NAPS DOUBLE AND 15-1 TREBLE UP: Following on Wednesday’s banker, Daqman yesterday made it back-to-back naps, with Idliketheoption (WON 5-2), the hub of three winning doubles and a near 15-1 treble as follows:
WON 5-2 Idliketheoption (nap)
WON 2-1 Verni
WON 1-2 Alpha Des Obeaux
19.0 OUTSIDER ‘HIGHLY REGARDED’: Daqman finds the jumps racing getting easier and the Flat racing harder in the big-field autumn countdown till the fat lady sings. So he’s at Cheltenham today for the nap and for a 19.0 bet on BETDAQ this morning, an outsider yet highly regarded at home.
IS THAT FRANKEL? NO IT’S A MIRAGE..
2.35 and 3.10 Doncaster The first four races form a tricky card of unexposed two-year-olds. Then it’s all change to a tricky card of exposed handicappers! Not much difference at Newbury, though there’s fewer of one and more of the other (pass!)
Cricketing trainer Sir Michael Stoute (pictured) has saved some juvenile spin for today: The Queen’s Swiftsure (2.35) Doncaster) is highly regarded and was given an easy on his soft-ground introduction, while son of Frankel, Mirage Dancer, is a price – 3.65 on BETDAQ – because of the money paid for John Gosden’s Valcartier (nearly a million euros).
4.20 Doncaster There may be an edge in this heat over the St Leger course in that three-year-olds have ransacked the race, taking the winner’s prize nine years out of 10.
Since the only second-season animals fielded today are with two of the best English trainers there’s ever been, I will rely on their 4.1 BETDAQ favourite Ruscombe (Sir Michael Stoute) and 5.4 market challenger Cape Cova (John Gosden).
PINKIE A PERKY 19.0 BETDAQ OFFER
2.10 Cheltenham Without a runner last year, Paul Nicholls goes for a hat-trick in this via El Bandit after 2013-14 back-to-back success.
But, as well as the obvious test – will his six-year-old handle Cheltenham? – Charles Byrnes sends over Black Warrior under firebrand Davy Russell because he needs the top of the ground. This is Davy’s only booked ride at the two-day meet.
Black Warrior, who has already stepped into a handicap and won, has shown he lacks nothing in courage and Byrnes has a 36% strike rate with his English raiders.
2.45 Cheltenham Nicholls, who has form figures of 1111130211113101, still standing, inside a week, saddles Marracudja, who looked good first time over fences but has worn a brace of aids in the last year, hood and tongue-tie, and I’m surprised he hasn’t had one of the many Ditcheat wind ops.
Such a big horse would normally need to avoid soft ground – going good today – but also an undulating track, so Cheltenham might find him out.
Jessica Harrington makes a punter’s life difficult by sending over two from Ireland: Gambling Girl has the experience of seven chases already and Neverushacon six.
Neverushacon, beaten a nose by Ridestan at Gowran on the first day of the month, has a 3lb pull now but Ridestan jumped notably well that day.
Baron Alco and Presenting Arms are starting out over fences but the grey Pinkie Brown won his first novice chase only a fortnight back, looking happy with the hill climb at Towcester.
Nothing would surprise you in this but Pinkie is a half-brother to the Mulholland stable’s Fox Norton, who has yet to finish out of the frame in eight starts over the bigger obstacles, and the 19.0 on BETDAQ this morning looks big.
Yes, he’s only four but four-year-olds have won this twice from very few starters and Mulholland sees him as a top two-miler of the future.
5.40 Cheltenham I’ve napped the runaway Cliffs Of Dover for both his wins – a total of 95 lengths in front of the horses that finished third! – and he has a 7.2 chance here of an October hat-trick, according to BETDAQ layers early mouse.
The Irish duo, Ainslie and Crystal Pearl, are only class 3 on English handicap standards, and the one Dover has to beat, despite a difference of 18lb, is the very easy Chepstow winner, Wishfull Dreaming.
The topweight Cyrius Moriviere was short in the place-lay market (3.1), so I turned this race into a triple whammy.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 20 points unless stated)
BET 12pts win (nap) EL BANDIT and 3pts win (stakes saver) BLACK WARRIOR (2.10 Cheltenham)
BET 7.5pts win MIRAGE DANCER (3.10 Doncaster) and 5pts win (stakes saver) SWIFTSURE (2.35 Doncaster) with 1pt win double the two
BET (to win 30) 1.5pts win and place PINKIE BROWN (2.45 Cheltenham)
BET 6.6pts win RUSCOMBE and 4.5pts win CAPE COVA (4.20 Doncaster)
TRIPLE WHAMMY: PLACE LAY to lose 10pts CYRIUS MORIVIERE, and BET 3.3pts win and place CLIFFS OF DOVER plus (to win 10) 5.6pts win WISHFULL DREAMING (5.40 Cheltenham)
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