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Tomorrow sees the start of the Cheltenham Festival, and the Monday before is the calm before the storm. We’re all excited in the Sports Betting Tips office, we’ve all got our views about who we think is going to win what and by how far. We’ve even got one member of the team just backing every Tony McCoy horse, simply because he thinks since it’s his last Cheltenham Festival, McCoy is going to win everything because, and I quote, ‘He’s just awesome!’ We’ve started our series of features on the major races at the Cheltenham Festival, so be sure to take a look at them.
Before that, we’re got some NBA, NHL and Champions League tips to get to, though. Hopefully you got on our last lot of Champions League tips. We went 4-0, with some tasty wins, especially the Monaco/Draw tip that was put up. The Champions League has proven to be a good hunting ground for us so far this season, so we’ll try and keep that up with our picks for tomorrow’s action, which will come after a hard day of racing at Cheltenham!
Let’s get to the free sports betting tips for March 9th, 2015, with our picks for the first day’s action of the Cheltenham Festival, too!
NBA Betting Tips for 9th March
Sacramento vs Atlanta
The Hawks really can do no wrong right now, can they? Well, losing to Philly, they certainly can. Now they face another one of the basement dwellers hoping to avoid the same fate. Sacramento are on a three-game skid and are conceding too many points to even make games competitive. Given the fact they’re struggling to even score, allowing 115 points on average a game is killing them. Atlanta have a tight hold over the Kings and we expect them to bounce back with a huge win here, if, for nothing else, to prove that even with so many injuries, they can do just fine. Atlanta -11 is our pick every day. The gulf in class is huge here and the Hawks juggernaut will get back on track.
New York vs Denver
Oh, man, is this game going to be bad. Two of the league’s worst teams are going head-to-head to decide, one and for all, who the worst team in 2015 is going to be. The Nuggets actually hold the advantage here on recent for, but they have sucked hard since the turn of the year. Not that the Knicks have been much better, but this should be tight, at the Knicks actually tend to make a fight of it in Denver. The line is far too big, and giving the Knicks 9 points when Denver is playing terribly is asking for trouble. Make New York +9 your second pick of the day.
NHL Betting Tips for March 9th, 2015
Predators vs Coyotes
The Predators are on a six game losing streak, and thanks to that, they’ve dropped off the top spot in the West. If ever they needed a morale boost, it would be now, and with the Coyotes facing off against them, it’s the ideal chance to bounce back. The Predators know a win here will give them a chance to leapfrog the Ducks back to the top, so they’ll want to put on a good show here. Arizona, they have one win in the last ten, and they’re not in the same class as the Predators. It’ll be a comfortable win for the Predators, so Predators -1.5 is our confident play here.
Ducks vs Canucks
The Ducks have taken advantage of the Predators’ losing streak and are not topping the West. Seven wins in the last ten has certainly helped that and they will want to close out the season at the top team, giving them home ice for the playoffs. To do this, they need to be winning games like this. The last time the two teams met, Anaheim put four unanswered goals past the Canucks. Anaheim to win and carry on that momentum is the play here.
Champions League Betting Tips March 10th, 2015:
We’ll get our picks in early for Tuesday’s Champions League matches, as ever.
Porto vs Basel
This is not a glamorous tie, but it’s a big one for both teams. The 1-1 scoreline in the first leg was huge for Porto, with Danilo’s penalty giving Porto that crucial away goal. So Basel are going to come out all guns blazing, while Porto just need to sit back and soak up the Basel pressure without giving them any chances. It’s going to be cagey, there isn’t likely to be many goals, simply because Porto don’t need them, and Basel would be happy with a 1-0 win, too. Under 2.5 goals is, for us, the sensible play here.
Real Madrid vs Schalke
It’s 2-0 in Real’s favour from the first leg, so the Germans have it all to do. Can they do it? Well, they need to score at least 2, preferably 3 or more in Madrid. They have to attack, attack, attack and that’s dangerous against a side like Real Madrid. Well, it would be if Madrid’s form in front of goal wasn’t so patchy. In fact, Madrid going down 1-0 to Bilbao at the weekend points to a side in need of some confidence. Schalke have to win, Real don’t, and with confidence low in Spain, Schalke and the draw is how we’re going to play it. Sure, Real could come out and batter Schalke 7-0, but the Germans aren’t a bad side, and will put up a good account, even if they only end up winning 1-0 and 7/2 is a nice touch of value.
Cheltenham Festival Day One Tips
And finally, our tips for Day One of the Cheltenham Festival.
Supreme Novice Hurdle, 1:30pm
Jollyallan fits the profile of a likely Supreme Novice Hurdle winner and looks good to get Tony McCoy a final winner in the race. The favourite, Douvan, looks good on paper, but might prefer softer ground and he’s just far too short to be of any value at all.
Arkle Challenge Trophy, 2:05pm
Not a novel choice, but Un De Sceaux should be far too strong, and he’s going to be a handful for the 2016 Queen Mother Chase, too. Clarcam looks a nice progressive type, but he’s well held by the favourite. We hate to be favourite backers, but nothing else should get close.
Ultima Business Solutions Handicap Chase, 2:40pm
A tough, tough race, but we like the look of Barrakilla who comes into this on nice mark, near the bottom of the handicap, and some solid Cheltenham form to his name. The bookies will be paying out first four home, so each-way is a bit of value, as we can’t see Evan Williams’ runner out of the top four with such a light weight on his back. That being said, watch for any huge gambles on the day, as these Cheltenham handicaps can often be a benefit for the stable staff to get their end-of-season bonus.
Champion Hurdle, 3:20pm
As our preview might suggest, we see this as a two horse race. Hurricane Fly has the beating of last year’s winner, Jezki, on paper, and since we can’t see Hurricane Fly taking his crown back, it surely has to rule out Jezki. It’s a tough call between Faugheen and The New One, but we just think that The New One represents far better value, simply because he’s shown he can compete with the best, while Fauhgheen needs to show his class, and at such short odds, we just can’t see any value at all. Sure, he can’t win this by a distance, but he’s going to go off around Evens, and that’s just no value at all for us. Get on The New One to prove that last year was a true hard luck story.
Mares Hurdle, 4:00pm
While we think Faugheen is no value, the same can’t be said for Annie Power, who is going to go off a short price. Annie Power was a strong fancy for last year’s World Hurdle and she finished an amazing second. With no Quevaga this year Glens Melody might have fancied her chances, but Annie Power looks like the bet of the Festival for many, and we can’t disagree with them, as she’s truly a class above the rest of the field and raced against far tougher opposition. Yes, she’ll be odds-on, but you know what, it’s still value.
National Hunt Chase, 4:40pm
Not the strongest race of the Cheltenham Festival, but it should be competitive if nothing else. Perfect Gentleman looks like having decent form coming into this, and Willie Mullins will have him prepped for a big run. He’s rated 146, third best in the race, and off level weight he looks well in against the competition. He’s a decent price in an open race, and again, watch for any huge plunges in the prices.
R4R Novices’ Chase, 5:15pm
The lucky last, and it’s another wide-open race, but Horizontal Speed looks like being the value here again. He comes in after winning last time out by 15 lengths and the great combination of Hobby and Johnson should not be sniffed at, as they’re undoubtedly a class act. Sure, the field is wide open, but Horizontal Speed has finished in the places on all four of his chase starts and will fancy his chances here.
