WEEKEND FESTIVAL FANTASY? The headlines are always filled with Irish raiders on English prizes. How about the roles are reversed with some outsiders from England taking a punt at the Dublin Racing Festival this weekend. Who dares wins!
SURREY NATIONAL TO WIN 50: More outsiders today as Daqman drops his guard and tries some bull’s-eye bets in the Surrey National at Lingfield this afternoon.
‘WHO DARES WINS’ GIFT RAID
LEOPARDSTOWN SATURDAY
⭕ 2.25 (Leopardstown Hurdle 3m €59k) SUPREME GIFT (Henry Daly) Faded and finished 5th in a class-3 hurdle at Kempton on Boxing Day (good), yet had won a class 2 over further (2m 7f) on soft at Market Rasen.
Beaten half a length at level weights in the Rasen race was Harbour Lake, who had been second with Supreme Gift (gave 8lb) third at Cheltenham (3m) last April.
⭕ 2.55 (Irish Arkle Novice Chase, 2m 1f, €88k) HERE COMES GEORGIE (Patrick Neville) Likely to pick up some prizemoney with only six left in but unlikely to cope at around a 25lb disadvantage with the likes of Willie Mullins pair, Majborough and Il Atlantique.
LEOPARDSTOWN SUNDAY
⭕ 12.40 (Mares Handicap Hurdle, 2m 2f, €59k) QUEENS GAMBLE (Harry Derham) is the only weekend English raider who could be vying for favourite but her seemingly superior form means that she will give weight all round.
But it’s her handicap debut, she is stepping up in trip and the trainer has booked Rachael Blackmore to ride.
Queen’s Gamble went second on the run-in for the Grade-3 Gerry Feilden at Newbury in November.
⭕ 1.40 (Grade 1 novice hurdle, 2m, €88k) GOOD AND CLEVER (Warren Greatrex): The trainer won a Grade 1 at the 2019 Dublin Festival with La Bague Au Roi but Willie Mullins has won this race nine times in the decade.
Third in an Aintree Grade 1 on Boxing Day to 146-rated Potters Charm, subsequent Cheltenham festival winners have won this twice in the last three years.
MOORE OF THE SAME AT 18.0
⭕ 2.45 Lingfield (Surrey National) The local trainer in this is Gary Moore – 17 miles down the road – who has won two of the five runnings in the last eight years.
Both were well placed in the handicap off 106 and 115. Hudson De Grugy is on 11st off a mark of 121.
And this is a mile further than his Grade-3 novice-handicap success in March 2023 and his class-4 strike at Fontwell, when returning to form in December.
Offputting that Fontwell is in a sandwich with his twice being pulled up in the autumn after a long break (P1P). However, if you take only his soft ground form over the last two years or so, he is 1301, still standing.
Olly Murphy and Sean Bowen are a formidable combination, and Here Comes McCoy is 1132 in recent chases, keeping his form and climbing 16lb, though he’s now 10.
Major Dundee has been three times as busy – 12 runs – though the same age, and has struggled with a high mark since winning the Midlands National winner (2023) but this should provide the test of stamina he needs.
Lady Balko landed her second hat-trick (her first was over hurdles) when taking three chases in December at a cost of 24lb. At six, she may not be done with.
Christopher Wood was placed in the Edinburgh National a year ago but is 0-9 over fences and it’s four years since he won the Scottish County Hurdle.
Betdaq Betting Exchange 6.8 Here Comes McCoy, 12.5 Major Dundee, 18 Hudson De Grugy
KAP THIS ‘HIDDEN’ 20-1 SHOT
⭕ 3.35 Catterick A winner officially getting a stone from all bar one other runner in the race, stepping up a mile in trip with his trainer in form (11042) and Adam Wedge booked.
Sounds like a ‘hidden’ horse to me. Kap De Triomphe a bet at 21.0 offers this morning (4.6 a place) on the Betdaq Betting Exchange exchange.
Icare Allen (8.8 offers) returned to form at Uttoxeter in November, beating a former Topham winner and last weekend’s Great Yorkshire winner. His claimer, Benjamin Macey, has won six times for Jonjo O’Neill.
WINTER DERBY CHAMPAGNE
⭕ 6.30 Southwell (Winter Derby Trial, 1m 3f) Champagne Prince and the then favourite Eydon, one-two in a Listed over 1m 4f at Kempton before Christmas, meet again with one-time Derby hope, Eydon, on better terms.
But Eydon, aged six now, gives two years away and, with just the one Listed win to his name, his form doesn’t stack up to being 11lb Champagne Prince’s superior.
My man says that a stable change (from Roger Varian at Andrew Balding) and two long breaks haven’t done an awful lot for him and the Champagne Prince yard seems to have the pace sorted by having Claymore in the race.
Claymore once made all in the Hampton Court (Royal Ascot, June 2022) but has places only on AW in 14 starts since, and Champagne Prince can go on from here to the Winter Derby itself.
⭕ 7.00 Southwell Andrew Balding has Marchogion (5.30) and Eydon (above) almost certain to add places at least to his current 10-race run of 2131121322.
Why should 50-1 outsider Lady Birdie spoil it? Cheekpieces could help her into at least a place. We could be Tweeting success!
DAQMAN’S BETS on Betdaq Betting Exchange
2.45 Lingfield (win 50 bulls-eye bet)
BET 4.25pts win MAJOR DUNDEE
BET 3pts win HUDSON DE GRUGY
BET 2pts to win 12 HERE COMES McCOY
3.35 Catterick (win 50 bulls-eye bet)
BET 6.5pts win ICARE ALLEN
BET 2.5pts win and place KAP DE TRIOMPHE
★ 6.30 Southwell (win 20 nap)
BET 20pts win CHAMPAGNE PRINCE
7.00 Southwell (win 50 bulls-eye bet)
BET 1pt win and place LADY BIRDIE
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