SUPERNAP DOUBLE BID ON BETDAQ CHAMPION DAY: It’s BETDAQ Champion Hurdle day at Punchestown with ‘massive’ money in prizemoney for the race and a punter-friendly bonus for punters in a 102% BETDAQ overround market, says Daqman. Enjoy the spectacle and enjoy a bet, knowing that you are well ahead of the others for value. Daqman celebrates with a supernap at Punchestown and another one on the Classic-trial card at Sandown Park.
DAQMAN RACE-BY-RACE FORM YESTERDAY: 132222211 Daqman’s three wins for the second day running yesterday came at a price of more near misses, including a neck defeat at 5-2 and a short head at 7-1 (his race-by-race form figures 132222211). He is 15-4 up on Pricewise in their value challenge and 69 points clear to a single-unit level stake (Daqman +27.00, Pricewise –42.25).
WON 6-1 PARK PADDOCKS (Punchestown)
WON 15-8 LANCELOT DU LAC (Chelmsford)
WON 2-5 FOOTPAD (Punchestown Ryanair Chase)
SAM’S CHAMPION: MANS BIG AT 39.0
FLASHBACK to last year’s race. Will Mullins lift the BETDAQ trophy again
5.30 Punchestown (Betdaq 2% Commission Punchestown Champion Hurdle) The massive 275,000-euro prize list for this BETDAQ Champion Hurdle has Willie Mullins (5 runners) and Gordon Elliott (2) training all bar one of the field in what could be a turnkey race for the title.
Odd woman out is Jessica Harrington hoping that Supasundae can steal the 162,500-euro winner’s bag from under their seven noses.
The race features a clash of what would normally be described as the young champion against the old, but in fact both Melon and Samcro are the same age at six.
Melon just lost out a neck in the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle with Samcro landing a smooth success in one of the top events for rising stars, the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle the following day.
1 Samcro (Elliott) Unbeaten in seven starts has had the Ballymore form franked twice since, runner-up Black Op winning the top novice event at Aintree, and the third horse, scoring here at Punchestown on Wednesday.
He looks likely to inflict a third successive defeat in Champion Hurdles for Melon in the space of 83 days.
2 Melon (Mullins) Officially (on 165) rated Samcro’s 7lb superior but the handicapper nervously still has him 4lb behind Champion Hurdle winner Buveur d’Air even though there was only a neck between them at the line at Cheltenham.
The third, Mick Jazz, was racing off just 156 that day, and Melon had been beaten 12 lengths by Supasundae in the Irish Champion Hurdle at Leopardstown.
3 Supasundae Mick Jazz had also been third in that Leopardstown championship remote from the runner-up, Faugheen, who franked the form for Supasundae yesterday when he trounced Penhill in the Ladbrokes Champion Stayers Hurdle.
3 Coquin Mans (Mullins) There’s no doubt that Diamond Cauchois met a magnificent rising star when third to Presenting Percy in the Galmoy and he went on to walk away with the Boyne Hurdle.
But Diamond’s sparkle was dimmed in devastating style at the Fairyhouse Festival earlier this month (2m 4f) by Coquin Mans, who had earlier given weight to Melon when he was his runner-up at Down Royal, back in trip to today’s 2m.
The third horse home that day? You’ve guessed it, our regular benchmark, Mick Jazz. His presence there, and Coral Hurdle winner Bleu Berry’s 31 lengths defeat by Coquin Mans at Fairyhouse, suggests that, granted a decent pace, Coquin can be involved in the finish.
BETDAQ VALUE: The value is staring you in the face at the top of the BETDAQ orange this morning: a 102% overround (and only 2% commission)!
You win or you lose by taking sides at Punchestown this week. There’s no trying to fathom a structured path to the contest; they’ve been to Cheltenham, maybe Aintree or Fairyhouse, too.
So Punchestown is what it is: the final conflict! And I’m siding with Samcro. But, in an eight-runner race, and with that 102% punter-friendly-layers’ book early mouse, I’m having a bit of the amazing 39.0 Coquin Mans and the 4.7 place.
GUINEAS PLAN FOR KINGS SHIELD
1.50 Sandown (Esher Cup) For Mullins v Elliott, read Gosden v Appleby, another battle royal going on, this time – with Aidan O’Brien out of form – dominating the English Flat turf.
Gosden (Kings Shield in this) is currently 11201211112, while Charlie Appleby (Dream Warrior) is 1141041100113. Fourteen winners in nine days from 24 bets if you’d been on all their runners.
Hard to estimate just how good are straight wins on AW for Kings Shield (and for Desert Wind, for that matter) but my man in the long grass insists that he is being prepared for the French 2,000 Guineas.
So 2.92 in the BETDAQ orange, as I write, might just be value, with Dream Warrior cut adrift in the market and Merlin Magic’s target the Dante Stakes over further.
2.25 Sandown (Gordon Richards Stakes) The Press (me, too) will commence the cry from today: here’s another Sir Michael Stoute improver. And there will be several.
Last year he made a man of Ulysses, winner of this Group 3 rated 116, who would go on to finish third in the Arc against the fantastic Group-1 sequence winner, Enable (129).
Crystal Ocean has already finished second in the St Leger and today’s rain could start him off Ulysses style from a similar position in the ratings (118).
CHILEAN LOOKS A CLASSIC FORCE
3.00 Sandown (Classic Trial) Not since the great days of Troy and Shergar has this been a trial worthy of its name.
John Gosden has won it four times in 10 years with colts that have stirred up the Epsom Derby betting but no more than that.
And for his class-5 Windsor maiden winner to be favourite here after two wind ops tells you that this year’s quality is likely to be low.
Charlie Appleby (see form figures above) seems happy with Ispolini. But he also has me worried about his wind (he’s tongue tied).
Despite his poor start to the season, Aidan O’Brien’s tally-ho army of followers will be on Hunting Horn, a Camelot out of a mare related to High Chapparal. Should come on from his Naas victory.
At least we know he’ll like the rain-soaked ground, whereas Stephenson’s Rocket, runner-up to the Epsom trial winner of Gosden’s, Crossed Baton, may be a ‘nonner’ if the going gets soft.
The safest bet seems to be Chilean (BETDAQ 4.5), only sixth in the Racing Post Trophy but loving the mud when winning the Prix La Force trial at Longchamp this season. All eight who followed him home were previous winners!
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.50 Sandown (win 20)
BET 11pts win KINGS SHIELD
2.25 Sandown (SP)
SUPERNAP: 20pts win CRYSTAL OCEAN
3.00 Sandown (win 30)
BET 8.5pts win CHILEAN
4.20 Punchestown (win 30)
BET 4.5pts win BEL AMI DE SIVOLA
BET 3.5pts win UP FOR REVIEW
5.30 Punchestown (win 20 the win, win 20 the place)
SUPERNAP: 20pts win SAMCRO
BET (1pt win and) 5.5pts place COQUIN MANS
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