Hansen leads Spanish Open

Golf Betting Lines

04/30/2009 - Girona, Spain (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Soren Hansen established a new course record Thursday with a nine-under 63 and grabbed the first-round lead of the Spanish Open.

Thomas Levet shot an eight-under 64 and is alone in second place at the Stadium Course at PGA Golf Catalunya.

Spain's Jose Manuel Lara and Callum Macaulay are knotted in third place at minus-seven.

Hansen's new course record looks even more remarkable if you consider the fact that he opened the championship with a double-bogey six at the very first hole.

It didn't take Hansen long to atone for the error at one. He birdied the par- four second and two-putted for a birdie at the 531-yard, par-five third.

"I think it was important that after I holed a good one on the second hole for birdie and then I followed it up with a nice shot into the par-five third," admitted Hansen.

The Ryder Cupper parred his next three, but went on another birdie run, starting at the par-five seventh. Hansen birdied eight and nine and made the turn at three-under 33.

On the second nine, Hansen parred his first two, but made eagle at the par- five 12th. At five-under par, Hansen was near the top of the leaderboard, but it was his play late in Thursday's opening round that secured him the top spot.

Hansen birdied three in a row from the 14th to match Levet at eight-under par. Hansen birdied the par-four finishing hole to grab sole possession of the first-round lead.

"I played well I must admit," said Hansen. "Had a lot of birdies after a rough start with the double-bogey, but then I played fantastic from there.

"It just seemed like I was rolling the ball nicely. If I put it on the green, there was always a chance. A few of them went in so that was nice. I played unbelievable."

Levet began on the 10th tee and rattled off four birdies on his opening nine. He tallied back-to-back birdies at two and three, then eagled the par-five seventh to get in at minus-eight.

Jarmo Sandelin and Chris Wood share fifth place at six-under 66, followed by Alejandro Canizares, Luis Claverie, Jan-Are Larsen, Charl Schwartzel and Marcel Sim, who are knotted in seventh at minus-five.

Defending champion Peter Lawrie shot a four-under 68 on Thursday and is part of a large group tied for 12th place. Paul Lawrie, the 1999 Open Champion, is also at minus-four.

Miguel Angel Jimenez carded a three-under 69, while European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie only managed an even-par 72.

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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.