NAPS DOUBLE UP FOR DAQMAN: Ascot opens today with Daqman looking for a hat-trick of naps after Quest For Wonder (banker, Won 2-7) on Wednesday, and yesterday Presenting Lisa (WON 10-11) at Towcester. He also tipped Wicklewood (WON 8-1) on the same card. He previews Ascot before choosing a best bet at Uttoxeter this afternoon.
TOMORROW: THE LADBROKE: Look out tomorrow, as Daqman takes on Pricewise, leading the Racing Post value man for the first time this jumops season, 5-4, after winning at the last big meeting, Cheltenham last weekend, with Ulzana’s Raid (WON 9-2). Big race tomorrow, The Ladbroke, was previewed in Daqman’s ABC guide yesterday.
WATCH FOR THAT BARRY GERAGHTY SERGE
1.55 Ascot (Supreme Trial Novices Hurdle) Paul Nicholls, who won this with Irving last year, has chosen Emerging Talent to do duty for Ditcheat this time around. Irving, for which this race was within a sequence of five consecutive successes, is now in line for a crack at the Champion Hurdle.
Emerging Talent is no sequence winner at the same stage, twice beaten this autumn-winter, though his last run was in one of these Supreme Trials at Cheltenham last month and he was beaten only a neck, getting the 7lb as he is today.
The winner of the trial that day was trained by Nicky Henderson, who has L’Ami Serge in this afternoon’s line-up. But layers who were quick to push the Ditcheat ‘Talent’ out in the betting for the Supreme itself at the festival in March, may regret their knee-jerk reaction.
L’Ami Serge came over here from the Guillaume Macaire academy with Auteuil experience on his CV – including second to a Grade 1 winner – and cruised home in the Gerry Feilden at Newbury at the end of last month, though beating ‘nothing’ and eliciting the comment from his trainer: ‘He’s a work in progress.’
Earlier, Killultagh Vic put up a ‘terrific performance first run back’ (quote unquote trainer Willie Mullins), albeit in a steadily-run race on heavy at Clonmel, with the runner-up well beaten before and after that race.
If the official ratings are right, L’Ami Serge deserves to be giving 7lb to Emerging Talent, and it is neck and neck between them. Should one of them win easily, it will be a strong pointer to Cheltenham, despite today’s soft ground and their going right-handed. I fancy a finishing Serge from Barry Geraghty.
2.30 Ascot (Noel Novices Chase) Simonsig, the subsequent Arkle winner, won this for Nicky Henderson in 2012, first time in a chase off a hurdles rating of 157.
Today, Henderson saddles Josses Hill, Supreme Novices’ Hurdle second to Vautour, off 150 here, in another old-firm clash with the 159-rated Aintree Hurdle winner, Ptit Zig, for Paul Nicholls. This time it’s the Henderson beast getting the weight.
But the bigger difference may be that Ptit Zig has already had two novice chases and won them both, a tad careful over his fences (as he was over hurdles to begin with).
Dunraven Storm, at nine, has been trying to teach the young upstarts a thing or two, including Arkle Trial defeat at Cheltenham last month of another Nicholls five-year-old, Vibrato Valtat, who got his revenge at Sandown.
3.05 Ascot A handicap David Pipe has farmed in the last three seasons with two out of two, one of them Our Father. Today he steps up Batavir in trip – adding a tongue-tie and Tony McCoy to boot – hoping that this combination will improve on his modest effort at Leicester on his British debut. The pedigree says it will.
Little Boy Boru has been progressive since joining Suzy Smith but Charlie Longsdon knows all about that one, giving the’Little Boy’ a stone and running up to him at Ascot, so should have his measure with Long Lunch, with last season’s partner, Noek Fehily, returning to the ride.
If there’s ever a future long-distance chaser lurking in a hurdle, it’s Dream Deal, by Presenting out of an Accordion mare. Pity you can’t get offers on the 2017 Grand National!
Son of Beneficial, Spartan Angel should also improve for fences, though looks dangerous as a Henderson-Geraghty propping up this hurdles handicap. In fact, there’s only 11lb between top and bottom and it’s a tough choice among the front three in the market. I hope to enjoy following Dream Deal, though the strength of the champion jockey, may lift Batavir.
3.40 Ascot Four-year-olds have won five out of six in this, the best bumper of the season so far outside Ireland. Simon Squirrel, by the same sire as Sir Des Champs, is another in my notebook to watch for when he goes chasing in a year or two.
But it could happen for him over hurdles with this race out of the way, since his sire also got Quevega and Vautour and Simon Squirrel is out of a full sister to Champion Hurdle winner, Rock On Ruby.
Because he cost a mere 25,000 euros, has not run for 250 days and has changed stables since winning at Chepstow for Charlie Brooks (winners of five races behind him), he’s ‘not expected’ in this arena, from which the Cheltenham Champion Bumper winner could emerge.
If Rio Treasure can win this race, then the Cheltenham prize may be Ireland’s for the taking yet again, as Rio might have won at Cork only because his better-fancied stablemate slipped up and unseated rider, and there are plenty more in the Willlie Mullins locker.
Dashing Oscar is another with a chasing future and Supasundae is an interesting Flat-bred hurdles hope (may want a sound surface) for Andrew Balding but, on breeding and the form so far, the race is between Stonegate and Yanworth.
Stonegate romped home 19 lengths at Sandown but Yanworth had Tony McCoy sitting absolutely motionless as he strolled home at Newbury. While Rio Treausre is feeling the way for the Mullins team, Yanworth wears the gauntlet of J P McManus as his potential chamopion thus far.
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU AT UTTOXETER
THE NAP: Smart Motive (12.10 Uttoxeter) has to give weight all round but, in fact, is unpenalised for winning at Bangor a week ago. One For The Boss (1.10), on the other hand, has been hiked 15lb and Milansbar (1.45) tries to sneak under the radar, 11lb higher in future.
Milansbar’s success on today’s course was over half a mile shorter. He fails to escape 7lb (a makeshift penalty) of his massive 18lb rise and, as a ‘glass horse’ who hadn’t raced for two years, looks vulnerable.
The one I like for a nap is All Force Majeure (3.30), so green on the debut that, as David Pipe said in his Racing Post stable tour, ‘I’d all but turned away and gone for a cup of tea he was so far out the back door, and Tom Scu must have win the rider of the month award to get him up.’
All Force Majeure has done really well over the summer and Pipe is hoping for a good hurdles career for this Dom Alco grey, same sire of course as the stable’s Grands Crus.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked 1 to 9 for strength; banker 10)
BET 6pts win L’AMI SERGE (1.55 Ascot)
BET 5pts win PTIT ZIG (2.30 Ascot)
BET 4pts win DREAM DEAL plus 1pt win (stakes saver) BATAVIR (3.05 Ascot)
BET 5pts win YANWORTH and 2pts win SIMON SQUIRREL (3.40 Ascot)
BET 8pts win (nap) ALL FORCE MAJEURE (3.30 Uttoxeter)
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