9-1 UP OVER PRICEWISE SO DAQMAN AIMS FOR THE BULL: Leading 9-1 in his recent challenge to Pricewise, Daqman names three bets (against two by the Racing Post man) for The Ladbroke, each to win 50 points. If one of them hits the ‘bull’, he bags 40 from the race.
7.6 NAP AND BIG DOUBLES BID: Taking on Pricewise again, he naps a morning offer of 7.6 on BETDAQ at Haydock. The horse, Saffron De Cotte, is trained by Henry Daly, who also saddles Brave Buck at Ascot earlier. ‘I think he’ll get one, so I’ve backed both,’ says Daqman, who tries for a Christmas box with some big Daq Multiples doubles.
2.05 Haydock (Tommy Whittle Chase) Surrey National winner Emperor’s Choice, 6.6 favourite on BETDAQ this morning in an open race, needed the race on his return in the Southern National.
Tartak, third at the Cheltenham Festival in March, looked on the way back on his reappearnce. Night Alliance was hit 17lb by the handicapper for back-to-back wins in November
Saffran De Cotte, 7.6 as I write, finished his novice-chase career with recent winners De La Bech and Global Power behind him at Chepstow, and ran soundly on his reappearance, a decent prep for this and looks the one to be on.
Trainer Henry Daly had three wins and two placed from six still standing in five days, and ‘Saffron’ has already won a bumper and a hurdle at Haydock on heavy. Now for the chase to make it a hat-trick of all three disciplines.
2.25 Ascot (Long Walk Hurdle) Both Reve De Sivola (outpaced at a crucial stage) and At Fishers Cross (not jump well) were out of sorts at Newbury in late November.
Reve De Sivola won this last year and scored back to back by taking the Cleeve Hurdle at Cheltenham in January, the exact same (I collect tautology) as Big Buck’s had done the year before.
Salubrious, from the Big Buck’s yard, has a long way to go to emulate his stablemate, though his official mark 8lb lower than At Fishers Cross (they were one-two at Newbury a year ago) does not take into account his second in the Relkeel Hurdle recently.
Reunited with Tony McCoy, At Fisher’s Cross could be his old courageous self again here but my bet would have to be to banker stakes and I can’t feel that confident.
3.00 Ascot (Silver Cup) They don’t carry big weights well in this (no recent winner above 11st 1lb), with Monkerhostin, Neptune Collonges and Roberto Goldback all beaten since 2008.
And Triolo d’Alene’s old rival, Houblon Des Obeaux, is 13lb better off than when behind Triolo in the Hennessy and 3lb better than when he beat the same horse at Ascot.
Team Pipe knows the value of a light weight, having won it with Horus (10st 1lb in 2003) and Vodka Bleu ((10st 3lb in 2007), Vodka Bleu coming off a sequence of bad runs, three races in which he was beaten a total of 131 lengths.
And it’s not impossible for Problema Tic (a huge 30.0) to bounce back after a ‘P’ over fences and a down-the-field run over hurdles on his two autumn starts.
Storm Survivor is a bit quirky (‘you can’t be hard on him’). But, also off a featherweight, Cedre Bleu (around 6.0 on BETDAQ this morning) looks ‘the one most likely to’ and will never be better placed in a handicap.
3.35 Ascot (The Ladbroke) I put up the Fred Winter fifth Totalize in the week when 16-1 with bookies but the word was out before BETDAQ opened with offers of 12.5.
I also warned in my preview that Paul Nicholls had more than a sneaking regard for the then 25-1 shot Irish Saint, who would welcome rain. He’s got it.
At the start of the year, after an impressive British debut, Irish Saint was beaten a couple of lengths or so by Rolling Star in the Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham, after trying to make all. Irish Saint now has 8lb with which to make up the deficit on Rolling Star on a flat track.
But Rolling Star is said to have made ‘dramatic physical improvement during the summer’. Maybe Nicholls will do better with Ptit Zig?
Ptit Zig boosted Fred Winter form (he was third) by winning an Auteuil Grade 1, but is 21lb worse off with Totalize, who is also a stone better with the winner that day, Flaxen Flare.
Dell’ Arca had Flaxen Flare in fourth in the Greatwood last month on his British debut. Revised weights now give Flaxen Flare 8lb to turn the tables but Dell’Arca could be an even better horse on soft-heavy, which he used to love in France.
Chatterbox hasn’t had the soft ground he needs since completing a novice hat-trick and was held up in his work before his reappearance Gerry Feilden second to Ifandbutwhynot, though that one had been only 10th to Dell’Arca in the Greatwood (Pine Creek 6th).
Chatterbox may have been flattered when he floored the odds on My Tent Or Yours on heavy at Newbury but he showed his love for the mud and his ability to quicken off it.
City Slicker comes here for his love of right-handed tracks but has been hit hard by the handicapper. Kaylif Aramis also likes deep ground and the stable has been flying.
DAQMAN’S VERDICT: A lot is being made of stamina today because of the ground but, in fact, winners of this on any surface are 17-19f animals at most, so my money will not be on 20-21f winner Kaylif Aramis.
Only when the ground is good to soft or better do horses above 11st win this, but I find the bottom half of the handicap contains only Dell ‘Arca and Totalize of any class and comfortable in the ground. So I’m adding Chatterbox to give me three against the field. All are around 11.0, so i will try to win 40 points with three bets.
DAQMAN’S BETS (to win 20 points each except bull’s-eye bets and multiples)
BET 5.2pts win BRAVE BUCK (12.45 Ascot)
BET 9pts win PENDRA (1.50 Ascot)
BET 3pts win (nap) SAFFRON DE COTTE (2.05 Haydock)
BET 4pts win CEDRE BLEU and (Outsider Of The Day) 0.7pts win and place PROBLEMA TIC (3.00 Ascot)
BULL’S-EYE BET (each to win 50 points): 5pts win on each CHATTERBOX, DELL’ARCA and TOTALIZE (3.35 Ascot)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 3 x 2pt win doubles SAFFRON DE COTTE (2.05 Haydock) with CHATTERBOX, DELL’ARCA and TOTALIZE (3.35 Ascot) and 3 x 1pt win trebles the same four with AT FISHER’S CROSS (2.25 Ascot)
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