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Trackside In Ireland – By Declan O’Donoghue

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The opening Tipperary flat meeting of the year a few weeks ago had seen a stunning performance by first timer Sir Dragonet, a serious market drifter who romped home at 14/1, a result which shocked and delighted his Ballydoyle connections.

He brought it to another level again during the week when winning the Chester Vase from way off the pace and is now a warm favourite for the Epsom Derby.

Needless to say he was the talk of the town at Tipp on Thursday, a jumps meeting this time where perhaps Brahma Bull was the one to note. The Willie Mullins trained eight year old has been very difficult to train, but patience is a keyword at Closutton and the 13/8 favourite delivered in style in the beginners chase. 

Brian Hayes did the steering and from what Patrick Mullins said some of the bigger names in the Mullins yard did not put up their hands to ride him as he has clearly had jumping issues at home. 

“He has a big engine but hasn’t been easy to train and is hard on himself. He’s an awkward sort but Brian got a nice rhythm going with him” Patrick said. 

He will step up in class a bit now, though possibly over a shorter trip than the three miles covered on Thursday.

Punters were also on target in the opener where even money jolly Carrie Des Champs delivered for Gordon Elliott and Jack Kennedy. The Robin Des Champs mare was different gravy, though untidy jumps at the last two hurdles did not help her cause.

Gavin Cromwell is probably still coming to terms with training a Champion Hurdle winner, and while his Rip Van Winkle gelding Cray will never mix it at anything like that level, he paid his way in style here justifying support from 9/1 into “fives.” 

The Robert Tyner trained Pack Your Bags was sent off a generous 11/2 when winning for the third time his last four races. The money here was all for Commandant but the Joseph O’Brien trained 100/30 market leader never really landed a blow for Rachael Blackmore and finished sixth.

So Ryan Moore is always on the best one? Yeah, right… Declan’s winners this week included Sir Dragonet 8/1 (won 13/2) and Magna Grecia 11/2. Other recent winners on the flat were Njord (a reserve!) 8/1 (w 9/2), I Am Superman 6/1 (w 9/2), Happen 11/4  and Circus Maximus 5/4. His Punchestown gems included Pearl Of The West 20/1 (w 12/1); Front View 5/1; Chacun Pour Soi 9/2 (w 3/1); Un De Sceaux 3/1 (w 11/4); Zero Ten 13/8 (w 5/4) and Gypsy Island 13/8 (w 11/10).

Can you really afford to do without this selective Irish information?

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Huge Fixtures For United And City Of Manchester

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On Wednesday night Liverpool fans were supporting Manchester United and today their allegiances are with Burnley. Manchester City are playing at Turf Moor and if they drop points Liverpool would be massive favourites for the Premier League title and being the champions of England for the first time in 29 years. Burnley are becalmed in middle to bottom safety, free of relegation issues and nothing much at stake. City have scored 157 goals in all competitions this season and can advance that total today. MANCHESTER CITY -2 is the bet at 11/8 with Paddy Power.

There is a huge match at Old Trafford in the context of the race for third and fourth place. Manchester United play Chelsea and a win would be huge. Tottenham lost yesterday and Arsenal have a tough match at Leicester. The fixture at United almost becomes a playoff for qualification for the Champions League next season. Chelsea can still earn a place by winning the Europa League but its all or nothing, or playing in the Europa League, for the home team. MANCHESTER UNITED can repair the damage of two defeats by winning this match and that outcome is 8/5 with Coral.

The jumps season is over for another year and the next one starts on Saturday when all the prize money and win totals are set back to zero. Irish racing yet again shows the way with two lucrative cards with most prize money on offer at Navan. The richest race is the Group contest over one mile and six furlongs at 4.15. On form and ratings the horse to back is CAPRI at 11/8 with Paddy Power.

Don’t Forget The Draw On The Flat – By High Roller Racing

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Do not forget on the Flat to take into account the draw when making your selections. The draw is vital to your selections chances of winning a race. You can have the best horse in the race but will not win because they cannot overcome their poor draw.

Course like Thirsk in the north of the UK have a massive bias towards high numbers in sprints of five or six furlongs. Chester has a huge bias towards los draw in sprints. Ripon also has a big bias over sprints to high drawn stalls.

I have found quite a reliable source of information comes from drawbias.com. They have a comprehensive list of all courses and display the bias. In general if your selection does not have a good draw then why bet on it?

I NEVER recommend a bet on a badly drawn horse and usually a bigger price bet has more promise because of being drawn better.

Why not give High Roller the chance to make money for you? Month after month we make a profit for our members. You can join us by following the link below.

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Trackside In Ireland – By Declan O’Donoghue

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“Money talks” they say, and early arrivals at Dundalk last Wednesday were divided about what to back in the opener. The Ballydoyle two year olds have certainly hit the ground running, and the money all day in the offices had been for first timer King Neptune yet at the track he drifted from 4/6 to 11/10.

Yet the late money on track, the betting ring milk and honey, was all for Fozzy Stack’s Yesterdayoncemore with all the chalk taken just before the off from 6/4 to odds on 9/10.

She had run a nice debut second at that unique Border track a week before. But the late shoppers in the ring got their fingers badly burned as the filly had no answer when Donnacha O’Brien lit up King Neptune who bolted home.

In fairness Yesterdayoncemore will certainly win a maiden but the Aidan O’Brien runner, the only colt in the race, was different gravy.  

Donnacha was impressed by the winner and said: “He was very straightforward and professional and not as green as I thought he would be.”

Dublin trainer Adrian McGuinness is enjoying a golden spell at this venue, and 8/13 hotpot Kasbah scooted home in the claiming race. 

Veteran Kildare handler John Geoghegan has a great strike rate from his very small team, and Silk Cravat landed some tasty bets – 4/1 to 100/30 – under smart 5 lbs. claimer Ben Coen.

Lady Rosebud is something of an all weather specialist and the 9/2 shot was a game winner of the mile apprentice handicap where Gavin Ryan did well to steer her through some traffic issues in a messy contest to score by a nose and a head from Mulzaam and Cautious Approach.

Joseph O’Brien can do little wrong at the moment and Rockfish – who ran up a sequence this time last year but went off the boil big time afterwards – was back in business when taking the last at 5/1.

The winners keep rolling for Declan’s select Irish Racing Service with Rockfish 7/1 (won 5/1); Imaging – “best bet of the weekend” – 9/2 ((won 7/2); Empire Line 6/4 ((won 11/8) and Stops A Nation 5/6 (won 4/7).

Get on board now for Monday’s Irish Grand National and of course the rapidly approaching Punchestown Festival.

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Current: 47.89

Previous: -54.66

All Time: 740.24

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Today’s Sports Betting Preview & BONUS Tips – By Rick Elliott

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Revenge Can Be Sweet For Manchester City 

If Manchester City lose to Tottenham at home today in the Premier League the players and fans will be sick and tired of seeing them at the Etihad. Four days after Tottenham destroyed the dream of winning four trophies Manchester City welcome the London outfit to their ground again. City actually won the match 4-3 but Tottenham progressed to the last four of the Champions League on away goals.  In fact Tottenham have lost seven of eight away fixtures in all competitions. MANCHESTER CITY can gain some revenge by winning today’s match at 2/7 with bet365. Liverpool meet Cardiff away from home tomorrow. 

The other televised fixture brings together the home team in Newcastle and Southampton. It is one of those meaningless end of season fixtures which generally produce low bookings counts. Both teams look destined to finish in the bottom half of the table but free of relegation issues. Huddersfield and Fulham are down and Brighton and Cardiff are scrapping to avoid the drop. A draw today would serve the purpose for both clubs and finally confirm Premier League status for next season. Neither teams will be fretting over the drop if the points are shared which means the best bet is a DRAW and that outcome is 21/10 with Coral. 

Musselburgh stages a lucrative Flat meeting today with £239,000 in prize money up for grabs which makes it the track’s richest fixture. The biggest prize is for the winner of the heritage handicap over one mile and six furlongs at 3.35. It’s a wide open 14 runner contest with the favourite at 4/1 in the morning prices. Austrian School is respected but could now be handicapped out of the race. Ulster has the form on the All Weather to contend but this is his first race on turf. Making Miracles underperformed at this level last season so looks outclassed. LUCKY DEAL can translate solid form on artificial surfaces and is the horse to back at 8/1 with bet365.   

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Today’s Sports Betting Preview & BONUS Tips – By Rick Elliott

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Big Day For Delia Smith And Norwich 

Ipswich Town have fallen into the third tier and Norwich City are on the verge of promotion to the Premiere League. The East Anglian rivals will be two divisions apart next season and the only chance of a Tractor Derby is if they get drawn together in one of the Cups. Delia Smith is a director of Norwich who are unlikely to make a meal of finishing first or second in the Championship. 

Indeed Premier League status would be assured today if Sheffield United lost at Nottingham Forest and Norwich beat Sheffield Wednesday at home. However, the visitors in the second fixture have lost two of eight away matches against teams in the top 10. The promotion party may be delayed with a DRAW at Carrow Road which is 16/5 with Ladbrokes.  

There are no fixtures in the Premier League but it’s traditionally a huge day of derbies in rugby league. The biggest of the lot is Wigan’s home match against St Helens which is always played on Goof Friday. St Helens are nine places and 12 points ahead of their opponents and the relative point’s differential suggests the best bet is ST HELENS -8 at 11/10 with bet365. 

The Indian Premier League is the best Twenty20 franchise in the sport and huge amounts of money has attracted the best players in the format. There are eight city based teams in the league who play each other on a home and away basis. Today’s match brings together the home team in Kolkata who are sixth and bottom of the table Bangalore. KOLKATA can prevail at 4/6 with Ladbrokes.  

It’s the All-Weather Championships finals day at Lingfield and a big holiday crowd is expected at the track. There are seven races on the card and one million pounds in prize money up for grabs. The two bankers are Kachy (3.05) and Wissahickon (4.15) and the DOUBLE pays over 11/10 with bet365.   

Non-Starter In The Masters Can Win The Heritage- By Ian Hudson

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The Law of Hilton Head states that any player who was in contention at the Masters last Sunday should not be backed in the following week. Dustin Johnson and Francesco Molinari are first and second favourites for the RBC Heritage but must be ignored for betting purposes because they were right in the mix to win the first major championship of the season. They could not get the job done at Augusta National where Tiger Woods won the fifth green jacket of his career. 

His odds have plummeted for the calendar year Grand Slam and he is back on track to overhaul Jack Nicklaus’s tally of 18 majors. The USPGA Championship and US Open are being played on courses where Woods has won in the past so two more wins during 2019 in the weeks that matter most would not be a huge surprise. He would then arrive at Royal Portrush for the Open with the chance of becoming the first player to win all the majors in the same season.   

Woods’ distance control in the Masters was excellent and for the most part his driver stayed in the bag. It was his course knowledge and experience that counted as much as his play. Woods plotted his way around Augusta last week and let other contenders make the mistakes. Molinari found the water twice on the back nine and it’s strange that he is playing this week. He may have contractual obligations to turn up but Molinari can’t win this week so soon after the pressure of trying to win a major.

Johnson may be in a better frame of mind because he came well off the pace during the fourth round of the Masters. He was never in contention until a run of birdies on the back nine took him close to the top of the leader board. However, Johnson could not pick up the shot on the 18th hole that would have reduced the winner’s lead from two to one shot. The Law of Hilton Head may take a blow because Johnson could bounce back and win the tournament. 

The Heritage was first played in 1969 and the Harbour Town Golf Links at Hilton Head has always been the host. It is now firmly established as the first tournament after the US Masters. Harbour Town is a short course and primarily a test of accuracy with some of the smallest greens on tour placing a premium on sound iron play. As a seaside course it is exposed if the wind blows when scores increase. In any other week Molinari would have a decent profile but not this time.

Tommy Fleetwood played well over the four days of the Masters but never quite got into contention. This week’s host course is right up his street so he could win his first professional event on the PGA Tour. Fleetwood excels on courses that require straight hitting and finding the greens in the correct number of shots. If his Masters hangover is not severe he has the game to win this tournament.

Jim Furyk did not get an invite to the Masters but he has been playing well. Furyk is the Heritage’s all time money leader and has two wins and eight top 10s in total. He is first for fairways hit, sixth in proximity to the hole, sixth in scrambling and third in adjusted scoring. After the wonders of Woods players are back in business and Furyk will have benefitted from the rest.  He will be mentally and physically more refreshed than the other contenders which gives him a great chance in the 2019 Heritage.     

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Tuesday’s Horses In Focus – By Unity Racing Investments

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It’s good to have started on the flat and with 3 winners at Doncaster on Saturday it left us with a small profit for March. Great stuff!

In fact over the last few days our horses have been running really well and it looks like we are on the cusp of smashing in a huge month. 

On a sad note a horse that ran for us at Cheltenham. WE HAVE A DREAM ran a really good race to finish 2nd at a big price but sadly the horse went wrong on the gallops and had to be put to sleep. Our thoughts are with connections. 

Also BLAKLION our each way fancy for the National isn’t running as he has got some back problems at the moment. The team there will try to get him back next year but it’s unclear as yet if he will return. 

Right onto today’s racing. I’ve got 4 bets out today including 3 from one trainer thanks to some great info from one of the work riders. All our pretty short so as a free tip i’ll give you something at a bigger price. 

Lingfield 5-00 Handicap (Class 6) 12f 

PRESENCE PROCESS 7/1 is in with a really good chance today. Connections have targeted this race today and the money is down. They think the horse should be well suited and appears to be in rude health at home. Get on quick the price is going!

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Cheltenham Or Not? – By High Roller Racing

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Well the annual Cheltenham Festival is again here for a superb meeting of the best bumper, hurdlers, chasers and cross country horses that are on offer throughout the meeting. This meeting smells of quality… it looks exuberant and that’s because it is. This is the highlight and pinnacle of the National Hunt season despite what anyone else tells you.

BUT… is it a betting proposition over the other meetings that take place whilst the Festival is on from Tuesday until and including Friday. As a tipster and Punter I look at all the other meetings too. You cannot discount the other meetings just because it’s the Cheltenham Festival. I recall many years ago… in fact too long ago… an old guy told me that a 2/1 winner at Sedgefield pays the same return as a 2/1 winner at the Cheltenham Festival… so please don’t ignore this advice given to me about 50 years ago. This old guy was in my mind a masterful person who if he did what he said then he was a fine judge of our four legged friends indeed… he also told me these three points:-

1. If you haven’t been to the wedding then don’t go to the funeral… I asked what he mean’t… he said son if a horse has won three on the run why do you need to back it as usually it ends in a defeat.

2. If a horse is odds on and never won then do not back it… let it run without your cash on it!

3. If your horse hasn’t won over the distance and/or going then again don’t invest your money.

Do you know I think these points made to me a very valid points… you watch and see how often these statements work out in your favour.

Well I have three planned bets for Cheltenham but I am still, like the rest of you, unsure at the time of writing who is running in which race as several horses have multiple entries. When I know the declarations then I can plan the week ahead.

I have a horse at Sedgefield this week that WILL NOT be beaten. Connections really fancy their chances with this one.

Also watch out for the news of who runs where at Cheltenham BUT don’t lay all your eggs out on a stall at Cheltenham when there will be good opportunities away from there.

High Roller is very geared up for this week and I am pretty certain by the end of the week we will be counting our winnings.

Today’s Sports Betting Preview – By Rick Elliott

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A City Draw Would Throw A Cat Among The Pigeons 

The twists and turns of who wins the Premier League could take another twist and turn today when Manchester City play Watford at home. The defending champions have won their last two league matches by one goal to nil but those results are not sustainable. When teams focus on not conceding the crucial winning goal does often not arrive and that could be the case at the Etihad today. City have won 14 matches at home but in eight of those both teams have scored. Watford can pick up a valuable point today and the DRAW is 7/1 with Ladbrokes.

Crystal Palace host Brighton in the other TV match and that could also result in a draw. Neither team can be trusted to produce a dominant performance in a meeting of two teams from the bottom half of the table. There have only been 25 goals in the Premier League at Selhurst Park this season and that is the lowest total of the 20 grounds. Palace have not found the net in half of their 14 Premier League matches at home and Brighton are not prolific on the road. Therefore the best bet is UNDER 1.5 GOALS at 19/10 with Coral.

The Saturday before the Cheltenham Festival is a strange day for racing. We are all looking forward to the jumps meeting that matters most and betting turnover could be paltry for a Saturday but there again some might take the view that winning money could come in handy before the action begins on Tuesday.  The Imperial Cup at Sandown (14.25) is a lucrative handicap hurdle in its own right and MONSIEUR LECOC is the selection at 4/1 with Ladbrokes.