California Derby attracts seven for Saturday

Horseracing Betting Lines

01/11/2012 - Berkeley, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The first of two stakes races for three-year- olds at Golden Gate Fields this winter goes off on Saturday with the running of the $100,000 California Derby. The 1 1/16-mile race is a prep event for the track's $200,000 El Camino Real Derby on February 18.

The seven horse field is led by Russian Greek, winner of the track's Gold Rush Stakes. Russian Greek, trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, will start from post six with Aaron Gryder in the saddle.

Owned by Olympia Star Inc., Russian Greek opened his career with a win at San Rosa last July. In November the colt was fifth in the Golden Nugget at Golden Gate before rallying from last to win the Gold Rush by a neck over Marshal Marini. He has banked $61,700.

Breaking from post five will be Blacky the Bull, the third-place finisher in the Gold Rush. Trained by Jeff Bonde, the colt had been eighth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint behind Secret Circle. In five starts Blacky the Bull has a win and a third for $42,780. Kerwin John has the riding assignment aboard Blacky the Bull.

Also coming out of the Gold Rush is fourth-place finisher Cahill Chrome. The chestnut gelding will be ridden by Juan Hernandez from post four.

Cahill Chrome, trained by Roger Hansen, reeled off three straight wins before the Gold Rush. In nine career starts he has earned $56,182.

Here is the field for the California Derby in post position order: Senor Rain, Kevin Krigger; Hodge, Russell Baze; Unveiled Heat, Abel Cedillo; Cahill Chrome, Juan Hernandez; Blacky the Bull, Kerwin John; Russian Greek, Aaron Gryder and Reconstruction, Frank Alvarado.

Post-time on Saturday is scheduled for 7:22 p.m. (et).

Hamkooki Horseracing Betting News

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Big 12 Conference betting odds

Work left to do: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Kansas State

Texas joins Texas A&M and Kansas as locks after getting league win No. 11. Texas Tech greatly helped its own hopes and crippled OK State's with the two-point win Saturday. Is K-State the last reasonable hopeful? Could be an elimination match in Stillwater on Tuesday, at least for the Cowboys.

Work left to do:

Texas Tech [18-11 (7-7), RPI: 44, SOS: 12] A critical two-point win over OK State leaves the Red Raiders with Baylor and at Iowa State left. Get both and the Red Raiders likely are good to go. Get one and there could be some interesting comparisons with a K-State team that could finish two or three games "ahead" of them in the standings but doesn't have any of the quality wins Texas Tech has. Not a lot in nonconference play (against Arkansas in Little Rock being the best win, by far) to lean on.

Oklahoma State [18-9 (5-8), RPI: 50, SOS: 35] Still without a road win, the Cowboys now need to win two on the road just to get to .500 in conference play. It's hard to recall a team (OK, other than Clemson) falling so precipitously from lock status to almost certainly out of the NCAAs at this point. There are wins to be had in the last three, including a very big home game against K-State on Tuesday, but this team is reeling. Can you tell the pressure to win is getting to them with the way the final possession played out at Texas Tech? There are some good nonconference performances to lean on, specifically beating Missouri State and Syracuse on neutral floors and Pitt in OK City, but if the Pokes don't right this very, very soon, that won't be enough.

Kansas State [20-9 (9-5), RPI: 56, SOS: 96] It pays to be in the Big 12 North. The nine league wins are Colorado (twice), Missouri (twice), Iowa State (twice), Baylor, Nebraska and (a good one against) Texas. That helps explain the middling computer profile. The win over USC is nice, but the nonconference leaves a lot to be desired. The game at OK State in Stillwater on Tuesday is huge, as it could KO the Cowboys and leave K-State with a home date against Oklahoma with which to work.