DAQMAN’S FOURTH WINNING NAP IN FIVE DAYS: Winner-a-day Daqman had two hits out of three yesterday, including his fourth winning nap in five days.
Wednesday: profit on the day: 14.50
WON 5-2 IOUPY COLLONGES
WON 11-8 PEMBROKE (nap)
Four naps up out of five: profit 173.88
WON 15-2 PROTEKTORAT (Saturday nap)
WON 4-9 STATE MAN (Sunday supernap)
WON 7-4 MIRANDA (Monday nap)
WON 11-8 PEMBROKE (Wednesday nap)
TODAY: Stats and form preview to Saturday’s Fighting Fifth.
UPHILL BATTLE TO BEAT CONSTITUTION
⭕ 2.10 Newcastle, Saturday (Fighting Fifth Hurdle) STATS Dual winners this century: Harchibald (2004-7), Irving (2014-16), Buveur d’Air (2017-18), Epatante (2020-21). All first legs when aged 5 or 6.
FORM: Epatante is back for a third win in a row, joined by Not So Sleepy, now aged 10. The pair dead-heated in 2021.
170 CONSTITUTION HILL (5, Nicky Henderson) Just three hurdles in his life, won by an overall 48 lengths, including the Tolworth at Sandown and the Supreme Novices at Cheltenham in an extraordinary performance to beat Jonbon 22 lengths.
Jonbon won three hurdles wrapped around that defeat, including the Supreme Trial at Haydock and the Top Novices’ Hurdle at Aintree.
158 NOT SO SLEEPY (10, Hughie Morrison) Started last year off 149, mixing with the best, and reaching 160 after giving 7lb but forcing a dead-heat with Epatante in this Fighting Fifth. However, that was his sole success from 10 starts.
155 TOMMYS OSCAR (7, Ann Hamilton) Won four in a row at the turning of the year, three handicaps and – in January – the Champion Hurdle Trial at Haydock, but was well down the field for the championship itself. Beaten by Banbridge in the Arkle Trial, one of two chases this autumn, in the first winning a two-horse race by a head.
154 EPATANTE (8, Nicky Henderson) His age says he’s second string to Constitution Hill, despite winning two Fighting Fifths (one, the dead-heat with Not So Sleepy) and the 2020 Champion Hurdle.
Won the Aintree Hurdle 14 lengths in the Spring, but lost his Cheltenham crown to Honeysuckle for the second year running.
147 PIED PIPER (4, Gordon Elliott) Only one four-year-old has won the Fighting Fifth in 36 years; then you have to go back to Night Nurse (1975). Winner of two Grade-2 hurdles at Cheltenham and Down Royal this autumn, but rated only 5lb higher than for back-to-back wins last winter resulting in his Triumph Hurdle third.
133 VOIX DU REVE (10, Iain Jardine) Scored in a handicap hurdle over the CD in March but that’s all he’s won in 22 starts since a novice chase for Willie Mullins (gained 156 rating) at Fairyhouse in April, 2019.
NAP IS FAV
⭕ 1.35 Thurles Favori De Champdou looks a really nice prospect and can land this for Gordon Elliott en route to bigger challenges.
He appreciated the step up to today’s trip when making all to win over course and distance last time out where he travelled well for much of the race.
This will be a tougher test though. Stablemate Jack In The Box should improve for his Galway run and also the step up in trip whilst Suain Na Draoicht comes here on the back of a Sligo win but this is much tougher.
Harry Des Ongrais hasn’t got many miles on the clock and whilst up in class could easily get a piece of it.
GIVEGA A CHANCE
⭕ 2.05 Lingfield Gary Moore seems keen to get a run into Givega – so much so that the six-year-old is also entered for the 12.10 at Newbury tomorrow. A bit like London buses, we wait 550 days for Givega’s first run under rules and then two races come along at once.
He might be worth the wait and patience Moore has shown in him. He certainly impressed on his sole point start at Tralee when winning in good style on soft to heavy ground, suggesting the Lingfield soft will also be relished.
The Moore stable remain in good form with 7 winners from their last 41 runners – highlighted by Goshen last weekend.
Hot Rod Lincoln looks the obvious alternative on the Betdaq Betting Exchange. Trained by Harry Fry he enjoys the advantage of a previous start over hurdles. He finished fourth at Chepstow and should progress from that. There were a couple of minor jumping errors but that can be expected first time up.
It seems likely Hot Rod Lincoln will try and make all the running with hopefully the class of Givega telling in the closing stages.
However Philip Hobbs saddles High Game Royal who ran a fair race on his hurdling debut at Chepstow.
The form of that race was given a huge boost when the winner Tahmuras won a Listed race at Haydock last weekend and High Game Royal looks far too big here at 6.9 so will include him as a WIN bet to run alongside Givega. I’m staking to WIN 10 from the race whichever one (and hopefully it WILL be one of them!) wins.
MUCHO THE BEST
⭕ 2.35 Lingfield Mucho Mas can continue the good recent form of Ben Pauling (7 winners from last 27).
Mucho Man failed by a neck to get up to beat Arizona Cardinal on his chasing debut at Bangor and a reproduction of that effort might well be all that’s needed.
He is preferred to the mare Good Luck Charm who was also second on chase debut but in a three runner race where she ran in snatches a little. This will be tougher.
DAQMAN’S BETS:
1.35 Thurles (win 10, nap)
BET 7.9pts win FAVORI DE CHAMPDOU
2.05 Lingfield (win 10 from either selection)
BET 10.5pts win GIVEGA
BET 3.5pts win HIGH GAME ROYAL
2.35 Lingfield (win 10)
BET 4.5pts win MUCHO MAS
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