GREAT GOLD RUSH AT CHELTENHAM: It’s Gold Cup day today and a Galopin rush to back the favourite but odds-on favourites are 4-2 down at Cheltenham this week, with the Irish ahead 13-8. Daqman had a supernap up yesterday. His lays are 3-1 up and his bull’s-eye bets have had two winners and a third at big prices.
Thursday: Odds-against supernap up
WON 6-4 FACT OR FILE (supernap)
WON (w/p) DIVA LUNA 3rd 12-1 bull’s-eye bet
WON (Lay) WALKING ON AIR unplaced morning favourite
Wednesday: Win-50 bet on target 15-2
WON 15-2 JAZZY MATTY (bull’s-eye bet, BETDAQ 10.0)
WON 5-1 MARINE NATIONALE (Jonbon 2nd)
WON 5-2 STUMPTOWN
WON (Lay) BE AWARE unplaced favourite
Tuesday: Win-50 bet on target 17-2
WON 17-2 PUTURHANDSTOGETHER (bull’s-eye bet)
WON 5-1 JANGO BAIE (BETDAQ 9.6 taken)
WON (Lay) MAJBOROUGH 3rd 1-2 favourite
FINAL DAY: IRISH LEADING 13-8
🔢 FESTIVAL STORY SO FAR: Ireland 13 winners, England 8. FAVOURITES losing 15-6 (one jt counts against); odds-on favourites losing 4-2.
🔢 TRAINERS: Willie Mullins (6), Henry De Bromhead (2), Nicky Henderson (2), Cian Collins, Barry Connell, Gavin Cromwell, Rebecca Curtis, Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero, Paul Nicholls, Paul Nolan, Joseph O’Brien, Lucinda Russell, Jeremy Scott, Dan Skelton,
🔢 JOCKEYS: Paul Townend (2), Rachael Blackmore (2), Mark Walsh (2), Harry Cobden, Nico De Boinville, Keith Donoghue, Sean Flanagan, Danny Gilligan, Brian Hughes, Jonjo O’Neill, Ben Jones, Danny Mullins, Sean O’Keeffe, Harry Skelton, Mr B T Stone, Jody Townend, Patrick Wadge, Mark Walsh (2), Lorcan Williams.
Full stats and facts on all Day-4 races: see last Friday
WIN WHEN YOU PICK LOSERS!
LAYS LOGIC! This is lays day; if you don’t have a BETDAQ account, join now and get the first 100 days without paying commission. Just in time to choose your winners and lay these likely losers:
Favourites have drawn a blank in the 3.20 (for 11 consecutive years) and the 5.20 (12 years). All four favourites for the new Mares Chase (2.40) have been beaten.
⭕ 1.20 Cheltenham (Triumph Hurdle) The ratings isolate a group of four: East India Dock, Hello Neighbour, Lulamba (Nicky Henderson) and Willy De Houelle (Willie Mullins).
Mullins, who is on a four-timer – currently four out of five – saddles 11 of the runners. Henderson next best with three winners, has just the one, Lulamba, who has a rave reputation at home.
Choosing Lulamba leads me to LAY East India Dock
LET’S BE UP WITH THE LARK
⭕ 2.00 Cheltenham (County Hurdle) Only once in 10 years has this race failed to go to Dan Skelton (4 wins) or Willie Mullins (5), yet only two favourites have won.
Even more salutary, Paul Townend has chosen right and won with 12-1, 20-1 and 25-1 outsiders. Sounds ridiculous, or should I say Absurde!
That one won this race last year but is deserted by Townend now in favour of Kargese, the Triumph Hurdle runner-up in 2024.
Lark In The Mornin (BETDAQ 5.8 taken) won the Fred Winter and waiting for this has him on a very good mark.
The Skeltons rely on Valgrand, who did well twice at Cheltenham in the autumn without lofting his weight for today’s race.
TOWNEND GETS ON ALLEGORIE
⭕ 2.40 Cheltenham (Mares’ Chase) No winner of this has been favourite since the race was launched in 2021 but none has been bigger than 3-1.
Two beaten favourites went on to win the following year and, as last year’s beaten favourite was Dinoblue, Willie Mullins must hope she can continue that trend or she will become his fifth consecutive losing favourite. That would be some kind of record for any race.
She only just held Allegorie De Vassy on soft ground at Naas last month, after that one slammed Limerick Lace 25 lengths at Fairyhouse. Allegorie seems to be Paul Townend’s pick today. BETDAQ 4.6 taken. LAY Dinoblue.
PADDY WIN NOT FOR THE IRISH
⭕ 3.20 Cheltenham (Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle) No winning favourite in 11 years, and double-figure odds up to 50-1 have won nine out of 10.
So not much point in an intense approach to studying this race when there’s a flicker of hope for almost anything in the field.
The unbeaten Derryhassen Paddy could complete a great week for Linda Russell who won the Ultima with Myretown. He has won only on soft-heavy but best of all results for the progeny of his sire has been on good.
The Big Westerner only had to be pushed out to beat Argento Boy at Punchestown but that track can mislead for Cheltenham.
And best of the Irish might be Ballybow, bred in the jumping purple by Flemensfirth out of a Yeats mare closely related to Hurricane Run.
Stablemate Wingmen has been placed behind The Yellow Clay and Final Demand, second and third in The New Lion’s Turners victory.
David Cottin brought Jet Blue over to win the trial for this here in December, with James Reveley making a rare return to England.
Betdaq Betting Exchange value 6.5 The Big Westerner, 8 Jet Blue, 11 Derryhassen Paddy, 17.5 Ballybow.
GALOPIN TO GOLD CUP GLORY
⭕ 4.00 Cheltenham (Gold Cup) Galopin des Champs (pictured below) goes for a hat-trick 24 hours after Fact To File, the horse he beat seven lengths in the Savills, romped home nine lengths in the Ryanair yesterday.
Still only nine, the Galopin modern jumping phenomenon has won this off 173 and 179 but, would you believe, the handicapper docked him a couple of pounds for defeats on his bogey track, Punchestown.
So he’s here off 177, Denman having won it off 176 and Best Mate 175. The hat-trick would equal Best Mate’s and even threaten the hallowed name of Arkle in the annals of steeplechasing.
In the absence of Fact Or File, second favourite for today until doing his own thing yesterday. I suggest your each-way bet is Corbetts Cross, who won the NH Chase here last year and will be staying on into a place when most have cried enough. BETDAQ value 22.0, with 3.8 three places.
WATCH FOR A FAMOUS VICTORY
⭕ 4.40 Cheltenham (Challenge Cup open hunters’ chase) Gina Andrews rode a fantastic race on a 12-year-old when Lateightpass led approaching the last in the cross-country on Wednesday but the four-years-younger Stumptown was too good in the final stages.
She rode Fairly Famous to five in a row in 2023, four Points plus a hunter-chase here at Cheltenham, and she won another one over the course at today’s trip last Spring.
Paul Nicholls has trained the winner of this twice for lady riders to score at 16-1 and 25-1 in 2017-18.
Now he gives the leg up to his daughter, Olive, on Shearer, unbeaten (4-4) over fences. Both my bets were around 12-1 this morning.
31.0 AND NO QUESTIONS ASKED
⭕ 5.20 Cheltenham (Martin Pipe Conditional Jockeys’ Handicap Hurdle) The race has gone to leading trainers only, with Willie Mullins (5) leading Gordon Elliott (3).
However, it’s seemingly another lottery with favourites all beaten in the last 12 years and I shall LAY Kopeck De Mee and have 23 others running for me.
My pick of the form and the conditional jockeys are Danny Gilligan on 7.7 BETDAQ offer Wodhooh (Gordon Elliott), Freddie Gingell on 14.0 No Ordinary Joe (Nicky Henderson) and Callum Pritchard on 31.0 No Questions Asked for Ben Pauling.
DAQMAN’S BETS on Betdaq Betting Exchange
1.20 CHELTENHAM (win 10)
BET 4pts win LULAMBA
2.00 CHELTENHAM (win 20)
BET 4pts win LARK IN THE MORNIN
2.40 CHELTENHAM (win 20)
BET 5.25pts win ALLEGORIE DE VASSY
3.20 CHELTENHAM (win-50 bull’s-eye bets)
BET 7pts win JET BLUE
BET 5pts win DERRYHESSEN PADDY
BET 3pts win BALLYBOW
4.00 CHELTENHAM (supernap and w/p to win 25)
★ BET 20pts win GALOPIN DES CHAMPS
BET 1pt win 3pt place CORBETTS CROSS
4.40 CHELTENHAM (each to win 30)
BET 2.5pts win FAIRLY FAMOUS
BET 2.5pts win SHEARER
5.20 CHELTENHAM (win-50 bull’s-eye bets)
BET 3.75pts win NO ORDINARY JOE
BET 1.6pts win and 2pts place at 6.2 NO QUESTIONS ASKED
What are points? Points facilitate a staking plan, which is the secret to creating profit. One point is whatever you choose: a pound, a euro, or whatever ….
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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