The NFL "Best Bets" of Week 7

NFL Week 7 "Best Bets"

Indianapolis vs. Tennessee

The Colts have won three of the last four games both SU and ATS but the one sticking point was a 24-17 loss to Tennessee. The Titans are now 3-0 (SU and ATS) and looking to capitalize on home field in the tight race a top the AFC South. 

Indianapolis is just 1-5 both SU and ATS in its last six games against Tennessee. The best bet is the Titans covering the 2.5 points has home favorites to sweep the Colts in the regular season.

Kansas City vs. San Francisco

Kansas City beat Tampa Bay on the road and Las Vegas at home before last Sunday's 24-20 loss to Buffalo as a 2.5-point home underdog. The 49ers beat the Rams at home and Carolina on the road before losing to Atlanta 28-14 as 3.5-point road favorites. 

The Chiefs are 4-1 SU against San Francisco in the previous five outings and 5-1 ATS in the last six games. Kansas City is 14-5-1 SU in the last 20 games against the NFC West. The best bet is to lay the three points on the road and stick with the Chiefs to cover.

Pittsburgh vs. Miami 

Pittsburgh (1-5) upset Tampa Bay 20-18 but the interesting stat is the total staying UNDER the 46.5-point line in that game. The total also stayed UNDER in Miami's three of the last four games of the season. The points scored have stayed under 230 for both these teams combined in the last six contests.

The total has stayed UNDER in five of the last seven games when Pittsburgh goes on the road to play Miami. The total has also stayed UNDER in 10 out of the Steelers' 11 games against the AFC East. With a total line of 44.5 points in this matchup, the best bet in the UNDER on the game.

Breeders' Cup Classic Futures

 The 2022 Breeders' Cup horse racing event will cover both Friday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Nov. 5 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky. Friday is earmarked for two-year fillies and colts highlighted by the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Saturday is reserved for horses three and older running on turf and dirt.

The featured event on Saturday is the Breeders' Cup Classic. The Grade 1 BC Classic will cover 1 1/4 miles on dirt and the price purse is $6 million. The list of  early entries and their future odds to win this race are listed below:

Flightline -150

Epicenter +575

Life Is Good +700

Taiba +1000

Hot Rod Charlie +1800

Olympiad +1800 

Cyberknife +2000

Country Grammer +2500

Defunded +2800

Zandon +3300

Rich Strike +3300

Happy Saver +3300

Americanrevolution +3300

Flightline is predicted to be a morning line favorite and BetOnline has futures of -150 odds on winning this race. The trainer is John Sadler and the jockey is Flavien Prat. The four-year colt won the Grade 1 Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Sept. 3. On June 11 of this year, he won the Grade 1 Metropolitan Stakes at Belmont Park in Long Island, New York.

The second choice is Epicenter going off at +575 odds. The three-year old Kentucky-bred colt was the favorite in the Kentucky Derby but he finished second behind Rich Strike. The son of Not This Time won the Grade 2 Jim Dandy and the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course this summer. Epicenter is a nice complement to Flightline in the exacta portion of this race.

Life Is Good makes sense at finishing in the money but Hot Rod Charlie is a value bet in taking his place. Trained by Doug O'Neill and ridden by jockey Tyler Gaffalione, Hot Rod Charlie could be a steal to finish third at +1800 odds. Cyberknife at +2000 and Zandon at +3300 could make things interesting if the breakers fall their way. 

The 2022 Breeders' Cup Classic is the final event that brings together an entire horse racing card spread over two days in early November. The Breeders' Cup offers competition from 16 different country of the world and 14 championship divisions.  

 

This Weekend at Keeneland Race Course

 Keeneland Race Course weekend resulted are posted in ScoresandStats.com   

This Weekend at Keeneland for Graded Stakes Racing

This weekend at Keeneland Race Course are three exciting graded events as the highlight of these racing cards. The $300,000 Sycamore Stakes on Friday is open to Thoroughbreds ages three and older. Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup is a Grade 1 race with a prize purse of $600,000 and is open to three-year fillies. The Franklin Stakes is open to fillies and mares three and up. Sunday’s graded race has a prize purse of $300,000.

The Grade 3 Sycamore Stakes is 1 ½ miles on turf and it features Red Knight, Shawdyshawdyshawdy, Balthus and Accredit. They all won their events the last time out.

The Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup has favorites’ Pizza Bianca and Cairo Memories. Horse Racing Nation’s rating rank them No. 1 & No. 2 in the field. They are leading the way in 1 1/8 miles on turf.

Sunday’s Grade 3 Franklin Stakes is the 5 ½ sprint on turf. Change of Control, Twilight Gleaming and Tobys Heart are the frontrunners in the race.

My take of the champions of Keeneland’s three graded stakes events in the weekend’s race card are Channel Maker, Cairo Memories and Twilight Gleaming.

Friday’s Sycamore Stakes

Winner: Channel Maker

Channel Maker finished 10^th in the Sword Dancer at Saratoga this August but the eight-year gelding has the top HRN rating in the field on the Sycamore Stakes. Trainer by William Mott and ridden by jockey Luis Saez, he has won the Grade 2 Elkhorn Stakes at Keeneland this spring.

The son of English Channel has a veteran’s touch at 1 ½ miles on turf. He placed fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Turf last year and won the Grand Couturier at Belmont earlier this year. Channel Maker is the class of this field with a HRN rating of 7.26.

Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup

Winner: Cairo Memories

This Kentucky-bred three-year filly finished third in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks on Aug. 20 with Spendarella first and Bellabel second. Cairo Memories was in the money three times in five races this year. She won the Grade 3 Providencia Stakes and the Grade 3 Honeymoon Stakes at Santa Anita Park in the spring.

Sired by Cairo Prince, she has run 1 1/8 miles on turf to finish in the money three times this year. Trained by Robert Hess Jr, Cairo Memories has the speed and power to shed the main contenders in this race.

Sunday’s Franklin Stakes

Winner: Twilight Gleaming

Bred in Ireland, this three-old filly has a nature flare with this sprint on turf. She won the Mamzelle Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs on May 14 and the Daisycutter Handicap at Del Mar on July 29. Twilight Gleaming has taken first or second place in all the races she has run.

Trained by Wesley Ward, she won the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint last November as the signature event for two-year old turf sprinters. Twilight Gleaming should finish first in the Franklin Stakes this Sunday in the competitive field.   

 

Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles Sportsbook Views Report

 The Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles meet for the 127th time this Sunday night. Between the two teams, the Cowboys and Eagles are lining up to the be reining champ of the NFC Eastern Division this year.

At 4-1, Dallas's defense has taken charge in leading the division in fewest points allowed in five games. Behind stellar quarterback Jalen Hurts, the Eagles' offense is the No. 1 offense in the NFC East at the name time frame. Philadelphia is 5-0 and favors by six points at home. The Sunday night total line is 42 points.

The Cowboys come in without Dak Prescott taking snaps at center. Quarterback Cooper Rush has engineered the four-game winning streak followed by a 19-3 loss on Opening Day to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Prescott went down with the an injurie in his right hand in that game.

Rush has orchestrated 839 passing yards and four touchdown throws on the year. The Cowboys' defense has risen to the occasion with 20 sacks and five interceptions in five games.

The Eagles are 5-0 for the first time since 2004. Along with Philadelphia's overachieve offense, the Birds' defense has also played the role in the successful start. The main fuel in the fire is playing at home this season. The Eagles are 53-28 at home in two games.

Breaking down the betting stats of Dallas vs. Philadelphia, the Cowboys are 6-0 ATS in their last six road games overall. Dallas is 14-3 ATS in its last 17 games against the NFC. The Eagles are 4-1 SU in their last five games against the NFC East. The total has gone OVER in Philadelphia's six of the last seven home games.

Head-to-head, the favorite is 10-3 ATS in the last 13 meeting and the total has stayed UNDER in five of the last seven meetings in Philadelphia. 

The Eagles will SU win and the Cowboys will cover but the best bet has the total line staying UNDER 42 points.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Philadelphia Eagles Sportsbook Views Report

The Jacksonville Jaguars are up against the Philadelphia Eagles as 6.5-point road underdogs this Sunday. The total line is set at 46.5 points. Philadelphia fans could be drooling after the point spread came down a bit on an open line of seven. Yet, the Jaguars are improving under head coach Doug Pederson. 

Pederson is returning to the scene of the crime when he coached the Eagles. One year removed, he is leading his team against Philadelphia in Sunday's contest. Jacksonville's quarterback Trevor Lawrence is one for the key pieces of the game and so is the Jaguars' defense. This team really shined in the 38-10 win against the Chargers on the road. 

Philadelphia's offense under quarterback Jalen Hurts has gotten of to an impressive start in the first three games. The Eagles have produced 86 points while giving up a combined 50 points. Hurts has complete a total of 916 yards to average 9.3 yards a game. He has gained 167 yards on the ground in 37 attempts.  

Eagles' wide receive AJ Brown is the leading pass catcher on the team with 309 yards on 20 receptions and running back Miles Sanders leads the way in rushing with 222 yards gain on 45 carriers. 

The sticking point on the opening seven spread is a current half point in the Eagles' favor. Philadelphia's offense at home is on course to light things up but the Jaguars' defense could dampen its effect. In a defense struggled by both sides, the Eagles come away with the win 20-13. 

Philadelphia could cover the 6.5 points in the spread but the safeties play is the total staying UNDER the 46.5-point line. 

Betting Saturday's Card at Monmouth Park

 The following "best bets" for Saturday's race card at Monmouth Park are reposted via permission from ScoresandStats.com

Saturday’s “Best Bets” for a Trio of Graded Stakes Races at Monmouth Park

Monmouth Park in New Jersey is best known as the host track for the annual Grade 1 Haskell Stakes later in July. This Saturday, the coastal New Jersey horse racing venue has caught my eye with a trio of interesting betting events on the daily card.

All three of these races are Grade 3 stakes events and each one has $150,000 up for grabs in total prize money. The Eatontown Stakes is a turf race open to fillies and mares three and older. It will be contested over a distance of 1 1/16 miles.

The Salvator Mile will be run on the dirt track at Monmouth. This graded event is open to Thoroughbreds three and older. As the featured event of the day, the Monmouth Stakes covers 1 1/8 miles on the turf. This race is also open to three-year old Thoroughbreds and older.

Breaking down the probable field for each of Saturday’s races, I have come up with my winning pick along with ‘one to watch’ in each projected field.

Saturday, June 18 – Monmouth Park

Eatontown Stakes

My top choice to win this race would be Princess Grace. This five-year old Kentucky-bred mare has been able to finish in the money in each of her last seven races. Idle for 2022, trainer Michael Stidham has hand-picked this race for her season debut. Still listed as probable for Saturday, she would have the highest Horse Racing Nation rating in the projected field at 6.55.

Trainer Shug McGaughey’s Vigilantes Way would be my one to watch coming off a second-place finish in this year’s Miss Liberty Stakes at Monmouth Park on May 30. This was the five-year old mare’s sixth finish in the money in her last seven races.

Salvator Mile Stakes

The race is expected to feature Hot Rod Charlie as my favorite in the projected field. Trained by Doug O’Neill, the son of Oxbow placed second in this year’s Grade 1 Dubai World Cup in late March after opening his 2022 racing season with a victory in the Al Maktoum Challenge at that same track on Feb. 4. Saturday’s race would act as a warm-up prep for the upcoming summer racing schedule, including the Haskell Stakes in late July.

My one to watch would be trainer Todd Pletcher’s Mind Control if he runs in this race. The son of Stay Thirty faded to fifth in this year’s Grade 1 Churchill Downs Stakes his last time out.

Monmouth Stakes

Trainer Danny Gargan is expected to enter Tax in Saturday’s featured event. If the six-year old gelding gets the green light to run, he would be my clear favorite to win. This would be his first event in 2022 after placing 10^th in last year’s Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup. The long layoff would be a concern but this veteran horse appears to be the class of this field. The son of Arch still holds a lofty 6.67 HRN rating despite the long layoff.

If trainer Gerald Bennett decides to run Carpenters Call in Saturday’s race, he would definitely be my one to watch. This four-year old Kentucky-bred colt only managed a sixth-place finish at Monmouth in the ungraded Cliff Hanger Stakes in late May but that was an off day at the track.

CFL Betting Pick of the Week

 Week 2 of the new CFL season features an interdivision clash between the West's Calgary Stampeders and the East's Hamilton Tiger-Cats as two of the stronger teams in the league. Game time in Hamilton is set for 6:30 p.m. (ET) on Saturday night.

Calgary ran past Montreal 30-27 in its season opener but failed to cover as a four-point home favorite. The total went OVER the closing 48.5-point line. The Tiger-Cats opened up their season on the road and came up short in a 30-13 loss to Saskatchewan as 2.5-point underdogs. The total in that game stayed UNDER 48 points.

The current CFL betting lines for Saturday's contest at VegasInsider have Hamilton favored by a point with the total set at 45 points. As part of my weekly CFL coverage for this popular sports betting site, my best bet in this game is the UNDER on the total.

The total has stayed UNDER in 13 of the last 16 games between these two teams. It has also stayed UNDER in 12 of the last 15 meetings in Hamilton. Points may be hard to come by on Saturday night with defense being the focal point in this matchup.