TWO OUT OF THREE FOR DAQMAN: Daqman landed two winners out of three yesterday. In a thrilling finish, The Imposter held on for a dead-heat; then, 20 minutes later, Grey Diamond made it look easy, going clear at Haydock.
WON 3-1 (dd ht) THE IMPOSTER
WON 100-30 GREY DIAMOND
Nine races previewed
TODAY: FLAT Part 1 of a two-day stats and facts preview of Saturday’s start of the Flat at The Curragh
TODAY: JUMPS Daqman enjoys 70 minutes play at low stakes and big-value BETDAQ odds at Chepstow, Cork, Ludlow and Sedgefield.
LAUGH AT THE HANDICAPPER
FLAT COUNTDOWN Two days to go and the opening meeting at The Curragh has a Classic feel about it, plus some old hands plotting the early handicaps.
⭕ 1.40 Curragh, Saturday The last two winners of this two-year-olds maiden both progressed to Group level. One of them was trained by Jim Bolger, who launches his season with two chances on their debut in the race which opens the Flat-turf season on Saturday.
⭕ 2.15 Curragh, Saturday What do you do if you train a decent animal but he’s past his sell–by date: answer, you get him ready early before he has to face fit young horses.
So it is that Downforce (aged nine) won this in 2021 but scored only once in 15 starts afterwards.
Last year’s winner of this handicap, Laugh A Minute (aged seven), failed to score for the rest of season (0-12), so only 1-27 combined for the two winners.
Both are down to run again: Downforce now 11 and 24lb down the ratings; Laugh A Minute, now eight and racing off a 7lb lower mark.
Ado McGuinness is often an early bird, and he prepped Laugh A Minute at Dundalk in February for this attempt at back-to-back wins on Saturday.
⭕ 2.50 Curragh, Saturday This 7f maiden for three-year-old fillies and mares has launched Classic careers.
The 2021 winner, Joan Of Arc (Aidan O’Brien), went on to win the 1,000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown before second in the Irish 1,000 itself and then winner of the French Oaks.
Last year, Perfect Thunder (Joseph O’Brien) beat Toy (Aidan O’Brien) half a length, with Toy the one to go on from the race: runner-up in the Irish Oaks and a Listed winner at Naas later on.
Though not yet seen on a racecourse, Tender Kiss (Aidan O’Brien) could be the one on Saturday, as a daughter of Galileo out of Marsha (Acclamation). Marsha won the Abbaye and Nunthorpe Group-1 sprints.
DUBLIN JOB RIDE AT CORK
⭕ 3.00 Ludlow today: Soft ground and the ravages of Cheltenham in the January mud stopped a front-running effort by Fire Dancer the last day.
Now, with tongue-tie fitted, he drops two grades in class on better ground.
He’s running over the CD at Ludlow where he scored first time in England after moving to Venetia Williams from Guillaume Macaire.
Cartonne’s having made all in low-grade small fields, both at Musselburgh, hopefully sets the race up for Fire Dancer and creates a market for us.
Betdaq Betting Exchange 3.45 Fire Dancer
⭕ 3.15 Cork Michael O’Sullivan, who hit the headlines with a double at the Cheltenham Festival, looks handy on A Dublin Job, placed over 3m.
Now dropped back half a mile, the six-year-old wears first-time cheekpieces. BETDAQ value 7.8
⭕ 3.25 Sedgefield The Questioner was withdrawn from the heavy slog at his home track, Haydock, this week but is in such good form that – hoping the ground won’t deteriorate – connections have quickly switched him to Sedgefield where they have a 44% strike rate.
He gets a chunk of weight from Wake Up Early, who has struggled with a 10lb rise for scoring last Spring.
The two other runners have something to prove today, both having pulled up last time out, so The Questionner could be in match at 2.4 on BETDAQ this morning.
BASS ON HAT-TRICK MISSION
⭕ 3.45 Chepstow Treasure Dillon appears now to be excused boots over fences, after a shocking set of results in five efforts since October.
But he was obviously well prepared at home for last Saturday’s Chepstow chase, in which he was brought down early after being backed.
Treasure Dillon returns to hurdling today, 17lb lower than when he ran over this course and distance last February. Hovering around 18.0 as I write, I’ve asked for 21.0 and should get it any time soon.
⭕ 4.00 Sedgefield Vegan jockey David Bass is enjoying his recent diet of winners. Impressive with Trelawne at Uttoxeter on Saturday, he added two more at Haydock yesterday at 6-1 and 8-1, all three for Kim Bailey.
He travels up to Sedgefield, hoping just one ride will complete the hat-trick on Hilnamix (BETDAQ 3.35).
The grey took a big step forward for Lawney Hill at Plumpton in February, thanks it seems to first-time visor.
FAVOURITE UNDER A CLOUD
⭕ 4.10 Ludlow The lightly-raced First Figaro (BETDAQ 8.0) has won four times after breaks and he landed back to back wins last March off a 342-day absence.
The 2022 winner, Tide Times, seemed to hit the wall the last day, albeit being tried over a longer trip in a higher grade.
Jobesgreen Lad (BETDAQ 9.6) has landed doubles in the last two years after a run back. He’s had his run back.
LAYS LOGIC Rain is a worry for the likely favourite, Concetto. He was all at sea on soft surfaces before his wins on sound terrain the last twice.
DAQMAN’S BETS
3.00 Ludlow (win 10)
BET 4pts win FIRE DANCER
3.15 Cork (win 10)
BET 1.5pts win A DUBLIN JOB
3.25 Sedgefield (win 10, nap)
BET 7pts win THE QUESTIONNER
3.45 Chepstow (win 20)
BET 1pt win and place TREASURE DILLON
4.00 Sedgefield (win 10)
BET 4pts win HILNAMIX
4.10 Ludlow (each to win 10)
BET 1.4pts win FIRST FIGARO
BET 1.2pts win JOBESGREEN LAD
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