DAQMAN’S NAP IS OUT ON HIS OWN! When Navan was postponed until Tuesday, Daqman was left with one bet – his nap – at Musselburgh yesterday. It was one bet, one easy winner, as Clear The Runway soon went clear as his name implied and won 7.5 lengths and 15.
Sunday: profit on the day 10 points
WON 11-8 CLEAR THE RUNWAY (nap and sole Sunday bet)
Saturday: profit on the day 6.25 points
WON 9-2 THE GALLOPING BEAR (Haydock Park Grand National Trial)
WON 9-4 FAKIR D’OUDAIRIES (Ascot Chase)
WINTER CLASSIC PREVIEW TODAY: Daqman previews Saturday’s Winter Derby at Lingfield, which looks like a match between Team Gosden and William Haggas. Watch this space!
GOSDEN DERBY FOUR-TIMER?
Wishing for a Wissahickon. Daqman was on that one during the lead-up to his victory in the 2019 Winter Derby at Lingfield. That’s on Saturday this week.
We didn’t need much prompting. We had made him a Fortune Cookie the previous year and backed him in some of his five wins out of six including the Cambridgeshire, which the entire won at 11-1.
Wissachickon – named after a river catfish by the indigenous Lenape people of North America – is still racing over there.
What we didn’t know as he trotted up in the Winter Derby was that his English trainer, John Gosden, would claim the race as his own, and on Saturday is looking for four straight wins.
Frankie Dettori made it back-to-back success for the yard with Dubai Warrior in 2020 and last year Gosden landed the hat-trick with Robert Havlin on Forest of Dean.
Forest of Dean is among three left in for Saturday by John and Thady Gosden, who rely on tried and trusted warriors this time around: Forest Of Dean is six as are their two possible contenders, Lord North and Harrovian.
Only Harrovian has been seen in the last three months or so but the bookies have made a hot favourite of Lord North, who won the Group-1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot in June 2020, and was back to form last Spring, winning a Group 1 at Meydan.
The one who’s been out and won already is Fancy Man, CD winner over the Winter Derby trip for Richard Hannon earlier this month and Group-3 placed three times last season.
Sir Michael Stoute saddled a Group-3-placed (Convoy 2017) to win this and his seven-year-old Regal Reality, second to Dubai Warrior in a Listed in December, looks an intended for Saturday’s line-up. The third that day, Felix (Marco Botti), is also a possible runner.
But we won’t need to look for a Wissahickon-type handicapper if Alenquer runs. Second in the Group-1 International at York in August after winning the ‘ Royal Ascot Derby’ (King Edward V11 Stakes) for William Haggas and Tom Marquand.
PREVIEW PICK: Alenquer is expected to take in the Winter Derby as a power prep for the Sheema Classic in March, won last year by Team Gosden with Mishriff.
DOESN’T TAKE A GENIUS
⭕ 2.25 Carlisle The Cumbrian course is testing at the best of times but especially so today. After yesterday’s inspection and a further 16mm overnight, the course was deemed fit for racing after passing a further inspection this morning.
Fit for racing should come with a caveat * ‘Only fit for racing for those that enjoy quagmire conditions’.
We should be safe with Monbeg Genius who has only raced on soft or deeper and after three starts still looks to be progressive.
After a narrow soft ground win at Ffos Las he shaped well in a much better race at Ascot last time out when fourth to Jerrash who went on to run well himself when third in the Listed Sidney Banks at Huntingdon.
Monbeg Genius and Silver Flyer were vying for BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE favouritism this morning but the nod goes to the Jonjo O’Neill trained runner.
Silver Flyer looked a suspect jumper based on his first two Point starts but made it third time lucky in that sphere and then recorded a decent winning rules debut at Catterick when pulling well clear to win by nine lengths.
Most importantly his jumping was sound and with the McCain yard in such good form his chance is respected but on the basis of just the pure form achieved so far Monbeg Genius gets the vote.
HE’S STILL SOME BOY
⭕ 5.07 Carlisle They’ve saved the 3m 1f handicap hurdle until last and its anyone’s guess as to the state of the ground.
The Rebecca Menzies trained You Some Boy can’t be dismissed as he goes in search of a four-timer. He’s a real mudlark and the handicapper may still have egg on his face despite him pushing him up a further 9lb.
He certainly appeals more than the forecast favourite Walk In My Shoes who was a disappointing fifth at Wetherby last time out when sent off a 3/1 chance.
Lady Bowes might be more of a danger after her placed efforts in testing ground at Hexham and and Haydock last December and returns after a short break.
BY THE SEESIDE
⭕ 7.00 Newcastle There’s a couple of hotpots on tonight’s card at the omni-present Newcastle in the form of Native Angel (6.00) and High Velocity (7.30). £1 was buying 53p the pair in a BETDAQ SPORTSBOOK double for the money buyers.
I’ll stick to bigger prices with Burrows Seeside in the 7.00. He is a reliable course and distance performer whose recent form stacks up well in the context of this race.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 10 points)
BET 8.9pts win (nap) MONBEG GENIUS (2.25 Carlisle)
BET 1.9pts win YOU SOME BOY (5.07 Carlisle)
BET 5.5pts win BURROWS SEESIDE (7.00 Newcastle)
What are points? Points facilitate a staking plan, which is the secret to creating profit. One point is whatever you choose: a pound, a euro, or whatever ….
Start with a bank and decide how much you can afford to lose over a period of time, and determine the size of your bets accordingly. Daqman makes this variation every day.
