Enforceable Leads The Louisiana Derby Field

The big race on the betting board this Saturday at Fair Grounds Race Track is the $1 million Louisiana Derby. A field of 14 three-year old contenders will be gunning for a possible spot in this year's Kentucky Derby which has tentatively been rescheduled for Saturday. Sept. 5 at Churchill Downs. The Louisiana Derby is a Grade 2 stakes race for three-year old thoroughbreds. It will be contested on the dirt track at Fair Grounds over a distance of 1 1/16 miles.

At the head of Saturday's field is trainer Mark Casse's Enforceable at 7/2 odds on the morning line. The sire of Tapit is coming off a second-place finish in one of two divisions the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds on Feb. 15. This will be his third race at this track as a three-year old after winning the Grade 3 Lecomte Stakes back in January.

Another strong contender in the field is trainer William Mott's Modernist at 6/1 morning line odds. This Kentucky-bred three-year old also has some solid experience running Saturday's dirt track after winning one of two Risen Star divisions. Joining him at those same 6/1 odds is Silver State. Trained by Steve Asmussen, this son of Hard Spun took third in the stronger Risen Star divisions after finishing second in the Lecomte.

A good way to bet this race is going chalk with the favorite while wheeling Enforceable with Modernist in the place position and Silver State as the probable show horse. You could also group the three together in a boxed trifecta with some serious home-track advantage adding value to the trio.

Another strong contender that could factor into the mix is Major Fed at 8/1 odds on the morning line. Trained by Greg Foley, this Kentucky-bred three-year old colt took second in the weaker division of the Risen Star won by Modernist. I do not have him graded as high as my other picks to finish in the money but the son of Ghostzapper is the type of horse that could still stick his nose into my trifecta play. This makes him a possible hedge bet for a Top 3 finish.

An Early Look at 2020 College Football Championship Odds

Spring practice and the traditional spring games in college football became the latest casualty because of the coronavirus. Teams will hope to pick things up late this summer in preparation for the 2020 season. While avid fans and bettors alike failed to get an early look at their favorite college football teams, the short list of power teams such as Clemson, Ohio State and Alabama head up the list of favorites to win the 2020 College Football Playoff Championship.

One big takeaway from the current situation is the overall dominance of the SEC. Always known as the deepest of the major college football conferences, that level of dominance has been lacking in recent years. According to the current betting odds to win the 2020 national title, the SEC is not only back, it is back in a big way. Of the Top 10 teams on BetOnline's NCAAF futures, half the field resides in that particular conference.

As part of my ongoing coverage of college football for the popular sports betting site SCORES & STATS, I have taken a closer look at the futures odds to win the 2020 college football national title as well as the best value in the recently updated futures odds at BetOnline as one of the best online sportsbooks for betting futures and props.

LINK: Canceled Spring Games and NCAAF Betting Futures

Handicapping The 2020 Rebel Stakes

The 2020 Kentucky Derby Trail presses on towards forming the 20-horse field for this year’s Kentucky Derby. One of the biggest races on the trail this Saturday is the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Arkansas.

A field of eight three-year old thoroughbreds will compete for a total prize pool of $1 million. Saturday’s race will be contested on the dirt track at Oaklawn over a distance of 1 1/16 miles.

Highlighting the 2020 Rebel field is famed trainer Bob Baffert’s Nadal. The three-year old Kentucky-bred colt is already considered one of the early favorites to win this year’s Kentucky Derby after winning the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes on Feb. 9 over seven furlongs at Santa Anita Park.

He also won a 6 ½-furlong Maiden Special Weight race at that track on Jan. 19 to kick off his racing career. Veteran jockey Joel Rosario is slated to be onboard for this race.

The biggest competition should come from trainer Steve Asmussen’s Silver Prospector. This Kentucky-bred colt is a bit further down the list when it comes to the Kentucky Derby futures odds posted at America’s Bookie online sportsbook.

He comes into the Rebel fresh off a victory in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn on Feb. 17. Covering the 1 1/16 mile distance in 1:43.1, the sire of Declaration of War made his way past Wells Bayou and Answer In.

Silver Prospector ran an extensive juvenile schedule highlighted by a victory at Churchill Downs on Nov. 30 in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. He finished in the money in four of six races as a two-year old. Look for jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. on the mount in Saturday’s main event.

Rebel Stakes ‘Best Bet’ Exacta and Trifecta Play

I plan to go chalk with Nadal and Silver Prospector in an exacta bet. Expanding the play to the three-horse trifecta, adding Basin as the Show horse makes the most sense. His career has been on pause since posting an impressive victory in last year’s Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes at Saratoga on Sept.2. He completed the seven-furlong sprint in 1:23.48 past Shoplifted and Gozilla.

This Kentucky-bred colt is also trained by Asmussen as one of his three entries in this race. It is hard to know what to expect in his three-year old debut at a much longer distance. Yet, I do beleive this is still one of the top three contenders in the limited eight-horse field. Veteran jockey Javier Castellano adds even more value to his chances to finish in the money.

NASCAR's FanShield 500 'Best Bet" Picks

NASCAR's annual West Coast Swing moves onto to Phoenix Raceway this week for the fourth point race on the 2020 Cup Series schedule. So far, three different drivers have made their way to Victory Lane. Look for a fourth different winner this Sunday afternoon with a high-valued favorite taking the checkered flag.

I cover every NASCAR Cup Series race for the popular sports betting site SPORTS BETTING STATS. My full race preview includes a closer look at the value in the odds for the top favorite, contender and longshot. Please click through the link below to find out which three drivers top this week's betting board at America's Bookie.

LINK: NASCAR FanShield 500 Best Bet Picks

Early Betting on 2020 MLB American League MVP

Spring training gives way to MLB Opening Day at the end of March when the games start counting for real in the standings. Most of the betting attention at online sportsbooks such as America's Bookie has gone towards the posted MLB futures odds to win a league pennant and the 2020 World Series.

One of the most popular betting futures for MLB players ahead of the new season is for AL and NL MVP. Turning my attention to this year's American League MVP honors, I dug deep into the posted betting odds to find the best value in the numbers. Going chalk with the favorite always makes sense this far in advance but there is value to be found deeper down the list as well.

Please click through the link below to Scores & Stats as a very popular online sports betting site covering a wide variety of topics that can help boost your betting bankroll. The piece covers all my 'best bet' picks for AL MVP.

LINK: 2020 MLB Futures | American League MVP

NASCAR Pennzoil 400 Betting Picks

NASCAR's 2020 Cup Series schedule is underway. Following a thrilling photo finish at Daytona with Denny Hamlin winning his second-straight Daytona 500 racing title, this year's West Coast swing gets an early start this Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas.

Using the betting odds to win at America's Bookie, I made my official picks based on the best value in the numbers. Covering every Cup Series race for the popular online sports betting site SPORTS BETTING STATS, the link below is my complete Pennzoil 400 betting preview and "best bet" picks.

LINK: NASCAR CUP SERIES - PENNZOIL 400 PICK

2020 Daytona 500 "Best Bet" Picks

Another NASCAR season of Cup Series racing gets underway on Sunday in grand fashion with the running of the annual Daytona 500. The Great American Race kicks off a 36-race schedule for the 2020 Cup Series racing title.

The top 40 drivers in NASCAR square off for the sport's biggest and most prestigious race at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday at famed Daytona International Speedway. Following last Sunday's Clash and Thursday's Twin Duels, the official running order for this year's Daytona 500 has been set.

The line setters at America's Bookie online sportsbook have fine-tuned the odds to win with Denny Hamlin set as a +900 favorite. He is also the defending Daytona 500 Champion. The second-favorite to win is Brad Keselowski at +950 odds. The betting odds to win for a few other prominent drivers include:

-- Martin Truex Jr +1250

-- Kevin Harvick +1300

-- Kyle Busch +1320

-- Jimmie Johnson +2750

As part of my weekly NASCAR coverage for the popular sports betting site SPORTS BETTING STATS, I have broken down the field for Sunday's main event to come up with a trio of value bets based on the current odds. Please click through the link below for my "Best Bet" picks

LINK: NASCAR CUP SERIES - DAYTONA 500 PICK