FOLLOW DAQMAN FOR THE WEEKEND BIG RACES: With two naps out of two and four lays out of four, Daqman must be followed at the two big meetings of Newbury tomorrow and Sandown on Saturday. His jackpot bets have scored the last two Saturdays with winners at 7-1 and 13-2.
The old fire is back. One of our greatest of champions, Anthony Peter McCoy OBE, has ridden only one winner from 11 rides since his return from injury a week ago but it was typically hard fought at Southwell yesterday.
Today sees his first booking back for Nicky Henderson – his only mount at Leicester, in fact – on a track where he’s 38% and 3-5 for the trainer.
The 16 times champion’s usual near-25% strike rate has diminished to a mere 9%. Is the heat of battle in two decades beginning to tell on the 37-year-old, or is this a lull before storming Cheltenham? Yesterday’s win says he’s hungry as ever, and today’s solo ride has hidden value.
His mount Prince Of Pirates (4.35) benefited from a typical McCoy ride when, threeparts of a length down and outjumped at the last, he got up by half a length at Doncaster at the end of December, and A P is obviously keen to renew the partnership.
That sort of finish suggested that he will enjoy the extra half mile today and he’s dropped back from all-age conditions company to a novices’ chase here.
The race also sees ‘Choc’ Thornton trying for his first win back, having placed twice at Southwell on his return yesterday.
Alan King’s horses have been missing strike, with five placed but only one winner from his last 11 starters, and Flaming Charlie has looked short of a finish, as runner-up twice now since Thornton’s injury.
Brackloon High has already won over 3m. Trainer Noel Chance, perhaps fearing the handicapper, said the Bob Back gelding wouldn’t be seen again for a while but here he is 39 days later and getting 10lb from Prince Of Pirates.
His CV tells us he’s had only nine races in his life, yet was able to put back-to-back wins together inside eight days when racing in bumpers. Curiouser and curiouser.
My guess is that he was being aimed at the Royal Artillery meeting at Sandown tomorrow (two entries) but has lowered his sights, which is not a good sign.
I can’t back Frontier Spirit with the Twiston-Davies team running on empty, according to the trade paper’s Trainerspot, and the horse a stone higher than for his December success.
Gotoyourplay (2lb out of the handicap) and Lexicon Lad seem to be improving novices, both getting the best part of a stone from the favourite, but I consider Prince Of Pirates a potential stayer, unexposed at today’s trip.
McCoy’s first win back was It’s A Gimme for the same owner, J P McManus. This is no ‘gimme’ today but that means the price is propped up to the level of my two winning naps of the week so far. And it means we are sure to see that old A P fire burn!
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 8.1pts win (nap) PRINCE OF PIRATES (4.35 Leicester)
BET 1.2pts win and place MR GOOFY (5.05 Leicester)
BET 4.1pts win AUTOMOTIVE (6.15 Kempton)
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