In a bid to raise £100,000 for the NSPCC, a dozen football personalities are taking part in the 'Racing to Help Children Tipster Competition', which began on Saturday.
Twelve months ago, it was Peter Reid who came out on top, and he will be hoping to retain his position as football's top racing tipster. However, the priority remains to try and raise substantial funds for charity and this year Reid has been joined by some of the biggest names in the game.
The Leeds United manager, who raised £70,000 a year ago, will take on Harry Redknapp, Sir Bobby Robson, Barry Fry, Sir Alex Ferguson, Andy Gray, Gordon Strachan, David Pleat, Sam Allardyce, Jim Smith, Steve Bruce and David O'Leary.
Each competitor has £7,000 to bet with, which has been donated by a kind sponsor, and the 12 participants will place their bets on selected races from the televised Channel Four racing coverage over three consecutive Saturdays.
The rules are as follows: the contestants may place bets on a maximum of three horses and a minimum of one horse, with no more than £3,000 to be staked on one Saturday. The minimum single stake on any horse will be £200 to win and £100 each way, with the maximum stake being £3,000 to win or £1,500 each way.
With the first round completed last weekend fans in the blue and white half of Birmingham will be delighted to hear that Blues' boss Steve Bruce has shot off into an impressive lead, after his three four-legged selections all duly obliged - winning at odds of 10/1, 7/2 and 5/1. As a result, Bruce, who has invested so wisely during his managerial reign at St Andrews, has seen his £7,000 pot grow to a massive £14,050.
The only other two people to show a profit after week one were Harry Redknapp, who is second on £8,975, just in front another keen racing man Sir Alex Ferguson.
Barry Fry, whose Peterborough team are languishing in the lower reaches of the Second Division, put all his eggs in one basket and backed 'Smart Predator' (how he could do with one of those at London Road at the moment) but unfortunately for Barry the horse finished unplaced.
Currently at the bottom of the table are Andy Gray, Sam Allardyce and David O'Leary who all lost over £2,000 on the opening day.
Whatever the results, the NSPCC will be the winner and let's hope that all those taking part have plenty of fun but, more importantly, raise as much money as possible for the charity.
