abarrybonds

Both sides have drawn five of their last eight matches and have identical records: 4-2-2. Walter Ferretti at home and Managua FC away. I think the odds of a stalemate look rewarding value at 21/10.

CA Independiente is in 4th place in the Argentine Primera Apertura as they visit 2nd to bottom place Atletico Tucuman, who has lost 10 of their 14 matches in the league so far. Half cover on the draw looks good for the away favorites tonight on the Asian Handicap.

I would say Belgian Jasper Philipsen is the standout sprinter in this sprint-dominated race. As he is a former winner (2021), he is a worthy favorite on Thursday.

French sprinter Paul Magnier had a breakout second year, winning five times and adding a sixth this year in a stage win in France earlier this year. He has shown his ability in the bigger classics on the main UCI World Tour, finishing second in the 80th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad on the 1st of March this year. Other high finishes in sprint races show his ability, and he looks worth backing to win on Thursday at 11/1.

35-year-old left-handed fast bowler Trent Boult is the leading wicket-taker for the red-hot Mumbai Indians with eleven so far. He looks worthy of taking the Man of the Match honors at odds of 10/1, having taken seven of those wickets in his last two matches.

Facing the red-hot Mumbai Indians, who have won six in a row, the Rajasthan Royals need to keep on winning as they are in 8th place with just four matches remaining. They could have problems with the spinners bowling out the openers and top order. Batting in the 5th slot, they have Dhruv Jurel (third top scorer on the team in runs with 38), and he looks a bit big at odds of 8/1 for top team bat.

Suryakumar Yadav has been incredibly consistent for the red-hot Mumbai Indians, winners of their last six matches in a row. Opener Suryakumar Yadav has managed to score 26 or more runs in every one of his ten matches played, for an average of 42.7 with three half-centuries so far this IPL. Odds of 26/10 look a solid play against the suspect bowling of the Royals.

This is the Lone Star State of Texas, and Jordan Spieth, a runner-up as recently as 2022 by one stroke, was a very unlucky loser as the winner Lee Kyoung-hoon of South Korea successfully defended his title from the previous year with a course record low -26 at the par 72 TPC Craig Ranch Course in McKinney, Texas. Good course form here is paramount, and he ticks all the boxes as well as being born, raised, and residing in the state. His game is in good order, and he is my stand-alone winner at 18/1 to win this weekend.

Canadian Mackenzie Hughes is in excellent form and has posted a Top Ten finish in the Lone Star State in the Houston Open (tied for 10th) and followed on from that in his latest tournament with his highest finish of the year (3rd in the Heritage last week). He was tied for 14th in 2023 here, and if not for a poor third round of 73, he could have been contending in the final round. Odds of 40/1 each way look good this weekend.

Mayo is playing well in the National League One, where they still have a decent chance to pick up the trophy this month. They are worthy second favorites, and I feel they offer better value than the favorites, Galway.

Winless on tour last year, 28-year-old Sam Burns has his game in decent order and is contending again. This is a particular tournament that he has had good results in, the highlight of which was in the 2021 Tournament when he finished runner-up. A solid each way bet this weekend at odds of 28/1.

Finnish player Sami Valimaki is a player I feel can make a huge breakthrough on the main PGA Tour this year. He has shown a lot of consistent play this year and has a streak of three consecutive top twenty finishes coming into this weekend (4th Houston Open, 12th Texas Open, and tied 18th in the Heritage last week). So he certainly does not seem phased playing in the Lone Star State. 80/1 looks a solid each way play.

Bottom of the draw, I have gone for the number ten seeded Chinese maestro and one-time World Championship finalist Ding Junhui. He has been up and down this season but did add his 15th ranking title of his career when winning the International Open in his homeland of China earlier this season. He did manage to knock out two World Champion players, including the defending champion Kyren Wilson and ex-winner Mark Williams, in this year's Tour Championship just a few weeks ago. Playing better in the longer format matches, winning four of the five played in best of 17 frames or more. A solid each-way selection at odds of 35/1.

After enduring two seasons without winning a ranking tournament, Australian Neil Robertson managed to win both the recently played World Grand Prix and the English Open. He is perhaps one of the hottest players on the circuit over the past two months. I am sure he will be very keen to erase his qualifying loss of last season and move onwards in his attempt to win his second World Championship, taking great inspiration from Welsh veteran Mark Williams, who endured 15 years from his second (2003) before winning again in 2018. So perhaps something lucky in a 15-year wait, as the 2010 champion could well be crowned 15 years later in 2025!

I will make an ante-post selection on "Stephen 'The Bullet' Bunting" winning the Premier League this year. The world number five makes his debut, crowning his most successful year in the PDC last year, winning the Masters and making his breakthrough TV major. He has shown great consistency in the main events and, in an eight-man field, looks great value at odds of 16/1.