Alex's Views

Champion trainer Paul Nicholls is 2-7 (from 1-2) with Coral to retain his title, after he extended his lead in the standings courtesy of big race wins for Kauto Star and Master Minded on Saturday. Nicky Henderson is eased to 5-2, with Donald McCain and David Pipe priced at 33-1 and 40-1 respectively. "A month ago the betting suggested the contest between Paul Nicholls and Nicky Henderson for this season's trainers' title could be close, with the latter even favourite in some books. However, the reigning champion is already more than £400,000 clear of the Seven Barrows handler, and with Kauto Star and Master Minded firing again, Henderson will have his work cut out to take the prize from Ditcheat ," said Coral's David Stevens. Elsewhere, Thousand Stars is 14-1 (from 20-1) with Coral for the Champion Hurdle , after the seven-year-old proved an able deputy for Hurricane Fly when winning the Morgiana Hurdle for Willie Mullins and Ruby Walsh. ** National Hunt Trainers' ...

Longchamp's loss could be Ascot's gain as Nathaniel and Reliable Man face Arc ground concerns. With the going set to determine the participation of several runners in this Sunday's Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe , Coral has trimmed Snow Fairy to 16-1 (from 20-1) for the Longchamp showpiece, while Nathaniel and Reliable Man are 7-2 and 9-2 respectively for the Qipco Champion Stakes , a race that both could run in if they miss the Arc. "Snow Fairy backers will be pleased to see the sunshine that's forecast for Paris this week, but by contrast, both Nathaniel and Reliable Man could miss the Arc if the ground is deemed too quick. However, the pair are entered in the Qipco Champion Stakes, and Longchamp's loss could be Ascot's gain as they would be vying for favouritism for the Champion in our book," said Coral's David Stevens. Switching codes, Paul Nicholls is 4-7 favourite with Coral to retain his National Hunt Trainers' title, ahead of Nicky ...

Coral will be launching Autumn of Racing from this weekend (10th September). The aim is to provide great promos for the next 6 weekends. Coral will be running 2 concessions each Saturday alongside enhanced place terms. 1) Cash Back if your horse is beaten into 2nd place by the 'favourite' in the following 6 races then your stake will be refunded. The 'favourite' is the Coral Morning favourite and will be advertised Win stakes and Win part of Each Way bets refunded. Max Refund = £200 per customer* 10th September Portland Handicap (Doncaster 2:30) 17th September Ayr Gold Cup (Ayr 3:20) 24th September The Cambridgeshire (Newmarket 3:40) 1st October Totesport Challenge Cup (Ascot 3:15) 8th October The Cesarewitch (Newmarket 4:15) 15th October QIPCO Champion Stakes (Ascot 4:10) 2) Pipped At The Post Money Back on Green Ticket Only Bets if your horse finishes second by less than 1/2 a length 3 further 'feature' races each Saturday (schedule as follows) Stakes placed ...

So You Think is the 3-10 favourite with Coral for Saturday's Red Mills Irish Champion Stakes , after all six entries remained in the Leopardstown Group One at the final declaration stage. Ed Dunlop's dual-Oaks winner, Snow Fairy , is next in the betting at 6-1. "It will be interesting to see how the first running of the Irish Champion Stakes in its new evening slot goes down with UK punters, although to be fair, turnover is likely to be down because of the lopsided nature of the race from a betting point of view," said Coral's David Stevens. Elsewhere, Dream Ahead and Hoof It are the 4-1 joint-favourites for the Haydock Sprint Cup , while back in Ireland, Misty For Me heads the betting for the Coolmore Fusaichi Pegasus Matron Stakes at 11-10. ** Red Mills Irish Champion Stakes 3-10 So You Think, 6-1 Snow Fairy, 12-1 Famous Name, 14-1 Recital, 16-1 Roderic O'Connor, 66-1 Dunboyne Express ** Coolmore Fusaichi Pegasus Matron Stakes 11-10 Misty For Me, 4-1 Emulous ...

Coral has introduced La Collina into their Qipco 1,000 Guineas betting as 7-1 seocnd favourite, following the filly's surprise win in this afternoon's Phoenox Stakes at the Curragh . An earlier winner at the Irish track, Maybe, is 5-1 (from 7-1) market leader for the Newmarket Classic . "Wins for Discourse , Maybe and La Collina this weekend have seen those three fillies take a stranglehold on the Qipco 1,000 Guineas market, and it will take a top class performance in the second half of this season for another filly to replace that trio at the head of the betting," said Coral's David Stevens. ** 2012 Qipco 2,000 Guineas 10-1 Power, 12-1 Harbour Watch, 25-1 Apollo, 33-1 Mezmaar, Red Duke, Roman Soldier, St Barths, 40-1 Born To Sea, Gatepost, Lilbourne Lad, ** 2012 Qipco 1,000 Guineas 5-1 Maybe, 7-1 La Collina, 8-1 Discourse, 14-1 Gamilati, 16-1 Fallen For You, 25-1 Regal Realm, Samitar, 33-1 Shumoos, 40-1 Inetrobil

Pekan Star is the 5-1 favourite with Coral for Saturday's John Smith's Cup , following the latest entry stage for the showpiece handicap, while Delegator heads Coral's betting for the Darley July Cup at 7-2, with the latter race taking place on the same day as the York contest for the first time. "Saturday is the busiest day of the week in betting shops, and so in theory it is good news that the Group One Darley July Cup has become the feature race of the day. However, the John Smith's Cup is traditionally one of the biggest betting handicaps of the summer, and with punters having a finite amount of money to bet with, it will be interesting to see if the presence of the Newmarket card - which also includes another big betting heat, the Bunbury Cup - has an impact on turnover on the day's other meetings," said Coral's David Stevens. ** Darley July Cup 7-2 Delegator, 11-2 Star Witness, 7-1 Elzaam, Bated Breath, 9-1 Zoffany, 10-1 Dream Ahead, 14-1 Genki, 16 ...

Canford Cliffs is the subject of the StanJames.com Happy Hour on day one of Royal Ascot . The Richard Hannon colt will be best-industry price with the online firm between 11am-noon. Spokesman for StanJames.com Garry McGibbon said: "After much form study, pondering, and general scratching of heads, our odds compilers have decided to take on Canford Cliffs "It's a brave call to make, because if Canford Cliffs wins we'll be making a disasterous start to this year's Royal Ascot meeting."

Popular online sports betting Bookmaker BetRedKings is offering 35% Cashback for todays Grand National. All first bets on the main race will apply and players who lose this bet can claim 35% of the loss back. Commented Georgia Samuels, BetRedKings VIP manager Europe,''the Grand National is such a huge and exciting sporting event that we felt we would like to contribute something to the big day. Watched by millions around the World this is the day when most recreational players have their first and only horse racing bet and we want to make them feel more comfortable knowing that if they bet at BetRedKings we will give them back 35% if they lose.'' The Cashback only applies to the very first bet a player makes on the actual Grand National itself and the money replaced can be withdrawn immediately it is received in the players account. Players do not have to wager it or bet with the Cashback they can just withdraw it if they wish to do so. Added Samuels,'' there are ...

StanJames.com have gone 5 places on the Grand National, which is in addition to them offering Non Runner No Bet on the Grand National since March 19th (see Best Promotions which lists all current offers). They have also gone industry top-price on Ballagriggs, Niche Market and Big Fella - what else can we ask for!!

The latest Grand National odds have highlighted another horse whose eye-catching performances leading up to the eagerly anticipated event at Aintree this year have caught the eye of punters and bookmakers alike. The Gordon Elliott-trained Backstage is the latest to have its odds slashed on the big event in April after an outstanding performance in a point-to-point race at The Pigeons. Last year, the horse was heavily backed in the run up to the big race, but was unluckily hampered at the 20th fence while travelling well and unseated his jockey as a result. It seems that this timely return to form, combined with his largely favourable showing last year, and the fact that Elliott has enjoyed past success in the race with Silver Birch in 2007, has convinced many punters to consider the nine-year-old as a potential winner and subsequently the horse has raced to 16-1 for the 2011 race. The unsurprising news that last year's winner Don't Push It will carry top weight this year at 11st ...