Author: Online Betting Pro

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£750,000 on offer in Scoop6!

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Last weekend’s Scoop6 was lost when Catching On and Tony McCoy crashed out of the Midlands National at Uttoxeter. The well-backed gelding was carrying the last remaining ticket so the pool has been carried over with a forecast £750,000 up for grabs.

All of this weekend’s Scoop6 are televised by Channel 4 so we’ve had a quick comb through the form in the hope of coming up with a winning permutation.

2.00 Newbury

As you would expect, there are no easy races and the opening Ultima Business Solutions Handicap Chase sets the ball rolling. Pepite Rose won this race last year and is now on a 1lb lower mark. O’Maonlai absolutely bolted up here last month but has been raised 15lbs.

PEPITE ROSE, O’MAONLAI

2.15 Kelso

This is a decent race with Harry The Viking having much the best form after being beaten on the nod in the Grand National Trial at Haydock. That was on testing ground, formerly believed to be against the gelding. Cloudy Too has a touch of class but has been weighted accordingly and a bigger danger may be unlucky faller The Last Samuri.

HARRY THE VIKING, THE LAST SAMURI

2.35 Newbury

The EBF Mares’ Hurdle Finale looks wide open but Nicky Henderson’s Spartan Angel should go well along with the Warren Greatex-trained Hannah’s Princess showed a liking for this ground last time.

SPARTAN ANGEL, HANNAH’S PRINCESS

2.50 Kelso

Spookydooky won with a bit in hand last time but has gone up 13lbs. Nicky Richards has his team in good form and Cultram Abbey could be worth considering.

SPOOKYDOOKY, CULTRAM ABBEY

3.10 Newbury

The form choice here is Financial Climate with the added bonus of AP McCoy in the saddle. He is only up 4lbs for a workmanlike success at Sandown but may have most to fear from No Duffer.

FINANCIAL CLIMATE, NO DUFFER

3.45 Newbury

The going has definitely firmed up in the last week or two and that favours the speedier flat race types. The two that catch the eye here are Andrew Balding’s Storm Force Ten and Alan King’s Gimme Five.

STORM FORCE TEN, GIMME FIVE

Totesport Scoop6

Newbury Saturday Preview

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Richard Johnson stole the show at Newbury on Friday with a treble including two for Philip Hobbs. It’s good to see the Hobbs yard back in form after a miserable Cheltenham where they sent out 15 runners to no avail, one-third of them failing to complete the course.

It was not such a good day for Nicky Henderson but he could be back in the winners’ enclosure after Saturday’s big race with Spartan Angel. The EBF Mare’s Hurdle Finale takes some winning and there are eighteen set to line up on Saturday. You could make a case for most of them and it is no surprise to see the bookmakers going 7-1 the field overnight.

The weight range is no more than 13lbs but bottom weight gives Spartan Angel an excellent charge for the Lambourn stable. She has been very lightly raced since winning a small race at Worcester in the summer. The daughter of Beneficial raced twice at Ascot before Christmas and was a fair second to Batavir. David Pipe’s gelding followed up at Wincanton before disappointing in the Doncaster race won by Call The Cops.

Henderson’s stable were not firing on all cylinders at the time and it may be that she has simply been put away for better ground and/or this race in particular. Hannah’s Princess is another worthy of consideration after winning comfortably on similar ground last time.

Every Tony McCoy winner is cheered to the rafters at present and Financial Climate should go close in the 3.10 race. He never really looked in any danger once he kicked on two fences from home at Sandown and a 4lbs penalty could be lenient. The opposition are a mixture of ageing chasers and unreliable handicappers.

Andrew Balding has kept Storm Force Ten for hurdling this season but he was a late withdrawal from the Cheltenham festival. I had given him a chance in the Fred Winter after a couple of encouraging runs, notably when fourth to Triumph winner Peace And Co. Four-year-old handicaps are a devil to unravel but he won’t mind the quicker ground and may have most to fear from Gimme Five. Alan King has been running this one on the all-weather and he looks quite well in with 10st 10lb.

2.35 Spartan Angel @7-1 Bet365

3.10 Financial Climate @9-2 William Hill

3.45 Storm Force Ten @7-2 Bet365

Cricket World Cup: Australia v Pakistan – QF 3 Preview

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Australia v Pakistan duels are generally separated by home form and away form.  Very rarely does the touring team perform well in the home countries’ conditions.  This was true in the most recent test series the teams played where Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq made a mockery of Mitchell Johnson and co.  However, the one day game is the ultimate leveller, and results in the ODI format have not been as intertwined with the conditions.

That said, we’re not giving Pakistan much of a chance against the most complete team of the World Cup.  Australia have every facet covered, including a bona fide spin option in Glenn Maxwell.  Even with that prediction we would prefer a close match that rewards the fans with the type of cricket that each is capable off.

The Last Time These Two Met

After blowing the Australian test team out of the water in October last year, the Pakistan ODI side suffered a reversal when they were completely outplayed to lose the one day series 3-0.  The Sharjah and Dubai hosted series became famous for the final one-dater when Glenn Maxwell bowled a double wicket maiden in the final over to see Australia home by 1 run.  Hopefully, today’s match is equally as exciting.

The Teams

Australia (likely): 1 Aaron Finch, 2 David Warner, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Shane Watson, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Pat Cummins/Josh Hazlewood

Australia are relatively well-settled now that Shane Watson performed in his new number 6 role.  His runs against Sri Lanka and wickets against Scotland have all but assured him of the nod ahead of Mitchell Marsh.  The decision between Cummins and Hazlewood might be the only one for the selectors.

Pakistan (likely):  1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 3 Haris Sohail, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt.), 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Sohaib Maqsood, 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Sohail Khan, 10 Rahat Ali, 11 Ehsan Adil/Yasir Shah

The loss of Mohammad Irfan is a big one for Pakistan.  His awkwardness might have posed a challenge for the Australian top order.  Ehsan Adil will play an important role in replacing him.

The Key Players

Steven Smith – The Australians have the most powerful batting line-up in the tournament.  Warner, Finch, Faulkner, Maxwell and Watson are all power hitters.  But the work of the more subtle Steven Smith is crucially important.  The glue of the middle order has flourished at number three and looks to be back to his pre Christmas form.  Amongst all the fanfare of the in your face Australians, we think it will be the quiet achieving Steven Smith that steals the show today.

The Match Odds*

Australia – $1.16

Pakistan – $5.50

*Courtesy of Ladbrokes Australia.

The Prediction

We sense that all quarterfinals are going to follow the for guide and end up being awfully one-sided.  We see this one no differently to the two qaurter-finals thus far and are predicting a big Australian win.  By 7 wickets or 80 runs.

The Best Bets

As above, Steven Smith to Top Score @ $5.00

Mitchell Starc as Man of the Match @ $7.00

Cricket World Cup: India v Bangladesh – QF 2 Review

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India rolled on to the semi-finals with another Cricket World Cup win; this time over a lacklustre Bangladesh side in Melbourne.

India’s seventh consecutive win was reserved, responsible, yet dominant.  Opting to bat first in perfect conditions, India took their time, kept wickets in hand and later accelerated to a post an intimidating 302 for 6 from their 50 overs.  In form openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan took full advantage of the quick outfield to get India off to the perfect start – 75 without loss – mixing power with grace, and respect for the occasional good ball.

Two quick wickets threatened to derail their momentum, especially as Virat Kholi who previously averaged 120 against Bangladesh was one of them.  Not to be deterred was Rohit Sharma, who orchestrated the rest of the innings with a special 137.  Joined predominantly by Suresh Raina, who pitched in with 65, Sharma made sure India had wickets in hand to accelerate and that India had a total capable of being defended.

Bangladesh worked tirelessly in the middle overs to restrict the scoring but found it nigh on impossible to stop a late assault that also featured a cameo of 23 not out by Ravindra Jadeja.

In reply, Bangladesh needed a strong start, and ideally, runs to Tamin Iqbal.  That would have eased the pressure on double World Cup centurion Mohammed Mahmudullah.  Unfortunately, two wickets in tow balls ruined the chances of a fast start, and effectively set the tone for a massive struggle.  Bangladesh never got going, never got in the game, and ultimately fell short by a massive 109 runs.  None of their players standing up with the bat, and even though they have held themselves well in the tournament and defied expectations, a disappointing exit.

The Bangladeshi’s will understandably focus on the tournament as a whole, as their captain, Mashrafe Mortaza did in the after match press conference when he declared it was a “brilliant tournament” for them.

Conversely, India look on course for a final spot the way they are going.  Their remarkable Australia turnaround continues.  Purely on the numbers their bowling attack is now more potent than New Zealand’s (based on the Bangladesh scored alone), something that could not have been said prior to the World Cup.  Their campaign is evidence of developing a winning formula and sticking to it rigidly to get the results.

India 302 for 6 (Rohit 137, Raina 65, Taskin 3-69) beat Bangladesh 193 (Nasir 35, Yadav 4-31, Shami 2-37) by 109 runs

PGA Tour: Arnold Palmer Invitational Preview

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Arnold Palmer is set to smack the first drive at August in just 19 days.  And it’s certain that he won’t hit it as far, or as well as he did throughout most of his career.  A distinguished career of  95 career wins saw Palmer etched in history as one of the true greats of the game, however at 85, he isn’t expected to bomb one down the middle at Augusta (despite probably having more flexibility in his back than Tiger does).

Putting his Augusta thoughts to the side temporarily, Palmer hosts the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill in this week’s PGA Tour action.  The field features Rory McIlroy’s first visits; satisfying a promise to Arnold Palmer to make an appearance at the tournament.  Henrik Stenson, returns to the fold after we narrowly missed on our tip on hime last week, and Adam Scott are the other notables in a relatively strong field.  Most players looking for some momentum in the lead up to the Masters,

The Course

Bay Hill Club & Lodge is one of the better known courses used on the PGA Tour Schedule.  Known as Bay Hill or simply “Arnie’s Place” (after owner Arnold Palmer) the 7,419 yard, par 72 course, offers one of the best challengers in Florida.  Plenty of water surrounds the 18 holes, none more so than the closing three holes, which have produced many an exciting finish.

The Sound Bites

“It’s important to play well here, to get into contention and just feel what it’s like, final event going into Augusta, just feeling something on the last day and the back nine in contention, having a chance to win all that stuff” – Rory McIlroy spoke about his Bay Hill debut.

“Regain the confidence he had when he was starting out and that was what made him what he is and that’s the way he’ll get it back, just regain the confidence and the ability to hit the golf ball” – Tournament host had some advice for Tiger; Rory didn’t need any.

The Defending Champion

Matt Every surprised everyone in the field, and himself, when he outlasted Adam Scott and Keegan Bradley last year to lift his first PGA Tour trophy.  It was Adam Scott’s tournament to lose after an opening 62 gave him a whopping seven shot lead after 36 holes.  He gave it up though, with a closing 76, allowing Every to sneak past a fast finishing Bradley who narrowly missed forcing a playoff when a birdie try slid past on 18.  Every is unlikely to go back to back given he’s currently 160th in the FedEx Cup standings.  If you do fancy a rough though, he’s at $200 to win.

The Contenders*

Rory McIlroy – $6.80

Henrik Stenson – $10.00

Adam Scott – $20.00

Billy Horschel – $90.00

Gary Woodland – $95.00

*Arnold Palmer International odds courtesy of Betfair Australia.

The Winner

Scott won’t play as badly as he did last week; McIlroy should always be in contention despite a sluggish start to his US season; Stenson has finished in the top 4 in all of his last four tournaments and must be close to a win; Horschel is slowly starting to get back to some form and likes Bay Hill; Not noted above but Harris English and Kegan Bradley also going well at the moment.  Hard to look past Scott and Stenson, but we’ll go Horschel.

Lincoln Ante-Post Preview

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With Cheltenham now behind us, Flat racing fans will be getting excited about the new turf season. Apparently Gleneagles has been catching pigeons at Ballydoyle and has been backed off the boards for the 2000 Guineas while the powers-that-be have been tinkering with the jockeys’ championship dates. Of more immediate interest is the Lincoln Handicap, the traditional cavalry charge at Town Moor.

There will be all of the usual debate about the draw and the going and the last four results makes you wonder whether or not it is wise to get involved. They have been 16-1, 25-1, 20-1 and 20-1. Prior to that there were two well-backed favourites in Expresso Star and Penitent. They were trained by John Gosden and William Haggas respectively so that is a good place to start.

At present, the Haggas-trained Mange All is 6-1 favourite with the Gosden-trained Gm Hopkins at 8-1. Mange All won a decent prize at Ascot in July when just getting up to beat American Hope by a neck. He ran a good race under a penalty next time when beaten by The Corsican and rounded off his three-year-old season by finishing fourth to Gm Hopkins in the Silver Cambridgeshire. He is 3lbs better off for three and three-quarter lengths with the winner.

Gm Hopkins was put up 9lbs for that win and was only fourth at York before finishing third at Nottingham off the same mark. Both trainers obviously know what they are doing but neither really appeals at single figure prices.

Ed Dunlop has an interesting contender in Zarwaan, a winner over six furlongs at Haydock in July and runner-up to Chatez in the Silver Bowl at the same course. He then ran a fine fifth of 30 in the Britannia at Royal Ascot before finishing fourth at Newmarket in a Listed race.

Last season we tipped Gabrial’s Kaka with trainer Richard Fahey quite bullish about his chances in the build-up to the race. He was there with every chance three furlongs out but faded back into sixth place. He won the Newbury Spring Cup next time out and had a crack at most of the big mile handicaps after that. He was badly drawn on his final start and now races off a 6lbs higher mark than last season.

Before rushing in on him, it is worth noting that he is also entered in the Irish Lincoln and is a possible for the Doncaster Mile. Just to confuse matters further, stable companion Gabrial also holds an entry her. He would be a blot on the handicap on his best form but he has been tried in everything except the boat race in recent seasons. He showed that he still retains his ability when winning at Leicester in October but he is still 11lbs lower than his previous best.

Mindurownbusiness and Belgian Bill are others worthy of note. The former did this column a favour when winning at Wolverhampton recently in the trial race and gets in here on a 2lbs lower mark. Belgian Bill has been running with great credit in Dubai but neither is proven on soft ground. Zarwaan gets a tentative vote at this stage.

Zarwaan @12-1 William Hill

Each-way ¼ odds, 1,2,3,4