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Sportsman Racing: Diamond Harry To Sparkle?

Posted on by Mike

Welcome to our latest column from Scott Armstrong of The Sportsman tipster service.

Each Friday, Scott provides us with a rundown of all the best weekend racing action – including the key  horses to follow and those to oppose. You can also find a recap from him each Monday on the SBC Blog with his reaction to the weekend’s events. Thorough, frank and not afraid to take a contrary view, Scott Armstrong is a racing man whose opinion you can’t afford to be without.

The jumps season kicks off in earnest this weekend with the Charlie Hall meeting at Wetherby. Ascot also holds a decent National Hunt card while the flat season has not quite dwindled out yet with meetings at Newmarket, Ayr and there’s racing on the polytrack at Wolverhampton.

The Charlie Hall Chase is the pivotal jumps race of the weekend and this season’s renewal is a cracker. Having been won on previous years by such luminaries as One Man, Wayward Lad, Forgive ‘N’ Forget, Barton Bank, Our Vic and See More Business this term’s contest witnesses Diamond Harry as current 11-4 favourite and he looks the one to beat. Continue reading →

Sportman Racing: Derby Crusade For Camelot?

Posted on by Mike

In this regular Monday segment, racing expert Scott Armstrong rounds up all the action of note from this weekend’s racing for SBC Blog readers.

It was a great day for punters on Saturday when the very well backed Camelot justified his odds-on price with a mightily impressive win in the Racing Post Trophy. Scott examines his Derby credentials, where he is now 7-2 favourite and highlights a number of other horses and trainers to note from the weekend.

Money spoke volumes in the Racing Post Trophy as the once-raced Camelot was hammered in to odds-on at the off, winning easily by two-and-a-quarter lengths and making the 10-11 SP look extremely generous. Ladbrokes famously have a line on the Aidan O’Brien stable and in the lead up to the race they went odds on with Camelot while other bookmakers were odds against. O’Brien said after the race “The boys (in the yard) were saying that Camelot’s work was so exceptional it was hard to believe. In comparison to other horses his data was incredible”. Unfortunately for punters, O’Brien was typically reticent about such news before the race itself. Continue reading →

Sportsman Racing: Camelot To Fall On Fencing's Sword

Posted on by Mike

Welcome to our latest column from Scott Armstrong of The Sportsman tipster service.

Each Friday, Scott provides us with a rundown of all the best weekend racing action – including the key  horses to follow and those to oppose. You can also find a recap from him each Monday on the SBC Blog with his reaction to the weekend’s events. Thorough, frank and not afraid to take a contrary view, Scott Armstrong is a racing man whose opinion you can’t afford to be without.

Newbury hosts a strong Saturday card, featuring two Group 3 races, the Horris Hill and the St Simon Stakes, while jumps fans have action at Aintree, Chepstow and Stratford. The key contest on the flat is the Racing Post Trophy a race for two-year-old colts and fillies run over a mile at Doncaster. Only six runners line up in this year’s renewal which is a poor return for the final flat Group One of the season in Britain. Reknowned as a stepping stone to the classics the Racing Post Trophy has produced a number of great winners in its 50-year history with three impressive Derby victors in the past decade in the shape of Authorized, High Chaparral and Motivator. Continue reading →

Sportsman Racing: Camelot To Fall On Fencing’s Sword

Posted on by Mike

Welcome to our latest column from Scott Armstrong of The Sportsman tipster service.

Each Friday, Scott provides us with a rundown of all the best weekend racing action – including the key  horses to follow and those to oppose. You can also find a recap from him each Monday on the SBC Blog with his reaction to the weekend’s events. Thorough, frank and not afraid to take a contrary view, Scott Armstrong is a racing man whose opinion you can’t afford to be without.

Newbury hosts a strong Saturday card, featuring two Group 3 races, the Horris Hill and the St Simon Stakes, while jumps fans have action at Aintree, Chepstow and Stratford. The key contest on the flat is the Racing Post Trophy a race for two-year-old colts and fillies run over a mile at Doncaster. Only six runners line up in this year’s renewal which is a poor return for the final flat Group One of the season in Britain. Reknowned as a stepping stone to the classics the Racing Post Trophy has produced a number of great winners in its 50-year history with three impressive Derby victors in the past decade in the shape of Authorized, High Chaparral and Motivator. Continue reading →

SBC Winter Annual: The Lazy Way To Profit From Horse Racing

Posted on by Mike

If you are looking for expert help and assistance during the coming National Hunt and All Weather Horse Racing seasons, then our inaugural Smart Betting Club Winter Annual is most definitely here to help.

It’s key contents include…

  • A unique Horses to Follow list of 50+ thoroughbreds for the next 6 months
  • Proven strategies and systems to use and profit from this Winter
  • Exclusive discounts and savings on all the very best tipsters

All combined, it is quite simply – your ultimate winter racing companion and the great news is you can purchase for as little as £20.

To pick up your copy today click here now or read on for more details… Continue reading →

Sportsman Racing: Frankel To Remain Unbeaten at 2/1

Posted on by Mike

In this regular Monday segment, racing expert Scott Armstrong rounds up all the action of note from this weekend’s racing for SBC Blog readers.

Saturday’s racing was dominated by the outstanding Frankel and Scott runs the rule over his magnificent win alongside that of another of his highlighted horses – Deacon Blues, who took the Champions Sprint Stakes. You can also pick up Scott’s latest Horses To Follow list and find out how to receive this via email every Monday in the future.

The world’s best racehorse lit up Champions Day as Frankel dismissed four Group 1 winners with ease in winning the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes by four lengths. In these current dark times for horse racing it’s great news for all fans of the sport that Frankel will be back next year as a four-year old. Frankel is 2-1 with William Hill to remain unbeaten next season.

Christophe Soumillon was the latest victim of the whip rules suffering a £52,000 fine for striking the winner of the Champion Stakes, Cirrus Des Aigle six times in the final furlong. This incident overshadowed a first Group 1 success for the five-year old Cirrus Des Aigles who wore down So You Think in the final furlong. Cirrus Des Aigle may now be aimed at the Hong Kong Cup in December where he should be on the premises. Continue reading →

Coming Soon: SBC Winter Racing Annual Including Horses To Follow List

Posted on by Mike

Nowadays, the internet is awash with information on race horses. If you want to pick out a likely winner, there are countless news feeds, form guides, ratings services, tipsters and racing ‘experts’ that are there to assist the punter.

The trouble is that all this information can make punting even more confusing, not less.

If you were to go back as little as 10 years though, only a fraction of these resources were available. So how did the professional gambler cope without all the invaluable aids listed above ?

How on earth did he make a profit ? Continue reading →

Sportsman Racing: Times Up For Punters

Posted on by Mike

Welcome to our latest column from Scott Armstrong of The Sportsman tipster service.

Each Friday, Scott provides us with a rundown of all the best weekend racing action – including the key  horses to follow and those to oppose. You can also find a recap from him each Monday on the SBC Blog with his reaction to the weekend’s events. Thorough, frank and not afraid to take a contrary view, Scott Armstrong is a racing man whose opinion you can’t afford to be without.

Ascot hosts the first ever Champions Day tomorrow, with an array of all the very best horses, jockeys and trainers vying for more than £3 million in prize-money. It is a day made for racing expert Scott Armstrong who has plenty of value calls, including why Times Up for punters and his each-way bet to take on the mightly Frankel in the QEII – the most anticipated race of the day!

The inaugural Champions Day at Ascot on Saturday is a mouth-watering occasion. The richest ever day of racing witnesses more than £3 million in prize-money on offer and an impressive cast of equine stars headlined by the monster that is Frankel. Typically those in charge of racing have cast a massive shadow over the day with their new whip rules and top flat rider Richard Hughes handed in his licence in protest last night. For now I concentrate on events on the track. Continue reading →

Euro 2012 Castrol Ratings: Ireland to Edge Armenia

Posted on by Dan

For the few months, we’ve been testing Euro 2012 value bets according to Castrol’s ratings as well as picking out some value bets of our own. Castrol ratings are powered by the Detech, the same team behind the powerful Fink Tank Ratings. Check this link for details of how we’re using the ratings to spot value.

See the last update here.

Returns so far:

42 bets
42 points staked
-3.76 points
-8.95% ROI.

Something of a wipeout last week for the ratings if taking a value betting approach and following them blindly. Highlights were the value found in Wales and the draw in the Italy vs Serbia game. They did at least indicate that there was no value in backing England against Montenegro. Our suggested bets which use a little more discretion and handicaps to even out the game didn’t fare much better. A lot of the games went against the favourites, but there wasn’t much joy for the underdog last weekend. Continue reading →

Sportsman Racing: Dettori Defies Draw

Posted on by Mike

In this regular Monday segment, racing expert Scott Armstrong rounds up all the action of note from this weekend’s racing for SBC Blog readers.

This week, Scott casts his eye over what was a bumper weekend for the bookies, with plenty of big priced winners, leaving many a punter left scratching their head. None more so than, in the Cesarewitch where Frankie Dettori defied the high draw to inspire the Jamie Osbourne trained Never Can Tell to a 25/1 shock victory.

The Cesarewitch was won by Never Can Tell under an inspired ride by the inimitable Frankie Dettori. Defying the draw of stall 36, Dettori ploughed a lone furrow in the middle of the track. Never Can Tell looked the winner from some way out and so it proved. Prior to the race trainer Jamie Osborne had been bullish telling a colleague “I think Never Can Tell is overpriced. He will stay the trip and is in great shape at home. We will negate the draw by attempting to get near the front and bowl along. With Frankie in the plate I think we have every chance of being placed”. A great raid for all connections. Continue reading →