View some Oil Painting at Glorious Goodwood

Glorious Goodwood is here & whilst Frankel in the Sussex Stakes on Wednesday is the big draw there are still some good bets to be had on day one of the meeting & a horse that we really like is John Gosden's Michelangelo & the Galileo colt can continue Gosden's fine season by winning the Gordon Stakes at 2.35.

(Michelangelo doesn't have Donatello et al holding him back any longer....)

Michelangelo actually has to turn form around with Frankel's brother Noble Mission here as he finished 3rd to that one on debut, Noble Mission was having his 3rd run there though & it was a great performance from Michelangelo considering it was a Listed race & being his first time out. The extra two furlongs today should also help as he looks totally stamina laden, it seems that last time he raced over 10 furlongs just because the sales race prize was too valuable to turn down & really he looks a middle distance horse & maybe even a St Leger type. Gosden has two other horses with chances in the Leger & we think if Michelangelo runs well enough here there is just the possibility they may start to angle for a tilt at the Arc or maybe even the Breeders' Cup Turf over 1m4f as well. Noble Mission is a good marker but with normal improvement Michelangelo should go past & several of the others don't look near his standard.

Girolamo finished 3rd in the German Derby behind the very smart Pastorious but may want softer ground, he deserves respect though & Godolphin run the thoroughly unexposed Encke but you'd think that one would need to find a stone or more improvement on anything its done so far. We're slightly surprised Michelangelo isn't shorter than 11/8 & that price should be bet, this is one of the most exciting horses in training & could blow this lot away for the in form Buick & Gosden combination.

(Charlie Hills has started to get his two year olds flying)

The maiden race at 4.15 looks a really interesting contest & we think the chances of African Oil may be underestimated from the early prices we've seen. Charlie Hills has had two potentially smart two year old winners first time out in the past week in Kerbaaj & the particularly taking Ebn Arab (one to follow for sure) & he has African Oil here & this one has an entry in the Group Two Champagne Stakes so must have shown something at home. African Oil was foaled as early as is possible with a 1st January date & he could be quite physically forward with half the year's sun on his back, at odds of 14/1 he's the one to be on for the win. Of the horses to have run so far Huntsman's Close has shown most promise after being headed close home at Yarmouth but any of them would have to step up to take this £11,321 prize & we'll stick with the potential of the newcomer.

Selections:

Goodwood 2.35 - Michelangelo to win at 11/8 (general)

Goodwood 4.15 - African Oil to win at odds of 14/1 or bigger

Hurdles no Obstacle to Betting Gold

For many people the Olympics pretty much reads as Athletics & we have to say that the classic running, jumping & throwing events are the ones that we want to see, not many remember the general Joes who win sailing or shooting golds but everyone knows the 100m winner. We're starting out with the hurdles where we reckon there is gold to be made from gambling.

(Aries Merritt getting the better of Xiang in the World Indoor Championships earlier this year)

The 110m hurdles has been just about the most fiercely competitive event over the last few years in men's athletics & the two fastest men of all time & the previous two Olympic champions Liu Xiang (2004) & Dayron Robles (2008) are both up for the race this time. Team GB also have a contender here as Andy Turner won bronze in last year's controversial World Championship race where first past the post Dayron Robles was disqualified after holding the Chinese athlete Xiang back. Turner really would have to up his pace to go with these guys though & it may be that the two USA hurdlers, World Champion Jason Richardson & the new boss in town Aries Merritt are the two men to beat here.

Merritt & Richardson look to be the two competitors on their way up & with Merritt having set the three fastest times this year (all at 12.93s) all in the last month he is peaking absolutley perfectly & rates our best bet of the games. Colin Jackson's world record of 12.91 seconds stood for 13 years & still only 4 men have bettered it & that shows just how outstandingly Merritt is hurdling at the moment to have consistently pushed that mark, we think that if conditions are right then he could make a real push for Robles' record of 12.87s. Robles hasn't been at his imperious best this year & Liu Xiang has had injury problems for a long time now, it is 8 years since his Athens gold & he didn't even end up taking his chance in the first round heat when posterboy for the Beijing Olympics. Xiang is still capable of running lightning quick times but his consistency is shot to pieces & his best days are behind him, he won his heat in the competition at Crystal Palace recently, in a somewhat slower time than Aries Merritt & then didn't compete in the final, he also recently moved his training camp to France from the UK after complaining of the cold weather, we think that if there is money to lay on the exchanges at short odds for Xiang to get a place then take him on as he could end up not even making the final.

(Kellie Wells was looking good at Crystal Palace as she inflicted Sally Pearson's 1st defeat in 33 races)

In the women's hurdles (over the shorter 100m format) the Australian Sally Pearson has been the dominant force for the past 2 or so years & was even named Female Athlete of the Year by the IAAF in 2011, but she was beaten fair & square at the Crystal Palace meet by the American Kellie Wells just two weeks ago & that competitor looks to be the value here. Pearson didn't look like she had the raw speed of Wells oce put under pressure over the final three hurdles & although her team said she'd just had treatment for a back injury that wouldn't guarantee her a turnaround in the Olympic stadium. Wells ran a blinding 12.54s following up her best from 2011 when she ran 12.50s, Pearson is capable of running quicker than that & ducking under 12.5 iis probably key to winning gold here but it looked to our eyes like belief came flooding into Kellie Wells when she won at Crystal Palace & at 30 years old this is surely her last Olympic chance & we like her odds of taking it. Totesport are offering each way terms of 1/3 odds for the first two places & at 4/1 they look the firm to bet with, we fancy Kellie Wells to win but she should almost certainly get 2nd if executing correctly & that looks a sure fire each way bet.

(Dai Greene's World Championship win from 2011)

In the men's 400m hurdles Britain's Athletics captain, & the 2011 World Champion, Dai Greene will be looking to beat Kriss Akabusi's 20 year old national record & push for a gold medal. Greene recently set his fastest ever time in Paris but still finished behind the favourite for this event in Cuba's Javier Culson, it won't be an easy task for Greene to overturn Culson but he's certainly one of Team GB's brightest gold medal hopes in the Athletics. Greene won the World Championship last year (video above) by finishing well, as is his way, & he ran down Culson in the straight but the time really wasn't special & the Cuban has had his measure in recent races. Even though Greene ran his two best times in recent races & is peaking at the right time he still finished behind Javier ulson on both occasions & Culson looks to be in total control of his performances at the moment & we think he can run quite a bit faster in London, odds of 5/4 are fair. We feel it's between Greene & Culson because even though Angelo Taylor is a legend in the sport & two time gold medallist (2000 & 2008) he looks to be some way past his best at the age of 34 & it's asking too much for him to win here. We reckon that Culson & Aries Merritt in the 110m distance can form a nice betting double at odds a little over 3/1.

Selections:
Aries Merritt to win 110m Hurdles at 5/4 (Boylesports & Bodog)
Lay Liu Xiang for a top 3 place in 110m Hurdles at 1.30 & shorter (Betfair)
Kellie Wells each way for 100m Hurdles at 4/1 (Totesport) 1/3 odds 1-2
Javier Culson to win 400m Hurdles at 5/4 (Skybet & Youwin)
Aries Merritt & Javier Culson double in the men's hurdles

Gold-en Oldie Chris Hoy & his Wheels of Steel

The London 2012 Olympics are just about upon us now & we're certain to see record levels of betting on the events, especially in the UK, but punters must be wary about letting patriotism & hype get the better of them. Over the past few weeks we've been taking a look at times & performances from competitors in various events & are bringing to you below some specific bets in the cycling to start with plus some general pointers towards having a successful time punting over the two weeks of competition.

(Chris Hoy has been selected as Team GB's flag carrier & is a worthy favourite for the Keirin)

The Cycling events are ones where Team GB will be looking to score big with several golds & multiple medals throughout as they look to follow up a wildly successful Beijing & a super World Championships in 2012 where Australia gained the same amount of golds but topped the table thanks to silvers won. We're going against our general rule of avoiding returning gold medalists here but  the odds of 4/5 for the great Olympian Chris Hoy to win the Keirin probably underestimate just how good he is at the event. With Jason Kenny taking the only place for GB in the Sprint that means Hoy only has this to think about & train for this in the individual events & the flag carrier can add to his impressive haul of 4 Keirin World Championships & one Olympic gold in the event.

(Peter Sagan is one cool cat & the 2012 Tour de France green jersey winner can push for Olympic gold)

Elsewhere in the cycling we reckon that Bet365 are taking a big old risk by pricing Tour de France green jersey winner Peter Sagan up at 8/1 for the Road Race & offering 1/4 odds for the first three places. The 'Terminator' is probably the most exciting young prospect around at the age of 22 & although Mark Cavendish deserves maximum respect & is a worthy favourite we think it looks fanciful for the Slovakian Sagan to finish outside of the medal places & he won't be far off Cavendish even if the Brit can win. Back Sagan each way at 8/1 & guarantee yourself a return with a good potential for the outright win.

General Olympic Betting Pointers:

Beware events decided by judges scoring rather than measurable & quantifiable methods. There are many events at the Olympics that aren't decided by who's quickest, can throw the furthest, jump the highest, lift the heaviest etc. & events outside of these have the extra tricky element of trying to predict what the judges are looking for on top of how the competitor will perform on the day. There have been many instances of questionable & at times basically corrupt judging through Olympic history & whilst we shouldn't be facing the same difficulties as seen during the Cold War period, we just don't like the idea of leaving our gambling fate to the judges if we can possibly help it. Events to be wary of include Gymnastics, Diving, Equestrian, Boxing & any other combat events (Judo, Taekwondo, Wrestling).

Avoid competitors attempting to repeat previous gold medal success. There are reasons there are so few Olympians who have multiple gold medals in the same event from multiple games - the Olympics is the absolute pinnacle of achievement for most of the events & once someone reaches that pinnacle it is difficult to repeat that achievement 4 years, or more, later. Bodies change over time & that's why you see many racing competitors change the distances they race at slightly in order to try to keep being successful. Not too many Olympians win their first gold when they are raw youngsters either meaning by the time they return they have gone over the hump of their physical peak. High profile previous champions returning here, trying to capture gold again, include Usain Bolt (100m & 200m), Liu Xiang (110m hurdles 2004), Dayron Robles (110m hurdles 2008), Christine Ohuruogu (400m), LaShawn Merritt (400m), Victoria Pendleton (cycling - sprint), Andreas Throkildsen (Javelin).

Selections:
Chris Hoy to win the Keirin at 4/5 (Bwin & Youwin)
Peter Sagan each way at 8/1 (Bet 365) 1/4 odds 1-2-3

Bible Bash the Bookies at Newmarket

This Saturday sees our favourite race of the British flat season with the 1m4f King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes & although we'll be backing Sea Moon as we've always held a belief Sir Michael Stoute's charge can be just about the top middle distance horse around we can't find the evidence to advise anyone else to get on board at the prices this time. Instead we're taking a look at the Listed race for fillies at Newmarket & Ascot's supporting race in the Group 2 Summer Mile Stakes.

(Bible Belt looks the best filly in the Aphrodite Stakes at Newmarket)

The Aphrodite Stakes over 12 furlongs at Newmarket looks an eminently solvable puzzle to us & we're surprised to see Bible Belt available at odds as big as 5/2, maybe it's because so much focus is on Ascot that we're getting such a gift here! Bible Belt is the highest rated horse here yet gets 3 pounds off of Set To Music & only has to give weight to the 3 year olds who get their weight for age allowance. Bible Belt has some excellent form when finishing 2nd to Oaks winner Dancing Rain at Ascot last October & although Jessica Harrington's horse didn't run brilliantly on comeback this year, that was in the Group One Tattersall's Gold Cup at the Curragh & it should have put the filly spot on for this after an 8 week break.

We're not convinced Set To Music has quite the stamina to last out over this distance on soft gound & whilst Dorcas Lane will love the cut she's got quite to bit to find with Bible Belt on a form line with Gertrude Bell. Of the three year olds in the race Ambivalent is bred to appreciate the cut & deserves respect being the great young trainer Roger Varian's entry, we've a sneaky feeling that Hazel Lavery could run a big race & odds of 16/1 may be underestimating her. Bible Belt is the selection though & 5/2 could be gone by the time the race comes around, unless there is a significant drift on her though we'd be confident she can really get her 2012 season going.

(She will be cross but we'll be happy if Carlton House can get beat at Ascot)

The Queen's horse, & last year's Derby favourite, Carlton House looks to be hugely underpriced for our money in the Summer Mile at Ascot - at odds of just 4/5 this one looks a lay for any punters using Betfair. We've been happy to take the Stoute trained colt on at nearly every opportunity & we haven't gone far wrong after laying it in the Derby last year & then at very short odds in the Irish Derby for a place on his next outing. Connections are now trying to drop back in distance to just 8 furlongs after more positive showings after moving back to 10 furlongs from the mile & a half distance, they seem to think he travels well enough but this race is no gimme with some smart rivals who definitely are mile specialists. Carlton House ran very well last time when 2nd to So You Think in the Prince of Wales Stakes but we never particularly rated that one either, Farrh who finished 3rd that day has given the form a big boost after coming 2nd in the Eclipse but we'd suspect that was quite some level of improvement shown.

Both Questioning & Red Jazz are capable of running to a high level of form, get the distance & won't mind the ground whichever way it goes & you'd expect them to be close come the finish. Pastoral Player will be trying a mile for the first time but seems to be improving now as a 5 year old & shown his best form over 7 furlongs, things certainly happened a little too quickly over 6 furlongs in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes when 10th to Black Caviar last time. Tullius could be theone to win this as the Vie De Colori colt is the real improving horse in the race & on all his form & breeding points towards 8 furlongs on softish ground being the ideal conditions for this one, so long as the ground doesn't dry up too much Jimmy Fortune will have an outstanding chance on him. With so many potential challengers, Set The Trend also has a chance on ratings, we can't see value in anything below 5/4 for Carlton House & we'll be layers this time.

Selections:
3.10 Newmarket - Bible Belt to win at 5/2
3.20 Ascot - Lay Carlton House at 4/5 (1.80) or lower on Betfair

The Open - Super Sergio can Swing to Victory

We're taking a look at the Golf & the Open is upon us & we'll get to see the world's greatest golfers on display in Lancashire, England as they tee up at Royal Lytham & St Annes - it's 11 years since the Open was last held here & saw David Duval win his only major. The course looks like it should be playing pretty tough with accurate driving absolutely essential as the wonderful English summer has meant the rough is thick & at times almost unplayable according to many of the players reporting in after practice rounds. We're taking a look at the contenders below & coming up with some picks that seem to offer value at the prices. It looks like BetVictor are the firm to punt with this week as they're offering some of the best odds on many players & are offering money back if any of Westwood, Garcia, Poulter or Donald win - they all have leading chances & it seems a generous offer.

(8 top ten finishes in his last 12 Majors & 6/4 about another in the Open - Lee Westwood)

Lee Westwood has been a model of consistency in Majors over the past 3 years with 8 top 10 finishes in the last 12 tournaments & with driving accuracy at a premium here he has to have a real chance. Westwood seems to have had a lot of trouble converting placings into wins, especially in Majors & the US in general but some of that surely comes down to the greens tending to be that bit quicker than in Europe & that really puts his awful putting under more pressure. If the weather doesn't dry up dramatically then the greens should stay relatively slow & then Lee could really delight his army of fans especially if they get on at odds of 16/1, they seem short enough for us as he never seems to get over the line but odds of 6/4 for a top 10 finish are value & should be taken.

It's easy to see why Tiger Woods is the favourite to pick up the Claret Jug as the top man has been resurgent in 2012 with 3 wins on the PGA Tour, including two in June, & generally looking like getting back close to the form he showed to pick up 14 Major victories between 1997 to 2008. Tiger's challenges in 2012's Majors hasn't been so impressive though with him really not troubling the leaderboard in the Masters & fading really badly at the weekend after holding the joint lead at the end of the 2nd round of the US Open. Tiger seems happy enough to stick to his woods off the tee in order to keep the ball on the fairway & with proper management of his play he does look to have the best chance of anyone & odds 10/1 seem fair.

(Sergio Garcia's outstanding consistency in the Open means he's a leading player here)

Another player who seems to struggle getting over the finish line is Sergio Garcia but at more than double the odds of Westwood we think he offers the best value in the tournament, especially with his excellent record in the Open. Sergio has had 7 top 10 finishes in the last 11 Opens & no one comes close to matching that, he's clearly an excellent links player & will almost certainly handle conditions whatever they are. After a dramatic loss of form through 2009 & most of 2010 Garcia has come back a lot stronger & won twice at the end of 2011 & he's had 3 top 5 finishes this year whilst playing sparingly & only having competed 12 times plus he came a very respectable 12th in the Masters. Some of Sergio's play & comments suggests that he has problems getting across the finish line & we couldn't be confident if there were a whole pack of players around him coming to the final stages but the nature of the Open does mean the players can be a little strung out & at odds of 40/1 with Ladbrokes he's a great each way bet.

We don't feel that Justin Rose offers much value at 33/1 as his only top 10 finish in an Open was on debut as an amateur in 1998 although he did get 12th in 2007 & 13th in 2009. Luke Donald is World number one & deserves respect for winning 6 tournaments from the beginning of 2011, we worry that he might get caught out with some of his tee shots though & best odds of 20/1 are fair but don't really tempt us. Rory McIlroy has stated that he prefers the type of courses found in the States & his game just doesn't look so suited to links play & his odds are way too short. Padraig Harrington deserves maximum respect as a two time winner & he's shown a bit more form this season & at the end of 2011, unfortunately he's only had one win since 2008 & that was on the Asian Tour - that tempers enthusiasm for Padraig at somewhat shortish odds of 20/1.

Selections:
Sergio Garcia each way at 40/1 (Ladbrokes 1/4 odds 6 places)
Lee Westwood to finish in top 10 at 6/4 (BetVictor)

Underrated Monterosso can add Eclipse to Title Haul

Saturday sees some solid racing in the UK, really for the first time since the end of the Royal Ascot meeting, as Sandown hosts its premier flat race of the year in the Coral Eclipse. It also looks like Sandown may have some proper summer racing ground conditions with the forecast ground being Good/Good to Firm in places & that helps us be a little more confident that more horses will run to form. We've got a couple of bets for Sandown & another from Haydock - last Saturday Michelangelo won well for us & each way pick Arctic picked up the place money with ease but could only finish 2nd in Ireland. As always if you aren't doing already you can follow us on Twitter @LikeBuyingMoney by clicking the Follow button at the top of this page or finding us on there.

(Monterosso winning the 2012 Dubai World Cup)

Sandown's Coral Eclipse has always been one of the highlights of the racing calendar & has been won by some great horses, going from Mill Reef & Brogadier Gerard in the 70s, Sadlers Wells & Dancing Brave in the 80s & Halling & Daylami in the 90s. In recent years we've seen Sea The Stars & So You Think win & that emphasises that you normally need a rock solid to top class Group One performer to win the race & with So You Think's withdrawal (injury & retirement in the week) we think that only leaves a few to pick from now.

There's been plenty of betting support for Saeed Bin Suroor's Farrh & the Godolphin colt clearly has plenty of scope for improvement having only raced three times before embarking on his 4 year old career & finishing a relatively closeup 3rd in the Prince Of Wales Stakes at Royal Ascot behind So You Think & Carlton House. Farrh would need to improve quite a bit on that first run but that is definitely possible as he was a little tight for room at a crucial stage, we just have never been totally convinced by So You Think & can't see Carlton House as a Group One horse so the form's a little weighed down for us, by all accounts Farrh's team were hoping for softer ground too. We actually prefer the chances of another Godolphin runner in Monterosso, 5 year olds have an outstanding record in this race with 8 of the last 19 runnings seeing this age group successful. Monterosso comes with some form of the highest order as he won the richest race in the world, the Dubai World Cup, back in March & in 2011 he finished 3rd in the race so it was no fluke. That win back in March was made all the more impressive as after his 3rd in 2011 he missed the rest of the season after suffering with colic, he's the highest rated in this race (by a pound) & is surely being underrated by being put up as a 12/1 shot, Monterosso is trained by Al Zarooni & ridden by Mikael Barzalona & by all accounts they're now Godolphin's first trainer & jockey - not Bin Suroor & Dettori. Nathaniel is the closest to Monterosso in the ratings but hasn't raced since last October, his win in the King George over 2 furlongs further is great form though & John Gosden's horses are flying, we just feel he's a bit more of a stamina laden type than a true 10 furlong horse. Cityscape is the other top class horse here & the drying ground will help as it's far from certain whether this miler really will get 10 furlongs whilst Twice Over would previously have been a danger but now looks a horse in decline.

(Electrolyser is a bit of looker & but hopefully his rivals will only be seeing him from the rear)

In Sandown's following race we get to see a pretty competitive Listed staying contest in the Esher Stakes & it could be worth siding with Clive Cox's Electrolyser as quickish conditions should see him at his best over this true stayer distance. There isn't an awful lot between the runners on official ratings & Electrolyser will have to carry a penalty for his Nottingham win in April, he is pretty lightly raced for a 7 year old though & came 3rd in the race last year when just a 9/2 shot, he's more than  double that price this time around but could end up getting the crucial early lead he needs to show his best form. Chiberta King won the race last year & has since been competing in the top staying races but not faring particularly well although Andrew Balding's charge did run nicely on his comeback here at the end of May, he looks like he has a liking for the track & conditions will be fine - he must be rated a danger. It looks like Glen's Diamond will be prominent in the betting but his 4 wins have come over 5, 7, 9 & 10 furlongs - anyone backing Fahey's runner here is taking a big old risk that he really wants 2 miles against some confirmed stayers. Cavalryman has previously been a top racehorse but hasn't done a lot of winning in recent years, his win at York last time was a very soft Listed contest & he'll have to carry a penalty for that as he tries 2 miles for the first time. These stayers can be frustratingly inconsistent so we have to look for one at decent odds & we'll take Electrolyser to defy carrying a 3 pound penalty at decent odds of 16/1, at that price he becomes a solid each way bet too.

(Non-runner now) Over at Haydock the ground will still have a bit of juice left in it but that won't bother Rod Millman's colt Yes Two in the nursery race, he's carrying quite a bit more weight than the others but that's because he's shown the best form & on top of that is probably just about the most unexposed too. Yes Two ran well on debut before then making all successfully at Doncaster, having subsequent Listed 2nd Top Boy back in 3rd place. After that Yes Two faced a pretty impossible task when finishing 4th in a Listed race at Naas where the talented Dawn Approach won well, he had Aidan O'Brien's Pedro The Greta behind that day & that one was subsequently priced up at just 6/4 for the Group Two Railway Stakes & that indicates a mark of 85 for Yes Two is not too harsh from the handicapper. Fortinbrass is probably the biggest danger here but that one had a tough race in heavy ground just three weeks ago & has raced 4 times versus Yes Two's 3 runs. If we can get odds of 4/1 or above for Yes two we think he's a solid win chance & almost certain to grab some place money - get on!

Selections:
Sandown 3.45 - Monterosso to win at 12/1 (various)
Sandown 4.20 - Electrolyser each way at 16/1 (Coral) (Only 7 runners now so only 2 places, Betfair still running to 3 on their place market)
Haydock 4.00 - Yes Two each way at 4/1 or bigger (Non-runner)

Williams's Wimbledon to Lose

Tennis & Wimbledon is down to the semi final stage & it looks to us that the winner of the men's section is going to come from the huge Federer v Djokovic match & whoever can prevail from Serena Williams & Victoria Azarenka's game should prove too strong in the women's section. There have been some reasonable odds available over the tournament & looking at head to head records between opponents is key to gaining a betting edge, Roger Federer's straight sets victory over Youzhny was eminently predictable when you saw that they had met each other on 9 occasions with Youzhny picking up just 3 sets in those 9 matches.

(Serena Williams jumping for joy & we will be too if she can beat Victoria Azarenka 2-0)

Serena Williams was looking back to her imperious best in her quarter final victory over defending champion Petra Kvitova, who herself had looked a likely winner before succumbing to Williams' bludgeoning service game. It's difficult to believe that it's now two years since Williams' last Grand Slam victory, here at Wimbledon in 2010, but she's had some serious medical problems & it is probably only just about now that she's feeling really confident to push herself & get the maximum out of her body. Things shouldn't be easy for Serena against this year's Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka who finds herself in the semifinal for the 2nd year in a row. It's often said that the first big title is the most difficult to achieve in sport but once that hurdle is overcome competitors mentality can change & they can overcome hurdles they previously would have faltered at, Azarenka will hope that is the case but from 8 meetings with Serena she has only been victorious the once, back in 2009. In their only Wimbledon meeting (2010) Serena slammed Azarenka 6-2, 6-3 & other than her one loss to her, she's only dropped one set to Azarenka in the other 7 matches, in their most recent meeting, on clay in the Madrid Open final, Serena won convincingly 6-1, 6-3 & her serve was working similarly well there.

Azarenka has a really solid all round game but we're unconvinced she has enough to be a 'great' & that is what is needed to beat someone like Williams when she's on form, we can't see Azarenka getting too many break points whilst Williams serve is looking so good plus Serena reckons she's been returning much better in practice than in matches & if she brings that this could be another dominant victory. Odds of 6/4 for Serena Williams to win in straight sets looks to be underestimating the 13 times Grand Slam singles winner & she should win the tournament outright too, rather than take the 23/20 on offer though back her to win here 2-0 & then double that money up with another easy victory in the final.

(Novak Djokovic is now the sport's dominant force & he can land another Wimbledon title)

It's been great to see Roger Federer play some outstanding tennis again here at Wimbledon in 2012 but the truth of the matter is that he is now on the way down, admittedly there's no other way that he could go after reaching the giddy height's of true sport greatness. Federer has now only reached one Grand Slam final in his last 9 tournaments after being pretty much unstoppable from 2004 through 2009, Novak Djokovic has picked up the 'unbeatable' mantle though & has won 4 of the last 6 Grand Slam tournaments. Djokovic made the breakthrough at the highest level in the 2008 Australian Open but he took another three years before picking up his next but he won them all apart from the Rafa Nadal benefit that is the French Open in 2011. Novak has carried his tremendous form into 2012 & he picked up his 3rd Australian before reaching his first French Open final & after he lost there many people were fancying Rafa Nadal to follow up here, however now that he's out we think the 'Djoker' only has to hold things together to win here again.

From 2011 onwards Djokovic & Federer have faced off 7 times & Djokovic has been victorious on 6 of those occasions, winning 4 of those in straight sets including last time out at Roland Garros. A straight sets win at odds of 2/1 is a tempting bet for Djokovic but you have to respect Federer as a 6 times champion & with great crowd support he can get one set, odds of 14/5 with SportingBet for Djokovic to win 3-1 make this the bet. Neither Andy Murray nor Jo-Wilfried Tsonga look to us to have the temperament just yet to win a major & both suffered scary moments in their quarter final matches, therefore odds of 8/11 for a Djokovic tournament win look pretty big to us, he will be a much shorter price whoever he aces if he can progress past Federer.

Selections:

Serena Williams to beat Victoria Azarenka 2-0 at 6/4 (Bet365)

Novak Djokovic to beat Roger Federer 3-1 at 14/5 (SportingBet)

Novak Djokovic to win Wimbledon at 8/11 (SkyBet & Ladbrokes)