Our racing team look to provide a pre-Festival boost with selections for Saturday, while Tom Carnduff, Dale Tempest and George Pitts have tips for the weekend's football.
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Racing
Matt Brocklebank
The Tote Is Back Handicap at Chelmsford represents a slight step down in class for THE GAME IS ON, who has held his form well and looks capable of returning to winning ways on Saturday evening.
He won at Wolverhampton at the end of November and has since filled the runner-up spot three times at three different courses. He obviously bumped into an improving rival when brushed aside by Lucky’s Dream here last month and he’s well worth another go off the same mark with the blinkers (worn last two runs) retained.
David Ord
ROYAL CLARET was sparked back into life by first-time cheekpieces at Carlisle last time, chasing home the thriving Jobsonsfire. That rival was completing a hat-trick but the selection doesn’t bump into anything anywhere near as progressive here and is two pounds below her last winning mark.
She gets weight from all her rivals and if the headgear has the desired effect again, is a big player on ground she relishes.
With Sandown's Imperial Cup card failing to beat the weather, attention turns to a decent all-weather card at Wolverhampton where CARDSHARP could be worth a play in the Listed Bombardier British Hopped Amber Beer Lady Wulfruna Stakes.
After winning a decent handicap at York last May, Cardsharp's mark rose to 111 but, after two subsequent unplaced efforts in the Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot and the Group Three Criterion Stakes at Newmarket, he was dropped back to 109.
That stills puts him second best at the weights behind Gulliver who took a big hike for winning on a very different surface at Southwell and comes here after finishing fourth in Qatar just a fortnight ago.
With question marks hanging over his main rivals, Cardsharp need only run to a similar level as he did here last year to go two places better under Adam Kirby, who rides him for the first time and has a 20% wins-to-rides strike rate for Johnston.
MY TARGET makes plenty of appeal in the closing Betway Handicap at Wolverhampton on Saturday.
Michael Wigham’s nine-year-old has dropped to a very competitive mark of 77, a career low, and he is a horse that won an all-weather handicap off 102 in his pomp. He won’t be reclaiming those glory days but he’s still got ability at a lower level and he’s hinted several times this winter that he’s capable of cashing in off his current rating when everything drops right.
That wasn’t last time when he was held up off a slow gallop, but the way he finished his race suggests he’s primed to strike and the slight drop in trip this weekend looks a positive. He’s a winner at Wolverhampton and handles the Tapeta well (has won at Newcastle, too) and with Michele Strogoff in the field a solid pace looks likely. He can defeat likely favourite Mickey in receipt of 6lb.
Progressing well over hurdles before disappointing at Ascot last time but can get back on track here in a less competitive heat for Brian Hughes and Donald McCain.
Stu Williams
Gordon Elliott will undoubtedly have one eye, if not both, firmly fixed upon the impending Cheltenham Festival. However, he rarely misses an opportunity to land a decent prize, and I am hopeful that he can do just that with the potentially well-handicapped DIAMOND TURF.
This seven-year-old failed to land a blow on his first three starts over fences. However, he was beaten just a neck when dropping back to two miles at Down Royal in January, and he will make his handicap debut off a lowly mark of 124.
The winner that day, Castle Oliver, received 7lbs and is now rated 129 after following up in a Grade B handicap at Naas four weeks later. That form obviously looks very solid indeed, and it gives the impression that Diamond Turf could be well ahead of the handicapper.
This trip should suit him well and heavy ground is no bother. He should go very close with talented conditional jockey Gavin Brouder taking a handy 7lbs off his back.
Despite his class edge, I'm keen to take on Defoe with PABLO ESCOBAR.
The son of Galileo has only made one appearance so far at Meydan this winter, getting his pocket picked late on when trying to concede 11lb to Universal Order.
Nevertheless, he still ran a fine race in second to suggest he remains on the upgrade and I’m keen to stick with him given there are a few slight ground concerns for Defoe, along with the fact this race is likely to be a stepping stone for bigger targets, while Desert Encounter was disappointing here last time when having a run to suit.
Football
The hosts are unsurprisingly the same price as Tottenham to win at 7/4. With the Londoners taken to extra-time and penalties by Norwich in midweek, you would not put it past them.
With the extra-time in mind, the thinking is to go with a quick start from BURNLEY and they are 5/2 to be leading at the interval.
They are not known to be quick starters, with just nine of their 33 Premier League goals coming in the first-half, but the fact their opponents could take a while to get going draws us to this market.
I was really surprised to see CHARLTON as the outsiders to beat Middlesbrough. Both sides are struggling, but they don't justify their 2/1 general price for three points.
Bowyer's men earned victories in two of their last three at home and crucially they came against Barnsley and Luton - teams they are battling against at the bottom of the table.
Across the course of this season, Charlton's home form has been good. They sit 13th in the home standings after gaining seven wins and five draws from 18 outings.
In Middlesbrough, they take on a team who sit 22nd in the away standings. Just two of their 17 on the road have ended in victory and that poor run should continue at the Valley.
The 2/1 is appealing enough but it's worth squeezing out the extra value in this game by going for goals as well. Charlton sit fourth in the Championship for games with over 2.5 goals in them (22 from 36) while Boro have seen three or more goals in two of their last three on the road.
STOKE manager Michael O'Neill has steadied the ship and, despite their position of 21st, it would be a major shock if they went down.
The clash is at the bet365 stadium where they have really improved with five wins in the last eight, drawing two with one defeat.
The Potters' squad is still massively underperforming, as you can see from their away form over the same period in which, over eight road trips, they have lost four, conceding eight at QPR and Derby, drawn two and won two.
As with many sides, it is at home where O’Neill is getting the best out of his squad. I expect that to continue this weekend.
To complete the weekend double I am going with WOLVES to beat Brighton.
The Seagulls are struggling for goals and form with top goalscorer stalwart Glenn Murray only getting six starts this season and his main replacement Neil Maupay yet to fire consistently, with just one goal in his last 11 in all competitions.
Graham Potter's side are yet to win in 2020. Wolves, despite the stresses of a successful Europa League campaign, are serious contenders for Champions League qualification and continue to impress.
Starting in the Sky Bet Championship where CHARLTON are backed to get the better of Middlesbrough as they meet at the Valley. Lee Bowyer's men are the outsiders in the betting but they've won two of their last three at home, whereas Boro have the third-worst away record in the division.
Staying in England's second tier and STOKE welcome struggling Hull. The Tigers have failed to win any of their last eleven games in all competitions while Stoke have lost just one of their last eight at home.
Into Sky Bet League One where COVENTRY are fancied to get the better of Ipswich despite being the away side. The current leaders have the third-best away record in the division having won their last three league games on the road. Ipswich are currently enduring a three-game losing run.
Finally, all eyes will be on CHELTENHAM next week but we're starting a little early by backing them for success at home to Port Vale. A five game winning run, with six wins in their last seven, has fired them into fifth in Sky Bet League Two.
And one for Sunday...
Rugby union
I think France are a defeat waiting to happen, and I think SCOTLAND could well be the team to inflict it.
I can hear those who watched Scotland’s dismal 17-0 defeat of Italy sniggering now, as that was one woeful, error-strewn international, lit up by a sole piece of individual brilliance by Stuart Hogg.
But it is never wise to judge, over-react to, or back a team on their most recent performance alone – as England’s backers at 2/5 in the World Cup final can testify to – and I prefer to view this game in the light of Scotland’s seven-point losses to Ireland in Dublin, and England at Murrayfield.
Both games could have gone either way.
Looking at past results in this fixture could be misleading as France have clearly made fair strides this year, but they have lost on their last three trips to Murrayfield, and I fundamentally disagreed with outright quotes of 12/5 for Scotland earlier in the week, and the six-point handicap line.
Unfortunately, the 12/5 didn’t last – and the early 3.5 on Betfair has shortened into 3.2, as well - but the six-point line at evens thankfully remains.
On a Six Nations weekend where I think bets are at a premium, then I have no hesitation in making Scotland +6 a stand-out wager at evens with bet365 and William Hill.