Free Runner A Potential DOI Springer
Dancing On Ice 2012 commences tonight, and this year’s field throws up many potential contenders.
Among the women, we like Jorgie Porter and Heidi Range at 8s and 12s respectively on the Outright and 7-2 and 5-1 to be Top Female.
Jorgie is this year’s Hollyoaks contender and they have an excellent record on the show. She says she has no fear which is ideal when it comes to the ice and on her VT she seems quite endearing. Being paired with the popular Matt is another positive. Heidi is a chirpy Scouse lass and we can see viewers growing to like her. These two women strike us as more likely winners than Jennifer Ellison and Chemmy Alcott. Jennifer will be popular with the public, paired with viewer favourite Dan, but at the business end we reckon her skating ability will likely be eclipsed by either Heidi or Jorgie, possibly both. Chemmy will likely be highly competent on the ice but set alongside the other women at the front of the market, we think she will struggle to get a strong public vote. She’s a bit too posh for ITV and the fact she is a downhill skier will likely make the public think she has an unfair advantage. She will also be ultra-competitive which is invariably a negative when it comes to women trying to strike the right balance with their public persona on these shows.
Among the men, favourite Matthew Wolfenden certainly ticks a lot of boxes and we would not recommend being red on him. But it’s always worth trying to pick a contender at bigger odds pre-series and the one we like is free runner Sebastien Foucan.
Fans of James Bond, will recognise him from the spectacular opening sequence of Casino Royale. Being such a great athlete he could progress in leaps and bounds over the course of the series, and may prove a highly entertaining daredevil. Being French is a potential negative and he may be vulnerable in early public votes – the GBP can prove an insular mob – but we can see him gaining a fan base as the series progresses and is worth backing at 14-1 e/w with Coral on the Outright and 6-1 to be Top Male. We suggest covering total stakes on Heidi, Jorgie and Sebastien by backing Matthew at a best-priced 7-2 on the Outright.
Rob Furber