World Cup on Betfair: Easy victory for England but group leaders held

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Follow The Money at Cheltenham: Bets for the Ryanair, World Hurdle and Byrne Group Plate

"First Lieutenant is yet to win this season, but has run some excellent races in defeat where he finished third in the Hennessy and was narrowly beaten in the Lexus Chase over Christmas at Leopardstown."

Back First Lieutenant @ 3.55/2 Cheltenham 14:40 

It's back to the Cheltenham Festival for the Follow The Money team...

Our first selection is in the Ryanair Chase at 14:40 where First Lieutenant has been well supported from 3.8514/5 in to 3.55/2. This will be the third visit to the Festival for the Mouse Morris-trained runner and he has a decent record here, having won the Neptune Novice Hurdle in 2011 and finishing runner-up to Bobs Worth in last year's RSA Chase.

First Lieutenant is yet to win this season, but has run some excellent races in defeat where he finished third in the Hennessy and was narrowly beaten in the Lexus Chase over Christmas at Leopardstown. He has been given a break since that race unlike main market rival Cue Card, whose form suggests he is best fresh. With only 26 days since Cue Card's win at Ascot we have to oppose him. Davy Russell is back on board First Lieutenant, who looks to have an outstanding chance of giving Michael O'Leary his first winner in the race he sponsors.   

Next we move to the World Hurdle at 15:20 where Smad Place has been heavily backed from 16.5n/a in to 10.09/1. Alan King's runner was third in this race last year (beaten nine lengths by Big Buck's) but his two efforts this year are not so impressive - he was well beaten by Tidal Bay at Wetherby and ran slightly better in the Long Walk Hurdle where he finished second. The ground was heavy on both occasions and he will certainly appreciate today's quicker surface. With doubts over Oscar Whisky's stamina and the ground perhaps being against Reve De Sivola, this year's contest has an open look to it and the market support suggests this six-year-old could spring a surprise. 

The negative for today comes in the Byrne Group Plate at 16:00 and it is the David Pipe-trained runner Ballynagour who is weak in the market and has drifted out to 6.05/1 from 4.67/2. An impressive winner last month at Warwick on his initial start for the Pipe stable, he has some solid French form and it is possible he is still ahead of the handicapper. In a competitive race however, his odds look short and with the hefty raise in the weights punters are happy to take the favourite on today. 

Recommended Bets
Back First Lieutenant @ 3.55/2 Cheltenham 14:40 
Back Smad Place @ 10.09/1 Cheltenham 15:20  
Lay Ballynagour @ 6.05/1 Cheltenham 16:00 

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BMW Stakes: Americain can take Rosehill Group 1 reckons Mosse

News / Timeform / 03 April 2012 / Leave a Comment

Gerald Mosse and Americain

"Mosse, who conceded that he hadn't seen the horse for a couple of months, expressed himself delighted with the way Americain looked..."

Top French jockey Gerald Mosse couldn't hide his enthusiasm for the chances of Americain in Saturday's BMW Stakes (off 05:25 BST) at Rosehill after riding the seven-year-old entire in a special gallop at the track on Tuesday.

2010 Melbourne Cup winner American took to the course well before dawn to do h his preparation for Saturday's $2.25million BMW Stakes in the hands of Mosse, with the rider having flown in from Hong Kong late Monday to put the Timeform 129-rated stayer through a light workout.

Mosse, who conceded that he hadn't seen the horse for a couple of months, expressed himself delighted with the way Americain looked, also stating that the horse's action felt "great".

Americain's gallop, in which he kept tightly to the running rail, was undertaken to help the horses get familiar with the track, something that Mosse believes will be a factor in helping his turn tables with Australian Cup conqueror Manighar at the weekend.

The horse his rider describes as a "pure gentleman" is currently trading as the [2.48] favourite for Saturday's 2400m race.

However, Americain won't be the only former Melbourne Cup hero amongst the 10-strong line-up as 2007 winner Efficient has also been declared. That said, rising nine and having only won once since that Flemington success, Efficient is understandably trading at [26.0].

Manighar ([4.2]) and Southern Speed ([9.0]) are also set to feature in the BMW Stakes, which joins the Golden Slipper as the two Group 1s on Rosehill's Saturday card.

Former champion jockey and new Betfair columnist, Ryan Moore, will partner the Richard Hannon-trained Rockinante in Thursday's Group 3 Prix Jebel at Maisons-Laffitte......

Big Buck's will attempt to create history when he chases his 17th consecutive victory in the £100,000 Grade One Liverpool Hurdle at Aintree on April 12......

Henry Cecil does not have the Breeders' Cup in the forefront of his mind as a way for Frankel to end his career.......

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African Cup of Nations Diary: Group win for Gernot's Gabon?

African Cup Of Nations / Jonathan Wilson / 31 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

Tournament co-hosts have won both games so far and could secure a stay at their favoured Libreville stadium throughout the knockout stages by avoiding defeat. Jonathan Wilson thinks they can do it

The tournament feels as though it's hit something of a lull. After all the excitement of the second round of games, when last-minute winners confirmed the progress of Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Tunisia, the final set of games has been about jockeying for quarter-final positions. Even the events of yesterday, when Sudan edged through to the last eight thanks to Angola's shambolic defending lacked the drama of last week.

So we know now that Zambia will play Sudan in the first semi-final, and that Ivory Coast will then take on Equatorial Guinea in Malabo, where the smaller stadium will surely offer less of an advantage than they would have enjoyed had they won their group and remained in Bata.

Gabon and Tunisia, who meet on Tuesday evening, have already secured their progress, but both know that the likely result of finishing second in the group is a game against Ghana. Only a Guinea victory against the Ghanaians could unseat the Black Stars from the top of the group and were that to happen there would be a serious possibility they would not qualify at all, for Mali will surely beat Botswana to leave three teams locked on six points.

Similarly, their coach, Gernot Rohr, sees an advantage in staying in Libreville.

"We would like to finish first in the group because when we finish first we can play in Libreville, in this wonderful stadium with this fantastic crowd," he said.

"And I hope we can be first because then we can stay in Gabon. If we are second it's possible that we'd play a semi-final in Equatorial Guinea. It will be a difficult game against Tunisia. They have two victories, too."

A draw would be enough for Gabon to top the group, but a win would also help to convince home fans who, weirdly, seem to think their team should be playing even better than it is. After the extraordinary late drama of the win over Morocco, when Gabon scored in the 77th and 79th minutes to take the lead, conceded in the 90th and then regained the lead in the 97th, the first question Rohr faced in the post-match press conference asked why his side hadn't won more easily.

"I don't feel any vengeance against me but the people are impatient," Rohr said, but he must be frustrated that having taken a team that was [30.0] at the beginning of the tournament to the quarter-finals, his work is not better appreciated.

"They didn't really understand we wanted to create a young team that would work together and be united. They are gaining more and more confidence because we have a good blend. There is a fresh new spirit, a cocktail that has produced a good competition for us so far."

Does that mean that he will play a full-strength team? Are Tunisia, whose policy of defending deep and hitting on the break has been successful so far but has required a certain amount of fortune, more likely to rest players? Probably, but both sides are unlikely to risk players on a yellow card and thus at risk of suspension.

So what of the other Tuesday game, between Morocco and Niger, two sides who are already out? The suspicion is that Morocco, who thought they had a genuine chance of winning the tournament, will give squad players a chance, while Niger, for whom even a point in the tournament would be success, may pick something more closely resembling a first choice side.

Recommended Bet
Morocco look short and laying them at [1.61] may be an option, but in an uncertain world, I like the look of [2.1] on over-2.5 goals in that game. A Moroccan backlash could obliterate Niger, while Niger are wobbly at the back and showed against Tunisia that they have the firepower to upset ostensibly better sides.

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Group C's top two are already confirmed in the last eight, but Tobias Gourlay believes Gabon have more to lose from this match than Tunisia...

Tobias Gourlay speculates that Group C will finish with Niger not losing a finals match for the first time in history...

James Eastham says motivation will be a major factor as the tournament favourites play their third and final Group B game....

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Weekend Preview Podcast: Group 1 action at Haydock and Leopardstown

Timeform Radio Preview Podcast / Timeform / 03 September 2011 / Leave a Comment

Roger Varian: Joins us to discuss his runners this weekend

The Timeform Radio team look ahead to this weekend's best racing in Britain and Ireland...

The guests on this week's show include trainers Roger Varian and William Muir, while Timeform's Flat Editor Jamie Lynch offers his views on the weekend's acton at Haydock.

It's also a big day at Leopardstown, and we are joined by Irish expert Donn McClean as well as Timeform's Billy Nash to discuss the Group 1 action on the other side of the Irish Sea.

Click HERE to listen to the weekend preview podcast.

This week's Timeform radio preview podcast looks at the Betfair Celebration Mile at Goodwood and much, much more....

Paul Jacobs hosts the Timeform Radio weekend preview podcast, featuring MIchael Bell, Mick Channon and Jim Goldie on their Ebor runners and much, much more......

David Cleary heads to the Midlands to follow the Friday action over ther jumps......

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