Sport is made for betting

First cab off the rank with a Royal Ascot preview is the very talented Jack Milner. Follow him on Twitter, @JJMSports ---------------- The St James’s Palace Stakes is the last chapter of the opening day's three-pronged Group One assault, and features the best three year old milers in Europe, with an influx of horses from France and Ireland this year; I suppose that is one way of helping the local economy. You would assume if only the Greeks knew about this horse racing lark eh, they would be out of recession in no time. This is the race where Frankel almost lost his unbeaten record last year, in Tom Queally’s not so finest hour, kicking on from the front at just over the half way stage; it was not quite the spectacle we had all hoped for. Frankel was completing the 2000 Guineas/St James’s Palace Stakes double, something that is quite a trend, whether is be the French, English or Irish equivalent. Henrythenavigator did The English and Irish Guineas double before winning this, a...

I will be running the usual guest previews throughout the Royal Ascot festival, so if you fancy yourself as a bit of a writer as well as a racing enthusiast, then step up and have a crack. Readership is strong during the big meetings so you will get plenty of people reading your work. Take a look through older posts for examples. So far I have these races covered: St James' Palace Stakes Coventry Stakes Jersey Stakes Prince of Wales' Stakes Tercentenary Stakes King George V Stakes King Edward VII Queen's Vase Hardwicke Stakes If you're brave enough to stick your neck out on any other race with a detailed preview, drop me a line (scottf at journalist.com), reply in the comments (I'll read but not publish them) or contact me on Twitter - @borisranting. Most people will find the extra work they put into writing a preview is worth it because it makes them do the form in far more depth.

It's Brisbane's premier day of racing with the Derby and the $1m Stradbroke Handicap over 1400m, always a fantastic race. Taking the reins for the previews is Gibbo from BrissyRaces . On the website, he has every race at Eagle Farm covered, I've just borrowed a couple of them... Race 6: The Queensland Derby Barriers have thrown this wide open! I would have liked a better barrier and a wet track for VATUVEI but I still think he is the one here. His run in the St Leger (2800m) was outstanding. He then had a little freshen up and dropped back to 2200m around the tight Doomben track. He got a slight check at the 550m and lost a length so should have finished closer. He will be better for the run and 2400m around E-F will be more to his liking. BRAMBLES the stable mate led all the way in the Grand Prix 2200m. I’m not sure he will be able to that here but he will push forward and keep himself out of trouble. ZABEELIONAIRE drew best out of the fav’s and Oliver will get some co...

Deep in the Federal Interactive Gaming Act (2001) of Australia is the threat of harsh penalties to international firms offering prohibited gaming products to Australian residents, namely casino and poker products. Not once has the Australian Federal Government prosecuted such breaches, by the likes of Poker Stars, 888 or most international gambling firms. Only those firms which have, or have sought, an Australian licence - including the likes of Betfair (currently licensed), Ladbrokes (submitted an initial bid for the Victorian government wagering licence), Sportingbet, Unibet and Paddy Power have been affected while the poker firms in particular have wilfully flouted the law. Finally, the law has found some teeth...indirectly. With the new trend by corporate sportsbooks of trying to position themselves in the USA should that market ever be opened to sports betting, publicly-listed betting companies are being forced to jump through an enormous amount of hoops to secure a Nevada gamin...

This was always coming in the States - the structure of stakeholders in American racing is considerably different to those they have faced previously in Britain and Australia. Everyone gets a say and there's no controlling body (government or administrator) who can push things through without approval at all levels. The horsemen's groups, in case the TOC, are as stubborn as they come. Racing in the US is dying big time, and yet anything which has a chance of moving the game forward has to jump through an incredible number of hurdles. Every argument they bring up - eg integrity, has been covered in depth everywhere else, yet the TOC has to re-invent the wheel to consider it. Racing has corrupt elements everywhere - if you endorse cash betting, no matter how many markets offered, how much percentage takeout, or betting on the horse to win or lose, then the argument is a furphy. Cash betting is faceless, and anonymity is the fraudster's best friend. Plus it's mind-boggling...

Smallest field in 105 years at Epsom for Camelot's Derby, but a capacity field of 20 in the French equivalent. And it's a damn good race too, plenty of chances here with the favourite marked overnight at only 9/2. Calum Madell ( @calummadell ) did the hard work on this preview including the tips, I've added a few bits & pieces, including links for race replays. ----------- A fascinating renewal of the French Classic which has a strong home and away contingent. The UK and Ireland have a number of very good runners and this hots up to be a great race. The unbeaten Kesampour leads the charge for France. Mikel Delzangles has proved himself as one of the best trainers in France. The trip should be absolutely ideal on breeding and he should at least confirm form with Top Trip in this and give a great account of himself. Won the Prix Greffulhe last start, which Pour Moi won last year going into the Epsom Derby. French Fifteen won the Criterium De Saint Cloud last year...

Believe it or not, it's also the Spanish Derby this weekend so that deserves a preview as well. Mariano Zomeno, @ThoroughbrSpain , runs the ThorougbredsInSpain blog and kindly gave me permission to reprint his preview of the race.... Premio Villapadierna (Spanish Derby), Sunday June 3 2012 The Sunday 3 meeting at the La Zarzuela racecourse of Madrid incluids in its racecard the Premio Villapadierna (Spanish Derby), [2,400 m, 3yos, 34,800 euros for the winner]. This edition is, as always a crossroad to test horses coming from different lines, namely the Premio Velayos (won by the unbeaten Galipoli, with Fortun second), the GP Nacional (Alonso, the winner is absent from the Villapadierna, but 2nd, 3rd and fourth will run), the Cimera (Guineas), represented by Nuredyn - 4th in the GP Nacional - and Riky Rock and also raiders from France (Around the Moon, Campillo), etc. This is the field: Around the Moon (IRE, 2009), bay colt [Danehill Dancer-Moon Flower(Sadler's Wells)], o...

There's some decent racing up in Scotland today too, the Edinburgh Cup has assembled a quality field, and Dan Kelly covers this one too. ------ It's not all Camelot, Camelot, Camelot here in British Racing, as Musselburgh hold a great card of their own today, feature being the £50,000 Edinburgh Gold Cup, and they haven't been let down with the quality of runners in recent years. Harris Tweed won this in 2010, with the likes of Corsica and Zuider Zee behind, 2011 was won by Eternal Heart, Namibian and Colour Vision behind him. Form of the race will definitely hold up as many of the unlucky losers, actually are just that given the nature of the track, tight right hand sharp track, and if you are looking at closers you need all the luck in the world here. Reviewing the last two runnings just shows how much Mark Johnston targets this race with beaten runners like Corisca, Namibian and Colour Vision ending up Group winners, and his runners today are certainly worth closer at...

Derby Day opens up with one of those tricky handicaps, so our handicap race expert Dan Kelly, @muffinmannhc is back with his preview. ------ The opening race on Derby Day has seen a fair number of horses end up better than just a handicapper, and even though last years renewal was a little thin on the ground, it wouldn't surprise me if this years race housed another Dandino or Conduit. So far at this years Investec Derby Festival we've seen a fair few messy races, and worryingly this handicap has the potential to be also, Pace is drawn in 10 in the form of Mister Music, other than him I'm struggling for a confirmed front runner, and when looking back at Grandeur race at Goodwood, that was a prerace doubt there also, however it needn't have been. Buick settled him well just off the pace with enough room to move as and when he wanted to, and today in stall 13 he has that option today. Granduer was an improving 2yo, doing everything but winning on debut, he went on ...