Daily tips for October 10

Racing for October 10

Horse racing: Ballarat (Vic), Gosford (NSW), Sunshine Coast (Qld), Northam (WA). Harness racing: Redcliffe (Qld), Penrith (NSW), Kilmore (Vic). Greyhound racing: Warragul (Vic), Dubbo (NSW), Shepparton (Vic), Maitland (NSW), Warrnambool (Vic), Sandown Park (Vic), Angle Park (SA), Dapto (NSW), Hobart (Tas), Albion Park (Qld), Mandurah (WA).

Talk about contrasts – the mercury is set to top 40C during today’s meeting at Gosford while Victorian punters will be digging out the thermals for a cold and wet trek to Ballarat. All eyes will be on the Team Hawkes runner Notlisten’tome in the last race after his scratching at Mornington yesterday but my best of the day comes up earlier in the program. Danny O’Brien’s #10 Australian Venture looks well placed to be scoring his first career win in race 3, the James & Son Maiden Plate (1400m). The 3yo colt has shown plenty of promise during his three career outings to date, with a second resuming at Bendigo last start. He was doing his best work late and gave every indication a rise to 1400m at Ballarat will be ideal. Expected improvement should make for a soft win however even on latest figures Australian Venture should prevail. The Qatar Bloodstock-raced colt will get a perfect run in transit from barrier 3, sitting either one pair off or outside the leader. Under the guidance of Damien Oliver, Australian Venture should be looming large upon straightening before a maiden success ensues.

Suggested bet: Ballarat R3 #10 Australian Venture WIN (two units) LOSE (U/P)

Other tips

Ballarat R1 #9 Brewing (win) 1st ($2.90)

Ballarat R4 #11 La Amistad (win) 1st ($1.90)

Ballarat R5 #1 Tabloid (win) LOSE (U/P)

Ballarat R8 #15 Notlisten’tome (win) 1st ($1.60)

Gosford R4 #13 So French (E/W) 3rd ($2.00)

Gosford R6 #5 Gust Of Power (E/W 1x4) 1st ($3.90/$1.60)

Gosford R7 #6 Klisstra (E/W 1x2) 1st ($4.40/$1.80)

Sunshine Coast R1 #2 Life Patrol (E/W) 3rd (NTD)

Sunshine Coast R6 #1 Auguste (E/W 1x2) LOSE (4th)

Harness racing tip: Penrith R1 #10 Zenyatta (E/W 1x2) 1st ($7.30/$2.00)
Greyhound racing tip: Dapto R5 #5 You Name Me (win) LOSE (4th)

NHL for October 10

Montreal Canadiens (1-1-0) @ Calgary Flames (1-0-2), Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB, Canada, Thursday, October 10, 10.05am

Lars Eller and the Montreal Canadiens were feeling good after posting their first victory last weekend. The mood, however, could become more sombre in Calgary, where they haven’t won in almost 12 years. The Canadiens try to snap a seven-game winless stretch at Scotiabank Saddledome when they begin a four-game road trip against the Flames here. After suffering a 4-3 season-opening loss to Toronto, Montreal (1-1-0) bounced back Saturday with a 4-1 win over Philadelphia. Eller was one of four players to tally a goal and an assist and Alex Galchenyuk added two helpers. On the verge of a possible breakout campaign, the 24-year-old Eller has already notched three goals and two assists. The Canadiens now hit the road, where they went 15-7-2 last season to finish with 32 points, tied for fourth-most in the NHL. Montreal, however, is 0-6-0 with one tie in its last seven road games against the Flames, losing the last six by a combined 24-12 score.

The Canadiens, who have also dropped three straight and six of seven in the series overall, haven’t won in Calgary since a 4-2 victory on January 5, 2002. The Flames (1-0-2) have compiled at least one point in each of their first three contests after falling 5-4 to Vancouver in overtime on Sunday. Joey MacDonald stopped just 23 shots for Calgary, which went 0 for 3 on the power play for the second straight game. The Flames are 1 for 11 on the man advantage and have allowed 12 goals. Former Flames forward Rene Bourque, who was sent to Montreal in January 2012, will play his 500th career game in his second trip back since the trade. Montreal’s Carey Price, who made 22 saves Saturday, has compiled a 4.37 goals-against average in losing each of his three starts against Calgary. Canadiens left wing Max Pacioretty is likely to return after sitting out against the Flyers with an arm injury.

Suggested bet: Game total +5.5 (2.5 units @ $1.83) LOSE, Calgary WIN (one unit @ $1.95) WIN (2-3)

Other tips

Blackhawks @ Blues WIN $1.83 WIN -5.5 $1.68 WIN (2-3)

Senators WIN $2.22 LOSE @ Kings -5 $1.91 LOSE (3-4)

Feature: Has Barney enjoyed his last session at Moe’s?

It’s been more than a decade since a regular character on The Simpsons met an unhappy ending. That unfortunate soul was Maude Flanders, who was tragically killed when she was knocked off a grandstand by a T-shirt cannon at the Springfield Speedway in 2000.

Executive producer Al Jean recently recently revealed that another long-time character will be killed off this season: “I'll give you a clue that the actor playing the character won an Emmy for playing that character, but I won't say who it is," Jean said. Based on that hint, the list can be narrowed down to Grampa Simpson, Barney Gumble or Krusty the Clown (Dan Castellaneta), Chief Wiggum, Moe, Carl, Cletus, Apu, Comic Book Guy and several others voiced by Hank Azaria, Sideshow Bob (Kelsey Grammer) and Princess Penelope (Anne Hathaway). William Hill set odds for which character it would be, with elementary school teacher Edna Krabappel favoured at 5-1. The early money came for Barney – the power belching friend of Homer, most often seen in episodes sitting on a bar stool at Moe’s.

I have to concur – Bernard “Barney” Arnold Gumble (pictured) may have been an A-student back at Springfield High, but he lost it all due to the alcohol and has, since then, been viewed as a disgrace by his whole family (none of who drinks). His father, Arnie Gumble, died in a 1979 parade float accident along with Sheldon Skinner, Iggy Wiggum, Etch Westgrin and Griff McDonald, all of who served in Abe Simpson’s WWII squad, the Flying Hellfish. As a teenager, Barney was Harvard-bound until Homer introduced him to beer on the night before they had to take the SATs. It has also been implied that he took to drinking after his high-school sweetheart Chloe Talbot left Springfield to become a successful TV reporter. Later, with Homer, he was a member of The Be Sharps barbershop quartet, in which his stellar Irish singing voice was discovered. Barney showed his artistic side again when he won top prize at the Springfield Film Festival for his moving documentary about his life as an alcoholic, titled Puke-a-hontas. Adios Barney?

MLB playoffs for October 10

NLDS game 5: Pittsburgh Pirates @ St Louis Cardinals, Busch Stadium, St Louis, MO, Thursday, October 10, 7.05am (series tied 2-2)

Heading into Game 5 of their NL division series against Pittsburgh, the Cardinals can take comfort in this – they're 7-1 the last three years when facing post-season elimination. St Louis manager Mike Matheny gambled and won on his rookie sensation and now gets to play his ace in the highest-stakes game of the season. Matheny will send 19-game winner Adam Wainwright (pictured) to the mound against the visiting Pittsburgh Pirates in a winner-take-all Game 5 of the National League Division Series. Matheny resisted the urge to pitch Wainwright in Game 4 and was rewarded when 22-year-old Michael Wacha took a no-hitter into the eighth in a 2-1 victory. RH Adam Wainwright (1-0, 1.29) was staked to an early seven-run lead and dominated in Game 1, limiting the Pirates to one run on three hits and striking out nine over seven innings. A winner of four straight starts, he stymied Pittsburgh on September 7 in St Louis, giving up only two hits in seven scoreless frames. Wainwright was 9-6 with a 2.53 ERA and four complete games in 17 home starts while holding hitters to a .217 batting average.

The Pirates will be facing an opponent they all know too well. It'll be the 24th meeting of the season, with the Pirates holding a 12-11 edge. Pirates manager Clint Hurdle is rolling the dice with his pitching staff, bypassing Game 1 starter A.J. Burnett in favor of rookie RH Gerrit Cole (1-0, 1.50 ERA), who was outstanding in winning Game 2. Pittsburgh has not captured a postseason series in 34 years and faces the daunting task of winning a deciding game on the road against a team that is 7-1 in playoff elimination games since 2011. The Pirates' only hit in Game 4 came on a home run by Pedro Alvarez, his third of the series. Cole pitched more like a staff ace than a 23-year-old rookie in Game 2, allowing only one run on two hits in six innings to win his fifth consecutive start. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 draft has yielded five runs during his winning streak and has permitted more than five hits only once in his last six outings. He thrived away from Pittsburgh with a 4-2 mark and 2.38 ERA in seven regular-season road starts.

Suggested bets: St Louis WIN (2.5 units @ $1.67) WIN, game total -6.5 (one unit @ $1.87) LOSE, St Louis by 1 (0.5 units @ $5.50) LOSE (1-6)

• Prices with thanks to Centrebet, correct at time of publication – for most people gambling is an exciting and fun recreational pursuit. For others it can become a problem with devastating consequences for them, their families and friends. We want you to enjoy your gambling experience. We want you to stay in control of your gambling and not allow your gambling to control you.