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I’ve already pinpointed Huddersfield Giants in the Super League this year and I’m prepared to stick with Nathan Brown’s team as the big guns enter the fray in the Challenge Cup. The Giants have made an encouraging start to their Super League campaign and are now as short as 10-1 to top the table in the regular season. Their defence has been particularly impressive, conceding only 40 points in their five outings at the time of writing including a shutout against Hull KR on the road. Facing the same opponents in the next round of the Challenge Cup, Huddersfield will be confident in making progress as they aim to go one better than their heart-breaking defeat by Warrington at Wembley last year and Betfred and William Hill look a bit big at offering 16-1. Bradford Bulls could be interesting as they are a team likely to progress the more they play together. They need to up their work-rate in the opposition’s half but Steve McNamara is steadily getting his team to tick the right boxes and they are also a decent bet at the same price. Holders Warrington Wolves are a best 7-1 (Boylesports, Betfair and Ladbrokes), but it may be worth taking on Leeds (7-2 with Blue Square, 888sport and William Hill) after being pulled out of the hat to face Hull at the KC Stadium. St Helens, winners of the trophy four times in succession in the Noughties (don’t you just detest that word) are the same price with Skybet and Boylesports, while early Super League pace-setters Wigan are quoted at 15-2 by Betfred. The Warriors should be too strong for Sheffield Eagles in round four but it remains to be seen if their defence will be able to maintain its high work rate and discipline beyond the spring. We’ll stick with the Giants again but it wouldn’t surprise me if the Wolves also went close again to retaining the cup.

I must admit, I’m still basking a little in the glory of picking out Jenson Button and Brawn GP for success in last year’s Formula One Championship. Alas, I can’t promise you 9-1 and 8-1 winners in the Drivers’ and Constructors’ title races this season but I still think there’s a bit of value to be had in the ante-post markets ahead of this week’s opening GP in Bahrain. For once, there’s been plenty to capture the imagination during the close season, not least Michael Schumacher’s return to the cockpit. The German rightly demands iconic status having won more Grand Prix and F1 World Championships than any other driver in history. One does have to question, however, how much hunger he still has after three years spent testing motorbikes and acting as an advisior for Ferrari. Considering his close relationship with the Italian giants it is also strange that he’s making his comeback with Mercedes. The fact that the innovative Ross Brawn is now chief designer at Mercedes will have heavily influenced Schumacher’s decision to return but I fear the physical strain of a long GP season may be too much for the 41-year-old and would willingly lay boylesports, extrabet and sportingbet’s 13-2 about him making a fairytale comeback to the Drivers’ Championship. Then, of course, there’s the battle of the Britons at McLaren. If Lewis Hamilton is feeling any signs of insecurity about having the current world champion join him at Woking, he certainly isn’t showing it. For the second year in a row, McLaren will have the number one driver in their ranks but, no matter how much practice he’s undergone, it’s going to take a few hours race time for Jenson Button to get the feel of his new car and that’s where Hamilton may hold the edge over his compatriot. The 2008 champion finished last season with a flourish and can carry that momentum forward to this campaign so bwin’s 9-2 is sure to attract support as oppose to Button’s widely available 14-1 quote for back-to-back titles. As always, of course, Ferrari will be competitive. Fernando Alonso is the ante-post favourite (a best 11-4) to bring home the title in his first season in the famous red car but it remains to be seen how the confidence of Felipe Massa (9-1 with bet365, skybet and sportingbet) has been affected by his horrific crash last year and Ferrari are worth opposing in the Constructors’ Championship (2-1 with Paddy Power and Ladbrokes) on that score. How about a punt on Red Bull in that market? There have been early signs this year that Renault have finally developed an engine to match Ferrari and McLaren and new regulations, which have effectively slowed down the cars, may well play into their hands this season. Australian Mark Webber (20-1 on betfair) broke his duck in F1 in Germany last year and is sure to make his presence felt again this time around but their number one driver looks to be rising star Sebastian Vettel, who pushed Button all the way last year and must surely go close again in 2010 with a stronger start. My money will be on the young German at 5-1 with boylesports. His team are priced at 10-3 with the same firm to win the Constructors’ Championship.

Kathryn Bigelow was divorced from James Cameron in 1991. They continued to work together, however, Bigelow directing Strange Days in 1995 to Cameron’s script and, according to Hollywood sources, remain good friends. Cameron, director of Titanic and the Alien franchise, may have to swallow a little pride however if, as expected, his sci-fi epic Avatar is pipped at the post by Bigelow’s powerful Iraq War drama The Hurt Locker for the Best Picture at this year’s Oscars. The Hurt Locker’s budget pales into insignificance alongside the $300million splashed out on Avatar, but Bigelow’s film about US bomb disposal teams has hit all the right notes with critics whereas Cameron’s spectacular animated yarn has been more popular with cinema-goers, who nowadays seem to prefer adventure to gritty drama. The Hurt Locker (evens with bwin) wiped the floor with its likely chief rival at the Baftas, which are usually a decent guide to how the voting will go in Hollywood, but Avatar remains popular with punters who think the’blue’ movie will come out on top this week and it’s now no bigger than 5-4 (bet365 and betfred) to scoop the Best Film award. Whatever her fate in this section, however, Bigelow will surely win the Best Director award for which she is best 1-4 (victor chandler, Paddy Power, bwin). Colin Firth earned rave reviews for his performance in A Single Man but can be backed at 18-1 on betfair to be handed the Best Actor award with most pundits predicting Jeff Bridges already has that category sewn up with his portrayal of a fading country and western singer in Crazy Heart (Bridges‘ best price is 1-6), while the Brits may also be left out in the cold in the Best Actress category. Both Dame Helen Mirren (66-1 with Coral) and relative newcomer Carey Mulligan (12-1 with bwin) have been nominated but face Hollywood big guns Sandra Bullock (4-6 with betfred, blue square and 888sport) and Meryl Streep (a general 2-1). I must admit, I thought Streep, who last won an Oscar in the early 80s, was brilliantly funny as chef Julia Childs in Julie And Julia, almost funny enough to make me forgive her for Mamma Mia, and she’d be my choice ahead of Mulligan, who still has a big future in the movie business if her early work is an indicator.

Tennis betting and the WTA pretty much winds down for the week ahead of the much fancied tournament at Indian Wells in just over a week or so. Some players however, are taking the chance to get in a little more hard court practice, by showing up at Monterrey, Mexico. After watching young Russian Alisa Kleybanova beat in form Elena Dementieva in Malaysia, and seeing Venus Williams cruise to back to back victories in both Dubai and Acapulco, it is the turn of a couple of wild card entrants at Monterrey to grab some headlines.

Defending Champion in Monterrey, Marion Bartoli is not back to defend her title, so feisty Serbian Jelena Jankovic heads the field as top seed for the tournament, in hot pursuit by second seed Daniela Hantuchova. Jankovic, ranked 9th in the world, will be strong favourite, as Hantuchova is still outside of the World Top 20, and she is looking to make her way back up the rankings. Jankovic hasn’t been in top form herself this season, and better things are expected of her. She is quick and tenacious around the court, but her best performance this season has been reaching the last 16 in Dubai. For ranking in the top ten, she should be pushing harder for titles. This is one tournament which she should find a breeze, and be able to get some momentum into her season.

Hantuchova started the season well, reaching the quarter finals of Brisbane, but then hasn’t made it past the last 16 in any tournament since. Ranked 24th in the world, the Slovakian will be looking to raise her game ahead of Indian Wells, a place where she has already won twice in her career. Two players to watch out for this time as outside betting tips are Pavlyuchenkova. Well, she is seeded 3rd for the tournament, but remains an outside bet, because she is the highest ranked player in the world, never to have won a singles tournament on the WTA. Yes, another Russian teenager on the scene, but carrying a little form after losing in the Quarter Finals at Dubai to Venus Williams. She also beat Hantuchova during her progress in Dubai too.

World 53, Polona Hercog lost to Venus Williams over 3 sets in Acapulco last week, and that was her second final of the season. Would be a major step up for her to take this one, but dark horse potential is there, and she should meet Pavyluchenkova in the second round in a fascinating prospect. Outside of the seeds, watch out for Sorana Cirstea, who looks like she is due a good run. The one to back could be Lucie Safarova, who reached the final in Paris at the beginning of February in her last tournament, getting the better of higher ranked opponents. Prefers clay, but the world 38 could make an impact, and she is on a collision course with Hantuchova.

Having watched her play, Jankovic should be strong enough to get through to the final, with not much standing in her way in her half of the draw. Biggest challenge is likely to come from Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the semi’s. Tournament winner, in all likelihood, should come from that, but pay heed to outsiders, as shown by Kleybanova (world 26th) winning in Malaysia over top seed, and class act Dementieva.

WTA Monterrey Open Outrights, ranked betting favourites: Jelena Jankovic, Lucie Safarova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, Dominka Cibulkova, Daniela Hantuchova.

Time to reap the benefits of Betting Exchange BetFair on this one. There are some good prices to be found over there on smaller tennis tournaments like this. Being a Betting Exchange, there is no actual bookmaker, as you, the punter, will be betting directly against other punters on the exchange. As long as your bet can be matched, which isn’t a problem considering the amount of users on there, or whether you simply find a bet and match it yourself, you will be well away. Cutting out the middle man often leads to better prices, and you can earn a nice £25 no loss bet for joining.

What is patently obvious, looking at the stats of this week’s Totesport Trophy at Newbury, is that anything trained by either Nicky Henderson or Gary Moore deserves the utmost respect. Henderson saddles four in this year’s renewal of the UK’s most valuable handicap hurdle with stable jockey Barry Geraghty partnering Spirit River, an impressive winner on his latest outing at Cheltenham in December. Spirit River (a general 7-1) has only had five career starts to date so is probably open to more improvement than most and it’s easy to see why he currently heads the market. Stablemate Fairyland (22-1 with sportingbet) is also an interesting runner, however, in that she’s a recent C&D winner (beat Frontier Dancer here last time) and stays further than this 2m, a valuable asset to possess in a race which is always run at a tremendous pace. But I think the Moore yard has tremendous prospects of landing a third consecutive Totesport Trophy via Harry Tricker. The six-year-old displayed a tremendous turn of foot to beat an in-form Zabeel Palace at Sandown in November before splitting Champion Hurdle prospect Khyber Kim and subsequent Grade 2 winner Medermit in the prestigious Greatwood Hurdle at Cheltenham shortly after. The handicapper saw fit to raise Harry Tricker (8-1 with Ladbrokes, Betfred and on betfair) 12lbs for that but regular jockey Andrew Glassonbury reduces that burden by 3lb and this appears to have been his target for a while. Given luck in running, Harry Tricker’s speed could be the deciding factor in this. Other contenders to watch out for include the novice Manyriverstocross (11-1 with Stan James and Coral) whom Alan King rates highly. He was a decent stayer on the flat and has carried that form into his hurdling career though he weakened quickly over a longer distance here last time, and Mamlook (a general 9-1 chance). The latter won a shade cosily at Ascot last month after travelling strongly throughout but he isn’t that big and there’s a chance he may get bullied in this big field over a trip that is probably on the sharp side for him nowadays and punters have been preferring stablemate Ronaldo Des Mottes (10-1 on Coral and sportingbet) so far. Takeroc (11-1 with Coral) has proved popular with punters since it was announced he was to be partnered by Ruby Walsh but he hasn’t shown enough over hurdles for me to warrant his price and neither has Tony McCoy’s mount Get Me Out Of Here, 8-1 with bet365 and Stan James, who may be unbeaten but has never met opposition of this calibre before. Songe (a general 40-1) has reportedly been rejuvenated by a soft palate operation and is well treated on his best form. If the ground turned really heavy he would be of real interest and certainly makes more appeal as an each-way investment than some at much shorter odds.

Here we go again – will 2010 prove to be another year waiting for Andy Murray to finally come of age and land a Grand Slam, or will he prove all of his doubters wrong? I’m going to stick my neck out and say it will the latter because, put quite simply, Murray is simply too good not to make the breakthrough sooner rather than later.  The 22-year-old Scot shows no sign of being under pressure to end a frustrating run of near-misses in the tournaments that really that matter and his patience could well be rewarded in the Australian Open at Melbourne over the next couple of weeks. Hardcourt is undoubtedly Murray’s favoured sphere (five of his six tournament wins on the ATP Tour last year were on the surface) and he looked in pretty good nick in last week’s Hopman Cup, despite a surprise singles defeat in the final to Tommy Robredo. Some might argue that dropping to fifth in the world rankings has done no favours to Murray in Melbourne. Holder Rafael Nadal is now a possible quarter-final opponent with US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro seeded to await the winner of that one in the last four. However, there are big questions marks against those two at present. Del Potro, a general 6-1 chance, pulled out of last week’s AAMI Classic with a wrist injury and has been nursing a sore knee for the past few weeks, while reigning champion Nadal hasn’t won an ATP title for more than eight months. The Spaniard (4-1 with totesport), despite holding a 7-2 career verdict over Murray, clearly doesn’t get around the court as quickly as he did before last year’s serious injury and, though still having all the shots in his arsenal, may be vulnerable against Murray’s mobility. Of course, even if he reaches the final, the Scot (13-2 with betfred, Victor Chandler and Paddy Power) will still have to beat either Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic. Federer (3-1 with boylesports and extrabet) is bidding for an amazing 16th Grand Slam, having bounced back from defeat in an epic final against Nadal in Melbourne 12 months ago to win at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. He also lost out to Djokovic here in 2008, however, and maybe this tournament comes a little too early in the season for him nowadays. Indeed, I believe Djokovic may be the one to emerge from the top half of the draw. He’s been in cracking shape on the ATP Tour over the last few months, winning in Beijing, Basel and Paris at the latter end of 2009, and betfair’s 8-1 is a cracking bet considering he’ll make the semi-finals at least on all known form. Backing the Serbian and the Scot at either end of the draw seems a sensible policy to me with doubts over their three main rivals.

Charged with introducing horse racing and the appeal of betting to a wider audience, new body Racing For Change is proposing some radical changes as it attempts to drag the sport into the 21st century. Among plans to make racing less elitist by cutting out some of the jargon and perceived mysticism that surrounds the sport the most talked about initative, set to trial this spring, is the decimalization of starting price odds. Fractions like 13-8 and 10-3 have long been a subject of mystery to novice punters but the question racing’s administrators have to ask themselves is, will 1.625-1 or 3.33(recurring)-1 prove any less baffling to the youth of today, who appear to be the target group of choice in this proposal? That, of course, may be immaterial as some critics of the plan believe internet layers may attempt to profit should the switch become permanent. For example, 1.625-1 would become 1.6-1, etc. You can imagine how the pennies would accumulate should decimalization be adopted across the whole spectrum of betting (I don’t think it’s coincidental that former Coral managing director Wilf Walsh is on the Racing For Change board), though it could be argued that fractional betting has already been eradicated on exchanges like betfair with no obvious adverse effect. Those who principally ply their trade in the betting ring don’t appear to be enamoured with the idea, however, after all the tic-tac men are going to have to develop a whole new language, for one thing, and £40 at 7-4 is an awful lot easier to calculate than £40 at 1.75-1! Traditionalists also fear that this may also be the first step towards bringing Britain into line with the rest of Europe. For five furlongs read 1000 metres, for example, and how does 57kg sound instead of 9st? Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote, "Every reform, however necessary, will by weak minds be carried to an excess, that will need reforming." Racing may need to tread very carefully if it’s not to alienate those who have sustained it for so long.

According to the song, this is the season to be jolly but there seems to be a distinct lack of the festive spirit around Betfair HQ on the run up to the holidays. The reason, a perceived and wholly unexpected Christmas hint at camaraderie between the British Horse Racing Association  and previous sworn enemy William Hill. Hills‘ chief executive Ralph Topping, a fierce critic of the BHA’s leadership and chairman Paul Roy in particular in the recent past, now seems prepared to meet and try to iron out the differences between his company and racing’s ruling body over the amount the levy scheme should be expected to raise towards the upkeep of the sport. I said earlier this was unexpected as it’s only a matter of months since Topping was describing the hierarchy of the BHA as adopting ‘an Oliver Twist mentality’ when it came to financing racing’, which I think meant they were always going to ask for more. But why should this anger Betfair so much? Well Topping, in an interview, has also attacked the amount the betting exchanges contribute in proportion to fixed-odds bookmakers, re-igniting the debate over whether the individuals who use the exchanges to bet against each other should also be liable to some form of tax when wagering on UK horse racing. Betfair, of course, are vehemently opposed to this as any new levy could conceivably deter some larger punters from using the exchanges and they are fearful that William Hill’s revised stance may only be the tip of an iceberg made up of the country’s other leading layers. Betfair currently volunteer around £1.3million on top of a statuotory levy of more than £6million per year to racing, which may look like a drop in the ocean when you see their annual turnover, but they have already indicated they will withdraw this gratis contribution if the bookmakers and the BHA do decide to, metaphorically, stuff each other’s turkeys on this issue. I’m sure Ebenezer Scrooge would have approved! Merry Christmas everyone and I hope you enjoy a stress-free and prosperous New Year!

Betfair, the online betting exchange, is currently offering new customers the chance to make some free money. By betting £10 as a new customer with Betfair, you have the potential to get £20 back! Here is how it all works, and why it is worth jumping on board. Open a new account with Betfair using the code ENG299 and make a deposit. The comes the betting stage. Once you have deposited and made a bet of at least £10 in one bet, then you need to sit back and wait for the outcome of the selection on your betting slip. Here is the good news, if that minimum £10 bet loses, then Betfair will credit your account with a free £20 within 48 hours.

That bet must be the first one settled on a new account, and of course, if the bet wins, then there’ll be no credit to your account. This offer only covers losing first bets on a new account. As long as you make the best of this offer within 21 days of opening your account, then you will be onto a winner, even if you lose. This is a fantastic opportunity to get started with the betting exchange, which generally offers better prices than other online bookmakers. This is because Betfair, as an exchange, works in a slightly different way. On Betfair, there is no middleman, no bookmaker, as it is essential individuals betting against one another.

As long as someone lays a wager which is taken up by someone else, then the bet is active for anyone else to jump upon. This presents the opportunity for better odds across the sports book, casino, poker room and games. When you do bet with a Betfair Odds market, you will know exactly how much you can win and how much you can lose when laying an outcome (betting against an event happening). Betfair’s comprehensive help guide will inform you of all you need to know to enjoy everything about the site. The site itself is well laid out, and easy to navigate, so whatever you need is there and simple to find.

The betting exchange, Betfair, has grown in popularity as an addition to the standard format of online bookmakers. It is a great option to have running alongside other established bookies, as it will allow you to explore the world of betting in a new way. With the generous £20 offer for losing your first bet, then it is a great time to enjoy the experience of this wonderful betting exchange.

A friend of mine joked the other day that Betfair won’t be happy until they’ve completed world domination. That was probably a bit of an exaggeration but it may be advisable to put James Bond on standby just in case if rumours are true about the betting exchange gearing up towards a potential stock market listing in the spring. A report by news agency Reuters this week suggested a renowed City adviser (Rothschild) has already been lined up to ensure a smooth flotation of the company, though Betfair’s managing director Mark Davies (who wasn’t, to be fair, sat in a swivel chair stroking a white cat at the time) has strenuously denied this. What is significant, however, is the fact that he refused to rule out an initial public offer in the near future should market conditions be deemed suitable. This, of course, isn’t the first time Betfair has been linked with the stock market. Back in 2005, when the company was reportedly only worth a mere £700millon, investment bankers were positively salivating over the prospect of a flotation. At the last count, Betfair’s asset were valued at around £1.5billion and, with an average of more than12,000 bets per hour being struck on the exchange on a normal day, that figure will continue to grow. Betfair, incidentally, have recently been at the forefront of a plan for bookmakers to make a voluntary contribution to Sport England, who support various sports in the United Kingdom at grass-roots level. Bookmakers, of course, contribute to both horse and greyhound racing via a levy but there is no system in place for layers to put money back into other sports they take bets on. Proposals, however, have stalled with the Association of British Bookmakers standing firm against the government’s stance that bookmakers have a moral duty to support other sports, claiming established layers haven’t been consulted before a decision was made. It will be interesting how much strength of will the government has on this issue with an election looming!