Barton is 16/1 to be named Newcastle’s player of the year

Will Shearer’s good friend be the Toon Army’s hero next season?

With very little football taking place right now, chickendinner have been sniffing around the bookmakers looking for interesting specials to bet on.

Paddy Power have opened a market on who will win Newcastle’s player of the year award next season with Joey Barton a distant 16/1 outsider, an even longer price than 14/1 Xisco.

The three joint-favourites at 8/1 are Obafemi Martins, Kevin Nolan and Steven Taylor - the latter two mainly because they look likely to stay - with

Posted: July 7th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Heroic Andy Roddick nets chickendinner a tidy profit

A-Rod went over four hours without being broken but still lost

Photo Credit: Owen Humphreys/PA Wire

Americans aren’t supposed to play the role of gracious runners-up at sporting events but for the third time in six years, Andy Roddick was left congratulating Roger Federer on Centre Court at Wimbledon.

chickendinner tipped A-Rod to reach the final, which if you bet with Paddy Power as we advised would have earned you a £50 return on a £5 E/W stake, although it could have been £145 if he hadn’t tired at the end.

It was impossible not to feel sorry for the lovable sixth seed after he went over four hours without having his serve broken (37 games) against the new

Posted: July 6th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Queen’s finalist James Blake out on day one at Wimbledon

Runner-up’s early exit puts Andy Murray’s triumph into context

It was with a degree of eggshell treading that we suggested last week that Andy Murray’s victory at Queen’s didn’t significantly boost his chances of winning Wimbledon.

Our feeling was that with Novak Djokovic opting to play in Halle and Andy Roddick and Gael Monfils pulling out with injuries, Murray didn’t beat anybody too noteworthy en route to the trophy.

Posted: June 23rd, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Everything you need to know to bet on the Ascot Gold Cup

Click here for all the latest odds on the biggest race of Ladies Day

Photo Credit: Sean Dempsey/PA Wire

For many, the Gold Cup is the highlight of Royal Ascot and the big story this year is whether eight-year-old Yeats will be able to defy the age trends and become the first ever four-time winner of the race. Here are some stats to help you decide whether or not to back the favourite to make history:

Click here to claim a £25 free bet with Paddy Power

Pointers

» The last ten Gold Cup winners were all drawn in even-numbered stalls, with three of the last five winners drawing stall four. Veracity will be occupying that stall this year.

» 13 of the last 16 winners had won over two miles or more prior to the race. Of this year’s ten horses, only Geordieland, Veracity, Yeats and Patkai have been victorious over that distance.

» The last nine winners all triumphed in a Group 1 or 2 race prior to their Ascot success – Sagara never has.

» Geordieland and Hindu Kush are the only horses in the field to have won their last race – five of the last six champions won their final outing before the Gold Cup.

Age and weight trends

Posted: June 17th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Tartan Bearer could end Sir Michael Stoute’s drought in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes

Click here to find the best odds on Wednesday’s 3.45pm at Ascot

Champion jockey Ryan Moore is the 15/8 favourite to ride Tartan Bearer to victory in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot. If he delivers, it will end trainer Sir Michael Stoute’s 18-year wait for a third winner in the race. Here are some stats which suggest that the favourite will deliver:

Click here to claim a £25 free bet with Paddy Power

» Eight of the last 12 winners won their final outing before the Prince of Wales’s Stakes. Of this year’s entries only Tartan Bearer, Vision D’etat, Never On Sunday and Virtual did so.

» Virtual has never won over more than a mile though and this race is 1m 2f. Just one of the last 24 winners hadn’t won at 1m 1f or more beforehand.

Posted: June 16th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment

Royal Ascot: Eight stats about the festival’s opening race

Stoute and bin Suroor’s Queen Anne Stakes duopoly may resume

One of the biggest festivals of the flat racing season gets underway tomorrow with the Queen Anne Stakes, which is finally poised with no overwhelming favourite and three credible contenders. Here are some stats to help you bet on Tuesday’s 2.30pm:

Click here to claim a £25 free bet with Paddy Power

» 12 of the last 13 winners have been trained by Saeed bin Suroor (seven), Sir Michael Stoute (three) or Aidan O’Brien (two). O’Brien doesn’t have a horse in the race this year, while bin Suroor has favourite Gladiatorus and Alexandros and Stoute has Main Aim.

» Eight-year-olds Cesare and Mac Love are cursed by the fact no horse aged six or older has triumphed since Ardoon in 1976.

» The last two winners have been five-year-olds, with Arabian Gleam the only one in this year’s race, while everyone else except Cesare and Mac Love are four. Four-year-olds have won 14 of the last 17.

Posted: June 15th, 2009 by Michael Lintorn | Add Comment