Betfair review: Is this the best betting exchange?
World Cup Daily Briefing: England second favourites to win World Cup
Dan Fitch examines the World Cup market movers and points you in the direction of all the best semi-final tips...
Today's game - Tuesday 10th July
World Cup semi-finalFrance2.54v Belgium3.20; The Draw3.30Kick off 19:00, Live on BBC One Two of Europe's strongest sides packed with attacking talent meet as France take on Belgium for a place in the World Cup final, with the winner likely to be the favourite to win the tournament. "He has two goals from four starts, hit the post against Japan, was sensational against Brazil and takes spot-kicks." Read Dave Tindall's France v Belgium preview and betting tips here.
England watch
If the nation couldn't quite believe that this England team could win the World Cup, they do now. England's clinical victory over Sweden saw them through to their first tournament semi-final since 1996. We'd like to say that plenty has changed since those days, but with the Tories in crisis, Three Lions looking set to top the singles charts and a nation rooting for a very nice man named Gareth, it all seems eerily familiar. Back then England lost on penalties against Germany, when a very young Gareth Southgate bravely stepped up to take a penalty and missed. Now a redemption plot has been mapped out that feels like it has been crafted by a top Hollywood screenwriter. England have already won a penalty shootout in this tournament and Southgate's team has the chance to go one better than the boys of '96 and win a semi-final. England are rated as the 1.68 favourites to do just that. To keep you busy until tomorrow night's match against Croatia, our roving reporter Ralph Ellis has taken a look back at the lessons of England's 1966 semi-final win over Portugal, while Rio Ferdinand has given his verdict on the chances of England winning the World Cup. Is it really coming home?
Stat of the day
Belgium won 4-3 the last time they met France, in a friendly in Paris in 2015. You can back both France and Belgium to score at1.89.
Who will win the World Cup?
France are the 3.05 favourites to win the tournament and as they've got a tough semi-final opponent in Belgium, they can be expected to be pretty strong favourites should they progress tonight. England are the narrow second favourites at 3.75, ahead of Belgium at 3.85, who would become the favourites to win the tournament if they can get past France. Meanwhile, perennial dark horses Croatia are lurking in the background at 6.60.
Two very shaky defences go head to head in Texas tonight and Tobias Gourlay's bracing for goals Houston Dynamo v Minnesota UtdThursday 01:30 (Live on Premier Sports 1) In Brazil last night, CRB beat Brasil de Pelotas 3-1 to land our BTTS bet. Today we cross the Americas in search of more goals. Houston Dynamo drew their last MLS home match 2-2. It was their first since Davy Arnaud replaced Wilmer Cabrera as boss and took the Dynamo's record to 34/48 home games with Over 2.5 Goals since the start of 2017. Twenty-one of those games reached Over 3.5 Goals This term, the hosts have scored in 12/14 at BBVA Stadium and conceded in the same fraction. We fancy both sides can contribute to another free-scoring game tonight. Under Adrian Heath, Minnesota United have conceded in a remarkable 45/47 MLS away games. They've conceded at least twice in 38/47, so we're hopeful Houston can find ways through them tonight. This term, Minnesota have scored themselves in 8/12 on the road, striking seven times across the most recent four such games. So we fancy they too can grab a goal against a leaky home defence tonight. When Heath's Minnesota have scored in an away match, 30/33 have delivered at least three match goals, with 23/33 reaching four match goals or more.
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Bet now New customer Offer. Bet up to £/€20 and if the bet loses, we'll refund you £/€20. T&Cs apply. We're dipping into the Goal Lines market for this one: backing Over +2.5 & +3.0 Goals means we'll have a full winner if there are at least four goals; if there are three goals, we'll win on half our stake and have the other half returned.
whoscored.com (previews, injuries and suspensions)
myresults
injuriesandsuspensions.com
Youtube channels:
La liga and la liga 123 channel
Serie A Tim
Beanyman Sports (Premier league)
SBR Sportsbook review
TiFo football
MISC:
Participated in kaggle competitions
Have strong background in programming and engineering
Developed my own systems firstly for result prediction than to odds+result betting prediction, still not in the green in the backtest
Work in the gambling industry back end so that gives me some additional knowledge
Any tips of things or subjects to read to improve/create our own system? Is stock trading the next most related subject? Are there any other very related subjects apart from the ones that usually pop out in kaggle competitions?
BET OF THE DAY Australia vs England 2nd Semi Final
CRICKET BET OF THE DAY Australia vs England 2nd Semi Final
COMPETITIONICC WORLD CUPMATCHAustralia vs EnglandTIPEngland Will Win The MatchAustralia Betting ODDS2.26England Betting ODDS1.73 Who’s Winning ? Australia : 43.9% EngLand : 56.1%
England Form Last 5
305/8 vs New Zealand-WON
337/7 vs India-WON
285/7 vs Australia-LOST
232/9 vs Sri Lanka-LOST
397/6 vs Afghanistan-WON
Australia Form Last 5
325/6 vs South Africa-LOST
243/9 vs New Zealand-WON
285/7 vs England-WON
381/5 vs Bangladesh-WON
334/7 vs Sri Lanka-WON
ICC World Cup Semifinals Betting Trends for England vs Australia
England has gone 3-2 straight up in their last 5 matches
Australia has gone 4-1 straight up in their last 5
England has gone 7-3 straight up in their last 10 matches
Australia is 8-2 straight up in their last 10
England is 2-2 straight up in their last 4 matches
Australia has gone 3-1 straight up in their last 4
In the last five years England and Australia have played each other 21 times in ODIs. It’s all pretty tight with 11 wins for England and 10 for Australia, England’s record massively boosted by that 5-0 drubbing last summer when the Aussies were still recovering from Sandpapergate. That was countered by Australia’s six wins in a row between January 2015 and September 2015. With everything so tight over the last few years and no real advantage to either side given the match is at Edgbaston, one could make a case for the outsiders being a value bet. Which ion this case is…Australia. They’re a best price of 2.26 on the Betfair Exchange and that’s good enough as the last of our England v Australia betting tips. Winning Prediction England has won 12 out of the last 15 matches against Australia. It is also in excellent form having won two knockout matches against the other two semi-finalists. Australia is going to have to adapt to injuries at a crucial juncture and that is always an unknown. The advantage of playing in Birmingham also gives England the edge. Back England to win. 📷 90 %prediction & betting tipsare Correct Check Previous Matches Resultshere
If you haven’t noticed, I’ve uploaded two previews for Tuesday:Supreme&Arkle.smithmustscorehas also given you a preview of theChampion Hurdle, too, and I am fully on board that train. This is just to go through the other races on the card.
Ultima.
When I was studying recent renewals of this race, I expected to see that to win this valuable handicap horses would need to have significant amounts in hand of the handicapper - but that’s not actually true. Since 2010, only ONE horse has had to show any improvement on their previous best to win this, Coo Star Sivola last year, with the other eight winners all running between one and four lbs below their best on Timeform Ratings. What you need to win this is an experienced chaser with a touch of class, and there is one in here that’s the classiest of them all. The biggest Cheltenham cliche is spotting one in a handicap which has been “laid out for it”. It’s true of most festival fields, so it goes without saying. Except this time, I’m sorry, I must point out the obvious and say that Minella Rocco has been laid out for this. Well, if not this then the Grand National, but there’s no reason he won’t win this on the way. Since finishing second in Sizing John’s Gold Cup he hasn’t shown any form of note, but that performance stands up in terms of form and on the clock. After that performance he got hike up to 166 by the handicapper and didn’t take up the National that year, presumably with the aim being to win the Aintree showpiece the following year and from a much lower weight. Jonjo spent the next 12 months getting his mark down to a workable 155, but last year the ground was too soft for him to run. In two runs this season he has shown little since, but for the first time since that Gold Cup he has got a tongue-tie and cheek-pieces combo back on, and he’s had a nice little spin over hurdles LTO in preparation for this - the same prep that Alfie Sherrin had in 2012, who also won this for the same jockey, trainer and owner. He is the best horse in this field, and one of the best handicapped, he’s still only nine years old, and as far I’m concerned the only thing that stands between him and first place is his jumping ability. If he jumps well he wins this, and if he takes to the Grand National fences he wins that too.
Mares.
I have no strong opinion on this. Benie Des Dieux, on her best form, deserves to be about even money. Roksana would be my pick against her - won a Grade 2 Mares’ race last season, and then a screamer when second to Santini in a Grade 1 at Aintree. She’s only ran once this season, but that’s as clear a prep as you’ll ever see and I would trust Dan Skelton to have her primed for this.
Close Brothers.
This race tends to be won by a horse who is still improving - only one renewal since 2010 did a horse win this without doing so, and that was Ballyalton in 2016. There’s one in here who I found surprising to still be a novice, who is lightly raced enough to still be better than we have seen and who looks on a really good mark, and that’s Movewiththetimes. He ran some really good races in his first novice season - five lengths behind North Hill Harvey and Sceau Royal, and then two lengths behind Finian’s Oscar - but always had a mistake in him. He looked to have put that behind him when running a blinder in the BetVictor Gold Cup back in November as he jumped like a stag and looked set for third, before then over-reaching at the last and falling. Ahead of him that day he had Baron Alco, who was in the form of his life, and Frodon who has since won a big handicap from a rating of 164 and a Grade 2, and will probably be in the frame of the Ryanair. He was on a mark of 140 then, and 140 now, but this looks a less-hot race. You need to show about 5lbs worth of improvement to win this, but he has easily got that in hand of the handicapper. The fact he hasn’t been seen since suggests that connections think he’s too well handicapped to waste that anywhere but here - this team did something similar with Le Prezien to win the Grand Annual last year, in terms of putting one away and bringing them here fresh. He’s currently 7th favourite at around 17/1 on Betfair Exchange, but he often gets backed and it wouldn’t be a surprise were he to be a money horse on the day.
National Hunt.
I think Ballyward is the nap of the day. He has just gone 4.00 favourite on Betfair Exchange, but I think he will go off a lot shorter because, at the moment, OK Corral is holding up his price. OK Corral doesn’t really strike me as a four miler and Nicky Henderson’s record of training horses over really long distances does not inspire - since 1997, he has only trained 3 winners of races longer than 3m3f from 87 attempts since 1997. Willie Mullins, meanwhile, has trained the winner of this twice with a further three hitting the frame. He has only had two starts over fences, but he’s a solid jumper and his performance LTO shows he’s clearly the best horse in this race. It is the best chasing performance on the clock from any in here, and the form has been franked as the horses he beat by 11 and 12 lengths respectively, on their next start finished first and second in a Grade 2. Discorama did fall when meeting Ballyward and is definitely over-priced at 8.00, but I do think Ballyward would have won anyway. For me, his price should be somewhere between 3.00 and 3.50, so while he’s still available at 4.00 he’s worth backing and probably worth doubling up with Apple’s Jade. My bets for Tuesday. - Apple's Jade is ante-post. If he drifts, I will also back Buveur D'air to cover myself.
Sunday, 6th of Feb 2011 at 4.00pm GMT (11am East Coast, 3am Sydney)
Location:
Stamford Bridge, Chelsea, London
Referee:
Andre Marriner (16 matches, 2 red cards)
Assistant referees:
Scott Ledger & Adam Watts
Fourth official:
Kevin Friend
Previous Fixture:
Liverpool won 2-0 at Anfield with Fernando Torres scoring two goals. The match marked the beginning of a form slump for the title holders. Soccernet Match Report
Television:
Live on Sky Sports 1 (UK), Fox Sports (Aus) and Fox Soccer Channel (USA)
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Match News
Critical match for both teams, with Chelsea looking to get their title bid back on track after a recent slump in results. The blues spent more than 70 million pounds in the transfer window to re-enforce their starting lineup both at the front and at the back.
Liverpool have seen a recent revival under new manager Kenny Dalglish and have also spent bid in the January transfer window in a bid to secure a place in Europe next year. The top 4 is still not out of sight for Liverpool, but they will need to pick up more points on the road.
Fernando Torres is set to make his debut for Chelsea against his former club after a 50M pound move from Anfield
Ancelotti is likely to slot Torres up front in a 3-man front line alongside Drogba and Anelka.
Both Chelsea and Liverpool have taken maximum points from their last three Premier League games
New Liverpool signing Luis Suarez is set to make his starting debut after coming on in the 70th minute against Stoke mid-week and scoring the second goal.
Suarez scored 81 goals in 110 games for Ajax, and is looking to make his mark in his first full EPL game
Raul Meireles is looking to continue his recent good form, with 3 goals in his last 4 EPL outings. The former Porto player has re-found his old form under new manager Kenny Dalglish, who has played him in a more advanced midfield role where he has the freedom to create opportunities.
Pepe Reina is coming into the game having not conceded a goal in 308 minutes of play (since they played Everton at Anfield on the 16th of January). Three straight clean-sheets for the Spanish keeper.
Jamie Caragher is expected to return to the starting lineup after sitting out the mid-week Stoke match on the bench. He return from a shoulder injury that kept him out for 6 weeks.
New Chelsea signing David Luiz is set to make his debut for his new club after a protracted January transfer from Portugese club Benfica. Luiz is expected to line up along-side club captain John Terry in the center of defense, while Branislav Ivanovic is expected to take back his newly preferred position of right-back, possibly relegating Jose Bosingwa back to the substitutes bench.
Match Trivia
Liverpool have not scored a goal in 5 of their last 6 visits to Stamford Bridge.
In the 2008 fixture, Liverpool beat Chelsea 1-0 with Alonso scoring the only goal of the match early on. The Liverpool win ended Chelsea's 86-game winning streak at the Bridge. Match Report from 2008
The sides have met 27 times since 2004, with Chelsea winning 12 times while Liverpool have won 8.
Chelsea have won all four games at Stamford Bridge this year without conceding a single goal
Didier Drogba has scored five goals in his last eight matches against Liverpool in all competitions.
Over the last five games since Kenny Dalglish has taken over at Liverpool they have taken 10 points. Only Manchester United are in better form in the past 5 games
Fernando Torres scored seven goals in eight games for Liverpool against Chelsea.
Pre-Match Press Quotes
We are more important than any player they have got. We'll play against whoever they put on the pitch. I would expect they would relish the battle against him [Torres] but they have competed brilliantly against everyone since I have come in
HALF TIME - Awesome Game. Torres had one chance, runs onto a ball from Drogba that was cut across goal. Brilliant last second block from Carragher. And then there was Maxi. Maxi, maxi maxi. No doubt that video will be all over reddit within an hour.
45'
SECOND HALF
65'
SUBSTITUTION CHELSEA Solomon Kalou (9M pounds) has come on for Fernando Torres (50M pounds)
68'
RAUL MEIRELES!!!! LIVERPOOOOOL!
90'
FULL TIME what a game, what a weekend!
(Apologies for not keeping up a running game log. I got a bit carried away watching the game. Almost had a heart attack)
The thread for to post your previews will be live on Fridays. The post-match review of the bets will be done Sundays. The sign-up thread will be posted on Tuesdays.
Please have your previews posted by lunch-time Saturday. This should give other people enough time to check the thread and check the tips.
Please format your previews something similar to this
When you post your selection, please confirm if you're advising to Win, Place, E/W, Forecast, whatever, how many points to stake (this is generally done in 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 points, but it's up to your discretion), and what odds to take and with which betting firm or if you're taking the SP.
SATURDAY 3rd DEC CHANNEL 4 CARD - ONE RACE STILL AVAILABLE:
Barcelona vs Real Madrid odds, preview and predictions
Saturday 02/04/2016, 20:30, Spain Primera Division, Round 31 Barcelona vs Real Madrid Preview Barcelona has probably want the championship already, despite the fact that they are still plenty of rounds left. They are simply too good at the moment to allow an advantage of 8.2 vanish in the remaining games and the challengers are nowhere within striking distance. Even so, victory over Real Madrid means a great deal for the reigning champions, since this is the biggest rivalry in European football. Barcelona vs Real Madrid Odds At Betfair Barcelona 1.60, Draw 4.20, Real Madrid 4.75 Barcelona vs Real Madrid Tips Barcelona has the advantage of winning the last had to head games by four goals despite the fact that they play on the road. Their superiority was obvious on all levels and Real Madrid had no chance at salvaging a point and the human failed to score goals. It was an open match that was delightful to watch even by those who didn't have any vested interest and this one promises to be just as exciting. When Barcelona plays in front of its fans, it starts as overwhelming favorite against any opponent and this is exactly what happens on Saturday. The three strikers are all fit to play despite the fact that they had a busy schedule in midweek and had to play for the national countries. They will feature in the starting formation, but it is fair to assume that they won't play exactly at 100%. Real Madrid has fewer players from South America and this should help them prepare the match better, although the odds of actually winning on the road don't look that good. Overall, they were not terribly successful at claiming all three points in Barcelona and now they are not even that motivated. The real competition is with its city rivals, because everyone wants to finish in the second spot and Real Madrid is currently trailing by one point. On the bright side, all those who finish on the podium are guaranteed to play in the Champions League without going through the playoffs. The fewer games the players spent on the pitch, the lower the odds of suffering an injury, so this is also a factor. Key Facts Barcelona won the last match against Real Madrid by four goals to nil despite playing on the road. The visitors are not terribly motivated ahead of this fixture, because they don't have a real shot at winning the title. Barcelona vs Real Madrid Prediction With Barcelona having its best striker is just returning from South America, fatigue should be considered because they are unlikely to play at full potential. The visitors will also be wary about the possibility of allowing a basket of goals and won't take as many chances and they normally do. This could result in a match with fewer than 3.5 goals, so it's worth betting on this outcome at 1.90 with Betfair. Bet: Under 3.5 goals @ 1.90 with Betfair via www.casinoreviews.casino
Copie de Empoli vs Napoli odds, preview and predictions 30/04/2015
Thursday 30/04/2015, 20:00, Italy Serie A, Round 33 Empoli vs Napoli Preview Napoli has two chances of playing in the Champions League next season and both roads are twisted and terribly uncertain. They will try to win Europa League this year, but if this doesn't go according to the plan, they need to finish on the podium in the domestic championship. To do that, they desperately need points in the remaining rounds, including this match against Empoli. Empoli vs Napoli Odds At Betfair Empoli 4.00, Draw 3.20, Napoli 1.90 Empoli vs Napoli Tips Napoli steamrolled past Wolfsburg in the European competition despite playing on the road, so they should be no match for Empoli. Their offensive lineup is impressive on many levels and if they don't take the food off gas, the hosts will have no choice but to play defensive football. This is not exactly a problem for the home side, who embraced the style throughout the season and so far it served them well. They sit in the 16th place which is nothing to frown upon even the fact that their objective was to avoid relegation. Now that the danger has passed, so did the enthusiasm and motivation that kept alive for so long and this should be self evident against Napoli. Empoli vs Napoli Prediction Odds of 1.90 for a team that is in superb form and highly motivated to win is sufficient value and Betfair is the betting exchange that makes such a tempting proposition. Bet: Napoli @ 1.90 with Betfair www.casinoreviews.casino
Tuesday 22/03/2016, 17:00, ATP Miami Masters, R128 Edmund vs Vesely Betting Preview Edmund and Vesely were both eliminated in the first round at Indian Wells, but one of them is guaranteed to perform better in Miami. The two young players meet in the first match of the day and since they haven't met before, bookmakers have a hard time offering the right odds. Edmund vs Vesely Betting Odds At Betfair Edmund 1.75, Vesely 2.00 Edmund vs Vesely Betting Tips Edmund is a young player from United Kingdom, with a powerful service and excellent mobility, which helped him climb inside top 100. He still has a long way to go to meet his full potential, but he is clearly on the right track and can start 2016 on the right foot. One week ago, he won the first set at a tiebreak but was unable to hold onto his lead and was eventually eliminated from the competition. It was still a better performance than what he accomplished in Dubai, where he failed to qualify and was eliminated in straight sets. The key to his game is the first serve, as Edmund is known for producing plenty of aces on hard court. Vesely is no stranger to powerful first serves and the player from the Czech Republic is going to use this weapon against his British counterpart. Unfortunately for him, he had a hard time winning his serve and in the last five games he played no tiebreak. Furthermore, Jiri won a single match in the last time, one of the worst starts over year so far. He doesn't fair to well on international hard court, so he is probably happy to return to North America and play on a slightly different surface. Having said this, he also relies heavily on his first serve and this makes the confrontation with Kyle very interesting. Key Facts Both players serve well but recently Vesely struggled to defend his and allowed many breaks. The two young players are at the opposite end of form, with the check losing 9 out of 10 recent matches. Edmund vs Vesely Betting Prediction Vesely is priced at even odds, but punters should side with the favorite today because Edmund is far more likely to emerge victorious. He's an all-around player and even if he doesn't makes the most of his first serve, he still has plenty of weapons in its arsenal to prevail. Both are young and lack the experience necessary to reach the advanced rounds of a tournament of this magnitude, but Kyle is well-positioned to win the first round. Betfair offers odds of 1.75 on this outcome which are excellent. Bet: Edmund @ 1.75 with Betfair via www.casinoreviews.casino
I've listed the races from this Saturday's Channel 4 card below. We will allocate them based on a "first come, first serve" basis. If anyone can think of a fairer way let me know. If we get more interest than the number of televised races we will look at other races for the users to analyse. If you want to include tips for other races, please feel free. RULES:
The thread for to post your previews will be live on Fridays. The post-match review of the bets will be done Sundays. The sign-up thread will be posted on Tuesdays.
Please have your previews posted by lunch-time Saturday. This should give other people enough time to check the thread and check the tips.
Please format your previews something similar to this
When you post your selection, please confirm if you're advising to Win, Place, E/W, Forecast, whatever, how many points to stake (this is generally done in 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 points, but it's up to your discretion), and what odds to take and with which betting firm or if you're taking the SP.
The thread to post your previews will be live on Friday. The post-match review of the bets will be done by Sunday. The next sign-up thread will also be posted on Wednesday (if the ITV card has been confirmed by then).
Please have your previews posted by lunch-time Saturday. This should give other people enough time to check the thread and check the tips.
Please format your previews something similar to this.
When you post your selection, please confirm if you're advising to Win, Place, E/W, Forecast, whatever, how many points to stake (this is generally done in 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 points, but it's up to your discretion), and what odds to take and with which betting firm or if you're taking the SP.
If we have more interest than the amount of races, we’ll look at other races to be previewed. And if you want to include a tip for another race not listed, please feel free. Results so far can be viewed here. Good luck and have fun!
/r/horseracing Cheltenham Festival guide and discussion 2015
As of writing this there is less than two weeks until the greatest horseracing festival on Earth. With 4 days and 35 races of the highest quality, the sub would be inundated unless we keep things central so use this thread for absolutely anything Cheltenham - news, previews, tips and, most importantly, debate! For those who are unfamiliar, The Cheltenham Festival in held every March at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire. The National Hunt season is mostly run with it in mind, as top trainers all desire even a single win at the jewel in the crown of jumps racing. The various graded races throughout the year are usually used as pointers towards graded races at the festival, for example a winner of the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown in January will probably be high up in the market for the Supreme Novices Hurdle at the Festival. It consists of 4 days - Champion Day (Tue), Ladies Day (Wed), St Patricks Thursday and Gold Cup Day (Fri) and this year is held between the 10th and 14th of March The Races Each of the four days is centred around a Championship race: The Champion Hurdle, The Queen Mother Champion Chase, The World Hurdle and The Cheltenham Gold Cup The Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase are 2m races - the shortest distances in NH racing and are held on the Cheltenham Old Course as are all races on Tuesday and Wednesday. The World Hurdle and Gold Cup are held over stayers distances of 3 miles and 3 miles 2 and a half furlongs respectively. They are raced on the New Course on Thursday and Friday. Other races include Grade 1 novice chases and hurdles, big prize pot handicaps as well as handicaps for amateur riders, conditional jockeys and hunter chasers as well as a mares hurdle race and two races for juvenile hurdlers (4 year old horses). The Stars Perhaps one of the greatest appeals of National Hunt racing is the opportunity for horses to become household names due to the lengths of their careers. Unlike on the flat where stallions are carted off to stud after 2 or 3 years, most NH horses are geldings and usually aren't begun to be raced until they develop into their strongest frames between 5 and 8. Festival heroes include Istabraq who is a three time winner of the Champion Hurdle. More recently, Hurricane Fly who is trained by Irish top trainer Willie Mullins won the 2011 and 2013 renewals of the race. Just as we were blessed to watch the mighty Frankel in our lifetimes, there will surely be or have been very few who are better chasers than Sprinter Sacre at the height of his career. The Nicky Henderson Horse was undefeated over fences before having to pull up due to a heart condition last Christmas. He was defeated upon reappearance in the Clarence House Chase, though arguably was not hard pushed. Whether that is a good or bad sign will become clear as the festival unfolds. American followers of NH racing were cheering home Flagship Uberalles during his racing career, and with silks like those they must have been ecstatic when he made up for his loss when favourite in the 2000 QMCC by winning the 2002 renewal. No horse have ever been bred to win a World Hurdle is a saying in the NH world. Most horses that win were bred with the Gold Cup in mind but didn't take to chasing for whatever reason. Though a winner of the 2m4f novices chase at the Cheltenham Festival in 2008, Big Buck's was reverted to hurdles after unseating his rider in the Hennessey Gold Cup in the next season. This was rather fortuitous as it turned out as staying hurdlers go, he was an absolute machine. Until an injury setback in 2013, he was undefeated in 18 runs, including 4 World Hurdles, 4 Liverpool Hurdles, 4 Long Distance Hurdles and 3 Long Walk Hurdles - all of which are Grade 1s. After missing most of the 2013 season due to injury, the 11 year old returned after a 400+ day absence for the 2014 Cleeve Hurdle during Festival Trials day where he lost his unbeaten record. There was no fairytale finish when competing in the 2014 World Hurdle, though he was retired a legend of the staying hurdle sphere to rapturous applause from the crowd. The Gold Cup has been won by many beloved horses over the years - Arkle, Desert Orchid, Dawn Run. More recently Best Mate entered the hearts when winning his third successive Gold Cup. The image of his trainer Henrietta Knight embracing husband and former champion jockey Terry Biddlecombe at the post lives long in the memory - especially given the passing of Mr Biddlecombe last year. Kauto Star is also a mutiple Gold Cup winner who retired in 2012. He had a famous rivalry with stablemate Denman who won the 2008 Gold Cup and whose career was blighted by a heart issue. Another festival legend is Quevega who is on a massive unbeaten run herself. She won the Mares Hurdle at the festival an impressive 5 times in a row as well as the World Series Hurdle at Punchestown in the same years. Last year she picked up her sixth win in the Mares Hurdle but could not retain her World Series Hurdle crown and was retired to stud. Ones to Watch Even at the grand old age of 11, Hurricane Fly is having another crack at the Champion Hurdle in order to emulate Istabraq in winning it three times. This years competition will be one of the more competitive affairs. Favourites in the betting include new kid on the block Faugheen who as a novice won races from 2 miles to 3 over al sorts of ground. his versatility makes him the most exciting hurdling prospect in training although questions are in place over the quality of his victories this campaign. The New One returns flying the flag for Britain having arguably been unlucky in running last year. There is no doubt over his quality and he has a devestating turn of foot. Last year's winner Jezki returns having been beaten convincingly by Hurricane Fly three times this season. There can be no doubt he'll be primed for this race though some spectators question his record with Tony McCoy on board. This race is certain to be a fantastic showcase of hurdling and with any luck will be a fantastic spectacle. With Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy returning from injury with question marks the Champion Chase appears to be a 4 horse race. The grade 1 preps for this race - the Tingle Creek and the Clarence House Chases have been won in most impressive fashion by speedy chaser Dodging Bullets.. Of the Irish horses, Willie Mullins trains Supreme Novices 2013 winner Champagne Fever who was narrowly edged out by Western Warhorse in last year's Arkle (2m novice grade 1 chase). An outside chance after victory in The Game Spirit chase is Mr Mole whom has been subject to an outstanding training performance by Paul Nicholls to get him to grade race standard. In the World Hurdle, a very open and unfortunately underwhelming contest looks to be on offer. With Big Bucks retired, More of That edged out Annie Power in a thriller finish last year. More Of That could be out injured and Annie Power may take the penalty kick of the Mares Hurdle. In the same colours as Big Bucks representing the Stewart Family, Saphir De Rheu is favourite after reverting from chasing to staying hurdling and winning the Cleeve hurdle (deja vu?!). The ever popular Zarkandar is also trained by Nicholls and was edged out by Reve de Sivola in the Long Walk hurdle before Christmas. Champion Hurdler (2012) Rock On Ruby will be trying his hand at 3 miles having shown potential to stay the trip when winning the Relkeel Hurdle - the same race More Of That landed before going on to victory here last year.
Finally, the Gold Cup looks to be King George VI Chase 2013 and 14 winner Silviniaco Conti's to lose. His opposition will come from last year's 20/1 winner Lord Windermere, Hennessey Gold Cup winner Many Clouds and Lexus Chase winner Road To Riches. Carlingford Lough landed the Irish Hennessey the day after AP McCoy announced his retirement, and what better send off for the soon to be 20 times champion jockey than to land the most prestigious prize in National Hunt racing.
TL;DR Have fun over those 4 days. Best of luck with your bets.
/r/horseracing Official Cheltenham Festival Thread
As of writing this there is just under 17 days until the greatest horseracing festival on Earth. With 4 days and 35 races of the highest quality, the sub would be inundated unless we keep things central so use this thread for absolutely anything Cheltenham - news, previews, tips and - most importantly - debate! For those who are unfamiliar, The Cheltenham Festival in held every March at Cheltenham Racecourse in Gloucestershire. The National Hunt season is mostly run with it in mind, as top trainers all desire even a single win at the jewel in the crown of jumps racing. The various graded races throughout are usually used as pointers towards graded races at the festival, for example a winner of the Tolworth Hurdle at Sandown in January will probably be high up in the market for the Supreme Novices Hurdle at the Festival. It consists of 4 days - Champion Day (Tue), Ladies Day (Wed), St Patricks Thursday and Gold Cup Day (Fri) and this year is held between the 11th and 15th of March The Races Each of the four days is centred around a Championship race: The Champion Hurdle, The Queen Mother Champion Chase, The World Hurdle and The Cheltenham Gold Cup The Champion Hurdle and Champion Chase are 2m races - the shortest distances in NH racing and are held on the Cheltenham Old Course as are all races on Tuesday and Wednesday. The World Hurdle and Gold Cup are held over stayers distances of 3 miles and 3 miles 2 and a half furlongs respectively. They are raced on the New Course on Thursday and Friday. Other races include Grade 1 novice chases and hurdles, big prize pot handicaps as well as handicaps for amateur riders, conditional jockeys and hunter chasers as well as a mares hurdle race and two races for juvenile hurdlers (4 year old horses). The Stars Perhaps one of the greatest appeals of National Hunt racing is the opportunity for horses to become household names due to the lengths of their careers. Unlike on the flat where stallions are carted off to stud after 2 or 3 years, most NH horses are geldings and usually aren't begun to be raced until they develop into their strongest frames between 5 and 9. Festival heroes include Istabraq who is a three time winner of the Champion Hurdle. More recently, Hurricane Fly who is trained by Irish top trainer Willie Mullins won the 2011 and 2013 renewals of the race. Just as we were blessed to watch the mighty Frankel in our lifetimes, there will surely be or have been very few who are better chasers than Sprinter Sacre. The Nicky Henderson Horse was undefeated over fences before having to pull up due to a heart condition this Christmas. Race fans will have their fingers crossed that he returns to full health in order to defend his title in the Champion Chase this year. American followers of NH racing were cheering home Flagship Uberalles during his racing career, and with silks like those they must have been ecstatic when he made up for his loss when favourite in the 2000 QMCC by winning the 2002 renewal. No horse have ever been bred to win a World Hurdle is a saying in the NH world. Most horses that win were bred with the Gold Cup in mind but didn't take to chasing for whatever reason. Though a winner of the 2m4f novices chase at the Cheltenham Festival in 2008, Big Buck's was reverted to hurdles after unseating his rider in the Hennessey Gold Cup in the next season. This was rather fortuitous as it turned out as staying hurdlers go, he is an absolute machine. Until very recently he was undefeated in 18 runs, including 4 World Hurdles, 4 Liverpool Hurdles, 4 Long Distance Hurdles and 3 Long Walk Hurdles - all of which are Grade 1s. After missing most of the 2013 season due to injury, the 11 year old returned after a 400+ day absence for the 2014 Cleeve Hurdle during Festival Trials day where he lost his unbeaten record. This year promises to be a more competitive renewal than usual due to the apparent fragility of Big Buck's, though fingers crossed he can make it 5 wins. The Gold Cup has been won by many beloved horses over the years - Arkle, Desert Orchid, Dawn Run. More recently Best Mate entered the hearts when winning his third successive Gold Cup. The image of his trainer Henrietta Knight embracing husband and former champion jockey Terry Biddlecombe at the post lives long in the memory - especially given the passing of Mr Biddlecombe at the beginning of this year. Kauto Star is also a mutiple Gold Cup winner who retired in 2012. He had a famous rivalry with stablemate Denman who won the 2008 Gold Cup and whose career was blighted by a heart issue. Another festival legend is Quevega who is on a massive unbeaten run herself. She has won the Mares Hurdle at the festival an impressive 5 times in a row as well as the World Series Hurdle at Punchestown in the same years. Ones to Watch This year, Hurricane Fly is having a crack at his third Champion Hurdle in order to emulate Istabraq. However it is certain that this year will be one of the most competitive renewals of the race. He faces International Hurdle winner The New One, Fighting Fifth Hurdle and Christmas Hurdle winner My Tent or Yours, Triumph Hurdle 2013 winner Our Conor, Hatton's Grace Hurdle winner Jezki and potentially Red Mills Trial Hurdle winner Un De Sceaux and unbeaten supermare Annie Power. This race is certain to be a fantastic showcase of hurdling and with any luck will be a fantastic spectacle. With Sprinter Sacre out of most of the year and still not a certainty to run, the Champion Chase is certainly more open. The grade 1 preps for this race - the Tingle Creek, The Desert Orchid and the Clarence House Chases have been won in most impressive fashion by another speedy chaser Sire De Grugy. Even if Sprinter Sacre takes his chance he will have a difficult opponent to over come in SdG. Of the Irish horses, Willie Mullins trains Arvika Ligeonniere who won the Tied Cottage Chase at Punchestown in early February. The winner of the Paddy Power Dial-A-Bet this year at Leopardstown and 2013 Jewson Novices Chase at the festival Benefficient could also line up. In the World Hurdle, Big Buck's will return but faces a tough task in order to win this race a fifth time. He faces 2013 festival winner At Fishers Cross who was one of the two who just beat him home in January but has jumped inconsistently this season. Annie Power could be the prime Irish threat if she races here rather than the Champion Hurdle. Another JP McManus (The striped green and gold silks) horse More of That represents an unexposed and very progressive threat in the line up. Other runners include 2013 Neptune runner up Rule The World who could end up being the only Irish threat if Annie Power doesn't line up. Reve de Silvola was disappointing in January having won the Long Walk in December but is usually a huge threat on soft ground. Finally, the Gold Cup looks to be a match race between last years winner Bobs Worth who bounced back to illustrious form last time out in the Lexus Chase. His main rival is King George VI Chase winner Silviniaco Conti who fell in last years Gold Cup before giving his running. Though Gigginstown Studs main staying chaser Sir Des Champs is sidelined with injury, Last Instalment won the Irish Hennessey and will aim to cause an upset to the top two. Cue Card looked to have proved he could stay 3 miles when winning the Betfair Chase in November but seemed to run out of steam when 1 fence from home in the King George and looking very likely to win. He will have a task to stay the extra quarter mile as well as bettering Bobs Worth and Silviniaco Conti. TL;DR Have fun over those 4 days. Best of luck with your bets. Comments below will be dedicated to each of the four days. EDIT: Sorry the images on some won't load with RES - had to tinyURL to get within the character count
Back again, somewhat easier week with betting but again remember this early in the season it can be incredibly hard especially after a lot of round 1/2 upsets so BETTOR BEWARE Favourites in BOLD All odds accurate as of 11:00am AEST 8th of April, taken from Bet365
The thread to post your previews will be live on Friday. The post-match review of the bets will be done by Sunday. The next sign-up thread will also be posted on Wednesday (if the ITV card has been confirmed by then).
Please have your previews posted by lunch-time Saturday. This should give other people enough time to check the thread and check the tips.
Please format your previews something similar to this.
When you post your selection, please confirm if you're advising to Win, Place, E/W, Forecast, whatever, how many points to stake (this is generally done in 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 points, but it's up to your discretion), and what odds to take and with which betting firm or if you're taking the SP.
If we have more interest than the amount of races, we’ll look at other races to be previewed. And if you want to include a tip for another race not listed, please feel free. Results so far can be viewed here. Good luck and have fun!
The thread to post your previews will be live on Friday. The post-match review of the bets will be done by Sunday. The next sign-up thread will also be posted on Wednesday (if the ITV card has been confirmed by then).
Please have your previews posted by lunch-time Saturday. This should give other people enough time to check the thread and check the tips.
Please format your previews something similar to this.
When you post your selection, please confirm if you're advising to Win, Place, E/W, Forecast, whatever, how many points to stake (this is generally done in 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 points, but it's up to your discretion), and what odds to take and with which betting firm or if you're taking the SP.
If we have more interest than the amount of races, we’ll look at other races to be previewed. And if you want to include a tip for another race not listed, please feel free. Results so far can be viewed here. Good luck and have fun!
The thread to post your previews will be live on Friday. The post-match review of the bets will be done by Sunday. The next sign-up thread will also be posted on Wednesday (if the ITV card has been confirmed by then).
Please have your previews posted by lunch-time Saturday. This should give other people enough time to check the thread and check the tips.
Please format your previews something similar to this.
When you post your selection, please confirm if you're advising to Win, Place, E/W, Forecast, whatever, how many points to stake (this is generally done in 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 points, but it's up to your discretion), and what odds to take and with which betting firm or if you're taking the SP.
If we have more interest than the amount of races, we’ll look at other races to be previewed. And if you want to include a tip for another race not listed, please feel free. Results so far can be viewed here. Good luck and have fun!
Pre-Match Thread: QPR v Chelsea [Jan 28, 12:00 GMT]
A thread for us to chat about our upcoming FA Cup match against QPR. Kick-off is at 12:00 PM GMT / 07:0 EST / 04:00 AM PST. For the newer Chelsea fans, QPR is historically one of our greatest rival. They're been shit for a long, long time so it's let up a bit over the years, but as evidenced by the first match this season, there's no love lost. Relationships between us on Reddit are even a little frosty. There's the whole Terry/Ferdinand scandal as well. Don't think I need to remind the older fans the significance of this match. Team news: Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou remain unavailable at the ACoN, and Alex has officially moved on to PSG. John Obi Mikel is out with a hamstring injury and Lampard joins him on the physio table with a small calf tear. Match Previews: Match preview from the official Chelsea site. Match preview from The Guardian. Match preview from The BBC. Official line-up: (4-3-3): 1 Petr Cech; 2 Branislav Ivanovic, 4 David Luiz, 26 John Terry (c), 3 Ashley Cole; 7 Ramires, 16 Raul Meireles; 15 Florent Malouda; 23 Daniel Sturridge, 9 Fernando Torres, 10 Juan Mata Subs: 23 Ross Turnbull, 17 Jose Bosingwa, 34 Ryan Bertrand, 24 Gary Cahill, 5 Michael Essien, 6 Oriol Romeu, 18 Romelu Lukaku Depth at the midfield and forward positions seems to be light now. Based on this, I believe there should be a stream for this match, unlike the Portsmouth tie. Early wake up for some of us, so hopefully we're not disappointed with another audio-only match. Courtesy of thighslikewhat, here are some interesting facts related to QPChelsea from Opta. Stream Match Thread Thoughts? Predictions? Let's hope for a great game. KTBFFH.
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