LOW ENTRIES TARNISH GOLD CUP: It’s a day of double bad news for Jumps racing in England. Gold Cup entries are down to just 19 with a record low of only five home hopes. And the sport is wiped out until Saturday, barring one meeting today.
TOMORROW: Newbury and Catterick NH abandoned, leaving Lingfield and Chelmsford on polytrack. FRIDAY: Doncaster and Huntingdon abandoned, leaving Newcastle (tapeta) and Lingfield.
GOLD HOPE ALMOST GONE
YOU can’t win it if you’re not in it.. Fight-shy English trainers should take a lesson from Venetia Williams, as they prepare to watch the gold medal pinned on Ireland for the seventh season in a row.
Venetia Williams has reaped right royal rewards for patience with L’Homme Presse (‘man in a hurry’) and resolve with Royale Pagaille (‘right royal mess’).
Royale Pagaille was the 100th Grade-1 winner for Rich Ricci when winning last month’s Lancashire Chase at Haydock for a second time.
L’Homme Presse was certainly in a hurry in 2022, winner of five in a row, but his King George third at Christmas puts him back in the Cheltenham picture.
Venetia’s pair are among only five British contenders in the Gold Cup, one of them Grey Dawning, already beaten by Royale Pagaille when runner-up in that Lancashire Chase at Haydock.
Galopin Des Champs is hot favourite for a Gold Cup hat-trick ahead of Banbridge, the King George winner who was a surprise for some but tipped by Daqman. Both are Irish, of course.
Who will Daqman pick next? Watch this space for Fortune Cookies.
SHIP ON CREST OF A WAVE
⭕ 12.45 Taunton In supporting French Ship because he was a good fourth to The New Lion at Newbury, we are not just hooked on one run against a stand-out name but we are on a wave of form.
French Ship was 2121 in bumpers and hurdles before that and his giving weight all round deservedly puts him on pedestal.
The New Lion, unbeaten in five starts, was impressive in the Challow Hurdle and has earned a 147 mark, a sky-high 19lb above French Ship.
SORCELEUR’S CUP OF TEA
⭕ 2.15 Taunton Paul Nicholls has won two of the last three runnings of this 2m 3f handicap hurdle (class 3).
His five-year-old Sorceleur, whose dam is a daughter of Martaline, is on a hat-trick after scoring an odds-on double at Exeter and Wincanton.
Soreceleur made all the running in both but steps up from the minimum to 2m 3f today, facing an all-the-way CD winner in Tom Doniphon, trained 20 miles from the Taunton track.
But Tom’s victim here nine days ago was a 105 rated and, when he previously tried to make all, at Hereford, he was run out of it by a Paul Nicholls novice, who was afterwards given a mark of 113.
Hold-up horse Coastal Rock was reckoned only a 109, after scoring at Uttoxeter.
Valadon fluffed his novice-chase debut, but would be a threat, if he repeated his win-win form at this time a year ago.
Half-brother to a 2m 5f winner, Sorceleur was 3.95 on Betdaq Betting Exchange this morning behind the odds-on asked of Tom Doniphon.
LOG ON FOR SAWPIT SIENNA
⭕ 3.15 Taunton Sawpit Sienna has won this twice off a similar mark and has no doubt been geared up for the treble today.
Getmetothemoon was beaten only a length here the last day and scored at Stratford in June but all her decent form is on good ground.
Flowering won a maiden for three-year-olds and may need more experience. Ironed Out and front-runner Lady Caro should be in the mix.
BARNABY LOCAL DERBY PICK
⭕ 3.33 Newcastle There are heats of the sprint, mile and stayers AW series at Kempton tonight. But why not create scope for something more focused which the fans can get behind.
For instance, why not an event for CD winners only, with their stalls set out to sell colours and photographs, a rosette in their hair (mane) as they go to post.
Gosforth Park almost has just such a race over 7f here without knowing it. Seven of the 10 declared for this class-4 handicap are CD winners.
The weights are very tight, a real pinstickers’ race. King’s School has form with more than one of them and the slide-rule says that Barnaby has been given an inch by the handicapper. BETDAQ 9.1 this morning.
DOYLE RETURN ON BECCALI
⭕ 7.30 Kempton Charlie Appleby, who scored last night with his sole starter Treasure Fleet, again has one runner at Kempton tonight.
But the difference is that James Doyle is home from a stint in Meydan to partner the December scorer Beccali, considered by the handicapper to be 8lb better than dual scorer Hippocratic Oath.
DAQMAN’S BETS on Betdaq Betting Exchange
★2.15 Taunton (win 20, nap)
BET 7pts win SORCELEUR
3.15 Taunton (win 12)
BET 3pts win SAWPIT SIENNA
3.33 Newcastle (win 20)
BET 2.5pts win BARNABY
7.30 Kempton (win 10)
BET 10pts win BECCALI
Daq Multiples
3 x 3pt doubles, 1pt treble
FRENCH SHIP
(12.45 Taunton)
SORCELEUR
(2.15 Taunton)
BECCALI
(7.30 Kempton)
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