DAQMAN IS BIG-RACE BOY AGAIN: HE LANDS 100 POINTS IN TWO DAYS: Daqman streaked 229 points clear of Pricewise and landed 100 points profit in two days with a second successful bull’s-eye bet of the weekend (staked to win 50 points) at 13-2 SP yesterday, following on his 8-1 Coral Welsh Grand National winner. He also landed a another supernap. His big-race hits were both offered at bigger odds on the BETDAQ exchange on the morning of the race.
SATURDAY: profit 45.83
WON 13-2 DORKING BOY (from 9.0 BETDAQ)
WON 3-1 COPPERHEAD
WON 4-6 THYME HILL (supernap)
FRIDAY: profit 55.50
WON 8-1 POTTERS CORNER (Coral Welsh National, BETDAQ 11.5)
WON 9-2 JUST A STING
WON 6-5 ALLHUMANKIND (supernap)
ACCOUNTS UPDATE
Daqman 20, Pricewise 10 (+218.46 to -11.00)
Bull’s-eye bets 38% (+164.25 from 7-18)
Bulls-eye naps 47% (+249pts from 8-17)
All Daily Naps 44% (+60.12 from 20-45)
Supernaps 50% (+22.01 from 8-16)
COOKIES WINNING THE BATTLE
It’s going like a dream. With just a week left before I decide on my Fortune Cookies list for 2020, the horses-to-follow stable has Battleoverdoyen and Klassical Dream running at Leopardstown today.
Epatante and Delta Work have just given the list a massive boost in the last two days and both seem sure to make the final line-up.
Epatante leapt to the head of the Champion Hurdle market when impressive in the Ladbrokes Christmas Hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day.
Then yesterday at Leopardstown, Delta Work got up in the last few strides of the Grade-1 Savills Chase.
1.55 Leopardstown (Grade-1 novice chase) This is the race that launched Delta Work last year, and Don Poli used it as a stepping stone to the 2015 RSA.
Though Battleoverdoyen was back-to-back-winner over 2m 6f or so in the autumn, he’s always been reckoned to need today’s 3m, so today is a turnkey race.
Runners-up in stablemate Champagne Classic’s two October wins have both let the form down since.
Similarly, Battleoverdoyen’s reputation is based on his beating the Kim Muir winner on the last day, but only Crievehill of the next seven behind the Kim Muir winner has scored since.
Carefully Selected has beaten Lord Schnitzel twice – once over hurdles, once over fences – but, between the two, was outgunned by Minella Indo (3m) at the Punchestown Festival.
Minella Indo in turn was easily beaten by Laurina over fences at Gowran Park but that was his first chase and he could do better now for the in-form combo of Henry De Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore.
I’ll stick with Battleoverdoyen, because he is made for this step up in trip, and regard Minella Indo as making a price for him.
DREAM MUST DELIVER NOW
2.30 Leopardstown (Grade 1 hurdle, 2m) Gordon Elliott successfully switched Apple’s Jade to the 3m Grade 1 yesterday, and now relies on the very easy Down Royal (Grade 2) winner, Coeur Sublime.
When a four-year-old won it for Dermot Weld in 2011, he was getting 10lb from the rest of the field but, at the same age, Coeur Sublime is allowed only 3lb here.
Sharjah won this last year, after having stayed on too strongly for Faugheen in the Morgiana, whereas Klassical Dream, whose four in a row included the 2019 Supreme Novices at the Cheltenham Festival, was beaten at 5-2 on in this year’s Morgiana.
That wasn’t his running – he was fresh and spoiled himself – but has to prove himself to regain his position front of the grid for the Champion Hurdle, now that Epatante has shown she has a big, big engine and edged him out in the market.
BETDAQ 3.5 BAGS A CRACKER
1.35 Doncaster (Mares’ Silver Vase) This is the proverbial Christmas cracker, best race of the day in England.
Lady Buttons is a two-miler who got all her own way in a small field for this a year ago, and Casablanca Mix has been beating nothing well.
La Bague Au Roi has needed her two runs back, and Richard Johnson was in the form of his life yesterday. The one for the money early mouse.
Happy Diva’s autumn gold cup win at Cheltenham was boosted when the third, Warthog, took the winter version at the same venue.
She has been in the frame in 17 consecutive races, still standing, so looked a safe bet for three chances a place when there were eight runners. Sod’s law, we have a defection, leaving seven.
So I’m with staying with the favourites today, and with the in-form Johnson, with 3.5 La Bague Au Roi.
2.00 and 2.35 Kelso Venetia Williams’ halo slipped a little over Christmas, with her amazing 48% strike rate now down to 36%.
But she has had this 600-mile round trip to Kelso in mind for some time, bringing on her contenders, Cuban Pete (2.00) and The Crooner (2.35) with reappearance runs just down the road at Hereford.
I could get 4.0 or so about both on BETDAQ this morning, and built in a stakes saver (betting to win 12 instead of my usual 10 at such a meeting) to assume that one of them wins.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.35 Doncaster (win 10)
BET 4pts win LA BAGUE AU ROI
1.55 Leopardstown (win 10)
BET 5.5pts win (nap) BATTLEOVERDOYEN
2.00 Kelso (win 12)
BET 4pts win CUBAN PETE
2.30 Leopardstown (win 10)
BET 8pts win KLASSICAL DREAM
2.35 Kelso (win 12)
BET 4pts win THE CROONER
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