The Sports Book - Times Online - WBLG

'Tiger' Chambers 3-1 to earn stripes

Punters will need to be quick out of the blocks to grab the 3-1 that Coral offer about Dwain Chambers playing in a Super League match if Castleford Tigers coach Terry Matterson is to be believed.

Roma to surprise United

Roma can surprise visitors Manchester United in the Champions League quarter-final, first leg, in the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday evening. They are a stand-out 11-5 with Paddy Power, against a general quote of 7-4 - totesport offer only 6-4.

Harris Bay to make most of mark

Harris Bay (3.50 Wincanton) impressed when winning over course and distance on his penultimate strat and is value at 5-1 with William Hill to repeat the trick.

Chelsea to be best of British

With the Champions League returning in midweek, William Hill have turned their attention to which British team will go furthest.

Vermilion to send Curlin packing

Vermilion rates good each-way value at 12-1 with Coral and Ladbrokes to upset the red-hot favourite, Curlin, in the Dubai World Cup (5.30) at Nad Al Sheba today.

Reds to feast on Toffees

Liverpool can begin a hugely important ten days by beating visitors Everton in the Barclays Premier League on Sunday. Skybet offer 4-5 and that is worth taking.

Rangers at 5-4 to close in on title

Rangers should be backed at the 5-4 offered by VC Bet to take a big step towards ending Celtic’s two-year reign as Scottish champions by winning the Old Firm derby at Ibrox on Saturday lunchtime.

Starburst Diamond can sparkle

Starburst Diamond (1.40 Newbury) should relish a step up to three miles and rates excellent each-way value at the 16-1 offered by Betfred.

Saints can edge out Rhinos

St Helens can make the most of a four-point start on Bet365’s handicap market at 10-11 when Leeds Rhinos visit Knowsley Road on Friday evening in engage Super League.

Beckham is up for the cup at 11-2

David Beckham is 11-2 with Paddy Power to play in the 2010 World Cup after notching his 100th appearance for England in their 1-0 friendly defeat to France in Paris on Wednesday.

Quantum Leap to step forward

He may be at the veteran stage, but Quantum Leap (4.40 Lingfield Park) retains plenty of ability and is fair value at 10-1 with Sportingbet to see off some younger rivals.

The Grand National - a full guide

The end game is near with regards to my trading on the 161st running of the Grand National. Since last posting I’ve topped up my bets on various horses such as Kelami (which I’ve laid back at shorter odds) and Madison Du Berlais (nobody else seems interested in backing him and perhaps somebody knows more than I do about whether he is going to run), plus I’ve distributed bits and bobs of cash on new faces.

Row in with Oxford

The 154th University Boat Race looks like being a war of attrition on Saturday and that points to Oxford and their much heavier crew taking the honours.

Make it Mardle at 6-5

Wayne Mardle should be backed at the general odds of 6-5 to beat Peter Manley in their bottom-of-the-table, Whyte & Mackay Premier League clash in Birmingham on Thursday evening.

Mandarin Spirit tasty at 12-1

Mandarin Spirit (3.25 Southwell), a winner on his only start here last year, looks decent value at the 12-1 offered by Ladbrokes this morning.

England offer value option

England look a value bet to beat France in their international in Paris on Wednesday night.

Westwood at 10-1 to make successful defence

Lee Westwood rates a strong favourite and should be backed at general odds of 10-1 to successfully defend the Andalucia Open at the Aloha Golf Club on Spain’s south coast, starting Thursday.

Sovereign Spirit set to rule

A fair staying handicapper on the Flat, Sovereign Spirit (4.30 Fontwell Park) has shown plenty of ability in four starts over hurdles and rates a good bet to open his account at the 6-1 offered by Ladbrokes.

Fifteen more to ponder

Still not convinced you have found the National winner? Here are pen pics of 15 more possible challengers, with present Betfair odds and a guess at who may be in the saddle.

Ladbrokes suspend Beckham bets

Ladbrokes have suspended betting on David Beckham winning his 100th cap against France on Wednesday after a flood of money forced his price to 1-10.

The Jazz Musician to hit right note

Just five meetings left after the abandonment of both Fakenham and Yarmouth today.  The Jazz Musician (2.25 Chepstow) rates the pick of the morning prices at the 4-1 offered by Coral and Ladbrokes.

Hull to tame Rhinos on handicap

Hull can take advantage of a ten-point advantage on the handicap market — at 10-11 with Betfred — when they entertain Leeds Rhinos in engage Super League on Monday. The match, which will be shown live on Sky, is a 1pm kick-off.

Swim with Swans at 7-4

Swansea can enhance their League One title hopes by confirming their recent superiority over Bristol Rovers at the Liberty Stadium on Monday evening. The Swans are a general 8-13 and an attractive 7-4 with Bet365 to win by two or more goals.

Silly not to be with Blackpool Billy

The start of the Flat turf season is always tricky for punters and, with the early 9-1 about my Lincoln fancy, Yeaman's Hall, having been snapped up the pick of the morning prices now looks to be the 5-1 offered by Betfred for Blackpool Billy (3.00) over jumps at Haydock.

Top twelve under microscope

Fifteen days to go and now the hunt for the Grand National intensifies. Below are pen pictures of the top dozen horses in Betfair’s betting, with their prices and possible jockeys in brackets. I’ll endeavour to analyse more possible contenders next week.

Madison catches eye at 160

With only another ten defectors at the latest forfeit stage, the prospect of fancied horses failing to make the cut for the Grand National has increased.

Chelsea to edge out Arsenal

Chelsea can revive their Barclays Premier League challenge by beating visitors Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. VC Bet and Bet365 are best about the Blues at 5-4.

West Brom best at 12-5

West Bromwich Albion should be backed at the 12-5 chalked up by VC Bet to boost their hopes of securing automatic promotion by winning away to a faltering Charlton Athletic side in the Coca-Cola Championship at The Valley on Good Friday. The match kicks off at 4.45pm and is live on Sky.

United to down Liverpool

Manchester United, three points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League, can consolidate their position by beating visitors Liverpool on Sunday. VC Bet and Bet365 quote evens, and that is worth taking.

Make it Mac Dalia

Mac Dalia (3.40 Southwell) has won her past three starts over course and distance and is a fair price to add to that tally at the 5-1 offered by Betred this morning.

Ogilvy worth each-way bet at 40s

Geoff Ogilvy could reward each-way support at general odds of 40-1 in the WCG-CA Championship at Doral, starting Thursday.

Taylor can extend winning run

A resurgent Phil Taylor should be backed to exact his revenge on James Wade when the pair meet for the second time this season  in the Whyte & Mackay Premier League at the Brighton Centre on Thursday.

Balerno can blitz rivals

Balerno (3.35 Lingfield Park) rates a good bet at the 6-1 offered by Coral this morning. 

United can gain revenge

Manchester United can edge closer to another Premier League title by settling an old score with Bolton Wanderers at Old Trafford on Wednesday night.

Gallileo Figaro can hit right note

Gallileo Figaro (4.10 Exeter) flopped on her handicap debut at Newbury last time, but is faced with a much easier opportunity today and rates good value at 3-1 with William Hill to make the most of a lenient mark.

Aberdeen can take advantage

Celtic have not been firing on all cylinders of late and so be wary of backing them at around 1-4 to beat Aberdeen in their Scottish Cup quarter-final replay at Celtic Park on Tuesday night - a match being shown live on Sky Sports 2.

Hull at 11-8 to enjoy away success

Hull City should be backed at the 11-8 offered by Bet Direct and Stan James to consolidate their position in the play-off places by winning away to bottom-of-the-table Colchester in their Coca-Cola Championship match at Layer Road on Tuesday evening.

Make the most of Machinate

Amateur riders' races are not often good betting mediums, but Machinate (2.00 Wolverhampton) still rates the best bet of the day at the 9-4 offered by Coral this morning.

Denman is the missing link

Now that the Cheltenham Festival is over, jump enthusiasts will turn their glare to Aintree and the John Smith’s Grand National.

Hamilton races to odds-on favouritism

Lewis Hamilton is now generally odds-on — VC Bet offer a stand-out 11-10 — to win the Formula 1 drivers’ championship after claiming the season-opening Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.

Birmingham to increase Newcastle's woes

Birmingham can add to Newcastle’s relegation fears by getting the better of their Barclays Premier League meeting at St Andrews on Monday evening.

Pagan Sword to cut down rivals

Pagan Sword (3.00 Wetherby) rates a good bet at 5-1 with Betfred and Blue Square to beat a weak favourite in Compromiznotension.

Denman cheers the bookies

Bookmakers were able to toast the Gold Cup victory of Denman after Kauto Star was heavily backed to retain his crown.

Ashton 9-1 to be sacked by Sunday

Brian Ashton will need a good result when England conclude their RBS Six Nations campaign against Ireland at Twickenham on Saturday to keep his job according to bookmakers William Hill, who offer 9-1 that he will be out of work by Sunday night.

Barcelona head Champions list

Paddy Power are offering just 13-10 for an all English final after the draw for the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Friday. However, it’s Barcelona that remain at the head of the field as the 11-4 favourites to claim European honours after being paired with Schalke.

Keep faith with Eagle's Pass

The 40-1 offered by Ladbrokes about Eagle's Pass (5.20) has long gone, but the 25-1 still available with some of the smaller firms, such as Betfred and Stan James, is still well worth taking each-way.

Hamilton 9-4 for F1 title

Lewis Hamilton is the 9-4 second favourite with Paddy Power to claim his first drivers’ title as they take to the starting grid for the 2008 F1 season.

Snap up 10-1 about classy Ambobo

Yesterday's famine has resulted in a feast of action at Cheltenham today, with a remarkable four grade one contests on a ten-race card.  With the racing as competitive as ever, I'm going to try to restrict myself to three bets in Ambobo (1.40), Voy Por Ustedes (2.20) and L'Antartique (2.20).

Get ready for Sixforten

Three days of action squeezed into two? Somebody must be trying to tell us something. Here’s ten horses who it may pay to follow at Cheltenham over the next couple of days.

Seek out Desert Hunter

With Cheltenham abandoned and Huntingdon finally surviving the same threat of high winds after a second inspection, it looks best to focus on the all-weather tracks for any bets today.  The racing lacks quality, but Desert Hunter (7.20 Wolverhampton) will surely go close.

Bookies toast beaten favourites

The bookmakers were in party mood after the first day of the Cheltenham Festival.

Bite on Appleby at tasty 40-1

Stuart Appleby rates a solid, each-way alternative to hot-pot Tiger Woods in this week’s US PGA Tour event, the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The Aussie, an eight-time winner on the tour, is a general 40-1 chance with the layers, with most bookmakers paying one-quarter the odds the first five places.

Back Bob Hall to give O'Neill a lift

For all of Rob Wright's tips on Day 1 of the Cheltenham Festival, click here

Given the size of the fields, winner-finding at the Cheltenham Festival is always tough and I find that, if you can pinpoint a race where you don't fancy those at the head of the market, the best policy is to back two or three outsiders.  On that basis, the William Hill Trophy (4.00) looks the race to concentrate on today, as the favourite, An Accordion, is likely to be let down by his suspect jumping. 

Tough to see Monzon out of frame

Some low-grade fare before the real action starts at Cheltenham tomorrow, but Monzon (4.20 Taunton) looks reasonable each-way value at the 8-1 offered by Coral and William Hill this morning.

£500 million Festival bonanza

More than £500 million is expected to be bet on this week’s Cheltenham Festival.