RSA: Bostons grinds out Irish victory as Rupert flops

Ridgedale makes Impact in Yarmouth sweepstake Eye Onthe Storm set for shock return to actionChampion Titan is off to a winning start in the ArcOwner Daren Johnson out to run himself raggedInjury a real threat to Jimmy Lollie careerRead Full News Service Search News Archive

CHAMPION CHASE: Sizing Europe storms to success

Ridgedale makes Impact in Yarmouth sweepstake Eye Onthe Storm set for shock return to actionChampion Titan is off to a winning start in the ArcOwner Daren Johnson out to run himself raggedInjury a real threat to Jimmy Lollie careerRead Full News Service Search News Archive

FRANCE: Eyquem banned after fracas with female rider

Ridgedale makes Impact in Yarmouth sweepstake Eye Onthe Storm set for shock return to actionChampion Titan is off to a winning start in the ArcOwner Daren Johnson out to run himself raggedInjury a real threat to Jimmy Lollie careerRead Full News Service Search News Archive

Betfair becomes latest member of TaxDodgers'R'Us

No great surprises here as the Betfair share price continued to slide, they needed to do something. Sources told me that a Gibraltar office was being fitted out several weeks ago in preparation for the move, which shocked nobody. Do Betfair deserve to be singled out for criticism in moving their betting operations (but very few of their staff) to Gibraltar? No, they're not the first grandmother-selling company to do it, but hopefully they'll be the last.

Word is that the DCMS are close to announcing new regulations for gambling operators targetting the UK - pay the full amount of tax (and hopefully levy) that a fully UK-based firm pays or you will not be allowed to advertise within the UK. In theory, this should raise questions re European law, but other countries such as France and Italy have managed it, so now is the time for the UK government to show their muscle (though hopefully not William Hague - he couldn't scare a kitten).

And after that, it wouldn't be such a bad idea to extend similar rulings to other industries....

Betfair joins UK offshore exodus

Betfair has become the latest operator to move offshore to escape the UK’s 15% gross profits tax and will save close to £20m a year, its chief executive announced during its third quarter results this morning.

As of tomorrow the newly floated betting exchange will operate under a Gibraltar gaming licence following in the footsteps of rivals Ladbrokes and William Hill, both of which have announced millions of pounds in cost savings since their departure from the UK two years ago.

Betfair CEO David Yu has made no secret of his desire to move more of Betfair’s operation offshore. In October the exchange opened a new Dublin office to house its data centre and telebetting operators. This was considered a warning to the UK government to take action over proposed tax increases including the horseracing levy which it today said it would continue to pay for the time being. The UK government has been reviewing the licensing system but has yet to announce any decision on reforms, however Betfair’s statement today could spark calls for reforms to the law.


The Betfair share price is up over 60p so far today. Ask not what you can do for your country, but how you can bleed it dry....Posted byScott Fergusonat13:25

so good..da-da.. so good..da-da..

I got you, do-do-doo....... sang the legendary James Brown.

England suffer deep embarrassment again. Not only losing to Bangladesh, but looking gone (traded at 10), taking quick wickets to trade 1.03, and then screwing it up! Great death bowling from James Anderson - from Cricinfo


Just to add to the tension it's batting Powerplay time. Fielders have to come in 33 needed from 30. Bangladesh have it all to do. Prayers from the crowd...45.1Anderson to Mahmudullah, 5 wides, ...are answered here! Heady stuff for the Bangladeshis as Anderson spears this down the leg side, off it went past Prior and skimmed away for five wides!45.1Anderson to Mahmudullah, 1 run, down the leg side again, Mahmudullah clips classily to deep square. What a better option he is than Ashraful45.2Anderson to Shafiul Islam, 1 run, push and go from Shafiul! Very smart, just sat back, dropped it to mid-off and hared down the other end. The single is greeted with jumping ovations from the crowd45.3Anderson to Mahmudullah, no run, meanwhile Mahmudullah looks like he's playing a Sunday park match, easing forward to defend to cover45.4Anderson to Mahmudullah, 1 wide, not there Anderson, not there! Slipped too far down the leg side again45.4Anderson to Mahmudullah, 1 wide, and another! What is going on? Pressure, pressure, pressure. What crazy things it produces45.4Anderson to Mahmudullah, no run, that's the place to bowl. On a length around off stump, Mahmudullah pops forward to defend45.5Anderson to Mahmudullah, 1 run, the magic of clear thinking and soft hands gets Mahmudullah a single, dropped to coverAnderson looks spent at the moment. Dragging himself back to his mark. Third man up...45.6Anderson to Shafiul Islam, 1 leg bye, ooh, the bowler is lucky to get away with this. Speared down leg again but Shafiul missed his clip and it thudded away off the padJust what you need from your no.1 strike bowler!

Win Tickets to the Cheltenham Festival 2011

Sun Special Cheltenham Offer

The ‘soaraway’ Sun are sponsoring one of the main stands at the Cheltenham Festival this year, dear reader, and Geegeez has teamed up with The Sun and offered me two tickets for each day of the Festival (next Tuesday 16th to next Friday 19th March).

As I’m already going on the Wednesday and have work commitments for you lovely people on the other three days, I’m offering YOU the chance to go to Chelters with a mate / spouse / random stranger one of the days next week.

Now then, first the wanton promotion of the Sun (always has been an estimable newspaper packed full of insighful editorial and wonderful images

Cheltenham Festival 2011: The Big Chances from The Big Stables

Posted by Matt Bisogno on March 9, 2011 · 9 Comments 

Our roving reporter gives you the low down on the chances of the Alan King, Paul Nicholls, Nicky Henderson and Nigel Twiston-Davies stables at Cheltenham

Laying Spring Profits System Review

Laying Spring Profits

Laying Spring Profits is a laying system for the months of March, April and May, which selects runners to lay in certain types of races. It is based on a set of criteria relating to a selection’s starting price in its last race and its performance in that race. It applies to races in Great Britain only. In March, it applies to NH racing only; in April and May, it applies to flat racing only.

There is a restricted odds range for Laying Spring Profits, outside of which you don’t bet. This prevents big losses on individual bets and also avoids laying long odds-on fancies.

The Laying Spring Profits system’s performance statistics are based on Betfair SP and the owners recommend placing your lay bet within 60 seconds of the off. They state that this is a recommendation, rather than a rule. In order to comply with the recommendation, it will be necessary to use a betting bot, unless your are available to place bets manually during racing hours.

Laying Spring Profits costs

Quinn flies in for debut win

In it to Quinn it: Jimmy Quinn

Workaholic jockey Jimmy Quinn recorded his first success at Meydan racecourse, Dubai, after steering Peter Chapple-Hyam’s Crying Lightening to success in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Stakes on Thursday afternoon.

After riding at Kempton on Wednesday night, Quinn had to dash to Birmingham airport and catch the night flight to the Emirates where he had little time to soak in the local sights as he went straight to the races.

The Best Cheltenham Festival Trends Analysis on the Planet

Cheltenham Festival Trends

If you’ve got any spare time over the weekend, dear reader, you may very well be spending it poring over the form for next week’s monster monster Cheltenham Festival 2011.

I’ve already started a couple of days ago, and I’m starting to formulate my ideas on the likely winners and best value outsiders. I actually have high hopes of winning next week at Cheltenham.

If you can’t readily say the same, then I’d strongly recommend you taking a look at Gavin Priestley’s excellent, fantastic, and otherwise different class Cheltenham Festival Trends manual (if you haven’t already).

Now in the interests of full disclosure, I should tell you that Gavin is my best friend, and that I am godfather (not in the  Don Corleone way!) to his son, Dylan. That’s not the reason I’m telling you about Festival Trends (or FT for short).

FT is, quite simply, the best researched, best laid out, most comprehensive race by race analysis available. And I use that phrase advisedly as I’ve seen all of them. I’ve got all of them.

For each race at Cheltenham, the layout is as follows:

- Race History
- Recent Trends
- Interesting trends facts
- How the top fancies fit the profile (easy to view grid)
- Breakdown of recent winners (last decade)
- Age, favourites, and pace analysis
- Breeding analysis
- Trainer analysis
- Key trials and a review of who did what in each
- The final ‘eliminator’ to leave a best trends selection and a ‘Nag Ratings’ top three or so

In total it amounts to around 130 pages when the elimination element is added in. And that’s another point about FT. It’s not a static document. Once you download all of the above info, there are updates each night before the next day’s racing, where Gavin adds his final thoughts, as well as his placepot perms for each day of the Festival.

And in the members’ area right now there’s also his ante-post four to follow. Bizarrely, and this is almost unheard of, I actually agree with him on three of them! Normally, when we agree on the same horses we’re not far wide of the mark. Like I say, it doesn’t happen very often…

The cost of Festival Trends is

Weekend Preview: Buckle up, it’s going to get hectic

Home Horse Racing Systems ReviewsBest Horse Racing SystemsAll By The Book System Review 2011Golden Geldings System ReviewHorse Betting SystemsRacing Winners ReviewFormat Racing System ReviewAll By The BookBookie AnnihilationHorse Racing Betting Systems: Would You Like to Work With Me?All Weather Backing System ReviewBetting System Scams: How To Beat The ScammersTrainer Trackstats 2010/2011 ReviewBetfair Winner System ReviewBetfair Killer System ReviewFull Year System ReviewThe Bookie DemolisherRacing Revelation ReviewRacing Trends ReviewSimply The Best ReviewSupreme Handicap ReviewFP System ReviewFive Year Consistency PlanRacing Investment Form’Horse Laying SystemsLittle Acorns Review 2010Dream LaysBetting MaximizerLowlay System ReviewRacing Secrets

Monday Round-Up: Bin Missing

Posted by rbirkett on March 14, 2011 · Leave a Comment 

Binocular has been sensationally withdrawn at the last confirmation stage from the Stan James Champion Hurdle, a race he was 3/1 favourite for.

Cheltenham Festival 2011: Day One, Tuesday Preview

Menorah wins the Supreme Novices. This time he goes for the Champion Hurdle itself.

It’s upon us, dear reader, the Cheltenham Festival 2011 is finally upon us. And if you’re anything like me, this is THE most exciting week in the sport with no exceptions. I love the Cheltenham Festival like no other sporting event, and I love a lot of sporting events!

The quality, the depth, the human and equine stories, the crowds, the colour, the pageantry, the Guinness, the craic, the Irish, the English (and the Scottish and the Welsh), the amateurs, the big stables, the little men (and women – they’re generally all quite small!)… all of it is fantastic.

And then there’s the small matter of the punting. Twenty-seven races make up the Cheltenham Festival, seven each on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday; six on Thursday. There’s a charity race too but I hope you’ll forgive me overlooking that one…

OK, so let’s get to it. We’ve a LOT to get through. Here’s my take on Tuesday’s races:

1.30 Supreme Novices Hurdle

The roar as the tapes go up for the first race is as raucous as any you’ll hear in horse racing, and the cheers at Cheltenham are echoed in pubs, clubs and living rooms up and down the country. It is truly a momentous moment, as the hounds (or, more correctly, the horses) are unleashed to dally with our punting hopes and fortunes.

Casting the ham-fisted poetics to one side and focusing on the numbers, the opener is a race where generally there’s one horse around which the verdict revolves. In 2009, it was Cousin Vinny, last year it was Dunguib, and this year it’s Cue Card.

But whereas the two Irish raiders were considered outstanding amongst their novice fraternity, Cue Card has tested his mettle against the best hurdlers full stop. His four and a bit length second to Menorah in a Grade 2 non-novice event stands head and shoulders above any other formline in the race, and a repeat of that would probably be good enough to win.

As such, if you fancy anything other than Cue Card then I’d advise betting with

Cheltenham Festival 2011: Day Two Wednesday Preview

Big Zeb bids to double up in the Champion Chase, having won it last year

Seven races gone, and twenty more to come, as we wade into Day Two of the 2011 Cheltenham Festival. I will be there today, cheering and hollering if I’m lucky enough to have anything that looks like it might win… and this is where my money will be going.

1.30 National Hunt Challenge Cup Chase

My views on amateur rider races are well known in the Geegeez community. In short, I don’t very much like them. In point of fact, I can’t generally stand them. But this is the Cheltenham Festival, and I must set aside my personal grievances with such contests and attempt to identify some value amidst the chaos that will undoubtedly ensue through the fully four miles and 25 fences that separate this hapless and hap-hazard bunch of novice horses and riders between the tapes going up and the majority of them coming down.

In fairness, about half will get round, many in their own time. But it is not a race where many punters will have identified their ‘Festival banker’, if such a thing even exists.

To thin out the field, let’s borrow some historical principles. Specifically, we need something that is mature enough, and has sufficient stamina (and at least hinted at it).

The market generally gets this race wrong, and the reason for that is because it’s not a race like the others that these will have previously contested. It’s four miles around Cheltenham. So if you can spot a plodder who needs further (I wish we’d entered Night Orbit in here – I really think he’d have had an outside chance) then you might have found the winner, assuming both horse and pilot can jump.

It’s also prudent to add that Jonjo O’Neill has saddled an incredible four of the last nine winners of the race, though none in the last three years. Two of the other trainers in the last few years to saddle the winner here were Nigel Twiston-Davies and Ferdy Murphy, both of whom excel with staying chasers. So look to the teams who do this best.

The ones I like are Aberdale, Pearlysteps, Some Target and Sona Sasta. I know that’s four but it’s a braver soul than me who goes to war in this race with less than a handful!

Aberdale is trained by Jonjo, is bred for and should improve for a trip, has won over three miles, and is generally a safe conveyance.

Pearlysteps is another who has looked better the further he’s gone. Indeed, his only chase win was when not out-plodded over 3m2f on soft ground. He bagged a 2m4f hurdle on good ground to hint at versatility in that regard, and is another with a chance.

If I’m going to side with an ‘obvious’ one in the race, it’s Some Target, who won over 3m4f in a Punchestown handicap chase. The going needs to be taken on trust, and it’s not actually a great race for the Irish, but Willie Mullins’ nag has decent enough prospects with the ‘clear round’ caveat.

Rounding out my quintet is David Pipe’s Sona Sasta. He stays, is two from two over fences including in a decent enough race at Newbury, and comes from a stable that have plenty of ammo to aim at a race like this. He also has the able assistance – in the context of this race – of Mr J J Codd, who has at least proven he can win at the Festival when grabbing the 2009 Kim Muir, another race for amateur riders.

Selection: Sona Sasta
Each Way: Pearlysteps, Aberdale, Some Target
Others shortlisted: Cannington Brook (non-runner)

2.05 Neptune Investment Management Novices’ Hurdle

A two mile five furlong novice hurdle won by some very good horses in recent years, including Peddlers Cross last term. We’re looking for an existing level of high class form in the book here, which helps to explain why nine of the last ten winners returned 12/1 or shorter. Even Massini’s Maguire, when winning at 20/1 had already finished second and third in grade 2 contests.

So discount anything without top form already. Alas for me, that excludes my ante-post punt in the race, So Young. I backed him at 14′s and he’s now as short as 10/3 favourite. On the bright side, Willie Mullins has trained two of the last three winners of the race, so he knows what it takes to go close here. Fiveforthree, the 2008 winner, also had a similar low profile build up to the race.

Of the more proven beasties, it’s hard to look beyond the flag-bearers for the British and Irish formbooks. Bobs Worth’s win in the race with the same name as this back in January here, where he powered past Rock On Ruby, Habbie Simpson, Backspin and the rest, was excellent. Surprisingly, he misses this race in favour of the Albert Bartlett.

Likewise, Oscars Well’s double Grade 1 wins are hard to crab in the context of his own back yard, but different ground and  opposition here will present a very different challenge. Nevertheless, he did the job with something in hand last time and could improve more than Bobs. If he handles the quicker ground, then he must be very tough to beat.

Selection: Oscars Well (So Young backed already)
Each Way: Habbie Simpson
Others shortlisted: Bobs Worth

2.40 RSA Chase

This is a race where in my opinion far too much has been made of Time For Rupert. He’s won two novice chases here over shorter trips, and he’s won them well enough. But the last of that pair was in early December and the form of neither race has worked out especially well.

Furthermore, it DEFINITELY doesn’t follow that a very good hurdler makes a very good chaser. If Mikael d’Haguenet is not a good enough example, then consider Big Buck’s himself, who only went hurdling in the first place because he was below top class as a chaser.

Two chase starts means Time For Rupert is inexperienced, and that could be costly here. No run since mid-December means that many of the horses here could have improved past him. Or at least one or two.

As you’ve probably gathered, I think that 9/4 is a poor price. I’m not saying Time For Rupert won’t win. He has plenty of class and could do no more than prevail in his two chasing runs. But in a race of this nature, where all of the last eleven winners had three or more chasing experiences under their belt, there is no margin for upside in a price around 2/1.

Looking at the rest of the field, demonstrated class is an imperative, as is consistent win or place form. My shortlist comprises five, some of whom don’t now run here. They are Jessies Dream, Magnanimity, Quito de la Roque, Wayward Prince, and Wishfull Thinking.

I’d taken a chance with Quito de la Roque, representing last year’s owner, The Gigginstown Stud (or Mr Ryanair if you prefer). He’d won his last two easily enough, both Grade 2 novice chases, and both of sodden turf. It was to be taken on trust that he could translate that form to a sounder surface but, although that is a hardy perennial that is proven to be bunk on numerous occasions every year at the Festival, connections felt the ground had gone against him so he’s scratched.

Nevertheless, as a general rule of thumb, the fact that a horse has done his winning on a soft surface when all his races have been on such going, doesn’t preclude it from actually improving for a faster track. That won’t be the case with my ante-post punt here, but there’s generally much more margin for forgiveness in a bookie quote of 20/1 than there is in one of 2/1 – about ten times as much!

Can anyone stop Barcelona in the Champions League?

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Last night was more than a football match. Arsenal received an education in how to keep the ball, and more importantly how to use it from Barcelona. The Spanish league leaders pulled Arsene Wenger’s men from side to side, and racked up 19 chances compared to Arsenal’s

Can Chelsea’s return to form reap benefits in Champions League?

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Premier League still wide open

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Recent results have thrown this season’s Premier League race wide open at both ends of the table. Whilst the recent downturn in fortunes of league leaders Manchester United have been dominating the back pages of our daily papers, there is also quite the relegation dogfight going on at the bottom, and for the first time in recent memory there are virtually no sets of fans who can relax as we enter the final quarter of the season.
The race for the Premier League title itself includes every team in the top four; the race for European qualification stretches down to arguably Everton in tenth. Meanwhile the relegation battle has had a number of usual suspects all season, but now includes all the teams in the bottom half with just eight points separating the teams between eleventh and twentieth. Now that most of the teams in the league have nine games left to play

English FA Cup – Birmingham v. Bolton Wanderers

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FA Cup Odds Make Manchester Clubs Favourites Ahead Of Quarter Finals

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The FA Cup Quarter Finals take place this weekend and there look to be some interesting ties, the highlight of which is no doubt the meeting of the current top two sides in the Premiership, Manchester United and Arsenal. That is not the only game to look forward to in Manchester, the only remaining Championship side left in the competition, Reading, take on Man City on Sunday.

The early kick off on Saturday sees Carling Cup winners Birmingham return to cup action against Bolton. Birmingham slipped into the bottom three last week but they have largely been solid at home, losing just over a quarter of their games at St Andrews. Bolton have struggled away from home in the league but seem to manage ok in the FA Cup, their last two wins in the competition have come on the road. This should be a very tight game and a draw might be the best call at around 23/10.

The evening game on Saturday is the game that is most likely to involve the winners of the competition. FA Cup favourites Man Utd, who are 12/5 to go all the way this year, play host to Arsenal who are rated at 7/2 with the bookies to win the FA Cup. If they can beat Man Utd they would surely become the favourites but that is a tough task at Old Trafford, where Man Utd have dropped just two points in the league all season. Despite two recent losses United are fancied to win the match at just over even money.

The first of the Sunday matches is Stoke versus West Ham and this looks possibly the most open of all the Quarter Finals. Stoke are generally very good at home but they have struggled for results recently, winning just once in six league matches. West Ham meanwhile are starting to pick up wins and with both sides looking to have good claims the draw is probably the best option at 12/5. The other Sunday game will see Man City take on Reading. City go into this game as strong favourites at just 2/5, Reading have proved themselves a tough team to beat in the competition but their great run is likely to come to an end.

For up to the second odds and tips on value bets, check out the football pages on Valuechecker.co.uk.

Terry still believing

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If Chelsea can come out of this season with any sort of silverware, then it would be nothing short of a miracle. After such a mixed bag of a season, to still be in with any chance of success shows just how crazy this campaign has been. For football betting advice the league has been completely unpredictable.

As the season enters its home-straight, Carlo Ancelotti’s men still have an outside chance of clinging on to their Premiership crown as well as finally ending their Champions League hoodoo.

Currently fourth, two points behind Manchester City and nine behind leader United, Chelsea will have been fortunate to the inconsistent form of the teams ahead of them to still have a chance this year but I still wouldn’t recommend in football betting picks. Next weekend’s crunch match against City will have a major say as to whether or not Chelsea can keep clinging onto the leader’s coat-tails.

As well as the league, Chelsea are also still battling it out in the Champions League, heavy favourites to reach the quarter-finals when they take on Copenhagen at Stamford Bridge this week. Skipper John Terry has made it clear that he still believes this season is far from decided and has vowed to fight until the death to ensure the season doesn’t go down as a complete failure.

English Premier League Soccer-Tottenham Hotspur v. West Ham United

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Saturday, March 19, 08:45 ET

It is mid-March and thus all the talk in the sports world revolves around the big tourney. You can begin Online March Madness Betting now as the games get set for Thursday. There are plenty other chances for Betting online with some sports nearing an end, while others begin. Spring training is underway, and so MLB betting is available to begin the season and it will continue daily with plenty on games on the slate. Meanwhile, professional basketball is nearing an end to the regular season, so stay on top of all the NBA Scores on a daily basis.

Meanwhile, another league over in England is nearing a dramatic conclusion. The English Premiership has a quarter of the season left, and after taking a break last week for tournament play, Premier League games are back on the slate. Tottenham Hotspur looks to regain the fourth position from Chelsea as they host lowly West Ham United.

Spurs are comfortably in fifth, six points ahead of Liverpool with a game in hand, but they have much higher aspirations. They have been battling Chelsea over the last few weeks, with the Blues now in fourth with 51 points, three more than Tottenham.

They have been passed by Chelsea due to a tough stretch of road games where they picked up four points in three games. A victory over Sunderland was followed by a loss to Blackpool and a draw against Wolverhampton. Last week they played to a hard fought scoreless draw in the Champions League against Milan. Now they must return their focus to the Premiership where they have not won in over a month.

They return to White Hart Lane where they have dropped only one Premier League game all season. West Ham meanwhile, have seven wins total on the season, and only two on the road. If Tottenham are to be considered among the best in the league, they must dispose of the bottom feeders of the league when they are playing at home.

A draw would be a big upset for West Ham, and would be quite helpful in their quest ot avoid relegation. They sit in the drop zone currently with 31 points. They are third last, and their point total is the same as Birmingham, who is at the moment out of the drop zone with one fewer game played.

Still, West Ham has played well of late in the Premiership. They are on a two-match winning streak, having best Stoke City 3-0 and Liverpool 3-0, both at home. In fact, in their past six Premiership matches, the Hammers have won three, drawn two, and only lost one. Even in the loss, the Hammers played well, and were downed by an injury time goal that broke a late tie. Despite the shutout in that match, West Ham have scored 14 goals in that six game stretch, and in four games they netted three goals.

Betting lines: Tottenham are the much superior team, and playing at home they are the big favourites. Still, there is something to be said about the Hammers recent play, and their ability to score goals. If Spurs defense falters, this game could get high scoring and play to the advantage of West Ham. Look for them to play more inspired, and earn the upset draw.

Gunners turn back to Lehman

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It is looking increasingly likely that Jens Lehman could be set for a sensational return to Arsenal, nearly a year after he hung up his gloves and retired from the game. The German was due to spend the next few weeks at the club working on his coaching badges, although Lehman could be asked to go a bit further and resign for the club on a short-term deal.

The drastic measure has been forced upon Arsene Wenger following injuries to three of his goalkeepers, Wojciech Szczesny, Lukasz Fabianski and Vito Mannone all currently unavailable with injury, so not featured in football betting picks. The lack of keepers has left Manuel Almunia as the club’s only fit senior stopper available. The Spaniard has been in inspired form since returning to the first-team but any problem with Almunia would leave Wenger donning the gloves himself unless he can bring in a short-term measure.

41-year old Lehman spent five years at the club before returning to Germany with Stuttgart in 2008. Despite retiring last year, it is understood that Lehman would be happy to help out his old club in their time of need and a deal could be struck in time for the former German international to take his place on the bench in next weekend’s trip to West Brom.

Edwin van der Saar and David James have both shown that age is but a number when it comes to goalkeeping and raise the stakes in soccer betting odds but Lehman’s return isn’t going to be the answer to the club’s continued problems between the sticks. This summer, Wenger needs to finally decide if one of the keepers currently at the club is capable of doing the job as the team’s number one, or whether he finally needs to go out and splash the cash on a goalkeeper capable of taking this team to the next level.

Albrighten shines despite Villa’s gloom

Gubbins’, Aston Villa have had a silver lining though, with emergence of exciting winger Marc Albrighten that has helped soccer betting odds for betting on the team. The 21-year old has been one of his team’s stand-out players in this gloomy campaign. While the club currently sit 13th in the league, they are still in real danger of being dragged into a relegation battle, only two points ahead of 18th placed West Ham.

The England Under-21 winger has put in a number of bright displays on the flank for Villa and the future looks exceptionally bright, the highlight being his goal against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Albrighten has made it clear that Villa’s season has been way below par and not the normal for betting tips but admitted that it has been a successful campaign on a personal level.

Stoke told to focus on league struggles

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Stoke manager Tony Pulis has made it clear that his side needs to forget their exciting FA Cup run and refocus on their league campaign. The Potters booked a place in the semi-finals

Sybarite Tipped For Future Stardom

The dictionary defines a sybarite as “a person devoted to luxury and pleasure”, and if trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies is to be believed then his horse of the same name could well provide plenty of cash for the luxuries of your choice in years to come as the Naunton handler insists that the five-year-old could be his next ‘Imperial Commander’, writes Elliot Slater.

Twiston-Davies was speaking to the racing media as he opened up his yard to the ‘hacks’ and offered his opinions about his strong team for the forthcoming Cheltenham Festival which begins on March 15. When asked to nominate one horse in the yard that might carry on where Imperial Commander (last season’s Cheltenham Gold Cup winner) leaves off, Twiston-Davies nominated Sybarite as potentially his next superstar. Anyone with Cheltenham free bets to place may want to take note of his words.

Although he has won only one of his four career starts to date and has yet to get his head in front over hurdles, the five-year-old has already shown good form and is an intended runner in the three-mile Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle on the final day of the fixture. After landing an Uttoxeter bumper on his racecourse bow the Dark Moondancer gelding ran a good race to be third under his penalty in a Cheltenham bumper before contesting a Grade 2 contest on his hurdles bow, running a fine race to be second the very useful Champion Court over two-miles-five furlongs back at Cheltenham.

Beaten a length by Chablais, (another potentially useful performer) at Kempton last time on a track that probably didn’t play to his stamina strengths, Sybarite showed enough to suggest that a strongly run three-miles back at Cheltenham would be very much up his street and Twiston-Davies is anticipating a bold show from a horse he believes will really come into his own when he eventually jumps fences.

Sybarite is generally on offer at 20/1 in the ante-post market for the Albert Bartlett Novices Hurdle.

Tags: Imperial Commander, nigel twiston davies, sybarite horseShare

Solwhit Out Of Cheltenham Festival

As the Cheltenham Festival approaches there will be a large number of ante-post punters waiting to see whether their selections actually make it to race day or not.

The professional gamblers looking at cheltenham best bets and tips will have a large portfolio of carefully selected bets but many armchair punters will have only backed a handful of their favourite horses and they are the worst effected when horses are withdrawn before racing.

One horse that will probably have appealed to both sets of punters would have been Solwhit and his withdrawal from the Ladbrokes World Hurdle will almost certainly have an impact.

The popular Charles Byrnes-trained seven-year-old was as short as 12/1 for the race and had gained some followers with three runner-up finishes behind the well-liked Hurricane Fly.

These solid performances supported the form line from a good sixth place in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham last year and encouraged some strong early support from the more adventurous backers.

Unfortunately, Byrnes reported that the horse was not working well at home and the decision has been made not to run at the annual renewal.

In addition, connections have decided not to target a run in the Aintree Hurdle and instead the horse will be schooled over fences with a view to a new career over fences from the Autumn.

The withdrawal will be a blow for some but most ante-post backers will take the rough with the smooth and the huge odds on offer in these markets can eclipse these occasional disappointments.

Tags: cheltenham festival, cheltenham news, solwhit horseShare

Quito Misses RSA For National Hunt Chase

Quito De La Roque, as short as 14/1 with some firms for the Grade 1 RSA Chase at the forthcoming Cheltenham Festival, will instead tackle the four-mile National Hunt Chase, the opening event on day two of what promises to be a spectacular four days at Prestbury Park next week, writes Elliot Slater.

Trainer Colm Murphy has taken his time in reaching a decision as to which races offers the best chance for his up-and-coming novice, and after giving it much thought has decided to forego the opportunity to take on the cream of the three-mile novice chasers with the seven-year-old winner of his two most recent outings, both in Grade 2 company.

Murphy has few doubts that the Saint Des Saints gelding has the required stamina to see out the extended trip in a race restricted to amateur riders, and granted some cut in the ground looks sure to go into the race with seriously good prospects of at least making the frame. Bookmakers are clearly having difficulties assessing just how the seven-year-old’s form measures up to his rivals, with one firm making him 6/1 joint-favourite in the Cheltenham odds, with others go as big as 12/1 about his chances.

With the first five in the ante-post betting for the race all trained in Ireland it’s looking as though the home team (led potentially by Beshabar and possibly Wayward Prince), will have a serious fight on their hands stopping the Irish from winning the prize for the first time since Ian Duncan’s Another Rum scored in 2005.

Quito De La Roque’s only defeat in four starts this term came when narrowly beaten in the Grade 1 Fort Leney Novices Chase at Leopardstown’s Christmas fixture, form that is arguably better than anything else entered for the prestigious staying contest.

Meanwhile, after the Cheltenham Festival is over, racing fans will have the Grand National 2011 to look forward to.

Currently, The Midnight Club is favourite, but with seven horses just behind him as co-favourites it looks set to be a tight contest.

Tags: cheltenham news, quito de la roque horse, RSA chase, rsa chase runnersShare

Easter Hero, Looking Back At The Gold Cup

Easter Hero was the first horse to win the Gold Cup two years consecutively and one of the greatest Irish chasers to run in the National without winning. Bred in Ireland in 1920 by great jumping sire My Prince out of half-bred mare Easter Week, the horse spent his early career in the country of his origins with owner Frank Barbour of Belfast.

He won the 1926 Molyneaux Chase in Liverpool and the 1927 Becher Chase and after six successive wins was bought for the incredible price of

Irish Poker Open 2011

The financial newspapers would have you believe that the Irish don’t have two Euro’s to rub together.

Whilst a few of Ireland’s property developers maybe down to their last Champagne Mojito, Ireland’s Poker players are looking forward to the big money game in Dublin. Why not join them in Europe’s longest running Texas Hold’em tournament?

The Irish Poker Open is the longest running No Limit Texas Hold ‘em poker tournament in Europe and second longest in the world after the World Series of Poker, Las Vegas.

First organized in 1981 by Terry Rogers, a well known Irish bookmaker, the tournament has experienced tremendous growth over the years. Well known for the electric atmosphere and character like no other, this poker festival is now a firm fixture on the international poker calendar and a ‘must attend’ for many of the top poker players in the world. The paddypowerpoker.com Irish Open 2011 will take place from 22

Is It Worth Following Amateurs At Cheltenham?

The Corinthian spirit is part of the fabric of the Cheltenham Festival and with three races of their own at Prestbury Park in March they have a wonderful backdrop to display their talents.

There are many well-known amateur riders

Super Sub Thornton Gets Somersby Ride

Henrietta Knight has been in the news this week with her announcement that she was considering switching her stable star Somersby from his long intended target the Queen Mother Champion Chase to the Ryanair Chase instead.

The Gold Cup winning trainer has now shelved that switch and has reverted back to her original plan to run in the Championship two-mile event and relieved punters who had backed the horse in the ante-post lists will be breathing a sigh of relief.

However Knight did have another surprise up her sleeve, she has now decided that her stable jockey, Hadden Frost does not have enough experience of big races to take the ride at Cheltenham and instead Robert Thornton will be in the plate, a move that is bound to ruffle some feathers and anyone who has placed Cheltenham 2011 bets on the horse will have been taken aback by the decision.

Thornton did ride the seven-year-old twice last season, those rides included the Arkle chase at last years Festival where the pair finished as runner-up to Sizing Europe and those looking at the Cheltenham betting offers shouldn’t necessarily see the move as a bad one.

The move is a shade harsh on Frost, who has forged a good relationship with the gelding this year, but Robert Thornton is a class jockey who has a great record at Cheltenham and he will not harm the chances of Somersby.

Tags: cheltenham betting, cheltenham festival 2011, henrietta knight trainer, robert thornton jockey, somersby horseShare

Paddy Power Refund On Ireland

Paddy Power Bookmakers have controversially decided to refund all bets put on Ireland to beat Wales in last weekends Six Nations Rugby game – controversial of course, only if you’re reading WalesOnline, not so much if you happen to be a poor Irish punter who genuinely hoped that Ireland might get off their backside and attempt to play a decent game!

In yet another hair-pulling, screaming-at-the-tv, swearing like a sailor (if you’re Irish), game on Sunday, Ireland looked about as useful as sieve in a sinking boat and despite getting themselves ahead and potentially even winning the game, the powers that be in the IRFU decided, once again, to take off O’Gara and replace him with the ever appallingly bad Johnny Sexton and therein lies the downfall of the team.

Now that isn’t to say that Wales weren’t up for the challenge but they were beatable and a very iffy quick line-out from Philips led to the winning try, about which, much debate still continues and it is for that reason that paddy Power Bookmakers decided on the refund!

Quoting from their site “the reasons why Ireland lost matter not a jot to you as we’re refunding on Ireland to win the match. That’s right

Is It Time For Rupert?

Day two at the Cheltenham Festival 2011 and one of the two big races of the day is the RSA Chase at 14.40. Time For Rupert is the front runner with the bookmakers but with only two favourites taking the glory on Day 1, yesterday, is Time For Rupert the shoe-in that everybody would have us believe?

The Paul Webber trained seven-year-old is tipped to win today at odds of about 5/2 and there’s a good reason. He absolutely LOVES Cheltenham. His last five outings have all been there and resulted in three wins and two seconds, all under Will Kennedy who will be riding him again today.

However, he is going to be pushed to his limit by Aiteen Thirtythree, the Paul Nicholls trained, Irish seven-year-old who has an impeccable record of seven places from seven races – four wins, two seconds and a third and with odds of 7/1 he’s just about a good price for an each-way and many will say he could even win it today.

But after yesterday’s incredible three from three for Ruby Walsh would you really bet against him today? He rides Mikael Dhaguenet and can still be gotten for 8/1. He’s also a Willie Mullins horse so expect plenty of Irish bets which may shorten his odds!

Tags: cheltenham, cheltenham tips 2011, cheltenham tips day 2, time for rupert horseShare

Cheltenham Going Wednesday

It’s Day two of the Cheltenham Festival 2011 and with seven races on the card this is going to be another fantastic day for British and Irish racing.

The two big races today are the RSA Chase and the Queen Mother Chase and all eyes will be on Ruby Walsh today as his odds for Top Rider of the festival have been slashed to 2/7 after his fantastic day, yesterday. But so much depends on the going…

And, according to the clerk of the course, Simon Claisse, day two of Cheltenham may ride marginally quicker than the opening day of the festival. Claisse on Wednesday morning reported the going unchanged at good, good to soft in places after the course received only light rain overnight.

“We had a light bit of rain overnight but not appreciable enough to measure. It may be marginally quicker but essentially it will be much like yesterday,” said Claisse. He added: “I was pleasantly surprised by how much moisture was retained on Tuesday and I’ve been delighted with the feedback from trainers and jockeys.”

CHELTENHAM
GOING: Good (Good to soft in places; Watered up to Monday; GoingStick: 7.7)
WEATHER: Cloudy Wednesday/ Thursday with some rain Thursday night into Friday morning

Tags: cheltenham 2011, cheltenham going day 2, cheltenham going report, cheltenham newsShare

Big Ten Conference Tournament Preview

By Robert Ferringo

The Big Ten Tournament begins Thursday, March 10 in Indianapolis. Here is Doc’s Sports Big Ten Tournament preview and predictions, with odds courtesy of BetUs.com:

The Favorite: Ohio State (-150)
The Buckeyes are the class of the conference and right now they would be the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. I don’t think that their No. 1 seed would be in jeopardy if they didn’t win this tournament but I think that they understand that having momentum this time of year

NBA – Houston Rockets outplay the Sacramento Kings

Chase Budinger scored 20 points and Kyle Lowry had 19 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Houston Rockets took a 123-101 win Monday night against the Sacramento Kings.

That was enough for Rick Adelman, the head coach of the Houston Rockets, to win his 935th game in the NBA, tying him with Dick Motta for 10th on the NBA’s career victories. To get this into the right perspective you might have to consider that among the top 10 in that list, only Phil Jackson (with great runs with the Chicago Bulls and the LA Lakers) and Red Auerbach, (who made his best run with the Celtics in the 50’s and 60’s) hold better winning percentages then him.

Now, besides being a significant win for Adelman, it was an important confident booster for the Houston Rockets. With a 33-32 regular season, the Rocket’s haven’t been at their finest, and yet, they sure enough are trying to turn the season around. Houston has won two straight games, seven of the last eight, and moved over the .500 mark for the first time all season in this valid and desperate run for a playoff berth.

The Sacramento Kings are on the other side of the spectrum. At 15-46 for the regular season and 8-24 on home games, the Kings are in a serious need of a lift off. There is really nothing this crew can do this season to get into the playoffs, but things could certainly get brighter next year.

For starters, DeMarcus Cousins had 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Kings. For instance, there are many who believe that Cousins could really turn out to be one heck of the player. He has the all the talent you could wish for, but there are still many issues concerning his maturity and his concentration that could keep him from exploiting all his potential.

DeMarcus Cousins has had a brilliant start in March, completing his third double-double in as many games. Still, that was not enough to keep the Sacramento Kings from losing their third straight and fifth in six games.

It was certainly not a bomb-proof second half for Cousins. This doesn’t mean he had a bad game, au contraire; he dominated the paint offensively in the opening half when he scored 20 points. But then it all went south. The rookie center missed all five second-half shots, had zero points, and left the game in the fourth quarter after taking a hard hit. He didn’t come back but in the press conference team officials said that the injury was minor. Marcus Thornton had 16 points, Beno Udrih added 15, and Francisco Garcia scored 11 for the Kings.

For the Rockets, Courtney Lee scored 19 points and Martin had 15 for the Rockets, who shot 53 percent. Lowry scored 11 points and Luis Scola had 10 for the Rockets, who used a 36-28 second quarter to go into the half with a 65-58 lead.

The Houston Rockets will now have to face the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday before hosting quite an important and difficult game against the best team in the league, the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. On the other hand, the Sacramento Kings will play the Orlando Magic on Wednesday and then also face the Spurs on Friday on a very difficult on-the-road game.

NBA – Blazers stun the Heat for their 7th straight win on the road

The Portland Trail Blazers are really working their way into clinching an NBA Playoffs berth. After this impressive run on the road the Blazers have left behind some of the strongest teams in the east coast, in what could easily be described as a late-season revival. Before this 7-game streak, the Trail Blazers had only won 7 of its 23 games played away from home. So yes, Portland is showing us its fiercest side and with this 105-96 win at South Beach the squad just gave another boost to the spiral downfall of the Miami Heat.

We have to be clear with this: things are once again getting ugly for the Miami Heat. First, head coach Erik Spoelstra said that some of his players had been shredding tears in the locker room after the team suffered a big loss against the Chicago Bulls. That even sparked up the rivalry between the Heat and the LA Lakers, when head coach Phil Jackson said in an interview that the NBA was for the big boys, and if there was going to be any crying, it shouldn’t be done in the locker room but in the toilet, where no one could see you.

Yes, it was a bit of a low-punch coming from Jackson and the Lakers, but they sort of had it coming. One way or another, this is also some sort of psychological blow against the Heat, who will face the Lakers on a heart-stopping game on Thursday.

LaMarcus Aldridge scored 26 points and Gerald Wallace scored 22, with 9 boards and 2 steals, bringing in his best game since he joined the Blazers last month. The Heat went on to put one heck of an effort via Dwight Wade, who scored 38 points, 6 boards, 5 assists and 2 blocks but the Blazers kept their cool and managed to survive the game. Wallace and company sent Miami to its fifth straight loss overall and sixth in eight games since the All-Star break.

LeBron James finished with 31 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for the Miami Heat, who keeps braking records, although this are not some to be too proud of breaking. For starters consider that the Heat are the 12th team in NBA history to have a 12-game winning streak followed by a five-game losing streak in the same season. And they could even keep on climbing on that infamous list as Miami will have to face the NBA defending Champions, the LA Lakers on Thursday.

The Blazers’ bench outscored Miami’s 41-8. Yes, know the Miami Heat fans are the one’s crying after the game. Yes, the Heat is got Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade, but they had to build a team from scraps after they invested three fourths of their budget on these three guys. On the other hand, we have to be clear about Portland’s bench: Wallace and Roy are not exactly ordinary bench players, having a combined 749 starts in 902 career appearances.

But still, Miami’s bench has been struggling of late anyway, and they are really going to have to bring on their A-game if they hope to turn this rout the other way around with a big win (a very needed win) against the Lakers Thursday night. Yes, we are aware of the fact that the Heat could lose all of its pending games and still make it to the Playoffs. But let’s get real with this: such an entrance into the Playoffs would be an utter disappointment. 

NBA – Boston Celtics stays strong at the end of the season

Doc Rivers, the head coach of the Boston Celtics, is well aware of the fact that he has one of the most experienced squads in the NBA. He is also quite familiar with the downside of such an extensive experience in the professional circuit: his players are old. And yet, he has managed to find a good balance overall and the Celtics at 46-15 for the season, and 19-10 at home still stands strong this late of the season. But not without a couple inconveniences that the squad has managed to overcome brilliantly.

For starters, on Sunday at their visit to the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, the Boston Celtics came out to the field with only nine players on uniform. Still, relying heavily on the experienced (and aged) Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, the Celtics beat the Milwaukee Bucks 89-83.

Paul Pierce scored 23 points, recorded 5 boards, 4 assists and 1 steal and 1 block while Kevin Garnett added 14 points and 11 rebounds and Ray Allen was the man in charge of hitting the go-ahead jumper for the Celtics. But it really was all about the defense. The Celtics were capable of holding back the Bucks and keeping them from scoring a single field goal in the last three and a half minutes of game time. Boston has managed to win its fifth consecutive game and is still atop of the Eastern Conference, three games over the Chicago Bulls and 4 over the Miami Heat that has recently been stuck in a series of unhappy endings, dropping way too many games. Just for the record: Miami just recently lost its 5th straight game and sixth in eight games since the All-Star break.

Boston got 17 points from Nenad Krstic and 11 points from Jeff Green, two of the Celtics’ five new players acquired in the last 10 days. Because let’s face it, Doc Rivers is certainly going to need more than 9 players available if he wants to survive the Playoffs and once again take a shot at the NBA National Championship.

Brandon Jennings scored 23 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists and 3 steals while leading the Milwaukee Bucks to yet another disappointment at home. The Milwaukee Bucks have lost 12 of the last 16 games they played and holding a 23-38 season they are far from turning this season into something even close to a success.

Boston has many injury problems that they need to deal with soon. The injury list includes the likes of Jermaine O’Neal (left knee), Shaquille O’Neal (right heel), Delonte West (right ankle), Glen Davis (left knee) and Von Wafer (right calf). In an attempt to bring in some additional backup, the Celtics signed guard Carlos Arroyo on Sunday, but he will not be joining the team unitl Monday. Nenad Krstic, who scored 11 points against the Milwaukee Bucks, was acquired on Feb. 24 at the trading deadline along with Jeff Green for Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson.

The Celtics will play the LA Clippers in a matter of hours before hitting the road on Friday for their game against the Philadelphia 76ers. As of press time, the Celtics are a 9.5 point favorite on the NBA betting spread against the Clippers for tonight.

NBA – The Chicago Bulls crush the Atlanta Hawks

Derrick Rose keeps proving he is MVP material, this time leading the Chicago Bulls to a 94-76 crush of the Atlanta Hawks. Rose had a slow start, and it took a while to get his engine going, but once all the pieces began to fit in, he was unstoppable.  The talented point guard guided the Bulls with 34 points, 6 rebound and 5 assists for Chicago’s tenth consecutive win at home and 12th win in 14 games.

The Bulls are not really fighting to catch up with the Boston Celtics in the Easter Conference; Chicago has bigger expectations for their own team. What happens is that it is starting to seem as if at the end of the regular season, when the veteran-drived Boston Celtics are starting to drop their pace and lose too many games, the Bulls are getting stronger by the hour.

The Bulls didn’t seem to miss Carlos Boozer too much that night, as the talented player sat down for the whole game with a sprained left ankle. The key to the Bulls’ success in this game: the third quarter. By halftime, the Atlanta Hawks had managed to stay strong and where down only by two points. But Rose was just about to put on his one-man show and with 18 points alone in that quarter, drive the Bulls into a 24-10 run and extend the difference to 72-60.

Loul Deng had 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, to keep on contributing to the Bulls. Joe Johnson led the Hawks with 16 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists. Josh Smith added 15 and Jamal Crawford scored 14 for Atlanta, which went cold in the third – its lowest scoring quarter this season – and remained winless since beating Chicago at home last week.

It seems it was payback time for the Bulls.

NBA – Philadelphia 76ers stun the Boston Celtics

Once again the Boston Celtics hit the headlines of our sports betting blog. The Celtics are starting to show signs of slowing down in the final stretch of the final season. The Philadelphia 76ers brought on a great game and guided by Elton Brand scored 14 points, while Spencer Hawes had 14 points and 10 rebounds to help the Sixers beat the Boston Celtics 89-86.

It really wasn’t much of a fight from the start. The Sixers held a 10-point advantage for most of the fourth quarter and they were certainly helped out by the Boston Celtics. They missed eight straight baskets over a 6-minute span late in the fourth quarter to hand in the win to Philadelphia. The Boston Celtics lost in this manner their eighth conference game of the season.

Looking for a quick review of how it all went down in the fourth quarter, well here it is: Lou Williams’ jumper just before the game hit the 5-minute mark put the Sixers ahead 83-81. And Boston never got ahead of them again. Jodie Meeks made two free throws after he was fouled hard by Paul Pierce on a fast break attempt and the Sixers were able to pull off one of their best wins of the season.

It was certainly a bad night for the Big Three. Either that or they were just not trying too hard. Truth is, the Celtics have already secured a berth in the NBA Playoffs and these three guys aren’t getting any younger, so not pushing it too hard on meaningless games could easily be part of a larger, long-term plan. Anyhow, these are their numbers: Garnett scored 14 points, Paul Pierce had 11 and Ray Allen finished with five. Jeff Green led Boston with 18 points. Extra kudos go to backup Nenad Krstic who had 16 points and 15 rebounds for the Celtics.

NCAA – Duke defeats UNC for ACC Tournament

Only a week ago, the North Carolina Tar Heels went on to defeat the Duke Blue Devils in one thrilling, winner-takes-all game for the Atlantic Coast Conference outright regular season title. The Tar Heels made it look all too easy. But perhaps the Tar Heels took just too many chances against a very solid and well paced team.

This time around, the roles were going to change and the Blue Devils would show no mercy against the Tar Heels. The second-seeded Duke Blue Devils were up by 18 points by halftime, and truth be said, they never let the Tar Heels get even close in the second half. The Tar Heels had managed to rally their way out of a mess in the last three games of the tournament, but not against head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his brilliant Blue Devils.

Seniors Nolan Smith and Kyle Singer from Duke had a flawless performance at Greensboro, North Carolina. The two seniors who led the 5th seeded Blue Devils to the National Championship brought on their A-game and clearly overpowered the Tar Heels, not only to win the ACC Tournament but also to do it while crushing their biggest rival. Nolan Smith had 20 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists and Kyle Singer had 11 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assist for the 75-58 win over North Carolina, securing Duke’s record-breaking 19th ACC Tournament Title.

The Blue Devils have now won their third straight ACC Tournament and 10th in the last 13 years, proving that Coach K. and the guys from Duke take this tournament just as seriously as they take the NCAA Tourney.

North Carolina’s fans were hoping that once again the Tar Heels would put together one of those amazing come-from-behind wins that had kept them alive in this year’s tournament. Check it out: North Carolina had rallied from a 19-point deficit in the final 10 minutes to beat Miami on a last-play layup in the quarterfinals. On their next game the Tar Heels rallied from 14 down to force the game into overtime and beat Clemson in the semifinals. This time, the Blue Devils were going to stop North Carolina on its feet, as the Tar Heels got no closer than nine after halftime.

Seth Curry had 20 points last week when the Tar Heels beat Duke. This time around Curry only had 11, including a 3-pointer after the Tar Heels had pulled to within nine. John Henson was the strongest Tar Heel of the night with 10 points, 18 rebounds and 2 assists. As for the rest of North Carolina’s squad, Harrison Barnes had a very hard picking up his tempo despite scoring a tournament freshman record 40 points on his previous game. Barnes finished the game with 16 points and Tyler Zeller had 14 but to be fair, we must say that North Carolina shot 34 percent (against 50 percent from Duke) and never looked like the team that had managed to win 19 of their last 21 games.

The Duke Blue Devils still lost their race for the top seed in the NCAA Tournament to the Ohio State Buckeyes. The Blue Devils are now seeded No.3 for the March Madness Tourney, following the Kansas Jayhawks who is second and just in front of Notre Dame, which is 4th.

NCAA – NCAA Selection Committee Announces its 68-team draw

It’s always a mess, and it has always been controversial. Every year, the NCAA Selection Committee has to decide who makes it into the NCAA Tournament and who has to conform itself with playing for the NIT and for other minor college basketball postseason tournaments. The funny thing is that as of press time, and perhaps for the next couple of years, it will still be evident that the Committee has yet to come up with a systematic and less biased approach for choosing which teams make it, and which teams don’t.

There are three more teams in this year’s edition of March Madness. That should had made things a bit easier for the Selection Committee (SC from now on), but as soon as the list of the 68 teams was posted on Sunday, it was evident that once again, it seemed as if they had messed it up. As per usual, the Big East would take again most of the spots in the opening bracket. And yet for a record-breaking figure, this edition will have 11 teams from the Big East, including Pittsburgh, who has been given the No.1 seed in the Southeast despite not winning a single game in the conference tourney.

The Ohio State Buckeyes which finished the season with a 32-2 record coming from the Big Ten were picked as the top seed overall. The Kansas Jayhawks with a 32-2 season and a brilliant performance at the Big 12 was seeded second. The defending champions, the Duke Blue Devils squeezed by another Big East team to clinch the third seed while Notre Dame was the fourth and final top seed. Led by one of the country’s best guards, Nolan Smith, the Blue Devils (30-4) not only defeated their conference archrival, the UNC Tar Heels for the ACC postseason tournament, they are also trying to become the first team since Florida in 2006-07 to repeat as national champions.

Now, let’s take a look at the controversial teams that either managed to get invited to the big dance, or that somehow were left out without much of a logical explanation. Unless, of course, you consider that the argument

NCAA Basketball – Barack Obama makes his picks for the Presidential Bracket

This time around, President Barack Obama didn’t take that many chances and even though he is the most renowned advocate of change and the change we can believe in, he certainly goes for the safe route when taking on the NCAA Bracket. This time around President Obama is not taking too many risks as he had chosen the 4 top seeded teams to waltz their way pass the Sweet 16 dance and overpower their rivals in the Elite Eight and straight into the Final Four.

The US President says that the Duke Blue Devils, the Kansas Jayhawks, the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Pittsburgh Panthers are all expected to not only follow what the Selection Committee said where the favorite teams but also what the sportsbook-world handicappers are saying would be the strongest teams of the bracket.

Once again, Obama went for the Kansas Jayhawks to be win the Big Game. Obama’s national Champion would face the Ohio State Buckeyes, the No. 1 overall seed of the 68-team tournament, on the final. Barack Obama holds a 1-1 record when it comes to picking the National Championship. He was right on in 2009 when he went with the North Carolina Tar Heels for to win it. Last year, he wasn’t that accurate, as he picked the Jayhawks. They were a bit of a disappointment and it was the Duke Blue Devils guided by Coach K. who would go on to win the NCAA Tournament.

This year again, Obama is holding strong to the Jayhawks and putting his faith on the Morris brothers. According to Barack Obama those two could guide Kansas into great things. In his own words, those twins have depth and experience. One thing is for certain, Obama might be one of holds one of the most privileged and complicated offices in the world, but he seems to still find time to know who is who in college basketball.

NCAA Tournament – Clemson crushes UAB in the First Four

We all knew it. Ok, no, let me rephrase that. Apparently we all knew it except for the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee: UAB had neither record nor merit to be in the NCAA Tournament. And sure enough, even though they had to play the Clemson Tigers, who on their own are not exactly on the firmest ground when it comes to receiving a berth for the NCAA Tournament, it was more than evident that they had no business been there. You can make your case for your favorite, but Colorado and Virginia Tech had certainly more reasons to be in the Big Tournament, and perhaps teams like UAB and Georgia should had stayed in the NIT.

Sure enough Clemson didn’t have much trouble sending UAB back to Birmingham and for an early vacation. The Tigers went for a 21-2 run in the first half and never looked back. It was a good win not only for the Tigers but for the UAB detractors. Perhaps what matters most is that Clemson has justly won its first tournament game since 1997. And maybe, and only maybe, they did so not just because they were playing UAB. We’ll have to wait a bit more on that one, and see what the Tigers can put together at Tampa against West Virginia University.  

The Tigers ended their season strong, beating (and perhaps pushing out of NCAA Tournament) Virginia Tech and then wiping out Boston College by 23 points in their first ACC tournament game. That was certainly a very important win when it came to impressing the Committee. Even more, Clemson led North Carolina by 10 at halftime before the Tar Heels put on one heck of a comeback and beat the Tigers in overtime for the ACC’s Tournament semis.

Jerai Grant had a career-best 22 points and 7 rebounds for the Tigers helping Clemson break out of an ACC record five game losing streak in the NCAA tournament. The 18-point victory was the largest winning margin in any of Clemson’s tournament games.

NCAA Tournament- UNC-Asheville defeats AR-Little Rock in overtime

by Stephen Lars on Mar.16, 2011, under Basketball, Sports News

The first game of the First Four went to overtime and despite not having the thrill of a Final Four game it certainly had moments of sheer March Madness. UNC-Asheville’s top player, Matt Dickey had a tournament-worthy performance to guide the Bulldogs into an 81-77 win in overtime with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.

Dickey was in charge of putting in together one heck of a comeback late in the second quarter. The Bulldogs had been ahead in the scoreboard for only 52 seconds before Dickey put himself together and began to play like a pro. He was responsible for signing in 14 of the Bulldogs 18 points in regulation. Not only that but he was the guy who finished off the Bulldogs comeback hitting a flawless three-pointer with ten seconds to go to tie the game and push it into overtime.

 Matt Dickey wasn’t sharp during the whole game, that’s for sure. In the first half, he only shot twice, and had it not been for the rest of his teammates, things wouldn’t have gone as well as they did.

Alex Garcia-Mendoza matched his career high record with 21 points for Arkansas-Little Rock. The guys had a 19-17 season and somehow still managed to make it into the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans played overtime without Solomon Bozeman, the Sun Belt’s Conference player of the year. The talented youngster got into foul trouble late in the second half and had to watch the overtime from the bench. Still, Bozeman finished with 18 points for the game, but it wasn’t enough to keep the Arkansas-Little Rock team alive in the single elimination NCAA Tournament.

There wasn’t much time to celebrate for the UNC-Ashville to celebrate the victory, as the guys from the team had a charter flight straight to Washington DC where they’ll have one of the toughest challenges of the season. The Bulldogs are certainly going to need more then what they showed last night if they are hoping to survive the No.1 seed in the Southeast, Pittsburgh.

Ipswich v Watford Preview

It would be fair to say that neither of these teams has anything to play for, with both sat in comfortable mid-table positions. Ipswich approach the fixture sat in 16th place although Paul Jewell will be the first to admit that he’ll want just a couple more wins to guarantee the club’s safety. Watford meanwhile have bypassed the 50-point barrier and with the Hornets positioned in 11th, Malky Mackay is probably already preparing for next season.

There’s no doubt that there is something of a breath of new life around Portman Road these days, with Paul Jewell preparing to rebuild the club following a dismal two years under the leadership of Roy Keane. The Tractor Boys are still recovering and their position of 16th emphasizes that, but under Jewell there has certainly been an improvement of performances and that has encouraged the Portman Road faithful. However, they are on something of a bad run and having won just one out of their last six, they need a victory to regain some confidence. What’s more, having accumulated forty six points already they appear safe for now, but Jewell will know how important it is to get past that 50-point safety barrier and guarantee their status.

Watford on the other hand are just recovering from a slump in form and the Hornets have now risen to 11th in the table. With ten games remaining, it appears highly unlikely that they’ll be able to close the seven point gap that keeps them from the top six. However, with the Vicarage Road outfit not on the best financial footing, they know how important it is to finish in a lofty position and reap the monetary rewards. Malky Mackay’s men certainly look to be finishing the campaign strongly as well, with the club losing just one out of their last seven and collecting seven points from their last three games.

As for team news, Ipswich will be without David Norris who sits this one out through suspension, while Mark Kennedy will continue to sit out due to a hamstring problem. However, Paul Jewell will be able to select Jimmy Bullard who showed no ill-effects following a hamstring injury. There’s just the one piece of information to report for the visitors meanwhile as Lee Hodson struggles with an ankle problem. Despite early fears he had suffered a fracture, test results have shown that is not the case but the full back will still not be available for this one.

Despite Ipswich’s poor form of late, they did manage to grind out a good point against Leeds at the weekend and they are certainly no pushovers. Bearing that in mind we think they will be good value for a point

England vs West Indies betting preview- World Cup 2011

England vs West Indies

ICC Cricket World Cup 2011- Group B

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

England face the West Indies in their last game in Group B which is also a must win for Andrew Strauss’ men if they are to harbour any hopes of reaching the quarterfinals. Bet on England vs West Indies after reading our betting preview at Sportsbookie.com.

England slumped to a shock defeat against Bangladesh in their last game. A win against Bangladesh would have sealed their spot in the quarters- a defeat has however left their hopes hanging by a thread. Not they not only need to beat the West Indies, but also require other results, such as the South Africa Bangladesh game, to go their way.

England’s bowling had Bangladesh on the ropes in Chittagong as the latter were 169/8 chasing 225. However some wonderful rearguard action from the Bangladeshi tail stunned England, thus ensuring that there would be no repeat of the win over South Africa.

James Anderson is likely to be axed because of his poor form, paving the way for Chris Tremlett to come in. England are sweating on the fitness of Graeme Swann, who will be a key player for them on a Chepauk wicket that does assist the spinners.

There are also doubts over the fitness of skipper Strauss and in form batsman Jonathan Trott, but both are expected to take the field on Tuesday.

The West Indies are much better placed than England to qualify from the group. Darren Sammy’s side have taken 6 points from a possible eight in their first four games and have the best net run rate in the group. However they do have two tough opponents in the form of England and India to come, but even if results do not go in their favour, their net run rate should see them go through.

Kieron Pollard came to the party against Ireland and the Windies will be hopeful of a good showing from him this time around too.

Verdict:- England must win this, and they should be able to take two points from this fixture.

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Davis gutted by loss

Steve Davis was so disappointed with losing to Stephen Lee in the final qualifying round for the World Snooker Championship that he left Sheffield’s English Institute of Sport without making comment.

The 10-2 mauling means that Davis’s season has ended prematurely. Before his failure to qualify for the World Championship, he also failed to make the cut for the China Open, which commences on March 28.
Davis, a six-time winner at the Crucible, had been hoping to reach the televised stages of the event, which will run from April 16 to May 2.

The 53-year-old harboured dreams of emulating his previous successes, as well as proving that last year’s defeat of John Higgins in the second round was no fluke. Although the most up to date snooker betting odds would have made Davis an outsider had he qualified, he could have still caused an upset or two.

Davis crashed out to eventual winner Neil Robertson 13-5 at the quarter-finals stage last year. Robertson will be hoping to become only the third man to successfully defend his crown at the Sheffield venue later this year.
Davis was clearly dejected when he left the English Institute of Sport, particularly as this is the first season since 1978 when he has failed to qualify for both the UK Championship and the World Championship. He has also dropped out of the world’s top 32 players. This means that serious questions are being asked about his future.

Dejection for Davis meant delight for Lee though and it was hard for him to conceal his amazement post-match.

He said: “I’m over the moon to beat Steve Davis 10-2.

“I couldn’t tell you how bad I’d feel if I didn’t get to the Crucible. It would have left a nasty taste after an okay season.

“Steve didn’t really know where the table had gone when I was 6-0, 7-0 up.”

The draw for the first round of the World Championship takes place next Monday, March 21 when the 16 qualifiers will find out which one of the 16 seeded potters they will play.

World Cup 2011: New Zealand v Sri Lanka – betting preview

Game:- New Zealand v Sri Lanka
Competition :- Cricket World Cup 2011
Venue :- Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Date :- Friday, 18 March 2011
Start time:- 09:00 GMT

Both New Zealand and Sri Lanka have already qualified for the quarter final stage of the ICC 2011 Cricket World Cup. Their final game in this longish Group Stage would determine which team finishes higher up in the Group, thereby getting a ‘lower-ranked’ team from Group B as their opponents in the quarter-finals. Read our New Zealand v Sri Lanka betting preview and head over to Bet365 to place your bets.

New Zealand results – last few games – most recent games on top
v. Canada (Won by 97 runs) B McCullum 101, Oram 3-47
v. Pakistan (Won by 110 runs) Taylor 131

Ireland vs Netherlands betting preview- World Cup 2011

Ireland vs Netherlands

Cricket World Cup 2011- Group B

Eden Gardens, Kolkata- 18th March 2011-

Ireland will look to end their World Cup campaign on a winning note when they face the Netherlands at Eden Gardens on Friday. Bet on Ireland vs Netherlands at the 2011 World Cup with PaddyPower after reading our betting preview at Sportsbookie.com.

Ireland have only won once in the tournament- an upset of neighbours England thanks to a fantastic knock from Kevin O’Brien. Unfortunately for the Irish, none of the other batsmen have really managed to capitalise on the starts they have got, resulting in the Irish losing several games from fairly winnable positions.

Against South Africa, the Irish bowlers did well, reducing the Proteas to 117/5. However JP Duminy and Colin Ingram managed to stage a fantastic recovery and helped South Africa reach 272/7. None of the Irish batsmen really got going, and the Proteas handed them a crushing 131 run defeat.

The Netherlands are the only team in Group B not to have won a single game at this World Cup. Against Bangladesh in Chittagong, only Ryan Ten Doeschate and to a lesser extent, Tom Cooper managed to get going, and the team folded up for a little over 150. Bangladesh raced to the target with plenty to spare.

Ireland have won five of their last six games against the Dutch and will be keen to preserve their record as the leading Associate Nation from this World Cup. A win against the Dutch will go a long way in helping them acheiving that statistic.

Verdict:- Ireland to overcome the Netherlands and finish with two wins from their group engagements.

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Betfair share price back into freefall

Another broker says sell, another week of dreadful unplanned site outages, another marketing campaign criticised by the Advertising Standards Authority.... It's not looking good for Betfair shareholders, now trading in the 850p range, getting dangerously close to half their market peak of 1610p just a few months ago.

yet another England footballer scandal

... to be broken by News of the World at 2215 GMT. Front and back page apparently. You think these overpaid prats would learn one day.

Nope, it's Ashley Cole again, allegedly shooting someone. Speculation that it's anyone from a Chelsea backroom staff member to a 21yo fan. And with something as 'soft' as an air rifle.

So next information to break will be that they were out paintballing or something lame like that?Posted byScott Fergusonat22:01

Eurosportbet to close UK-facing business

Hardly a surprise in this news, they were never going to be a serious bookmaker without advertising outside their own network. The French market, where the government forces them to bet to joke percentages making winning long-term inconceivable, was always going to suit them better. Mature markets don't fall for marketing glitz and poor odds when you're well back in the queue for brand awareness.Posted byScott Fergusonat18:01

Betfair to bid for leading US racetrack Monmouth Park

News surfaced late last week that the state of New Jersey wish to sell off Monmouth Park thoroughbred track and Meadowlands harness track to help fix the state's ailing finances. One of the names mentioned as a potential bidder has been Betfair.

Betfair interested in purchasing Monmouth Park

Betfair, a popular exchange wagering company in England who also owns Television Games Network, is reportedly interested in purchasing Monmouth Park.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said three weeks ago that state officials would request proposals for the sale of Monmouth, along with rights to operating off-track betting.


It's an interesting scenario. New Jersey is one of the two (along with California) states that have passed legislation to allow exchange betting in the near future, but there are still numerous battles to fight before that goes ahead - namely the legitimacy/morality of laying and the return to the horsemen's groups (i.e. prizemoney)... and that's before they fight the battle of teaching Americans how to set odds and take bets, rather than just bet blindly into a pool or take fixed-odds futures bets at ridiculous margins.

If you want to read what the rank-and-file and mostly clueless think, read the comments from Ray Paulick's article. No different to the Betfair forum really :)

Take a step back and think about it. Betfair have an adaptable business model now - they offer tote betting, SP betting, fixed-odds betting (sportsbook to Italy), multiples betting and pure exchange betting because in their most popular regions, they face stiff competition. In the US, they don't. If they are granted an exchange betting licence, all they have to compete with are totes, and the govts and racing bodies will want a piece of the pie, no matter how small it usually is.

BUT - Betfair don't have to run an exchange if they acquire Monmouth Park. There's far more money in tote betting if they can get it to work. There's no competition with bookies or rival totes, just a monopoly. Find the balance between the healthy margin and an attractive offer for bettors. And US horse bettors are getting stiffed with very fat margins giving a cut to everyone but the bettor who ultimately funds the industry.

In Tasmania, they led their bid for an exchange with a massive lump of cash to guarantee the state's racing wasn't decimated. A similar offer here could see them continue with pari-mutuel betting, but at much more punter-friendly rates. Win-place-show takeouts of 17% could be slashed to something more suited to smaller US fields, 9 or 10%, in order to generate substantially higher turnover. The winning bidder would control the off-track betting in New Jersey and be able to reinvigorate it. Betfair & TVG's marketing budget could boost the purses of the big races and bring in stronger fields, strengthening New Jersey racing while other states continue to suffer from their lack of creativity.

Then two options remain - (1) New Jersey decides it loves Betfair and grants Betfair exclusive rights to online sports betting in the state, or (2) Betfair decides the margin it is making on Monmouth Park pari-mutuel betting is so healthy that they want to buy other tracks.

US racing could do a lot worse than have Betfair take over Monmouth Park. So many tracks are now on life support, with plenty only surviving via the cancerous slot machines. Continue down the slide to oblivion, or try something different which might just turn it around?Posted byScott Fergusonat22:36

Grand National 2011 Preview

The Grand National 2011 is now less than seven weeks away, dear reader, and I’ve finally got round to my initial preview. It’s one of the races I look forward to more than any other, because the trends are so strong.

That said, the last two years have had primary trends-busters about the winners. Of course, we can’t expect to get the winner every single year, although that would be nice! So what went wrong?

Well, Don’t Push It, ridden by a certain AP McCoy, came out best last term. There were a number of aspects to his Grand National profile that were unusual. Firstly, he carried more weight to victory than any winner since the  mighty Red Rum completed his National hat-trick way back in 1977.

Secondly, he hadn’t won a Listed or better steeplechase in his career to that point, as all winners since Lord Gyllene in 1997 had. And thirdly, allied to his weight, he was the highest officially rated horse to win since… well I’m not sure actually, but definitely in the last fifteen years and more. He won off an official rating of 153.

Back in 2009, when Mon Mome prevailed, he was the first French bred winner for exactly a hundred years to triumph in the Grand National. Although I still believe French-breds have a heck of a lot to do to win the race, I’ve slightly revised my absolute ‘non’ to Frenchies, to instead look for a win over at least 3m2f in a Class 1 event (in other words, high class form at a staying trip).

The Frenchies were all trounced last year, and unless there are proven Gallic sloggers in the field, I’ll be against them once more.

OK, so those are the excuses for not finding the last two Grand National winners out of the way. Now let’s get down to business. I’ve analysed the last eleven years winners’ profiles and found some enlightening patterns. At least, I hope they are, as I’ve put my money where my virtual mouth is…! More on that in a moment.

So, the most pre-eminent Grand National trend is also the most obvious, despite a daft maxim to the contrary. Someone somewhere came up with the notion that you want a two mile chaser to win the Grand National. I presume it was a bookmaker because, despite my stated affection for contrarian theory, this is preposterous. The National is fully four and a half miles, a distance which makes it the longest in the British racing calendar. Two miles over steeplechase fences is the shortest possible distance, which perhaps helps to highlight the preposterosity of the maxim.

In any case, I need my Grand National shortlist to have won over at least three miles, and ideally further. All of the last eleven did, and nine had won over at least a furlong further.

Next we come to age, which also incorporates implicitly experience. Quite simply, no horse since 1940 (Bogskar) has won as a seven year old or younger, and the last teenager to come home in front in the Aintree showpiece was Sergeant Murphy in 1923, at the ripe old age of 13. So the conventional wisdom is that you want a horse aged between eight and twelve, and it’s hard to argue with that, given that every winner since the aforementioned Bogskar seventy years ago has matched that criterion.

But it doesn’t help us an awful lot, as most entries also fit the age mould. Looking a bit more precariously – and with an obvious eye to whittle down the 102 declared runners (or 101 after the sad demise of Glencove Marina) – I have noted that twelve of the last fifteen winners were aged nine or ten years old.

Bindaree won in 2002 as an 8yo, and Party Politics achieved the same feat a decade earlier but, on balance, it’s prudent to overlook this age group.

For now, I’ll leave the eleven and twelve year olds in, but will place a premium on horses age nine or ten.

OK, onwards, for there is much still to conjure with!

Much has been made of weight and official rating in the context of the Grand National, and I’m about to add my tuppence to the debate. It should be noted that the handicapper’s discretion in allocating weight outside of the direct edicts of the official ratings has changed the profile of National weight carrying requirements. I should add that I think it’s a great thing for the race, as more high class animals have been given some sort of a chance.

Cheltenham Festival Handicap Trends

It is just two weeks tomorrow until the tapes rise again on the greatest racing show on Earth, the 2011 Cheltenham Festival. More than a hundred horses will go to post each day bidding for the fame and glory that accompanies a Cheltenham Festival win.

While most of the pre-March focus is – quite rightly – on the Championship events, there are also ten established handicaps at the meeting, as well as a couple of new races for which there’s little evidence to go on to date.

The handicaps break down into hurdles and chases, with six established chases (William Hill, Cross Country on Tuesday; Jewson, Festival Plate and Kim Muir on the Thursday; and, the Grand Annual to close the meeting on the Friday) and four established hurdles (Coral Cup and Fred Winter on the Wednesday; Pertemps Final on the Thursday; and the County Hurdle on the Friday).

Obviously, each of these races has its own trends backbone, some stronger than others as is always the case at Festival meetings.

But, as a collective, they also have some interesting patterns, which we punters will be well served to observe and acknowledge. Let’s start by looking at the handicap hurdles mentioned above.

The Bet Engine Review

The Bet Engine

The Bet Engine Review Part 1

I first heard about The Bet Engine from Matt Bisogno who runs the www.geegeez.co.uk site.

Alistair Moffat who owns the program was looking for a few people to use the program and write a review about it. As for myself now retired I have plenty of time on my hands and as I have never done anything like this before, I’m willing to give it a go.

I’ve used bots of all descriptions from the basic one click betting to the ones dedicated to a specific system, but I’ve never used one that seems to have it all, that is why I feel The Bet Engine has exciting possibilities.

The ability to run up to ten systems of your own design, plus the paper trade feature, also the virtual bank for each system ,  to my way of thinking it adds the title of system builder to the limited title of a

Bizarre Stats for Cheltenham

Benjamin Disraeli... "and statistics"

In my ongoing quest to beat parity with the bookmaking fraternity, I’ve taken a somewhat sideways look at the Cheltenham Festival and how we might eke out the aforementioned profit.

“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” – So said, if you believe Mark Twain, Benjamin Disraeli, though this is a moot point. Whoever did first elicit these wise words was destined to be remembered (or, as it turns out, forgotten!) forever after.

No matter, the point is well made (or at least made), so let’s dip our toe in the murky, contradictory waters of so many facts and figures.

First up, Cheltenham is one of those meetings where horses have a good chance, seemingly irrespective of their odds. But is that actually true?

In the context of value, and odds, it seems perfectly fair to use Betfair SP as a barometer of possibility. And if you accept that, then you’ll be heartened to know that if you simply backed all runners in all races for a level stake, you’d have WON money in five of the last seven years, and be in front overall.

As preposterous as that is, let’s delve deeper and try to conjure some sense from this numerical illusion. In fact, it gets better.

If we omitted anything sent off at bigger odds than 50/1 (i.e. 66/1 and up), we’d make a profit in six of the last seven years.

Given what we learnt yesterday about double-figure aged horses at Cheltenham (2 from 159 in the last seven years, and one of those in the Foxhunter Chase), it is eminently sensible to remove those, even though the other winner was Mister McGoldrick at 66/1.

Now then, why would a horse be such a big price? Three obvious reasons:

1. The horse is taking a big step up in class having never demonstrated its capability at this level. These types would have won or run close in lower grade races last time, as a crude barometer.

2. The horse has run against this grade of opposition on one or more occasions without winning.

3. The horse ran down the field last time, having previously been competitive at this level.

Let’s take a look at our odds (11/1 to 50/1) and age range (4-9) under these conditions, to see if that makes a blind bit of difference. OK, pay attention here because this is where it gets messy…

Looking at group 1, the up in class brigade, I checked those runners who were stepping up two or more classes on their last run, having finished 1st or 2nd last time. And there was a clear dichotomy.

In the non-novice handicaps, you’d have done your brains as seasoned performers at that level invariably bag the spoils. In novice company however (including novice handicaps like the Fred Winter and Jewson, now called Centenary), it’s a different story. Such horses would have returned a profit in five of the last six years, and you’d be miles in front backing them.

Group 2 and 3 now, and those who put in a stinker (or at least not in the first two) last time out and now run in a non-novice handicap have rewarded punters faith with juicy odds winners, and a profit in six of the last seven years (as well as a small loss inthe remaining year). Moreover, you’d have backed at least one winner each term.

If we go a step further though – and frankly, we’ve come so far down this path now that we’re beyond the point of no return

Big Mike Betting Review

Big Mike Betting

Big Mike’s Betting Site is a daily horse racing and sports betting service offered by a chartered accountant, Mike Marsland FCA. There are three membership options:

a. A one-off payment of

Cheltenham Preview Night Review

Lydia Hislop starred on the panel of London Racing Club's Cheltenham Preview Night

There was an A list panel last night for the London Racing Club Cheltenham Preview. Chaired with a light touch by Barry Faulkner, the remaining trio of speakers – ‘dodgy’ Dave Nevison, ‘loquacious’ Lydia Hislop and ‘gorgeous’ George Primarolo – were allowed to inform, provoke and otherwise entertain a healthy crowd.

But what of their views? Which nags did they have a shine for, and which lacked a winner’s lustre according to our panel of experts?

The panel started with the Graded hurdles, then moved on through the handicap hurdles, Graded chases, and handicap chases. Here were the key points they had to make (so far as my Guinness-addled brain can remember it!).

Supreme Novices’ Hurdle – Cue Card’s to lose. Lydia was very sweet on his chances and made a clear distinction between Cue Card and last year’s ‘pegasus’ Dunguib.

The Irish horse came into the race last year rated 156, against Menorah’s 147 and Get Me Out Of Here’s 150. This year, Cue Card is rated 159 to Minella Class’ 148, with the rest lower rated. In other words, Cue Card is eleven pounds superior on ratings to any of his rivals.

Does that make him good value at 9/4? The general consensus was no, it didn’t, but he was far and away the most likely winner. My personal view is that, come the day,

Premiership Relegation Battle The Most Exciting Ever According To Odds

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Not only is this season’s Premiership title race and the Champions League qualification race more open than ever before, we are also looking at what is probably the most open relegation battle ever in the Premiership.

The bottom half of the Premiership are currently separated by just seven points and all the teams in the bottom half are within at least five points of the relegation zone, meaning that very few teams consider themselves safe with just over ten games to go this season. According to the table it is Blackburn and Blackpool who are the safest of the bottom half teams but Blackpool are still far from safe despite their win over Spurs during the week, Blackpool are deemed fifth favourites to go down with the bookies and can be backed at 3/1.

According to the bookies the bottom four at the end of the season will feature all the W’s, who are the four teams that make up the current bottom four. West Brom are most likely to survive, they are 5/4 to go down with the current bottom three expected to remain there, all three of the bottom three are odds on to go down.

Wigan and West Ham are most likely to finish bottom, both teams are 8/15 to be relegated and around 11/4 to be rock bottom. That just leaves Wolves who are likely to make up the numbers in the bottom three according to the current Premiership relegation odds, they are 4/5 to do down this season.

The other team who could still be in trouble according to the latest odds are Birmingham, some good recent form has seen them move three points clear of the relegation zone with a game in hand over most of their rivals and they are probably safe now at 4/1 to go down. The likes of Aston Villa and Everton are still very close to the relegation zone but both are clearly expected to survive given their odds to go down of 16/1 and 22/1 respectively. With Premiership matches coming thick and fast the relegation odds are changing dramatically each week, we could have three new favourites to go down in a few weeks time.

Open a new account and take advantage of the Paddy Power Free Bet before placing your bets on these matches.

Wolves, Liverpool and Villa the Pick of this Weekend’s Premier League Bets

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English Premier League Soccer – Aston Villa v. Blackburn Rovers

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Italian Serie A
Spain Primera Division
German Bundesliga
French Ligue One
Netherlands Eredivisie
Scottish Premiership
Belgium Pro League
Greece Super League
Austrian Bundesliga
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Could Ignasi Miquel be the solution Arsenal have been looking for?

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Ignasi Miquel…heard of him? I thought not. He’s not English, he’s not a hurly burly centre back, and he certainly isn’t going to win any awards for being able to put his foot in and physically dominate forwards, so of course you won’t read about him in the football news.

However, Miquel is a young player who could be very cheap, talented, and successful for Arsenal, whilst at the same time saving them the trouble of going out and buying a Gary Cahill or Phil Jones for a ridiculously inflated price simply because they are English and have played for a half-decent side in the Premier League.

The youngster may not be making his first team debut straightaway, but his recent performance in the FA Cup against Leyton Orient showed that he is a man who is indeed capable of dealing with the physical elements of English football as well as a player who has the composure and ability to fit in well with the Arsenal way of playing. The Arsenal betting suggests the side will win trophies this year, but they still seem some way off the complete package.

Despite this, the odds are that the press and tabloids are going to be hankering after Arsene Wenger going out and spending cash on a young English player (remember the days when Arsenal were accused of ruining the English side because the boss didn’t play enough English players?), an occurrence which if it became a reality would allow the youngster to fade away at the Emirates and try his hand at another club. So, let us just hope that Wenger keeps his faith and is as brave with Miquel as he has been with young Wojciech Szczesny.

Are The Champions League 2011 Final Tickets Too Expensive?

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The 2011 Champions League Final tickets prices were announced this week and this has caused somewhat of an uproar. Many fans are unhappy with the fact that these tickets will be the most expensive Champions League Final tickets ever, costing up to