Betting on stocks or horses is much the same. No one knows which factors rule the end result - be they fundamentals or track records - but both can make you, or break you.

Of course, the big difference between the stock market and the racecourse is that in the corporate world some tips can lead to charges of 'insider trading' and jail, while getting the 'inside track' on a horse is more likely to lead to an enhanced reputation and a glass of champagne.

Tips are everywhere. The trick is being able to distinguish the good from the bad.

Hong Kong Jockey Club executive director of racing William Nader (above) has been gaining a reputation for his tips over the past couple of years as he mingles with guests on race days - we understand he has been more accurate than chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges.

As the Jockey Club prepares to celebrate the start of its 125th anniversary season tomorrow, Nader has come up with a portfolio of horses to suit different investment appetites until next summer.

He said the tips were inspired after attending three days of ceremonies at various temples to commemorate the start of the season.

He made three 'blue-chip' picks - Collection, Mr Medici and Thumbs Up; three 'growth' picks - King Dancer, Beauty Flash and Amigo; and five 'value' picks - Aashiq, Algarve, Flying Supreme, Young Witness and Victory Mascot.

To test out his accuracy, Nader came up with one to watch tomorrow - Brilliant Chapter in Race 4, the Chief Executive's Cup.

So much for the choices of a man-in-the-know, we then asked Jockey Club-designated fung shui master James Lee to come up with his tips for the season.

Rather than choose horses, Lee preferred to focus on the jockeys. He sees those whose surnames begin with a Y, G, K or T as having good luck, while the ones to avoid begin with O, S, W, V and J.

We will keep tabs on how the tipsters perform. Meanwhile, whether you are backing stocks or horses, remember it is not a science.

Rising from the ashes

Let's speak the unspeakable - the company in the dead body business is giving a much better return than the one dealing with life.

This week, the wonderfully minsnomered Sino-Life Group, which runs funeral services in Taiwan and on the mainland, has jumped 125 per cent from its debut price of 72 HK cents three days ago, closing yesterday at HK$1.62.

By contrast, China Life Insurance, the mainland's largest life insurer, is only up 3 per cent this week.

Prospects in the bag

When it comes to the alphabet soup of world recovery models, Zhu Min, a group executive vice-president of Bank of China, came up with an interesting observation during the World Economic Forum in Dalian yesterday.

'There is a decoupling of global economic growth - with the United States in an L shape recovery and China in a V shape,' he said. 'It's known as the LV recovery, or 'Luis Vuitton'.'

Jokes aside, Zhu went on to say that he was not convinced about any V shape recoveries in the near future for the global economy, adding that it was too early to talk about an 'exit strategy' for governments and their stimulus strategies.

House of cards

What happens when Singapore's first casinos open their doors next year is anybody's guess, but a vocal tycoon boldly predicts they will fail.

Hang Lung Group chairman Ronnie Chan Chichung (below), whose businesses are not involved in gambling, said the high rollers would never go to Singapore because it was a 'family entertainment' location.

'You think big rollers will go to Singapore where they have teeth and fangs coming out sideways? There are too many rules. I was in Sentosa island, I really think that it's going to be a flop.'

We reckon it is a safe bet that Chan will not be a cornerstone investor for Las Vegas Sands Corp, which is in the process of spinning off its Macau business in a Hong Kong listing.