Bookies Unable To Choose Between Red and Blue

Premier League leaders Chelsea may have only lost once in their last seven visits to the Emirates Stadium, but bookmakers have still not made them firm favourites to beat Arsenal in their north London derby on Sunday. According to the Racing Post, the sports and betting daily paper, both teams can be backed at 7-4, with the stalemate on offer at 12-5.

Gunners fans will need no reminding that Chelsea won this corresponding fixture 4-1 last May – odds of 100-1 are offered about a repeat scoreline, but have subsequently won their next dozen games at the Emirates. It’s a similar success story for Carlo Ancelotti’s team who have gone eight games since a loss, kept eight clean sheets, and only conceded eight goals in the Premier League this season.

The bookies are making a 1-1 scoreline favourite at 6-1, and a similar price about Didier Drogba scoring the first match goal. Florent Malouda, who scored in both Arsenal defeats last season, is 9-2 to score at anytime during the game. For Arsenal punters, the team can be backed at 15-2 to find the back of the net in the opening 10 minutes of the match, and captain Cesc Fabregas, is an 8-1 chance to score a goal from outside the penalty box.

Don’t miss Saturday’s RPSPORT for expert opinion from the paper’s top team of football writers – including former Chelsea and Aston Villa star Tony Cascarino, on who they believe will come out on top in the London derby. There will be comprehensive odds, statistics, and analysis on the game and words of wisdom from soccer boffin Kevin Pullein.

Visit RACINGPOST.com all the latest sports betting news.

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Jump Stars Come Out To Play This Weekend

Horseracing fans who witnessed an epic duel between the legendary Kauto Star and Imperial Commander at Haydock last Saturday, are set for another feast of excitement and entertainment at Newbury racecourse this weekend. The main attraction will be the eagerly awaited reappearance of 2007 Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Denman who will be seeking to join the exclusive club of former equine heroes Mandarin and Arkle, the only dual winners of the Hennessy Gold Cup.

On course to cover all the action and latest news will be a team of experts from the Racing Post, the nation’s favourite racing and betting daily paper and website, with opinions, analysis and exclusive insight on the day’s events.

Can Denman or stable companion What A Friend – partly owned by Sir Alex Ferguson – give Paul Nicholls his fifth Hennessy Gold Cup or will it be “hats off to the Queen” if Barbers Shop should prevail?

Punters looking for clues for the Cheltenham Festival in March will see a whole host of potential stars on show, including last season’s Ladbrokes World Hurdle winner Big Buck’s who reappears in the sportingbet.com Long Walk Hurdle? At Newcastle, Champion Hurdle contenders Binocular and Solwhit go head to head in the WBX.COM Fighting Fifth Hurdle.

Saturday’s Racing Post will deliver the best betting advice from the renowned Tom Segal as Pricewise, unbeatable previews, big race trends, key quotes from stables that matter, and champion trainer Paul Nicholls’ unmissable Saturday column. It all adds up to the complete package for horseracing enthusiasts.

Visit RACINGPOST.com for exclusive up-to-the-minute horse racing news, breaking stories, a video forum on the Hennessy Gold Cup and live on-course reporting from around the country.

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Button Odds Cut – But Hamilton Still Favourite

Bookmakers have reacted swiftly to the news that reigning Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button joining McLaren next season, by slashing his odds to 7-1 about him retaining his crown in 2010.

According to the Racing Post, the sports and betting daily paper, Button, who was offered at around 12-1 last month, will line-up alongside Lewis Hamilton – the first time in Formula 1 history, a team has started the new season featuring the most recent successive world champions.

Although Button can be backed at 6-1 to win the first race of the 2010 season, and 10-1 about him finishing in the points in every race next year, bookmakers still believe it will be his teammate Lewis Hamilton who will be crowned champion. They make the 2008 Formula 1 champion 11-4 favourite to take the title, followed by Fernando Alonso at 7-2 and Sebastian Vettel at 6-1.

The bookies are also offering odds about who will gain most points between Hamilton and Button next season. They are offering 2-5 Hamilton and 9-4 Button.

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Visit the Racing Post for more of the latest sports news

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Bugner Faces Quick Knockout Say Bookies

Camilla Dallerup may have beat a hasty exit from the I’m a Celebrity ….Get me out of Here! camp, but according to the Racing Post, the sports and betting daily paper, bookmakers reckon her replacement, ex-boxer Joe Bugner, has no chance of winning the coveted title by quoting him at 20-1.

The bookies are also forecasting that 59-year-old Bugner, who fought Muhammad Ali twice in his heyday, shouldn’t make himself too comfortable in the camp – he is as short as 3-1 to be next eliminated.

There has been a major gamble on Italian celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo, whose odds have plummeted from 8-1 to 7-2 favourite following favourable comments on TV chatrooms. Gino has replaced bookies choice Jimmy ‘The Whirlwind’ White who has drifted alarmingly in the betting from 5-1 to 9-1. The snooker player and former hellraiser, has failed to capture the imagination of viewers by his continued quiet demeanour in front of the TV screen.

TV viewers may appear equally divided on their opinions about Katie Price in the celebrity camp, but so is the bookmaking industry. The former glamour model known as Jordan was priced at 14-1 before she arrived in the camp on Monday. She is now as short as 11-2 with some firms, but has drifted to as high as 15-2 with others.

Latest odds
Gino D’Acampo 7-2
Kim Woodburn 11-2
Sam Fox 6-1
Katie Price 15-2
Jimmy White 9-1
Lucy Benjamin 11-1
George Hamilton 12-1

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X Factor Twins Offered Lifeline, Moan Bookies

Bookmakers firmly believe that twins John and Edward – more popularly known as Jedward – have been offered a lifeline by Simon Cowell and his producers in Saturday’s live show of X Factor.

According to the Racing Post, the sports and betting daily paper, the tone-deaf pair are priced as big as 13-5 to be eliminated this weekend, after they appeared to have been given an advantage on this Saturday’s show as all competitors will have to sing from a catalogue of songs by eighties pop legends Wham!

The Dublin double act, who will cost bookmakers their biggest-ever payout in X Factor if they win the contest, are believed to be singing either I’m Your Man or Wham Rap! Those songs should disguise their lack of singing talent, and emphasise more on entertainment. The bookies are offering 12-1 about the pair causing the biggest shock in entertainment history by winning the show, 15-2 they make the final, and only 2-1 they finish in the top three.

Essex-born Stacey Solomon has been the big mover in the betting market this week, shortening from 7-2 last weekend to a now best-priced 11-4. Olly Murs heads the bookmakers’ lists at 9-4, with Joe McElderry at 7-2. The youngster member of the finalists’ Lloyd Daniels, is odds-on at 5-6 to be eliminated on Sunday. The 16-year-old has been saved a couple of times by the public in recent weeks, but the bookies see no respite for him this weekend.

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Mission impossible for England say Bookies

Bookmakers are forecasting it’s Mission Impossible for coach Martin Johnson and his England XV when they take on the world No.1 ranked rugby team New Zealand in their third Investec Challenge series match at Twickenham on Saturday.

According to the Racing Post, the nation’s favourite sports and betting daily paper, New Zealand are huge odds-on at 1-7 to inflict further damage on the already – beleaguered England team following their unconvincing victory over Argentina last week. Bookies are offering home supporters 7-1 about a surprise England win, and 10-11 England with a 13-point start.

Since winning the World Cup in Australia back in 2003, England have taken on the All Blacks in seven internationals and lost them all. One of the chief players responsible for those defeats has been fly-half Dan Carter, who scored 137 points in those games. He is priced at 10-11 to score more than 12 points on Saturday and 5-1 to score all of New Zealand’s points.

For patriotic punters, Jonny Wilkinson, despite a disappointing display against the Puma’s last week, can be backed at 6-4 to score all of England’s points, and 8-1 to send the home crowd into raptures by winning the man of the match award.

Don’t miss Saturday’s RPSPORT for rugby expert Graham Woods’s opinion and analysis on the match, plus views on the rest of the rugby internationals including Wales v Argentina and Scotland v Australia. With unrivalled statistics and best value bets, it all adds up to the complete package for rugby fans and punters.

Visit the Racing Post for all the latest sports news.

Further Reading:

• Shaw recall does little to entice England backers

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Bookies Pour Cold Water On Spurs Breaking Hoodoo

Tottenham fans may be full of confidence ahead of their game against north London rivals Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, but bookmakers have already poured cold water on their chances. According to the Racing Post, the sports and betting daily paper, bookies are offering odds of 5-1 about Spurs winning at Arsenal for the first time in 19 matches.

Tottenham supporters have to go back to 1993 – Bill Clinton was succeeding George Bush Senior as the 42nd President of the United States and Jurassic Park was breaking box-office records – for their last success at Highbury. Bookmakers are offering odds of 80-1 about them repeating the 3-1 match scoreline, and 300-1 about the dramatic
4-4 draw of last season occurring again

The Gunners- 8-13 to win for the ninth successive time at home this season, are only 7-5 to win by two or more goals and 8-15 to score the first match goal. Spurs striker Peter Crouch is 9-1 to score a headed goal, and 28-1 to score and then remove his shirt in celebration!

Don’t miss Saturday’s Racing Post Sport for expert opinion on all the weekend action from the paper’s top team of football writers – including former Chelsea and Aston Villa star Tony Cascarino. There will be comprehensive odds, statistics and analysis on the game, and words of wisdom from soccer boffin Kevin Pullein.

Visit the Racing Post for all the latest sports betting news.

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