Sport is made for betting

A jewel of harness racing in the southern hemisphere, the Miracle Mile. You'll find plenty of replays of Miracle Miles of yesteryear from the home of NSW trotting, the tight Harold Park circuit in inner Sydney, on YouTube, enough to keep you busy for hours. Now the race is held at the spacious Menangle and the gentler bends and longer straights lead to incredibly fast times. Taking the reins once again to preview the great race is aspiring journalist and harness racing fanatic Tommy Hudson, @tommyhud9 . --------------- The Miracle Mile Menangle, 1609m Saturday, Race 7. 2140 local time (1040 UK) Form link Iform Pace Map and Comments One of the highest-quality fields in recent memory will score up behind the mobile at Tabcorp Park Menangle on Saturday night, as the 2014 Miracle Mile is run and won. The final eight-runners were decided upon last weekend as Suave Stuey Lombo won the Cordina Sprint, while Guaranteed and Easy on the Eye were also given invitations. Betting ma...

My favourite National Hunt race of the year, the highest class handicap race of the season, the Hennessy. Prove you're the best by taking on the world and giving them weight where necessary, not just sticking to set weights/weight-for-age races. There's no stud value to be precious about in the jumping world! Stepping in with an early trends-based preview of this week's big race is astute punter Steve Mullington, @mulldog . You can read plenty more of his work on his Mull It Over blog . Spotlight on the Hennessy Gold Cup The Hennessy Gold Cup takes place this Saturday at Newbury and once again it has attracted a high class field. Last Saturday’s Lancashire Chase winner trainer Paul Nicholls holds a strong hand with Rocky Creek, Black Thunder and Unioniste whilst lady of the moment Venetia Williams saddles Houblon Des Obeaux. The Hennessy is a Grade 3 Handicap Chase run over a distance of 3m 2½ furlongs. In the past ten years two winners have won this race on route t...

Excerpts from the Football Form Lab Weekender email. ------------------ Not getting enough of your football betting? Put some stats behind your gut instincts and work out when to really lump on. One of the very best in the business is Football Form Labs who have shared their wisdom with a preview of some of this week's action. You can also follow Football Form Labs on Twitter, @footballformlab PREVIEW: Arsenal v Man Utd (Sat, 17:30) The past few years have seen Arsenal fail to perform against the best teams in the league time and again, and their record against Man Utd is no exception. Arsene Wenger’s men have won just one of their last 14 games in all competitions against the Red Devils. They even failed to score in either game against David Moyes’ United last season. The Gunners have gone 23 games without defeat at home while United haven’t won in their last seven away matches. However, Arsenal have been struggling almost as much as United this season as they’ve both wo...

Western Australia is the place to be for great racing this weekend - Friday night at Gloucester Park (the trotting venue you always see across the road from the WACA during cricket telecasts) and across to Ascot for Super Saturday for the gallops. Jumping into the sulky for a crack at the 4YO Classic is harness guru Trent Orwin. ------------------------- McInerney Ford 4YO Classic Gloucester Park 2536m R7 Friday, 20:45 Perth time (2345 Melbourne 1245 London) Preview by Trent Orwin Twitter: @themightytrent3 Website: BettingPro Group 1 racing heats up at Gloucester Park on Friday night with the running of the McInerney Ford 4YO Classic (2536m) with the winner of the $125,000 feature exempt from the ballot for the Group 1 Golden Nugget (2536m) at Gloucester Park on December 5. Although leading trainer Gary Hall Snr does not have his best two four-year-old pacers in the form of Machtu and Elegant Christian (Machtu has a virus and Elegant Christian is injured), the stable shou...

With the Melbourne spring carnival, some of the lesser-known diamonds in Australian racing appear over the next few weeks - the Ballarat Cup, Super Saturday at Ascot in Perth, and not to be outdone, harness racing (the trots) gears up towards the Miracle Mile and the Gloucester Park Summer Carnival. Aspiring journalist and keen harness racing enthusiast Thomas Hudson, @tommyhud9 , makes his blog debut with a look at the final qualifier for next week's Miracle Mile. -------------------- Cordina Chicken Farms Sprint Preview The Miracle Mile Carnival rolls on this Saturday night as the $100000 Cordina Chicken Farms Sprint takes place at Tabcorp Park Menangle. The race provides the 10 competitors a final chance to secure an invitation to next week’s Grand Circuit event. Five names have already been confirmed in what is shaping up as one of the strongest Miracle Mile fields in recent memory, with last year’s champion Beautide proving he is once again the one to beat with some domi...

This weekend signifies the running of one of the biggest steeplechases of the season, the Betfair Chase, probably only topped by the Gold Cup and the King George for class & prestige. I have fond memories of attending this race during the Kauto Star era in my days with Betfair, but my most vivid memory was that it was always bloody freezing! (Can you tell National Hunt racing isn't in my blood?). Stepping in with an early trends-based preview of this week's big race is astute punter Steve Mullington, @mulldog . You can read plenty more of his work on his Mull It Over blog . ---------------- Spotlight on the Betfair Chase Saturday the 22nd November will see the tenth running of the Betfair Chase (registered as the Lancashire Chase) at Haydock Park so let’s take a look at some of the big race trends and the trainers and jockeys to follow on the day. The race itself is a Grade 1 Chase run over 3 miles and has been won by Kauto Star four times and also by another Gold Cu...

A rare quality Sunday meeting in Britain with the final day of the Open meeting at Cheltenham. The feature of the day is the Greatwood Hurdle, which holds more prestige to some than the PP Gold Cup on Saturday. Once again, Chris Day @chrisday100 takes the reins... --------------------- Stanjames.com Greatwood Hurdle 15:15 Cheltenham Grade 3, 2m 1/2f The highlight of Sunday’s card, the Greatwood Hurdle is traditionally one of the strongest of the early season and been a pointer to the Champion Hurdle such is the race’s strength. Topping the weights is Nicky Henderson’s Vaniteux , who ran third in a red hot Supreme Novices' Hurdle in March and ought to be capable of running very well from this sort of mark. His worst run of last season was on bad ground at Kempton on Boxing Day and, as he’s likely to encounter equally tough conditions on Sunday as favourite, I’ll let him go unbacked but accept he could make light of this rating. Blue Heron looks slightly high in the weig...

Top racing at Cheltenham this weekend, now we really get into the quality meetings you should be taking notice of along the way to the Festivals. Chris Day, @chrisday100 steps up to analyse the headline event, the Paddy Power Gold Cup. ------------------------ Paddy Power Gold Cup 14:30 Cheltenham Grade 3, 2m 4.5f Chase The Paddy Power Gold Cup traditionally kicks off a series of big Saturday chases in the run up to Christmas and, as one of the races which originally got me hooked on racing in the mid-80s when run under the guise of the Mackeson Gold Cup, holds a special place as I’m sure it does for many. Barely can I ever remember a horse with no worthwhile Cheltenham form winning it and the big Southern stables have monopolised it in recent times. Heading the weights are Oscar Whiskey and John’s Spirit, representing two of the pre-eminent stables of Nicky Henderson and Jonjo O’Neill yet both have taken notably different paths to their current marks. The former was a h...

The Flemington Spring Carnival concludes with Stakes Day, a reference to the Emirates Stakes, which has been known by many names over the years. Recently it has been beefed up with a second Group 1 which has turned into the sprint championship of the spring. This year, it's captured the international bug with star Irish sprinter Slade Power and we have a star-studded field. Once again, we turn to the expertise of the blokes at Premium Punting.... --------------------- Darley Classic G1 WFA 1200m 3.40pm local time (0440 UK) By Premium Punting Website Twitter: @premiumpunting Form link Speed Map It must be noted that it has been preferable to be close to the ‘middle to outside’ section of the straight in the sprint races thus far this week. Expecting to have at least five runners in the first line with Buffering & Lankan Rupee to be half a length ahead of Slade Power, Temple Of Boom & Driefontein. Favourite Chautauqua will likely be in a similar spot to ...

The Melbourne Cup attracts interest from all over the world, and thus there are a plethora of different angles to assess the race. It's always worthwhile posting contrary opinions, even if they are against mine! Davy Lane, @LosCharruas , returns with his annual look at claiming the biggest single-race exotic of them all, the First Four. ---------------------------- Melbourne Cup First Four analysis This Melbourne Cup analysis is intended to produce a plausible trajectory of the "First Four past the post at Flemington. I have broken the 24 runners into manageable categories and added a few pertinent insights. Sheikh Mohammed's Mob -- The booking of Craig Williams and James McDonald (for me the two best jockeys in Aus-NZ) will send punters to the windows likes flies to camel shit. I urge caution. Both riders should ensure 2. CAVALRYMAN and 17. WILLING FOE will be competitive, though nothing more. If the race was 6 months ago Cavalryman would have had a hot chanc...

UPDATED AFTER WITHDRAWAL OF CAVALRYMAN This year's preview won't be as long as in previous years - I've simply been trumped by a tremendous effort from Andrew Hawkins, @AndrewNJHawkins , it has the video links and details for each runner in a consistent format that he would have spent several days preparing! So I suggest you read that in tandem with my preview, if you have the time. Read Andrew Hawkins' comprehensive Melbourne Cup preview here Here's my take on The Race That Stops The Nation. ---------------- Emirates Melbourne Cup $6m, Group 1 Handicap, 3200m Flemington Racecourse Tuesday November 4 3pm local time (0400 London) Form link Local odds comparison It's odd that by the southern hemisphere thoroughbred clock, we only have one 4yo in the field (Lucia Valentina) and four 9yos (only Precedence is truly nine by foal dates). Au Revoir and Protectionist are both 4yos by European time. Is this change in maturity of the field a generational a...

Lining up for another shot at the Breeders Cup meeting is Jon da Silva, @creamontop , with his assessment of the headline, and final event of the meeting. --------------------- Breeders Cup Classic 10F Dirt The good news the track played very fair yesterday and over 10 furlongs you'd struggle to say anything could not win bar its form is not good enough. It even features a Brit trained by Jamie Osborne chiefly famous for having to say he was a liar after saying lots of gung ho gambling stuff to undercover TV reporters posing as potential owners - which was funny as when he became a trainer he said he would not give owners the Mushroom treatment (give them shit and keep them in the dark). He trains the Synth nearly monster Toast of New York here who is 5th fav with UK books. To be fair Jamie was a top National Hunt jockey and won the 1st two Cheltenham races I ever bet on with Flown and Young Pokey (#Aftertiming) and he is clearly a good trainer. The Boys Prayer for Relief...