racingmeridian.com

The NFC is 7-3 against the AFC thus far and a generic bet on the conference to win the Superbowl is pegged at -3. Before Tom Brady went down the line was AFC -6…every current article on the Oakland Raiders is hostage to two themes; how great and brilliant a man Al Davis is and, secondly, how out of touch he now is because of illness. What, exactly, is the illness? Why will no columnist or commentator simply tell the unwashed masses what the “genius” is stricken with? His insulting handling of Lane Kiffen is reprehensible and if the mysterious ailment is proffered as the cause, then its nature and dimension should be revealed…Doctor Z has a great article on the S I site comparing the quarterbacks of 1988 with those of 2008. Not surprisingly the late 80’s dominates the contest, with even Neil Lomax receiving the nod from the good doctor. An interesting point references the ability of Joe Montana to release the ball in 1.5 seconds on those vicious slant passes to the incomparable Jerry Rice…the Angels are the choice in Vegas to win the Worlds Series at 11-4. The Cubs are next at 3-1, while the Red Sox and the Rays can be had at 4-1. Public sentiment can be expected to negatively impact the Cubs lines as they search for their first championship in a century…Shane Mosley is a prohibitive -800 favourite over Ricardo Mayorga tonight. At + 625, consider a small play on the wild Nicaraguan. His last fight was a mild upset win over Fernando Vargas and he does own two wins over Mosley’s tormentor, Vernon Forrest…Jimmy Johnson has the pole in Kansas tomorrow after Fernando Montoya was sent to the back of the pack for a rules violation. Can’t help but think the Johnson campaign, as quiet and under the radar as any two time champ could be, ends with his third straight Championship…All eyes will be on Belmont this afternoon as Curlin attempts to annex the Jockey Club Gold Cup. I’m intrigued by the decision of Nick Zito to give the mount on Wanderin’ Boy to Alan Garcia. The seven year old horse might appreciate the savvy and moxy of the 23 year old from Lima, Peru, and get brave on the front end. The other threat to the prohibitive favourite appears to be Mambo In Seattle. He has trained brilliantly since a brutal run in the Travers, losing a head bob to Colonel John… at Woodbine GRAPELLI draws in from the also eligible list to contest the fifth. The son of Thunder Gulch is first time tagged hitting the lawn for the continent’s leading trainer Steve Asmussen…the racing world has buried the lovely ALEZZANDRO after a most disconcerting four year old campaign. The 2007 Prince Of Wales winner has been freshened by Kevin Attard and should regain his strut against a relatively soft group of non winners of two…yes, the eighth is a dreadful mess but nothing cheers up a punter like a winning ticket. PROMOTION TIME zooms back down the ladder after spitting the bit Sept 7^th and should offer value facing slow pokes…in the finale Deli Lama is an absolute lead pipe cinch, right? Second in her last four races (disqualified in two of those outings) her excess of talent is mitigated by an apparent refusal to lead. Try TAPENADE, back sprinting on the grass, to edge the “reluctant one”…