Our team of writers pick out their favourite antepost bets for 2025, including one at a big price for the Grand National plus a SPOTY play at 25/1.
RULING COURT arrived with a big reputation on debut at Sandown, having cost a remarkable €2.3million at the breeze-ups, and he looked very special when streaking clear of his rivals to justify odds of 9/4-on.
He started even-money favourite for the Acomb Stakes at York won by The Lion In Winter on the back of his impressive debut and, though he did show improved form, he didn’t quite meet market expectations.
Ruling Court wasn’t as mature as the winner, both beforehand (sweaty and edgy) and in the race itself, so it would be folly to suggest he hasn’t got the potential to turn that form around another day.
He is a scopey colt, very much the type to develop into an even better three-year-old, and odds of 16/1 may well underestimate his chance, particularly as the Acomb form has worked out so well. (Andrew Asquith)
The FA Cup continues to provide plenty of memorable giant-killing moments in its early rounds, however in terms of how it ultimately plays out this remains very much for the elite.
The Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have won all but four of the 33 Cups contested since 1991; Everton, Portsmouth, Wigan and Leicester being the teams to disrupt the status quo.
Manchester City and Liverpool share 9/2 favouritism with Arsenal and CHELSEA next in the betting at 7/1. The odds on Enzo Maresca’s side TO WIN THE FA CUP make little sense given they host Sky Bet League Two strugglers Morecambe while the Gunners take on holders Manchester United.
Chelsea are not only enjoying a phenomenal first Premier League season under Maresca, but their unrivalled squad depth has been on display most Thursdays in the (admittedly third-rate) Conference League, demonstrating the Blues’ capability to challenge in multiple competitions. (Joe Townsend)
Trainer Gavin Cromwell is widely considered to be among the upper echelons in the jumps game at this present moment and while Grand National glory has so far eluded him, he did come close when Vanillier flew home late to finish second to Corach Rambler in 2023.
This could be the year he goes one better as STUMPTOWN has evidently been sweetened up by a switch to the cross-country discipline over the past year or so.
He won as he liked at Cheltenham’s pre-Christmas meeting and is seemingly heading for the Festival with a massive chance. If all goes well there then he’d look tailor-made for a modern-day National as his previously sketchy jumping wouldn’t be so much of a concern.
There wouldn’t be any issues over him making the cut and stepping up to a marathon trip on decent ground at Aintree could yet spark further improvement in the thriving son of Laverock. (Matt Brocklebank)
This season's revamped Champions League format adds extra post-Christmas intrigue, with two rounds of 'group stage' style matches still to be completed in the new year. The top eight in the initial league phase progress automatically to the round of 16, with ninth-24th contesting an additional two-legged play-off.
Among the host of teams on the bubble hoping to avoid an extra round are ATLETICO MADRID; the congested nature of the table summed up by them being 11th, a point behind third-placed Arsenal.
Diego Simeone's side are Europe's in-form team, with victory at Barcelona taking their run of consecutive wins in all competitions to 12 and ensuring they entered the winter break top of La Liga.
An eye-catching 40/1 TO WIN THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, Atleti should be backed each-way, giving us 20/1 for them to reach the final, something achieved twice already under their wily Argentine coach. (Joe Townsend)
SPOTY
Ellie Kildunne to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year
Women's World Rugby player of the year ELLIE KILDUNNE may not yet be a household name but that could change in 2025 with the sport set to gain much more attention in England.
England host the World Cup and hopes are high for the Red Roses who are the top-ranked team in the competition and haven’t lost since they were narrowly denied in the final of the delayed 2021 World Cup (staged in 2022 due to Covid).
Sensibly priced tickets have helped organisers already shift more than 220,000, with further sale dates to come, and the games will be broadcast on BBC which opens the potential of a large TV audience should England progress as expected.
As one of England's main attacking threats, Kildunne is likely to stand out on the field and could well become the face of a rare English World Cup triumph, so she looks overpriced at 25/1. (Tony McFadden)
Expect to see RONNIE O’SULLIVAN back to his brilliant, peerless best in 2025, and he is backed to win a record eighth World Championship at the Crucible in May.
At the end of a dominant campaign, O’Sullivan ran out of steam at the quarter-finals stage of the World Championship last season when outlasted by Stuart Bingham, but it didn’t take the gloss off a glittering few months.
The Rocket has been much quieter this time around, clearly mindful of managing his workload across a long calendar, but there have been shoots of promise from the sport’s greatest ever player in recent weeks.
He could be primed to perfection by the spring, in a tournament that demands so much and has more recently been dominated by those arriving in Sheffield fresh and not jaded by long, arduous campaigns.
Clearly desperate to put the finishing touches to his legacy, O’Sullivan will be the man to beat at the Crucible. (Richard Mann)
Scottie Scheffler is the man to beat wherever he plays and it's going to be fascinating to see if he can add a major that isn't the Masters to his sensational collection of titles over the coming months.
However, if ever he's vulnerable it's when he knows less about what his ball will do when it hits the ground, something we saw at Pinehurst and at the Open Championship in an otherwise impeccable 2024.
With that in mind the Open stands out as the tournament to target for a decent each-way bet and JORDAN SPIETH stands out a mile.
Spieth is a former Open champion who has never missed the cut in 11 appearances, astonishing when you consider how quickly things can go wrong on a British or Irish links course, often without the player having had much say in the matter.
And as for where his game is right now, Spieth had a decent year undermined by a persistent wrist injury, for which he's now undergone successful surgery. Don't rule out a return to elite level soon and if that's happened by July, he'll look one of the biggest dangers to the favourite. (Ben Coley)
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