DAQMAN 50-POINT WIN AT 14-1 EVEN BIGGER ON BETDAQ: After the loss of his supernap, Benie Des Dieux, in true Ruby Walsh manner (fell at the last fence when clear), Daqman hit back with a massive one-two of big-race winners on Cheltenham’s opening day, revealing yet again the value in BETDAQ betting. His results in order:
WIN Vintage Clouds (2nd 16-1, w/p from BETDAQ 26.0)
WIN A Plus Tard (WON 5-1, from BETDAQ 8.5)
WIN Le Breuil (WON 14-1, w/p from win-50 BETDAQ 18.5)
HE’S NOW MADE DOUBLE THE PRICEWISE SCORE AT 34-17: Despite a Pricewise winner Daqman’s four returns from win-and-place bets sent him 34-17 up in their challenge, with Daqman showing an overall profit of 31 points to a Pricewise loss of 17. His standings are
➡️ WINNER-A-DAY: 26 wins over 14 consecutive days
➡️ BEST BETS: Five winning naps out of seven
➡️ BULL’S-EYE NAPS: Three from three (no losers)
➡️ FORTUNE COOKIES: 486.76 points profit
➡️ ANTE-POST (Cheltenham): Loss 13 points
➡️ DAQMAN 34, PRICEWISE 17 (Daqman +31 points, Pricewise -17)
THE TIPSTER WHO MAKES HIS OWN HEADLINES: Daqman bets at 36.0, 34.0 (twice), 24.0, 22.0, 21.0, 18.5. 17.5, 12.5, and 10.0 as he tries to plunder more big BETDAQ value this morning.
CITY ISLAND FOR THE SPONSORS
HEH MISTER! MALARKEY’S MINE
SUN HELD IN HIGHEST REGARD
36.0 ROYAL THE ALTIOR THREAT
ROLLED OVER! AND ALL MY FAULT
MAX COULD BE O’BRIEN’S STAR
CITY ISLAND FOR THE SPONSORS
1.30 Cheltenham (Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle)
BREEDING: Champ, City Island, Castlebawn West, Galvin, Sams Profile.
RATINGS: Champ, City Island, Battleoverdoyen
TRAINER: W Mullins (3). JOCKEY: R Walsh (3), D Russell (2)
STATS: Stats and form make out a case for laying the likely favourite, the seven-year-old Champ. Only one winner older than six has won since 1974.
FORM: The Challow Hurdle form is also working out badly for Champ. The second and third behind him at Newbury, Getaway Trump and Kateson, have been beaten 14 lengths and 22 lengths respectively since that day. The ‘Trump’ form was let down again yesterday when Al Dancer, the BF Hurdle winner (when he was fourth), went down 34 lengths in the Supreme.
Battleoverdoyen beat Sams Profile at Naas (Getareason third) but the extra distance today suits Mouse Morris’s son of Gold Cup placed Black Sam Bellamy (dam’s sire, Bob Back, got Gold Cup winner Bobs Worth).
The form is tied in with Ruby Walsh’s pick, Easy Game, who beat Getareason a couple of lengths at Navan earlier.
City Island’s owner sponsors the Ballymore. He beat Getareason three lengths but was disqualified at Galway in the summer. Galvin ‘could be anything.’
BETDAQ VALUE: I took 10.5 City Island and 12.5 Sams Profile. Walsh fans (I’m not one of them after yesterday) could get 14.0 Easy Game and his Willie Mullins stablemate, Castlebawn West, had crashed out to 35.0.
HEH MISTER! MALARKEY’S MINE
2.10 Cheltenham (RSA Novices’ Chase)
FORTUNE COOKIE: 2.10 The World’s End
ANTE-POST: Mister Malarkey (win 100) 4.25pts x 22.0 BETDAQ
BREEDING: Topofthegame, Drovers Lane, Mister Malarkey.
RATINGS: Delta Work, The World’s End, Topofthegame
TRAINER: N Henderson (2), W Mullins (2). JOCKEY: D Russell (3), B Geraghty (2)
STATS: Seven-year-olds have won 10 of the last 12. Ten had won a Graded race, and 11 were rated 144 or higher. Eight out of 12 had already scored at Cheltenham.
FORM: Grade 1 winner twice in Ireland but on good ground, Delta Work, the Pertemps Final hero a year ago, wears a hood and tongue-tie, which has done him no harm so far but is off-putting for me with horses racing in championship grade.
The horse he beat on the last day, Mortal, flopped next time, well behind La Bague Au Roi, who had Topofthegame and Santini in the places behind him at Kempton (The Worlds End last of six finishers, but the track didn’t suit).
The improving stamina-packed Mister Malarkey is blessed by the rain, though he’s still officially up to 7lb behind the top-rated trio.
BETDAQ VALUE: Daqman had 22.0 Mister Malarky on BETDAQ and, at 18.5 on the exchange this morning, he was still being offered in front of all those listed in the Pricewise column.
Delta Work has the form if he likes the ground; Santini I has had problems with a stone bruise. I’ll have a place bet Mister Malarkey and take Topofthegame my saver at 4.8.
SUN HELD IN HIGHEST REGARD
2.50 Cheltenham (Coral Cup)
BREEDING: Brio Conti, Dancing On My Own, Highest Sun, Vision Des Flos.
RATINGS: handicap
TRAINER: N Henderson (2). JOCKEY: D Russell (2)
STATS: The last 15 favourites in this cavalry charge have all failed to score, with nine of the 10 most recent winners at double-figure odds up to 33-1. Only two horses in 19 years have won when over the age of seven.
FORM: Ballyandy is better off with his Ascot conqueror Brio Conti and the one-time Champion Bumper winner and Supreme fourth is unexposed at this trip for one of the best marathon trainers.
Anything Willie Mullins runs will be a short price after yesterday, and Uradel – second in the Newmarket Cesarewitch – should be thereabouts. You could get 7.6 on BETDAQ this morning.
Dancing On My Own, third to yesterday’s Supreme star Klassical Dream at Leopardstown, has his first run beyond 2m and gets a tick in the breeding box.
Ballymore fourth Burbank was only seventh in the Coral Cup last year but has had a wind op and is well fancied. Highest Sun is an improver, unexposed at the trip, and a home favourite of Colin Tizzard. Tully East has done well at two previous festivals.
BETDAQ VALUE: You can go on making out chances for a dozen of these but, at the offers, Ballyandy was too big this morning at 24.0 and Highest Sun at 22.0.
36.0 ROYAL THE ALTIOR THREAT
3.30 Cheltenham (Champion Chase)
RATINGS: Altior, Min, Politologue
TRAINERS: N Henderson (4), P. Nicholls (2). JOCKEYS: B Geraghty (3, N de Boinville (2)
STATS/FORM: Nicky Henderson, who won this twice with the majestic Sprinter Sacre, saddles Altior for a repeat; 18 wins altogether and unbeaten in 12 chases.
Douvan came to this in 2017 after 14 straight wins, fences and hurdles, but was well beaten at 9-2 on.
But it’s very unlikely that we’ll see Altior ousted here by Min, who was seven lengths behind him last season and, according to t he official handicapper, has not improved a single pound in the intervening year.
BETDAQ VALUE: If they’re playing for places, so shall we. There were shocks yesterday and, should Altior come to the end of his tether, I’m not attracted by the tongue-tie and hood (Politologue is an Aintree horse, and Paul Nicholls knows it).
Saint Calvado, who’s been working well in cheekpieces, would be a brandy bonus for Harry Whittington, and Hell’s Kitchen a first Champion Chase feast for J P McManus.
But the one most likely to is fourth last year Sceau Royal, at the right age now, and impressive over the Cheltenham CD earlier in the season. I took a small slice of 36.0 the win, and a bigger bet 3.2 the place.
ROLLED OVER! AND ALL MY FAULT
4.10 Cheltenham (Cross-Country)
FORTUNE COOKIE: Auvergnat
RATINGS: Tiger Roll, Auvergant, separated by one pound.
TRAINER/FORM: Enda Bolger, who has won this three times in 11 years, has been outgunned the last two seasons by Gordon Elliott, Bolger’s Auvergnat and Josies’ Orders running fourth and sixth last year to Elliott’s Tiger Roll.
All three of these were brought back to winning form on the last day but Josie’s Orders is 11 now and horses of his age have failed nine years out of 10 in the decade.
BETDAQ VALUE: Tiger Roll landed Daqman the Grand National but, on the form of previous Aintree winners, was opposed when reappearing to win the Boyne Hurdle at 25-1. Silly me!
Auvergnat carries the Fortune Cookie 20 points, but I’m running for cover on Tiger Roll (2.42 this morning) after that hurdles romp.
MAX COULD BE O’BRIEN’S STAR
4.50 Cheltenham (Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle)
BREEDING: Naturelle,
RATINGS: handicap
TRAINER: P Nicholls (3), G Elliott (2).
STATS: SPs are enormous: 40-1, 33-1 (three times) and 25-1 (twice) among them. One favourite sneaked home in 2010. Four of the last five winners carried 11st or 11st 1lb.
FORM/BETDAQ VALUE: Joseph O’Brien is attacking the £45,000 first prize with four of the seven market leaders, but his outsider Star Max (17.5) is the one for my man in the long grass.
Chief Justice (34.0) has had a wind op and can show his class and experience. King d’Argent (34.0) was put away for this. Naturelle (21.0) comes over from France with stable confidence. I don’t need to spread much cash to get a 50-point ching ching!
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.30 Cheltenham (win 30)
BET 3pts win CITY ISLAND
BET 2.5pts win SAMS PROFILE
2.10 Cheltenham (win 30)
BET 7.5pts win TOPOFTHEGAME
PLACE BET: 8.5pts MISTER MALARKEY
2.50 Cheltenham (win 50 twice, win 20)
BULL’S-EYE BET: 2.25pts win and place HIGHEST SUN
BULL’S-EYE BET: 2pts win and place BALLYANDY
BET 3.5pts win URADEL
3.30 Cheltenham (win 50, win 20)
BULL’S-EYE BET: 1.42pts win SCEAU ROYAL
PLACE SPECIAL: 9pts place SCEAU ROYAL
4.10 Cheltenham
BET 15pts win (nap) TIGER ROLL
4.50 Cheltenham (each to win 50)
BULL’S-EYE BET: 3pts win STAR MAX
BULL’S-EYE BET: 2.5pts win NATURELLE
BULL’S-EYE BET: 1.5pts win CHIEF JUSTICE
BULL’S-EYE BET: 1.5pts win KING D’ARGENT
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