28-1 JUBILEE WINNER FOR DAQMAN: Last offered before the race at 44.4, Cruiser (WON 28-1) was a sensational Bank Holiday bonus for Daqman yesterday, his only bet in Kempton Park’s Jubilee Handicap.
GULF BETWEEN BOOKIES AND BETDAQ: There’s another gap in the markets for tomorrow’s Chester Cup: four of the nine firms quoted in the Racing Post this morning went 6-1 my ‘horse to follow’ in the race, Gulf Of Naples, but you could get 9.8 in BETDAQ offers this morning, and that was after Zuider Zee had been withdrawn.
ABC GUIDE TO TOMORROW’S CHESTER CUP: Daqman checks out the stats and finds four key factors from results of the big race in the last decade, and applies them to tomorrow’s runners:
A Drawn in first seven stalls (7 out of 10)
B Carried 8st 9lb to 9st 4lb (8 out of 10)
C Aged five to seven (8 out of 10)
D Grade-2 hurdles or class-2 Flat winner.
There are do’s and don’ts in the Chester Cup market. My horse to follow, Gulf Of Naples, already in top form this season and aimed at the Ascot Gold Cup, was 9.8 on BETDAQ this morning, whereas four out of nine big bookmaking firms had been quoting 6-1, even before Zuider Zee was declared a non-runner.
Be warned that Ladbrokes were fielding against the Ballydoyle runner, Harrison’s Cave, to such an extent that he was shorter on the Daq.
ABCD Never Can Tell Jamie Osborne is aiming high with this Cesarewitch winner, targeting the Ascot Gold Cup. Twice a winner at Chester last season, including a neck defeat of Kazbow, who is 10lb better off now.
ABCD Tominator Now 10lb higher than when winning the Pitman’s Derby on good to soft last June but ran a blinder with a 7lb penalty when runner-up in a Listed handicap at Chester, having missed the cut for the Ebor.
ABD Eternal Heart Also entered for the Yorkshire Cup next week, and in the Ascot Gold Cup. Bit to make up on Chester form in August on Tominator and Ile De Re, and behind Barbican at Ascot the following month.
ACD Activate (RES) Three-time winner on all types of ground; that cost him a total rise of 18lb for the Pitman’s Derby, in which he was ’never travelling’, 16th of 19.
ACD Dazinski Chester winner as a three-year-old but two years without success until bounced back at York last August in a big-field handicap. However, unfancied at 50-1 and 45 lengths behind Never Can Tell in the Cesarewitch.
AC Shubaat Difficult to keep right and only five lifetime runs, culminating in Musselburgh Gold Cup win a month ago; despite his size, he railed round from the front and stole the race.
AD Barbican Ascot Gold Cup entry who landed a hat-trick last summer, the last two wins at Ascot, one of them a Listed race. Group-3 placed afterwards and tilted at Dubai Gold Cup (7th) before disappointing in Sagaro Stakes.
BD Gulf Of Naples Also entered for the Yorkshire Cup, and has the Ascot Gold Cup on his agenda after three wins from four starts, including the Queen’s Prize. Officially up a total of 27lb since October but can run in this Chester Cup with only a 3lb penalty, 7lb lower than his new mark.
BCD Ile De Re Started the new year with two novice-hurdle wins and only 2lb higher on the Flat than when winning the Ascot Shergar Cup Stayers’ Handicap in August. Closely handicapper with Tominator on their Chester Listed form a fortnight later.
BCD Merchant Of Dubai Hasn’t won for more than two years but back to form, third, in the November Handicap at the end of last season and placed in two attempts at breaking his hurdles maiden at the end of the year.
BC Address Unknown In first-time visor after decent efforts in Listed and Group company last season but poor seasonal reappearance and 10 lengths behind Gulf Of Naples at Ripon.
BC Kazbow Sequence of 22122110122 for Luca Cumani, including neck defeat by Never Can Tell at Chester (2m) but stone last in Cesarewitch. Since moved to Chris Grant, but Kieren Fallon remains faithful, with Cumani employing Jamie Spencer for Mount Athos.
BC Kiama Bay Likes Chester but will he get the trip? Winner of 11f handicap on the Roodeye last June (11f soft) and runner-up there in a Listed in September. But only 9th in November Handicap and poor reappearance run, damp-squib endings to the fireworks of 12120111222 form-figures.
BC Mystery Star Only two finished behind him in 33-runner Cesarewitch and a long way behind Tominator in Pitman’s Derby but third in this Chester Cup last year; 2lb lower now and 9lb better for four lengths with the winner, Overturn.
BD Ajaan Long in the tooth now, and not much racing last year. Third in marathon Queen Alexandra Stakes at Royal Ascot in June but just one win (in four-runner race) in the last four years.
CD Mount Athos Still in the grip of the handicapper, better off at the weights but not enough to give him a chance to win, after fourth in this Chester Cup last year to Overturn and fourth in the Cesarewitch to Never Can Tell. A nearly horse.
D Overturn Ascot Gold Cup entry, he is Mr. Consistency. Massive season over the sticks, winning Scottish Summer Champion Hurdle, Ascot Hurdle and Fighting Fifth before Christmas Hurdle third and runner-up in the Champion Hurdle at Cheltenham.
Must have been a racing cert in last year’s Chester Cup off 99, carrying 8st 13lb., making all and winning only a second outside the course record. Now tries for the repeat with 9st 10lb, but that’s off a 106 rating, which suggests that the field is a few pounds short of last year’s quality.
– Harrisons Cave Aidan O’Brien has been beating the book with a 1,000 Guineas winner at 28-1 and yesterday’s 66-1 pacemaker vanquishing St Nicholas Abbey.
What price this rarest of Ballydoyle runners, a handicapper, who was considered worth sending to Churchill Downs for last November’s Grade-2 Breeders Cup Marathon (ninth)?
DAQMAN’S BETS:
BET 2.7pts win RUBEN COTTER (6.55 Exeter)
BET 1.1pts win and place MINGUN BELL (7.10 Catterick)
BET 5.1pts win (nap) POCKET TOO (7.40 Catterick)
ANTE-POST: WIN-30 JACKPOT: BET 3.4pts win GULF OF NAPLES (9.8 on BETDAQ, Chester Cup, tomorrow)
* Daqman’s selections are backed to win 20 points (unless otherwise stated) so, if you divide 20 by his stake, you know the Betdaq offer taken at the time of writing.
Did you know that as well as checking the realtime prices on BETDAQ below – you can also log into your account and place your bets directly into BETDAQ from BETDAQ TIPS.
