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Hawwaam leads home Mike De Kock 1-2 in Grade 1

The pre-race favourite Hawwaam (11/10f) claimed the Grade 1 H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein, South Africa, this afternoon for trainer Mike De Kock.

In the colours of Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, the five-year-old, rated by many observers as the best horse in South Africa, won under jockey Callan Murray.

The Irish-bred four-year-old Queen Supreme (8/1) completed a 1-2 for De Kock, coming home a length-and-a-quarter behind for Marco Van Resnburg, with the Seán Tarry-trained Cirillo (11/2) a head further back in third for Luke Ferraris in the weight for age contest.

Hawwaam challenged Cirillo with 300m to run, before Queen Supreme came with a late rally in the centre of the track. Callan Murray would not be caught on the favourite, however, but Queen Supreme managed to edge-out Cirillo for the runner-up spot.

sportsnewsireland.com Most Exciting Qualities of the English Premier League

One wouldn’t talk about football without mentioning the English Premier League. It is considered to be the top leagues in the world for a variety of reasons, its stored franchises and venue, the connection between the players the pitch and the fans, and the thrill of excitement.

All these combine to create the massive demand in viewership both locally and internationally. In addition to these qualities, several aspects make the English Premier league exciting. Below are some of the factors that make the league very intriguing and enjoyable.

The acting

There’s nothing more intriguing about the EPL

than the amount of acting that goes after a foul play. In recent days acting, diving, has become part of the game. However, with the advancement of high definition broadcasts, it seems a little ridiculous that players can dive and act like they have suffered a career-ending injury when an opponent clips their ankle. All the fans can tell he is faking as much as he puts both his hands on his face in apparent agony anyway. Despite the questionable antics, fans still find it interesting.

Legal gambling

Betting on the English Premier League teams is common practice all over the world. Betting outlets such as ufabethave become sponsors on some of the EPL teams with their logos and company names placed on the jerseys of the players. Though in some countries, gambling is considered unethical, for fans of the EPL betting and watching their favorite team constitute a typical match day.

The Champions League

Even though the champions league is a different entity altogether, it is usually the EPL teams that are the most exciting. Football fans love the champions league because it is played during the EP season. The fact that the champions league and EPL overlap is always the source of interest for most fans. 

The quality of play

It’s no secret that many top-level players would rather join a club in EPL than any other league. This makes the EPL a home to the world’s highest level of football. The quality of play has, without a doubt, been higher compared to other leagues, which is what makes it the most enjoyable league to watch.

The Crowds

As would any live sporting event, the crowd’s energy is always vital in the outcome of the match. Whether the crowd is loud and in full support of the home team or is silenced by the quality of the opponent’s play, each team’s performance is impacted. This is more apparent in the EPL hence its apparent appeal to viewers.

Conclusion

Football is one of the most loved and watched sports in the world. But there is no football without the English Premier League. It is the most popular and loved league since its exciting, thrilling, and entertaining. It has the best stadiums, crowds and top players and one an also bet on the different matches. The possibility to bet on the teams on various platforms such as ufabet also makes it more accessible and exciting. 

South Africa’s top-two horses clash at Turffontein 2.15pm

Hawwaam and Soqrat, two of the best horses in South Africa will face each other in Saturday’s Grade 1 H F Oppenheimer Horse Chestnut Stakes at Turffontein 2.15pm (Irish time).

Both horses, trained by Mike De Kock and owned by Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, contest the one-mile race was won last year by Soqrat.

It is Hawwaam, however, considered by many to be the best horse in South Africa, who will start favourite for the race.

“Both are doing really well,” De Kock said. “It’s a Group 1 and they’ve both had a nice extended spell, freshened up really well and I’m more than happy with both. Hawwaam is a horse who is brilliant and has his temperamental issues – he’s just very masculine.”

Earlier this year, before the onslaught of Covid-19, the plan was to send the multiple Group 1 winner to Europe to take on some of the Continent’s best. That plan is on hold for the 4-year-old who has an official rating of 120.

“Absolutely, I would like to,” De Kock continued. “We were all on line to ship to the EU and then COVID came and stopped direct shipments. That is the intention, but there is still a lot that must happen.”

Soqrat has tactical speed and proven very tough to beat in the heat of battle. Rated 119, the son of Epaulette disappointed when only eighth in the Grade 1 Queen’s Plate in South Africa on 11th January.

“Soqrat is a very good horse and very consistent, barring his last run,” De Kock explained.

“He’s very tough and straight-forward. He has a good temperament and is the complete package, actually. He has no quirks and is always a danger going into any race. He’s a top horse.”

No Inter-County matches till October

The GAA have revealed it’s Safe Return to Gaelic Games document which shows a detailed phase approach to holding club and inter county games. There will be no inter-county matches till October 18th at least.

In addition the GAA have decided to go against the government saying that organised outdoor exercise can resume. The GAA have said it is maintaining it’s stance that the date for return is June 29th. A virtual conference on Friday revealed a 15 page booklet with all the news and the road map. In summary, the booklet says that GAA walkways can open from June 8th. However, club gates can not open till June 29th. Adult club championship matches can begin on July 31st. However, games will likely start a week or two later than this given club gates can’t open for players to train until June 29th, so a bit of confusion there.

The GAA have revealed that inter-county training can commence from the 14th of September. The inter-county calendar beginning from the 18th of October. They have said that a fixture list for these inter-county will be drawn up and published in August according to RTE Sport.

The GAA have said that grades from under 12 and below can train in groups of no more than 10 players. It is the same for those in the 15-18 age bracket. Parental sign off will be required for underage training. Moreover, adults can begin training with no more than groups of 5. Phase 4 is where everyone can return to training on July 20th, which will be followed by adult club championship games on July 31st.

A Covid supervisor will be appointed at each club. They will be responsible for taking temperatures of team participants upon entry to the gaa grounds. A temperature over 37.5 will mean the player will have to return home. Hand sanitisation will also have to be adhered to. Additionally, social distance signage and hand washing signage will have to be in place.

A statement by Shay Brennan, Chair of the Advisory Group said, “The Covid-19 Advisory Group was tasked with preparing a guidance document and recommendations that would inform the safe resumption of activities within the Gaelic games family”. “The evidence and research to date indicates that the resumption of activities is a complex process, that it may not be linear and that small and deliberate steps must be taken before there can be a return to full activity.

So it’s looking like All-Ireland Championships will begin in October and possibly finish in December given that no inter-county games can take place till October at the earliest.

5 Main Points: 

  1. Walkways on GAA pitches will open from Monday, 8 June
  2. Club gates will open on 29 June
  3. Juvenile and adult club championship games can commence from 31 July
  4. Inter-county training to commence on 14 September
  5. The inter-county calendar will commence from 17 October
  6. A full fixture calendar will be published in August

Premier League confirms fixtures for restart

The Premier League has confirmed fixtures as the Premier League is set to restart on June 17th. The BBC is set to show several games for the first time since the Premier League began in 1992. All of the remaining 92 games will be shown on tv platforms, BT Sport, Amazon, BBC and Sky Sports.

On Wednesday 17th of June, Aston Villa will take on Sheffield United at 6pm. This game will be live on Sky Sports. The big game of the night will be between Manchester City and Arsenal which will take place at 8.15pm and is live on Sky Sports. Friday the 19th will see Tottenham take on Man United also at 8.15pm. This game will be on Sky Sports. Some other interesting fixtures include Everton v Liverpool on June 21st at 7pm on Sky Sports and Chelsea v Manchester United on June 25th with an 8.15pm kick-off. The full list of fixtures can be seen here on the BBC Sport website.

Sky Sports will make 25 of the games free to air, this will include the Merseyside derby on June 21st. Amazon will show 4 games, again all free to air. BBC will broadcast a live top football match for the first time since 1987/1988.

The FA Cup quarter-final details also have been announced. These games are due to take place on the 22nd/23rd of June. Manchester United v Norwich and Manchester City v Newcastle will be two of the games live on BBC. Premier League chief executive,Richard Masters said, “We are pleased to provide fans with further updates on the provisional restart of the Premier League season”. Mr Master continued, “We know it won’t be the same without our loyal supporters in stadiums but, together with our broadcast partners, we are able to ensure fans can watch or listen to each match live from home”.

Feature Races and Traditional Dates retained for 2020 Spring Racing Carnival in Australia

Despite expected changes to the 2020 Spring Racing Carnival in Australia, the Racing Victoria (RV) Board has retained the existing feature race programme and traditional dates for this year.

As a result of this decision, the 2020 Spring Racing Carnival will officially commence with the Group 1 Memsie Stakes meeting at Caulfield on Saturday, 29th August and conclude with the Ballarat Cup meeting on Saturday, 21st November.

All feature races conducted in the 2019 Spring Racing Carnival will be retained, including 21 Group 1 races and 26 country cups.

The Caulfield Cup Carnival will take place over three days with the Caulfield Guineas meeting on Saturday, 10th October, the Blue Sapphire Stakes meeting on Wednesday, 14th October and the Caulfield Cup meeting scheduled for Saturday, 17th October.

The Cox Plate Carnival at The Valley will be run over 24 hours with the Manikato Stakes meeting on Friday night, 23rd October and the Cox Plate on Saturday afternoon, 24th October.

The Melbourne Cup will retain its iconic date on the first Tuesday in November, with the four-day Flemington Carnival to be held on Saturday, 31st October (Derby Day), Tuesday, 3rd  November (Cup Day), Thursday, 5th November (Oaks Day) and Saturday, 7th November (Stakes Day).

 

Three Group 2 races added to Irish Oaks Weekend at The Curragh in July

Horse Racing Ireland has announced the key feature races of an enhanced programme over Irish Oaks weekend (July 18 and 19) at The Curragh.

Three Group 2 contests have been added to the two-day meeting, namely the Curragh Cup (14 furlongs) for older horses and the Railway and Balanchine (both six furlongs) for two-year-olds.

The Tattersalls Gold Cup, now open to three-year-olds and upwards, will be the feature race on a new Curragh card on Sunday 26 July.

Dundalk will host the Group 3 Ballysax Stakes over 10.7 furlongs on Sunday July 12, the first day that the newly resurfaced track will be in operation, as the final leg of the European Road to the Kentucky Derby. As a result, the Listed 12-furlong Nijinsky Stakes will move a week later than originally indicated, from July 9 to July 16, and will remain at Leopardstown.

HRI has also confirmed a change of date for the €200,000 Irish EBF Ballyhane Stakes which will be run three weeks later than originally planned at Naas on Sunday, August 23. This will allow two-year-olds more time to get runs before the race given the delayed start to the season.

Elite athletes and teams to return to training

High performance athletes and teams can return to training from Monday June 8th the government have announced.

RTE Sport that the easing of restrictions will now mean that the four provinces, Connacht, Munster, Leinster and Ulster can resume training in larger groups with hygiene and social distancing measure in place. It also means the four soccer Irish teams in European competition, Dundalk, Cork City, Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians can return to training. This is in line with the governments roadmap by expert group on return to sport in place. Carding Scheme athletes with Sport Ireland who were finalising plans for Tokyo 2020 will now return to training at the national training centres.

The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport released a statement said, “Sport Ireland will compile a list of athletes that will be permitted to return to training, as well as coaching and support personnel”. It continued, “Sport Ireland and the relevant sporting bodies have developed detailed protocols for social distancing and hygiene drawing on international experience, where many countries have already resumed high performance training”.

John Treacy, Chief Executive of Sport Ireland said, “Since Covid-19 restrictions were put in place in March, the operations of our high performance programmes have been significantly affected,”. Mr Treacy continued,”The athletes have shown great dedication in continuing to train on an individual basis in their remote environments. “However, sports that are facility dependent or team based cannot easily replicate the benefits of training at their home environment”.

Greyhound Racing to return behind closed doors

Greyhound Racing in Ireland is set to return behind closed after the current guidelines were pushed forward today by Leo Varadkar. The Irish Greyhound Board have welcomed this decision as part of the Roadmap for Reopening Society and Business.

The IGB said they have arranged a comprehensive package of greyhound trials which will begin on June 8th. They have also said that all 14 greyhound will have the intention to resume behind closed doors racing from June 15th. The chairman of the Irish Greyhound Board (IGB), Frank Nyhan said, “We very much welcome the government decision today which allows the greyhound industry to make the necessary arrangements for the resumption of greyhound racing.” Mr Nyhan said it was “critical” for the wider industry including breeders, owners, stadia networks and other support services.

Public health recommendations will continue to put in place and detailed protocols and response plans have been put in place by the IGB for those working in the current environment. Nyhan acknowledged Minister Creed for his his support stating, “I would like to acknowledge the support of Minister Creed and his officials at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in what has been a difficult period for all associated with the greyhound industry’’.

Furthermore the IGB put in place a Covid 19 Greyhound Care Payment Scheme. This meant a subsistence payment was paid in respect of over 6,600 greyhounds. This was to ensure care and welfare of racing greyhounds were adressed during the suspension of racing. It is expected the scheme cost around 1.3 million euros. The IGB have also said they will announce a detail scheduled of race meetings behind closed doors in the coming days

How do bookmakers cut their losses due to the corona crisis?

With the emergence of corona crisis which has become a great impediment and ravaged our global economic growth, the question that is yet to be answered is that, is there any industry or organisation that is immune to the massive effect of this pandemic? The answer is absolutely no. Not only are the top industries, governments and businesses affected but also the less-developed and staggering organization are affected, so are the bookmakers on the sporting industry. How then, can the bookmakers revive from such a desperate situation and try to cut their losses in this tragic situation when the world is fighting the corona crisis?

With the fear that comes with the great uncertainty of the resumption date of all the leagues and gaming events, the UK bookmakers are willing to offer odds and future prediction of gaming event at a lower price. Bookmakers are forced to do so just to keep up with the competition from other emerging bookmakers in Asia and other parts of the world. Therefore, below are some remedies on how bookmakers use to cut losses and recover partially if not fully from this crisis.

Bookmakers are left with no option but to focus on online gaming events and E-sports. With the rising competition within online gaming events, many bookmakers have shifted their current attention to online gaming events and E-sports. The bookmakers now offer the best possible odds in different events and markets with Bet365 as one of the top bookmakers in UK offering variety of option with more than a thousand different events than its greatest competitor Unibet. Bet365 continues to top the list of E-sports bookmakers by covering most competitive games like league of legends, StarCraft, Overwatch among others.

Bookmakers also venture into new potential market to bet on as a way to cut loses during this pandemic. The focus has shifted from purely sports and gaming events, to other fields such as politics and natural phenomena such as weather prediction and even further to health matters prediction. With Paddypower venturing in more than six new markets, Bet365 has raised the bar to more than thirty new markets. This has enabled bet365 to be one of the best bookmakers to reach different markets and provide more events and odds than any other bookmaker.

This also makes it essential for punters to compare bookmakers. Of course, most of the big players in the market offer more niche sports and leagues than the smaller ones. Odds for popular leagues and matches often aren’t that different on popular sports betting platforms. But in niches like e.g. the widely unnoticed Belarus Leagues the odds tend to be far apart on different bookmakers, because experts calculating them are not as easy to find and the consensus between them therefor rather small. A bettor could miss way better odds if he places a bet on a match without having compared bookmaker odds before his decision.

Also bookmakers have changed their trend and focus on minor soccer events that were less popular. Amid the corona crisis, other countries like Belarus with minor soccer events continue to carry out their sporting activities as normal hence providing an opportunity for bookmakers to identify a business niche and capitalize on it. With bet365 as one of the popular bookmakers in UK offering a wide range of football market details, Betfair has since upped their game by allowing bettors to place their bets in pre-match or in-plays match. This allows bettors to choose odds on Belarus matches as one of the surviving events available.

Cutting cost has become one of the great strategies used by bookmarkers today. With the latest integration of cheaper payment options like the online currency, it has greatly reduced the amount one has to pay for processing card transaction. This offers more option for the bettors to either use bank-acquired cards or the online currency to bet. With bookmakers such as betonline they offer online currency such as the use of bitcoin to enables bettors to place bets.

Expansion by the bookmakers to new geographical location is one the best option used today. With the effect that has come with the corona virus, bookmakers impose incentives in order to attract more bettors from all over the world. They continue to offer better odds and free bonuses on their betting events in different market so as to boost bettor’s morale. Bookmakers such as Betway have expanded its wings to some of the African countries like Kenya and Nigeria to attract more bettors.

With the adaptation of these new trends like online gaming, Esports, the use of crypto-currency and even venturing into new betting markets like politics, is indeed the new way for many bookmakers use to cut their losses in this tragic moment. Since change is inevitable, then all the bookmakers should adapt to these trends.

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