DAQMAN DANSE WITH NAP AND THREE WINNERS: Daqman previewed 13 big races for this weekend, then landed a lucky 32.50 profit yesterday as he bounced back to form with three winners out of five, including a confident nap, Danse Idol, which won easily. More money for the big-race bank today?
WON 9-4 SMOKING GUN
WON 7-4 CAMILE
WON 13-8 DANSE IDOL (nap)
VINCENT! PERHAPS THEY’LL LISTEN NOW
12.50 Sandown Enola Gay, nickname of the first plane to drop an atomic bomb, has won only his maiden -always a bad sign – and trainer Venetia Williams is 1-24. So I don’t think The Boom Is Back!
Darebin is usually on the premises but Gary Moore (1-34) disappointed me with Cheque En Blanc and Kapdad earlier in the week. Clondaw Westle’s stable is out of form, too, and he’s never won fresh.
Swift Crusador has been beaten a total of 67 lengths in his last three starts. Vicenzio hasn’t smelled victory since the Christmas meeting at Kempton Park five years ago. Red Devil Star is a once-a-season winner whose trainer hasn’t won a race for 239 days.
That leaves Cap St Vincent (BETDAQ 4.2 taken) to make a name for himself and land a hat-trick by default. He makes a quick return to try to sneak under the radar, with 3lb less than he will carry in future.
RAISE THE BAR FOR MISTER MAGOO
1.55 Sandown Although Magoo has been off the track repeatedly (for 157 days, then 696 and now 265), he’s had a second wind op, and his problems are regarded as ‘not serious; more niggly and frustrating’ by trainer Paul Nicholls, who won this race last year.
It goes to horses aged five and six (seven times out of eight) so, if the stats work out, they reduce the field by half.
Nicky Henderson sees both The Bottom Bar (placed five out of five over hurdles) and Turtle Wars as late developers having good potential for chasing, and one or both may indeed chase home mister Magoo, who is good value at 10.5.
SINGING IN THE RAIN WITH ‘NED’?
2.05 Exeter The rains have come for Eamon An Cnoic, who ran well (unfancied at 50-1) in a Grade 3 at Cheltenham starring Baron Alco and Frodon.
I could really fancy him at this level but David Pipe is struggling for form (1-21) and, when sites are lowered, it’s not always a good sign.
Not sure to welcome too much rain is morning-favourite Awake At Midnight but the Philip Hobbs stable is in cracking form, placing them well for a 30% strike rate.
Siruh Du Lac was receiving weight when he beat another Hobbs chaser who is lower down the pecking order at home.
Molineaux can improve on his Sandown chase debut but yet a Hobbs novice beat him nearly 15 lengths that day.
Punters are nervous, with 5.8 the field but Eamon An Cnoic (the Irish song Ned Of The Hill) was being backed from around 10.0 to 7.6.
The interest in him persuaded me, and I made an offer at 8.0 and could get 2.84 the place.
WE’RE ON THE WAY TO CHELTENHAM
2.25 Sandown Alan King, who has won this novices’ hurdle four times in nine seasons, has it targeted for his unbeaten grey Alsa Mix (Point, bumper and hurdle winner), who gets the mares’ 7lb allowance but is 17.5 on BETDAQ.
Three of Kingy’s winners were four-year-olds so he will appreciate the chances of My Way (Nicholls) and Quoi De Neuf (Evan Williams).
If My Way is as good as Ditcheat thinks, then Alsa Mix can expect only a rear view of this French acquisition, who ran second at Auteuil to nine-wins-in-a-row sequence horse, Whetstone. Nicholls says that My Way is on the road to Cheltenham.
Runaway Fontwell winner, Darlac, has to prove himself with cut in the ground but, with Down The Highway (holds Mercy Mercy Me on Lingfield heavy-ground form) the more rain the better.
The runner-up has let down Truckin Away’s Ffos Las form. Similarly, the pair placed behind Quoi De Neuf have been well beaten since.
NOVICE RACES NEVER BLACK OR WHITE
2.35 Exeter Black Op, second to Samcro in the Ballymore and winner of the Aintree equivalent, will relish the soft ground but will he show his class over fences and set himself up for Cheltenham? It’s a tough race for the novices.
Paul Nicholls, who has won this twice in the last four years, saddles his Coral Cup runner-up Topofthegame.
And the 2017 winning trainer, Colin Tizzard, is hoping that 5.1 BETDAQ bet White Moon will have forgotten his last-fence fall when short of room at the last in the Steel Plate And Sections Novices Chase, one of the biggies.
Defi Du Seuil also left questions to answer when he started his steeplechase career last of five in the Arkle Trial at Cheltenham last month.
DAQMAN’S BETS
12.50 Sandown (win 20)
BET 6.25pts win (nap) CAP ST VINCENT
1.55 Sandown (win 30)
BET 3pts win and place MAGOO
2.05 Exeter (win and place both to win 10)
BET 1.25pts win and 5.5pts place EAMON AN CNOIC
BET 1.4pts (stakes saver) AWAKE AT MIDNIGHT
2.25 Sandown (win 20)
BET 7pts win MY WAY
BET 1.25pts win and place ALSA MIX
2.35 Exeter (win 10)
BET 2.5pts win WHITE MOON
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