John Burke

John Burke

I have a MA in International Politics and having spent a number of years working in political campaigning but I eventually I realised that politics was not the world where I wanted to work I had been interested in horse racing since the late 1980s but in the early years I was merely just betting and watching racing like most people as a bit of fun and a hobby, then the hobby becomes a passion and that’s what happened to me with horse racing. I soon realised that to make money from my hobby I had to learn as much as I could about the sport and betting in general. The whole process took time but after a number of successful years of betting, I decided in 2011 to take the plunge, gave up my full time day job and decided to bet on horse racing as a part time business and I haven’t looked back since. I like to specialise in the better class of races and I love to solve the puzzles posed by big field handicaps the latter races often provide punters with great value betting opportunities. Whilst most of my time is spent reviewing previous races I like to keep things as simple as possible as even the biggest field handicaps can usually be pruned down to half a dozen strong contenders with the right sort of approach.
  • Dec- 2016 -
    27 December
    Advice
    horse racing

    Weekly Eye-catchers – Horse Racing

    Well I hope you enjoyed a good Christmas Day and also the veritable feast of top class horse racing on Boxing Day. As I mentioned last week it’s a different column this week, as I take a look at the days big betting race the Coral Welsh Grand National at Chepstow. Coral Welsh Grand National Preview A handicap chase to…

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  • 20 December
    Advice
    horse racing

    Weekly Eye-catchers – Horse Racing

    Last week’s horse racing kind of passed me by as I was down with the winter ‘vomiting’ virus that has been in the news for last few weeks. I have to say it’s the first time I have suffered from a virus like that one and I hope it’s a long time before I do again. Well, at least I…

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  • 13 December
    Advice
    horse racing

    Weekly Eye-catchers – Horse Racing

    Another weekend of high quality horse racing with Cheltenham’s two day International Meeting providing most of it. A slightly different look to this week’s column, as I will start by looking at those running at the weekend that should be noted for some big races later in the season including a 25/1 ante post selection for the Mares Hurdle at…

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  • 6 December
    Advice
    horse racing

    Weekly Eye-Catchers – Horse Racing

    The top jumps horse racing just continues to deliver, after last weekend’s Hennessey Gold Cup and this weekend we a thrilling renewal of the Tingle Creek Chase at Sandown and at Aintree we saw a return to racing over the Grand National fences. Before looking at this week’s horses for your trackers here is my usual take on the weekend’s…

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  • Nov- 2016 -
    29 November
    Advice
    horse racing

    Weekly Eye-catchers – Horse Racing

    Another fantastic weekend of horse racing is over after the Bet365 Festival at Newbury on Friday and Saturday, culminating in the latest renewal of that great Handicap Chase the Hennessey Gold Cup. Before looking at this week’s eyecatchers I will take a brief look at the weekend’s action from Newbury and two of the best performances. River Flows to Hennessey…

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  • 15 November
    Advice
    horse racing

    Weekly Eye-catchers – Horse Racing

    Cheltenham Says Farewell to Sprinter Sacre Not sure whether it’s the big fields or the arrival of the rain but the jumps horse racing over the weekend was excellent and really got the juices following for the coming winter months. It’s been a very quiet period for the jumps eyecatchers so far, mainly due to the small fields, but the…

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  • 8 November
    Advice
    horse racing

    Weekly Eye-catchers – Horse Racing

    Best Wishes to Freddie Tylicki In the last week, horse racing has been in the news for the wrong reasons. Firstly, jockey Freddie Tylicki was involved in a shocking looking four horse pile up at Kempton on Monday 31st October. That incident has left the jockey paralysed from the waist down which is heartbreaking for both him and his family.…

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  • 1 November
    Advice
    horse racing

    Weekly Eye-catchers – Horse Racing

    When Will the Rains Come? It was the weekend when the horse racing focus changed from the flat to the National hunt winter season. There was an excellent card at Ascot and at Wetherby we had Charlie Hall Day, with that race providing Cue Card with his seasonal reappearance. This weekend’s racing was run on good ground and indeed at…

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  • Oct- 2016 -
    25 October
    Advice
    horse racing

    Weekly Eye-catchers – Horse Racing

    Horse Racing’s Flat Season Staggers to A Finish! Well, the flat turf season continues to stagger on until its final finish at Doncaster in less than two weeks. I think Racing Post Trophy Day at Doncaster should be in the end of the season. I know some will cry “what about the November Handicap?” Well move it to this meeting…

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  • 18 October
    Advice
    horse racing

    Weekly Eye-catchers – Horse Racing

    Qipco Champions Day at Ascot looked on paper like the best days horse racing of the season and so it turned out to be. The meeting started with Jim Crowley being crowned Champion Jockey and Josephine Gordon being crowned Champion Apprentice. A great achievement by the former but for me, Josephine’s win in the apprentice title race was even better.…

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  • 10 October
    Advice
    horse racing

    Weekly Eye-catchers – Horse Racing

    A couple of excellent days horse racing at Newmarket, on Friday and Saturday, with the latest renewal of the Future Champions Festival and some really excellent performances in the two Group 1 juvenile races. This was the second running of this particular Festival and I have to say that it looks capable of going from strength to strength. Prior to…

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  • 4 October
    Advice
    horse racing

    Weekly Eye-catchers – Horse Racing

    What a great weekend of horse racing just gone culminating on the Sunday with latest running of the Prix de l’ Arc de Triomphe this year at Chantilly. Just the three winners from thirteen runners for Eyecatcher Pro subscribers in the past week at 5/1 (early priced advised at 8/1), 11/2 and 7/4 but more importantly another profit made and…

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  • Sep- 2016 -
    27 September
    Tipshorse racing

    Weekly Eye-catchers – Horse Racing

    Spark Plug Fires in Cambridgeshire For Eyecatcher Subscribers! What a week of horse racing for the column as Spark Plug landed the valuable Cambridgeshire Handicap. Hopefully plenty of Eyecatcher Pro subscribers took my advice and got on him at the 33/1 with Coral that I recommended after the horses run at York. Spark Plug was one of 6 winners for…

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  • 20 September
    Tipshorse racing

    Weekly Eyecatchers – 70

    Not as high class horse racing as last weekend but there were some notable performances on Saturday that are worth looking at in a bit of detail. Again, not too many eyecatchers this week, just three, but I have got an ante post selection for next months Champion Sprint at Ascot and I will add a couple of eye-catching two…

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  • 17 September
    Advice
    horse racing

    Saturday’s Big Race Previews

    The big horse racing action moves to Ayr on Saturday with the annual running of the cavalry charge known as the Ayr Gold Cup. The racing may not have the same class of horses running as last Saturday but it looks very competitive with plenty of big field handicap puzzles for punters to solve. Hopefully I will be able to…

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  • 13 September
    Advice
    horse racing

    Weekly Eye-catchers – Horse Racing

    What a weekend of horse racing in Britain, Ireland and on Sunday over in France with Arc Trials Day at Chantilly. The “race of the decade” took place on Saturday at Leopardstown with the Irish Champion Stakes and the St Leger at Doncaster provided plenty of drama and a big priced surprise winner. Plenty to look at then and, indeed…

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  • 6 September
    Advice
    horse racing

    Weekly Eye-catchers – Horse Racing

    Well, autumn has arrived and you can tell that season has changed with the end of evening turf horse racing as the nights draw in. September can be a very cruel month for punters as the ground can change quickly away from summer quick ground, as we saw at Haydock on Saturday. But there’s still plenty of top class horse…

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  • Aug- 2016 -
    30 August
    Advice
    horse racing

    Weekly Eye-catchers – Horse Racing

    Well after last week’s “War and Peace” sized article a much shorter one this week. We are almost in September and a change from summer to autumn is about to take place and the horse racing also sees a change too as those horses that have been put away for an autumn campaign start to race again. Now is the…

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  • 23 August
    Advice
    horse racing

    Weekly Eye-catchers – Horse Racing

    Well that’s another Festival finished for another year but there are still plenty of horse racing’s summer/autumn festivals to come with the St LĂ©ger meeting at Doncaster and the Western meeting at Ayr in September. My Betting Week On The Knavesmire A good week for the Eyecatchers with a win for the Alan King trained Oceane at 7/1, in the…

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  • 16 August
    Advice
    horse racing

    Weekly Eye-catchers – Horse Racing

    Another short article with just the four horses for your trackers this week. Last weekends’ horse racing wasn’t the highest in terms of quality but there were a couple of performances that stood out and I will look at those later. Just one day before the start of York’s four day Ebor Festival. It’s my favourite of the summer festivals…

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