Sport is made for betting

Just a short post to say I won't be covering Royal Ascot this week on the blog, having a break during the World Cup...

Known simply as the Derby, the time-honoured English classic has been run at Epsom since before Australia was settled. Tomorrow, Australia is the clear favourite to win the race. In case you haven't heard the story of how the race got its name, and then spread around the world for 3yo staying classics, according to Wikipedia: The Derby originated at a celebration following the first running of the Oaks Stakes in 1779. A new race was planned, and it was decided that it should be named after either the host of the party, the 12th Earl of Derby, or one of his guests, Sir Charles Bunbury. According to legend the decision was made by the toss of a coin, but it is probable that Bunbury, the Steward of the Jockey Club, deferred to his host. Will it rain tomorrow at Epsom? It might - weathermen are talking about a short, sharp storm earlier in the day, but living only a few miles from the course, I can tell you that could just as easily blow right over. Bookies will fight to outdo each ...

In Classics week at Epsom, it's a prime opportunity to post something more than just race previews. From Irish correspondent, Tony McCormick, @TonyMacRacing , a feature piece on Joseph O'Brien, rider of favourites in both the Derby and the Oaks. This was written earlier in the week. ------------------------ The Long And Short Of It Now, Joseph Is Just Too Tall ‘’Rubbish, that kid. Rubbish!’’ ‘’He only gets the rides, coz of his father!’’ Just two of the priceless musings of standing jockeys, I have had the pleasure of hearing in bookies around the area. Let’s take the first statement - ‘’Rubbish, that kid. Rubbish!’’ By the end of May 2014 Joseph O’Brien had amassed a staggering £9,323,038.42 in career winnings, 4.8m in Ireland and 4.4m in Britain, add to that his placed prize money, you get a total figure round the value of £12.3 million. Now to - ‘’He only gets the rides, coz of his father!’’ If young O’Brien simply wasn’t good enough, Messrs’ Magnier, Tabor an...

It's a long weekend for most of Australia (note - we don't say it's just for the banks!) and that always means the running of the nation's best 1400m race - the Stradbroke Handicap at Eagle Farm in Brisbane. It's a great old track but unfortunately it is in dire need of repair. Any race day with a bit of rain and the track starts falling apart. Great on a dry day though. A massive crowd attends every year, and this year's race is typically hard. Tasked with the preview is Joshua Langdon, @Wenin_Rome . You can read more of his work on his website, ThePuntRoadEnd . ------------------------ Stradbroke Handicap 1400M G1 Unlike some of the other Group 1s over the Winter Carnival, the Stradbroke has produced some surprising results in the past with the average winning price being $15. Only two times over the past 20 years has a last start winner won the race, with the most recent being last year's winner in Linton. So what does this mean? Well it might pay ...

Horse racing has its moment in the spotlight in the US, with potentially the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978, and a fairy tale story to boot. Dan Munn, @chalkbeater , steps up to preview the Belmont Stakes, run Saturday night UK time. -------------------------- The Belmont Stakes History beckons at Belmont Park on Saturday as California Chrome bids to end a thirty six year wait for an American Triple Crown winner, and the Cal-bred son of Lucky Pulpit has every one on tenterhooks hoping that the wait will finally come to an end. Many have got this far in the last thirty six years, twelve to be exact, and all bar I'll Have Another have failed. I'll Have Another was prevented from running in the Belmont Stakes in 2012 after an eleventh-hour injury but thus far California Chrome has reportedly thrived at Belmont Park in his works, with trainer Art Sherman stating that he feels the colt enters the race in a better state than his last race - the Preakness Stak...