Weekly Q&A with Doc's Sports Expert Handicapper Raphael Esparza 7/19/2017

by Doc's Sports - 7/19/2017

Del Mar Thoroughbred Club outside San Diego is one of the top horse racing tracks in the nation. The race track is now open for the summer season and in this week's discussion with Doc's Sports expert handicapper Raphael Esparza we will get his take on one of this Saturday's major graded stakes events on the card at one of his favorite places to bet on the ponies.

The former Vegas Sports Informer honed his craft as one of the top sports handicappers in the nation during a long and successful career in the Las Vegas sportsbook industry. He once held the prestigious position as the Director of the Race and Sports Book for MGM Grand's Aria until his retirement from the sportsbook industry in 2013. Raphael continues to split his time between his home base in Las Vegas and the Big Easy in New Orleans running a successful and diverse sports investment service. The following is this week's Q&A with one of Doc's most interesting handicappers.

Doc's Sports: The new CFL season heads into Week 5, and four of the five teams in the stacked West Division boast straight up winning records. Calgary was the clear favorite to win this division before the season started, but do you have the Stampeders as your top team in the CFL West?

RE: Calgary's loss to Montreal last week was a bit stunning, and I actually see things turning into a three-way race to the top of the West this season with British Columbia and Edmonton also in the mix. Right now I would probably give the early edge to BC fresh off three straight victories on the road.

Doc's Sports: The 2017 Open Championship gets underway later this week with first round action from Royal Birkdale Golf Club set for Thursday. We know that you like to concentrate your handicapping efforts for golf on the betting odds posted for head-to-head matchups. So what would be your top head-to-head matchup for golf's third major on this year's schedule?

RE: I am not sure which head-to-head matchups I will bet on until I take a closer look at the actual betting odds, but my top trio of golfers with a chance to play really well at this course this week would be Sergio Garcia, Ricky Fowler and Justin Rose. I also might look to use Matt Kuchar if the numbers make sense.

Doc's Sports: We all know that Del Mar is one of your favorite horse racing tracks, and this Saturday's race card contains a couple of major graded events, including the $400,000 Eddie Read Stakes as a big prep race for the Breeders' Cup Mile later this fall. Do you have any early thoughts on some of the horses expected to run in this race?

RE: I usually do not start handicapping the races at Del Mar until one or two days out, so I will probably start digging into this race on Thursday. I am always looking for the most updated workout reports. Also, given where this track is located, wind and other weather issues can play a big role in any race's outcome. This makes an accurate weather report for the races all the more important.

Doc's Sports : New York Yankees' rookie Aaron Judge put on an impressive performance to win the recent MLB Home Run Derby during this year's All-Star break. Would he be your top favorite to win this season's MLB prop for most home runs?

RE: All the hype surrounding Judge has helped to drive down the value in his odds to hit the most home runs this season. There is no doubt thus guy can hit the most, but he could easily fall into a hitting slump somewhere along the line. The biggest factor could be New York's ability to stay in the AL East title race or even the AL wild-card race until the end of the season.

Doc's Sports: You recently wrote a pop culture betting piece for Doc's covering props for the next season of "Stranger Things" premiering in late October on Netflix . What would be your top prop pick on the board for the second season of this unique series?

RE : I would have to say the top play would be the -115 odds on "under" five seasons. It is always hard to take a great series and consistently reach that same level of interest year after year. You also have to factor in the age of the main actors. They may grow out of their roles after three or four seasons.

Click here to visit Raphael Esparza's Insider's Page at Doc's Sports for more information on his amazingly-profitable sports handicapping picks. Also, get $60 worth of Esparza's member's picks absolutely free - no obligation, no sales people - you don't even have to enter credit card information. You can use this $60 credit for any sport Esparza handicaps. Click here for $60 worth of free picks from Raphael Esparza .

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