Weekend Patent
With Spain winning the World Cup in the final moments of extra-time, Meath winning the Leinster football title with a goal every bit as controversial as Henry-Gallas for France last November and Waterford forcing a Munster hurling final replay by hitting the net deep into injury time at Semple Stadium, last weekend had all the sporting drama you’d wish for.
So what can we expect this weekend?
Well it’s GAA all the way this time with not one, not two but FIVE championship games televised live on Saturday and Sunday. It all kicks off with the football qualifier between Derry and Kildare at 3pm on Saturday, and that’s where we’ll start too.
Derry were dire in exiting the Ulster championship at the hands of Armagh in May but despite the withdrawal of star man Paddy Bradley since then they’ve rebuilt with good away wins over Carlow and Westmeath. Kildare were just as bad in their first game against Louth and it’s difficult to know what they’ve achieved in overcoming Antrim, after a replay, and Leitrim. We’ll go with Derry to win by 4-6 points at 9/2.
Click here for our preview of all this weekend’s Gaelic football action.
Sticking to Saturday but switching to hurling, we reckon Cork will seal the deal against Waterford this time in the Munster hurling final replay at Semple Stadium.
The Rebels have been boosted by the fitness of JOE columnist Sean Og O hAilpin so the half back line of Sean Og, Ronan Curran and John Gardiner will expect to batten down the hatches, and if Eoin Cadogan at full back can go some way towards stifling the often irrepressible John Mullane, then Cork have what it takes to win. We’ll go with the 4-6 point margin, also at 9/2.
Click here for our preview of all this weekend’s hurling action.
The racing highlight of the weekend comes from the Curragh on Sunday where a fantastic field has been assembled for the Darley Irish Oaks. To judge from our main picture (top) there will be a host of fine fillies on show, on and off the track.
The first three across the line in last month’s Epsom version, Snow Fairy, Meeznah and Remember When, cross swords again while the field is bolstered by first and second in the Ribblesdale at Royal Ascot, impressive winner Hibaayeb and Eldalil. French filly Rosanara, who won the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac as a two-year-old and finished second in the French Oaks five weeks ago, is another to consider.
Given such strength in depth, it’s no surprise that the betting is wide open with most bookmakers going 7/2 co-favourites of three Snow Fairy, Rosanara and Hibaayeb. Snow Fairy’s last-to-first win at Epsom was so impressive, however, that we’re going to go with her to confirm her position as the year’s dominant three-year-old filly.
A €3 patent, total outlay €21, could return €694.12 if all three click.
Break the Bookie
This is the fun part of the weekend bet where we aim for three selections at massive odds. We have to stay clear of the golf because the odds are perpetually changing while we’ve already plumped for one of the co-favourites in the Oaks (above) so we’ll concentrate on GAA for all three parts of this one.
Dublin face Armagh at Croke Park in the football qualifiers on Saturday and given how the Dublin full back line has been leaking goals this summer, Jamie Clarke could be one to keep an eye on. Clarke came off the bench to bag a goal against Derry in the first round in Ulster and netted twice in a minute against Donegal in the qualifiers last month. He’s 8/1 to raise the first green flag on Saturday.
Staying in the GAA first goalscorers’ markets, we’ll take a chance on Benny Coulter to find the net first when Down take on Offaly in Tullamore. Coulter has goals on the brain and against an Offaly side which is certainly the weakest of those still in All-Ireland qualifier contention, he should get a chance to add to his impressive tally of three-pointers this weekend. He’s 6/1 to score the first goal.
Monaghan have averaged 21 points in their two Ulster championship games to date and they’ll be gunning to make the provincial final breakthrough on Sunday. Tyrone looked to be a team in decline last year and we’re not sure whether wins over Antrim and Down amount to a huge amount, so we’ll take a chance on Monaghan closing this one out in style. Banty McEnaney’s men are 13/1 to win by 7-9 points.
Have a tenner on those three and you could be €8820 to the good come Sunday evening.
