22 WINNING BETS TAKES PROFIT TO 225 POINTS It was another sensational day for Daqman yesterday, with five big-race wins home and away taking him to 22 winning bets in eight days for a profit in that time of 225 points to recommended stakes.
40-POINT GAP AS PRICEWISE IS LEFT STANDING He shot 7-1 clear of Pricewise and their challenge for value (to single-unit level stakes) now shows a near-40 point gap: (Daqman +20.00, Pricewise –18.75)
NAP LANDS THE 18-LENGTHS UAE DERBY WINNER Daqman had three winners and a second at Meydan, including his 7-4 UAE Derby nap by 18 lengths, but hit the mark at home, too, with an 8-1 shot. His home nap was second, just unable to overhaul the pacemaker. His Saturday bag:
WON 8-1 WILLIAM OF ORANGE (Two-Mile Hurdle Final)
2ND 11-2 Chti Balko (same race for 50-1 straight forecast)
WON 4-1 BENBATL (Dubai Turf)
WON 7-4 MENDELSSOHN (nap, UAE Derby)
WON 6-4 VAZIRABAD (Dubai Gold Cup)
2ND 12-1 Muntazah (Godolphin Mile, from 19.5 on BETDAQ)
DAQMAN’S BIG-RACE BONANZA
Just how long can Daqman keep it up? His haul of Derby, Gold Cup and Dubai Turf at one meeting yesterday helped him to nine major-race victories in the eight days of his sensational run.
Here are the big winners in best-SP order, with a list of the feature events today and tomorrow. Will there be an April shower of winners to follow his magic March?
WON 8-1 CITY LIGHT (AW Sprint Championship, 18.5 BETDAQ, Friday)
WON 8-1 ROKSANA (NH Mares’ Final, last Saturday)
WON 8-1 WILLIAM OF ORANGE (Two-Mile Hurdle Final, yesterday)
WON 6-1 ON THE GO AGAIN (Irish Lincolnshire, 14.0 BETDAQ, last Sunday)
WON 5-1 ADDEYBB (Lincoln Handicap winner in three, last Saturday)
WON 4-1 BENBATL (Dubai Turf, yesterday)
WON 7-4 MENDELSSOHN (UAE Derby, nap yesterday)
WON 6-4 VAZIRABAD (Dubai Gold Cup yesterday)
WON 10-11 ZABEEL PRINCE (Doncaster Mile supernap, last Saturday)
TODAY: Ryanair Gold Cup, Mares Novice Hurdle Final, Sussex Champion Hurdle and West Wales National
TOMORROW: Irish Grand National, Sussex Champion Chase, Norfolk National.
LAURINA PUTS LEADER IN PLACE
2.50 Fairyhouse (Mares Novice Hurdle Championship Final) Won by some fine mares in the past but none so good as the mighty Annie Power (2013).
Willie Mullins, of course. And it will be a major surprise if he can’t take this again with the Cheltenham Mares Novice winner, Laurina, who created a rare form-book entry that day: ‘Won with ridiculous ease.’ But there are two items of form which suggest that she will be in a real race today.
Second in the Mares’ Hurdle proper at the festival was one of Alan King’s, Midnight Tour, who had earlier finished third at Warwick to Woolstone One (forged clear).
And Alletrix, beaten 11 lengths by Laurina here at Fairyhouse, was more than 14 lengths adrift of Gordon Elliott’s Lackaneen Leader at Limerick, the pair having sidestepped Cheltenham.
I shall get a better price the place Lackaneen Leader (2.62) than I will a win bet (1.21) about the favourite, and I’ll have a point at 20.0 the win in the BETDAQ orange, just in case something goes wrong with Laurina.
TIZZARDS CAN WALK THE WALK
3.45 Plumpton (Sussex Champion Hurdle) I can’t find a past winner of this over the age of seven and, with today’s market headed by eight and nine year olds, we might at least find each-way value among the young challengers.
Runner-up in the County Hurdle, Remiluc has always been best on stayers’ tracks like Cheltenham and Newbury, and it was Mr Antolini’s stamina that won him the Imperial Cup up the Sandown hill.
Mr Antolini has had more than three weeks to recover but, for Remiluc, it’s only 16 days since the gruelling Cheltenham mud and this long-standing ‘nearly horse’ has to give weight all round.
Set to receive 22lb is Vado Forte, improved 24lb this year, but the one I like is Kings Walk, with Team Tizzard on the up after landing the gold at Cheltenham to end their lean spell.
The runner-up to Kings Walk in a BETDAQ-sponsored race at Kempton in February might have been placed in the Pertemps Final but for a mistake at the last.
The Tizzards should know all about Early Du Lemo, as one of theirs gave a lump of weight and a beating to it at Newbury recently.
Granted a good pace, Kings Walk (7.2 on BETDAQ) looks perfectly poised after a light campaign but will not find Mr Antolini (7.0) letting him walk all over him.
BOUM TIME BUT PHOTO NEEDED
4.30 Fairyhouse (Ryanair Gold Cup) Willie Mullins has never won it; Gordon Elliott only once. Now here they are with ALL nine runners between them: Mullins 5, Elliott 4.
But the real race seems to be a 2-2 match among the main market leaders: Shattered Love and The Storyteller (both Elliott) versus Invitation Only and Al Boum Photo (Mullins).
The handicapper covers them within a 3lb range but Shattered Love is given a 7lb start with the mares’ allowance.
Cheltenham shouldn’t have taken too much out of her. The JLT success was her only race since Christmas, but she was receiving 6lb in beating the Scilly Isles winner, Terrefort, seven lengths.
Invitation Only pulled up in that race, after a bad slip on landing four out. He’d jumped superbly well at Navan and proved a real galloper at Punchestown.
Al Boum Photo was also out of luck at Cheltenham, falling two out in the RSA when held in third. He was a head in front of Invitation Only at Leopardstown in February, with the winner, Monalee, going on to second in the RSA, which Shattered Love had swerved.
Behind them all was The Storyteller (one paced) who, despite giving weight all round, won a handicap at the festival.
VERDICT: Only three of Gordon Elliott’s 11 Cheltenham winners scored again that season, and you only have to look at the way the money went down to appreciate that they were trained to the nearest ounce at the festival.
There is very little between Al Boum Photo and 5.6 offer Invitation Only on form but Photo is the younger horse, and I give him one last chance here to be a fortune cookie: 6.4 on BETDAQ.
Backing the Mullins pair gives me two chances at about the same price as the hot favourite.
PLAY MISTY FOR ME AT 14.5
4.35 Ffos Las (West Wales National) It’s more than four years since Shotgun Paddy won a race but his drop of 16lb since November saw him second in the Devon National. Cailleach Annie is likely to ride shotgun, joining him in front.
Jennys Surprise resisted Lac Sacre by only a neck here over shorter but Misty Mal, only fifth that day, had earlier beaten Lac Sacre much further.
Harry Topper is another gone four years without a win, and not much evidence that a 22lb drop can be exploited. Henri Parry Morgan is yet another who could bounce back, now tried in blinkers.
Blinkers are applied to Bob Ford, too, It’s three years since Bob Ford won this National but would have gone close in the Coral Welsh Grand National Trial but for falling four out when second.
Little Misty Mai loves bottomless ground. This is her first chance at a marathon trip and, with James Bowen aboard, gets in off a featherweight. The 14.5 in the BETDAQ orange is wrong.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 30, unless stated)
2.50 Fairyhouse (napped to win 10pts the place)
BET 1pts win and 6pts place nap LACKANEEN LEADER
3.45 Plumpton
BET 5pts win KINGS WALK
BET 5pts win MR ANTOLINI
4.30 Fairyhouse
BET 5.5pts win AL BOUM PHOTO
BET 5.5pts win INVITATION ONLY
4.35 Ffos Las (win 50)
BULL’S-EYE BET 3.7pts win and place MISTY MAI
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