Below are my two Breeders' Cup stories that I wrote for Daily Racing Form that highlight seminars being held in Las Vegas, parties, future-book updates, special wagers and contests. But speaking of contest, I'd first like to let you know about a FREE contest we're holding at ViewFromVegas.com using the 14 races on the two days of the Breeders' Cup. You make $600 in mythical wagers on Friday, Nov. 6, and then $800 in mythical wagers on Saturday, Nov. 7. The person winning the most fake money will win 2-3 nights hotel room in Las Vegas on their next visit (you're on your own getting here), dinner for two with yours truly, and show tickets for two (and I might join you if I like the show LOL). All plays must be posted in the OFFICIAL contest thread so you must sign up (for free) for the ViewFromVegas.com Forums. The deadline for Friday's plays is 12:30 p.m. PST on Friday, so you must sign up and post your plays by then to be eligible. Click here for full details and to enter

Good luck this weekend.

Yours truly,
Dave Tuley


Published in the Daily Racing Form editions of Saturday, Oct. 31

By DAVE TULEY

LAS VEGAS - Race and sports book directors always look forward to the Breeders' Cup, but maybe never as much as this year.

The Breeders' Cup is a great event that brings out the regular horseplayers who usually bet even more, plus all the casual racing fans or those who just bet during the Triple Crown and on the BC. The hotels love it because those customers also help fill the hotel rooms, the restaurants, and the showrooms, as well as the casinos, so it's always a money-making weekend.

That's even more important this year, not only with the struggling economy but also due to the fact that the sports books have been knocked around pretty good by the NFL favorites covering at a high rate. Actually, let me amend that. Favorites are 56-46-1 against the spread this year, which is just less than 55 percent and not disastrous on its own. Where the books have been hurt is the public has been backing the top teams and hooking them up in parlay as well as betting against the dregs of the league. Last week was one of those "perfect storms," where almost every steam play won and bettors cleaned up with parlays. A look at the list of teams that covered says it all: Chargers, Colts, Packers, Steelers, Patriots, Jets, Saints, Cowboys. All are traditionally popular teams, with the Saints being a new addition, and for good reason as they're now 6-0 both straight up and against the spread. It didn't help that most of them were playing teams that are considered dead on the board (Chiefs, Rams, Browns, Buccaneers, and Raiders). Many bookmakers called it Black Sunday and one of their worst days ever.

 

 

So, the thought of the two-Breeders' Cup days on next Friday and Saturday, Nov. 6-7, with most of the wagering on race days being parimutuel, has to be music to bookmakers' ears. They can open the doors, take the bets, take their cut, and cheer for the players to cash lots of tickets so they keep churning the money through the windows.

To that end, the race books are rolling out the red carpet to attract players to their properties starting with the days leading up to the BC. The Pick the Ponies Invitational, which costs $500 to enter and wasn't sold out as of press time, runs Wednesday through Friday of BC Week at the Las Vegas Hilton.

There also are a number of BC seminars planned starting Thursday at 6 p.m. with one at the Palace Station (with Ralph Siraco of the Raceday Las Vegas radio shows, Richard Saber of the GamingToday weekly newspaper, and Palace Station racebook manager Vic Vivio) and another at the Lucky's racebook at the downtown Plaza with Richard Eng of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Lucky's marketing director Dan Sharpio, and yours truly, Dave Tuley. Up in the state capital of Carson City, near Reno, Lucky's will run a concurrent seminar at the Casino Fandango with Steve Fierro.

On Friday night, after the first day of BC action, Sam's Town on the east side of Las Vegas host a seminar with Gordon Jones, Patrick McQuiggan, and John Kelly.

While Friday is a big day of racing, it's nothing compared to how packed the race books will be for Saturday's card (especially when you throw in a full schedule of college football compared to next Friday's relative dead sports schedule). Every race book in Vegas will be having a BC party, but if you're looking for a little more space and bigger screens to watch the races on, the two biggest free parties are at the Orleans and the South Point in their ballrooms. The Orleans is sweetening the pot with a 10 a.m. seminar with Siraco and Jon Lindo going over the card. Up in Reno, the Grand Sierra has a seminar with Fierro and Lucky's CEO Joe Asher that features drawings for $100 bets on all eight races Saturday.

One horse racing bet where the books can lose money is the futures. The Wynn Las Vegas has the most extensive offering of futures with odds on nine of the BC races. The most intriguing horse is Zenyatta as everyone waits to hear if she will take on the boys in the Classic. As of Wednesday, when the Wynn's John Avello updated his lists after the pre-entries were announced, Zenyatta was offered at 7-2 in the Classic and the 2-1 favorite in the Ladies' Classic (odds are subject to change). Rip Van Winkle was the 8-5 favorite in the Classic. Other chalk were Blind Luck, 3-1 in the Juvenile Filles; Forever Together, 5-2 in the Filly and Mare Turf; Mastercraftsman, 5-2 in the Dirt Mile; Lookin at Lucky, 9-5 in the Juvenile (he's also the Wynn's 15-1 favorite in the 2010 Kentucky Derby); Goldikova, 4-5 in the Mile; Zensational, 7-5 in the Sprint; and Conduit, even money in the Turf. You can download the full lists at ViewFromVegas.com.


Published in the Daily Racing Form editions of Saturday, Nov. 7

By DAVE TULEY

Every year, some Las Vegas horseplayers make a trek to the Breeders' Cup. But even more prefer to stay here and enjoy the races from the comfort of their home race book. Yes, the crowds are big here, too, but the betting lines are shorter than at the track and the race books have added special wagers and promotions.

In fact, some bets can be made only in Nevada race books:

* The most popular are head-to-head matchups in which the horse you bet only has to finish ahead of the other listed horse in the matchup. As of Thursday, the Wynn Las Vegas and the network of Lucky's race books had both posted at least two matchups per race on Saturday's card.

In the Classic, Wynn opened Zenyatta -150 vs. Summer Bird +120 while Lucky's had it Zenyatta -160/Summer Bird +130. In the Turf, Lucky's went with Conduit -190 vs. Spanish Moon +160, while Wynn made Conduit -150 vs. the better finish of either Spanish Moon or Dar Re Mi +120. In the only other common props, Wynn made Lookin at Lucky -160 in the Juvenile vs. D' Funnybone +130, while Lucky's had Lookin at Lucky -140/D' Funnybone +110, and both had Zensational -125 vs. Gayego +105 in the Sprint. All odds are subject to change.

* The twin quinella wager is a Vegas mainstay in which bettors try to hit the quinella on two races by paying for the betting combinations before the first race takes place (no exchanges). Smaller books usually offer daily jackpots of $500 or $1,000 while Station Casinos has a daily $5,000 twin Q. Usually on big days Stations will increase the pot to $10,000, but for this Saturday's Breeders' Cup, Stations is offering a guaranteed $20,000 prize pool while Lucky's is offering $5,000. Those are good indicators that the books are prepared for large crowds and big handle.

* Jerry's Nugget, just north of downtown Las Vegas, is holding a small handicapping contest on Saturday's BC card with a $10 entry fee and a $500 prize pool. Jerry's Nugget also has a special head-to-head matchup parlay card devised by former Las Vegas bookmaker Mark Marion.

It should be a great time all over town.