Betlight (http://betlight.co.uk) is an odds comparison site with the added bonus of betting previews and useful betting tips. It’s a lot cleaner looking and easier to navigate than oddschecker, and has quick links to all the major bookies.

Worth a look, especially as the flat racing season gets up to speed – the site seems to be particularly strong on ante-post horse racing odds.

My tip for today is a straight forecast bet, with the Godolphin horse coming first and Michael Bell’s Coordinated Cut in second.

Best odds of 9/2 on Coordinated Cut would see a forecast dividend of around 9/1 on the 1-2 – a nice price for a fairly solid bet in my eyes.

Why am I discounting the two horses between Chabal and Coordinated Cut in the betting?

The first, Workforce, has been talked about endlessly as a class prospect but for me that’s all he is. One maiden win does not a Derby winner make, and I think it’s too risky to just go on that race and the horse’s admittedly exemplary pedigree when betting on the race.

The second, Cape Blanco, would probably have featured more in my reckoning a year ago. Two years ago I probably would have been all over him. But the O’Brien stable couldn’t win a raffle at the moment; this is the colt’s seasonal reappearance and again, I think he’s best watched in this race.

It’s far from nailed on – this is a top-quality renewal of the Dante Stakes, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Derby winner was on show today – but the Chabal-Coordinated Cut forecast looks too good value to turn down.

Forecast winnings will be the same at all bookies so no need to shop around – my advice here is to open a William Hill account and take advantage of the excellent William Hill Radio service to keep abreast of the latest news from the Knavesmire.

Dante Stakes betting tip

• Chabal/Coordinated Cut straight forecast in the Dante Stakes (2.40 at York)

Barry Hills’ Critical Moment looks the pick on the form book, with a third in the Craven Stakes under his belt so far this season. The winner of that race, Elusive Pimpernel, didn’t disgrace himself in the 2,000 Guineas last weekend and that makes the Hills colt a solid chance. Snap up the 11/4 on offer at Bet365, Sky Bet, Blue Square and Coral.

The O’Brien yard sends out Rocket Man, sure to be well backed, but it’s unlikely this is Ballydoyle’s strongest hope for the Derby and is probably best watched. His performance compared to the rest of the field may offer some clues about the Derby when the five-day decs come out and we have a real idea of O’Brien’s intentions.

Peter Chapple-Hyam’s Morana is another interesting runner, but I’m tentatively backing Critical Moment to win the Chester Vase.

Selection

• 2 points win Critical Moment (11/4, Bet365, Sky Bet, Blue Square and Coral) to win the Chester Vase

So we’re not going to look a gift horse in the mouth and plump for current joint favourite Red Cadeaux in the 2.45 at Chester, based on the winning trends over the last decade.

Four-year-olds like Red Cadeaux haven’t enjoyed a lot of success but last year’s winner was exactly that age. Irish horses have done naff all, so they’re ignored totally (for once). But the draw could be key here, with Red Cadeaux getting a good low draw, and his early season win also bodes well.

The form of that race worked out well over the weekend, another plus in Red Cadeaux’s favour. And he’s not too badly handicapped following it, so our Chester Cup betting tip has to be Red Cadeaux.

Northumberland Plate winner Som Tala would make more appeal if his price was bigger, but 12/1 just doesn’t look value compared to the 9/1 offered on Red Cadeaux at Bet365, Sky Bet, Blue Square, Ladbrokes and William Hill.

Chester Cup betting tip

• 2 points each-way Red Cadeaux (9/1, Bet365, Sky Bet, Blue Square, Ladbrokes and William Hill) to win the Chester Cup

Matt’s Grand National tips
I think we’re all agreed that there’s no value in betting on the favourite in the Grand National, so I’m ruling out Big Fella Thanks straight off. And, following the rules laid down in our five top Grand National betting tips, none of the rest of the favourites really appeal to me either – they’re either carrying too much weight or are just too young.

I really fancy Snowy Morning though, and at 16/1 with Skybet he’s about the right price for a Grand National winner.

Character Building would be a decent alternative and has a great jockey on board in Nina Carberry. My fear there is that the fuss around her being a woman will provoke a lot of emotional betting that will steal the value. If you can get the 20/1 that’s still on offer at Coral I’d take it and be happy.

Bernie’s Grand National tips
Following our five top rules I agree about Snowy Morning but would prefer something at a bigger price, and Hello Bud fits the bill for me. He’s 50/1 at William Hill – they’re only paying four places but I’d rather take 50s than 40s elsewhere and get paid if he finishes fifth. After all, why bet if you don’t think the horse has a chance of winning?

It’s like when people didn’t pay betting tax back in the 1990s – if you thought the horse was going to win the race, why would you gamble on having to pay a much bigger tax later?

Angus’s Grand National tips
I really don’t want to have to offer a Grand National betting tip because ultimately the race is such a lottery. Any other race I’d probably back Big Fella Thanks, who has the winning combination of Paul Nicholls and Ruby Walsh behind him. But 8/1 in a 40-horse handicap isn’t my idea of value.

The trends throw up some interesting horses, and Snowy Morning is probably my pick of the rest. But trends don’t tell the whole story, and I think it’ll be interesting to see how the French-bred horses perform.

We ignore them because of their bad record over time – but for most of the Grand National’s history, French horses just haven’t entered the race, so it’s unfair to judge them.

Compare that with last year. Aside from the winner, French horses filled three of the next six places. Another performance like that and our five top trends list will look very different in the 2011 National.

If you want my betting tip it’s to follow the trends we’ve laid down this year, though, and go for a few horses from the big-price category. If it’s a lottery, you may as well put the odds in your favour!

With this in mind I’ve picked out Ellerslie Gorge (100/1 with Bet365, Coral and William Hill) and Mr Pointment (125/1 with Coral). The latter is a quality horse, so at those odds I’m guessing there’s a strong chance he won’t run. But as all the main bookies are non-runner money back, I’ll re-invest my stake if that’s the case.