BETDAQ WAS BEST VIEW OF BANKER: Daqman made nine points profit yesterday at SP (more than 12 at BETDAQ offers taken), with two winners for the second time in three days, including a banker which was better than evens in the BETDAQ market. His outsider didn’t run. The winning duo were:
WON 4-5 Tara View (banker nap)
WON 2-1 Ballyhill
JUMPS CHALLENGE RETURNS TODAY: It’s Day 1 of the 2016-17 Jumps challenge to Pricewise of the Racing Post. Daqman won in 2015-16 by 51-20 and has just slammed Pricewise 88-40 for the current year on the Flat. Today’s clash is in the 1.30 and 2.40 Cheltenham.
CONDITIONS SPOT ON FOR ASTRACAD
It starts again today. We set up heroes and they fall down again, but one or two of them survive and grow in stature to be Arkles or Sprinter Sacres. Hallelujah!
This afternoon we demand that Barters Hill doesn’t let us down, as the Cheltenham season begins. He is host for a day to our fears and dreams.
Unfortunately most heroes are not good for the pocket unless we are prepared to move most, or all, of our chips into the middle. I tried yet again to concentrate the essence into my 21 best hopefuls (see Tuesday Archive). Barters Hill was not among them.
But, if he’s not a Fortune Cookie yet, is he a banker of the day? Now read on. I’ll join you and see what I wrote!
12.55 Cheltenham These veterans put up a good show. The strong fields make it look like a great idea. But, when you check it out, you find the reason for the strong support: huge prizemoney by comparison.
The winner gets the same as the winner of one of the top novice events of the autumn, the Steel Plate And Sections, on this card at 2.05 pm.
What will win? Realt Mor has won two out of two, still standing, but has a penalty and that ‘still standing’ covers up as many dross days in between. Eastlake tailed off only 19 days ago.
Shuil Royale is high in the handicap now and prefers flat tracks, aas does Notarfbad. As well as E astlake, the Cheltenham types are Astracad and Dunraven Storm.
It’s an experiment sending Dunraven up in trip. He’s an honest player but Astracad (6.4 on BETDAQ early mouse) likes trip and ground, and scored first time back last autumn.
I’ve been on the yard’s last two winenrs, Ballyhill and Robinshill, and this one has a featherweight, with Jamie Bargary’s claim taking him 21lb below Shuil Royale.
IRISH BROWNEYES COULD BE SHINING
1.30 Cheltenham I can’t find a winner of this with more than 11st 7lb but it’s a short handicap of 13lb, so the top three can’t be ruled out.
Bold Henry (2014) has won it before but off a 15lb lower rating on the soft ground he needs to show his best form, while Colin Tixzzard’s pair, Sizing Codelco and Bally Longford, could both do with a longer trip on winter ground.
The Grade-B winner in Ireland, Pairofbrowneyes’ second to Sub Lieutenant, albeit at a distance, looks much better now that the Lieutenant has foillowed up in the Belfast Chase and it showed that heavy-ground winner Browneyes can act on a better surface: 6.8 best offer on BETDAQ, as I write.
Monbeg River should be thereabouts but has won only on Scottish tracks at a lower level, and the danger may be the 8.6 offer Impulsive American, said to have ‘blossomed’ in the run-up to this race.
Intriguing that four-year-olds try to land a double in the two of the feature chases of the weekend, Impulsive American here and Frodon in the big one tomorrow.
BETDAQ 5.9 A FREE BET AGAINST BARTERS
2.05 Cheltenham (Steel Plate And Sections Novices’ Chase) Here he is, hurdles phenomenon Barters Hill, in a race that helped launch Denman.
The winner of seven out of eight, beaten only in the Albert Bartlett, he debuts over fences against horses with chasing experience and is not likely to accept restraint, as one who makes all and is first run back since the Cheltenham festival.
My good friend Rock of Kasbah, who landed a touch for me last season (see Daqman Archive) could take care of Theinval again, though worse off than he was at Chepstow; but another Nicky henderson hope, O O Seven, caught my eye when second to both Jer’s Girl and Yorkshill in better races than Barters Hill, finsihing the season with a rating only a pound behind.
Yet O O Seven finished behind Its’afreebee when Yorkhill won the Neptune on today’s course so, by hurdles calculations, looks a threat at Barters Hill and better value at 5.9 than his 2.94, in the BETDAQ orange as I write.
2.40 Cheltenham (Neptune Novices’ Hurdle) This is even bigger guesswork, as young novice hurdlers flex their muscles, but Nicky Henderson (5-7) has struck form this week and Baden must go close, despite his absence since Punchestown in April.
However, Henderson is very much a creature of habit and this is not one of his races. Every winner of this had raced in the previous five weeks.
At the same time, today’s trip looks a bit sharp for Thistlecrack’s half-brother, West Approach, maybe another World Hurdler in the making though not such an imposing horse.
So, despite a helpful weights adjustment for West Approach, Wholestone (a 5.9 chance) could repeat his recent win over him here. Spiritofhegames is yet another four-year-old with a chance.
3.15 Cheltenham Now this is where four-year-olds do well (5-7), two of those five trained by Tony Martin (now saddles Tudor City) and Paul Nicholls (Lou Vert).
Lou Vert continues to have problems with his breathing (tongue-tie today despite op in the close season), and Magna Cartor has also drifted in the market this morning.
So it is that Air Horse One and Debece are likely to be the ones to try to prevent Heartbreak (sorry, Tudor) City from lifting this prize. Lightweight Wildmoor Boy (30.0 offers) could lead them a dance and play catch-me. Trade horse.
DAQMAN’S TIPS (staked to win 20 points)
BET 3.75pts win (nap) ASTRACAD (12.55 Cheltenham)
BET 3.4pts win PAIROFBROWNEYES and 2.6pts win IMPULSIVE AMERICAN (1.30 Cheltenham)
BET 4pts win ITS’AFREEBEE (2.05 Cheltenham)
BET 4pts win WHOLESTONE (2.40 Cheltenham)
BET 4.2pts win TUDOR CITY, and1pt win and place WILDMOOR BOY (3.15 Cheltenham)
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