Racing at Fairyhouse and Newbury, international rugby and Premier League football all feature in the latest edition of the weekend fancies.
By Niall Cronin and Conor Heneghan
Weekend Patent
Thanks to Dan Carter’s late conversion miss against Ireland last weekend, we were bang on the money with our forecast of a 16-20 point defeat for Ireland which we had tipped at 7/2. Buoyed by that prediction, we’re going to try and repeat the trick for Ireland’s clash with Argentina this weekend.
Judging by past clashes between the sides and France’s narrow victory over the Pumas last weekend, we don’t think there will be a lot in it on Sunday, but we do think Ireland will come out on the right side.
We think Ireland to win by 6-10 points is a decent bet at 9/2.
Check out a video preview of the game featuring Jamie Heaslip, Jonathan Sexton, Tommy Bowe and Jerry Flannery here and check out JOE’s preview of the game here.
On Sunday at Fairyhouse, we think HURRICANE FLY will have the measure of Solwhit in the Grade 1 event at 2.20.
The step up in trip should not be an issue for Willie Mullins’ classy hurdler. There’s no doubting this race will be a thrilling contest and we expect it to go right to the wire.
There’s no way Hurricane Fly should be 5/2 for this one, so snap up that price or better.
Despite being joint top of the Premier League at the moment, Man United have been far from their best and have not looked any better than ordinary at any stage this season. Their supporters will point to the fact that they are unbeaten, but they have drawn half of their games in the league, dropping 14 points in the process. They face a Blackburn side who have won three of their last four games and although we don’t think they’ll beat the Red Devils, they may well come away with a point.
Blackburn to grab a draw at Old Trafford is an attractive enough 9/2.
Click here for five things to look out for in the Premier League this weekend.
A €3 patent (total outlay €21) will return just short of €570.
Break the Bookie
The Hennessy Gold Cup Chase at Newbury on Saturday promises to be a cracker and expect Denman to have his hands full with the likes of PANDORAMA.
Paul Nicholls’ star isn’t getting any younger and will not have regular partner Ruby Walsh on board as injury still keeps him away from this spectacle – a race which Denman won last year.
Pandorama, one of the shining lights of the Noel Meade stable, has a 26lb pull on his opponent and, although he lacks experience, I don’t think he’ll be found wanting.
Take Pandorama for the Hennessy at 3.05 at Newbury. He trades around 7/1.
There are a few interesting games in the Premier League this weekend – Aston Villa v Arsenal and Newcastle v Chelsea come to mind, but the pick of the bunch is probably Tottenham’s meeting with Liverpool at White Hart Lane on Sunday.
Spurs are flying at the moment after victories over Arsenal and Werder Bremen in the past week, but we reckon a Liverpool side with 13 points from a possible 18 in their last six games might bring them down a peg or two. Games involving Spurs these days usually involve a few goals and we see no reason why that will change at the Lane this weekend.
We have a niggling feeling it will end 2-2 and are going to back it up with a few quid at 14/1.
It’s back to Ireland v Argentina for our last bet of the weekend, as we turn our attention to the first tryscorer market. As it is likely to be a game where the exchanges between the rival packs will be crucial, there’s a good chance that it will be a forward who grabs the first try of the afternoon and after setting up Stephen Ferris’ effort last weekend, albeit with a blatant forward pass, we think Jamie Heaslip can go one better and get one of his own on Sunday.
If you agree, put your money on the big number eight to score the first try at 18/1.
A tenner on the above three bets will return a whopping €22,800, which is around about the figure quoted for one night in the company of 81-year old prostitute Sheila Vogel, who is, of course, the grandmother of X-Factor contestant Katie Waissel.
