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There are a lot of times in sport where one member of the team will have made it possible for them to get through to the final – the place where they really want to be, and had maybe wanted to be for many years. But sometimes bad luck and or fate would have it that so that the one team member who most deserves to be there doesn’t make it. A prime example of this was Laurent Blanc who made it possible for his team to get to the last eight of the 1998 Football World Cup. He had been one of the most popular and stylish players and the leadership qualities he displayed in the run up to the World Cup earned him the nickname Le Président. Blanc unfortunately was sent off in the semi-final after ‘pushing’ Slaven Bilic of Croatia, injuring his right eye. TV replays however showed that any contact between Blanc and Bilic was below the neck, but he was still suspended.

Another sportsmen who missed out on glory was Nomar Garciaparra. He had played for, and was the face of the Boston Red Sox for 10 years, and for those ten years it was his and the team’s dream was to win the Baseball World Series. However he was traded to the Chicago Cubs on Major League Baseball deadline day in 2004. He was quoted as saying at the time ‘If it was in my control, I’d still be wearing a Red Sox uniform. That’s the place I know, I love, all those fans, I’ll always remember’. Three months later the Boston Red Sox won the Baseball World Series for the first time in 86 years.

Filbert Bayi broke the 1500m world record in the 1974 Commonwealth Games, narrowly beating local hero John Walker. They would have competed against each other again in the 1976 Olympics had Tanzania not boycotted the Olympics in protest at a rugby union tour of South Africa , by the New Zealand team. Needless to say Walker won the gold medal at the games.

Miguel Angel Martin missed out on the Ryder Cup in 1997 due to being axed from the team three weeks before the tournament. The reason? He refused to play 18 holes to test a wrist injury.

Micheal Jones, the All-Black flanker refused to play matches on a Sunday due to his faith, and therefore missed the semi-final of the World Cup in 1991, where the All-Blacks were playing Australia, who eventually won.

Jenny Gunn, who has been playing cricket since she was 10 years old, had to be replaced before the Cricket World Cup final this year when she sustained a calf injury in the warm up to the game. It was England’s first time in the Cricket World Cup final in 16 years.

And there’s Roberto De Vicenzo, who has had to endure the sting of making one of Argentina’s worst sporting mistakes. No South American has ever won the Green Jacket of the Masters but their (and his) chance of victory in 1968 was lost when he inadvertently submitted an incorrect scorecard, thereby giving American Bob Goalby a one shot victory instead of sending the year’s first major to a playoff.

The Belmont Stakes has become a tricky race to handicap lately for several
reasons.

Favorites have triumphed nearly 43 percent in the past 140 races, but during
the last 30 years only six scored – 23 percent. And a dozen winners paid
double-digits — 40 percent.

By now most Triple Crown fans know that horses rallying from far off the
pace don’t usually visit the winner’s circle after 1 ½ miles. The numbers
are more stunning upon closer examination.

During the past decade the winners averaged less than two lengths behind
after a mile. While there was only a single wire-to-wire winner, seven had
the lead after 1 ¼ miles, two were second and another was third.

Amazingly, all 10 were in front in the stretch. Those figures show vast
improvement over the previous decade.

From 1989 through ‘98, only one winner was in front after a mile. After 1 ¼
miles, five had the lead, three were second and two were third. Six led in
the stretch, three were second and two were third.

One bit of advice: Don’t let the tote board influence your horse betting
decisions. Just bet the horses you figure have the best chance.

So let’s get right to Saturday’s 141st Belmont starting with the toss-outs.
Say goodbye to Brave Victory, Luv Gov, Mr. Hot Stuff and Summer Bird – just
four wins in 32 starts and three of those came in maiden races.

The slim-chance horses are:

Flying Private ran a fabulous fourth in the Preakness, but only has a maiden
victory at six furlongs back in August in a dozen outings.

Chocolate Candy won four of nine races on California synthetic surfaces, but
finished fifth in the Kentucky Derby beaten 13 lengths.

The main contenders, any of the four that can win, are:

Miner’s Escape: One of two Nick Zito trainees, 15-1 in the morning line, has
steadily improved this year. The son of Mineshaft posted two straight
victories on dirt, breaking his maiden at Gulfstream Park and capturing the
Federico Tesio by 4 ½ lengths, both at 1 1/8 miles.

He runs close to the pace and his granddad A. P. Indy scored in ‘92 after
missing the first two legs of the Triple Crown. Zito has saddled two
longshot winners in the past five races: Da’ Tara last year and Birdstone in ‘04. The price merits a win wager.

Dunkirk: The buzz horse for the Kentucky Derby had the worst trip of the 19 runners right from the break — stumbling, being bumped and steadied before the first turn. His granddad also is A.P. Indy while ‘90 Derby victor Unbridled is the dam sire.

Todd Pletcher won in ‘07 with Rags to Riches, guided by his new rider John
Velazquez. The early 4-1 second choice has two wins in four outings stalking
the pace. The rested colt has the highest speed figure in the filed of 10
when he ran second in the Florida Derby.

Mine That Bird: Eleven Derby winners that lost the Preakness since ‘23
captured the Belmont. Calvin Borel is back aboard after riding Preakness
winner Rachel Alexander and loves his chances.

However, this son of Birdstone was more than six lengths behind after a mile in the first two legs of the Triple Crown, losing the Preakness by a length. If the early 2-1 favorite is closer to the pace turning for home, he should
win. Can he post his third straight triple-digit speed figure? We shall see. He’s one of my two keys in the exotics.

Charitable Man: The son of ‘99 Belmont winner Lemon Drop Kid has several
things going for him besides breaking from the same post as his dad — 6. He
had the lead in the stretch for three of four wins on dirt, including two
scores at Belmont. His connections have been successful recently: Alan
Garcia rode Rag to Riches two years ago and Kiaran McLaughlin trained ‘06
champ Jazil.

The 4-1 second choice has good tactical speed while his running style fits the winning scenario — stalking before kicking in down the lane. His 3
¾-length score in the Peter Pan was excellent. And that race has produced at least one Belmont champ each decade since ‘44 when Bounding scored.

In case you believe in names, horses beginning with “C” have visited the
winner’s circle the most – 20 times. Make that 21.

Checkout Bookmaker the online racebook leader.

The top two teams in Group A of the round-robin CONCACAF finals meet on Wednesday night as Costa Rica hosts the United States. The top three teams in the group will qualify for the World Cup and so far both the United States and Costa Rica are in good shape. Wednesday’s match should be an interesting one considering the U.S. leads the group with seven points, one point better than Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is a -140 favorite with a total of 2.5 under at most bookmaker .

The United States has never had any success at Costa Rica so the match promises to be difficult. The news that defender Frankie Hejduk is questionable and midfielder Maurice Edu is out definitely doesn’t help the United States. American coach Bob Bradley said that Hejduk may not be fit enough for Wednesday’s match in San Jose. One player that could be back in the lineup though is forward Jozy Altidore who had three goals in the qualifier against Trinidad and Tobago. “Jozy has been in training over these last few days,” Bradley said. “Obviously, he has not played a competitive game in a while, but I think he’s done a good job.”

The United States will be playing two matches within four days as after Wednesday’s qualifier at Costa Rica they play Honduras in another qualifier on Saturday in Chicago. The United States is also preparing for the eight-team Soccer Betting Confederations Cup in South Africa. That should be a great competition considering the United States is in a group with defending world champion Italy, five-time world champion Brazil and Egypt.

In the last seven qualifiers at Costa Rica the United States has not won a match going 0-6-1. That could mean that the United States plays it very close to the vest on Wednesday, trying for a draw. The match on Saturday against Honduras could be where the United States focuses their attention. The United States also has five players that are carrying yellow cards in Altidore, Michael Bradley, Hejduk, Clint Dempsey and Oguchi Onyewu.

Football Betting at SBG Global.

Costa Rica is 18-1-2 at the Saprissa since 2000. They are led by playmaker Walter Centeno who can still pressure a defense. “I’ve been impressed with the way he’s played in recent qualifiers,” said U.S. assistant John Hackworth, “I don’t think he’s come down [in form] at all. He’s still someone who can play at this level, and he’s certainly an important player for them.”