- Bob Baffert’s Medina Spirit wins 2021 Kentucky Derby
- Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale backed the wrong horse
- Sportsbook specials paint interesting picture for 2021 NFL season
If you bet on Kentucky Derby favorite Essential Quality, you lost.
But chances are you didn’t lose as much as Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale.
McIngvale bet $2.4 million on the three-year-old gray colt, the largest wager in Derby history. Essential Quality had morning line odds of 2-1 and finished in fourth place.
Known for placing huge bets on the biggest sporting events, McIngvale – a mattress dealer from Texas – typically does this as a business promotion.
When he wins, he refunds his customers to the tune of his winnings.
When he loses, he doesn’t.
So, in effect, McIngvale didn’t really lose anything. Of course, his customers will have to wait until the 2021 World Series or Super Bowl LVI for the chance at more freebies.
Oddly, McIngvale usually goes for “storybook” bets in such events, which he avoided this time around.
Had he played to form, he’d have picked legendary trainer Bob Baffert’s only Derby entrant, 15-1 longshot Medina Spirit.
Medina Spirit’s victory gave Baffert his record seventh Derby title, breaking a tie he’d held with Ben A. Jones since last year.
That win would have netted McIngvale a cool $36 million and free mattresses for everyone!
Essential Quality’s odds to win the 2021 Triple Crown are now available at the best online sports betting sites, with BetOnline Sportsbook giving the pony a show of no confidence at -1000 on the “No.”
In other news, the 2021 NFL Draft has come and gone, and sportsbooks are now posting related specials about how this year’s picks are expected to perform (among other items of interest):
2021 NFL Specials
What Team Will Aaron Rodgers Start For In Game 1 Of The 2021 NFL Season?
- Green Bay Packers -200
- Denver Broncos +190
- Las Vegas Raiders +850
- Miami Dolphins +2500
- Cleveland Browns +900
- New Orleans Saints +2000
- Carolina Panthers +2800
- Washington Football Team +2500
- Los Angeles Chargers +3500
Rodgers is a curmudgeon, but the Packers aren’t trading him.
Green Bay all the way!
…to another disappointing playoff exit.
Trevor Lawrence Total Regular Season Passing Yards For 2021 NFL Season
- Under 4150.5 -140
- Over 4150.5 +100
First overall pick Trevor Lawrence is a classic gunslinger coming into an offense-heavy NFL era.
But in 2020, only 10 QBs posted better totals than the above.
Take the “Under.”
Zach Wilson Total Regular Season Passing Yards For 2021 NFL Season
- Under 3825.5 -130
- Over 3825.5 -110
The Jets took BYU standout Zach Wilson at number two, but the Jets are…the Jets.
The “Under” looks safe, here.
Will Tim Tebow Play A Game In The NFL In The 2021/2022 Season?
- No -250
- Yes +170
With Tebow’s college coach now helming the Jacksonville Jaguars, there’s speculation that the former Gator could be signed as a backup for Trevor Lawrence.
Tebow hasn’t played a snap of football since 2015, but he’ll only be 34 years old once the season kicks off.
“Yes” seems like a McIngvale bet.
