Monday, January 24, 2011

Sports World

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Cheltenham - Queen Mother Champion Chase Posted: 24 Jan 2011 07:46 AM PST One of the true highlights of the week and the pinnacle of the second day of the Festival - the Queen Mother Champion Chase is run over the bare 2M at a fast and furious pace despite usually being one of the smaller fields at the Festival. This race provides the perfect foil to the stamina sapping RSA Chase which precedes it and the race has produced some memorable races and finishes and horses which will go down amongst the greats at Prestbury Park. The Queen Mother's name was added to the race title in 1980, the year of her 80th birthday and as a real National Hunt aficionado she would have appreciated winners like Master Minded (2008 and 2009), Moscow Flyer (2003 and 2005) and the flying grey One Man (1998). Not only is the race a great spectacle with pace and jumping at a premium but it has also provided punters with some very solid results with 10 of the last 12 winners starting at no bigger than 5/1, although favourite backers were disappointed last year when Master Minded going for a hat-trick in the race could only finish fourth to Irish challenger Big Zeb who looks set to return in an attempt to follow up this year and he will no doubt attract plenty of Cheltenham 2011 bets. Although Master Minded suffered that reverse last year his trainer Paul Nicholls still has a terrific record in the race, having saddled four winners of the race and he still holds a particularly strong hand this year with four of the 21 entries – Master Minded, progressive Woolcombe Folly who notched an impressive victory in a Cheltenham handicap chase at The International Meeting, Grade One winner Tataniano and Tchico Polos. Top class horses run in this race and it takes top class form to win it 8 of the last 9 winners were officially rated 160+ and had won a Grade One race before and people should bear this in mind when looking at the Cheltenham racing betting. Fast, furious, fantastic and classy sum up the Queen Mother Champion Chase the highlight of Day Two of the Cheltenham Festival 2011.

Australian Open 2011 - men's last eight preview Posted: 24 Jan 2011 05:16 AM PST Six of the top eight seeds have made it through to the men's quarter finals at the Australian Open, but there is only one surprise presence in the last eight. The superb form of 19th seed Stanislas Wawrinka makes his progress expected, but few would have forecast Alexander Dolgopolov performing so deep in the tournament at the expense of fourth seed Robin Soderling. On paper the draw seems to be progressing to the expected Federer-Nadal final, but there some tough hurdles ahead for both before a repeat of the superb 2009 final is set up. Both favourites face quarter final opponents in perhaps the best form of their careers. David Ferrer is yet to face a big name but his serene progress to date suggests Nadal will have his biggest test yet against his close friend. He has won 12 of their 15 meetings, including the last eight clashes and his improved display against Marin Cilic, in which he claimed to be back to full fitness, hints at a Nadal victory and the tennis betting reflects this. Wawrinka will provide Federer with a tougher test in the draw's bottom half clash of good mates. Wawrinka is yet to drop a set, easing past higher seeds Gael Monfils and Andy Roddick in impressive fashion. He reached his first slam quarter final at last year's US Open and is playing well enough for the 1-6 record he has against Federer to be irrelevant. Federer was given a massive scare by Gilles Simon in a five set epic in round two and is undoubtedly short of the consistency that characterised his best years. However, no one is better than winning slam quarter finals and Federer should edge this one in four sets. Tomas Berdych and Novak Djokovic have cruised through the draw with little fanfare and should provide the tightest quarter final match. I fancy a five set encounter, leaving the winner, probably Berdych, vulnerable to Federer in the last four. Andy Murray has been the most impressive player at the event to date, losing no more than three games in any set. He has not allowed his opponents to find any rhythm and he should see of Dolgopolov in straight sets. The number five seed will probably have to beat Nadal and Federer in the same tournament to win his first major and he is playing well enough to finally suggest that goal is obtainable.

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