Report: Woods took pain medication day before crash

Golf Betting Lines

03/12/2010 - Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Tiger Woods' wife told police her husband had not been drinking, but had taken pain medication the day before his early- morning car accident outside their Isleworth home, according to paperwork obtained by the Orlando Sentinel.

Investigative records obtained by the newspaper from the Florida Highway Patrol paint a clearer picture of the moments following Woods' Nov. 27 car crash, which touched off allegations and then an admission that the golfer was unfaithful to his wife.

The paperwork, according to the Sentinel, says that Elin Woods was not allowed to ride in the ambulance with her husband because the crew believed it was a domestic violence case.

The newspaper reported that officials uncovered no evidence to support that domestic violence had occurred. Woods said during a statement last month that "there has never been an episode of domestic violence in our marriage, ever."

The golfer was unconscious and laying on the pavement after his black SUV struck a neighbor's tree, according to the records. Neighbors brought him a blanket and pillow and his wife brought him a pair of socks.

Elin Woods told officers that she heard the crash and jumped into a golf cart to find it. She said she broke the vehicle's rear window and pulled her husband free. The paper said a golf club was found near the driver's door.

Elin Woods retrieved two bottles of pain pills while she waited for the ambulance to arrive to take her husband to the hospital, according to the report. She told an officer that the golfer had not been drinking, but had taken the pain medication Vicodin earlier.

A Windermere police officer told troopers he didn't smell alcohol on Tiger Woods or in the golfer's black Cadillac Escalade, the report says.

The FHP later tried to obtain the golfer's medical records to determine if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. After several attempts to get them at the hospital, they were told by an Assistant State Attorney that there was insufficient evidence for a subpoena, the report says.

Also in the report obtained by the paper:

- A Windermere officer saw no blood on Tiger Woods' face or clothes, but there was a cut on his lower lip, which left his mouth bloody.

- A lawyer for the golfer said he would supply troopers with video from the Woodses' security system, but never did after he said he had problems operating it.

- Troopers who arrived later in the day to interview the golfer and his wife about the incident were told by Elin Woods that her husband was sleeping and could not be awakened.

- Officers found no evidence of domestic violence in or around the house and spotted no bruises or scratches on Elin Woods.

Woods has not played competitively since the accident for which he was ticketed for careless driving and paid a $164 fine. But reports about a possible return in the next month or so have fueled speculations of his imminent comeback.

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Best Horse Betting Online

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.