Betting Saturday's Belmont Stakes

 This year's Triple Crown series of races for the best three-year old Thoroughbreds comes to a close on Saturday with the running of the $1.5 million Belmont Stakes. This Grade 1 event is the most grueling test of the three at 1 1/2 miles on the dirt track at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York.

Covering weekly horse racing for the popular sports betting site ScoresandStats.com, I dug deep into the field of eight colts to come up with a variety of ways to bet this race. 

Betting the Winner

The overall field is strong with five of the eight entries in excellent position to win this year's Belmont Stakes. However, I am still going chalk with Essential Quality as the top favorite at 2-1 odds on the morning line. Despite slipping to fourth place in the Kentucky Derby, I still believe the son of Tapit is the best three-year old in this year's class. Trained by Brad Cox, he has been preparing for the added distance of this race for more than a month.

Betting the Exotics

I made money on Hot Rod Charlie as my third choice at Churchill Downs on May 1. For the Belmont, I am elevating this Kentucky-bred colt to my second choice as part of an exacta bet.

As far as rounding out the trifecta play, I would add Known Agenda to the mix. Preakness Stakes winner Rombauer is a 3-1 second-favorite breaking out of the No. 3 post. This is another contender that could easily work his way into the money. Yet, I decided to move him to fourth place in this Saturday's featured event.

Race Preview Links

For my complete race preview and official betting picks at ScoresandStats.com, please click through to the two links below:

-- 2021 Belmont Stakes Odd, Preview & Predictions

-- 2021 Belmont Stakes Exotic Betting Picks

Tim Tebow NFL Betting Props

 Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow, who played his college career at Florida, has been reunited with his former coach Urban Meyer in Jacksonville. Tebow recently signed a one-year deal with the Jaguars in an effort to resurrect his NFL career as a tight end.

Originally drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2010 to play quarterback, he also had a brief stint with the New York Jets. Tebow spent a few seasons playing minor league baseball with the MLB's New York Mets organization.

At the age of 34, he is currently fourth on the depth chart among the tight ends on Jacksonville's roster. Deemed a longshot to even be on the team for the season opener on Sept. 12 against the AFC South rival Houston Texans, you can find prop bet odds for the OVER/UNDER on total receiving yards and touchdown catches for the entire 2021 NFL regular season.

DraftKings has set the totals about as low as it gets with 12.5 receiving yards and .5 touchdowns. However, if Tebow can work his way on to the final roster, the OVER on both offer quite a bit of value.

As part of my weekly NFL coverage for the popular sports betting site ScoresandStats.com, I covered both of these props in detail to come up with my "best bet" plays. Below is the link to that piece:

                                                      Tim Tebow NFL Betting Props

NFL Week 1 Starting Quarterback Props

 The NFL released the official 2021 league schedule on May 12 and all the major online sportsbooks responded by posting any number of betting options in conjunction with the Week 1 games. The new season starts on Thursday, Sept. 9 with the Dallas Cowboys on the road against the defending Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

With a fat new contract in hand, you can expect to see Dak Prescott under center as the Cowboys' starting quarterback. With yet another Super Bowl ring added to his collection, Tom Brady is back for another season at quarterback with Tampa Bay.

While that matchup is pretty much set, there are more than a few teams that have yet to designate which quarterback on their current roster will get the start on opening day. 

DraftKings sportsbook made note of four different teams with a competition at quarterback through some Week 1 prop bet odds. The four teams on that list were:

-- Chicago

-- San Francisco

-- New England

-- New Orleans

As part of my weekly NFL coverage for the popular sports betting site ScoresandStats.com, I broke down each of these props to come up with my 'best bet' picks. 

NFL Week 1 Starting Quarterback Props

Betting the Preakness Stakes

 The second leg of this year's Triple Crown racing series for three-year old Thoroughbreds is set for Saturday with the running of the 146th Preakness Stakes. Post time at Pimlico Race Course is set for 6:47 p.m. (ET) as the featured event on an exciting card of racing at this famed Baltimore track.

This year's race comes with a cloud of controversy hovering over the winner of the Kentucky Derby along with this colt's famed trainer Bob Baffert. 

Medina Spirit tested positive for a banned substance shortly after his thrilling victory at Churchill Downs on May 1. He was given the green light to run in the Preakness. However, the results of a second test could still strip the Kentucky-bred colt of his Derby title.

None the less, the show must still go on. The post positions and morning line odds yielded a field of 10 entries for Saturday's Preakness Stakes. Medina Spirit has been opened as a 9-5 favorite breaking from the No. 3 gate with veteran jockey John Velazquez getting the ride.

Adding even more interest (and drama) to this race, Baffert's other entry is a 5-2 second-favorite. Held out of the Kentucky Derby to better prepare for this race, Concert Tour will go off as the No. 10 colt with Mike Smith as his jockey.

The third-favorite on the morning line at 5-1 odds is trainer Steve Asmussen's Midnight Bourbon. He will break from the middle of the pack at No. 5 with jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. on board.  

My "one to watch" in this race is Crowded Trade at 10-1 odds. This Kentucky-bred colt is trained by Chad Brown with jockey Javier Castellano riding him out of gate No. 4.

I am also looking at Unbridled Honor at 15-1 in a few head-to-head matchup bets. Trained by Todd Pletcher, he has the ability to finish in the money with a clean start out of the No. 8 post. He will have Luis Saez as his jockey for this race.

A few of the other contenders that could be a factor in this race are No. 6 Rombauer and  No. 2 Keepmeinmind at 15-1 odds.

My Official Preakness Trifecta Bet

1) Concert Tour

2) Midnight Bourbon

3) Medina Spirit

Betting Odds to Win NFL Offensive & Defensive Rookie of the Year

 Once the annual NFL draft is in the books, the floodgate opens for all the various betting options covering the upcoming season. Popular online sportsbooks such as BetOnline are quick to fill their NFL futures board with options covering team and individual player performances.

Two popular betting options for the newest members of the league are Offensive & Defensive Rookie of the Year. Quarterbacks dominated the 2021 draft with five signal callers coming off the board in the first round.

While defensive linemen are usually the center of attention on that side of the ball, high-profile cornerbacks and linebackers were the big story this year.

As part of my ongoing NFL coverage for the popular sports betting site ScoresandStats.com, I put together my "best bet" picks for each of these player awards.

Please make note that the betting piece for Offensive ROY was posted before the draft on April 20. 

My picks for Defensive ROY were posted on May 11 using the current betting odds at BetOnline.

2021 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

2021 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year

Betting NBA Championship Futures

 The NBA's second season gets underway on May 18 with the Play-In Round of the 2021 playoffs. Teams finishing seventh to tenth in each conference's final regular season standings will play one another in a round robin format over the course of four consecutive days. The top two teams as far as winning percentage will advance to the conference quarterfinals as the seventh and eight seed.

While the added postseason round offers sports bettors an extra opportunity to cash a few winning game bets, none of those eight teams have a legitimate chance to win their respective conference title. The NBA is a league of elite superstars that dictate which teams can win a title and which teams are only along for the ride.

When Kevin Durant switched coasts to play in New York, the Brooklyn Nets suddenly became one of those teams. He was joined by Kyrie Irving and later James Harden to cement the Nets' status as the most talented team in the Eastern Conference.

The Philadelphia 76ers are led by Joel Embiid and the Milwaukee Bucks have Giannis Antetokounmpo as their elite superstar. However, neither team is projected to get past Brooklyn in the conference finals.

Wherever LeBron James has played, his teams have won championships. The addition of Anthony Davis made the Los Angeles Lakers the favorites to win last year's NBA title and the duo came through by meeting those expectations.

The defense of that title has not gone as expected with the Lakers tied for sixth place in the Western Conference standings. Any further slip would put the defending champs in the Play-In Round.

Yet, the updated NBA Championship betting futures still have the Lakers as the second team on the board at  +400 odds behind Brooklyn as a +200 favorite to win it all.

One of the wild cards on this list is the Los Angeles Clippers as +600 third favorites. After losing to the Denver Nuggets in last year's conference semifinals, they are still trying to prove that they are the best team in LA.

The fourth team on the board is the Utah Jazz at +700. The Jazz have the best record in the league (48-18) heading into the final few games of the regular season.

Milwaukee (+900) and Philadelphia (+1100) are next followed by the Phoenix Suns at +1200. The betting odds balloon to +2500 for Denver. Boston, Dallas and Miami are set as +4000 longshots.

Utah as the top seed does have a chance to win a conference title if you are looking for the best value in the West. The Jazz have been the most consistent NBA team all season long. 

Philly would be my "best bet" pick in the East as the No. 1 seed. The Sixers would greatly benefit from home court advantage in any series they played. They are 25-7 at home verse a 20-14 record on the road.

That being said, going chalk on the Nets to win this season's NBA Championship might make the most betting sense. That much star power gathered on one team has been a proven formula for success going back to the days when the Big Three propelled Miami to a few world titles.

2021 Kentucky Derby Betting Recap

 This past Saturday's Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs lived up to expectations on a number of different levels. The return to the traditional first Saturday in May tops the list much like the Masters at Augusta back in early April.

Although the crowd was limited, live fans in attendance for horse racing's biggest event of the year added to the sense of normalcy that has been missing from the world of sports over the past 12 months.

The competition was superb. Once again, the results of the race prove that there is no such thing as a lock when it comes to betting on sports. Essential Quality finished fourth as a 5-2 favorite. Medina Spirit found his championship form at much longer 12-1 closing odds.

The race itself lived up to its billing as the most exciting two minutes in sports. The top three colts had to work hard to finish in the money and bettors going their way were rewarded for their handicapping skills.

I myself came away a winner on Saturday after cashing in bets on Medina Spirit as my Show horse in this race. I also wagered on Hot Rod Charlie to finish in the money. While I picked Essential Quality to win in my race preview, I backed away on any actual bets come Derby Day.

The Kentucky Derby is the Crown Jewel and the first of three races in the Triple Crown series for the best three-year old Thoroughbreds in this year's class.

Next, it is on to Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore for the running of the Preakness Stakes. That leg of the Triple Crown is set for Saturday, May 15 as part of an excellent live card of racing at this track. 

The final leg is the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York This race is set for Saturday, June 5. Returning to a distance of 1 1/2 miles on the dirt track at Belmont, this will the toughest test if Medina Spirit can keep his Triple Crown run alive by winning the Preakness.

I will be handicapping the next two Triple Crown events as part of my weekly horse racing coverage for ScoresandStats.com as a highly popular sports betting information site. 

For this week's piece, I did an in-depth recap of the 2021 Kentucky Derby as well as an early look at the betting futures for the Preakness States. Below is the link to this post:

2021 Kentucky Derby Betting Recap