Have no fear… we’re taking you on a tour round the markets.
Struck by a spate of equine flu, the news that there will be no UK horse racing until Wednesday at the earliest has rocked punters nationwide. Weekend betting… ruined! That’s what you thought.
Dry those eyes, we’re taking you on a whistle-stop tour around the markets you can get stuck into this weekend.
FRIDAY
If you just can’t prise yourself away from the horses, delve into the action at Dundalk this evening from 5pm. With eight races on the card in Ireland, there should be plenty on offer, including three tips from our racing expert Andy Holding.
There’s Championship football this evening between Aston Villa and Sheffield United, in what could be a familiar goal-fest in English football’s action-packed second tier – we’ve got tips for this one too!
Fancy going continental for your Friday evening? Brag about your extensive knowledge of Dijon’s recent form and the chances of Mainz doing a job on Bayer Leverkusen by memorising Ryan Elliott’s research in his Friday evening treble.
If that lot isn’t enough to whet your appetite, then brace yourself for the feast of musical talent on offer on the BBC this evening as the UK chooses its representative for the Eurovision song contest.
Eurovision: You Decide will see favourite Michael Rice (6/5) do battle with the likes of Kerrie-Anne (11/4) and Jordan Clarke (5/1). Rice has picked up 52% of bets on the market thus far, so the former ‘All Together Now’ winner might be the smart choice!
SATURDAY
Yes, you can watch a depleted ITV racing show, but the lone Irish meeting at Naas won’t be quite the bonanza you were hoping for.
Who needs the scintillating entertainment of the Betfair Chase when there’s meetings at everyone’s favourite South African tracks, Turffontein and Kenilworth. All you early risers could even head down under and swap Newbury and Warwick for some dazzling encounters at Toowoomba and Doomben.
At risk of stating the obvious… football! With the usual host of matches to sift through, you can cut a few corners by backing our English leagues acca, or BTTS acca if you fancy goals galore.
If it’s the early kick-off in the Premier League that grabs your attention, find out the best bets in Ryan’s preview of Fulham v Man Utd.
The opening weekend of the Six Nations was a cracker for the UK sides and Scotland and Wales are in action again this Saturday. If you can’t understand why they go and sit on an exercise bike for 10 minutes after a booking or why kicking it over the bar is a good thing, we’ve got an in-depth betting preview and a few tips too.
If that wasn’t enough of a brawl for your Saturday night, cap off the weekend with UFC 234 in Australia. We’ve got markets for every fight on the card here.
SUNDAY
The hiatus from UK racing is a chance to immerse yourself in the Irish side of the sport, with Punchestown the only meeting on offer on Sunday.
It’s not just racing taking place on those shores though. Desperate to know who comes out on top between Dunnamaggin and Castleblayney? Us too. We’ve got you covered for Gaelic Football markets here.
The football never stops and with most of Europe’s players seemingly free of flu, we’ve got a mammoth five-fold for Sunday’s games. More action in the Premier League too, with Man City v Chelsea taking centre stage after Spurs v Leicester – check out our tips and preview.
Having read our Six Nations tips for Saturday, you’re now an expert and can get your teeth into ‘Le Crunch’ as England face France at Twickenham. Read the preview here!
Whichever markets you stray to while the racing's off, make sure you're placing your bets on Oddschecker for the best price. Didn't know you could? Read our guide.
