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The 2018 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes Prediction Report

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The King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes is one of a number of Group I races which takes place throughout the summer months. It is sponsored by QIPCO and is considered to be Britain’s most prestigious open-age flat race. It is contested over the 1 mile, three furlongs and 211 yards at the iconic Ascot racecourse in Berkshire. This race is one of the most anticipated contests on the sporting calendar.

The race, which has been in existence since 1946 was an amalgamation of two separate contests and it is often seen as a pre-cursor to the Arc which is held in France at the beginning of October. The winner will also receive an invite to the Breeders Cup Turf contest which is staged in the USA at the start of November.

As of 2018, the prize pot totalled £750,000 and as a result, it has become Britain’s second richest horse race behind the Derby.

Frankie Dettori has five wins in the race but he is still two short of Lester Piggot’s total. Dettori’s last victory in the race came in 2017 on board Enable. Sir Michael Stoute is the leading trainer with six wins in this much-anticipated event.

Popular winners of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes include Opera House, Kings Theatre, Harbinger and Dane Dream.

Prediction Report

A month prior to the contest, 2017 winner Enable was the early pacesetter and had the highest implied probability in the race. The John Gosden-trainer middle-distance runner was victorious by four and a half lengths after going off as the 5/4 favourite. Enable was rumoured to be returning to the track to defend his crown and understandably, he was chalked up as the favourite with the major bookmakers at the end of June.

Cracksman was also prominent in the betting and was given an implied probability of 20% for the 2018 renewal. Also trained by John Gosden, Cracksman has a terrific record at Ascot and had previously been successful in the QIPCO Champion Stakes in October 2017. He was also seen winning the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York and was one of the standout flat performers going into 2018. It came as little surprise to see Cracksman priced up prominently in the better for this race.

Further down the betting, Saxon Warrior was given just a 3.33% implied probability in the contest despite some excellent recent form.

 

2018 Result

Poets Word was the eventual winner of the 2018 King George and Queen Elizabeth Stakes with the horse giving Sir Michael Stoute adding another winner to his impressive total in the contest. It was a typically tight finish with Crystal Ocean finishing just a neck behind the winner. The stablemates were involved in a thrilling finale and made it a 2018 to remember for the yard.

John Gosden wasn’t able to secure yet another title in the race and he had to settle for third place with Coronet finishing nine lengths behind the winner. Unfortunately, Cracksman was declared a non-runner just hours before the contest.

 

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Best Bets of the Day – Sunday January 6th 2019

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Woking v Watford
FA Cup – 2.00 pm
BT Sport

Woking are the lowest ranked side left in the FA Cup this season. They are five divisions below Premier League side Watford and with a massive task on their hands in this third round tie. The visiting Hornets are naturally strong odds-on favourites to get the win in this one. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two clubs. Watford are on a seven-match scoring streak across all competitions at the moment. Their superior scoring threat is likely to see them get through this tie.

But they are facing a Working side who have been far from goal shy this season. I think that that is where the tie could get interesting. Ultimately while the underdogs could see their FA Cup dreams ended, the bookmakers seem to recognise their chance of getting on the scoresheet at least. Both teams to score with leading bookmakers is 21/20 odds which I feel, is something of a complement to the non-leaguers. Watford after all, have taken only the one clean sheet in their last six fixtures. Will the Premier League’s professionalism see them avoid the potential banana skin?

Newport v Leicester
FA Cup – 4.30 pm
BBC1

Newport had to get past fellow Welsh outfit Wrexham in the last round of the FA Cup. The Exiles needed a replay to do that. They won that replay comfortably on home soil though. The Exiles haven’t been carrying a tremendous amount of form with them lately as they have won only one of their last eight in all competitions. That lone win was their 4-0 replay triumph over Wrexham. But as a positive, they have lost just one of their last eleven at Rodney Parade.

The Foxes come for a visit as 1/3 odds-on favourites for the tie. Considering that the Premier League side are taking on an opponent from League Two and not only that, the team with the third-worst defensive record in that division, the Foxes will be expected to find their name in the draw for the Fourth Round of the FA Cup. Strengthening the case for Leicester is their recent EPL victories against Chelsea and Man City. Will the Exiles be able to come up with something special on home soil to pull off a huge upset at 9/1 odds?

Wasps v Northampton
Premiership Rugby – 3.00 pm
BT Sport

There is only the one point separating Wasps and the Saints in the Premiership heading into the weekend. This game always has a little extra spice as it is a local derby. It is the Saints who have the slight ascendancy there. It is home soil advantage for the Wasps on the weekend as they look for a bit of a boost. They have managed to pick up only the one win in their last thirteen games across all competitions. That was a home win though which they took against Bristol, one of two successes at home this season in the top flight.

Since that victory over Bristol, they have lost their last five games in all tournaments and have been shy in scoring points. But the leading bookmakers have them as 4/9 odds-on favourites to win this. That just goes to show the advantage of playing at home. The Saints collected a home win over Wasps earlier in the season and that ended a seven-match winless streak that they were on against them. The Saints have caught fire lately with a three-match winning streak going. They became the first side to beat Exeter this season with a 31-28 win over the Chiefs last weekend. Can they keep their hot hand going against their rivals in this fascinating clash?

Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears
NFL NFC Wild Card – 9:40 pm
Sky Sports

The post-season has been made then, but which of the Eagles and the Bears will launch themselves further into it? The winner of this NFC Wildcard match will get to face Conference second-seeds the LA Rams in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. This is the fourth time that the Eagles and Bears have met in the postseason, but their first since 2001. The Eagles got the win on that occasion and they have been on top in recent clashes.

Philadelphia have won each of the last three regular-season meetings between the two sides, conceding just 28 points in those three games. So they are looking to extend their streak but are 9/4 underdogs at the top bookmakers to pull off the away win. The Eagles carry big momentum with them too, having won five of their last six games and they are the reigning Super Bowl champions. But the Bears have a strong defence and they won their division for the first time since 2010. Just to highlight their improvement, they finished the regular season with seven more wins than the previous campaign. Will they be able to successfully defend home soil?

Don’t forget to look for those bookmaker bonuses when you can them. Just take a look here for some top recommendations

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Best Bets of the Day – Saturday January 5th 2019

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Donna Vekic v Karolina Pliskova
WTA Brisbane – 9.00 am
BT Sport

One of the early features of Saturday’s sporting action is the semi-finals from WTA Brisbane. I featured Pliskova on Friday as she took on Johanna Konta’s conqueror Ajla Tomljanovic in the quarterfinals. Pliskova got through it but only after dropping the second set. But she turned the class back on in the deciding set to set up this cash with Vekic. This is important early season form for Pliskova, given the upcoming Australian Open.

Vekic has had a strong run as well in Brisbane. She has only dropped the one set in her three matches at the tournament so far. Her notable win along the way was knocking out sixth seed Kiki Bertens. Pliskova for reference, is the fifth seed. Pliskova leads the head to head 2-0 against Vekic. Their most recent meeting was last year out in Japan. Each of the previous meetings has gone to three sets and the top bookmakers have this tense semi-final showdown at 11/8 to go the same way.

Manchester United v Reading
FA Cup – 12.30 pm
BT Sport

The FA Cup action at Old Trafford on the weekend will see Red Devils interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer targeting this fifth straight win. It has been a strong start for the biggest managerial job of his career. But there have been favourable games in there for United. This on paper has the look of being a fairly comfortable tie too for the Red Devils at home. My recommendation for this feature in Saturday’s Best Bets of the Day is going to be, get creative.

Think clean sheets. Think correct score. Asian Handicaps. That kind of thing. Reading are in a pile of trouble second from bottom in the Championship. They have won only one away game all season. The Royals have failed to score in five of their last six games on the road too. The leading bookmakers have United at around 4/7 odds-on to win to nil. But then, there’s the magic of the FA Cup and it’s unlikely the Red Devils are going to bother sending out a full strength side. So while perhaps Reading aren’t going to enjoy themselves, you wonder if they could simply dig in and frustrate their hosts to a replay. They will see that payday as a win.

Leicester v Gloucester
Premiership Rugby – 3.00 pm
BT Sport

Even though the Tigers are starting down in ninth place in the Premiership heading into the weekend, they are actually only four points away from the top four. So it’s all pretty tight in that middle section in the division. The Tigers could give themselves a huge lift at Welford Road on the weekend. Leicester won their last home game which was against Harlequins, who are sat up in fourth place. That is their only win in their last five league games though. But the Tigers are taking on third-placed Gloucester here and Leicester have remained undefeated on home soil since 2007 against the Cherry & Whites.

But Gloucester have reason to be confident as well. That is because they have won back to back meetings with the Tigers, albeit on home soil at Kingsholm. The most recent one was back at the start of October. So I can see this being a great encounter between the two sides. Each of the last four games that the Cherry & Whites have been involved in has actually ended in an away win. They lost last time out at home against Sale so they will be looking to pick themselves up after that. Gloucester hasn’t lost back to back Premiership games since 2016 and they are 6/4 with top bookmakers to pull off the win in opposition to the 4/7 odds-on quote that the Tigers are at.

Blackpool v Arsenal
FA Cup – 5.30 pm
BT Sport

The Seasiders get a wonderful home draw in the third round of the FA Cup. This will be the second meeting between Blackpool and Arsenal this season. The League One side suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat at the Emirates in the EFL Cup and gave a really good account of themselves. While they are completely out of form at the moment with no win in their last six played (D2 L4) they basically have nothing to lose at Bloomfield Road. Arsenal was nowhere near full strength for that EFL Cup clash with Blackpool back in October and they aren’t likely to be on the weekend.

With Arsenal having already shown plenty of vulnerability in the defensive area of their game this season, is there a hint of a FA Cup upset? The Blackpool – Draw Double Chance is at 11/4 with leading bookmakers and a draw would be considered an upset. Or will it simply be the case of the superior firepower of the Gunners once again finding a way to do enough against the plucky Seasiders? The Gunners have to have learned their lessons after crashing out of last season’s third-round against Nottingham Forest.

Check out more of what Bobby has to say about the big weekend bets

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Best Bets of the Day – Friday January 4th 2019

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Ajla Tomljanovic v Karolina Pliskova
WTA Brisbane – 9.00 am
BT Sport

An early start for this Best Bet of the Day feature from the WTA Brisbane event. With the Australian Open rapidly approaching, it’s great to watch this early season action to size up players. Pliskova, who should be in contention for the Grand Slam title will be looking to book a semi-final berth in Brisbane. After A tough battle in her opene, she had an easy time of things in the second round in getting past Marie Bouzkova. Next up for her is Ajla Tomljanovic who has already caused a major upset in the tournament. Tomljanovic took out Britain’s Jo Konta in the second round to get a crack at Pliskova. The head to head between Tomljanovic and Pliskova is even at one win each. They haven’t met since 2015 at Stanford though. World Number 8 Pliskova is the outright favourite but her opponent has to be in a pretty strong, confident mood. While Tomljanovic is the 5/2 underdog at leading bookmakers, I feel there are strong options in the set betting market.

Tranmere v Spurs
FA Cup – 7.45 pm
BT Sport

The FA Cup Third Round action starts from Prenton Park with Tranmere playing host to Spurs. Granted this does look to be a fairly big mismatch. League Two side Rovers have a dream draw at home against one of the top sides in the country, and this is what makes the FA Cup so special still. But Tranmere is a whopping 16/1 underdog with leading bookies to get the shock upset. Rovers have needed back to back replays in the first two rounds to see off non-league sides Oxford City and Southport. That doesn’t bode well for when the powerful Lilywhites come to town. But Spurs aren’t likely to be at full strength and just now again the old magic of the FA Cup gets sprinkled around. It would be some start to the Third Round action is Spurs failed to win this. But will the elite side simply show up and cruise past their lower-ranked opponents?

Sale v Saracens
Premiership Rugby – 7.45 pm
BT Sport

The Premiership returns after its short break over the Festive period. There will be a good contest to come from the AJ Bell Stadium on Friday. This is round 12 of the season and it will see the in-form Sharks taking on one of the best in the country. Sale has suffered just the one loss in their last six league games now and that was back in mid-November against, yes, Saracens. The Sharks have been strong on home soil with just one home defeat in the top fight so far this season but are 2/1 underdogs across the board at top bookies to win this one. It could be tight as they look for revenge over Saracens. Saracens lost their last away game, a crucial scrap at the top against Exeter. They haven’t lost back to back away leagues games since November 2017 though. Plus over the last eight seasons, they have suffered only one defeat against Sale in the Premiership. The leading bookmakers are giving a -6 handicap to the visitors at 10/11 odds.

The weekend is coming and if you want more to look at then just check out Big Bobby’s Best Bets of the weekend!

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2019 BDO Darts World Championship Preview

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2019 BDO World Championship
January 5th – 13th
Eurosport

There is nothing quite like a darts crowd for the atmosphere at a sporting event. There really isn’t. We saw it recently at the PDC Darts World Championship and we will get to experience the rambunctious rowdiness at the Lakeside when the BDO Darts World Championship kicks off. The tournament starts on January 5th and the final is set for the 13th of the month. Granted while the tourney doesn’t have as much of a draw as the PDC version, it’s a fantastic staple of new year sporting action.

Duzza did it again

Twelve months ago Glen Durrant successfully defended his title at the Lakeside. He is pretty much regarded as the man to beat. On top of his success at the World’s last year, he also got the BDO World Trophy, the Zuiderduin Masters and was runner-up at the Winmau Worlds. So it was yet another powerful season from him in the Majors.

Duzza is the 11/10 outright favourite at leading bookmakers to complete the three-peat at the Lakeside. He’s not the top seed for the tournament though. That honour falls to Mark McGeeney, the man who Duzza beat in a deciding set in last year’s Final. That will probably be a niggle for Duzza, but as he is the second seed, then the two of them are being kept apart in the draw until a potential rematch in the final.

Enter The Gladiator

McGeeney is the world number two currently despite a lack of Major titles. After back to back spots in the final of the Winmau World Masters in 2016 and 2017, plus a runners-up at last year’s World Championships his status has risen in the game. McGeeney had no track record at the World Championships before coming from nowhere to reach the final twelve months ago. In the two prior attempts at the event, he hadn’t gotten past the second round. So he has now set the bar really high for himself. Will he be able to live up to that or even go a step further? He is the 11/1 third favourite at the top bookmakers to pull this off.

PDC pulling at the best

It is worth noting I think that both Duzza and McGeeney, the two players at top of the BDO pecking order, are eyeing up moves to the PDC this year. They have both announced, regardless of what happens at the BDO World Championship that they will be heading to Q-School. So they clearly have their eyes set on bigger prizes that potentially await them over on the star-studded PDC Tour. New rules mean that anyone who is unsuccessful in the Q-School can still compete in the BDO. So Duzza and McGeeney have a foot in both camps and will lose nothing by trying out. But will the definite pull of the PDC distract them at the Lakeside?

The Newer Contenders

There is a reasonable hint that there are players who can cause an upset in this year’s BDO Darts World Championship. You had McGeeney burst into life last season and another one who had an unexpectedly good run at last year’s event was Germany’s Michael Unterbuchner. He made his debut at the Lakeside last year and T-Rex made it all the way to the semifinals where he lost against McGeeney in a competitive match. Unterbuchner had knocked out three seeded players on his way to the final four. That was some run from him. It wasn’t just a fluke performance either. He also made it to the final of the BDO World Trophy when he lost to Durrant in what was the first major final of his career. So the German clearly has it in him and the leading bookies have recognised that, placing him as the 9/1 second favourite.

Third seed Jim Williams goes into the Worlds on the back of a tremendously consistent season at the Major events in 2018. He reached three semifinals last season (BDO World Trophy, Winmau World Masters and the Zuiderduin Masters) and was a losing quarter-finalist at the Lakeside last season. ‘The Quiff’, from Wales, could well pose a threat and isn’t the kind of player anyone wants to meet. He is a bigger 28/1 odds option with the top bookies for the 2019 BDO World Championship which does offer big each way value if nothing else. Williams is in the bottom half of the draw, opposing Durrant. This will be his fifth appearance at the Lakeside.

What history gets created?

Other top names in the draw include Wesley Harms, Scott Mitchell, Scott Waites and Richard Veenstra. Who is going to dominate this year? Duzza will likely be wanting to sign off (potentially) from the BDO with a bang. If he were to win it this year he would be the only other player besides late great Eric Bristow to win the BDO World Championship three times in a row. Will it be McGeeney who gets his first or will the big guns be upset by an outsider at the Lakeside?

It’s fantastic action at the oche over the first half of January and if you are looking for a top bookie to follow the action with, check out our section to the best bookmakers.

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The 2018 Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe Prediction Report

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The Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe is one of the standout flat races of the European season and is watched by millions of racing fans each and every year. It is a Group 1 thoroughbred contest and is held in France at the beginning of October. It is open to three year olds and above and is held over a distance of 2.400 metres.

The race was first held in 1920 and it is a contest which has showcased a whole host of household names over the years. A purse of five million euros was made available for the 2018 contest, a prize pot which tends to increase year-on-year.

The race is held at the historic Longchamp racecourse although it was moved to Chantilly for the 2016 and 2017 seasons due to renovations taking place at the usual venue.

No horse has won more than two Arcs with eight competitors having doubled up in the prestigious contest. Frankie Dettori is the leading jockey in the event with six victories in the iconic flat race. He has won it three times since 2015. French trainer Andre Fabre is the leading trainer although he hasn’t been successful since 2006.

Famous names to have won the Arc in the last ten years include Golden Horn, Treve, Found and Sea the Stars.

 

2018 Predictions Report

Another hugely competitive field was expected ahead of the 2018 renewal and it had been a very enjoyable and high-quality year in the flat racing fraternity around Europe.

Unsurprisingly, Enable, who was victorious in 2017 was the early favourite for back-to-back successes and was fancied to continue his upward momentum. There had been a number of horses who have achieved successive victories in the contest and Enable was hoping to add his name to that exclusive list. When the betting was released at the beginning of 2018, Enable was given a 28.57% implied probability and led the way in the ante-post betting.

Cracksman was second in the betting and had been given a 19.05% implied probability which didn’t budge heading into the contest at the beginning of October. The John Gosden runner has missed the Juddmonte International at York racecourse in August but was expected to return in time for this Grade 1 event. Ground concerns had played a significant part in recent withdrawals at Royal Ascot and on the Knavesmire and connections were desperate to see their charge head to Longchamp.

Hydrangea was next in line and was given a 4.76% chance of success in the projection charts. There was a yawning gap between the top two in the betting and Hydrangea, who was expected to be fighting for the minor honours.

Poets Word and Saxon Warrior were rated fourth and fifth favourites for the contest at the right-handed track and were each given an implied probability of 3.85% for this year’s event. The latter came fourth in the Juddmonte and was expected to challenge at the front end once again.

Seventh Heaven was just behind the pair with a 3.45% chance of success according to the implied probability.

 

2018 Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe

2018 threw up a suitably high-quality contest with another fascinating finish to the contest. 2017 winner and market-leader Enable was the winner of the race once again and joined a small band of horses who have won the Arc on two successive occasions. Enable started the race at an odds-on price but only narrowly saw off Sea of Class and Cloth of Stars.

Waldgeist finished in fourth and a couple of big priced horses came home in fifth and sixth with Capri and Salouen not far behind the leading lights.

Unfortunately Cracksman didn’t take part in the event.

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The 2018 Melbourne Cup Prediction Report

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The Melbourne Cup is the jewel in the crown of Australian racing and it is a contest which continue to delight sports on an annual basis. It is steeped in tradition and is commonly billed as “the race that stops a nation”. Every sports fan will tune into the race itself and many others will place bets on the outcome. It is held at the beginning of November at Flemington Racecourse and has seen an increase in the amount of European and US bred horses travelling over to take part in the contest.

It has been held every year since 1861 and is competed over a distance of 3,200 metres. Whilst the Melbourne Cup is the obvious highlight, it is just one of many fantastic races that are held as part of Melbourne’s Spring Racing Carnival.

This left-handed track is the perfect venue for such a prestigious contest and the prize purse typically increases year-on-year. $7,300,000 was made available for the 2018 edition of the race. It is a public holiday in Australia and therefore always attracts a significant crowd.

Makybe Diva is a record holder in the race having been victorious in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and is the only horse to have racked up three consecutive victories in the event. Four horses have won the Melbourne Cup twice.

Recent winners include Prince of Penzance and Rekindling.

 

2018 Prediction Report

Another competitive race was expected in 2018 and a suitably talented field was assembled for the contest at the beginning of November. When the market was initially formed in June, it was unsurprising to see 2017 winner Rekindling priced up favourably and the Joseph O’Brien trained raider was given a 4.76% implied probability of success in the race. 2017 was the horse’s first venture down under and big things were expected once again. Connections were yet to confirm whether the horse would take part in the race at this point but the betting market remained confident of its chances in the 2018 Melbourne Cup.

Aloisia wasn’t too far behind in the betting and was given a 3.85% implied probability of success. The New Zealand raider had come third in a Grade 2 prior to this race and had previously taken the Thousand Guineas putting in an eye-catching performance in the process. She was running for a new trainer here.

Johannes Vermeer was given equal chance of success in the iconic race with 3.85% implied probability and finished behind Rekindling in the 2017 contest. He was gunning for revenge hence the expectations which surrounded this horse.

Almandin and Lord Fandango were each given 2.94% implied probability of success in the race and were priced up prominently. In the run-up to the race, neither of these two horses budged in the betting.

 

2018 Melbourne Cup

Charlie Appleby’s Cross Counter was the eventual winner of the 2018 Melbourne Cup and netted $4million in prize money for connections. Appleby became the first British trainer to enjoy success in the race.

Marmelo collected second prize, finishing as runner-up to Cross Counter. The Hughie Morrison-trained runner was ninth in the 2017 renewal and went seven places better this time around. He went into the contest tenth in the betting. A Price of Arran was third, narrowly ahead of Finche and Rostropovich.