," said the colt's trainer Eoin Harty. " I think we needed to get a race over the dirt and fortunately he responded well to it. I have had three Kentucky Derby horses, all Tiznow runners and this is another one that looks to be headed in the right direction."

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL BETTING

NCAA Football Betting

Many fans thought it was the best side in the nation by the end of last season. This year, the polls have built on Georgia's momentum and granted it the No. 1 preseason ranking, followed by Ohio State and USC. (The Associated Press has the Buckeyes at No. 2; USA Today took the Trojans.)

"To have people believing we have one of the best teams in the nation going into this thing, it's exciting for us," Bulldogs coach Mark Richt told the AP. "I don't think anything is guaranteed, but we certainly have put ourselves in position where at least the college football world thinks we're pretty good."

Georgia Bulldogs - 9.5 wins

There's no question they're good, but the Bulldogs have one of the toughest 12-game schedules in the nation, mostly because they play in the powerhouse Southeastern Conference. Away games at No. 15 Arizona State, No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Auburn loom large, with contests between the hedges versus No. 24 Alabama and No. 18 Tennessee as well as the World's Largest Cocktail Party in Jacksonville versus No.5 Florida.

Ohio State Buckeyes - 10 wins

Like the Bulldogs, the Buckeyes also have a number of tough road contests in 2008. After two scrimmages dressed up as real games versus Youngstown State and Ohio, it's off to face USC. Other tough away games include No.13 Wisconsin in October and No. 20 Illinois in November. Granted, it should be pretty easy sledding at the Horseshoe. In fact, the only ranked team that travels to Columbus is No. 22 Penn State, in October.

USC Trojans - 10.5 wins

A similarly light schedule awaits the Trojans of Southern California, which is why the oddsmakers' total is one win more and the over is currently commanding -150 odds. Pete Carroll's troops only play three ranked teams in 2008, and all of those games are at home. After what should be an easy trip to Virginia to start things off on Aug. 30, the Trojans get two weeks to prepare for Ohio State in Los Angeles. Their two other ranked opponents, No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Arizona State, visit in consecutive weeks to start the month of October. After that, the competition eases up. Of course, this is the same highly-touted school that lost to Stanford in 2007 and Oregon State in 2006. And don't discount the fact that USC plays its biggest rivals, Notre Dame and UCLA, back-to-back to close out the regular season. On paper, the Trojans are far superior, but motivation will be high for the Irish and Bruins, especially if their historic foes are in national-title contention.

Odds to Win the Heisman Trophy

Tim Tebow, Florida - 7/2
He won it last year, so it's no surprise he's the favorite to do it again, making him just the second player to go back-to-back. Ohio State's Archie Griffin turned the trick in 1974 and 1975, and Tebow's coach, Urban Meyer, is pretty sure his star quarterback can match the Buckeyes legend.

"There has never been anyone quite like him," Meyer told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I am very lucky to be his coach."

Chris Wells, Ohio State - 5/1

The man they call "Beanie" was a star recruit out of high school, so it's not like nobody knew who the star tailback was before he rushed for 576 yards as a freshman in 2006 and 1,609 as a sophomore. But perhaps his finest moment came last year versus Michigan when he rumbled for 222 yards and two touchdowns in the Buckeyes' 14-3 victory over the hated Wolverines.

Knowshon Moreno, Georgia - 8/1

If the Bulldogs are to live up to expectations, they'll need a huge effort from their sophomore running back. This might be the last year of college ball for Moreno, who rushed for 1,334 yards and for 14 touchdowns as a freshman, while adding 253 receiving yards on 20 receptions, so expect big things for the man from Belford, N.J.

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