41 POINTS CLEAR: Daqman remains 9-2 up on Pricewise, 41 points clear (Daqman +19, Pricewise -22). Today’s races in the challenge are: 305 and 3.40 at Cheltenham.
FULL STEAM AHEAD: Hereford and Doncaster both passed their morning inspections ensuring a full Saturday programme goes ahead. DAQMAN concentrates at Cheltenham on the second day of their International Meeting.
EVEN CHELTENHAM IMPACTED BY CHELTENHAM
It seems the Cheltenham Factor even impacts Cheltenham. Three x four runner races on Saturday’s card which is disappointing – although in fairness two of the races remain competitive.
The National Hunt season being too Cheltenham Festival centric is well documented and something I’ll pick up on a quieter day.
SECRET OUT ON SECRETUS
12.10 Cheltenham (Triumph Trial) It’s an easy harvest for Apple, with the rest of the big-time trainers, notably Paul Nicholls and Philip Hobbs, ducking out.
Nicholls has recently trained a couple of decent winners of this in Sam Winner (who went on to be fourth in the Triumph Hurdle at the festival) and Far West (second).
But it was last year’s winner, Defi Du Seull, who would go on to triumph (literally) at Cheltenham the following March, so where is Nicholls and where is Defi’s trainer, Philip Hobbs, this time around?
Answer: Hobbs’ hope, Gumball, has already been slammed 17 lengths
by Nicky Henderson’s Triumph favourite, Apple’s Shakira, and Gumball hammed Nicholls’ star hope, Malaya, at Chepstow by eight lengths.
At 1.13 Apple there’s no bet there’s no bet to be had just a watching brief for the Triumph itself.
12.45 Cheltenham Another desperately small field in which the top-rated Kalondra is actually the outsider of the quartet.
The Twiston-Davies stable is in good form and it might pay to side with Jameson who has had the three starts over fences and hasn’t done much wrong in handicap company. He should like the more testing ground as he proved over hurdles last season at Ffos Las and can strike back in novice company.
1.20 Cheltenham Sire De Grugy is 12 years old at the end of the month and Grey Gold 13. This should be their last parade.
Sire De Grugy has won only once in two years, and hasn’t really performed since second in the Tingle Creek just over 12 months back.
He has dropped to today’s level in both hurdles and chasers, without making any impression.
I fancy a pound on Bun Doran, who ran well in the Novices’ Handicap (2m 4f) at the Cheltenham Festival until his stamina ran out up the hill.
1.55 Cheltenham (Winter Gold Cup) Who dares wins! Paul Nicholls has successfully sent Unioniste (2012) and Frodon (2016) straight up the ladder of stardom to win this race at the age of four.
Only last Saturday he put the tingle in the Tingle Creek when his novice Politologue staked his claim for the Champion Chase next March with a professional round of jumping which belied his experience.
Now his two five-year-olds and a six-year-old dominate a race he has won four times in all over the last eight years, a 50% record, starting with back-to-back wins by Poquelin (2009-10).
Clan Des Obeaux, one of my horses to follow, has been punted all the week. A horse with bags of scope who beat Whisper in a match at Kempton, then ran away with a graduation chase at Haydock, slamming the 18-lengths Aintree winner, Vintage Clouds.
But Ditcheat has Barry Geraghty on Le Prezien. Another on my list, he is tied in closely to the Nigel Twiston-Davies runners in the race this afternoon.
Le Prezien was beaten only a neck by Foxtail Hill in a battle royal over 2m on the old course at Cheltenham in October – today’s race is on the new course – and then gave 16lb to Splash Of Ginge and was beaten less than three lengths, third in the first of the backend gold cups here in November.
That was also at Cheltenhan, also on the old course, but just a few yards short of today’s extended trip of almost 2m 5f.
Foxtail Hill weakened right out of it, though he won a Grade 3 over today’s new-course CD in January. Ballyalton (fourth) and Romain De Senam (fifth) did better.
Separating Splash of Ginge from those also rans was Starchitect. He was also fifth over today’s CD in a big field at the Cheltenham festival last March.
I take my lead from Paul Nicholls. He has always said he would bring Le Prezien along slowly and, with the festival in mind, teach him all about Cheltenham. His FIFTH chase at Cheltenham today (out of only eight) bears witness to a stable carefully coaching a potential star.
2.30 Cheltenham (Bristol Novices Hurdle) Aye Aye Charlie is out and he was the only one I thought who couldn’t win this.
The market leader has a good record in this heat but that doesn’t help us much as either Equus Secretus or Count Meribel could go off favourite on BETDAQ.
Preference is for the former, trained by Ben Pauling who is unbeaten but taking a massive step up in class. On just his third start under rules there should be more to come and he still could be ‘anything’.
3.05 Cheltenham (International Hurdle) Just like the two-miler, your choice is between the old timers (The New One and My tent Or Yours) and the new kids on the block.
The New One is going for his fourth success in this race, his sequence split by Old Guard (2015) when The New One bravely waited for the Christmas Hurdle and finished second to Faugheen.
My Tent Or Yours was second to The New One in this race last year and is the bridesmaid of them all, with form figures since his 2014 Champion Hurdle second of 2322332422. What price for second?
Old Guard handled similar conditions well when he won this two years ago and the word from the yard is that ‘this little horse has improved again’ but he was well behind The New One and My Tent Or Yours in this race last year.
Seeming ace of the new kids is Melon, well backed to win this in the week but only just out of the novice stage and prone to errors, so I will stick to The New One, even though he’s a bit of an old one now.
3.40 Cheltenham A massively competitive mares handicap hurdle in which two stand out for me.
Brillare Momento won well at the October meeting here (beating Momella) and remains progressive and I think ahead of her handicap mark. She is a question mark on the ground but coped OK here on her only previous start on soft ground.
There are no ground doubts with Lady Karina who is a real mudlark and is another lightly raced sort who could progress. She was staying on really well over 2m 3f when winning at Warwick last time out.
DAQMAN’S BETS (each staked to win 30 points)
12.45 Cheltenham
BET 10.5pts win JAMESON
1.20 Cheltenham
BET 10.9pts win BUN DORAN
1.55 Cheltenham
BET 4.8pts win EL PREZIEN
BET 1.4pts win (stakes saver) CLAN DES OBEAUX
2.30 Cheltenham
BET 15.4pts win (nap) EQUUS SECRETUS
3.05 Cheltenham
BET 12.5pts win THE NEW ONE
3.40 Cheltenham
BET 7.1pts win LADY KARINA
BET 3.6pts win BRILLARE MOMENTO
DAQ MULTIPLES: 3 x 3pts win doubles and 1pt win treble APPLE’S SHAKIRA (12.10 Cheltenham), BUN DORAN (1.20 Cheltenham), THE NEW ONE (3.05 Cheltenham)
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