Aycliffe’s top tipster shares his two top tips of the day, as he takes on the bookmakers…
Racing
3.10 Sandown, – Bet365 Gold Cup
ROALCO de FARGES. £10 with Ladbrokes returns £120.
It’s the big race of the day at Sandown and a strong post-Cheltenham field lines up for the Bet 365 Gold Cup. With the winner stood to net £85,000 in prize money, it’s no wonder there’s a strong field. We’ve missed the leading four out and gone with fifth favourite Roalco de Farges, the seven-year-old Philip Hobbs trained French gelding. A winner by five lengths less than a fortnight ago at Chepstow, this beauty has returned seven top three finishes in the past 15 months, three of which have seen him first past the post. Ladbrokes are offering quarter odds on 2nd, 3rd or 4th and with expert Jockey Richard Johnson on board, a long way down the weights, there’s absolutely no reason why this horse won’t fetch the money back with a place – at the very least!
Football
Saturday
Newcastle, Bolton & Middlesbrough. A £10 treble with Ladbrokes pays £216.
Last week the Expert was Billy Sharp’s goal away from predicting all three scorelines correct so this week the Tipster follows him and urges the betting folk of the town to back this handy treble. Newcastle go to Wigan, who despite being revived of late will be no match for Alan Pardew’s marches. The Magpies have their sights set on third spot now, as finishing fourth no longer assures them of Champions League qualification. Hatem Ben Arfa is in scintillating form and with Papiss Demba Cisse banging the goals in, the strong Toon contingent in the north-west will be the happier folk.
By contrast, Sunderland have faded like a pair of Primark jeans. Including their FA Cup exit, the Black Cats have gone on a run of six games without victory, the last four of which have seen them draw a blank. Bolton went to Villa Park on Tuesday and won 2-1 (Sunderland drew 0-0 there three days earlier) and Owen Coyle’s men are doing what they do best at this time of the year – scrapping for every point and getting them on the board.
Finally Middlesbrough are proving that the adage of too little, too late is poignant, as they need other results to go their way tomorrow if they are to sneak into the play-off places. We fancy Boro to do their bit, after last week’s confidence-boosting win over Southampton, but we fear results elsewhere will scupper Mogga’s men’s faint hopes of a return to the Premier League.