Betting Picks

The sports calendar is jam-packed in October with MLB postseason, NFL, and the return of NBA and NHL. With all these leagues fighting for your attention and money, let us help you out. Now is the time to lay down some over/under bets on NHL team points. While it's a long wait for a payoff, these futures can earn you some serious cash. Here's which teams will improve and which will regress in 2018-19!

Pure speed will be on display Saturday afternoon at Santa Anita Race Track with the running of the (G1) Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes. A flat-out six furlong dash for the cash on the Santa Anita dirt, the race offers a total purse of $300,000 and a spot for the winner in the 2018 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Churchill Downs on November 3.

One of two major races in the United States this Saturday for two-year-old colts, the (G1) Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park offers both points toward qualifying for the 2019 Kentucky Derby, as well as a spot for the winner in the 2018 Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The Champagne is run at one mile on the Belmont dirt, and offers a total purse of $500,000.

On the final weekend of qualifying for the 2018 Breeders' Cup World Championships, more than a dozen 'Win and You're In' races are taking place in the US, including at Santa Anita out in sunny California. On Saturday the track will host the Speakeasy Stakes, which will send the winner to the BC Juvenile Turf Sprint, the newest race in the Breeders' Cup lineup.

The (G1) Claiborne Breeders' Futurity on Saturday at Keeneland serves a dual purpose. A 1 1/16 mile race for two-year-old colts, the top four finishers will gain points toward qualifying for the 2019 Kentucky Derby. At the same time, the winner will get an automatic berth in the 2018 Breeders' Cup Juvenile. They'll also be racing for a share of the $500,000 purse.

Capping off an excellent day of racing and betting at Keeneland Race Course, Saturday's Shadwell Turf Mile has long been regarded as one of the major turf races in North America, and over the years has sent multiple contenders - and winners - to the Breeders' Cup Mile. This year is no different, and the winner will gain an automatic entry to the 2018 Breeders' Cup.

The first of three Grade 1 stakes to be run at Keeneland Race Course on Saturday, the $400,000 First Lady Stakes has drawn an excellent field of 10 fillies and mares to run a flat mile on the Keeneland turf course. The winner grabs an automatic spot in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf on November 3 at Churchill Downs.

On one of the biggest days of their October meet, Keeneland Race Course on Saturday plays host to three 'Win and You're In' races for qualification to the Breeders' Cup World Championships on November 2 and 3. Included in that is the (G2) Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes, which will send the winner directly to the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint.

The biggest surprise in the NHL and all the world of sports last season was without question the remarkable success of the expansion Vegas Golden Knights. The newest team was listed at 200-1 to win the Stanley Cup on many NHL betting lines. A division title and exciting playoff run made believers out of a lot of hockey fans. It also made a believer out of oddsmakers as the Golden Knights are now among the favorites to win it all this season.