Elarqam - a Classic winner for Frankel?

Elarqam pleasantly surprised me in running 4th in the 2000 Guineas. That was the Frankel colt's only third run of his life and he responded admiringly against seasoned milers from the Classic crop. He is the deserving favourite of the Irish 2000 Guineas on Saturday and if he runs to form, he should tower over the rest of the field. The 2 dangers should be Gustav Klimt and Zihba. The former carries the main flag for the Ballydoyle team and thus cannot be under-estimated. The son of Galileo came within a length of Elarqam at Newmarket and is entitled to give a better performance, although Elarqam is the one with more scope for improvement.  Zihba is unbeaten in 3 starts and looks like a smart colt in the making but might be stretched out against some Group 1 level colts at a mile after only 13 days rest.

The Champions League final takes center stage in the football world on Saturday as Real Madrid and Liverpool battle it out in Kiev. I have gone against Madrid the past couple of years and obviously the results have gone the other way. Real Madrid are deserved favourites here as they have the better team on paper. But the Kops will pose them problems with their terrific forwards and Klopp is a master at these kinds of matches. Liverpool will have to keep it tight in defence if they are to have a chance beat the Spaniards. Sitting on the fence on this one but enjoy the match.

Win: Elarqam

Justify - On the way to the Triple Crown

A loaded Saturday looms up as league football comes to an end and racing starts its full flight.

The FA Cup brings the curtain down in English football. Man Utd against Chelsea is an intriguing match as the teams are close and have proven very tricky to back. It's Mourinho against Conte with what promises to be a defensive match with not many goals. I believe this match will go the extra distance and possibly decided on penalties. Chelsea have lost their way in the last weeks of the season possibly because of all the exit talk regarding manager Conte. The Italian will definitely not be at the helm next season and there is a serious question mark regarding his or his team motivation. Winning the FA Cup won't save him. On the other hand, as everyone knows, Mourinho has a near-impeccable record in finals and will have done his home work so as not to lose to his old team. I just cannot see Man Utd losing this match in 90 minutes. If it goes to penalties, then it will be the luck of the lottery to get the winner. For punters itching for a bet, I suggest a draw-no-bet on the Red Devils.

The German Cup sees champions Bayern taking on Frankfurt. This is the last match of manager Heynckes behind the Bayern bench as they go against a team managed by his successor next season. Although the Munich team will be missing a few regulars, it's hard to see them lose this match. Heynckes should go back to retirement on a winning note.

I don't think I've seen such a poor quality field lining up for the Lockinge on Saturday. Sure, 16 horses will provide the quantity but it's hard to be excited about a star running the show. There is no Group 1 miler in the field. Limato and Rhododendron are legitimate Group 1 horses but that would be at sprint level for the former and middle distances for the latter. If push comes to shove, Rhododendron is my pick.

The racing event to follow will be at Pimlico Stateside where Justify runs the Preakness, the second step of the Triple Crown. His form towers against anything else in the field. Provided he takes to the sloppy track, he should win this handily. Having heard all angles and from the bullish connections, I think he will.

EPL 2017/18 - Week 38

Burnley v/s Bournemouth - Home win
Crystal Palace v/s WBA - Home win
Huddersfield v/s Arsenal - Away win
Liverpool v/s Brighton - Home win
Man Utd v/s Watford - Home win
Newcastle v/s Chelsea - Draw
Southampton v/s Man City - Away win
Swansea v/s Stoke - Home win
Tottenham v/s Leicester - Home win
West Ham v/s Everton - Home win

Only a few matches are of significance for the last game week of the season. Here are my picks.

Crystal Palace should beat West Brom at home. Despite a strong level of form under caretaker manager Moore in the last weeks of the season, in which they beat Man Utd and Tottenham while also drawing with Liverpool, the Baggies will be playing Championship football next season. Moore has achieved miraculous results in his short tenure but the club is eventually paying the price of rotten results before his arrival. The Baggies will arrive at Selhurst Park with a blown up confidence to play a host team that has gradually been getting significant results under the care of ex-England manager Hodgson. Zaha is their main man but Hodgson has steadied and righted a ship that seemed destined to sink midway in the season. Palace should finish the season with a decisive win.

Liverpool are vying to secure the fourth and last UCL spot and they should have no problem doing so against Brighton. Watch for Salah to eye for yet more goals as he goes for the Golden Boot glory.

Arsenal have lost 7 consecutive matches on the road and I think that streak will end on Sunday. It will be Wenger's last match and no doubt that the Gunners will try to make it a winning one. It will be a winnable one as well as Huddersfield will still be in partying mode, having secured their stay in the EPL after a gained point at Stamford Bridge in mid-week. Arsenal look good value to win that one.


Thanks for tuning in for this EPL season. There's more to come over the Summer; horse racing, World Cup, definitely more ramblings coming!


Win: Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Liverpool

EPL 2017/18 - Week 37

Brighton v/s Man Utd - Draw
Stoke v/s Crystal Palace - Home win
Bournemouth v/s Swansea - Home win
Leicester v/s West Ham - Away win
Watford v/s Newcastle - Away win
West Brom v/s Tottenham - Away win
Everton v/s Southampton - Home win
Man City v/s Huddersfield - Home win
Arsenal v/s Burnley - Home win
Chelsea v/s Liverpool - Home win

The best value odds seem to be at Stamford Bridge where the Blues host Liverpool. The Kops booked their UCL final ticket in mid-week after a hard-fought qualification in Rome. There will obviously be questions on their mental state and more particularly their fitness. I think they will be ripe for the taking in a stadium where Chelsea hold very few prisoners. One intangible to take note is the loss of Klopp's number 2 Buvac. The headlines have it that the ex-Reds coaching brain is on his way to replace Wenger at Arsenal but the general effect on Liverpool remains to pan out. His loss is certainly badly timed given the Kops are still in the race to land the UCL final and a top 4 league spot. Chelsea will have a lot in its favour on Sunday.

Win: Chelsea