Sport is made for betting

Once again I'll be providing regular previews throughout the US Open, this time for the Matchbook exchange. You can find my men's outright preview here . Check back regularly for match previews throughout the tournament.

Another preview on Breeders Crown day from racecalling prodigy Luke Humphreys, @WorldRacingLuke . ------------------------- Aldebaran Park Breeders Crown 2YO Trotting Fillies Series 18 Final Sunday 30 August 2015 Group 1, $84,000 2240M MS Tabcorp Park Melton (Victoria) R2 1309 local, 0409 BST Form guide link TABCorp Fixed Odds quoted 1 High Gait ($1.25) (New Zealand): Top class filly from New Zealand and could kick off a huge day for the All Stars team of Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen. Her feature race wins include the G3 New Zealand Trotting Stakes, G2 NZ Sires Stakes 2YO Trotting Championship and G1 Redwood Classic. She also finished a half-head second to rival Missandei in the G1 Harness Jewels 2YO Ruby. Won her heat very easily and will be hard to catch but the problem is the main danger is right on her back in Missandei. 2 The Cooler ($101) (Victoria): Been consistent in four runs with a fourth in a Vicbred 2YO Trotting Fillies heat, third in the G1 Vicbred 2YO Tr...

It's Group 1s galore for Breeders Crown Day at Melton, possibly the best day of the year in Aussie harness racing. So why stage it in winter?? Unfortunately with classic harness days covering all age groups and genders, you'll typically find a satchel full of odds-on pops severely diluting the punting interest. But racecalling prodigy Luke Humphreys, @WorldRacingLuke might have found one here... --------------------- Woodlands Stud Breeders Crown 3YO Pacing Fillies Series 17 Final Group 1, $174,000 2240M MS Sunday 30 August 2015 Tabcorp Park Melton (Victoria) R6 1459 local 0559 BST Form guide TABCorp fixed odds quoted 1 Ameretto ($3.40) (New South Wales): Real top 3YO Filly who I’ve had an opinion of for a while. Should’ve won the G1 NSW Breeders Challenge if she didn’t gallop five runs back and then ran third and fifth in the G1 Queensland Oaks and Derby before winning her heat of this series. Her semi-final win last start was easily a career-best performance sma...

The first Group 1 race of the new season in Victoria, it's the Memsie Stakes. A 1400m race where not that many of them are 1400m specialists, as expected as this end of the campaign. Time to call upon the services of Premium Racing Services , to shrewdly assess the form. ---------------------- New Zealand Bloodstock Memsie Stakes Group 1, 1400m $400,000 WFA 1645 local, 0745 BST Odds comparison Form guide Interesting Historical Factors INTO THE RACE: - 9/10 winners were previous G1 winners - Last five winners of races were first up, and seven of last nine. - 1/31 has won this race coming from a Sydney lead up run. - 6/8 winners were 4YOs. - 11/16 started OUT OF THE RACE: - 6/13 Cox Plate winners come out of the race. -- - From 2002-2013, the winner of at least one of the Cox Plate, Caulfield Cup & Melbourne Cup came out of this meeting. Last year broke that factor. PRS Speed Map The emergencies do play a significant part in the map, in particular...

Can you smell those finals just around the corner? Go Tiges! --------------------- AFL Round 22 preview from aflratings.com.au , @aflratings . Only two weeks until finals, here are our thoughts for Round 22. Geelong 10-2-8 v Collingwood 9-11 The Cats are in a must-win game to keep alive their slim chances of playing finals this year, a win this week v Collingwood combined with an Adelaide loss to West Coast will put it all on the line next week at Simonds Stadium when the play the Crows for the last spot in the final eight. Collingwood have been disappointing since their bye in Round 12 losing eight of their past nine matches. Prior to the Bye the Magpies conceded 77.2pts avg per game and post-bye they have conceded 92.9pts avg per game including a disastrous 147pts last week v Richmond. Expect Collingwood to be better this week amidst a little external pressure questioning a lack of on-field success in recent seasons under coach Nathan Buckley, the Cats however have more to p...

The eponymous race of the week and a capacity field - good luck if you need this one to break square for the week. Plenty of angles here to look at, the trend for younger horses, many runners mixing hurdling and flat campaigns. To unravel the form, we turn once again to Darren Goodbody, @DarrenPGoodbody . Read more of his work here . -------------------- Betfred Ebor Handicap Heritage Handicap £275,000, 1m6f 1545 local, 0045 AEST With twenty-one entries holding their ground with the only absence being Quest for More at this stage, please make sure you look around with the high street bookies that are paying on the 1-2-3-4-5 place market as many will. On to the race and this year's renewal has produced a strong field especially from Ireland. Aidan O'Brien has had to sit back this year with most of his entries being pulled from the meeting due to ground conditions he saddles the only three year old in the race in Fields of Athenry . With four solid runs under his belt ...

The final day of the Ebor Festival has a great spread of races, and just one of them could be described as having a clear-cut favourite. A solid reward for anyone who can find a winner. The 2yo feature of the day is the Gimcrack Stakes, and saddling up again for the preview is Darren Goodbody, @DarrenPGoodbody . You can read more of his work here . ---------------------- Irish Thoroughbred Marketing Gimcrack Stakes Group 2, 6f, 2yo C&G £220,000 1510 local 0010 AEST What a week it has been on the Knavesmire, some impressive juveniles to keep on the note book especially Tasleet of William Haggas's and Wesley Ward's Acapulco who impressed me taking on older horses, but even though with the 29lb allowance he could not over come proven Group 3 winning sprinter Mecca's Angel. Mark Johnston has not improved on his six percent average here at York and I have reservations that it is going to improve with Buratino or Ode the Evening . The Listed Woodcote Stakes and Grou...

Not long to go now, Spetember's coming! AFL previews from the sharp fellas at @AFLRatings . ------------------------ AFL Round 21 preview from aflratings.com.au , @aflratings . Eight of nine AFL favourites were successful last week, 80% of Favourites have won in the last five rounds. Here are our thoughts for Round 21. Hawthorn 14-5 v Port Adelaide 9-10 The Hawks should be in cruise control for the remainder of the 2015 Home & Away season, despite a hiccup vs Richmond a few weeks ago they have won ten of their last 11 games and sit in third position on the AFL ladder. Port Adelaide has to be one of the bigger disappointments this year, they were amongst the pre-season predictions for Premiership success in 2015. The Power will need to be at the top of their game if they are to compete with the Hawks on Friday Night, the betting line looks quite large at -51.5 in favour of Hawthorn but Port Adelaide have not cleared their line in four of the last five games. The Hawks sho...

Staying races play a large part at the latter end of the Ebor Festival, with the set weights and penalties of the Lonsdale Cup today and the time-honoured Ebor Handicap tomorrow. The Lonsdale Cup is also part of the British Champions Series, adding to the prestige of the race. Casting the magnifying glass over the field is regular contributor Chris Day, @chrisday100 . This was sent through before a couple of withdrawals, so please allow for non-runners and Rule 4s in the analysis. -------------------------- Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup Group 2, 2m 88y (again, why have non-standard distances?!) £160,000 1430 local, 2330 AEST The latest episode in the flat season’s staying calendar, the Lonsdale Cup, takes place on Friday, a race which is likely to be a war of attrition with the best stayers in England taking on a couple of decent Irish horses and another cracking race in prospect. Gold Cup winner, Trip To Paris , tries to do what has been done in recent years by Millenar...

Feature event of the day is the Yorkshire Oaks, a race twice won by Barshiba, the dam of yesterday's surprise Juddmonte winner, Arabian Queen. Unlike most traditional Oaks races, this is also open to older fillies and mares. Taking up the challenge is international racecalling prodigy Luke Humphreys, @WorldRacingLuke . --------------------- Darley Yorkshire Oaks 3yo+ F&M 12f Group 1, £335,000 1 Lustrous (33/1 generally): Fourth beaten ten lengths in the race last year. Best run this year a ¾ length second to Lady Tiana in the G2 Lancashire Oaks. Outclassed. 2 Miss Marjurie (20/1): Has improved, from this year compared to last, with two victories at LR level at Goodwood and Haydock over 12f on good ground in the Daisy Warwick Stakes and Pinnacle Stakes. However only third in the G2 Lancashire Oaks behind Lady Tiana and Lustrous last time, on good to soft however, so obviously likes the ground quick however today it is likely to be good to soft. Place. 3 Covert Love (...

The caravan rolls onto day two at York after the huge shock of Golden Horn being trumped by a 50/1 shot in the Juddmonte. It's another great card today, and kicking off the previews is Darren Goodbody, @DarrenPGoodbody with his take on the Lowther Stakes. --------------------- Pinsent Masons Lowther Stakes Group 2 for 2yo fillies £160,000, 6f 1430 local, 2330 AEST The juvenile fillies take center stage here in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes, over the years we have seen the likes of Tiggy Wiggy, Cape Verdi and Russian Rhythm land the prize in recent years. This year's renewal looks competitive enough with William Haggas already on the board on day one with a double with Recorder and Storm the Stars he saddles his daughter of Kodiac here in Besharah . She has done nothing wrong this season winning three of her five encounters at Ascot and Windsor. Besharah looked more impressive when winning the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot last time out when beating Richard H...

Classic generation mid-distance races are a feature of the May and August York Festivals. At this end of the season it's the Great Voltigeur. Stepping in to analyse the field is Darren Goodbody, @DarrenPGoodbody . ---------------------------- Betway Great Voltigeur Stakes Group 2, 3yo C&G £160k, 1m4f 1505 local, 0005 AEST On Wednesday we will see the 65th running of the Great Voltigeur, the race was named after Derby and St Leger winner Voltigeur and has become over the years a guideline for the St Leger later next month. First inaugurated back in 1950 there have been some great names to land the race, names like Youmzain who was probably one of the unluckiest horse to run in the Arc finishing runner-up on three occasions to the likes of Dylan Thomas, Zarkava and Sea The Stars. Other winners to grace the race were Pentire, Sea Moon, Dushyantor and last year's winner Postponed who went on to win this years King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot. S...

The juveniles get an early run on the Knavesmire, under rather odd conditions, not having won a race before July 10. Not sure why they should get a group race for that...? Anyway, it's time to hand over to the juvenile expert, @twoyearoldtips , to line up the form. This preview was originally published here . ----------------------------- Tattersalls Acomb Stakes £85k Group 3 7f for 2yo which had not won a race before July 10 1430 local 2330 AEST Adventurous - Useful Colt who brings the highest official rating into this, having finished fourth behind the impressive Shalaa in the Richmond Stakes at Goodwood. Looks sure to appreciate the extra furlong today and his trainer has been sensational in the Juvenile department this year. For all that it would rate as disappointing were he to prove good enough against some exciting unexposed rivals. Bing Bang Bong - Unlucky not to be unbeaten, having met all kinds of trouble of debut at Pontefract before making no mistake in a wea...

The magnificent Ebor Festival kicks off tomorrow on the Knavesmire. With four fabulous days of racing, there are plenty of races to go around, so if you're keen to try your hand at writing a preview, please drop me a line! Kicking off proceedings with the opening race of the Festival is regular contributor, the astute Chris Day, @chrisday100 . ------------------ Symphony Group Handicap Class 2, £60,000 5f 89y 1355 local, 2255 AEST Latest Going Map from TurfTrax York’s Ebor meeting kicks off on ground rated on the fast side of good and the now traditional curtain raiser, a high quality sprint handicap over 5 furlongs and 89 yards, is a typically tricky puzzle to solve where small margins will make a big difference to the end result. Kevin Ryan has won the last two runnings of this event and fields last year’s sixth and the 2013 winner, Bogart , who seems feasibly treated and has presumably had this as a target for some time. He was 3lbs higher in the ratings when winnin...

Returning to the blog for the Arlington International Festival of Racing is Davy Lane who you may remember had every selection in the frame last year at Arlington and also tipped up last year's Melbourne Cup winner on these pages. Davy was a winner of Channel 4 Racing's Top Tipster at Royal Ascot this year. Follow Davy on @LosCharruas . --------------------- US St. Leger One Mile and Eleven Sixteenths (Turf) Grade 2, US$350k 1642 local, 2142 BST, 0642 AEST ML odds cited. With last year's winner The Pizza Man taking his chances in the Million and the Argentine, Calvados, a late scratching, only 9 go to post in the US St. Leger. It should be a German Irish shoot out, but with Irad Ortiz Jr. and Joel Rosario on the scene, and others lurking, it is advisable to comb through the form before committing. The No Hoper 10. Alpha Kitalpha 30/1 should be someone's pony. The So Called No Hopers The 5. Az Ridge 20/1 has a Mark Johnston-like profile racking up 14 wi...

Returning to the blog for the Arlington International Festival of Racing is Davy Lane who you may remember had every selection in the frame last year at Arlington and also tipped up last year's Melbourne Cup winner on these pages. Davy was a winner of Channel 4 Racing's Top Tipster at Royal Ascot this year. Follow Davy via @LosCharruas . ------------------------ BEVERLY D. STAKES One Mile and Three Sixteenths (Turf) US$700k, Grade 1 1805 local, 2305 BST, 0805 AEST ML odds cited. The Beverly D. is the toughest race to handicap at Arlington on Saturday. Your eye is immediately drawn to the five Euro shippers. Then to the Chad Brown pair. And finally, the Michael Matz horse. There are two others who do not seem to belong. The No Hopers 4. Lots o' Lex 30/1 and 7. Maid on a Mission 30/1 are significant unders. Rosemary B. Homeister Jr. gets the ride on Lots o' Lex. Homeister - now in her 40s and back from retirement after having a baby - she was the fema...

Returning to the blog for the Arlington International Festival of Racing is Davy Lane who you may remember had every selection in the frame last year at Arlington and also tipped up last year's Melbourne Cup winner on these pages. Davy was a winner of Channel 4 Racing's Top Tipster at Royal Ascot this year. Follow him on @LosCharruas . -------------------- SECRETARIAT STAKES GI - 1 Mile and a Quarter (Turf) US$450,000 1717 local, 2217 BST, 0717 AEST ML odds cited. The Obvious Contenders Followers of US Turf racing will be drawn to Alan Goldberg's 2. Force the Pass 2/1 who destroyed a strong field in the Belmont Derby on July 4th and left me - the holder of an uncashed Divisidero ticket - crying in my beer. Divisidero had a nightmare trip and ran out of gas four wide on the home turn. Force the Pass may have had a dream up the rail, but still won by an emphatic 3 3/4 lengths going away from the field. That form has since been franked by fifth place finisher Ta...

Returning to the blog for the Arlington International Festival of Racing is Davy Lane who you may remember had every selection in the frame last year at Arlington and also tipped up last year's Melbourne Cup winner on these pages. Davy was a winner of Channel 4 Racing's Top Tipster at Royal Ascot this year. Follow Davy on @LosCharruas . --------------------- ARLINGTON MILLION One Mile and a Quarter (Turf) US $1m, Grade 1 1848 local, 2348 BST, 0848 AEST ML odds cited. Timeform card link There is a curious melange of handicap overachievers and Group level underachievers in this year's Million. The trainers on the other hand are unquestionably top drawer -- Chad Brown, Graham Motion and Bill Mott from the States and Mikel Delzangles, John Gosden and Andreas Wohler from Europe. No disrespect to George Baker and David Marnane or their industrious handicappers, but one would expect the winner to come from the barn of one of the more renowned handlers. Of the rest, Mi...