Author: Online Betting Pro

I am a punter that loves to follow the horse both in Australia and the United Kingdom. I enjoy writing about sports betting and also casino, poker and bingo. In my spare time I like to keep fit by playing football and going for long bike rides. I also like to travel the world and see amazing place s and meet wonderful people along the way.

Contenders Galore Line Up For 2016 Caulfield Cup

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The experts would have you believe that the Melbourne Cup is the toughest race of the spring to win. Bollocks. In the vast majority of years, there are maybe 5-6 genuine Melbourne Cup contenders (unless, of course, Typhoon Frankie Dettori KOs the bulk of the contenders allowing a 150-1 pop to take the race à la 2015). In contrast, a genuine winning case can generally be made for the bulk of the Caulfield Cup field each year. Not many horses can run out a genuine Group 1-quality two miles. Plenty can run out a very strong 2400m.

In contrast, a genuine winning case can generally be made for the bulk of the Caulfield Cup betting field each year. Not many horses can run out a genuine Group 1-quality two miles. Plenty can run out a very strong 2400m.

Blue Sapphire an appetizer for the main event

The BMW Caulfield Cup Carnival continues on Wednesday (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) with the running of the AUD $350,000 Group 3 Catanach’s Jewellers Blue Sapphire Stakes. After the Thousand Guineas was shifted to the Caulfield Guineas Day in 2012, this set weights’ affair for three-year-olds over 1200m became the feature act on the middle day of the carnival. The billing/prizemoney hasn’t been matched by the quality of the field in recent years for this awkward albeit lucrative spot on the spring racing calendar, but that’s not the case this year. It’s worth noting that horses nominated for the AUD $1 million G1 Blue Diamond Stakes earlier in the year automatically qualify for this race.

Price colt is simply Flyin’

The 3yo class of 2016 is one of the strongest in recent years, which nicely franks the hype and price surrounding Golden Slipper place-getter Flying Artie. Mapped to get the perfect run from barrier 4, Mick Price’s colt remains a steal at $2.10 on the William Hill board. Flying Artie won the Blue Diamond Prelude last campaign before finishing second to stablemate Extreme Choice in the Blue Diamond, then third in the Golden Slipper to Capitalist. It’s worth noting that three of the past four winners have been favourites while the past four victors all started in barrier 5 or closer to the fence. He rates about four lengths ahead of this field so even allowing for a less-than-perfect run, he should be conquering this bunch.

Oaks winner leads Cup market

The line-up for the AUD $3 million BMW Caulfield Cup has been finalised with a field of 20 to chase the first prize of AUD $1.75 million on Saturday afternoon. Despite a miserable start to the week, the Caulfield track has so far held up remarkably well, so good conditions are likely for the toughest 2400m test in the country. Last year’s Victorian Oaks winner Jameka (barrier 13) is the dominant favourite for the race at $3.40 ahead of Darren Weir’s sole runner Real Love (10), the winner of the JRA Cup, at $9. Go Dreaming will carry just 50.5kg from the cherished inside draw but remains a $201 pop.

Internationals to make their mark on Saturday

More and more international trainers are bringing their Melbourne Cup contenders to town for at least one run ahead of the world’s richest handicap race on the first Tuesday in November. This year, four internationals will line up in the 2016 Caulfield Cup with Aidan O’Brien represented by Sir Isaac Newton, Charlie Appleby saddling up Scottish and Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Andreas Wohler represented by Articus. Lee and Anthony Freedman now train former Sir Michael Stoute galloper Exospheric, formerly known as Exosphere. All have drawn reasonably and attracted interest from local punters – Articus (11) and Scottish (7) are at $8, Exospheric (3) is a $10 quote, while Sir Isaac Newton, which will start from barrier 9, is rated an $11 hope.

You’ll be All White with the A-List at Caulfield Cup Carnival

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WITH the nation’s big name designers on speed dial, front row seats at fashion shows and plenty of cash to splash, whipping up a Caulfield Cup Carnival outfit is hardly a stretch for most celebrities.

Luckily for the rest of us following in their fashionable footsteps is relatively easy with many of Melbourne’s most recognised ladies happy to share their style via social media.

This year the Melbourne Racing Club and David Jones have invited some of our most followed style mavens to share their take on Spring racing fashion.

Nadia Bartel is leading the charge as the 2016 BMW Caulfield Cup Carnival Style Ambassador. She is joined by Face of the BMW Caulfield Cup Carnival Elyse Knowles.

Bartel is known for her fashion blog Chronicles of Nadia and appearances on the Brownlow red carpet with husband AFL footballer Jimmy Bartel.

Her blog, which has more than 200,000 followers, covers new trends, shopping finds, and beauty tips.

Bartel will be using that know-how as a judge on the panel of Caulfield’s new fashion competition.

Instead of a traditional runway, racegoers are invited to take part in a professional photo shoot, complete with hair and makeup artists, photographers and an editing suite, before entering their top three pictures via social media.

“The new Westfield Style Stakes competition will connect with a wider group of racegoers and will encourage new entrants to get involved as there are no daunting runways – it’s just a fun photograph!” Bartel said.

Prior to the start of the carnival, she predicted racegoers would be ditching the frock in favour of suits and separates with lace in light blue, pink and lilac also popular.

Her own favourite colour – white – is also likely to be a key trend.

“There is something about wearing all white that makes me feel a million,” she blogged earlier this Spring.

“Wearing white from head to toe may not suit everyone, but I always feel effortless and fresh when I wear it.”

Her fellow celebs clearly all got the memo in time for last weekend’s Caulfield Guineas.

All white ensembles were the runaway winners with Elyse Knowles, stylist Lana Wilkinson, WAG Brit Davis and fashion blogger Chloe Kermeci all donning the hue.

Bartel has even included tips on nailing the all-white look on Chronicles of Nadia.

They include adding different textures such as lace, linen or sheer panels and mixing shades of white together.

She also recommends a natural beauty look to complement the all white ensemble with a red or orange lip to avoid looking “too pretty”.

Bartel also favours black accessories to complete the package.

She also has an answer to the age old question – What comes first? The frock or the hat?

“Always choose your outfit first and coordinate your millinery with your outfit.”

David Jones fashion ambassador for the carnival Olympia Valance was a lone wolf at the Guineas in the celebrity pack with a bold red lace dress paired with a gold headpiece at Guineas.

World Cup Qualifiers: Wales v Georgia/Moldova v Republic of Ireland

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THIS set of World Cup qualifiers are never ending, and we’ve got two more on Sunday to preview before the Premier League returns starting with Wales’ Group D clash with Georgia in Cardiff.

The Welsh have made a great start to their World Cup qualifying campaign starting with a routine 4-0 route at home to Moldova, which was followed with an equally impressive 2-2 draw in Austria midweek.

Chris Coleman’s side will count themselves very unlucky not to win in Vienna after the Welsh led twice; they looked much the better side throughout the 90 minutes, and they are a confident selection to maintain their unbeaten start with a win against Georgia.

The bookies won’t give you much for your buck though, and the layers have the Welsh at just 1.33 for the win, which is too short for me to get too heavily involved. They will, however, be included in my weekend World Cup accumulator.

Georgia had their chances on Thursday night against an injury hit Republic of Ireland side, but the Georgians just can’t score goals against top quality opposition, and I can’t see them causing a confident Wales any problems at all in Cardiff.

So for that reason, the best way to play in this one is to back the Welsh to win this to nil, which at 1.83 with Paddy Power is a much better bet than taking the home side at the short odds just to win the game in 90 minutes.

Moldova v Republic of Ireland

MARTIN O’Neil takes his injury hit Republic of Ireland squad to Moldova on Sunday in another Group D World Cup qualifier clash, and this is going to be a lot closer than the bookies odds suggest.

The Irish are totally decimated by injuries ahead of this trip, with Norwich’s Robbie Brady adding his name to the long list of casualties in the 1-0 win over Georgia. To make matters worse for the Irish, their best performer in the last 12 months, Hull’s record breaking summer signing Jeff Hendrick, is suspended for the trip as well.

The Irish used all their luck on Thursday night in Dublin as for long parts of the match they were totally outplayed by the Georgians, and even though I think they will win, the Irish reserves aren’t tempting me for a wager at odds of just 1.57.

The Moldovans have been lambs to the slaughter in both of their Group D qualifiers after a 4-0 defeat in Wales and a 3-0 home loss to Serbia in their most recent qualifier on Thursday night.

After those two heavy defeats, they’ve been given a 7.50 quote to win this match with the odds compilers at Sportingbet, which if successful will see them win only their second international in two years.

The Irish should have enough quality to get through, even though they are missing a whole host of key players. They have struggled for goals since the retirement from international football of record goalscorer Robbie Keane, and for that reason the odds on offer look too short for me to get involved on the win market.

This Irish squad doesn’t look to have many goals in it, and this match looks all about the result rather than the performance; another Ireland 1-0 win at 6.00 with Paddy Power looks a sensible play, but the best bet is to beat Ireland to win this to nil, which is 2.30 with Paddy Power.

Cricket ODI South Africa vs. Australia : Get Ready for Runs

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The fourth One Day International (ODI) between South Africa and Australia could be a record-breaking affair in Port Elizabeth. With South Africa posting the second-highest run chase in ODI history on October 5, Russell Domingo’s men will line up on October 9 full of confidence.

Leading the charge and knocking balls for six like they were going out of fashion in the third match was South Africa’s David Miller. Notching up 118 not out, Miller’s efforts not only helped the home side claim victory by four wickets, but it outshone two superb innings by Australia’s David Warner and Steve Smith.

Heading into the fourth match it could be this fact alone that will give South Africa the edge. Despite Warner and Smith both notching up centuries to help the Aussies to a 371-6 total, their best just wasn’t enough to topple a South Africa team on white-hot form. When any team produces a strong performance but still walks away in second place it can be a tough pill to swallow and, if that’s true on October 9, we could see Australia choke again.

South Africa Odds on for a Fourth Win

The latest cricket betting odds at Ladbrokes has South Africa leading the way at 8/11 with Australia bringing up the rear at 11/10. Over at Sun Bets it’s much of the same, as South Africa is currently topping the odds with a betting line set at 4/6.

From an overall perspective, this match could easily go either way. South Africa might have the psychological and numerical edge, but Australia’s players gave a strong account of themselves in the third showdown. With that being the case, it would be remiss of a canny punter to overlook the 6/5 price Winner Sports has on offer.

Of course, if you really want to unearth some value from this ODI clash, it’s worth looking at the individual player market. As we’ve said, Miller put on a clinic last time out, and could have batted well over the 118 had he not run out of time. With that match taking place just a few days ago, it’s hard to see how Miller will have lost his touch in that time, which means he could be on for another strong total if he gets to the crease.

It’s Miller Time

For anyone willing to jump on that bandwagon, 6/1 at Sun Bets for Miller to be the top scorer is too tempting a price to overlook, as is 22/1 Andile Phehlukwayo who hit 42 not out in the same game. If you’re inclined to look on the other side of the oval towards Australia’s finest, seeing past Warner and Smith in the batting stakes is tough.

Indeed, not only did they both hit centuries last time out, there’s a chance South Africa will take their eye off the ball on October 9. With a 3-0 lead in the five-game series, the pressure (and possibly incentive) is off, and that could cause South Africa to take their foot off the gas this weekend. If that does happen, the likes of Warner and Smith are more than capable of seizing that opportunity.

11/4 for Warner and 7/2 for Smith being the top Aussie batsman are strong prices from Winner Sports. If leading totals aren’t your thing but you like the look of Warner, Sun Bet’s 5/6 on the Aussie scoring over 32.5 runs is certainly tempting.

Of course, if you’re a neutral and enjoy a coin flip (literally), 10/11 on either side winning the toss over at Ladbrokes should provide a sniff of added excitement before the balls start to fly.

Rugby Union Championship: Where to Find Some Value this Weekend

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Grab yourself a pint, pick a side and get ready for some serious rugby betting action this weekend as four of the best Union-playing nations in the world battle for supremacy. The latest Rugby Union Championship action gets underway on October 8, and will see South Africa and New Zealand duke it out in Durban, while Argentina and Australia entertain at Twickenham.

As is often the case when these four rugby powerhouses meet, anything can happen. Indeed, ahead of what will inevitably be a physically taxing game against South Africa, New Zealand’s head coach Steve Hansen has made four main changes. With Waisake Naholo back from injury (for a fourth time), Hansen is hoping the Fiji-born winger can turn on the afterburners and expose a potentially sluggish South African defensive line.

South Africa vs. New Zealand Betting Preview

Aside from bringing in Naholo to replace Julian Savea, Hansen is keeping his backline much the same, which seems to be a wise decision given how powerful it looked in the All Blacks 31-17 win over Argentina last week. Up the front, Matt Todd, Sam Whitelock and Jerome Kaino will all make a return to the starting line-up which should give New Zealand some much needed strength and experience.

While South Africa will want to try and ignore their 38% win ratio against New Zealand (35 wins from 93 matches), it’s hard to see how Allister Coetzee’s men get it done in Durban. Yes, home field advantage will certainly help. Yes, the Boks looked impressive as they beat Australia 18-10. But, with New Zealand enjoying a 16-game winning streak – a streak which includes a recent 41-13 win over South Africa – it’s hard to see how the Springboks get it done.

Sifting through the latest odds, 1/5 on a New Zealand victory is about as good as you’re going to get (Ladbrokes odds are slightly shorter at 1/6). However, if you’re willing to look beyond the obvious outrights, the following options should offer some added value this weekend; especially if you’re inclined to side with the experts and back a New Zealand win.

Ladbrokes:

Naholo or Dagg to score the first try = 9/2

New Zealand to win by 20 points or more = 5/2

New Zealand to win by 25 points or more = 9/2

Bet365:

Team with the highest scoring half: Africa = 3/1 – New Zealand 1/4

Bryan Habana to score first = 11/1

South Africa to score first and lose = 13/8

SkyBet:

New Zealand to win with -12.0 handicap = 10/11

Match to end in a draw = 25/1

South Africa first half/New Zealand win = 6/1

Argentina vs. Australia Betting Preview

In the weekend’s other Rugby Union Championship match, Argentina will look to bounce back from a defeat to New Zealand and clinch a victory against Australia. By Aussie standards, the Wallabies’ recent run has been poor. A 3-0 whitewash against England earlier in the year, and just two wins from five Rugby Union Championship matches this season has put the pressure on coach Michael Cheika.

Age is certainly an issue for Australia which has forced Cheika to enact a major shakeup. When the side runs out against Argentina on Saturday, just seven players from the 2015 World Cup final will be on display. This kind of instability is always dangerous, and Argentina is a side that always poses a threat.

Essentially what this match comes down to is quality versus determination. Although Australia might not be at their peak, the pedigree speaks for itself, and that’s made them the betting favourites at 4/11 with SkyBet. Of course, a neutral venue and a touch of inexperience possible in certain areas for Australia, things could get tricky if the game wears on with little action. Indeed, this could be Argentina’s best opportunity to grind out a win for some time.

At present the odds makers at Ladbrokes and SkyBet seem to agree that 9/4 is the right line for an Argentina upset, while bet365 is currently running at 12/5. If we were to stick our necks on the line and pick two winners this weekend, it’s hard to see past the favourites. However, with changes seemingly the order of the day for New Zealand and Australia, there could be space for the underdogs to sneak in and steal the plaudits.

Noren Leads After Day 1 in Alfred Dunhill Links Golf Championship

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The Alfred Dunhill Links Golf Championship is not only one of the richest events on the European Tour but also one of the most demanding and unique. In competitive golf, it is normal for a tournament to be played on the same course but not this one.

Despite its high prize money, this is a pro-am event. That means that amateurs, as well as professionals, can take part. Down the years some of the biggest names in sport and entertainment have featured here. Despite the event being played over several different courses, they all centre around St Andrews.

Underdogs Shine

It also happens to be an event where the underdog tends to do rather well. A quick look at the recent past winners shows this. For example, Thorbjorn Olesen of Denmark triumphed last year. Prior to that, we had players like Branden Grace, David Howell, Oliver Wilson and Michael Hoey winning the title.

So, if you are searching for a winner in this year’s event, then it may pay to stay clear of the favourites. Despite the recent Ryder Cup schedule being a hectic one, that hasn’t stopped half of the European team making it to St Andrews.

Players like Danny Willett, Lee Westwood and Martin Kaymer will be taking part. If the wind blows then these courses can be a real test, and local knowledge will pay big dividends. Sometimes it isn’t about the big named players but who can get here early and do the most preparation.

Seek out Local Experts

There are always local professionals around that know any course like the back of their hand. Club pros and local amateurs are always good to work with, and picking their brains can often lead to a pot of gold. The nuances of links golf mean that courses can change dramatically. This is especially the case in the autumn.

So where is the value this year? Where should your money be? Can we even predict a winner given recent results? It is certainly a tricky tournament to analyse for sure. Seeing that we now have part of the puzzle solved with play into day two then life should get easier.

Can Noren be Stopped?

Alex Noren from Sweden currently leads after shooting a stunning opening round of 64. He goes into Friday’s second round one shot clear and is 2/1 with Stan James and Ladbrokes to be the overall winner. However, there has to be better value than that around! You can get a much better 10/1 on current second placed player Ross Fisher coming up trumps come Sunday. You can get those odds with Coral and Betfred.

If you want to go further down the field, then a possible long shot or two begin to stand out. Like Raphael Jacquelin at 66/1 with Bet365 and Ladbrokes. He was only three shots off the lead after an opening round of 67. As a rule, it is tough to make golf betting pay unless you land the big priced winners.

The world of golf is a highly competitive one. There is nothing much to choose between the top 50 in any event, including the Alfred Dunhill Links Golf Championship. If you can swing one big priced winner per year then this could be all it takes to be a profitable golf bettor.