NAP HAS CHELTENHAM TARGET: Daqman tries to avoid the six consecutive two-year-old races at a rained-on Newmarket but is lured into a bet by Muhaarar’s half-brother. His nap runs at Fontwell ahead of a Cheltenham target.
HOT SPOTS FOR THE WEEKEND: Daqman continues his Hot Spots for BETDAQ racing on Saturday, and Sunday’s return of jumping at Aintree.
ABC GUIDE TOMORROW: Look out tomorrow for Daqman’s ABC guide to the Racing Post Trophy.
BETDAQ (S)POT OF GOLD OVER THE RAINBOW..
2.35 Doncaster, Saturday (Betdaq.com 2% Commission Handicap) Dungannon will try to bid for a hat-trick in this race off a mark below that of his two successes. A 5lb claimer will put him in 9lb lighter than last year’s official rating, and 16lb beneath his AW level.
His stalls position doesn’t seem to matter, since he was drawn 4 last time and 16 the previous year. But rain would be welcome. Both wins came on the soft.
When you consider that Robot Boy has tried his hand at both the Kings Stand Stakes and the Stewards Cup this season, a year when nothing has gone right for his yard, you’d have to put him on your short list.
David Barron is now in a decent seam of form and Robot Boy has been dropped 8lb since the Kings Stand.
Charles Hills’s Lucky Beggar has suckered me into following him downhill – 11lb lower, in fact – in six starts this term, and I would prefer to see the stable start Silver Rainbow instead.
My man in the long grass claims that the Lambourn base of the mighty Muhaarar hopes to get some black type for the grey daughter of Starspangledbanner.
Silver Rainbow’s 2015 launch was at Pattern level in the Fred Darling Stakes but she didn’t score until winning a class-4, dropped back to sprinting.
Very firm ground next time out stumped her up a bit and she had a long holiday until – after 80 days off – she ran a cracker under Paul Hanagan, a very fair fourth to The Tin Man around three weeks ago.
The Tin Man has since finished fourth himself, but to none other than Muhaarar, himself, in the Champions Sprint on Saturday.
HOT SPOT: If I knew Silver Rainbow would run right up to that level on Saturday, I’d have to price her up a short-odds favourite.
But be warned that I shall not bite your hand off in the orange until I’ve had a go at pushing the price out a bit.
After all, what could be finer than to cut my commission to 2% in the BETDAQ.com 2% Commission Handicap! You’ve gotta do it!
DUKE OF NAVAN ‘WILL WIN A NICE HANDICAP’
Wishful thinking? Not so. The misspelt horse of that name, Wishfull Thinking, has made a good fist of following in the hoofprints of Monet’s Garden in the Old Roan Chase.
Monet’s Garden won it three times, concluding at the age of 12. Wishfull Thinking has won and been second and will be 12 years old in Sunday’s renewal at Aintree.
Wishfull Thinking is on the same 162 mark as when winning this first time out last year, despite afterwards running second to Al Ferof, then winning the Peterborough Chase.
Trainer Philip Hobbs has scored with four of his last six starters, and jockey Richard Johnson has scored 10 times on the horse.
HOT SPOT: Apart from an obvious long-range plan here for Wishfull Thinking, one I’ve been told to keep an eye on may also run in the Old Roan. That’s Nicky Richards’ Duke Of Navan.
Better than the bare form; loves it when the mud is flying; and ‘he’ll win a nice handicap.’ Quote unquote, N Richards. I doubt that’s wishful thinking by this very shrewd trainer.
BIG-RACE-AIMED MISS CRICK CAN BE DYNAMITE
3.10 Newmarket Six consecutive two-year-old races suggest this card is one for watching not punting.
But Charles Hills runs Muhaarar’s half-brother Mootaharer, who has only newcomer Symbolic to fear, according to the betting.
5.15 Fontwell Alan King is so convinced of Miss Crick’s improvement during the close season that he’s tipping her up for the first big bumper of the season at Cheltenham in three weeks’ time.
Miss Crick should stay odds against, because of backers’ fear of her having to give away 7lb, but she was dynamite when fresh last season.
8.25 Kempton One at a price might be Roger Charlton’s Elemraan (8.0 offers on BETDAQ as I write).
Though 20-1 on his Kempton debut, when he finished seventh, he was the medium of a gamble down to 4-1 favourite, back there a couple of weeks’ later.
Despite defeat that day (lost second over 1m in last few strides), Elemraan was only 9-2 when he was hampered out of his third Kempton attempt, when Commodore and Dutiful Son were second and third.
Yorkshire raider Ustinov, bidding for a hat-trick, and outsider Muntadab (dropped in class but 22.0 in the orange as I write) are interesting but Elemraan’s progress has been disguised.
DAQMAN BETS (staked 1 to 9 for strength)
BET 8pts win MOOTAHARER (3.10 Newmarket)
BET 8pts win (nap) MISS CRICK (5.15 Fontwell)
BET 2pts win and place ELEMRAAN (8.25 Kempton)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 3pts win double Mootaharer (3.10 Newmarket) and Miss Crick (5.15 Fontwell) and 1pt win treble the same two with Elemraan (8.25 Kempton)
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