Davydenko, Safin advance in Moscow

Tennis Betting Lines

10/07/2008 - Moscow, Russia (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Two-time defending champion Nikolay Davydenko and two-time major titlist Marat Safin highlighted Tuesday's first- round winners at the $1.049 million ATP Kremlin Cup.

The top-seeded Davydenko handled France's Florent Serra 6-1, 7-5 to continue his winning ways at this event, where he has won three out of the last four titles on the indoor carpet at Olympic Stadium. The Russian star topped Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu in last year's finale.

Up next for Davydenko will be Spaniard Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.

The seventh-seeded former world No. 1 Safin barely held off Israeli qualifier Noam Okun 7-6 (7-5), 3-6, 6-4. Safin will face Frenchman Julien Benneteau in the round of 16.

An upset came when Uzbekistani qualifier Denis Istomin ousted sixth-seeded Frenchman Michael Llodra 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, while eighth-seeded Serb Janko Tipsarevic avoided an early exit with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) decision against Russian wild card Alexandre Kudryavtsev.

In other Day-2 action, Serbian Viktor Troicki drubbed Russian wild card Evgeny Donskoy 6-1, 6-3; the aforementioned Benneteau handled Israeli qualifier Harel Levy 6-4, 6-3; Israeli Dudi Sela stopped Romanian Victor Hanescu 6-3, 3-6, 6-2; and American Robby Ginepri grounded Czech qualifier Jiri Vanek 6-3, 6-4.

The 2008 Moscow champ will collect $171,000.

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MySportsbook.com and Kentucky Derby Offer Bonuses
The 2008 Kentucky Derby has announced a $1-million bonus for this weekend’s 134th ‘Run for the Roses’ and MySportsbook.com is doing the same.

Well, not quite $1 million, but MySportsbook.com is offering a 75% rebate for Kentucky Derby lines. Check out the exclusive horse racing bonus for all the details.

According to MySportsbook.com, the favorites for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky are: Curlin (+250); Street Sense (+500); Scat Daddy (+700); Circular Quay (+750); and Nobiz Like Shobiz (+800).

Derby organizers announced this week that there will be a $1-million bonus at the 2007 Kentucky Derby odds if the first-place horse wins by more than 6 1/2 lengths – the margin of Barbaro's victory last year. The bonus would be divided Saturday among the winning trainer, jockey, owner and a charity, with each receiving 25 percent. The designated charity is the Barbaro Memorial Fund.

''It's certainly creative, it's certainly fun and it has something for the horsemen, which we always want to embrace,'' Churchill Downs president and chief executive Robert Evans said at a news conference. ''What's really cool is it will force us to remember Barbaro.''
    
Meanwhile, the Derby favorite – Curlin – is going against the odds this year. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Arkansas Derby winner Curlin – unbeaten in three career races – tries to overcome both those obstacles in Saturday's 133rd Derby.

''We're not running against history,'' trainer Steve Asmussen said Monday. ''We're running against who they load up.''

Six other horses have run in the Derby without benefit of 2-year-old races and with three or fewer starts. The best any of them managed was a sixth-place finish by Showing Up last year.
   
Asmussen dismissed suggestions that Curlin's lack of racing experience could keep him from the winner's circle.

”He exudes confidence and he's got a great presence about him,'' the trainer said. ''I feel great about the position we're in. He's not worried about anything, why should you be?''
   
The Kentucky Derby is at 4:04 p.m., ET Saturday.

For complete odds on the Kentucky Derby, visit MySportsbook.com. Mysportsbook.com online sportsbook accepts Visa and Mastercard credit cards.