GOLD TARGET FROM BETDAQ VALUE: Daqman goes straight on the attack at Cheltenham, bidding for bull’s-eye (win-50) bets with big BETDAQ value on his side. Tomorrow is December Gold Cup day, plus trials for the Albert Bartlett and the Triumph Hurdle.
‘LOOP’ LOOKS BIG ON BETDAQ
⭕ 1.15 Cheltenham: Four-year-olds too young; over the age of six, too old. That applies nine times out of 10 in this race and many others like it and, in three of the last five seasons, the winner has been claimed off.
Within these parameters, Leloopa is the only candidate and is proof of the improvement required in the early years, now a stone higher than at this time in 2024.
Her winning the mares’ novices-hurdle final at Kelso in March was a long laid out plan which came off.
Also successful was wind surgery in September. The reward was another big-odds hit last month when she went clear here at Cheltenham (but on the old course), with today’s claimer, Tom Broughton, in the saddle.
In fact, he was unable to claim that day, so it could be said that she’s only a pound higher now on the Cheltenham new course in a race of the same class this afternoon. Betdaq Betting Exchange 10.5 taken.
French Emperor is raised a similar amount – 12lb, in fact – but from only two wins this autumn, the last one a month back here, again on the old course, beating a mount of Broughton’s, so he has him in his sights today.
French Emperor’s back-to-back success came under James Bowen but his brother, champion Sean Bowen, now takes over.
Another novice winner on the old course, the Skelton five-year-old Fortune De Mer, has since had his form boosted by the runner-up a grade higher, albeit in a small field.
Mixing fences and hurdles, Iberico Lord seems to have lost the plot, since winning the big February hurdle at Newbury in 2024. It’s a similar story with Brentford Hope. Watch the market in each case.
‘HURRY’ FOR TOP CHASE VALUE
⭕ 1.50 Cheltenham: This class-1 handicap chase is a cracking contest but the BETDAQ orange added up to a value 104% this morning, compared with the 113 and 115 Total SPs with bookies in the last two seasons.
The race has been won twice in the decade by Venetia Williams from the foot of the handicap.
Her 10-year-old L’Homme Presse (‘man in a hurry’) is at the other end of the scale; he has to give weight all round but has a Cheltenham record of 1141, two of them on this new course.
His only defeat was when upped to today’s trip, weakening out of Gold Cup contention, but he goes well fresh and has won from a mark higher than this. BETDAQ 6.3 taken.
Team Twiston-Davies has taken this three times in the last six seasons but Gowel Road has won just a novice chase and his Graded strike here was over hurdles.
Ben Pauling landed a double yesterday and I put Henrys Friend in my list of likely winners which would decide the trainers’ title. BETDAQ 7.9.
Before winning this last year, the grey King Turgeon had scored in the Grand Sefton. He weakened on the run-in of the same Aintree race last month (6th), despite having wind surgery in August.
Fifth in the Graded Ultima Chase at the festival, The Short Go has finished second and fourth in big-field Cheltenham handicaps in the last year or so; only now do they decide he needs a tongue-tie.
Warren Greatrex yesterday completed his second hat-trick of December already, and Herakles Westwood, placed here at the November meeting, was the one they wanted when books opened on this race. But he’s from 9lb out of the handicap.
★ NAP OF THE DAY: For Gina (⭕ 2.33 Doncaster) had dropped down the handicap and was able to make a winning reappearance at Fontwell.
Roaring Home has won only her maiden, always a bad sign, and her place form since has all been on a sound surface. Either Or has also scored only once under Rules. Pipers Cross stays well and is claimed off for 10lb.
DAQMAN’S BETS
on Betdaq Betting Exchange
1.15 Cheltenham (win-50 bull’s-eye bet)
BET 9.5pts win LELOOPA
BET 4pts to win 15 FORTUNE DE MER
1.50 Cheltenham (win-50 bull’s-eye bet)
BET 9.5pts win L’HOMME PRESSE
BET 4.3pts to win 30 HENRYS FRIEND
★ 2.33 Doncaster (win 20, nap)
BET 5pts win FOR GINA
BET 2pts to win 10 PIPERS CROSS
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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.
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