Cheltenham

Reigning champion Binocular‘s surprise defection from the Stan James Champion Hurdle has taken away a bit of the glamour from the opening day of the Cheltenham Festival – but not much! There remains more than half-a-dozen high-class performers with genuine ambitions to recapture the blue riband of hurdling, among them Menorah (10/3 with bet365, extrabet and sportingbet) who has a terrific record at Cheltenham and won last year’s Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at The Festival ahead of Dunguib and Oscar Whisky. Hurricane Fly (4/1 with William Hill) heads the Irish challenge while Peddler’s Cross (a general 4/1) defends his unbeaten record over timber.

The highlight on the second day of The Festival is the sportingbet.com Queen Mother Champion Chase in which Colm Murphy’s Big Zeb is defending his title as Europe’s top two-mile chaser. The 10-year-old is a general 3/1 chance to retain his crown but faces a stiff challenge from two-times winner Master Minded (10/3 with William Hill) who comes into the race in better form than when only fourth last year. This is by no means a two-horse race, however, as Somersby is an improving young chaser who can be backed at 15/2 with totesport and Victor Chandler. But the value in this may lie with Sizing Europe, who is a generous-looking 9/1 with William Hill. Arkle Chase winners have a tremendous record when lining up in the following year’s Queen Mother Champion Chase and trainer Henry De Bromhead has been very bullish about the chances of his nine-year-old.

For a long time it looked like Thursday’s Ladbrokes World Hurdle would be another stroll in the park for reigning champion Big Bucks. Paul Nicholls‘ stayer is still only a best 5/4 and has, after all, won all 10 starts since having his attention switched back to the smaller obstacles in 2009 and is chasing a hat-trick in this race. But that was before the emergence of young pretender Grands Crus, who decimated the opposition in a Grade 2 event at Cheltenham in January having been equally impressive in a couple of well-contested handicaps previously. Martin Pipe‘s striking grey will appeal to plenty seeking a bit of value at the general 9/4.

Friday’s totesport Cheltenham Gold Cup sees former winners Kauto Star and Denman seeking to recapture past glories. The former is a 7/1 chance with William Hill but ran no sort of race in this last year and it was probably indicative of his waining powers that he finished well adrift of Long Run (a general 5/1 here) at his beloved Kempton last time. Denman (7/1 with Boylesports) was runner-up to Imperial Commander (7/2 with sportingbet) in the Gold Cup last year, however, and has had a comparatively light campaign this time around so will have no excuses if he doesn’t put his best foot forward. If I had to have a bet in the Gold Cup, however, I’d have a few pounds each-way on the enigmatic Tidal Bay at the general 20/1. He may simply lose interest, or run on when it’s far too late. But he loves Cheltenham, won’t mind the ground and is the type to relish a fast pace. If Brian Hughes can keep him interested, Howard Johnson‘s gelding is capable of springing a surprise.

And my bet of the week? Quevaga looks a class apart again the David Nicholson Mares’ Hurdle on the opening day and can complete her hat-trick in the race at Blue Square, 888sport and William Hill‘s Evens.

Many of us won’t need reminding that the highlight of the National Hunt season is taking place in March, with Cheltenham providing us with four days of high quality horse racing that represent one of the busiest periods of the UK betting calendar.

Starting on Tuesday 16th March and finishing on Friday 19th March, this four-day period will see the bookmakers really go to town with their free bet offerings. With so many people wanting to bet on the Cheltenham Festival these days, you will see many bookies increase their new customer bonus, while existing customers can also expect to see a few emails in their inbox which offer them a free matched bet.

It doesn’t matter if you’re not the world’s biggest horse racing enthusiast as the bookmakers don’t always specifically require you to place qualifying or free bets on a particular market. Therefore, if you’re predominantly someone who bets on soccer, tennis or cricket, then you can often simply take advantage of the firms wanting to appeal to the many potential customers who will be betting on some or all of the twenty-six races that are being run at Cheltenham.

It’s particularly worth keeping your eyes peeled for what William Hill, Ladbrokes and Coral are prepared to offer new and existing customers. The ‘Big Three’ in terms of UK high street presence aren’t renowned for being overly generous with their free bet offering, although horse racing is a hugely important sport for these firms and we might expect to see them double their current £25 free bet offers or even quadruple them. Therefore, this might be the perfect time to open an account with these bookmakers if you haven’t already done so.

As far as betting on the Cheltenham Festival is concerned, the races are very competitive and it’s hard work to make a profit. If you are looking to place some horse racing wagers and increase your balance, you need to be disciplined and only pick a handful of races in which to place a bet. There are many ‘bankers’ that get tipped ahead of the Festival, although previous years have shown us that very few of these good things actually finish first in their race!

The highlight event of the week is the Gold Cup, which takes place on Friday 19th March. There’s the exciting prospect of Kauto Star and Denman going head-to-head once again, with Paddy Power offering a best price 11/8 that the former wins this race for the third time, although it was Denman who won the event in 2008. Ladbrokes offer 9/4 that no other runner lives with the high cruising speed of the Paul Nicholls horse.

Dunguib runs in the first race of the Festival and will be heavily backed to get the punters off to a flyer. Paddy Power and Coral both offer 5/6 that there plenty of hats thrown into the air as the horse passes the post in first place, and this appears to be one of the few occasions where an odds-on favourite merits the price.

The overturn of Binocular by stablemate Punjabi in the Champion Hurdle wasn’t anticipated in this column but maybe we can forgive AP McCoy, who must have expended most of his energy in getting our 7-1 advice Wichita Lineman home in the William Hill Trophy Handicap Chase 40 minutes earlier. With 20-1 tip Nenuphar Collonges also grabbing a place, it turned out to be a profitable race for us and added to Arkle Trophy winner Forpadydeplasterer (highlighted at 10-1) made a successful first day. Of course, there’s still plenty of time for the layers to regain ground but let’s hope it’s not via Diamond Harry in the Ballymore Properties Novices’ Hurdle. Nick Williams thinks the world of his unbeaten 6-year-old and, though he didn’t impress everyone with the manner of his latest victory here in January, that was on very heavy ground. I believe Diamond Harry is simply the best horse in this race and will be backing him again at what is a very generous 9-2 with bet365 and Victor Chandler. The RSA Chase is a difficult puzzle to solve – will Cooldine (9-2 with Coral) prove as effective over this longer trip, or has Ruby Walsh made a mistake in getting off the proven 11-2 shot What A Friend? For what it’s worth I’d be prepared to take both on with Killyglen. Howard Johnson doesn’t enter his horses at The Festival unless he thinks they’ve got a realistic chance of going home with some prize money and I’ve been taken with this son of Presenting in his two wins over the larger obstacles. This is always a gruelling test for novices but Killyglen has plenty in his favour and boylesports and Paddy Power‘s 14-1 is mighty tempting. Day two’s final advice is for a little each-way interest on Balzaccio in the Fred Winter Juvenile Novices’ Handicap Hurdle. An eye-catching 20-1 with boylesports, given the strength of his team it’s interesting that Alan King rates his 4-year-old as the best-handicapped horse he has entered at Cheltenham this week. Reported to have come on in leaps and bounds after a short break, Balzaccio could just have a little more scope than better-fancied rivals.

Sports betting week 9-15 March

Date	Sport	Org.	Venue	Event
10-11 Mar		UEFA	Europe	CL - first knockout round - 2nd leg
12 Mar		UEFA	Europe	UEFA-Cup second knockout round - 1st leg
14-16 Mar		FA	England	Premier League
13-15 Mar		DFB	Germany	Bundesliga
14-15 Mar		FIGC	Italy	Serie A
14-15 Mar		RFEF	Spain	Primera Division
14-14 Mar		FFF	France	Ligue 1
11-16 Mar		WTA	Indian Wells, CA	Indian Wells
12-18 Mar		ATP	Indian Wells, CA.	Indian Wells
10-13 Mar		CR	Cheltenham	Cheltenham Festival
12-15 Mar		PGA	Miami, FL	World Golf Championship

Bet on this Weekend’s Sport

The Premiership returns with a full set of fixtures following the international break, with Chelsea and Liverpool looking to consolidate their position at the top of the table. Chelsea visit the Riverside on Saturday lunchtime, while Liverpool host Wigan at Anfield. Manchester United are chasing the pair following a slow start to the season, and cannot afford another slip up when West Brom visit Old Trafford for the 5:30pm fixture on Saturday. At the other end of the table Stoke host Spurs on Sunday afternoon, with both sides searching for a crucial victory. There is a great weekend of quality racing ahead, as Newmarket hosts the final major flat meeting of the season with the 2008 Champions Day on Saturday.

Weekend Football

Middlesbrough v Chelsea, Saturday, Sky Sports 1, 12:45pm

Middlesbrough host Chelsea in the first Premiership game of the weekend, with both sides looking to build on relatively strong starts. Chelsea have taken advantage of title rivals Manchester United’s indifferent early form to open up a six point gap between the two, and will want to extend that before United kick of in the later game on Saturday. They face a Boro side who have made a promising start to the season, but who are looking to regain some consistency following recent results. Chelsea were impressive in their last outing against Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge, a game which some believed could pose a threat to their long unbeaten home record. However they had the game won by half time thanks to an early goal from Joe Cole, and a strike right on half time from Nicolas Anelka. Boro in contrast were under large spells of pressure in their last game against Wigan, but managed to withstand the barrage and steal a late goal thanks to Jeremie Aliadiere. The game was similar to the Teesider’s previous game against West Brom, where they dominated only to be beaten by a single goal from the Baggies. Boro tend to turn in good performances against the bigger sides in the Premiership, and have beaten the Blues twice in the last three seasons at the Riverside, although Chelsea gained revenge last year when they did the double over Boro.

Boro are 11/2 with Centrebet to cause another upset, while Chelsea are 4/7 with Pagebet to increase their early season lead over Manchester United.

If Michael Ballack scores at anytime during Middlesbrough v Chelsea, BGbet will refund all losing first goalscorer stakes on the match.¹

Manchester United v West Brom, Saturday, Setanta Sports 1, 5:30pm

Manchester United have started to find their form in recent weeks after a slow start, and unsurprisingly this has coincided with the return of Ronaldo from injury, and the addition of Dimitar Berbatov up front. Since returning in the Carling Cup, Ronaldo has scored twice as United have recorded four straight wins to put their title challenge back on track. Berbatov took some time to find his feet at Old Trafford, but scored twice in their last Champions League game against Aalborg and will be looking to open his Premiership account for United. Following a difficult start to the season West Brom’s form has picked up with three wins in their last four games, which has seen them climb into the top ten of the Premiership. Successive 1-0 wins over Middlesbrough and Fulham have seen confidence rise amongst the Baggies, and they will relish this trip to United on the back of those results. Manager Tony Mowbray has his team playing an open passing game that will pres ent a different challenge to United, who are used to teams coming to Old Trafford and trying to counter attack.

Man. Utd are clear 1/6 favourites with BGbet, while West Brom are big outsiders with VCBet at 15/1.

If Nani scores at anytime during Manchester United v West Brom, BGbet will refund all losing first goalscorer stakes on the match.¹

Stoke City v Tottenham Hotspur, Sunday, Sky Sports 1,4:00pm

The bottom two meet at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday in a game both teams will see as a chance to kick start their season. Following Tottenham’s worst start to a season in 96 years, manager Juande Ramos has seen the pressure build as some within the club call for his head after less than a year in charge. The 1-0 defeat to Hull City last time out at White Hart Lane could have been the tipping point for the Spurs board, but they have stuck with the man who guided Spurs to a Carling Cup victory within four months of arriving. They are in desperate need of a result, although they are once again short of striking options following an injury to Roman Pavlyuchenko, and could find it hard going against a workman like Stoke side. Stoke have proved hard to beat in their first season in the Premiership, with four of their six defeats coming by just a single goal. This was the case in their last match against Portsmouth, where they came from a goal behind at Fratton P ark, only to concede again three minutes after drawing level. They will want to make the most of Spurs problems both in defence and up front, and will aim to heap further misery on Spurs and Juande Ramos.

Stoke City are 2/1 with Pagebet to record their second home win, with Tottenham 5/4 at BGbet to gain their first win of the season.

If David Bentley scores at anytime during Stoke City v Tottenham Hotspur, BGbet will refund all losing first goalscorer stakes on the match.¹

Newcastle v Manchester City, Monday, 8:00pm

Newcastle host Manchester City in the final Premiership game of the weekend, with an air of uncertainty still hanging over the Tyneside club. With Joe Kinnear in temporary charge and the identity of new owners still uncertain, the club is in limbo while it waits to see what the future will bring. That future did look a little brighter after their last Premiership game against Everton, a 2-2 draw at Goodison Park that would have brought some hope for the season. They battled back from two down to secure a draw, and they will need to show that battling spirit throughout this difficult period. Man City travel to the North East on Monday night looking to get their Premiership campaign back on track following a couple of disappointing results in the last two league games. They squandered a two goal lead at home to Liverpool two weeks ago, a result which came hot on the heels of a 2-1 defeat to Wigan. To make matters worse for City Robinho picked up an injury while on international duty with Brazil this week, and faces an anxious wait to see whether he will be fit enough to line up against the Magpies.

Newcastle are the 21/10 outsiders with VCBet, while Centrebet have Man City as slight favourites at 5/4.

If Elano scores at anytime during Newcastle v Manchester City, BGbet will refund all losing first goalscorer stakes on the match.¹

If Newcastle v Manchester City finishes 0-0 BGbet will refund all losing correct score bets on that game.¹

Place a correct score bet on any of the above matches this week, and if it gets beat by an injury time goal BGbet will refund all losing correct score stakes on that match.¹

1st Scorer 2nd Chance…

Applies to all Premier League matches this weekend

Place a First Goal scorer bet and if your player fails to score the first goal but scores at any other time in the match VCBet will refund your stake as a free bet on any future match.2

Weekend Horse Racing

Newmarket hosts the final prestigious flat meeting of the season this weekend, with six group races on Saturday, including the Cesarewitch Heritage Handicap and the Group 1 Champion Stakes.

A big field will assemble for this years Cesarerwitch on Saturday at 3:50pm, with Askar Tau currently leading the betting with Pagebet at 9/2. It’s not difficult to see why when you see it has won 5 consecutive races, and has steadily moved up in class each time. One of those wins came here at Newmarket back in August, putting in a convincing performance against a good field. Askar Tau’s nearest challenger is likely to be Gee Dee Den, a 7/1 chance with Centrebet, who won last time out and will have Frankie Dettori in the saddle this Saturday. Despite being hampered in his last outing at Ascot he still managed to come through the field and take his second win in four outings.

Just before the Cesarewitch is the Champion Stakes at 3:10pm, with a smaller field of just eleven lining up for this one. New Approach is a strong favourite with BGbet at 6/5, and will be looking to add the Champion Stakes to his Derby success back in June. Kevin Manning is once again in the saddle, and having won last time out will be confident ahead of the race. Russian Cross and Twice Over are expected to be the main competition for New Approach, with Russian Cross in brilliant form with two wins from the last three races.

If your horse gets beat by a Short Head or Nose in the Totesport.com Cesarewitch Heritage Handicap at 15.50 Newmarket on Saturday, BGbet will refund your win stakes in the form of free bets.3

VCBet are offering 1/4 odds 1-2-3-4-5 on the Totesport.com Cesarewitch Heritage Handicap at 15.50 Newmarket on Saturday.

If your horse finishes 2nd behind New Approach in the Champion Stakes, Pagebet will refund the ‘win’ part of your each way bet.4

Free Fall…

Place a bet at Cheltenham on Friday or Saturday, and if your selection FALLS, VCBet will refund all losing stakes as a free bet on the following days racing!5

VCBet are offering 1/4 odds 1-2-3 on the Victor Chandler Challenge Stakes on 2.05pm at Newmarket on Saturday.

Open an account with any of the following bookmakers and receive a free bet:

Pagebet £25 Free Bet VCBet £100 in Free Bets
Centrebet £20 Free Bet BGbet £100 Free Bet

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Odds subject to fluctuation – Odds taken at 1.00pm on 17/10/2008

1. Refunds will be in the form of free bets. Maximum Stake £50. Singles Only. Web Customers Only.

2. Maximum refund £100 per person per match. Applies to singles only, placed via telephone, internet or mobile. Does not apply to in-running bets. Free bets credited within 24 hours. Apllies to Saturday, Sunday & Monday fixtures.

3.Min Stake £5, Max Stake £50. Bets must be placed after 10am Saturday. Singles only. Win Or Each Way. Web Customers only. Free bets will be available from Monday 10am.

4. Applies to single each way bets only

5. Also applies to unseated rider, brought down, refused or slipped up. Max free bet £100 (€120) per person per race. Applies to win only bets and each way bets. Singles only. Internet and telephone bets only. Free bets available from 11am the next day.