Top two-year-old back in training

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12/13/2011 - Hallandale Beach, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Leading two-year-old Union Rags is being slowly brought back to training in time for the 2012 Triple Crown races. The colt, trained by Michael Matz. is back at Gulfstream Park to begin light workouts.

"We got on his back Saturday and just walked him for about a half hour. Starting on the 15th, he's going to be ridden every day," Matz said. "Then after the first of the year, we'll take him down to Palm Meadows to start some serious training."

Undefeated in his first three starts Union Rags, owned by breeder Phyllis Wyeth, lost by a head to Hansen in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs on November 5. Since that race he was sent to a farm in Wellington, FL for some rest and relaxation.

"He's got a terrific disposition. He's a real smart horse. I had him in the paddock where he's away from other horses," Matz explained. "He was a little restless in the paddock, so we put him in a paddock right by the side of where the horses go to train. He loved it. He watched them all go by, and he just loved it."

With more than $800,000 already banked, Union Rags is the early favorite for the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May. Matz is looking to use Gulfstream's three-year-old stakes series to prepare for the Run for the Roses.

"I would say the logical schedule would be the Fountain of Youth (Feb. 26) and the Florida Derby (March 31)," Matz said. "He's here and we don't have to ship around. If something happens where we have a change of plans where we have to do something different, we're going to nominate him to just about everything."

Union Rags has Javier Castellano as his rider, winning the Saratoga Special and Champagne before the Breeders' Cup Juvenile loss.

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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).

As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).

Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.

A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.

Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.

"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.

De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.

The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.

The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.

De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.

Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.

But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.

To visit this online sportsbook got to MySportsbook.com for all your bet on boxing needs.

Kurt Warner to start, Matt Leinart to watch

Despite the debate that's swirling , Kurt Warner will remain the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green said today. The Arizona Cardinals are the +7 point underdog at online sportsbook MySportsbook.com for this Sunday's game.

Green's comment came in a statement released by the team following an ESPN report that Green decided that rookie Matt Leinart would replace Warner as starter for Sunday's game at Atlanta.

"Generally talking about the starting lineup is not something we do," Green told the AP. "However, given the speculation that was out there we want to make it clear. We're disappointed after last week, but we still expect to be a playoff football team and we fully expect Kurt Warner to be the quarterback that leads us. That has not changed."

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