The tournament was put to the votes of the fans, and the eight winners of randomly-drawn ties went through to the quarter finals, the winners of those to the semi-finals and then on to the final. The competition held no prizes for voters or winners, but each of the final eight winners were very worthy of their win.

There was no real competition for the title of best flat horse and best jump horse with each of the winners, Sea the Stars and Kauto Star easily landing into their groups. Some of the other groups however did hold some controversy, one of them being the quarter-final exit of Aidan O’Brien in the vote for the best flat trainer.

At the same stage Newmarket was lost from the poll in the search for the best racecourse. The ultimate winner of the flat trainer group was Sir Michael Stoute, who is looking like having a good chance in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot with Harbinger, while fans of the Grand National will be disappointed that it was Cheltenham that won the best racecourse as opposed to Aintree.

Matt Chapman beat John Francome in the final round of the voting for the Best Broadcaster, with 54% of the vote, which will have come as a surprise to some of his critics. His toughest challenger was Alastair Down in the semi-final stage, where the two changed lead position a number of times in a nail-biting finish to the round which saw Chapman finally achieve 51% of the vote, getting him through to the final.

Paul Nicholls won the best jump trainer category and Mick Kinane won the best flat jockey category. The toughest competition of the tournament was between Tony McCoy and Ruby Walsh for the winner of the best jump jockey. As always with those two, they were miles ahead of their opponents in the stakes, but it was a slim line between the two, with each of them taking the lead several times during the final hours of voting.

In the end, just as the deadline struck, it was McCoy who won over his old rival, by just 2% – and many would say a well deserved win, he is after all a fifteen times champion and this year ended his Grand National jinx as he claimed victory at his fifteenth attempt on 10-1 joint favourite Don’t Push It. There are the Ruby fans who would claim that it was only because he wasn’t in the race that McCoy scooped it… but we will leave it at that… the votes have been counted, and the tournament won!

In view of the extensive coverage given to Sea The Stars’ majestic romp to glory in the race in 2009, there had been some hope that the Arc had been given a new lease of life by the powers that be at the Beeb.

However, with cutbacks across the board and racing a low priority in the general sporting scheme of things, this could be the last time licence payers foot the bill for coverage of the Parisian event. The broadcasting of the event on BBC2 instead of BBC1 also hints at the lack of priority given to the race. Those interested in Group 1 horse racing tips should be very concerned.

Channel 4, who earlier this year announced major cutbacks to their coverage of horseracing in the UK, are in no position to step into the breach, so unless one of the digital sports networks feels it worth taking a chance on bolstering racing, this could well prove to be the end of the road for a race that has provided British racing fans with such outstanding memories over the decades.

Dancing Brave’s surge to victory on the outside of the field in the 1986 renewal will live long in the memory, as will last year’s sensational change of gear shown by Sea the Stars under an ice-cool ride from Mick Kinane, to destroy a top class field and win his sixth Group 1 in as many months. Fans of racing tips will be hoping for another exciting renewal this year.

I suggest you savour every moment of the 2010 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. It may be the last we see on terrestrial television for a very long time.

Yorkshireman Ogden has been in the racing business for decades and has tasted plenty of success under both codes, but his highest profile wins thus far have been in the National Hunt sphere with household names such as champion chaser Voy Por Ustedes, the enigmatic and hugely talented Exotic Dancer, Ungaro, Star De Mohaison and the tremendously popular Marlborough.

Last week’s Newmarket July meeting though proved something of a watershed for Ogden, who not only saw Sand Frontiere spring a 14/1 shock in the Group2 Princess of Wales’s Stakes, but tasted further Group2 glory when his juvenile colt King Torus landed the Superlative Stakes.

Sans Frontiere, a distant fourth to the smart Harbinger in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot last month, showed much improved form to run out a cosy winner from Redwood in the HQ feature, and winning trainer Jeremy Noseda has confirmed that after running the idea past Ogden there is a chance that the Galileo colt will be trained with a view to bidding for the ‘race that stops a nation’ some 12,000 miles away in Australia in late autumn.

Noseda also suggested that a bid for the Group1 Irish St Leger at the Curragh is another distinct possibility and that all plans remain fluid.

Some betting tips are offering a price about Sans Frontiere beating the Aussies in their own backyard, and currently go 33/1.

I was at the Curragh when Tactic made his most recent appearance when taking a further step up in class in the Group2 At The Races Curragh Cup, and he looked well in the preliminaries. Although the form book screamed that the Sadlers Wells gelding had plenty to find with the proven group performer Profound Beauty, I was more than optimistic he would prevail and could not have been more delighted with the manner of his success in handing out a two-length beating to the favourite who loomed up to join him at the distance, only for Tactic to find extra reserves and win going away in the last 100 yards.

I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if Dunlop’s charge doesn’t continue to improve through the grades and make his presence felt in our ‘Cup’ races, but the event I have in mind is the Melbourne Cup, a two-mile international handicap run at Flemington in early November that looks tailor-made for Tactic’s prominent style of racing and gutsy manner.

Tactic’s owner Sheik Hamdan al Makhtoum has won the race before (in 1994 with Jeune), and would doubtless like to get his hands on the coveted trophy again. If Dunlop plans a campaign to take in the big Australian race the Sheik may well end up back in the winners’ enclosure according to the racing tips for today.

At current ante-post odds of 25/1 with most racing tips, Tactic is, in my opinion, well worth a speculative interest.

The stolen cup belonged to Mr Mould, whose horse Charter Party won the cup in 1988. In total Police said that racing trophies and memorabilia valued at more than £150,000 had been taken in the raid, The cup, which is made of solid gold is said to be worth around £10,000.

Other trophies stolen included a Challenge Cup and the Britannia Handicap Cup. Nigel Twiston-Davies, who won the Cheltenham Gold Cup this year with Imperial Commander, said: “I’m afraid it is Charter Party’s Gold Cup that has been stolen. A new Gold Cup is awarded to each winner of the race, so the one stolen is not the original, however it oviously is a treasure to it’s owner.

Always popular with the crowds at the ‘Garden Racecourse’ the Ripon Town crier rings his bell as the horses go to post and when they’re off and running, and it would not surprise in the least if Yashrid is the one who calls the tune as the runner cross the winning line for the competitive mile-and-a-half handicap.

Owned by Sheik Ahmed Al Makhtoum, Yashrid looks a definite improver and the type to go on to make a name for himself in due course at a higher level. Winner of a decent 10 furlong handicap at Ripon in May, he was then a respectable runner-up in a Newbury handicap (the form of which is working out well), before showing plenty of guts on his Polytrack bow to defeat Cloudy City at Wolverhampton a few weeks ago.

That effort at Dunstall Park caught the eye of a number of seasoned race readers, with the gelded son of Rahy showing plenty of courage and winning in a style that suggests he can take the step up a grade in his stride. Philip Robinson will be on board and is sure to have his mount close to the pace n a track where front-runners have a decent record.

Mark Johnston has a number of entries and his preferred of Bowdler’s Magic, Jutland, Mister Angry and Shernando is likely according to most racing tips to prove the biggest danger to the selection.

While legendary in his own right Austin never achieved as much as his contemporary Fred Perry who is the last British tennis player to have won the men’s singles title at Wimbledon. He won the men’s crown three times in succession in the Thirties and was revered by the Wimbledon crowds despite his dissimilarities in background from many of the All England Club patrons in those days – he had grown up in Stockport the son of a Labour MP.

His triumphant hat-trick was nicely finished off with a forty minute 6-1, 6-1, 6-0 win over German Baron Gottfried von Cramm in 1936. It was the quickest final of the century and the second shortest of all time. He decided to turn professional after his third singles win, and was then pretty much ostracised by the tennis establishment, and it wasn’t until well after his retirement that he was recognised by the authorities as having made an outstanding and unique contribution to British tennis. His statue was put up in the Wimbledon grounds in 1984 to mark the fiftieth anniversary of his first singles title. Following his death in 1995 at the age of eighty-five, the All England Chairman John Curry stated he was a ‘superlative ambassador for our sport throughout the world… a true champion in every sense’.

So our male wins at Wimbledon all occurred a very long time ago, but the last female British tennis player to win the Ladies Singles title was Virginia Wade in 1977. Between 1972 and 1976 Wade reached the semi-finals twice and the quarter-finals three times, but states that it was the fact that the Queen was to be present on the final day of play in 1977 that provided the extra motivation she needed to subdue her nerves!
She was thirty-one in 1977 and her belief in herself provided her with an excellent semi-final victory against favourite Chris Evert, and even the loss of the first set against Dutch Betty Stove didn’t put her off – she won 4-6, 6-3, 6-1. Her career briefly saw her rise to World No. 2, and she doesn’t understand how, since her win three decades ago, she can still be feted at Wimbledon as the most recent British singles champion. She says she finds it dispiriting that the only woman since her to have had her hands on the trophy is the Duchess of Kent!

There’s always next year……

There are some who speculate whether Federer is on the way out, having exited Wimbledon at the quarter-final stage, but it would be a brave person to bet against him winning more major titles – he could well go on to win another handful of them, so he remains a serious threat to any other tennis player, and their ambitions to become the best player in the history of the game.

But Nadal after all made short work of winning his second Wimbledon men’s crown beating twenty-four year old Czech Tomas Berdych (who to give him his due had beat Federer in the quarter-finals) 6-3, 7-5, 6-4 in two hours and thirteen minutes, having never dropped serve in three routine sets and using his formidable forehand to the best of his abilities. Nadal had played Berdych ten times previously, and while the Spaniard had a seven-three lead, it was never a given – the Czech had dominated Nadal with his power some years ago, but their one previous meeting at Wimbledon in the 2007 quarter-finals saw Nadal win 7-6, 6-4, 6-2.
A second Wimbledon title and an eighth grand slam put Nadal up there with the likes of Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl and Andre Agassi.

So how does one become a tennis player of such distinction? Well Nadal started playing tennis in his home town of Manacor, Mallorca in Spain when he was four years of age with his uncle Toni who is his coach. Another influence was his uncle Miguel who is a former professional soccer player who is thought to have inspired in Nadal a healthy attitude to sport and competition. Nadal plays left handed, although he is naturally right handed, and it was his coach who decided that his two-handed backhand would benefit from a strong right arm.

Even though it was obvious he had talent from the outset, it wasn’t until he was twelve that he decided to pursue a career in tennis instead of football. When he was fourteen years of age he played against the tennis great Pat Cash who, having originally been scheduled to play against Boris Becker, took offense at having to play a fourteen year old. Nadal won.

He went on to win his first ATP match in 2002, beating Ramon Delgado, making him the ninth player to win an ATP match before his sixteenth birthday. 2003 saw him become the second youngest player to be ranked among the world’s top 100 singles players and at his Wimbledon debut he became the youngest male player (at seventeen) to reach the third round since Boris Becker in 1984. After a year out due to injury, he went on to win the French Open in 2005 (as well as become the youngest player in history to reach the Top Ten players list since Andrei Medvedev in 1993) and again in 2006 and 2007.

His career started as a typical successful tennis pro and while he is best suited to clay courts, his general tennis abilities such as excellent defence, fast mobility, his topspin groundstrokes, a strong two handed backhand and an ability to direct his fury at the ball rather than his opponent mean that he is successful under any conditions. He continues to amaze on court and at just twenty-six years of age has plenty of time to overtake Federer as the best player in the history of the game of tennis.

And it wasn’t just the trainer that was being cheered on Twice Over’s return to the winners enclosure, Queally will also have been thanked by the punters, having taken control of the race in the early stages and finishing the race by a half length. He admits that he was ‘screaming for the line to come at the end, but thankfully it did. He [Twice Over] is a wonderful character… I knew he had ability and I was mad about the horse so got a real kick out of this’. The jockey rode five Group One winners in 2009, four of which came in the second half of the season and he will be hoping to maintain stamina and performance like the one given in the Eclipse for upcoming Newmarket, Doncaster and York races.

Twice Over had been backed down from 9-4 to the 13-8 favourite for the Eclipse despite finishing only seventh out of ten runners, behind Sea The Stars, in the same race last year. The horse’s new found vigour has been put down to the efforts of Cecil who has rejuvenated him to claim victory in the Champion Stakes and finish third in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Cecil’s first win in the Eclipse was with Wolver Hollow in 1969, during his first season as a trainer and he went on to win it again with Wallow in 1976 and Gunner B in 1978. The thirty-two year gap for the racing legend was the result of illness, personal problems and a reduction in the amount of horses at his stables Warren Place. Some thought he was about to fall off the edge but there was always a light at the end of the tunnel – Cecil is after all an amazing trainer and the punters have always had his back.

Now following this victory in a near- £300,000 prize race, the world could be the Cecil camp’s oyster. Cecil has stated that he will wait and see what the Prince (owner Khalid Abdullah) wants to do and whether he would like him to be entered into the Dubai World Cup, but it is obviously something that appeals to the trainer, who believes that Twice Over stands a good chance. Prior to that there are many more races closer to home to be tackled and it is likely that Twice Over will continue to do Cecil and his team proud.

The event took place at the Adare Manor Hotel and Golf Resort on the 5th and 6th of July and aims to support mid-western charities and groups in their work with the underprivileged and disadvantaged. All proceeds from the event go to the development of these services and well over €55 million has been raised since the event began back in 1990. Prior to the event charities organise pre-qualifying tournaments throughout the country in a bid to enter teams in the Pro-Am.

The event which has a prize fund of €1 million is comprised of 56 teams of four players who compete over two days, with each team having one professional golf player and three amateurs. This year saw the fourteen major champions competing with thirty-five major titles between them. They are: Michael Campbell, Ben Curtis, John Daly, Ernie Els, Jim Furyk, Lucas Glover , Pádraig Harrington, Trevor Immelman, Tom Lehman , Sandy Lyle, Graeme McDowell, Mark O’Meara, José Maria Olazábal and of course the legendary Tiger Woods who holds fourteen titles!

Since it was first held in 1990 the tournament has grown from strength to strength, and while the first event raised almost €1.2 million for charities in the Limerick region, it has attracted more and more support, recognition, professional players, volunteers and celebrity contacts over the years. 30,000 tickets in the form of a baseball cap are sold each year for the star-studded event, at the cost of €50 each – spectators can chose from eight different coloured caps representing Ireland, Munster Rugby and each of the six Munster counties.

This year the likes of AP McCoy, Mick Fitzgerald and Ruby Walsh represent horseracing on the fairways while Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michael Douglas, Hugh Grant, Samuel L Jackson, Hugh Grant, Michael Flatley, Kyle McLachlan, Aiden Quinn and Westlife were joined by sporting figures such as Jamie Redknapp, Martin O’Neill, Niall Quinn and Ireland rugby lock Paul O’Connell.

Last year’s winner was Padraig Harrington, but of course most of the media hype for the event surrounded Tiger Woods, who disappointed in his first round – he slumped to a seven-over-par 79 over almost six hours – he carded one birdie, six bogeys and a double bogey in what was his first appearance in Europe since the media frenzy that surrounded him following his extramarital affairs.

The thirty-six holes are played in the exquisite 840 acre estate of Adare Manor, which has been transformed by the Kane family into a five star hotel. The eighteen hole Championship course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Snr who is one of the most respected and best known golf course architects in the world, having designed forty-five of the top one hundred golf courses in the world. The Golf Club measures 7,453 yards and uses 230 acres of countryside. The Maigue Rives comes into play on three holes with a dramatic finish at the eighteenth hole, which Trent Jones considers to be possibly the best par five in the world.

So, not only a golf tournament with the attraction of celebrities and world class golf, the event is a rarity in its dramatic location and focus on the less fortunate in society, and could not exist without local community involvement and achievement.

Paul made his prediction for South Africa’s World Cup final live from his tank at Sea Life Aquarium in the western German city of Oberhausen, the event was broadcast around the world. He correctly predicted all of Germany’s World Cup games, including a shock defeat by Serbia in the group stages and the ousting by Spain on Wednesday.

After that defeat, there were calls in Germany for Paul to be roasted with lemon juice and olive oil or turned into a plate of paella. But his owners said on Thursday that he is safe with them. “If Paul gets it wrong tomorrow, nothing is going to happen to him, to Paul,” said Sea Life’s Tanja Munzig.

William Hill bookmaker is so impressed by Paul’s predictive powers that it was offering even odds that he will pick the winner of the final on Sunday, between Spain and Holland.

“Punters are keen to keep on the right side of Paul’s tips, so we are giving them the chance to bet that he’ll pick the winner before they even know which side he has opted for,” said William Hill’s spokesman Graham Sharpe.

Mathematicians have already been stunned by Paul’s accurate predictions and have said that the odds of him picking six winners in a row are over 210/1 – which would probably have been a better bet than putting your money on any of the teams in the actual World Cup!

Soon it will be the turn of the Dutch and Spanish to hold their breath as Paul is scheduled to pick who he thinks will win the World Cup very shortly…..Let’s hope the outcome doesn’t lead to any more death threats which have plagued Paul since his incredible talent has become more widely known – the Argentinians promised to captured, kill and cook him with potatoes – Yes, people of Argentina, it’s the Octopus’ fault that you’re out of the World Cup!!!

Spain, the European Champions, dominated possession and barely gave the Germans a chance to prove themselves with Carles Puyol’s second-half header breaking the deadlock at seventy-three minutes, the clincher needed to send Spain to their first World Cup final. The last time a country won the World Cup for the first time was back in 1998 when France won, and prior to that it was 1978 when Argentina won for the first time.

While many are sure that Holland are the better team, having reached the final twice, in 1974 and 1978, and therefore more likely to win the Cup, there are others who are certain that now is the time for Spain to shine (and would also concur that although Holland got to the final twice, they lost both times to inferior teams). They are the reigning European Champions and were ranked favourites to win the Cup by some punters far ahead of the tournament.

They may be eternal underachievers but their fans are convinced that this is their year, and you can see why – they have a superb balanced squad with their defence having been made a lot more consistent by the presence of Gerard Pique, their midfielders could be classed as some of the best in the world, and the partnership of David Villa and Fernando Torres is lethal.
Striker David Villa was the first to admit following their entry to the final ‘When we play our best football we’re very hard to stop’, and it was blatantly clear throughout the semi-final that the team had recaptured their form, and truly deserved their place in the Final. ‘That was the best Spain have played at this World Cup’ said Sergio Busquets, Spanish Midfielder.

Even Germany had to admit that Spain are in a different league, with Marcell Jansen stating; ‘Spain are on a different level. They play as one in attack and defence and they all work together. They are a very compact unit.’

It also says a lot that the Dutch themselves weren’t optimistic of getting to this stage in the proceedings: their management didn’t book accommodation in South Africa beyond the 5th of July! Spain have been a little bit more sure of themselves – if anything it is likely to be the weight of expectation that could drag them down, but one hopes that they recognise that they are just beginning to find their rhythm – and with chants from their supporters like: ‘alcohol, alcohol, alcohol, alcohol: hemos venido a emborracharnos, el resultado nos da igual’ (‘alcohol, alcohol, alcohol, alcohol; we’ve come here to get drunk, we don’t care about the score’) it’s unlikely that they will take themselves too seriously!!

Paul has already betrayed his own country by predicting a German win over England. He makes his predictions by eating one of the two mussels trapped in cube shaped containers, which are marked with the German national flag and the flag of Germany’s opponent in the upcoming game. The container that is chosen first by the octopus is the winner of that particular match.

Now bookmakers are worried that football fans will lump millions on the Octopuses prediction for the final. The eight legged oracle has even received death threats from furious Argentina fans who blame him for their defeat. Whilst fans are hoping to make a few squid of his predictions, bookmakers have vowed to turn him into sushi if his last prediction comes true!

Paddy Power bookmakers commented on their blog… thankfully Paul the psychic Octopus isn’t a Paddy Power customer.

William Hill bookmaker is so impressed by Paul’s predictive powers that it was offering even odds that he will pick the winner of the final on Sunday, between Spain and Holland.

“Punters are keen to keep on the right side of Paul’s tips, so we are giving them the chance to bet that he’ll pick the winner before they even know which side he has opted for,” said William Hill’s spokesman Graham Sharpe.

At least one punter was kicking himself for not paying attention to Paul. A man who staked a record €500,000 (£415,000) on Germany winning last night lost his wager – the largest World Cup bet ever, according to William Hill.

UPDATE: Paul has now picked Germany to win the 3rd place playoffs over Uruguay!! Get your bets on people….

They made a good start to the match, but the South Americans dominated the opening minutes of the second half. Holland quickly regained control when Wesley Sneijder scored an alleged offside goal to bring them back into the lead in the seventieth minute. This was swiftly followed by Arjen Robben using a header to decide the match, leaving Uruguay try to regain their position but it was all a little too late.

Originally at 12-1 in the bettings, Holland now have much shorter odds which you can see below. Having eliminated the notorious Brazil from the tournament, it is clear that Bert van Marwijk has assembled the best team he possibly could. It has been suggested that the Brazilians will have issue with Dunga who is seen to have neglected the Santos forwards Neymar and Ganso, but there is unlikely to be any such issue with Van Marwijk having used Snejder, van Persie and Robben who are all proving themselves to be more than worthy of their places in a World Cup finalist team.

Van Marwijk took over the Dutch team following their dismal elimination; and the subsequent resignation of Marco van Basten; at the quarter final stage of Euro 2008. Van Marwijk now states that one of his prime focuses when he got involved with the team was to teach them proper defence, starting with the attackers. Prior to the elimination of Brazil in the World Cup, Van Marwijk stated that total football was dead, total football being a concept where all defenders are at liberty to become attackers if the opportunity presents itself. So van Marwijk’s approach to the game is almost a complete inversion of total football, and is a philosophy that seems to be working well for the squad. Some might regard their new technique as being a win-by-any-means strategy but the Dutch fans don’t seem to mind that they have veered slightly from their previous creative and joyful approach to the game.

Van Marwijk states that they still want to achieve the same thing – and what team doesn’t? The aim of the game is to win. But he recognises that they haven’t scored as many goals in the World Cup tournament, and if you win without scoring many goals then the perception of the team changes. Captain Giovanni van Bronkhorst is another hugely experienced and inspirational part of their teams dynamic, who believes that it is the squad’s closeness that has gotten them this far in the tournament ‘We fight for each other. It’s good to be part of a team you can trust.’ Holland do seem to have entered a different league – will this new approach and closeness win them the World Cup?

The Australian-bred son of Choisir demonstrated such superiority over his rivals in the Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot last month it would take a significantly below-par performance from the four-year-old to open the door of opportunity for any of those horses who were left toiling in his wake to land the valuable prize at HQ. Those who keep an eye on UK horse tips will no doubt be aware of his superb form.

Rumours of astounding training times on the Ballydoyle gallops had been rife prior to the Ascot event and O’Brien, in an uncharacteristically bullish statement prior to the race allegedly told jockey Johnny Murtagh to have a parachute ready, such was the speed he would be travelling at on board the colt.

O’Brien wasn’t wrong as his 23 rivals never got near enough to challenge and there appeared plenty left in the tank as Starspangledbanner crossed the line a length-and-three-quarters clear of Society Rock. It was a performance that got everyone who follows Group 1 racing tips talking.

Jeremy Noseda’s flying filly Fleeting Spirit looks the only conceivable danger, having been drawn on the opposite side of the course at Ascot and beaten her nine rivals on the far side in a pleasing fashion.

Winner of the July Cup last year, the filly has to be respected, but even at the current odds of 13/8 it is hard to look elsewhere than Starspangledbanner who is a confident selection to reaffirm his position as the top European sprinter this season and might just go on to be one of the sprinting greats if he continues on the upgrade.

They were backed at 4.8 to keep a clean sheet against the free-scoring South Americans, at 7.2 to be leading at half-time and winning at full-time and at 7.8 to win to nil. The correct score market was the one that saw the most extraordinary price being matched with the “any unquoted” (either team to score four or more goals) touching odds of 100.0, hardly surprising given that it was just 1-0 after 67 minutes.

This run to the semis is a remarkable turn of events for a side who came into this tournament riddled with problems including allegations of in-fighting, discontent over the manager’s alleged pay demands, injuries to key players such as Michael Ballack and the fact they had been drawn in an extremely tough group made up of Ghana, Serbia and Australia. All of which explains why they went into this tournament at around the 17.0 mark despite having a fantastic pedigree in the World Cup. Argentina were matched at a low of 4.8.

Miroslav Klose’s two goals in the game mean that despite a torrid time at Bayern Munich this season, he is right up there at the top of the goalscoring charts once again. The lanky striker is on four goals alongside David Villa, Wesley Sneijder, Gonzalo Higuain and Robert Vittek with only the first two still left in the competition. Klose is the 5.2 second-favourite behind 2.0 David Villa, who plays tonight.

The Moses Mabhida Stadium, located in KwaZulu Natal in the city of Durban is a new stadium completed in 2009. The Kings Park Stadium was demolished in late 2006 to make way for this new stadium complex, which houses an indoor arena, sporting museum, and sport institute. It has a very impressive cable car which ascends to a viewing platform at the top of a 350m long arch, 106 metres above the stadium. While the stadium has capacity for 69,957 people, there are plans to increase this to 84,000 for future events such as the Olympics.

Green Point Stadium in Cape Town accommodates 66,005 people, and is another new stadium built with the World Cup in mind. Situated at the juncture between Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean at the southern tip of Africa, it has a jaw-dropping mountainous backdrop, which is really something very special to behold.

Ellis Park in Johannesburg opened in 1989, but has had some minor upgrades in order to fulfil FIFA requirements for the semi-final of the World Cup, which have increased capacity by 10,000. As a stadium it holds a special place in the hearts of South Africans as it is where the Springboks beat New Zealand to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup, which was then portrayed in the film Invictus.
Loftus Verfeld in Pretoria has capacity for 51,762, and underwent upgrades to its lighting, sound system, media areas and scoreboard in order to qualify as a World Cup venue. First opened in 1906, upgrades for FIFA were completed by 2008. The stadium is the homeground of Sundowns Football Club, one of South Africa’s professional clubs and is where South Africa had their first win over a European side, beating Sweden in 1999.

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is located in Port Elizabeth and has a unique roof structure which enables a spectacular view of the North End Lake. It has a capacity of 44,000 with additional temporary seats bringing it up to 48,459 for the World Cup.

Free State Stadium in Bloefontein was first opened in 1952 and has undergone renovations for the World Cup, completed in 2008 to include a new second tier. With a capacity for 48,000, it has been earmarked as a semi-final venue.

The Peter Mokaba Stadium is located in Polokwane, the capital of Limpoko. Named after Peter Mokaba, a controversial anti-apartheid activist and former leader of the ANC Youth League, who was born in Polokwane, the stadium’s design is inspired by the iconic African baobab tree.

The Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg was first opened in 1999, funded by the Royal Bafokeng community (an administrative entity presiding over the world’s richest platinum mines) and minor upgrades for the World Cup finished this year. Named after the Bafokeng people who live in the area, the stadium is just a twenty-five minute drive from Sun City.

The Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit is a new stadium built for the World Cup but has been designed with additional sports and events in mind. The name of the stadium means ‘many people together in a small space’ in siSwati and is located close to the Kruger National Park.

Now I’m very much hoping she’ll return to the fray at the Curragh at the weekend where a possible rematch with Sariska could be on the cards

Last seen when winning the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan at the end of March, Lady Lloyd-Webber’s pride and joy has been given a well earned rest after the exertions of flying to and from the Middle East and her subsequent brave victory there against the classy Buena Vista.

Previously third in the Breeders’ Cup Turf and a fine fifth to Sea The Stars in that extraordinary Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, last year Dar re Mi proved that she is out of the top drawer. The horse is more than capable of winning this Saturday’s Group 1 Audi Pretty Polly Stakes at the main expense of last year’s dual Oaks heroine, Sariska, who Dar Re Mi beat in a memorable battle for last year’s Yorkshire Oaks.

Sariska, a winner at York in May before running a great race to chase home the mighty Fame and Glory in the Coronation Cup at Epsom, will have race fitness on her side and will be no pushover, but over ten furlongs I believe Gosden’s mare will have just a little too much pace for her. Dar Re Mi is certainly one of my leading horse racing tips.

For the home team, Chinese White and Profound Beauty are definitely worthy of consideration, although the latter will surely find the trip somewhat on the short side for her and anyone paying attention to free horse racing tips should bear this in mind.

However, Dar Re Mi looks the one to have on your side as the daughter of Singspiel begins her summer campaign, doubtless en route to another crack at the big one in Paris on the first weekend of October.

But while Germany may be a force to be reckoned with, there are many cynics out there at the moment who believe that Germany may be riding high on their reputation. While they had no problem qualifying, they have always had loads of experienced players and this is not the case this year – their squad is their youngest in seventy-six years, with this being the first time that many of them will have played in the World Cup and they don’t have many players with a lot of experience – things might be looking good for World Cup 2014 but they as the ‘new generation’ they may have a long way to go to claim the World Cup in 2010.

Their next game is against the mighty force that is Argentina and although Germany had an astounding win over England at the weekend, Maradona’s boys are in a different league and may give the German youngsters a real run for their money.

For all the Quarter Final action tune in on July 3rd and if you fancy the Germans then the odds are below…

Less than thirty years after the development of FIFA the first World Cup was played in Uruguay in 1930. It was originated by Jules Rimet, a French lawyer and businessman who was the Honorary President of FIFA from 1921 to 1954. He was in Paris for the Olympic Games in Paris in 1924 and they inspired him to create a worldwide professional, as opposed to amateur football competition open to all nations, and FIFA backed the idea in Amsterdam in 1928.

Whilst it was Rimet’s name that appeared on the first World Cup, the FIFA Secretary Henri Delaunay was the primary organiser of the tournament. Uruguay was chosen as the original host country at a FIFA congress in Barcelona, due to the fact that they were very obviously one of the best teams in the world. So it came to be that the first World Cup was played there in Uruguay’s centenary year of independence, 1930.

World War II interrupted the World Cup, with the 1942 and 1946 tournaments being canceled, but afterwards the UK rejoined FIFA and the Home Championship was used as a qualifying round, which resulted in England going through to the 1950 World Cup in Brazil. It was England’s first time playing in the tournament but they lost to a USA team called the ‘Ellis Island Team’ because of their high numbers of immigrant players. England lost again to Spain, who progressed to the final round, but it was Uruguay who won the World Cup again!

England did of course go on to win the World Cup in 1966, but it was handed over to Brazil in 1970 when they became the first country to win the tournament for the third time. The original Cup signed by Jules Rimet was stolen soon after and never again found – but rest assured the new one is just as worthy to possess!!

The Mexican Wave is a very rare phenomenon as there are not many occasions when crowds as large as 90,000 act in unison, but that is exactly what happens with the Mexican Wave – when the wave hits you, you jump up, throwing your hands in the air. It then moves onto the person sitting next to you. The effect, especially when there is a huge crowd involved is pretty special, and always brightens an already happy atmosphere. In the UK we call it the Mexican Wave, in the USA they call it The Wave but in Mexico they call it La Ola (the Wave), and there is some speculation over its origin.

Given that we call it the Mexican Wave, one would assume that that is where it originated. Evidence however does not point in Mexico’s direction, in fact there is a lot more evidence that it started in the US. One man who claims he is responsible for its creation is professional cheerleader ‘Krazy’ George Henderson who states that he brought out The Wave at a major league baseball game between the Oakland A’s and the New York Yankees on October 15th 1981. Apparently when Krazy’s wave broke down, he encouraged a chorus of boos which meant that by the fourth attempt the wave had not only gone the whole way round the stadium, a continuous wave had been completed.

There is however another man who also claims that The Wave was his idea – Robb Weller started a wave at the University of Washington’s Husky Stadium in Seattle on the 31st October 1981, two weeks after Krazy’s wave. Even though Weller’s recorded ‘debut’ of the Wave was two weeks following Krazy’s, he states that he was doing it in smaller venues long before 1981. But they are not the only two – some claim it started in Mexico in the 1960s while some claim Canada in the 70s.

For a wave to work at least twenty-five people are needed to synchronise the first trigger of the wave – it never happens spontaneously, it needs a group to get it going. Interestingly, the waves, in the northern hemisphere go clockwise, and it is speculated that in the southern hemisphere they go counter-clockwise. One thing that is definite about Mexican Waves is that they occur when the crowd is bored – it’s not going to happen in the last minutes of the World Cup final that’s for sure!

Of course the football itself is of crucial importance in a football tournament as significant as the World Cup, and the designers, engineers, researchers, and everyone else involved in the process of developing the 2010 ball will have taken it extremely seriously – they were happy with the final design which incorporates a new texture called ‘Grip ‘n’ Groove’, which when combined with a new manufacturing process has produced a ball that is rounder, faster, and is more predictable and reliable in flight.

The Jabulani ball is moulded from panels of ethylene-vinyl acetate to absorb physical shock and are thermally bonded rather than being stitched together, which meant that a huge range of groove shapes were researched and experimented on before the final design was settled upon – the result of all this research is a ball that travels five percent faster than any previous ball.

This all sounds wonderful in theory, but the Jabulani is not proving to be popular in South Africa where it is currently being used for the World Cup. Many of the players are claiming that while the Jabulani may be faster, it is far less predictable than previous balls. Tim Howard, the U.S. goalkeeper has stated that ‘It moves all over, if you hit five balls with the same striking motion you wouldn’t get the same result.’
So while the new ball might be a hugely different feel for the goalkeepers, it has been designed with fairness for strikers and goalkeepers in mind – in previous tournaments goalkeepers have stated that forwards have had an unfair advantage due to the huge deviation of the balls in flight.

The England team and coach Fabio Capello have perhaps been the loudest in their disapproval of the Jabulani and the cynical have stated that this is simply because of their disappointing first and second games with the United States and Algeria. Adidas are suggesting that England are the only nation who seem to have complaints about the ball, and that they are unwarranted due to the fact that it had been communicated to all teams that the balls were available for them to use since February. On top of this Frank Lampard had actually tested and been involved in the development of the ball in Loughborough, and praised it on the University’s website.

However it is not just the England team who have a problem with the Jabulani. Having aerodynamically compared the ball with the previous World Cup ball, the Teamgeist, physicist Derek Leinweber of the University of Adelaide has stated that the new ball is expected to ‘bend’ more for players than any ball previously encountered…by the time the ball reaches the goalkeeper, the Jabulani will have swerved…arriving with more power and energy than the Teamgeist.’

So is it the case that the frustrations with the Jabulani are due to the fact that it is simply just too great a change from previous balls? Or is it all just a load of balls? Only time will tell!

While Rooney has since apologised for his outburst saying ‘For my part I apologise for any offense caused by my actions at the end of the game’, which quite frankly sounds like something that was dictated for him to say by most probably his manager, did he really have to apologise for his comments? It beg the question, is it fair to boo your own team even if they have turned in a dire performance?

While some fans have been quick to defend their position, with one stating on Twitter: ‘Plane ticket: £500, football ticket: £150, Wayne Rooney moaning on live TV cos you’re booing him for playing badly – priceless’, is it reasonable to expect your team to put on a good show just because you have gone to the effort and expense of buying a ticket? All teams have good and bad days – just because you bought a ticket to a particular game doesn’t mean that its within your rights to see them win, does it? Surely it’s luck of the draw? They can’t win every game!

The England team have spoken previously about how they don’t like playing at Wembley because of the way the fans were so quick to berate them. While they do appreciate that their fans often travel miles and spend hundreds if not thousands of pounds to come and support them, isn’t that what we as fans should do? Support them? Yeah, they might play a diabolical game, but they will know that themselves and it will be reinforced to them by every Tom, Dick, Harry and newspaper they pick up until they play the next game – do they really need us letting them know before they’ve even finished the game?

Each team or country gets to play three games, so that they get to play each of the other three teams in their group. These groups games are ongoing until Friday the 25th of June.

England’s last game is on June 23rd and is against Slovenia. The last games to be played for the groups will be Portugal Vs Brazil, North Korea Vs Ivory Coast, both being broadcast at 3pm British time, and then Chile Vs Spain and Switzerland Vs Honduras, both taking place at 7:30 that evening.

There are eight groups, simply labeled Group A – H, and within each of those groups are four teams:

Group A – South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay and France
Group B – Argentina, South Korea, Nigeria and Greece
Group C – England, the USA, Algeria and Slovenia
Group D – Germany, Australia, Serbia and Ghana
Group E – Holland, Denmark, Japan and Cameroon
Group F – Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia,
Group G – Brazil, North Korea, Ivory Coast and Portugal
Group H – Spain, Switzerland, Honduras and Chile

Once the groupings are over with, the winners and runners up from each group go on to play each other in a series of eight games:

June 26th – Winners from Group A Vs Group B Runners-up
June 26th – Winners from Group C Vs Group D Runners-up

June 27th – Winners from Group B Vs Group A Runners-up
June 27th – Winners from Group D Vs Group C Runners-up

June 28th – Winners from Group E Vs Group F Runners-up
June 28th – Winners from Group G Vs Group H Runners-up

June 29th – Winners from Group F Vs Group E Runners-up
June 29th – Winners from Group H Vs Group G Runners-up

These eight games lead onto the Quarter Finals, which are played over the 2nd and 3rd of July, with the semi-finals occurring on the 6th and 7th of July, the 3rd/4th place play-off on the 10th July and the FINAL on the 11th July. For the latest and best odds on the World Cup 2010 Winner just check out our handy little guide below…

He has one of the most prolific racing stables in England, Warren Place; which he has run since 1976, when he took over from Sir Noel Murless; has trained more than 350 group winners, has been Champion Trainer ten times, won 35 classic races in the United Kingdom and abroad including the Epsom Derby, 1,000 Guineas, 2,000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks and the St. Leger Stakes. His amazing abilities and almost unfailing success throughout the 80s and 90s earned him legions of fans amongst racegoers and punters.

2005 saw Cecil reach his lowest point professionally – he finished 97th in the trainers championship, something that would have seemed impossible just a decade before, there were just fifty horses in his yard and he was then diagnosed with stomach cancer.

Now though things seem to be on the upturn – while he is still receiving cancer treatment, he has got the force of Bullet Train behind him. The horse is a 10-1 chance for the Derby, a live each-way contender in an open year rather than a hot favourite like Reference Point of Slip Anchor in 1985 and 1987.

Jockey Tom Queally who is to ride Bullet Train at the Derby summed up many people’s feelings when he said; ‘It’s fantastic for Henry that he’s come right back up through the ranks and back to where he belongs. He’s a genius, it’s like he’s at one with the horses, he knows them inside out and upside down.’ Other jockeys to have ridden for Cecil include Lestor Piggott, Joe Mercer, Kieren Fallon, Pat Eddery and Steve Cauthen.

He is most definitely the working class hero, who has kept his head held high through his ups and downs, and it is obvious that the punters will be keeping their fingers crossed for him. As Pat Eddery, who himself is now a trainer said: ‘He’s an amazing human being really…I’m so happy for him now that he’s training good horses again.. he’s always been a great trainer.’

When looking through the list of contenders for the fillies’ mile-and-a-half classic, the name of the Marcus Tregoning-trained filly is one of the last to jump out at me as a possible winner. A beautifully bred daughter of Rahy out of Sarayir, dam of both classy Mawaatheq and last year’s tremendous 1000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes heroine Ghanaati, Rumoush has proved herself useful and looked on the up when winning the nine furlong Fielden Stakes on her reappearance, where a below-par Timepiece finished fourth.

Rumoush’s subsequent run in the 1000 Guineas was a solid effort, but nothing spectacular and, with no guarantees that she will actually improve the required 10lbs or so to win the Epsom classic, I fail to see why punters are favouring her ahead of the Henry Cecil pair of Aviate and Timepiece, the Aidan O’Brien trained pair of Awe Inspiring and Remember When, Jim Bolger’s fast improving Akdarena, and Ed Dunlop’s interesting Snow Fairy.

With so many excellent Oaks racing tips around, it seems the logical bet is to oppose Rumoush in the win market and I would also be sorely tempted to lay her in the place market as well. Ballydoyle seems confident that their pair will acquit themselves well, while Cecil holds a strong hand in a race he knows how to win better than any other, having landed the Oaks an astounding eight times in his glittering training career.

If you’re looking for a sporting each-way bet at a big price however, then maybe Meeznah is worth a second glance. Trained by up-and-coming David Lanigan, she showed decent form as a juvenile but appears to have trained on particularly well judged by her 9-length romp in a maiden at HQ last month. She won’t be at Epsom just to sample the fresh air and the yard is aiming for the top with a particularly nice string to go to war with this term, so she could be an interesting horse racing tip.

At 33/1 Meeznah could well give you a tremendous run for your money.

Trained until last month in France by Andre Fabre where he finished second in a Group 2 at Longchamp in April, Rewilding joined Godolphin’s new trainer Mahmood al Zarooni at Newmarket. The horse made an immediate impression with his four-length defeat of John Gosden’s Prizefighting in the Derby trial won by the great Troy in 1979.

Having failed to enter him for the Derby, it now seems almost certain that Rewilding will be supplemented to the Epsom classic at a cost of £75,000. Not least because the yard seems disappointed with their main Derby candidate Chabal, who trailed home a well beaten horse in York’s Dante stakes last week. Those interested in horse racing tips should probably cross his name off the list of hopefuls.

Rewilding, a son of German sire Tiger Hill, always travelled well at the rear of the field at Goodwood and, once asked for his effort, cruised through and sailed by his rivals in the manner of a very progressive horse. Bookmakers seemed impressed with the effort and slashed the Derby odds of Frankie Dettori’s mount to 12/1 (William Hill’s are on their own at 14s), even before learning whether or not the three-year-old would be supplemented for the blue riband event.

Although the opposition he comprehensively defeated at Goodwood bears no comparison to the a stronger fields in the Dante, at Lingfield or in the Curragh trials, there is little doubt that Rewilding is a horse of serious potential and could conceivably come to the rescue of a major international racing empire that has inexplicably floundered at the top level in British classics in recent years.

While Capello went for the more dramatic option of first naming a provisional squad of thirty players, leaving the British media to hype it up in the past few weeks with headlines like ‘England heartbreak’ and ‘the cruellest cut’, it isn’t quite as melodramatic as it is perhaps made out to be – in fact it has been speculated that half a dozen or so of Capello’s thirty players knew prior to the announcement of the final World Cup team that they were effectively on standby. Based on training drills and exclusion from recent matches, it cannot have been too hard to work it out, can it?

The squad have been named as: Goalkeepers: Robert Green, Joe Hart and David James; Defenders: Jamie Carragher, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Glen Johnson, Ledley King. John Terry, Matthew Upson and Stephen Warnock; Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Aaron Lennon, James Milner, Shaun Wright-Phillips; Forwards: Peter Crouch, Jermain Defoe, Emile Heskey and Wayne Rooney.

The England team fly out to South Africa on June 2nd (not giving those who were in doubt of their placing on the squad much time to organise themselves after the announcement!) and according to Fifa rules, injured players can only be replaced up to twenty-four hours before their opening match. The opening game will be played in the sleepy town of Rustenburg, just thirty kilometres away from Sun City, on Saturday the 12th June. The stadium’s official name is the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, has a distinctive ‘saddle’ shape and holds up to 42,000 spectators. The game, against the United States, will kick off at 7:30 pm British time. That’s where we will see if Capello has done us proud in his squad selection!

If your money is on England in 2010 all the best and latest odds you need are below…

Unfortunately that hasn’t worked out so well for us in the past so I get the feeling that this year we’re taking more of a ‘softly softly’ approach to the impending games. ‘Quietly confident’ I think is the apt phrase for South Africa 2010. We’re putting the John Terry debacle to one side, hoping Ashley Cole signs the divorce papers nice and quick, praying that Beckham stays injury free, cheering on Rooney for the Golden Boot and despite the ban on an official world cup anthem, breaking out the ‘Five One to the England’ on our iPods…

The butterflies have started, the excitement is building and the match dates have been etched into our brains. Group C may not look like much but we’ve still got a long way to go before we can petition for a Sir David Beckham and with USA, Algeria and Slovenia to overcome first, the 2010 World Cup may just be ours…

Currently, Spain appear to be favourites on the back of their ten out of ten wins in the qualifying stages but past tournaments have shown that anything can happen on the day – remember dismal France in 2006 anyone??? Of course, Brazil are always in with a shout as the most successful team to have ever entered the competition and if you’re English then you’ll be hoping that Beckham et al can bring the Jules Rimet home for the first time since 1966!

Holland are flying under the radar at the moment and though the World Cup hasn’t always been kind to them given their abundance of talent, this year sees a far more cohesive team take to the pitch so maybe their luck will change in South Africa – they’ll definitely have plenty of support there!

Surprisingly the Germans are hovering around 16/1 to take the title which are pretty decent odds given that you can absolutely NEVER rule them out and somehow they always seem to be there or there abouts in the end.

From June 11th to July 11th we’ll all be glued to our TV’s and cheering on our countries so if you fancy spicing it up a little and sticking a few quid down on your fav then all of the latest and best World Cup odds are below!

But if the group qualifying stages are anything to go by then the road ahead may not be as easy for Brazil as it has been in the past. Despite ending the preliminary event on top of the standings, Brazil only managed 9 wins from 18 games which did not please the home fans at all, particularly after successive goalless home draws against Argentina, Bolivia and Colombia.

The former World Cup winner Dunga is now the coach and with both Kaka and Luis Fabiano firmly cementing their places in the line-up, Brazil are still a force to be reckoned with and will undoubtedly be saving the best for the world stage. Though not favourites to take the title, the should still come out of Group G relatively unscathed unless Portugal throw a spanner in the works!

For the latest and best Brazil odds for the 2010 World Cup check out the box below…

Spain are lucky enough to boast one of the world’s best keepers in captain Iker Casillas while midfield string-puller Xavi Hernandez’s inch-perfect passing and vision is vital to the Spaniards’ fluid style. But with Torres out have Spain lost one of their best finishers and put the Jules Rimet out of reach?

Coming top of Group H should be a shoe-in for Spain as their opposition doesn’t appear to pose many threats at this stage; Switzerland, Honduras and Chile don’t look like they’re going to scupper Spanish chances and if you think that they’ve got what it takes to go all the way then the odds for their next match are below:

Foinavon’s win was a prime example of how the Grand National can throw at you exactly what wasn’t expected. Things had been pretty plain sailing for more than the first half of the race with more than thirty of the forty-four runners getting past the second Becher’s (an accident blackspot if ever there was one). The next fence, the smallest on the course at just four foot six, is where things went wrong for the majority of the competitors, with all of them going down bar Foinavon due to the mayhem that Popham Down, a blinkered; riderless since the first fence; horse created. In the words of Lord Oaksey (then rider John Lawrence) Popham Down had: ‘cut down the leaders like a row of thistles.’

Ridden by John Buckingham, Foinavon had, prior to the pandemonium been a hundred yards behind the leaders and upon seeing the chaos ahead, managed to steer wide to the outside and through a gap between loose horses cleared the fence at the first attempt. This gave him a clear hundred yard advantage of the seventeen horses that managed to remain in pursuit. All to no avail though – destiny had taken over and Foinavon won comfortably from Honey End, the 15-2 favourite, and Red Alligator who won the race the following year, finished third.

While some condemned the 1967 race as being a farce, the nature of the race – sensational, exciting and injury-free – instilled a newfound respect and demand to ‘save the National’, which was much needed given that at the time Aintree was under threat of sale for building development.

Perhaps unsurprisingly Foinavon did not go on to win another National, but he did have another freak win when at Uttoexeter in October 1968 he trailed home alone after another loose horse brought down the race leader and caused the only other runner to be carried out. Dubbed ‘the National’s luckiest winner’ Foinavon remains legendary at Aintree with the four foot six fence after Becher’s Brook, where the pile-up of horses occurred following Popham Down’s cut through, named after him.

Former Newcastle man Michael Chopra opened the scoring for Cardiff, Blackpool skipper Charlie Adam hit back and then the highly-rated Joe Ledley scored Cardiff’s second, leaving Blackpool with a mountain to climb. Uphill task it may have been but goals from Gary Taylor-Fletcher and journeyman striker Brett Ormerod put Blackpool up just before the break. That was obviously good news for their fans who had made the long trip down to Wembley but it was even better news for a handful of punters on Betfair Bookmakers. Those who had backed Ian Holloway’s troops to be up at the break secured in-running odds of 75.0 and those who had backed the “any unquoted” runner on the half-time score market (either side to score three goals in the first-half) got 48.0.

The second-half promised more of the same early on but Blackpool were understandably more concerned with winning promotion than entertaining the fans at Wembley or the viewers back home in a match that was believed to be worth £90 million to the victor. Conditions were hot and stifling, the pitch was heavy and slow and with Cardiff running out of steam and Blackpool protecting what they had, that’s how the match stayed. Blackpool were backed at 9.0 to win the match when 2-1 down and at 55.0 to win by a 3-2 scoreline.

There will no doubt be plenty of celebrating tonight and for a couple of weeks beyond that but very soon Ian Holloway will have to start thinking about what he needs to do to prepare his side for the dizzy heights of the Premier League. The ink may not yet have dried on the newspapers reporting on his team’s historic victory but already bookies are writing off his teams’ chances of avoiding the drop next season, with Blackpool chalked up as the 1.4 favourites to go straight back down.