Federer, Nadal Will Meet in French Open Final. You're Shocked I Know.

So the final that the fans, the players and even the bookies knew was going to happen (I couldn't find a single one who would offer me at-least evens on this matchup. Stupid bookies) has been confirmed.

Nadal fulfilled his end of the bargain in style by crushing Novak Djokovic (try saying that ten times at pace) in straight sets. Nadal looks fired up for this one, that loss on clay to Federer a couple of weeks ago is hurting him and he needs his revenge. It's like clay was the last fortress holding up too Federer's intensive, racket based siege and Nadal was the final gatekeeper. He stands alone, fighting to stop the takeover of his sport by a Swiss machine.

Unlike the last time they met, in a best of three sets final at a relatively small and obscure tournament, Sunday's final is the real deal. Roger has only dropped one set so far in his journey to the final whilst Rafa has dropped none. Whether this is any indication as to the result, I couldn't say, but it's going to be one heck of a game, that's for sure.

[BBC Sport]

Silver Birch wins Grand National 2007

Another Irish winner of the Grand National this year. And one that I never saw coming I have to admit. Nope, my horse managed to fall at the very first hurdle which felt a bit like going up to accept an Oscar and realising too late that you've forgotten your pants.

The big story this year though, has to be the fourth place finnisher Philsons Run who went off at 100-1 and has just made anyone who had him each-way (ya see, I did get something right) very wealthy indeed.

It was a pretty fantastic raise in all and there was a worthy winner, what more can you ask for? Better tips from me? Well yeah, you could ask for that I suppose, but come on I already gave you the winner of the Superbowl and the World Figure Skating Champs didn't I? What more do you want?

And if you're feeling down about your horse losing, spare a thought for the poor schmuck who put down 20 grand on sports index that at-least sixteen of the forty horses would finish the race. The final count was thirteen.

Ouch!

Grand National 2007: A Gamblers Guide Part 2

Now for the ones I do like:

Point Barrow and Clan Royal are the two horses that I'm most interested in. The GN is all about stamina, if your horse has stamina then it stands a good shot at the title. Point Barrow is all about stamina, which he proved beyond a doubt at the Irish National. At 10-1 he is a fantastic bet and one that I may well be taking.

Then there's Clan Royal. this is a horse that has been hyped every year to ridiculous proportions and has disappointed every time. I've never bought into Clan Royal before but this year, with odds slipping further and further and a complete absense of hype, I'm starting to get a niggling feeling...

Now I want you to understand, there is no logic to picking Clan Royal he's got age and past form against him, but I'm a Gambler; I am perfectly willing to risk it all on 'guts and feel'. Back in 2004 there was an old horse called 'Amberleigh House' in the field which tipsters the world over proclaimed as 'too old' and 'shouldn't be given anymore runs at this course'. But I had a feeling about him. I can't explain it, it was just there. that year I bet on him at 11-1 and made a killing when he won.

And I've got that same feeling right now over Clan Royal. It defies logic, but he is definately my 'Shot to Nothing' bet.

Other good horses include: Dun Doire, Jack high and Livingstone Bramble but again, I wouldn't bet on any of those horses on the nose. If you want to be a winner this weekend,place your bet each way.

Oh and btw, if I haven't mentioned a horse then it's for a very good reason. That old nag isn't going off at 100-1 for nothing you know...

Grand National 2007: A Gamblers Guide

The biggest horse race in the entire world  is run tomorrow, with forty horses jumping over thirty fences on their way around a four mile and four furlong course. It is the most gambled on race in the horse world calender, believe it or not.

They say that picking a winner for this race is a once in a lifetime thing. That must make me one hell of alucky dude, 'cause I had the winner two years back to back in '04,'05 and the horse I had last year came second. So, either I'm extremely lucky, extremely savy or extremely living more then one life at a time. Either way, after two wins back to back followed by a second place, you should listen to what I have to say before putting your hard earned cash down on that three legged donkey...

Vein much?

Kiss my sexy ass, here's the preview:

You don't want to be betting on the nose in the Grand National. There are forty horses out there and approximately twenty of them have a decent sho, so you're far better off going each way. That way you'll win if your horse finnishes in the top four, which, if you pick the right one and he doesn't fall to one of the gruesome fences at Aintree, then you're in with a great shot at the money.

Unfortunately I failed to take my own advice last year and I went for Hedgehunter on the nose. And he finnished second. If I had him each way I would have won a ton of money but instead I was over confident from my back to back wins and I went home with a 'big fat brick'. This year I'm eating humble pie and going each way again, it's the smart thing to do.

So who should you take that gamble with this year? Well, first here are three horses that look good but that you should avoid:

Stay away from the favorite Joes Edge. That's right I said stay way from the favorite. This horse was 50-1 at the beginning of the week and just barely scraped a place in the race itself. He's become the favorite because of rampant speculation over his win in the Scottish National and his trainers ridiculous hype. The punters have flooded the market with money for him but IMO he doesn't have what it takes to get around the course.

Hedgehunter is my favorite horse in the world. He has won me a lot of money over the years including his win in this race back in 2005. There is not a better jumper in the line-up and no other horse can compete with his stamina... BUT, this isn't his year. He is the heaviest Horse in the field and is heavier than the heaviest horse to have won the GN. He's also getting a bit old for all this; a lovely horse, but not a winner this year.

Numbersixvalverde was last years winner and looks in pretty good shape this year. His jockey has swaggered about a lot this week talking about how his horse 'can be the first horse since Red Rum to win back to back' GN's. That's nice rhetoric, but Numbersixvalverde is NOT Red Rum and in fact, isn't even as good as Hedgehunter was in his prime. And Hedgehunter could only manage a 1st-2nd. Despite that, this horse is a good each way bet, but I can't see him winning.

to be cont'd...