DAQMAN FLAT OUT FOR MORE WINNERS: It’s all over! The fat lady won’t be singing until the Grand National on April 9 but the Flat season starts next Saturday, with the Lincoln Handicap at Doncaster and the Irish Lincolnshire at the Curragh. As ever, Daqman will bring you all the best tips and information.
TODAY: Cheltenham on the record/Midlands Grand National
TOMORROW: Cheltenham wrap
MONDAY/TUESDAY: The big-winners’ season
WEDNESDAY-FRIDAY: Start of the Flat/Lincoln ABC
Today’s headlines
RACHAEL’S MADE OF GOLD
EXPRESS TRAINED FOR IT
BETDAQ THE ART OF VALUE
HE’S CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS
RACHAEL’S MADE OF GOLD
See you later! A Plus Tard lived up to his name yesterday when he skipped 15 lengths clear of the Gold Cup field, turning around last year’s one-two behind Minella Indo, with Britain’s best, Protektorat, running on, third.
The difference was the winner’s vastly-improved jumping. The difference was a spectacular ride by Rachael Blackmore. But there was no difference as she broke
more records, and Ireland took all top honours.
First woman to win the Grand National last year; now first to win the Gold Cup, and first to do the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup double this century, since Norman Williamson (1995) and Sir Anthony McCoy (1997).
As last year, the pick of the crop was trained by Henry de Bromhead (Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup), with a harvest of 10 winners for Willie Mullins, five in a final-day rampage, and a first for him, too, in the Champion Chase.
TRAINERS TABLE: (Ireland 18, Great Britain 10); Willie Mullins 10; Henry De Bromhead 3; two each Gordon Elliott, Nicky Henderson and Venetia Willams; one each Gavin Cromwell, Harry Fry, Alan King, Hughie Morrison, Joseph O Brien, Ben Pauling, Padraig Roche, Lucinda Russell, Evan Williams.
JOCKEYS: Paul Townend 5; on 3 each Rachael Blackmore and Patrick Mullins; 2 each Nico De Boinville and Mark Walsh; one each Jonathan Burke, Tom Cannon, Charlie Deutsch, Shane Fitzgerald, Derek Fox, Jack Kennedy, Mark McDonagh, Danny Mullins, Sean O’Keeffe, Tom O’Brien, Lucy Turner, Adam Wedge, Kielan Woods.
FAVOURITES: Wjt; W; 0; W; 0; 2; 2; W; W; 0; 0; W; 2; W; 0; 2co; W; 0; 2; 0; 2jt.; W; W; 0; W; W; 0; 0.
TIPSTERS: Daqman 9, Pricewise 3 winning bets; Fortune Cookies 6; Lays Logic 5.
EXPRESS TRAINED FOR IT
⭕ 1.50 Uttoxeter CD-winner Silva Express (BETDAQ 16.0) is a stone well in on his best form, for which there’s been strong evidence the last twice.
Paul Nicholls is hoping that Grace A Vous Enki will prove an omen to Yala Enki in the Midlands Grand National later on.
Both are out of the Cadoudal mare, Cadiane. But Nicholls had only one place from 11 starters at Cheltenham.
⭕ 2.25 Uttoxeter Venetia Williams capped a great year with two winners at Cheltenham, including a superb jumping performance by L’Homme Presse.
She saddles Fuji Flight (BETDAQ 4.4) for his first handicap, a hat-trick bid in the hands of Lucy Turner, Venetia’s winning jockey at Cheltenham on Chambord.
Lucy’s taking the ride snuffs out a lump of Fuji’s 12lb hike for back–to–back wins at Hereford and Newbury.
Docpickedme is also going into handicaps off a novice-chase double, with the visor applied by Harry Whittington, but stablemate Young Bull was backed this morning. Hard to back them, the stable having failed to score for 48 days.
Saint Palais had already landed his hat-trick, two of them in handicap chases, but then, reverting to a novice chase at the Grade-2 level, he found jumping the Wetherby fences – and the powerful Ahoy Senor – too much for him on the last day.
BETDAQ THE ART OF VALUE
⭕ 2.40 Kempton Bookies were going 7-1 the field this morning; wide-open handicap or what! With a Paul Nicholls pair at the front of the market, then Jay Jay Reilly on the drift, it seemed best to go for the money horses, knowing there will be a fair deal on BETDAQ.
Annsam will surely jump better than he did on his return to duty; Art Approval drops back to his winning trip of Cheltenham in November. I took 10.0 each on BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.
⭕ 3.15 Kempton Espoir De Guye is another recent winner for Venetia Williams but has only ever won on soft-heavy.
Runner-up in this last year, Manofthemountain was using the race as a stepping-stone to victory in the Silver Trophy at Cheltenham in April, his target again.
Killer Clown, from the same Emma Lavelle stable, is the only CD winner in the field, but his Wincanton win in January pushed him up 7lb.
Diego Du Charmil is an Ascot specialist who has tried three times at Kempton, placed without winning every time.
Pistol Whipped was out of his depth in a Grade 2 at Ascot the last day but, back down in class, will be hard to beat if allowed to dominate. BETDAQ 10.0, back and lay potential.
HE’S CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS
⭕ 3.35 Uttoxeter (Midlands Grand National): STATS: 9 out of 10 won off 10st 12lb or lower; 9 out of 10 of a single-figure age. Irish-bred and won over at least 3m.
Captain Drake Harry Fry, who saddled the winner of the Mares Novices Hurdle on Thursday, brought this one back to form to win the Devon National (soft) last month.
Captain Drake (BETDAQ 16.0) was second in this Uttoxeter race in 2020 (blundered at the last) off 7lb higher than he carries today. The easy winner, Truckers Lodge, is almost a stone worse off now.
Yala Enki/Truckers Lodge Stablemate to Truckers Lodge, and ridden by Bryony Frost, Yala Enki has twice been placed in the Welsh Grand National, and is 2-2 since returning from a tilt at the 2021 Aintree National (unseated rider 20th). Stable still out of form with some runners.
Time To Get Up is 4lb higher than when winning this last year, with Irish-raider Screaming Colours staying on fourth but worse off today.
Had a run back, third, in the Haydock Park National Trial, on heavy ground, which helped him win last year’s prep for this at Wincanton when 12lb lower.
Supreme Escape Evan Williams, who won the Plate at Cheltenham with Coole Cody this week, declared this for the horse’s next target after he won the North Yorkshire Grand National but he’s raised 13lb and needs all of Joe Anderson’s 7lb claim. BETDAQ 24.0.
Hewick ‘Shark’ Hanlon also tries to continue the Irish charge this week. Hewick, whose target is the Scottish Grand National, has gone up 25lb for winning at Listowel and then taking the Durham National comfortably.
Out of an Oscar mare related to the smart stayer Deep Bramble, Hewick will need plenty of early sunshine to dry up the ground.
Wholestone A quite special hurdler, who won five times at Cheltenham, just short of top class, is 2-3 over fences in a belated change of discipline, but this is his first attempt at 4m+ at age 11.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.50 Uttoxeter (win-50 bull’s-eye nap)
BET 3.25pts win SILVA EXPRESS
2.25 Uttoxeter (win 10)
BET 3pts win FUJI FLIGHT
2.40 Kempton (win-50 bull’s-eye bet)
BET 5pts win ANNSAM
BET 5pts win ART APPROVAL
3.00 Uttoxeter (win 10)
BET 3pts win BOOTHILL
3.15 Kempton (win-50 bull’s-eye bet)
BET 5pts win PISTOL WHIPPED
3.35 Uttoxeter (win-50 bull’s-eye bets)
BET 3.25pts win CAPTAIN DRAKE
BET 2.25pts win SUPREME ESCAPE
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.
