Havre de Grace named 2011 Horse of the Year

Horseracing Betting Lines

01/16/2012 - Beverly Hills, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Havre de Grace, owned by Fox Hill Farms, was voted 2011 Horse of the Year and champion older female. The announcement came during the 41st annual Eclipse Awards program Monday night at the Beverly Wilshire.

The awards are voted on by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), National Turf Writers And Broadcasters (NTWAB) and Daily Racing Form.

As a four-year-old, Havre de Grace won five of seven starts for more than $1.6 million. Trained by Larry Jones, she won the Azeri, Apple Blossom, Obeah, Woodward and Beldame. Her only losses were by a nose to Blind Luck in the Delaware Handicap and in the Breeder's Cup Classic where she finished fourth.

"It didn't take me long to fall in love with her," said Rick Porter of Fox Hill Farms. "She did everything Larry and I asked of her."

Havre de Grace was ridden in 2011 by Ramon Dominguez and Gabriel Saez. Dominguez won his second straight Eclipse Award as champion jockey.

The other finalists for Horse of Year were Cape Blanco and Acclamation. Cape Blanco was named champion male turf horse and Acclamation was voted champion older male thoroughbred.

The 2011 Eclipse Awards winners:

Horse of the Year: Havre de Grace

Two-Year-Old Male: Hansen

Two-Year-Old Filly: My Miss Aurelia

Three-Year-Old Male: Animal Kingdom

Three-Year-Old Filly: Royal Delta

Older Male: Acclamation

Older Female: Havre de Grace

Male Sprinter: Amazombie

Female Sprinter: Musical Romance

Male Turf Horse: Cape Blanco (IRE)

Female Turf Horse: Stacelita (FR)

Steeplechase: Black Jack Blues (IRE)

Owner: Kenneth and Sarah Ramsey

Breeder: Adena Springs

Trainer: Bill Mott

Jockey: Ramon Dominguez

Apprentice Jockey: Kyle Frey

The 42nd Eclipse Awards will be held at Gulfstream Park in the Sport of Kings Theatre.

Eclipse Awards are bestowed upon horses and individuals whose outstanding achievements have earned them the title of 'Champion' in their respective categories. Awards also are given to recognize members of the media for outstanding coverage of thoroughbred racing.

Wwwthomsoninvest Horseracing Betting News

<< Mason, Jets top Senators to stop skid
Ottawa, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chris Mason made 25 saves for his second shutout of the season and the Winnipeg Jets beat the Ottawa Senators, 2-0, on Monday to stop a three-game losing streak. Mason's 23rd career shutout also halted a f

<< Thunder top Celtics for 7th straight win
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Durant scored 28 points and Russell Westbrook added 26, including a clutch three-pointer in the final minute that helped the Thunder earn a 97-88 victory over the Celtics. Thabo Sefolosha provided 12 of hi

<< Red Wings get 15th straight home win
Detroit, MI (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - A 27-save shutout from Jimmy Howard and a one- goal, two-assist game from Todd Bertuzzi helped Detroit take a 5-0 victory over Buffalo on Monday for a franchise-record 15th straight win at home. Detroit h

<< No. 1 Syracuse tops Pitt to set record
Syracuse, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Dion Waiters had 16 points and No. 1 Syracuse set a record for the best start in program history Monday with a 71-63 win over Pittsburgh. With a record of 20-0, including 7-0 in the Big East, Syracuse pas

<< UConn dominates North Carolina
Storrs, CT (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bria Hartley scored 17 points and added eight assists as No. 3 Connecticut destroyed 24th-ranked North Carolina, 86-35, on Monday. Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis posted 15 points and six rebounds while Tiffany Ha

Halak posts another shutout, Blues edge Stars >>
St. Louis, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Jaroslav Halak made 22 saves to record his second shutout in a week, and the St. Louis Blues vaulted to the top of the standings with a 1-0 victory over the Dallas Stars. T.J. Oshie scored the game's

No. 8 Maryland downs Virginia >>
College Park, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Laurin Mincy notched a game-high 20 points and dished out five assists to lead No. 8 Maryland over Virginia by a 68-61 count. Lynetta Kizer chipped in with 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Terps (17-

Bruins top Panthers in SO >>
Sunrise, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - David Krejci scored the winner in the fourth round of the shootout as Boston clipped Florida, 3-2. Florida's Mikael Samuelsson lost control and failed to register a shot to start the final round, then

Love helps Timberwolves take down Kings >>
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Kevin Love had 33 points and 11 rebounds for his 13th straight double-double to open the season, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Sacramento Kings, 99-86, on Monday. Luke Ridnour added 25 po

Red Sox sign P Morales >>
Boston, MA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Boston Red Sox and reliever Franklin Morales agreed to terms on a one-year contract Monday. Acquired in a trade with the Rockies last May, he played in a career-high 50 games in 2011 between t

Big East Conference odds

Work left to do: Villanova, Syracuse, DePaul, West Virginia, Providence

Notre Dame and Louisville appear to have done enough to make the move, so we'll make them locks. The Cardinals, despite a modest RPI, are trending way up and have clinched at least a tie for third in the Big East, which should be more than enough with their pair of big road wins. Villanova got back to .500 and gets back to more solid footing. Syracuse got a very important road win and crippled a fellow contender in the process. West Virginia's fate could be in its hands Tuesday at Pitt.

Work left to do:

Villanova [18-9 (7-7), RPI: 21, SOS: 5] Pounded Rutgers to get back to .500. If Cats can get their last two (at UConn, vs. Syracuse), that should be enough with strong computer numbers and a host of wins away from The Pavilion. The Cats have beaten Texas and swept the Big 5 (never easy in Philly), but have a couple of losses to bubble teams (Xavier, Drexel), too. I still think they'll be OK, possibly even at 8-8.

Syracuse [20-8 (9-5), RPI: 53, SOS: 62] History says 10 wins will be plenty, but it might be hard for the Orange to get that last one with a final two vs. G'town, which is trying to win the league title, and at Villanova, which will be desperate for a W. The relative lack of nonconference heft and the weak computer numbers are still concerns, but the Orange have won four in a row and got a very, very big win at Providence on Saturday.

DePaul [16-12 (8-7), RPI: 54, SOS: 18] Beat Cincy and should get past South Florida to get to 9-7, but then what? They have beaten Kansas and Cal (right after the DeVon Hardin injury) earlier this season, but also have lost to Bradley and Purdue, among others. They'll likely need a couple of BE tourney wins, too, but we'll see ...

West Virginia [19-7 (8-6), RPI: 58, SOS: 125] The game at Pitt on Tuesday night could decide the Mountaineers' fate (barring a deep tournament run). They can still get to 9-7 in the Big East without it by beating Cincinnati, but the nine wins would be against UConn, Villanova, St. John's, South Florida, DePaul, Rutgers, Seton Hall twice and the Bearcats. Beating bubble foes is fine, but where's the beef? Outside of beating PG-less UCLA in nonconference play (still a top quality win), there's not a lot to fall back on (besides maybe NC State). WVU vs. Syracuse would be an interesting debate, as the teams don't play in the Big East regular season. WVU has the best win, but Cuse has played the much better schedule.

Providence [17-10 (7-7), RPI: 70, SOS: 33] The Friars likely saw their at-large hopes die at home in the four-point loss to Syracuse, barring an unexpected run to the Big East semis or more. The RPI, bad already, won't be helped by playing St. John's and South Florida in the final two league games.

For more March Madness odds go to MySportsbook.com

For more College Basketball betting lines go to BettingExpress.com

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com - this sportsbook accepts credit cards.


Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your Sportsbook accepts Visa needs.