Monday, March 14, 2011
Sports World |
- Ellison outlines plans for Bothy and Warbler
- Bonus hopes high for Alarazi
- Colorado Rockies ready to make noise in NL West
| Ellison outlines plans for Bothy and Warbler Posted: 14 Mar 2011 06:10 AM PDT Like so many other trainers at the moment, Malton handler Brian Ellison is looking to the skies in the hope that rain will arrive to enhance the chances of his two Cheltenham Festival contenders, Marsh Warbler and Bothy – bit it looks like he might be disappointed, writes Elliot Slater. For those who study form in horse racing Ireland and UK they will know which horses are better suited to the ground. Even though Simon Claisse (Cheltenham's clerk of the course) has begun watering, the likelihood is that the ground will be no easier than 'good to soft' at best and plans for Ellison's Grade 1 winner Marsh Warbler to run in the JCB Triumph Hurdle next Friday (the final day of the four-day fixture), seem likely to be revised with no rain forecast next week and the going likely to be on the fast side by the end of the meeting. Racing tips for today currently have a best priced 14/1 chance to win the juvenile hurdling crown, Marsh Warbler could very well be switched to take his chance in the opening day of the fixture on Tuesday, the Supreme Novices' Hurdle. There he would be taking on older and more experienced horses but would at least be racing on fresh, watered ground. He can be backed at up to 33/1 for the race in which last year's brilliant Festival Bumper winner Cue Card is a rock solid 9/4 favourite. Bothy, a short-head runner up to Recession Proof in last month's thrilling Totesport Trophy at Newbury, is to forego a run in the County Hurdle and instead will step up in trip to tackle the annual two-mile-five-furlong cavalry charge that is the Coral Cup. Earlier in the season Ellison's gelding very nearly toppled Menorah in the Grade 3 Greatwood Handicap Hurdle and is a best priced 14/1 shot to land the coveted prize, although some firms go as short as 11/1. Willie Mullins' Punchestown winner Call the Police is the 6/1 market leader.  |
| Posted: 14 Mar 2011 03:36 AM PDT By winning at Sandown on Saturday Alarazi has insured he will be one of the most eagerly anticipated runners at the Cheltenham Festival, with the horse's connections set to land an extra cash windfall if he can claim victory. The reason for the increased focus on Lucy Wadham's seven-year-old is that the race he won at Sandown carries an extra £75,000 bonus if he can go on and win any race at the Cheltenham Festival, and judging by the authority with which he won at Sandown, earning that bonus is no forlorn hope, something that is reflected in the Cheltenham betting offers. The two possible races for Alarazi to run in are the pair of two-mile handicap hurdles that take place during the Festival, the Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys Hurdle and the County Hurdle, although a lot will depend on just how fresh the horse is after his exertions at Sandown and anyone looking at the Cheltenham racing betting may want to exercise caution. As things stand he would not be guaranteed to make the cut in either race, but if he does connections will surely be keen to take their chance and should they do that will definitely be a major player and the prospect of that substantial bonus will no doubt add a little extra spice to proceedings if he is allowed to go in one of the two races.  |
| Colorado Rockies ready to make noise in NL West Posted: 14 Mar 2011 01:12 AM PDT Heading into the 2011 MLB season, a lot of the talk amongst MLB Betting pundits is about the Philadelphia Phillies and their stacked starting pitching unit. Everyone is expecting them to run over the rest of the field but what a team looks like on paper is not always what transpires. Another team that looks ready to make a postseason run in the NL according to Baseball betting is the Colorado Rockies. They have the players, the right manager and their recent history all points in a successful direction for 2011. The Rockies are not without question marks of course. But their strengths are impressive enough to make them legitimate contenders at the very least. They have two of the best young players in the game in shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. Tulowitzki was fifth in the NL balloting for Most Valuable Player in both of the last two seasons, while Gonzalez was third in 2010. Both have won Gold Gloves. Both are young enough that improvement could be easily projected. You can't win without a few stars and Colorado has two of the best players in baseball, who have not even hit their full potential yet. The Rockies also have solid lineup depth which is improved from recent seasons. One reason for that is the acquisition of the versatile Ty Wigginton. He may be even more valuable than expected given that third baseman Ian Stewart has been out with a knee sprain. The injury bug was extremely damaging in 2010 for the Rockies and as it is hard to predict how 2011 will be, they should have substantially better results in 2011. Like most teams it is going to come down to how the pitching staff holds up. At the top of the rotation, Ubaldo Jimenez had a breakthrough season in 2010 and emerged not only as an elite pitcher, but an overpowering, dominant pitcher. From top to bottom, the Colorado rotation is obviously not the as strong as the Phillies' rotation, but it is well above average. Philly has put together a rotation that is unmatched and should be the reason they win the NL. The Rockies still have questions marks like most teams when it comes to pitching. Aaron Cook was out with shoulder inflammation and then broke the tip of his right ring finger. He'll be sidelined for some time. Esmil Rogers appears to be the leading candidate for the fifth starter's spot.  |
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