NAPS TREBLE UP WITH CHELTENHAM ON THE HORIZON: Daqman is celebrating a precious hat-trick of naps, two of them supernaps, as Cheltenham approaches;
WON 1-2 PRECIOUS CARGO (supernap, Friday, 1.75 BETDAQ)
WON 2-1 AMADE (nap, Thursday)
WON 8-13 JAHBATH (supernap, Wednesday)
WIN-50 BULL’S-EYE BEST BET ON IMPERIAL CUP DAY: Today is Imperial Cup day at Sandown, with the novices’ hurdle and mares’ bumper finals, plus the Lincoln Trial at Wolverhampton. Look out for bets at 12.0 12.5 and 13.5 (twice), with a bull’s-eye win-50 nap! Daqman’s current standings are:
- 16 winners in 10 days
- Hat-trick of naps
- Fortune Cookies: 586.76 points profit
- Daqman 27, Pricewise 15
MONEY DOWN BEFORE MIDNIGHT
1.50 Sandown (NH Novices’ Handicap Hurdle Final) The last 12 winners had all raced at 2m 3f and beyond, though only three had scored at such a trip!
If that didn’t reveal what you’re up against, maybe past SPs will: all 8-1 to 20-1 since 2010, which was the year of the last winning favourite.
Class-4 Catterick, Chepstow and Sedgefield winners and four hurdles maidens in the decade suggest that form is no help whatsoever but form is the only way to bet.
One For Rosie (BETDAQ 12.5) took a big home reputation to Warwick and won impressively. Before Midnight (BETDAQ 13.5) has been raced with this in mind and will love the ground.
GOT A WINNER? JUST CALL ME
2.25 Sandown (Imperial Cup) 2010 must have been quite a year, since the favourite won this race, too. Again, nothing short priced since, with winners at 33-1 and 20-1 (three times).
What is Call Me Lord doing there, giving a stone and more all round? We can choose to answer: ‘Keeping the weight down for stablemate Dream Du Grand Val.’
And we could add: ‘Pushing Extra Mag, Monsieur Lecoq, Our Merlin and Benny’s Bridge up to 8lb out of the handicap!’
But Call Me Lord was second last year also carrying the same 11st 12lb; that is to say, the same only different. That weight equated to a 152 rating then but his 160 today puts him on the same mark. He has to go here because his best form is all right-handed. BETDAQ 6.8.
I shall take a chance on First Flow (BETDAQ 13.5), a fragile sort who has just a few races spaced out to suit. He’s won almost all of them, and loves soft-heavy ground.
BIG MARKER FOR COMMODORE
3.35 Sandown Tricky. Trappy. Whatever your word for ‘I shouldn’t really bet in this one, because I can’t make head nor tail of it after half an hour pouring over the form.’
I think I was equally baffled last year, and a 14-year-old won it. The same trainer sends out another veteran today, 13-year-old Loose Chips, who will try to make all, chased by Ami Desbois and the slogger Vinnie Lewis.
Hopefully, Commodore will settle in behind them. A skilled jumper though only seven, and related on the dam’s side to a top staying chaser, had Horatio Hornblower 16 lengths behind at Warwick in December.
That’s a big marker, because Horatio Hornblower was second in this race last year. I took 6.2 Commodore. Tricky? Trappy? I’ve ended up napping in the race!
WHY I’M SWAYED TO ZWAYYAN
2.05 Wolverhampton (Lincoln Trial) The best placing by the winner of this in the Lincoln was Filipando, third in 2009, with the full results in the decade 3/12/7/8/11/12/21/16, so this is not a race where I have my notebook poised for inclusions in my Early Birds list of Flat horses to follow.
Pactolus and Third Time Lucky, second and third in the Trial last year, are back, with Third Time Lucky 7lb better off, unless you enter Ben Coen’s 5lb claim on Pactolus into your calculations. That could be the equaliser.
For me this time of year is all about stable fitness, with William Haggas (Victory Bond) striking at a fantastic 44% this year and Andrew Balding (Zwayyan) hitting pockets of power form, and showing figures of 1114 in the last three days.
The 12.0 BETDAQ offer Zwayyan, twice an AW winner, is well in with Masham Star, Pactolus and Silver Quartz.
Victory Bond, who goes well fresh, holds Pactolus and is another given an edge by the jockey’s allowance, this time in relation to Silver Quartz. I just worry if he’ll get him going in time, as he really needs another quarter-mile.
3.15 Wolverhampton Oh This Is Us (BETDAQ 3.1) has annihilated Arcanada, Apex King and Documenting, and is half a stone better than the easy to back Island Of Life on form. The only worry is whether he can hold that form; he hasn’t done before.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.50 Sandown (win 20)
BET 1.75pts win and place ONE FOR ROSIE
BET 1.6pts win and place BEFORE MIDNIGHT
2.05 Wolverhampton (win 50)
BULL’S-EYE BET 4.5pts win and place ZWAYYAN
2.25 Sandown (win 30)
BET 5pts win CALL ME LORD
BET 2.5pts win and place FIRST FLOW
3.15 Wolverhampton (win 20)
BET 10pts win OH THIS IS US
3.35 Sandown (win 50)
BULL’S-EYE BET 10pts win (nap) COMMODORE
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