18.0 BULL’S-EYE BETS IN THE MIDLANDS GRAND NATIONAL: Daqman joins in a Saturday of celebrations for J P McManus and Barry Geraghty, rating their runner in the 2.25 at Uttoxeter as a bull’s-eye nap to win 50 points. He also has bull’s-eye bets there in the Midlands Grand National at 18.0, and starts with a supernap at Kempton, based on Cheltenham results..
🔹 McMANUS IN A MUSICAL CELEBRATION
🔹 NICKY HENDERSON AGAIN? GETAWAY!
🔹 AND GERAGHTY AGAIN ON DOSTAL PHIL
🔹 TRUCK STOP FOR NEW NATIONAL BID
McMANUS IN A MUSICAL CELEBRATION
⭕ 1.30 Kempton I could get better than evens this morning on BETDAQ about On The Slopes, course winner the last day after running third to two Cheltenham Festival winners, Simply The Betts and Imperial Aura. Hopefully, pay for my musical celebrations…
⭕ 2.25 Uttoxeter Harry Fry has won three of the last six of these. Now it’s Over To Sam, but with no power-jockey booking that previously secured the prize (Noel Felihy twice and then ‘Slippers’ Madden).
Barry Geraghty, who had ‘such a sensational Cheltenham’, is here for Musical Slave (BETDAQ 7.7.), owned by J P McManus, who had ‘such a sensational Cheltenham’! I’m green (and yellow) with envy, and mimicking ITV Racing’s luvvy style doesn’t help..
Barry knows this horse well, riding him five times, including a hurdles win last Spring, when the horse prepped for a top hit from a big field at the Punchestown Festival.
Musical Slave is ‘won one, placed one’, in three novice chases, since the autumn, all on tricky learning tracks – Wincanton, Exeter and Haydock – scoring at Exeter over shorter, which should have sharpened up his jumping for today’s first try at 3m.
His trainer Philip Hobbs went some way to redeeming poor recent form, when Thyme Hill was unlucky in the push and shove at the last not to do better than fourth in a photo-finish Albert Bartlett yesterday. Then Pileon was in front after the last in the Martin Pipe.
NICKY HENDERSON AGAIN? GETAWAY!
⭕ 2.40 Kempton (Silver Plate) Tamarac Du Mat finished at Newbury (not wanted at 50-1) as though this step up in trip would suit. One of the favourites today, with Harry Cobden taking over.
Nicky Henderson’s Downtown Getaway (BETDAQ 4.8) has already done the job here over the Kempton CD. Swerved Cheltenham for this £22,000 first prize, and has had wind ops. I took 4.7 on BETDAQ.
Ballyhome was sixth in a huge field for the Opportunity Series Final at the Punchestown Festival, won by Musical Slave, who runs in the 2.25 Uttoxeter, so look for a possible form boost.
Bullionaire races keenly and I’m not sure this step up in trip will suit. On the other hand, Anytime Will Do (31.0) is back to his optimum, with blinkers first time.
AND GERAGHTY AGAIN ON DOSTAL PHIL
⭕ 3.00 Uttoxeter Evan Williams, who has saddled a winner and second in this race in the last two years, has his West Country scorer on heavy, Caswell Bay, making the 330-mile round trip to Uttoxeter, where the Glamorgan trainer has celebrated 50 winners.
Snag is that Caswell Bay has been raised 13lb and two grades, facing the McManus-Hobbs-Geraghty combo again with Dostal Phil and a second southern raider, Main Fact.
Main Fact is another coming out of lower grades, up two stone in weight for a four-timer since late January.
Dostal Phil (BETDAQ 6.1) won first run back after a long holiday since last Spring. With stamina on the dam’s side, he could improve for the step up in trip. Another one for Barry Geraghty?
TRUCK STOP FOR NEW NATIONAL BID
⭕ 3.35 Uttoxeter (Midlands Grand National) The progressive Christmas In April goes for a hat-trick of Nationals after winning the Sussex National (9-2) on soft and the Devon National (8-1) on heavy.
He was the Daqman tip in both races so perhaps I should be hot on a hat-trick myself today but there are three big worries: he’s trying to take in a fourth marathon mudbath in three months, he’s gone up a stone overall, and his stable has crashed out of form.
In my Friday column, I posted Colin Tizzard’s form at Cheltenham this week. In fact, he finished with 0P034P0FP0P00PP30, only Lostintranslation running above stable form, so there may be no more icing on the Christmas cake this afternoon.
Truckers Lodge arguably put up a better performance as runner-up in the Grade-3 Coral Welsh Grand National, jumping superbly and staying on well, under today’s 3lb claimer, Lorcan Williams.
Petite Power, third in the Warwick Classic, is with Fergal O’Brien, who won this race three years ago.
Winner of the Ladbrokes Trophy (formerly the Hennessy), The Rasher Counter, should go close, with his rise in the weights partly negated by Ben Jones claim.
But his trainer, Emma Lavelle, is another out of form, with Paisley Park well beaten in the Stayers Hurdle and a current overall score of 1-15.
Truckers seems the safest conveyance and the safest bet at 5.8 on BETDAQ this morning. As an outsider, maybe Very First Time at 18.0.
He has won two races off 11st 12lb. Ok, he’s up in class here but 10st should enable him to mix it with some of these; that’s what the handicapper is for.
Irish raider, Se Mo Laoch (also around 18.0), was primed with a win at Navan on the last day, heading for Cheltenham but he missed the Kim Muir cut and this marathon alternative is thought right up his street.
If he can get me back on track with the big-time winners, he is my hereo!
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.30 Kempton (supernap)
BET 20pts win ON THE SLOPES
2.25 Uttoxeter (win-50 bull’s-eye nap)
BET 7.5pts win MUSICAL SLAVE
2.40 Kempton (win 30, place 10)
BET 7.5pts win DOWNTOWN GETAWAY
BET 1pts win and 2pts place ANYTIME WILL DO
3.00 Uttoxeter (win 30)
BET 5pts win DOSTAL PHIL
3.15 Kempton (win 20, win 10)
BET 2pts win SOLOMON GREY
BET 2.5pts win LEGAL EYES
3.35 Uttoxeter (win-50 bull’s-eye bets, and win 20)
BET 3pts win SE MO LAOCH
BET 3pts win VERY FIRST TIME
BET 4pts win TRUCKERS LODGE
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