8-1 AND 9-2 WINNERS FOR DAQMAN: Daqman was back to form with an 8-1 afternoon winner at Kempton yesterday and a 9-2 scorer in the evening on AW at Newcastle, not to mention the one-two in another Jumps race:
WON 8-1 Blameitonmyroots (from 10.0 on BETDAQ)
WON 9-2 Wild Approach
WON 10-11 Get On The Yager (2nd 9-2 Agamemmon)
399 RETURNS AGAINST PRICEWISE: Look out today as they tip five each in the 1.50 and 3.35 Newbury and 3.15 Warwick, with Daqman bidding for 400 returns in his challenge to Pricewise of the Racing Post. He’s 57 points ahead this season to one-point stakes (Daqman +39, Pricewise -18). Current scores: 14-5 (overall 399-160).
IT’S DENMAN, BRISTOL FASHION
Nice card but where are the horses? The £100,000 in prizemoney has attracted – if that’s the right word! – just seven runners for the Denman and Game Spirit chases combined at Newbury today.
Punters have to bet odds on Native River and Altior this morning. They may both win but each has a formidable second favourite against him in Bristol De Mai and Fox Norton.
1.50 Newbury It’s backbreaking work for horse and jockey alike to carry weight round Newbury over 3m on the soft, so this usually goes to a lightweight, with four of them in the last eight years starting at 20-1, 12-1 (twice) and 11-1.
Despite an overall modest Newbury strike-rate, Nigel Twiston-Davies has provided two of the last four winners of this race and claims off Scotchtown (4.8 offers in the BETDAQ orange), which gives him 3lb (and not so far to travel) to turn around his Warwick defeat by nine-race sequence winner Tobefair.
Cadeau George (13.0 being exchanged) is 15lb lower over hurdles than for his last chase, and 13lb lower (for a rise of two grades) than when he won over hurdles at Huntingdon on Boxing Day.
2.25 Newbury (Denman Chase) Bristol De Mai was one of my early Fortune Cookies. He didn’t do much for me then, but I probably caught him for potential when he was still immature. Now he’s blossomed, he has Cheltenham Gold Cup pretensions.
It’s a race won by Denman, Long Run and Coneygree of Gold Cup glory, though Long Run won this after his gold, while Denman (when it was the Aon Chase) and Coneygree took it on their way to gold.
Le Mercurey beat Bristol de Mai in those learning days but he has been dropped by the handicapper, whereas Bristol is up 12lb in the ratings.
That puts him just a couple of pound behind Hennessy and Welsh National winner, Native River, who is unlikely to get the pace here to test his stamina, unless he makes it himself.
His yard is still opening its Christmas presents; little or no form in the last couple of weeks and this is not gift-wrapped, despite Native River’s own ratings rise of 19lb.
3.00 Newbury (Game Spirit Chase) Sprinter Sacre won this before his Arkle and Master Minded before his first Champion Chase.
My Fortune Cookie, Fox Norton, has a couple of pounds in hand on Altior, according to official figures, in what seems to be another two-horse race, so is ‘wrong’ at 4.9 on BETDAQ. It’s a question of whether Altior shows his current cruise control.
BEWARE BONNEY AND CLYNE!
3.35 Newbury Hurdle Ballyandy ticked all the boxes in my ABC Guide (see Thursday archive) and has kept good company over hurdles though hasn’t actually won one.
Beltor needs to jump more fluently in a fast-run race and strong-traveler William H Bonney, behind him when hampered at Kempton, looks much more suited to this contest.
Paul Nicholls’ Zubayr also needs a better round of jumping – mistake when fading fifth behind Brian Power and fell in the Elite – albeit he has been facing strong company.
I prefer stablemate Movewiththetimes, who is two out of three over hurdles either side of defeat in a Supreme trial at Cheltenham in November when hampered (Ballyandy, third, is now 3lb worse off).
Clyne has improved 16lb for three races, all at Haydock, and is 29lb higher than when signing off last season.
Like last year’s County Hurdle fourth, Wait For Me, plus Clyne and Irish dark horse De Name Escapes Me are a year or two older than the progressive horse you’d expect to win this.
It’s usually won by a five or six year old in his first handicap (Ballyandy, Movewiththetimes) and at the odds, I bet on William H Bonney (’wrong’ at 13.0 offers) and Movewiththetimes (8.0).
DAQMAN’S BETS (Bull’s-eye bets are to win 50 at Betdaq offers)
BACK 5pts win SCOTCHTOWN, and 1.5pts win and place CADEAU GEORGE (1.50 Newbury)
BULL’S-EYE BETS: 7pts win MOVEWITHTHETIMES, and 4pts win and place WILLIAM H BONNEY (3.35 Newbury)
BACK 12pts win (nap) VIBRATO VALTAT (3.15 Warwick)
DAQ SINGLES AND MULTIPLES: BACK 10pts win BRISTOL DE MAI (2.25 Newbury) and 2.5pts win FOX NORTON (3.00 Newbury), plus 2.5pts win double Bristol de Mai and Altior (3.00 Newbury)
Did you know that as well as checking the realtime prices on BETDAQ below – you can also log into your account and place your bets directly into BETDAQ from BETDAQ TIPS.
