Roush denies team orders were given at Talladega

Autoracing Betting Lines

10/25/2011 - Charlotte, NC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - NASCAR team owner Jack Roush said on Tuesday that neither he nor anyone from Roush Fenway Racing gave team orders to any of its drivers during last Sunday's 500-mile Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Speculation of teams orders by Roush Fenway as well as other race teams surfaced after Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne bailed on Jeff Gordon to help teammate Matt Kenseth in a two-car draft during the closing laps of the Talladega race.

Gordon, in a Chevrolet, anticipated that Bayne would partner with him on the final restart with two laps to go. But Gordon was left hanging and wound up finishing 27th.

Bayne drives a Ford for Wood Brothers Racing in Sprint Cup, but is behind the wheel of a Nationwide Series car for Roush.

The incident between Bayne and Gordon prompted Roush to release a statement.

"At Roush Fenway Racing, we expect our individual drivers to make decisions that put themselves in the best position to win each and every race," Roush said in the statement. That is a philosophy that we have lived by for over two decades, and one that we will continue to abide by going forward.

"Of course, as in any team, we would prefer for our drivers to work together when possible. However, to be clear, we did not micromanage or dictate to any of our drivers, nor any other Ford drivers, how to race with other drivers at Talladega last Sunday. There are unique codes that all drivers establish and have to live by on the track. How they manage their code is up to our drivers as individuals. This weekend, there were no team orders, from myself or anyone at Roush Fenway, given to any of our drivers as to whom they could or could not choose to run with or assist, nor did I give similar directions or suggestion to any of the other Ford drivers."

After finishing 15th, Bayne spoke with Gordon briefly on the matter.

"It was probably the hardest thing I've ever had come up in my career to be between two drivers and can't keep all three cars together," Bayne said on Sirius XM Satellite Radio's 'The Morning Show' on Tuesday. "For the last two days, I've tried to think about how I could keep three cars attached. When I talked to Jeff Gordon about it, he laughed about it. He's like, 'Man, there was nothing you could do there'."

According to Roush, he has met with Bayne to discuss the incident.

"I've spoken with Trevor and understand that he was put in a situation requiring a split-second decision on the track and in his response to questions justifying his actions afterwards, where it was almost certain that not everyone was going to be satisfied," Roush noted. "Trevor is extremely talented, but it is still very early in his career. Over time, he will grow to understand that in such a high-paced, competitive and hostile environment it is unlikely that all of his decisions will make everyone happy. I'm confident in his decision-making, his ability and actions on the track, and I'm excited as we continue to move forward with his development."

Roush drivers Carl Edwards and Kenseth are currently 1-2 in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship point standings. With four races to go, Edwards holds a 14-point advantage over Kenseth.

Freenflchance Autoracing Betting News

<< Matri helps Juventus edge Fiorentina
Turin, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alessandro Matri scored the game-winner in the 65th minute as Juventus remained unbeaten and moved back to the top of Serie A on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over Fiorentina at Juventus Stadium. Juventus won for the

<< Fields set for 2011 Breeders Crown at Woodbine
Toronto, ON (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Post positions have been drawn for the 2011 Breeders Crown on Saturday night at Woodbine Race Course. A dozen championship harness races will be conducted worth a total of $6 million. The two f

<< Bills LB Merriman lands on IR
Orchard Park, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Buffalo Bills linebacker Shawne Merriman was placed on injured reserve Tuesday and will miss the remainder of the season with an inflamed Achilles that has plagued him for the better part of two yea

<< Wozniacki, Kvitova, Stosur open with wins in Istanbul
Istanbul, Turkey (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The 2011 WTA Championships got underway Tuesday, as world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki, Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova and U.S. Open titlist Samantha Stosur opened with round-robin wins at

<< A's cut ties with P Wuertz
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Oakland Athletics released reliever Michael Wuertz on Tuesday. Wuertz had no decisions and a 6.68 earned run average in 39 appearances with the A's last season. The 32-year-old right-hander w

Royals name Dave Eiland pitching coach >>
Kansas City, MO (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals named Dave Eiland pitching coach on Tuesday. The 45-year-old Eiland, who replaces Bob McClure, spent the past season as a special assistant to Andrew Friedman, Tampa Bay's execu

Shamrock repeats as Irish champions >>
Dublin, Ireland (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shamrock secured its second straight Irish Premier League championship Tuesday as Dean Kelly scored in the 90th minute of a 2-1 win over UCD. Ken Oman put Shamrock into the lead in the 68th minute, but Rob

Redskins place Cooley, Hightower on IR >>
Ashburn, VA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Washington Redskins placed tight end Chris Cooley on season-ending injured reserve Tuesday. In addition, the Washington Post reported that running back Tim Hightower was also placed on IR. Hightower s

Xavi lifts Barcelona over Granada >>
Granada, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Xavi scored in the 33rd minute and Barcelona edged Granada 1-0 on Tuesday to return to the top of the La Liga standings. Barca controlled nearly 75 percent of possession and did not allow one shot on goal fr

New York, Dallas kick off MLS playoffs >>
Frisco, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Having narrowly secured a playoff berth in its final regular season match, Red Bull New York heads to Pizza Hut Park for its wild-card match against FC Dallas on Wednesday, and coach Hans Backe is looking

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.