Sports Betting Tips (NFL, Horse Racing, Golf, Boxing) – 11th, 12th & 13th September 2015

There is plenty of top quality sport on show this weekend, and the undoubted highlight for many is the return of the NFL. The race to Super Bowl 50 begins this weekend, and the New England Patriots begin their quest to reach the showpiece final and defend their crown in 2016 on Friday, as the Pittsburgh Steelers come to town. But as one renowned sporting season begins, another ends, and this weekend’s St Leger Stakes is the last of the Classics and the third leg of the Triple Crown. The field is sparse for the flat track Classic, but the competition will be fierce.

The Walker Cup, the biggest event in amateur golf, takes place at Lytham St Annes, with Great Britain and Ireland taking on the USA on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday night sees a whole host of boxing action, with Anthony Joshua taking on Gary Cornish as he looks to earn the Commonwealth Heavyweight title and extend his unbeaten professional form to 14-0-0. The Walker Cup is the odd one out, due to its lack of a clear favourite, but all four can provide equal opportunities for profit if punters looks close enough.

  • Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots – New England, -7.5 points spread (Evens at Bet365)
  • St Leger Stakes – Storm the Stars (9/4 at Coral)
  • Walker Cup – Great Britain & Ireland to win (6/5 at Sky Bet)
  • Anthony Joshua v Gary Cornish – Anthony Joshua to win in round four (8/1 at Ladbrokes)

Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots – 11th September

Two divisional champions in 2014 meet in the 2015 NFL curtain-raiser as AFC East winners New England Patriots host AFC North victors Pittsburgh Steelers. The visitors enjoyed an 11-5 record last season, losing out to wildcard Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs, but the Patriots backed up their 12-4 record by going all the way and defeating the Seattle Seahawks to win Super Bowl XLIX. Since then, all the talk has been over “Deflategate”, but with quarterback Tom Brady cleared to play, the Patriots stand a much better chance of defending their title.

The home side know they face a tough challenge against the Steelers, who last year became the first team in NFL history to have a 4,500-yard passer, 1,500-yard receiver and 1,300-yard rusher in the same season. The Patriots’ home form in pre-season was dire, with defeats against the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers, but Brady’s clearance to play markedly altered their points spread odds, and rightly so. Bet365 are only offering Evens on a -7.5 spread, but given the Patriots’ offensive power it is a sound option for higher stakes betting.

  • New England, -7.5 points spread (Evens at Bet365)

St Leger Stakes – 12th September

The St Leger is well-versed in acting as the denouement – as well as being the showpiece event of the St Leger Festival, it forms the conclusion of the flat track season, being the last Classic and Triple Crown event of the year. Despite that, the field is at its smallest in a decade. The competition will still be fierce, with early bookmakers’ favourite Order of St George joined by Storm the Stars, and Bondi Beach not far behind.

Storm the Stars’ odds have been shortening all week, and for good reason. Although Order of St George, Bondi Beach and Fields of Athenry are all trained by four-time St Leger winner Aidan O’Brien, the William Haggas-trained Storm the Stars has placed in the top three in each of his last six races. He also secured a half-length victory over Bondi Beach in the Great Voltiguer Stakes last month – three recent winners in York, Enke (2012), Mastery (2009) and Lucarno (2007), all went on to win in Doncaster. Coral have Storm the Stars at 9/4, and the way things are going those odds are only going to shorten.

  • Storm the Stars – 9/4 at Coral

Walker Cup – 12th-13th September

The Walker Cup, amateur golf’s version of the Ryder Cup, takes place at Lytham St Annes this weekend. For Great Britain and Ireland the tournament provides a chance for retribution after a 17-9 reverse in 2013, the worst defeat since 1997. USA have won three of the last four Walker Cup ties and boast six of the world’s top 10 amateur golfers in their ranks, including world number two Maverick McNealy, but Great Britain and Ireland also have some top quality players to call upon. A number of the competitors starred in the Open at St Andrews this year, with the USA’s Jordan Niebrugge winning the silver medal for finishing sixth. Great Britain & Ireland’s Ashley Chesters finished 12th but it is Irishman Paul Dunne, who led the field with the best score after 54 holes from an amateur in Open history before finishing tied for 30th, who took the headlines in Scotland.

Dunne is one of five Irishmen in a tight-knit group, and although the USA pack plenty of firepower Great Britain and Ireland will be desperate to claim a home victory. Chesters, ranked sixth in the amateur standings, and 2015 Amateur Open Championship runner-up Grant Forrest are two of the senior players in the squad at 26 and 22 years old respectively, while 37 and 52-year-olds Scott Harvey and Mike McCoy, who are also the lowest ranked players in either squad, add plenty of experience to the visiting side. In the past 25 years, the USA have only prevailed three times in Great Britain or Ireland, and although that is an impressive record, it pales in comparison to their record of five wins and one defeat at home in the same period, or the eight-match winning streak between 1973 and 1987. However, the past can only carry the USA so far, and Sky Bet are offering 6/5 on Nigel Edwards’ side tasting success at Lytham St Annes come Sunday.

  • Great Britain & Ireland to win – 6/5 at Sky Bet

Anthony Joshua v Gary Cornish – 12th September

Anthony Joshua has gone from strength to strength since beginning his professional career shortly after becoming Olympic champion in 2012. Joshua has obliterated the competition in his opening 13 professional bouts, with none of his opponents taking him beyond the third round. Four opponents, including Michael Sprott, have been defeated in the first round, while Joshua’s second round victory over Kevin Johnson in May marked the first time the American had been stopped. After retaining the WBC International Heavyweight belt, Joshua has set his sights on winning the Commonwealth Heavyweight title.

In six foot seven, 18 stone Gary Cornish, Joshua may be facing his toughest test to date. Cornish, like Joshua, holds an unbeaten record after 21 fights, with 12 knockouts. The Highlander became the first Scottish heavyweight fighter to claim a significant title in May with a TKO victory over Zoltan Csala after four rounds which secured the IBO Inter-Continental Heavyweight belt, and Cornish now has his eyes on the Commonwealth Prize. Joshua is the much stronger fighter, that is for sure, and his previous thirteen opponents can attest to that fact. However, Cornish is a physical match for the six foot six English heavyweight, and Joshua will need to rely on his speed and patience as well as brute force to take down the Scot. That said, Ladbrokes’ offer of 8/1 on Joshua to win the bout in round four is a tempting one.

  • Anthony Joshua to win in round four – 8/1 at Ladbrokes