Betting Picks

And then there were two. Following the final leg of the MLS playoffs, only two teams remain in pursuit of Philip F. Anschutz Trophy: The Portland Timbers and Atlanta United. They will square off in the MLS Cup Final, with Atlanta playing host in its Mercedes Benz Stadium. Oddsmakers have already made their decision about which team will win. Should you follow their lead, or is this year's MLS Final primed for an upset?

As evidence of its iconic stature in US horse racing, when Hollywood Park closed in 2014, the Hollywood Derby was not allowed to die but was moved to Del Mar Race Track. The 2018 version of the Hollywood Derby goes this Saturday, and has drawn 14 entries for betting in Bovada's racebook. They'll be racing 1 1/8 miles on the Del Mar Turf for a purse of $300,000.

The race to qualify for the 2019 Kentucky Derby picks up steam again this weekend with the running of the $250,000 (G2) Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct, which will award Derby qualifying points to the top four finishers in a 10-4-2-1 scale. In an interesting handicapping angle, several of the colts in the field will be making a switch from turf-to-dirt racing surface.

Named for one of the superstar race horses of the 1990s, the $750,000 (G1) Cigar Mile Handicap is open to horses age three and older, racing on the dirt at Aqueduct Race Track. As the final Grade 1 stakes race in New York this year, the 2018 Cigar Mile has drawn a competitive field of eight with one heavy favorite and several interesting online betting options.

Offshore gaming operator Bovada — a top-ranked online sports book and gaming site — is once again taking bets and accepting new players in the state of New York. This is great news for residents of the Empire State, considering there are no establishments available in this jurisdiction to bet on the Giants or Jets in this weekend's NFL games. The well-known site offers action on all the major sporting events, along with casino games, poker and horse racing.

Canelo Alvarez is a man on a mission. Fresh off a majority decision over Gennady Golovkin to win the unified middleweight world title in their Sept. 15 rematch, the Mexican superstar offers his fans another title shot just in time for the Christmas holidays. Alvarez, who is a prohibitive favorite on boxing betting lines, will step up a weight class and take on Rocky Fielding for his secondary world title on Saturday, Dec. 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

One of the final stakes races for the 2018 Woodbine Race Track thoroughbred season, the $175,000 (G2) Kennedy Road Stakes has drawn a mixed field of nine runners aged three and older, including one locally based heavy favorite and one invader making his Canadian racing debut. They'll be racing six furlongs on the Woodbine all-weather course, and the race is available for betting at Bovada's online racebook.

A full field of fourteen two-year-old colts are ready to go to the gate at Churchill Downs on Saturday for the running of the (G2) $200,000 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. In addition to the purse money, the horses and their connections will be trying to secure points to qualify for a return trip to Churchill on the first Saturday of May for the 2019 Kentucky Derby.