Canizares leads Kaymer in Paris

Golf Betting Lines

07/02/2010 - Paris, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Spain's Alejandro Canizares fired his second straight five-under 66 on Friday to take a one-shot lead over defending champion Martin Kaymer at the Open de France.

Canizares birdied his last three holes and finished two rounds at Le Golf National with a 10-under 132, two strokes shy of Seve Ballesteros' 36-hole tournament scoring record.

Kaymer, who defeated Lee Westwood in a playoff last year, shot a 67 on Friday to sit one stroke off the lead at nine-under 133.

First-round leader Robert-Jan Derksen of the Netherlands had a 71 -- eight shots worse than his Thursday score -- and dropped into third place at eight- under 134.

Steve Webster (66) was another stroke further back at seven-under 135.

Derksen played in a morning threesome and was still in the lead when he finished his round. Afterward, he settled in to watch the Netherlands knock of World Cup favorite Brazil, 2-1, in South Africa.

But his lead did not survive the day.

Canizares and Kaymer waited out a rain delay of two hours and 25 minutes, then caught Derksen with birdies near the end of their rounds.

Kaymer was first, making a birdie at the 14th to tie the Dutchman for the lead. He later birdied the 17th to move on shot ahead.

Canizares, meanwhile, collected four birdies in his last five holes, including three in a row at the end of the round to take his one-shot lead.

The son of four-time Ryder Cup player Jose Maria Canizares, Alejandro captured his only European Tour win at the 2006 Russian Open. He made it through qualifying school last year to earn his playing privileges for 2010.

"I was a little negative in my play last year. I wasn't into it very much and had a couple of problems, personal problems," said Canizares, who is ranked 205th in the world. "But this year I came out, I got my card again, so it was like a new start and I knew what I lost and I learned to appreciate it a little more."

Kaymer is chasing his sixth European Tour win and second of the season. He is beginning a unique two-week stretch that will also see him defend his title next week at the Scottish Open.

Derksen has two career wins, the last coming in 2005.

NOTES: The cut line fell at one-over 143 and European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie led the list of the departed...Jose Maria Olazabal, who was playing for the first time since last October, shot a respectable 70 but still finished at 10-over 152 to miss the cut...Robert Karlsson withdrew from the tournament because of a strained wrist but said he would be ready for the British Open in two weeks...Westwood was seven shots back after a 69.

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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.