Weekend Winners: Value Bet winning tip, 20/1 tennis winner and one Sky Bet customer earns big payout

Jolly Jim strikes for Value Bet

There isn't much Matt Brocklebank likes more than backing and tipping Jim Bolger-trained winners. For the Pride Of Cumbria, it's right up there with rearing pigs back in his homeland or interviewing legendary US Hall Of Fame jockey Mike Smith at Santa Anita.

So, it was with real gusto that Matt - fresh from a 10/1 winning Value Bet selection a week earlier - was able to make such a robust case in this week's Saturday column for 16/1 chance Mac Swiney in the Vertem Futurity Trophy Stakes at Doncaster.

Though more recently lacking that star performer that Bolger has been able to unearth with frightening regularity over a training career spanning many decades, the veteran handler has never hidden his admiration for Mac Swiney and his colt duly delivered on the biggest stage on Saturday, grinding his way to a game victory in the Town Moor mud.

Mac Swiney - a son of Bolger's 2008 Derby winner New Approach - has been a real springer in the ante-post market for Epsom over the last 24 hours and his trainer has confirmed that all roads lead to Flat racing's blue-riband race. Ante-Post Angle anyone?

Don't forget the engine room!

The hugely-successful Value Bet column is saved for weekends and showcase meetings but renowned tipsters Rory Delargy and Dave Massey have joined the Sporting Life ranks in recent weeks, combining to produce a daily Punting Pointers column.

The column has already been a great hit with some big-priced winners, a few heartbreaking near misses (don't mention Tom Queally at Goodwood!), and a regular of stream of informative nuggets that readers can take away and use for their own analysis and bets.

Dave was in the hotseat on Friday when putting up an early bet on Honest Vic at Cheltenham on Saturday and he and his followers were duly rewarded with a tasty 17/2 winner.

Rory is back at the wheel on Monday and he has two 'strong ones' (his words, not mine) to blow away those Monday morning blues. You can read his latest Punting Pointers here.

Talking of leading tipsters - and the leading racing commentator, too - Simon Holt registered a very healthy profit at the weekend thanks to Frodon's spectacular performance at Cheltenham while there were also winners for Racing Editor Dave Ord and our secret insider behind the Catching Pigeons column.

Near misses and tennis triumphs

This game isn't always Value Bet winners and Frodon fairy-tales, however, and Ben Coley and followers of this week's Italian Open preview might well be cursing their luck tonight.

66/1 pre-tournament selection Laurie Canter was firmly in the driving seat when starting his final round on Sunday but back-to-back bogeys on the 14th and 15th holes opened the door for McGowan who surged into the lead in ruthless fashion.

The drama didn't end there, however, with three players - including Canter and McGowan - tied for the lead on the final hole. In the end, McGowan prevailed thanks to 20 foot birdie which denied Coley what would have been a fourth European Tour winner in 14 previews since its return. You can't win them all I suppose.

There was better news for tennis expert Andy Schooler who had more reason to cheer after Ugo Humbert landed a 20/1 winning selection when claiming first prize at the European Open on Sunday.

You can read Andy's preview of next week's ATP tournament action here.

Throw in a winning headline bet for our regular UFC tipping column and it really has been a weekend to saviour.

Sky Bet punter wins big

Finally, one Sky Bet horse racing punter turned £83 into over £360,000 on Saturday as his five selections in various multiples did the business at Cheltenham, Doncaster and Newbury.

The customer from Doncaster, had the five horses in an accumulator, trebles and a Lucky 31 and racked up the huge payout as all five obliged.

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