Sport is made for betting

Easter Monday traditionally means Irish National Day at Fairyhouse, so up steps Ben Homans, @blue_bajan , with the preview. It's a National, so it goes without saying it's mighty hard to narrow it down. Currently on Betfair, it's just over 10/1 the field. ------------------ Irish Grand National, 16.50, Fairyhouse, 3m5f. Just six days before the English Grand National, we have the running of the 143rd Irish Grand National, which is a gruelling 3m 5f. Previous winners have included Desert Orchid, Numbersixvalverde, Butlers Cabin and Niche Market - some top staying chasers indeed, you have to admit! Questions Answered has been pulled out and won't run in the race. Here we look at the 29 runners which will contest the start line for the 2013 Irish Grand National: I'm a firm believer of trends, with weights in staying chases being so key. The only thing is this year, Junior , takes top weight of 11st 12lbs, leaving the rest of the runners off less than 11st. He will...

The Tour of Flanders is one of the great cycling races on the circuit, a one-day classic combining stiff hills and nasty cobbled surfaces. And from a purist's point-of-view, EPO is virtually useless for a one-day race (although if they've had a busy recent schedule with all the races now on the circuit, I suppose it's not hugely different to a long tour). Avid cycling punter and SBB columnist , Ghislain Hofman, @gghofman , lines up with the preview. -------------------- Tour of Flanders preview Peter Sagan, Fabian Cancellera, Tom Boonen all lead a strong field for the season's second classic, and the single biggest day in Belgian racing this season. The Route: As is usual the first 50km plus are very easy going letting the legs warm up and the break of the day get up the road. 256km over some of the hardest terrain that the Flanders region has to offer, thousands of passionate fans camped on the route's historic climbs seeking just a few seconds of their her...

Not long left for the jumps season in the UK but there's a decent card at Haydock tomorrow. It's BetVictor day, so it's only fair I give them a plug in the form of regular contributor Jack Milner, @jjmsports , one of their content guys. And you can read plenty of his work on his blog . -------------- Haydock hold a fantastic National Hunt card on Saturday, with the twilight phase of this sphere still producing quality cards, with BetVictor Day proving to be a treat. Handy Andy will be a warm favourite in the first, a three and a half mile handicap chase, not for the faint hearted, but he is vulnerable up 10lb for his win over Chartreaux last time out. Monsieur Cadou and Captain Americo are lightly raced sorts that can improve but the form selection looks to be Rhum for the in form team of Nigel and Sam Twiston-Davies. The eight year old was back to his best last time out, winning cosily at Wincanton over an extended three miles, and looked better the further he went. He ...

Plenty of Dubai World Cup night previews, so to save you scrolling through to find them all, this might come in handy! Dubai World Cup Dubai Duty Free Godolphin Mile Golden Shaheen Al Quoz Sprint Sheema Classic I haven't printed previews of the Gold Cup or the UAE Derby, but a couple of my regular contributors have covered these races briefly in their full card previews - Calum Madell and Jim Gilchrist .

It's been a while since sectional analyst Steve Lines contributed on the blog, so not only do we have a preview of one of the features from Dubai World Cup night, but also an editorial on recent developments in the racing industry. You can follow Steve on Twitter via @sjlone1 . ------------- I missed the Brocklesby – what price did Rory Jiwani quote the winner for the 2015 Triumph? I didn’t see the reams of advertising highlighting so-and-so tipping multiple winners so I presume Cheltenham was a tough gig for those who get paid whether their selections win or lose. Forget getting your kids into law, medicine or computer programming; racing journalism is the job. Nepotism with an ability to continually comment about the cold weather seems the best way to secure a position – and don’t get me started on The Morning Line! Just who in hell is the new format aimed at? I shamefully admit I tuned in for a second time with a ‘car crash' fascination but I felt acutely embarrassed for T...

The 1000m dash at Meydan is called the Al Quoz Sprint and it's worth a cool million USD. Casting a close eye over the field is regular contributor Jon da Silva, @creamontop . --------------- Al Quoz Sprint Straight 5f, some suggestion high numbers preferable. Shea Shea has the highest Official Rating and Racing Post Rating by three and two pounds respectively (source RP) however he is 5/4 in a 16 runner international race with several Group 1 winners and not every horse fully exposed. I think he has to be opposed. He did beat several of these last time in an impressive demolition but the price is too short. Eagle Regiment comes here a multiple grade 1 winner in Hong Kong which gives him strong claims almost anywhere Black Caviar is not. With time out he may be ever so slightly unexposed. There is an injury scare but it is hoof problem and whilst he may have missed a breeze at the track it's not something that is definitely a problem. Draws 1 hole which certainly @jeremy...

The sixth edition of the Indian Premier League starts next week, delivering 76 matches of high-tempo T20 action, always brilliant for trading. Cricket trading expert, Stephen Maher, @gamblerfalls , has put the magnifying glass over the exotic markets to find the extra angle. You can read more of Stephen's expertise on his blog - gamblerfalls.com or his outright preview published yesterday. ---------------- IPL 2013 Side Markets Preview Finally, some side markets! Only a handful of bookies have priced them up and I’m sure there will be plenty of different ones when every bookie has markets but all I wanted was highest/lowest scores and top team batsmen markets so I’m happy to crack ahead – there;s no point betting on markets that are too crazy (like six 6s in an over or something like that). You can read my teams/squads preview here from earlier this week. I’ll start with the ones I fancy most and work down. Lowest Team Tournament Score – Over 81.5 at 5/6 with Paddy Powe...

Now we get serious in the Dubai World Cup night previews with the sprints and some Aussie representation! For the last of his previews, it's back to David Haddrell from Star Sports ... @davidhaddrell . -------------------- Golden Shaheen The Golden Shaheen is a 6f Group One run on Meydan's Tapeta track and it's a real test of speed. After a couple of below par years with Rocket Man attracting all attention, we've got an open contest with candidates from all corners of the globe lining up. 1. Frederick Engels - Former UK sprinter who won the Norfolk and July Cup as a two year old for David Brown before being sold to Hong Kong. Really took a while to adjust to life in the former British colony but has recently been thriving and was recently touched off by top HK sprinters Eagle Regiment and Lucky Nine. It'll be interesting to see how Eagle Regiment gets on in the Al Quoz as a handle on this fella's form on a world stage and they could even be worth a small...

Now it's time for the headline act - the Dubai World Cup. Once again, expert analysis from international form guru David Haddrell, @davidhaddrell , who appears courtesy of "the gentleman's bookmaker" StarSports . ----------------- Dubai World Cup This is a weak renewal of the world’s richest race and it scarcely resembles a Group One. Either way, there are some decent American runners along with the usual local Godolphin mass entries, and it’s an interesting race nonetheless. 1. Treasure Beach – Irish Derby winner two years ago but has struggled to land a blow in most races since that Summer. Finished sixth in the trial for this race behind Hunter’s Light and ran a big race in the Sheema Classic last year. I can’t see him winning this but I think he’ll come on for his prep and if he runs to his best, he won’t be far away. 2. Red Cadeaux – Globetrotting star who’s been beaten a short-head in a Melbourne Cup and won a Hong Kong Vase. Had a good rec...

Another preview from the fascinating Dubai World Cup night card from international form analyst David Haddrell, @davidhaddrell , who appears courtesy of "the gentleman's bookmaker" StarSports . Watch out for the Kiwi runner is all I'll say.... ----------------- Dubai Duty Free The Dubai Duty Free is ran over the unusual distance of 1m1f on Meydan’s turf track. It has often been targeted by European trainers and last year saw a runaway winner in Cityscape. This year’s renewal is a strong renewal with lots of different form lines represented. Let’s run through the field…. 1. Aesop’s Fables – Ex-Andre Fabre trained colt who won a very weak Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly last year. Has had two runs in Meydan, one over C&D when finishing fourth behind The Apache. Has since got beaten a long way on Tapeta and hard to recommend him here when plenty of others have better Dubai form. 2. I’m A Dreamer – British trained Globetrotting filly who had a spell S...

It's World Cup night on Saturday in Dubai but don't be fooled into thinking that the headline event is the best race on the card. There are some great races on the programme, the Cup is just one of them. I'll be covering most of the races here on the blog, and one of the contributors drafted in is international form expert David Haddrell, @davidhaddrell . First up, the Godolphin Mile.... --------------------------- Godolphin Mile A very competitive renewal of this Group One over a mile ran on the Tapeta track to kick off the card for the proper horses and not the pantomine Arab-breds. Last year's winner African Story swerves this assignment for the World Cup which probably is no tougher than this but has a higher purse and prestige so the local mob are keen to divert equine resources to that race in order to keep their mitts on the big prize. Anyway, even allowing for his absence, we've got a strong field of 16 runners going to post for the race and I'll br...

The sixth edition of the Indian Premier League starts next week, delivering 76 matches of high-tempo T20 action, always brilliant for trading. I've drafted in a cricket trading expert, Stephen Maher, @gamblerfalls , to go through the betting options in detail. First up, a look at the main markets, and there'll be another one as more bookies price up exotics over the next few days. You can read more of Stephen's expertise on his blog - gamblerfalls.com IPL 2013 Preview Well, the madness is nearly here! I thought I’d do a quick run through the squads before I start finding bets, but most of my bets will be on side markets anyway. Throughout the tournament this year my plan is to get involved in the markets as late as possible, I usually wait until after the first innings to start but this year I think I’ll be waiting even longer, five maybe ten overs into the chase – so many games went to the final few overs last year and that's where the best opportunities/value real...

This great mares race from Rosehill proved so popular with my guest writers that two of them had a crack at it, making it a little tough to decide which one to use! My hand was forced by the different formats they used, so I'm not doubling up on text... First up, the document version from Premium Punting , @premiumpunting - with a speed map and a comparison table, it's easier to let you read this in the original form, text on the blog can't do it justice. And from Wally Gisik, @gisikus -------------------- Coolmore Classic Historical Last 20 years 3yo Fillies 8x; 4yos 6x; 5yos 4x & 6yos 2x. All but 1 of the 3yo fillies were placed in the Surround Stakes (other filly Typhoon Tracy beat mares in the Frances Tressady). 3 fillies (Skating, Bollinger & Regal Cheer) won the Surround/ Coolmore double. Older mares through a variety of races though Chlorophyll & Ofcourseican both won the Liverpool City Cup. Overall 15 of last 20 placed previous start (10 win...

The Sydney Carnival hits top gear this week with three Group 1s and three Group 2s at Rosehill Gardens. The first of the previews comes from regular contributor Kieran Fitzgerald, @kjob85 , and it is an absolute gem of a race. --------------------- Canterbury Stakes (1300m) Running on the first day of the Sydney Carnival, this is the first year that this race has been run at Group 1 level and the field that has been entered does not disappoint, with a field of black type winners including a showdown between the two stars of last Autumn: the great mare More Joyous and exciting young colt Pierro. On a cracking day of racing at Rosehill Gardens, the Canterbury Stakes should be one of the day's highlights. Happy Trails Resuming for his first run after a successful spring campaign that culminated with a win in the Group One Emirates Stakes. In his favour, he has run okay the Sydney way before, has the champion jockey Glen Boss on board who raced him to victory in the Dato Tan Chin...