November thrill

Glorious week-end with all 7 recommendations delivering; Man City, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Man Utd, Tottenham and Real Madrid all won, and Born To Sea was placed second.


Hardly anything changed atop the major league standings as the leading teams ensured the statu quo by overcoming inferior opposition; Man Utd had arguably the toughest assignment away to Everton and managed to squeeze a win.

In racing, Born To Sea suffered defeat in what would have been a little shocking to some. But it must be said that winner Nephrite looks every bit a horse to take seriously from now on, having racked 2 wins in as many races. This bodes very well for next year. It is obviously premature to have any good inkling on how next year's 2000 Guineas is going to pan out; horses change considerably during the winter and some progress more than the rest. So despite Born To Sea's comprehensive defeat on Sunday, it would be folly to dismiss him for next spring's Classic showpiece. The form certainly gets reset for all at the start of next season. 

This week in racing looks tremendous with the Melbourne Cup and the countdown to the Breeders Cup taking major attention. I had the most thrilling time as a punter in the Melbourne Cup 2004 when Zazzman came out 3rd; I had it Placed at 45/1, one minute before the gates opened! The great thing about this race is that even the lesser-fancied horses at 25/1 cannot be dismissed when analyzing the field; they can easily be prominent at the finish. The race that stops a nation looks wide open this year. Obviously, Americain could easily retain his crown if he repeats last year's form. Maybe Godolphin can finally remove a hurdle from their resume by winning one of the races they covet the most. I'll be watching as a pure racing spectacle.

Then, there's the lead-up to the Breeders Cup, the designated world championship of horse racing. Hopefully, there won't be any last-minute drama and preparations go smoothly for all. All eyes will be on Goldikova, who at this point looks to me a great Win prospect. But I will get to it in due time. In the Classic, So You Think will try the unknown in hope, while Uncle Mo carries the expectations of the American crowd.

In football, it's another interesting round of the Champions League, where there is bound to be some good value recommendations on the table. A great and busy week in sports, no complaints!