DARING DAQMAN CLAIMS SUPERNAP DOUBLE: Dig in and don’t change a winning method! That’s the Daqman motto and he bounced back yesterday with a double of supernaps after twice being robbed close home this week (hampered when challenging for the lead/fell seven lengths clear last). Yesterday’s were both odds against:
WON 13-8 DIVINE SPEAR
WON 6-4 CLAIMANTAKINFORGAN
41 POINTS CLEAR IN PRICEWISE CHALLENGE: Daqman starts the holiday season with a 9-2 lead, and 41 points clear (+19 against –22), over Pricewise of the Racing Post in the search for feature-race value. They clash today in the 1.50, 3.00 and 3.35 Ascot.
COMELY CAN BEAT TALKING HORSE
12.40 Ascot Six out of seven winners were five-year-olds, and I wouldnt want to be with the third of the field that are older, Forgetthesmalltalk was the ‘moral’ over a horse completing his hat-trick in a handicap in November, beaten little more than a length, giving it 4lb.
Trainer Alan King had seen ‘Smalltalk’ as needing to mature and a chaser in the making but a sure-fire hurdles winner at an ordinary level. He is still qualified for this novices’ handicap and it looks a good opportunity for him after another break at around 6.0 on BETDAQ this morning.
This Is It drops back to the level of his last success after being overfaced in the Ladbrokes Hurdle at Newbury but trainer Nick Mitchell’s hurdles strike-rate is off-putting at a meagre 4%.
That’s in complete contrast to Nicky Henderson, currently striking at 33%, and his royal runner, 7.0 offer Comely, is highly regarded and should have enough improvement in her to capitalise on a 12lb concession from the favourite.
Stablemate Christmas In April is high in the handicap after disappointing last season, and Nicky is tweaking him with a minor breathing op and a 5lb claim.
PONT WELL WEIGHTED FOR A PUNT
1.15 Ascot The Graduation Chase at Ascot was a Paul Nicholls preserve (five winners in a row 2008-14). He chooses Adrien Du Pont to get the trophy back on the Ditcheat mantelshelf.
I begged for the retirement of More Of That, who has been in poor form now for two years or so and failed to adapt to the banks game at the recent Cheltenham meeting.
The handicapper says that Coney Island is an improving novice, put in at his hurdles level of 140 but now rated 158, after winning the Drinmore.
That race was in the highest grade, a cut above the Berkshire at Newbury, in which Adrien Du Pont was third, giving 10lb to five-time scorer Willoughby Court and to Yanworth.
But now it’s Adrien who gets 11lb from Coney Island under the conditions of the race. That seems to be a 21lb turnaround with the top flight.. If that’s not enough, then he shouldnt be here, Mr Nicholls.
BOBBI DARING THE LAYERS..
1.50 Ascot Poker School won this off bottomweight last year and followed up at Kempton on Boxing Day. He’s 18lb higher now but has the drying ground he needs.
The handicapper has relented a little bit after hammering Pougne Bobbi for winning at Ludlow in February and he must surely be involved, though he would have preferred the ground to stay soft.
Casse Tete beat nothing well at Sandown in March and now looks overburdened with a 141 rating. Monbeg River was allowed free run of a race at Doncaster. Theo’s Charm is a hard horse to place but trainer Nicky Gifford yesterday produced a Champion Bumper prospect in Didtheyleaveuoutto. That will have done Findon the world of good.
Dream Bolt has bounced back from injury, and put 10lb on his rating but, with Nicky Henderson in devastating form yesterday, I just prefer Pougne Bobbi, a strong order since books opened last night but still available at 7.0 on BETDAQ at the time of writing.
HE CAN SERGE RIGHT TO THE TOP
2.25 Ascot (Long Walk Hurdle) The Long Walk Hurdle has been a race for sequence horses (Big Buck’s 3, Reve De Sivola 3). Can Unowhatimeanharry score back to back at the age of nine?
The Ladbrokes Champion Stayer at the Punchestown Festival, he had nearly five lengths to spare over Lil Rockerfeller in this race last year.
L’Ami Serge is likely to turn around the Ascot 2m 3f defeat by Lil Rockerfeller in November, which also puts him four or five lengths in front of that one, and he won the French Champioon Hurdle during the summer over further than today.
The handicapper says that stablemate Thomas Campbell has improved 21lb in the last 12 months, which is amazing for a horse known in the yard as a ‘reprobate’.
Sam Spinner has rocketed 25lb this year for only four well-chosen races. He’s won three of them and just missed out on the Silver Trophy at Chepstow.
The Chepstow form hasn’t worked out and, where it has collateral pointers, it suggests that he has an impossible task to catch ‘Harry’ today.
I’m willing to give the two-years-younger L’Ami Serge (6.2 offers) that assignment, with the favourite’s stable out of form: Harry Fry’s last five favourites have finished 343F2. Missing strike or what!
CONQUER SECOND TIME AROUND
3.00 Ascot (Silver Cup) O O Seven was all the rage for this in the week (see preview in Daqman and see also 1.45 Lingfield story). But has been easy to back in the last 24 hours (13.5 this morning). Nicky Henderson can’t win everything today, can he?
Singlefarmpayment’s second in the Ultima at the Cheltenham Festival has him a stone higher than at this time last year. He continues to run well in top-level handicaps but has won only a small race in two years.
Jonjo O’Neill’s classy Go Conquer is up in the weights for his all-the-way win in the November Gold Cup over today’s CD but the ground has come for him, and he was well backed to take this Silver Cup last year but tipped up at the first: 9.0 this time around.
Regal Encore was a surprise winner that day and is 6lb higher now. He was a huge price when placed in the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury, after starting his season in November a long way behind Go Conquer here.
Gold Present (another Henderson) is weighted to overturn last Spring’s Pendil form with Frodon but will he stay this 3m trip?
10.0 BLUE IS BIG ON HOME WORK
3.35 Ascot Back to the Henderson bandwagon, and Verdana Blue (10.0 offers best) has delighted at home since drawing clear over the Ascot CD in November. This is a step up from class 2 but the form of Silver Streak’s Chepstow success at a similar level has not worked out.
The Gerry Feilden form puts Charli Parcs (Henderson again!) and Elgin close together, and Charli’s owner, J P McManus, brings in the Willie Mullins’ Bleu Et Rouge as his second (first?) string.
Here’s one for you: Divin Bere has been switched from Nicky Henderson to Paul Nicholls. How Ditcheat would love to get one over Seven Barrows with this Fred Winter runner-up!
Nietzsche was a neck behind Divin Bere in the Fred Winter and is 4lb better off today. Air Horse One has continued to run well in the big handicaps despite his weight.
Gordon Elliottt has surprised the home team twice in this over the last six years, scoring at 14-1 and 25-1, but Veinard is an eight-year-old with a modest CV.
DAQMAN’S BETS (each to win 30 points, unless stated)
12.40 Ascot
BET 6pts win FORGETTHESMALLTALK
BET 5pts win and place COMELY
1.15 Ascot
SUPERNAP: 20pts win ADRIEN DU PONT
1.45 Lingfield (to win 50, see preview in the week)
BULL’S-EYE BET: 3.75pts win and place BATTALION (14.5 taken)
1.50 Ascot
BET 5pts win and place POUGNE BOBBI
2.25 Ascot
BET 6pts win L’AMI SERGE
3.00 Ascot
BET 3.75pts win GO CONQUER
BET 2.5pts win and place O O SEVEN
3.35 Ascot
BET 5pts win CHARLI PARCS
BET 3pts win and place VERDANA BLUE
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