Gainey gets second win on Nationwide Tour

Golf Betting Lines

07/18/2010 - Maineville, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tommy Gainey posted a three-under 69 on Sunday, but it was more than enough to cruise to victory at the Chiquita Classic.

Gainey finished at 27-under 261 and won by three strokes at the TPC River's Bend.

The victory was Gainey's second this year, following his breakthrough win at the Melwood Prince George's County Open. The $99,000 first-place check moved Gainey to first on the Nationwide Tour money list.

"I'm real happy. I'm proud of myself," Gainey said to The Golf Channel after the round.

Joe Affrunti fired a seven-under 65 on Sunday to take second place at 24-under 264. Geoffrey Sisk (66) and Colt Knost (70) shared third at minus-22.

Gainey took a four-shot lead into Sunday's final round and promptly bogeyed his first hole. He parred the next four and collected his first birdie of the round at the par-five sixth.

That birdie at six started a great run for Gainey. He rolled in a four-footer for birdie at seven and polished off his third birdie in a row with a two-putt effort at the par-five eighth.

Gainey dropped a shot at nine, but atoned for the error with a 22-foot birdie putt at the 10th. He kicked in a short birdie putt at the par-five 11th and was four clear of the field.

Trouble loomed for Gainey. He bogeyed the par-three 12th, then missed a two- foot par save at the 13th. His lead shrunk to two and he appeared to be in trouble at the 14th when his approach landed in a greenside bunker. Gainey holed out from the bunker to save an unlikely birdie and move three ahead with four to go.

At the 15th, Gainey sank a gutsy nine-foot par save to keep his cushion. Affrunti birdied the 17th, but Gainey made a routine birdie at the par-five closing hole to become the tour's first two-time winner this year.

"It's really satisfying because of the way I hit the ball today," admitted Gainey. "I've seen every bit of this golf course. I hit it all over the map today. It's very reassuring that I came out on top today."

Chris Nallen (65), Scott Stallings (67), Peter Tomasulo (68) and Chris Kirk (68) shared fifth at minus-21. Chris Kamin had a six-under 66 on Sunday and took ninth at 20-under 268.

NOTES: This was the first year of the event...Gainey, known as "Two Gloves" because he wears gloves on both hands, was a participant on The Golf Channel's "Big Break" program...Next week, the Nationwide Tour stays in Ohio for the Nationwide Children's Hospital Invitational at The OSU Golf Club. Derek Lamely won the title last year.

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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.