Gio Ponti out to defend Arlington Million crown

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08/17/2010 - Arlington Heights, IL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Defending winner Gio Ponti will take on nine challengers to his title in Saturday's 28th running of the Arlington Million at Arlington Park. The 1 1/4-mile grass race gives the winner automatic entry into the Breeders' Cup Turf in November.

Trained by Christophe Clement, Gio Ponti won the 2009 Million by 1 1/4-lengths over Just as Well who is also back for this year's race. Gio Ponti would go on be win Eclipse Awards as 2009 champion turf and older male thoroughbred.

The champion turf runner has been made the 7-5 morning-line favorite and will again be ridden by Ramon Dominguez. The pair will start from post six.

In three races this year the five-year-old has one win, the Man o'War at Belmont Park in his last start. He was fourth in the Dubai World Cup in March and second in the Manhattan Handicap at Belmont Park.

"I'm delighted with Gio Ponti," Clement said after the Man o'War victory. "Everyone made a big deal of him getting beaten (by stablemate Winchester in the Manhattan on June 5), but I never had a doubt that the horse was the leader of his division."

Owned by Castleton Lyons, Gio Ponti has won half of his 20 career starts for better than $4.1 million. Following last year's Million he was second in both the Belmont Turf Classic Invitational and Breeders' Cup Classic.

Hall of Fame member John Henry is the only horse to have won the Arlington Million twice, in 1981 and 1984.

Just as Well, trained and owned by Jonathan Sheppard, will be going for his first win of 2010. He is coming off a second-place finish in last month's Arlington Handicap, a race he won last year prior to the Million.

Julien Leparoux has the mount on Just as Well who is the 5-1 second choice in the program. The son of A.P. Indy will break from the four post.

His first start in 2010 was in the Ben Ali at Keeneland where he was fourth. Just as Well was second in the Dixie Handicap at Pimlico and fifth in the Manhattan Handicap.

After the 2009 Million, Just as Well was sent up to Woodbine for a pair of starts. He was second to Marsh Side in the Northern Dancer, but was a disappointing fifth in the Canadian International to Champs Elysees. He concluded the year in the Japan Cup in Tokyo, finishing seventh.

The seven-year-old has won four of 25 career starts with eight second-place finishes for $842,082.

Here is the complete field for the Million in post position order: Marsh Side, Corey Nakatani, 12-1; Debussy, William Buick, 12-1; General Quarters, James Graham, 8-1; Just as Well, Julien Leparoux, 5-1; Quite a Handful, Tanner Riggs, 30-1; Gio Ponti, Ramon Dominguez, 7-5; Rahystrada, Inez Karlsson, 10-1; Tajaaweed, Michael Baze, 15-1; Tazeez, Richard Hills, 6-1 and Summit Surge, Kieren Fallon, 10-1.

Post-time for Arlington Million XXVIII is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. (et).

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FOOTBALL BETTING

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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