April heading into May is always a busy period on the sporting calendar and at Bet365 Sport, this is when the site really kicks into gear heading into what is likely to be another busy summer of sport in the UK and across the globe.
This weekend, Bet365 are highlighting three major sporting events in the UK. First up is Newmarket Racecourse and the first weekend in May means only one thing, Guineas Festival weekend
, with the first two classic races of the Flat Season, the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas being contested over consecutive days over the Rowley Mile.
At the same time as the Guineas Festival however, there are a number of crucial football matches taking place across the UK, with the final week of fixtures for all 72 teams in the Football League (with plenty still to be settled across the three division).
Plus there is also the chance that Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea could be crowned Premier League Champions at Stamford Bridge in their home game with Chelsea, plus a whole host of games involving teams fighting for European places or avoiding the drop.
So let’s take a look at each of the big sporting events that Bet365 Sport is offering plenty of betting action, including in play betting, over this weekend in a bit more detail.
Of course to get in on any of this week’s sporting action, first you’ll need to join Bet365. It’s easy, plus new UK account holders will get free Bet365 Sports bets just for signing up.
The Guineas Festival
This weekend sees two exciting days of horseracing action at the Home of Racing in the UK, Newmarket. The Guineas Festival sees the 2,000 Guineas run on Saturday, followed by the 1,000 Guineas for fillies run on Sunday. Together both races are the first two of the five ‘classic’ races of the flat racing season in the UK.
The 2,000 Guineas has a history going back over 200 years and in its time has been won by some of the biggest names in horseracing like Nijinski, Nashwan, Entrepreneur, Golan, Rock of Gibraltar, Camelot, Dawn Approach and Frankel.
Night of Thunder gave jockey Kieran Fallon his fifth 2000 Guineas victory last year. The Aiden O’Brien trained Gleneagles is the current 9/4 favourite with Bet365 at the moment, with Territories a 6/1 shot and Estidhkaar a 7/1 shot. Of the outsiders, Ivawood has been backed in from 16/1 to 14/1 and now 12/1 on the back of good reports from his stable, while Highland Reel has shown excellent form and looks good value as an each way bet at 10/1.
Sunday’s 1,000 Guineas looks, if anything to be a much closer race with the three-year-old fillies seemingly much closer together in terms of ability and form. Found is the 4/1 favourite at the time of writing, with Lucida a 9/1 shot, Fadhayyil 6/1 and Together Forever at 7/1 However it is a very tight spread with only 8 points between the current favourite and the 10th rated horse in the field Jellicle Ball at 12/1.
It does look like being a very open race on Sunday and as such, the condition of the ground will be pivotal in deciding which of the runners stands the best chance of success come the Sunday’s race.
There’s always a huge number of markets you can bet on with Bet365 for the Guineas Festival so do check into the site via PC or your mobile if you fancy a flutter on the first two classics of the season, or any of the other top quality races scheduled for the weekend.
Final Day of Fixtures in the Football League
It’s a massive weekend for the 72 teams in the Football League as the final weekend of fixtures takes place and there’s still plenty up for grabs in each of the three divisions.
In the Championship, Middlesbrough need to win and Bournemouth need to lose, plus there has to be a change in goal difference of 19 between the two in order for Boro to steal ahead of Bournemouth to the automatic promotion slot. That equates to Bournemouth losing 9-0 and Middlesbrough winning 10-0, which is just not going to happen.
However there’s still plenty up for grabs in terms of the final playoff spot with Ipswich, Derby, Brentford and Wolves all competing for the final two playoff spaces.
In League One, Preston and MK Dons will fight it out to join Bristol City in the Championship next season automatically, with the third place team of the two entering the playoffs with Swindon, Sheffield United and Chesterfield. At the foot of the table, three from Notts County, Crawley Town, Leyton Orient and Colchester will drop down, with just one of that quartet surviving.
Burton Albion and Shrewsbury Town are confirmed as promoted from League Two and one from Bury, Southend and Wycombe will join them depending on the results on the final day. The two teams that don’t clinch the automatic spot will enter the playoffs alongside Stevenage and Plymouth, while at the foot of the table Cheltenham and Tranmere Rovers are already confirmed as dropping out of the league.
As always, there will be plenty of action on Bet365 Sports for all football league clubs this weekend, so don’t forget to tune in to place your bets.
Will Chelsea be Crowned Champions?
Finally, this Saturday (depending on how Chelsea get on against Leicester City in midweek) Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea could conceivably be crowned Champions if they manage to collect six points from their games with Leicester in midweek and then again at the weekend at home to London rivals Crystal Palace.
That is by no means a formality especially with Leicester having won all of their last four games and Chelsea enjoying a comfortable ten point lead (with a game in hand) at the top of the table. If the Foxes manage to grab something from this game in midweek, then Chelsea may need to wait a little while to claim the title.
However there is little doubt now that Chelsea will be crowned Champions soon. With three home games and two away games left, Jose Mourinho’s men are well set to be crowned the Premier League’s new kings a few games before the end of the season.
You can bet on Chelsea’s games, as well as a host of other crucial Premier League clashes at Bet365 Sport, including extensive Live In Play betting options, plus a host of other promotions too.