China probably should be favourites to win most Gold medals, but the market has over-reacted to their (limted) early success. After 3 of 16 days of the Olympics (and 34 of the 302 gold medals decided), the standings are as follows:

Managed to win just over £200 on the Aussie football overnight which is always a good way to start the day. Loads of action on the horses as you would expect on a Saturday. Tipping Legends put up seven horses, but the only return was an each way on Giganticus, 3rd at 16/1. Profitable but very frustrating day for us Isiris members. Kevin put up Papal Bull each way for the King George ante-post. Advised at 14/1, shortened up during the week but drifted back to that price on Saturday. I've yet to see the race but Papal Bull finished second, beaten half a length by Duke of Marmalade the pair finishing 9 lengths in front of the third. I understand Papal Bull traded at 1.1 in running, so narrowly missed out on a £3500 payday. More angst for Isiris followers as Kevin on-line on Saturday evening with an each way insider priced between 25/1 - 33/1. Kielty's Folly was the horse in question, each way 1234 and of course the damn thing came in fifth, although at least it wasn't a close fifth - that would have been a major kick in the teeth.

Read the complete story at JP's Betting Blog.

In Atlanta 2004 the Olympic Medals Total Tally for the top 3 countries was as follows:

Gold Silver Bronze Total

1. United States 36 39 27 1022.

Russia 27 27 38 923.

China 32 17 14 63.

I am very suprised to see that 11/10 at William Hill/Betfair is availible on USA. Home advantge will count somewhat, (as well as the desire of the China state apparatus to win), but for China to overturn a 39 medal deficit would be an incredible achievement. I believe that they would need to make signficant improvements in both swimming and athletics (where the most medals are), and there is no indication of this. I actually think that Russia may still retain 2nd place.

N.B. Don't make the mistake that a China medal win = a USA model loss (i.e. a net 20 medal swing is all that is required - in many cases the medals that China are targetting are not currently held by USA.

Read the complete story in KickingBets Blog.

The Academy Awards 2008 Predictions including "Best Picture", "Best Director", "Best Actori", "Best Actress", "Best Supporitng Actor" and "Best Supporting Actress" from various blogs and sites:

Best Picture:

Oscar Frenzy: "Well, well, well. It all comes down to this, right? “The Kite Runner” is out for reasons specified above. “His Dark Materials” is probably not going to win since it’s the first of a trilogy and “Atonement” may not have a wide enough appeal. That means the race comes down to “Reservation Road” vs. “My Blueberry Nights.” You would think the obvious choice is “Reservation,” since it’s a serious drama with hefty, possible award-winning performances and backed by Focus. But we still feel it may be a bit too dark and depressing to snag the top prize. Call us crazy, but this may just very well be the first year since 1998 (”Shakespeare in Love”) that another romantic comedy beats them all. It would be fitting, actually, since it is exactly a decade later. Our pick for 2008 Best Motion Picture is “My Blueberry Nights"."

Alternative Film Guide Blog: "No Country for Old Men. Until late last week, things were still somewhat murky in the best film race. No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood were the front-runners, while Juno was the dark horse that could potentially upset the heavy-drama heavyweights. But after the SAG best ensemble and DGA wins, No Country for Old Men, about a drug deal gone murderously wrong, has become the official front-runner."

BetFirms Blog: "Best Picture is a tough one this year, but Juno will likely take the cake on this one. The hot new cast and buzz worthy stripper-turned-screen writer (yep, it’s true) has caught everyone’s eye in the past few months. This fresh story has caught the attention of day time talk shows everywhere and it’s doubtful that it will lose any publicity in the next few weeks. Rivaled by Atonement and No Country for Old Men, the Grammy could very well be stolen by any one of these note worthy blockbusters."

John's  Movie Blog: "No Country for Old Men, pure and simple. It is the best of the lot and the most unanimously praised. There was a time when There Will Be Blood was considered a serious threat but the DGA and PGA wins for the Coens' film are clear indicators that No Country for Old Men is not budging. Some feel that if those two films split among their target audiences, Juno might take the crown but it is still a little too feathery and lightweight (which is probably like Little Miss Sunshine last year). As for Michael Clayton and Atonement, the nominations are their ultimate rewards (though I think Atonement is the close second here)."