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.

Rosehill Preview – Godolphin chase Group 1 glory

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The £1.8million Golden Slipper is the feature event on a fantastic card at Rosehill on Saturday that includes five Group One races.

Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin operation had a poor year in 2014 but are out in force this weekend. As well as having four runners in the main event, they also hold Group 1 hopes with Contributer and Sweynesse elsewhere on the card.

The famous blue silks will be carried by Exosphere in the Slipper along with Haptic, Ottoman and Furnaces. Exosphere has been the horse for money this week and will start from barrier ten under James McDonald. He was a brilliant four-length winner of the Skyline Stakes last month and looks the pick of the Godolphin quartet.

The best of the rest may be Furnaces who starts from the lucky barrier one, responsible for three of the last six winners of the race. British interest is supplied by three of our leading jockeys. James Doyle will ride Haptic with William Buick aboard Ottoman while Ryan Moore has picked up the ride on big outsider Odyssey Moon.

The biggest danger to Exosphere could come from the favourite Vancouver, bidding to give Gai Waterhouse her sixth Golden Slipper. His chances took a knock when he was drawn in barrier 18, although he could start from 15 if both emergencies fail to get a run.  Only one horse has won from barrier 15 in the last 32 years and that hands an advantage to Exosphere in barrier 10.

Vancouver remains unbeaten after three starts and was particularly impressive in the Group 2 Todman Stakes. Waterhouse also saddles English and Speak Fondly in the race, drawn six and twelve respectively. English will be ridden by Blake Shinn and won the Group 2 Reisling Stakes last time while Damien Oliver partners last Saturday’s Group 2 Magic Night Stakes winner Speak Fondly.

Godolphin could claim further Group 1 success with Contributer in the Ranvet Stakes. He won a handicap at Royal Ascot last summer but has already claimed Group 2 and Group 1 wins in Australia, taking the Chipping Norton Stakes at Warwick Farm last month. Sweynesse is strongly fancied to win the Rosehill Guineas in the same colours. He needs to reverse form with market rival Hallowed Crown from the Hobartville Stakes last month where the pair were separated by a head.

Rosehill Saturday

Race 4 – Contributer @2.30 Sportsbet*

Race 5 – Sweynesse @2.70 Sportsbet

Race 7 – Exosphere @4.00 Sportsbet

*Sportsbet special offer – money back as a free bet if your horse finishes 2nd, 3rd or 4th in any of the first four races at Rosehill on Saturday. First bet only (max. $100 per customer).

Newbury Friday Preview

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The dust has finally settled on the Cheltenham Festival 2015 and National Hunt fans are now looking forward to Aintree and Punchestown. Newbury provides some decent jumping action on Friday with all of the top stables represented.

Alan King’s festival was saved by Tony McCoy’s inspired ride on Uxizandre in the Ryanair Chase. He has a useful hurdling prospect in Inner Drive in the opening race at 2.10. The son of Heron Island was runner-up in his two bumper races but returned after more than a year off the track to thrash a decent field at Huntingdon. Wayne Hutchinson barely had to shake him up to storm clear by fourteen lengths.

This is a tricky little contest and I am always reluctant to pass over Nicky Henderson’s runners here, even if his older novices disappointed last week. He still saddled a Triumph Hurdle tri-cast and a big handicap winner so all is not doom and gloom at the Lambourn yard. Champagne Express had his form boosted by the runner-up yesterday and is feared most.

The three-mile handicap hurdle looks no easier to solve but it may pay to side with Tony McCoy on top weight Last Shadow. He is going up in trip but the first two pulled right away when he was second at Kempton last time. He does not look to be up against a great lot here with the lowly weighted Bold Adventure one of the few with winning form over three miles. He would have a chance but is unlikely to find much improvement at the age of eleven.

Whatever the fate of Champagne Express in the first, I expect Henderson to score with Medieval Chapel in the Brown Chamberlin Trophy at 3.45. The grey races in the colours of Simonsig and gave a pretty good impression of that horse at a couple of his fences at Fakenham last time. He won with any amount in hand and a 6lbs penalty looks lenient. Desert Joe carries the same penalty but looked flat out to score last time for Alan King.

Gassin Golf will be fancied in the two-mile handicap hurdle but I would go each-way if you are putting your faith in this one. He ran well when third in the Imperial Cup but has finished runner-up nine times since he last put his head in front! I prefer to take a chance with the lightly-raced Baby King for Tom George. He looked like beating Royal Guardsman here last time out but faded on the run-in. He is 4lbs better off here and will be having only the fifth race of his career.

Inner Drive 2.10 @4-1 Betfair

Last Shadow 3.10 @9-2 Bet365

Medieval Chapel 3.45 @4-1 Ladbrokes

Baby King 4.20 @8-1 Paddy Power

Premier League Darts – Week 7: Glasgow Preview

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Premier League Darts heads north of the border to the SSE Hydro in Glasgow this week, with some intriguing match-ups lined-up, including Barney facing The Power, and the top two going head-to-head.

James Wade v Adrian Lewis

After earning an impressive win over Barney in Nottingham last week, James Wade went on to win the Player’s Championship on Sunday, with a 6-5 victory over Peter Wright in the final in Barnsley.

Adrian Lewis suffered a hefty 6-0 defeat to Gary Anderson in the quarter-final of Saturday’s event, and will be eager for a victory in the Premier League having also been turned over 7-1 by Anderson last week. Lewis certainly needs to wary of the threat of relegation, having now not won since the opening week of this competition.

Peter Wright v Stephen Bunting

It took Bunting a few weeks to get in the swing of Premier League Darts, but following back-to-back wins over Lewis and the previously unbeaten Dave Chisnall, it seems safe to say the 29-year-old from St Helens has found his feet.

However, Peter Wright has also just hit form after suffering demoralising 7-1 victories in the opening two weeks. Can Snakebite earn a victory in his homeland?

Raymond van Barneveld v Phil Taylor

The seemingly timeless rivalry between this pair reignites once again here, with Taylor certainly outperforming the reigning champion so far this season.

Although you can never rule him out, Barney finds himself second-bottom with just three games remaining before the bottom two players are relegated. What’s more, Barney’s run-in is a tough one, with Michael van Gerwen and Gary Anderson to face after Taylor.

Can The Power add to his rivals woes or will Barney start to demonstrate his quality?

Kim Huybrechts v Gary Anderson

Despite being bottom of the table, Huybrechts has certainly showed himself to be no pushover in his debut Premier League Darts campaign. The Hurricane has impressed throughout the tournament, however his big downfall has been his failure to hit the doubles when it matters most.

With a quality opponent in the form of Gary Anderson, Huybrechts will need to perfect his game if he wants to earn a win here and reduce his relegation worries.

Dave Chisnall v Michael van Gerwen

The top two face off here, with van Gerwen having snuck ahead of Chizzy last week.

Chisnall suffered a disappointing defeat against Bunting in Nottingham last time out, while MVG saw away Phil Taylor by a 7-4 scoreline.

Michael van Gerwen is joint favourite alongside Phil Taylor (11/4) to win this year’s PDC Premier League Darts title, while you can still get around a massive 33/1 on Chisnall to secure a shock championship victory.

Accumulator Tip:

Wade, Bunting, Taylor, Anderson and van Gerwen all to win – 19.94/1 at bet365

Europa League – Dynamo Kiev v Everton Preview

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Who would have thought that Everton would be the last surviving Premiership club in Europe this season? Sadly, that is the case as The Toffees face Dynamo Kiev of Ukraine in their second leg Europa League tie on Thursday.

Credit to Arsenal for dominating their second leg tie in Monaco but they couldn’t quite pull off the 3-0 win needed to keep alive their Champions League hopes. Manchester City were outclassed for a second time by Barcelona, although it is fair to say that the draw was not kind to them. Everton are no certainties to keep the flag flying in Europe after fighting back for a 2-1 win at Goodison Park last week.

Romelu Lukaku has not been that consistent this season but he was on his best form that night. The Kiev defence didn’t seem to know how to deal with his battering-ram approach, although the decisive goal came from a spot-kick. Lukaku seems to have assumed the role of penalty-taker ahead of Leighton Baines and that is something to bear in mind in the goal scorer markets.

On the domestic front, Everton have been woeful this season and a weekend victory over Newcastle was greeted with great relief by the home fans. Life is bad enough for Evertonians with Liverpool surging up the table without facing the spectre of relegation. The scenario seems unlikely now, although the Toffees still need to gather a few more points to be guaranteed safety.

Their involvement in Europe has been cited as a reason for some of their disappointing league performances and that may well be the case. Martinez has certainly adopted a positive approach to a competition that has been given scant respect by other sides. If they can get past Kiev on Thursday, they are into the last eight and a Cup final would mark a major achievement for Everton. David Moyes kept them in the top half of the table but never managed to secure a trophy in his long tenure.

Everton have been impressive on their travels, particularly at Young Boys where Lukaku bagged a hat-trick. The Belgian International has now scored seven goals in his last seven games and looks worth a bet to help the Toffees keep Premiership interest alive in Europe, for a little longer at least.

Everton to win @14-5 BetVictor

Romelu Lukaku to score at any time @11-4 Betway

Cricket World Cup: India v Bangladesh – QF 2 Preview

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India have sailed through their six games at the Cricket World Cup thus far largely untested.  It’s a position of varying important depending on which way you look at it.  It’s either a sign of quality cricket, or its a sign that they haven’t been challenged enough, lack tough game practice and could slip up when the tournament gets interesting.

The opposite is true for Bangladesh.  Almost every game they have played has had the intensity of a knockout game.  In particular, their last two matches against England and New Zealand will have them well prepared for a tough Melbourne encounter against the tournament’s defending champions.

India look better in every department, however, Bangladesh will take solace from the fake they have already felled a giant in the 2015 World Cup, are relatively familiar with their Indian opponents and appeared comfortable outside of their home conditions for the first time in their short international playing career.

A semi-final in Sydney against the winner of the Pakistan / Australia quarter beckons for today’s winner.

The Last Time These Two Met

The BCCI rarely supports a series featuring their national team against Bangladesh, therefore, the teams haven’t met in an ODI for some time.  When they did, in June 2014, India ran out series winners by 2-0.

Tournament form may give a better indication of where the teams are at.  India are undefeated in six World Cup games; their biggest challenge coming from their final pool game against Zimbabwe.  Bangladesh won three of their Pool games with one match washed out.

The Teams

India (likely): 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Rohit Sharma, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Ajinkya Rahane, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Mohit Sharma, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Umesh Yadav

India are unlikely to disturb a well-settled and well-performed team unless absolutely necessity defines.

Bangladesh (likely): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Soumya Sarkar, 4 Mahmudullah, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 7 Sabbir Rahman, 8 Arafat Sunny/Nasir Hossain, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Taskin Ahmed

Mashrafe Mortaza was rested / injured against New Zealand, but he should return to lead the side.  The only other question mark is over the number 8 spot between Arafat Sunny and Nasir Hossain.  Nasir grabbed two late wickets against New Zealand and would strengthen the batting.  He would be our pick.

The Key Players

Mohammed Shami – In a team full of world class batsman it seems strange picking a seamer as the key player.  Shami, though, has been a key component of India’s success in the tournament, taking 15 wickets.  Against Bangladeshi batsman that push hard at the ball early in their innings and get unsettled by steep bounce, Shami’s one-two, short ball / full ball combo might be too much.  The Bangladesh top order looked susceptible against the New Zealand quicks and we thing Shami will enjoy boring to them too.

Mahmudullah – His two back to back World Cup centuries were equally as impressive in their proximity to each other, as they were to the manner in which they were scored.  After waiting 16 years for a World Cup century from one of their batsman, Bangladesh suddenly had two in four days, and both courtesy of the Mahmudullah.  While the consecutive centuries were a novelty, the way they were composed was anything but.  Mahmudullah scored his runs maturely, responsibly and attractively.  His approach to holding an innings together is something the Tigers have missed for years, but a trait that could serve them well today.

The Match Odds*

India – $1.14

Sri Lanka – $5.75

The Prediction

India’s ability to bully Bangladesh in the past is well known.  The passive bowling attack is exactly the type of fodder the destructive Indian batsman love to feast on.  There’s no fear.  We think that’s the reason they’ll get the better of the Tigers.  India by 70 runs or 5 wickets.

The Best Bets*

Mushfiqur has been in decent form in the tournament but has been overshadowed by Mahmadullah.  He’s at $6.50 to Top Score and a big chance.

Suresh Raina is coming off a hundred against Zimbabwe.  How about hime to top score and India to win t $8.50.

Thinking left field, what if India win toss, send Bangladesh in and bowl them out (they have taken 60 wickets in 6 games).  In fact either team to be bowled out in the first innings is paying $5.40.  Could be down to pure luck, but great money.

*Taken from Sportsbet.

Cricket World Cup: Sri Lanka v South Africa – QF 1 Recap

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South Africa managed to shake the most unlikeliest monkey off their backs by finally winning a knockout game at a Cricket World Cup and in the process resigning two off the modern greats to an early plane ride home.

The word choke was used on more than a few occasion in the lead up to the first Cricket World Cup quarterfinal of 2015, and it could have been used afterwards too, just not in the manner that many predicted.  The Heimlich manoeuvre was needed, but on the Sri Lanka batsman not the South African team, after Dale Steyn, Kyle Abbot, Morne Morkel, JP Duminy and Imran Tahir choked the life out of the Sri Lankan batsman and restricted them to just 134.  Bowled out in the 38th over; a total that was never going to be enough, and ultimately costing Sri Lanka their place in the tournament as Quinton de Kock rediscovered some form to see South Africa home by 9 wickets.

The loss is a sad way to farewell two exceptionally gifted cricketers and gentlemen of the game.  Kumar Sangakkar and Mahela Jayawardene played their final international matches in the defeat, leaving an enduring legacy on Sri Lankan and world cricket.  A partnership of two more elegant batsman will never be seen in the game.

Unfortunately the Sydney crowd, made up of predominantly Sri Lankan fans, didn’t see any partnerships of note, let alone one from their departing idols.  Kyle Abbot struck in the first over and South Africa didn’t look back.  Abbot removed the experimental opener, Kusal Perera – who bizarrely replaced Lahiru Thirimanne the incumbent opener who had made 261 runs in the top of the order in the tournament already – and when Steyn got Dilshan in the fifth over the writing was on the wall.

Sangakkara couldn’t find his record-creaking lead up form, instead scratching around for 6 off 42 balls at one stage in the face of accurate bowling from all of the South African bowlers.  The pressure told on all.  Thirimanne looked the best of the batsman and threatened to help Sangakkara out of his deep hole, but when he became the first of seven wickets to fall to spin the wheels came off and Sri Lanka were bowled out for the second lowest quarterfinal total in World Cup history.  Sangakkara was ninth man out for 45, taking his World Cup total to 541.

South Africa commenced the chase prior to the Dinner break.  They lost a wicket in that time, Amla falling to Malinga, but also ticked off 40 of the required runs.  Post break, de Kock dismantled the short pitched bowling plan and played himself into some much needed form.  He ended on 78* and justified the decision by the selectors to preserve with him at the top of the order (he had earlier taken two good catches with the gloves too).

The confidence of AB de Villers in the news conferences prior to the match was infectious and his public support of his beleaguered keeper-batsman has obviously done wonders for the individual and the team.  They have sent a real statement of intent to their fellow semifinalists, all of whom have much easier games to make it there.

South Africa 134 for 1 (de Kock 78*) beat Sri Lanka 133 (Sangakkara 45, Tahir 4-26, Duminy 3-29) by 9 wickets