Formbook: horse racing and sports blog

Friday sees the 36th Ryder Cup teeing off in Ireland for the very first time. Although European captain Ian Woosnam will be banking on vociferous Irish support, home advantage isn’t necessarily a decisive factor. Over the past 10 Ryder Cups, only five have been won by the home team, four by the visitors and one tied. However the Europeans have amazing strength in depth, with eight of the world’s top 20 in the side as opposed to five for the Americans.

Woosnam, a veteran of eight Ryder Cups as a player, will be counting on individual form to give Europe the edge once more. Henrik Stenson will be looking to repeat the same coolness that won him the recent BMW International Open in Munich. Paul Casey, Robert Karlsson and Monty all impressed at the World Match Play last weekend. Dubliner Padraig Harrington and Olazabal finished in the top 10 over in Madrid. All in all, they’re a team in form.

The Americans on the other hand have been pretty ineffective to say the least. Surprisingly, Woods and Furyk failed to get past the first round at Wentworth. Last week’s 84 Lumber Classic included five of Tom Lehman’s players and there wasn’t much to write home about. Chad Campbell and Verplank struggled and missed the cut by a distance whilst Di Marco, Toms and rookie Wetterich failed to pressure the top of the leaderboard. 

It will be interesting to see if the Americans’ lack of collective experience will prove crucial. Whereas Lehman’s team includes four rookies, Europe will only play two. In terms of overall experience, Sergio, Monty and Olazabal have more Ryder Cup wins than the combined total of the American team and it’s the two-man format where the Americans have struggled. At the 2004 Ryder Cup, it was surprising to see Woods and Mickelson fail so badly.  However there are some positives for the U.S. as Woods and Furyk paired well at last years Presidents Cup and are partners in the foursomes.. Di Marco thrives on match play golf and paired with Mickelson to good effect in the Presidents Cup. Given that the team were defeated by a record-equalling margin at Oakland Hills in 2004, Lehman has worked around the clock to boost team morale and unity. He’ll certainly look to the world’s top three of Woods, Furyk and Mickelson in the Sunday singles - and they know how to putt!

Even though home advantage has little value, familiarity with the course could decide whether Europe will be lifting a third successive Ryder Cup for the first time. It is the home of the European Open and none of the Americans have played there. Woosnam will have the luxury of looking to Westwood and Clarke who are previous winners. Monty and home favourite Harrington have been runners-up and this invaluable experience may further enhance Europe’s tag as Ryder Cup favourites.

How Does the Top European Points Scorer Market Work?

Sporting Index offer a huge range of markets to bet on, and one of the most popular is the Top Points Scorer for each team.

This market is run on an Index, which predicts which player will score the most points for a particular team. For the Top European Points Scorer, the points are:

1st = 50 points
2nd = 30 points
3rd = 20 points
4th = 10 points
Other = 0 points

The current spreads for the top players in this market are:

Garcia - 13 to 16 points
Donald - 12 to 15 points
Monty - 12 to 15 points
Harrington - 10 to 13 points
Casey - 9 to 12 points
D. Howell - 8 to 11 points
Westwood - 8 to 11 points

Let’s take Garcia who is priced at 13 to 16 points. If you think he will score more than 16 points on the index, simply bet ‘high’. Alternatively, if you think he will perform poorly for the Europeans, bet ‘low’ at 13.

For example:

a) Will Garcia get more than 16 points?

OR

b) Will Garcia get less than 13 points?

Let’s say that you think the Spaniard repeats his Ryder Cup form of 2004 where he remained unbeaten. Therefore you ‘bet high’ and stake £5 per point on the outcome.

Let’s say you’re right and he takes the glory by getting the most points for the team. In doing so, he’d be awarded 50 points on this index. You were betting on him to get more than 16 points, at £5 per point. You would therefore win (50 - 16) x £5 = 34 x £5 = £170.

However he could struggle on the Palmer course and finish fourth on the index. Because you bet ‘high’ at 16 points, there is a shortfall of 6 points (16 minus 10). At a stake of £5 per point, this would result in a loss of (16 - 10) x £10 = 6 x £10 = £60.

Ryder Cup Promotion: ‘You’re Havin’ a Halve!

On top of the various spread betting markets Sporting Index offer on the Ryder Cup, they’re also running an exciting promotion. Buy a player or pairing in a match bet and if the match ends in a halve, they will refund your losses. Terms and conditions apply. See site for further details

Saturday’s double-header sees FA Cup holders Liverpool entertain Spurs and Coppell’s Reading take on Man United. Then, there’s a tense clash on Sunday as under-pressure Glenn Roeder looks to win only his third game this season against unbeaten Everton. If you’re looking for a bet that’s a bit different, have a good look at the football markets at Sporting Index.

Liverpool v Tottenham (Saturday: 12.45 PremPlus)

The buzz from Alonso’s stunning midweek strike will still be in the air as Tottenham travel up to Anfield on Saturday. Spurs know that defeat here (if other results go against them) will see them drop into the relegation zone. Martin Jol is yet to emerge victorious against The Reds, although Benitez’s men can only boast of a single victory in their last 7 meetings. Despite this, Sporting Index reckon Gerrard & co. will put their title campaign firmly on track with a win by 0.9 to 1.1 goals. Spurs have struggled in front of goal with only two goals in 450 minutes of league football. With Malbranque, Lennon and Berbatov injured, their attacking options have been blunted. In the last 7 games these two have averaged 1.7 goals per game so the total goals spread of 2.3 to 2.5 is certain to catch the punters’ eye. These games are pretty mild affairs and Sporting estimate 4 yellow cards in the match.

Reading v Man Utd (Sunday: 17.15 PremPlus)

Steve Coppell welcomes his old club to the Madejski Stadium as Reading take on United for the first time in top-flight football. Their last meeting was in the FA Cup over 10 years ago, which United won 3-0. Gary Neville played that day and the current captain will be hoping for more of the same. Giggs was on the scoresheet that January afternoon but his injury shouldn’t trouble Fergie - his strikeforce is fully fit. Reading lie respectably in sixth and have back-to-back wins against Man City and Sheffield United. Leroy Lita scored a brace against Darlington in the League Cup and confidence will be high although their legs may be feeling heavy. United will be fresher and Sporting Index predict they’ll bounce back from the defeat to Arsenal and win by 1.1 to 1.3 goals. The Royals have been pretty tight in the back, marshalled superbly by Ibrahima Sonko. Rooney and Saha will have to trouble him if they’re to contribute to the 2.6 to 2.8 total goals Sporting think will occur. Both teams have begun the season on a disciplined footing, and Sporting see that continuing with only 3 bookings in the match.

Newcastle v Everton (Sunday: 16.00 Sky Sports 1)

Having taken on the red half of Merseyside on Wednesday, attention turns to the blue half for Newcastle. In the corresponding fixture last season, Roeder was riding high on the back of some great form which saw them running out 2-0 winners. He is under pressure this time round with his team losing 3 of the last 4 Premiership games. Ameobi and Martins are yet to find any real spark up front as opposed to the hustling pair of Beattie and league top-scorer Andrew Johnson. They’re sure to cause problems for a Magpies defence looking weak as Given joins Bramble and Taylor on the injury list. However Sporting Index believe that St James Park will witness Everton’s unbeaten Premiership run come to an end. United are expected to win this by 0.2 to 0.4 goals. This fixture has thrown up 37 goals in last 10 games and Sporting’s prediction that there’ll be no more than 2.5 total goals is sure to attract interest. Steve Bennett takes charge of this match and the stern official is expected to caution 5 players.

A brave move today, as one4racing put up Pawan, a 40-1 shot as the best bet. It finished fifth of the nine runners.
Running total = +2.5

No nap for Sunday. So it was left to Barons Spy to add to the bank. Sadly it finished third at 4/1.

Running total = +3.5 

Fantastic result. It was a brave move to nap Kastoria (6/1) for the Irish St Ledger, considering it meant opposing the heavily fancied Yeats (2/7).

I backed this myself following their advice and I thought Mick Kinane gave the horse a fantastic ride.

This makes the running total look far more respectable, now standing at +4.5.

Very poor show from Granary Girl (Nottingham 6:15) who finished last but one.

Running total now -1.5.

The company hosting the one4racing website had a major issue with their servers mid week. This resulted in a number of servers going down for a few hours, having a major impact on emails, resulting in long delays both sending and receiving. I’ve been in contact with the hosting company and it seems everything is now running as it should be.

If you are having or have had any issues with the notebook reminder service then please feel free to contact me so I can look into the matter.

Another poor show from an outsider. Neon Blue (Ayr 5:20) finished well back nearer last than first.

For the first time the running total slips into a negative now standing at -0.5.

Saturday’s live action kicks off with Portsmouth looking to go top of the Premiership if they can beat Charlton. Then, there’s a mouth-watering double header on Sunday involving last season’s top four teams. If you’re looking for a bet that’s a bit different, have a good look at the football markets at Sporting Index. We’ve taken a look at some of their prices:

Charlton v Portsmouth (Saturday: 12.45 PremPlus)

Portsmouth travel to The Valley on Saturday having yet to concede a goal this term, and knowing a win will take them to the Premiership summit. Having defeated Bolton at home, Charlton narrowly lost to champions Chelsea but there were many positives to take from their performance. Bent and Hasselbaink finally look like a dangerous combination up front, and they could feature amongst the 2.4 to 2.6 total goals Sporting predict in the match. Although Traore, Reid and Diawara are injured, The Addicks will be buoyed by the double they did over Pompey last season. With Charlton unbeaten in their last 8 home games against Portsmouth, Sporting Index see Dowie’s men shading this by 0 to 0.2 goals. There were only 2 cautions in the same game last season, and Sporting envisage another disciplined game with no more than 3 yellows. 

Chelsea v Liverpool (Sunday: 13.30 Sky Sports 1)

Chelsea entertain Liverpool in their 12th meeting in two years. The Reds were handed a thrashing by Everton last week but bounced back to keep a clean sheet away to PSV. These battles are notoriously tight and there have been three goalless draws in the last eight meetings between the two. Therefore, the total goals spread of 2.2 to 2.4 that Sporting Index predict is sure to stoke up interest. Despite consecutive victories in last season’s FA Cup semi-final and the Community Shield, Benitez faces an uphill task in outfoxing Mourinho. The Merseysiders have a wretched record at The Bridge with one victory since the Premiership began and Sporting see The Blues winning by 0.6 to 0.8 goals. Last season’s corresponding fixture saw a 2-0 victory for the home side which was an ill-tempered affair with three yellows and a red for Reina. Sporting Index can see another busy afternoon for Mike Riley, and estimate 5 yellow cards will be shown.

Manchester Utd v Arsenal (Sunday: 16.00 Sky Sports 1)

Following Mourinho vs. Benitez, a well established managerial battle resumes later on Sunday as Fergie squares up to Wenger once more. United may have lost Giggs and Park through injury, but Ronaldo returns from suspension and Rooney should partner the in-form Saha. Despite enjoying midweek European success, Arsenal lost Toure through injury and his absence will be a big blow. They are yet to win in the Premiership this season and Sporting Index reckon that trend will continue with the Red Devils triumphing by 0.4 to 0.6 goals. Sir Alex’s team have scored 11 goals this season and the Gunners can’t sit back and will need to attack. It could be an open game although Sporting predict no more than 2.5 total goals in the match. The absence of Keane and Viera doesn’t necessarily mean there’ll be a lack of cards. People’s favourite Graham Poll has handled his fair share of these encounters and Sporting Index think 5 players will be cautioned.

Third with South Of The Border (Sandown, 5:15) @ 9/2.

Running total (falling all the time) +0.5.