Debussy upsets Gio Ponti for Arlington Million crown

Horseracing Betting Lines

08/21/2010 - Arlington Heights, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - European invader Debussy upset defending winner Gio Ponti to capture Saturday's 28th running of the Arlington Million at Arlington Park. The four-year-old colt's win of the 1 1/4-mile grass race gives him automatic entry into the Breeders' Cup Turf in November.

Gio Ponti, the 2009 champion turf male and older male, was the 9-10 favorite in the nine horse field. Marsh Side was scratched from the Million in order to run in Sunday's $250,000 Sky Classic Stakes at Woodbine.

Ridden by Ramon Dominguez, Gio Ponti settled into last as the field entered the clubhouse turn. Setting the early pace was Quite a Handful followed by Tazeez, General Quarters and Debussy.

Tazeez, another European shipper, took the lead on the backstretch with Quite a Handful second, General Quarters still in third and Debussy racing in fourth. As the field entered the far turn, Gio Ponti was still last in the nine horse field.

Gio Ponti began his rally around the final turn, but was caught six wide coming into the stretch. Tazeez, ridden by Richard Hills, had separated himself from the field on the turn for home and had a five-length lead.

However, Gio Ponti accelerated at the top of the stretch and went past Tazeez down the stretch to claim the lead. The defending Million champ had the lead with a furlong to run.

Jockey William Buick got Debussy to come charging along the inside with less than 100 yards to run. Debussy overtook Gio Ponti only yards before the wire.

Debussy, trained by John Gosden, posted a half-length win over Gio Ponti. Tazeez, also trained by Gosden, held on for third followed by Rahystrada, Summit Surge, Tajaaweed, General Quarters, Just as Well and Quite a Handful.

Debussy covered the 1 1/4-miles in 2:03.01 on a turf course listed as good.

Debussy is owned by Princess Haya of Jordan and registered his fifth career win in 14 starts. The upset victory was worth $582,000 to put the colt's lifetime earnings at just over $1 million.

Debussy finished fourth behind Summit Surge in his last start in England in the Sky Bet York Stakes on July 24. Buick lost his whip in that race which hindered Debussy's effort.

Debussy, sent off at 11-1, paid $24.00, $8.20 and $5.60. Gio Ponti returned $2.80 and $2.40, and Tazeez paid $4.00 to show.

In Saturday's supporting stakes: Memorial Maniac won the $100,000 Stars and Stripes Turf Stakes for older horses, Paddy O'Prado captured the $400,000 Secretariat Stakes for three-year-olds and Eclair de Lune took the $750,000 Beverly D. Stakes for fillies and mares.

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MySportsbook.com : Fortune Favors Favorites in March Madness betting?

Just like Day 1 of the “Sweet 16”, Friday’s games are chock full of some of the nation’s elite.  Unlike Thursday’s games, there is a little bit more of a “Cinderella” feel as #7 seed UNLV and #6 seed Vanderbilt will attempt to move on to the Elite Eight.  With powerhouses Florida, UNC and Georgetown looking to continue their momentum against lesser known teams, it isn’t surprising that once again the “betting public” is backing most of the favorites.  As the early coin rolls in, 56% of Sportsbook.com bettors prefer Georgetown (-7.5) as they take on Vanderbilt; 84% of the early money is backing Oregon (-3) as they square off against UNLV; and a slight majority (52%) of the early cash is on Florida (-10.5) against Butler as the Gators continue their quest for another National Title. The only favorite the public don’t seem confident in is UNC, as 59% of the cash is backing the underdog Trojans (+8).

Midwest

#1 Florida vs. #5 Butler

The defending National Champs have been on a mission since last April.  Joakim Noah and Al Horford turned down millions of dollars for one reason, to REPEAT.  After a late season hiccup which saw them lose three out of four, the Gators have won six straight by an average of 20.3 points. More importantly, they covered in five of those six games.  Behind their stymie defense that yields only 56.9 PPG, Butler has been a very pleasant surprise this season.  As their 20-11 ATS record will indicate, “surprise teams” like Butler are often good bets for gamblers.  Playing in an average conference, Butler wasn’t and underdog too often but when they were, they covered (6-0 ATS).  Butler’s defense will have its hands full against a Gators offense which averages 80.1 PPG on an amazing 52.9% shooting from the field.  With Florida’s tournament experience over the last few years, it isn’t surprising that they are 5-1 ATS this season, 20-4 ATS over the last three seasons and 38-20 since 1997 in tournament action.

#3 Oregon vs. #7 UNLV

As a #7 seed, UNLV is the closest thing to a “Cinderella” we have this year.  If you bet on UNLV this season with any regularity, you most likely cashed in. Behind their guard oriented attack, the Rebels are an impressive 20-11 ATS this season.  As an underdog they covered in 8 out of their ten games which isn’t surprising since they are 52-30 ATS as a ‘dog since 1997. The Rebels have been a consistent cover during the month of March as well.  This March they are 6-0 ATS, 11-3 ATS over the last three seasons and 24-11 since 1997. Their impressive ATS trends don’t end there; versus teams with a winning record they are 15-6 ATS this season and 41-21 over the last three seasons.  Although Oregon hasn’t been as generous to gamblers as UNLV this season, they have been covering consistently as of late.  There is no question that they are playing their best ball of the season having won their last 8 straight up (SU) by an average of 14.5 points. Not surprising they covered in 7 of those games.  It is interesting to note how similar these teams are in regards to scoring and scoring defense. UNLV averages 75 PPG while giving up 66.5 PPG and Oregon scores 75.8 PPG while yielding 65.5 PPG.

East

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #2 Georgetown

“Hoya Paranoia” is officially back! After a decent start, Georgetown has rolled through the second half of the season.  Over their last 18 games, they are 17-1 SU.  They have definitely improved ATS as the season has progressed as well. After opening the season 1-4-1 ATS, the Hoyas have covered 78.3% of their games.  With their great interior play of Jeff Green and Roy Hibbert, the Hoyas as a team shoot 50.5% from the field.  Like the Georgetown teams from years ago, they also excel on defense.  Hoya opponents averaged only 56.8 PPG on 38.2% shooting from the field and an extremely low 30.4% from beyond the arc.  The last stat could be of some concern to Vanderbilt considering they shoot 37.7% from long-range.  Ranking second to last in the SEC in rebounding margin, Vanderbilt will have its work cut out for them against the Hoya trees. As far as covering is concerned, Vanderbilt has been almost a “sure thing” (7-1 ATS) versus good defensive teams that allow less than 64 PPG.

#1 UNC vs. # 5 USC

The Tar Heels are as talented and as deep as any team in the country.  Going ten deep and chock full of HS All-Americans, UNC averages 86.1 PPG and scored 100+ seven times.  Led by All-American forward, Tyler Hansbrough (18.6 PPG 7.9 RPG) UNC has a very balanced attack which can kill you on the inside as well as on the perimeter.  UNC only real concern is their youth as eight of their rotation players are either sophomores or freshmen.  UNC was a reliable cover this season going 20-13 ATS.  An intriguing covering trend for the Tar Heels in recent years has been how they fared after non-conference games.  This season they are 11-3 ATS after non-conference games and over the last three seasons they are 31-13 ATS.  USC is also a pretty deep team which is loaded with swingman types.  An match-up to keep an eye on will be freshman forward Taj Gibson (12.1 PPG, 8.6 RPG) as he squares off against the AA Hansbrough.  USC has been a covering machine this season achieving a 21-10 record ATS.  They have thrived in the underdog role, having covered 10 out of 12.  When playing a team with a winning record, the Trojans are an incredible 20-6 ATS. Keep in mind, USC dedicated their season to former star to Ryan Francis who passed away before the season so as they get closer to the ultimate goal, emotion could definitely be on their side.

With Friday -105 juice on Basketball betting, MySportsbook.com is the place to bet on all of the “March Madness” action.  Don’t forget to monitor who the public is backing at this sportsbook “Betting Trends”.  By doing so, you have the best chance of predicting a possible line change, thus getting the best value for your wager.

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