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It’s frightening to think that Lewis Hamilton is now as short as 2/5 to become World Champion in his rookie season. The young driving sensation is just 5/4 to finish in the points in all remaining races this season and an even more ludicrous 8/1 to be on the podium on each occasion. There is certainly a danger of ‘Hamiltania’ spiralling out of control, although he looks almost a certainty at 1/10 to be crowned BBC Sports Personality at the end of the year. However, there is no getting away from the fact that he is a unique talent.

He’ll line up at Magny-Cours almost certainly on the front row of the grid and many will be snapping up the 11/8 on offer at Boylesports about win number three on the trot. Hamilton racked up maximum points on the North American stage of the Championship and it’s impossible to oppose McClaren again as Ferrari have fallen behind. The Italians are 35 points behind their rivals in the constructor’s championship and although they fared better in Indianapolis than in Canada, they still look some way short of the Silver Arrows. They will be boosted by Raikkonen posting the fastest lap of the race in Indianapolis but they have a mountain to climb.

It is difficult to choose between Alonso and Hamilton at Magny-Cours, as the young Spaniard Champion has such a great record there. He has been on the podium on each of his last three visits to the track and won the race in 2005. The key to the outcome looks to be qualification, as Alonso will be desperate to claim pole. He will know that if Hamilton edges in front of him again for his third pole in a row, he will almost certainly become the number-two driver. I am keen to be with Alonso this time as I feel that without a victory in France, his title defence is almost certainly over.

It seems incredible that in June we are already starting to think about the football season. The Premiership will have some new faces with Sunderland, Birmingham and Derby all returning to try their luck again. Interestingly, to mark their sponsorship of Sunderland this term, Boylesports have released a host of specials on the Black Cats. They can be backed at 50/1 to claim a Champions League spot and 12/1 to secure a UEFA cup spot. Although we’ll leave those fancy prices for Sunderland fans! More interestingly, Boylesports have plenty of faith in their team and rate them as 2/9 shots to stay up and 3/1 to go back down.

It’s a busy time of year in the transfer market and I would advise punters to hold onto their cash until squads are finalised and shirts printed. However, that said, a good investment looks to be Chelsea’s Didier Drogba as top goalscorer. The Ivorian star had a stunning season last year and is definitely the Blues’ main talisman. The 6/1 available at Skybet looks very generous, especially as market favourite Thierry Henry may be playing his football at the Nou Camp next year. It’s worth taking a position now as he’s bound to be a lot shorter come August.

It’s Irish Derby Day at the Curragh on Sunday and Eagle Mountain fans will be relieved to know there is no Authorized in the field. We all know Authorized is a superstar but I reckon Eagle Mountain is pretty good too and fancy him strongly. At the time of writing, he is around 6/4 on Betfair and those odds must be snapped up. He’s likely to face opposition from France but I think he’ll destroy a relatively week field. His Guineas and Derby form is rock solid and he’s my bet of the week.

This week’s trades:

Football Portfolio:

Premiership Golden Boot

3pts e/w Didier Drogba at 6/1 (1/4 odds 1.2.3.4) with Skybet

Trading strategy – look to lay back stake in December

Non-Football Portfolio:

Formula 1

French Grand Prix

4pts win Fernando Alonso at 11/8 with Boylesports

Trading strategy – stay in for profit

Horse racing

Irish Derby

10pts win Eagle Mountain at 2.5 on Betfair

Trading strategy – stay in for profit

Results:

23/06/07 -8pts Royal Ascot trades

19/06/07 +6.25pts England 3-0 (Test Series)

17/06/07 - 2pts Els (US Open)

Performance – 42 winning bets from 77 recommended bets (since Sports Trader began on 9 November 2006)

Profit – +244.25pts to advised stakes since start