OUT OF THE WOODS WITH A PROFIT: Daqman whittled his bets down to three again yesterday, staking so that he made a profit with one winner. That winner was Whittle Le Woods (WON 1-1), leaving him 2.3 points in front on the day.
LANZAROTE PREVIEW: Daqman completes his preview of Saturday’s big races by checking out the Lanzarote Hurdle.
THREE ON A HAT-TRICK
⭕ 2.40 Kempton, tomorrow (Lanzarote Hurdle) For years this was a two-miler in honour of champion-hurdler Lanzarote but was stepped up to 2m 5f in 2007. Since then, leading trainers have been Nicky Henderson (3), Paul Nicholls (3), Nick Williams (3).
The 2018 winner, William Henry, who has since been moved from Nicky Henderson to Sam Thomas, runs on Saturday as a 12-year-old now.
Another older horse, Ch’tibello (now 11), whose County Hurdle win in 2019, is his only victory in six years, was placed two seasons ago in the International Hurdle and the Kingwell (run at Kempton in early 2020 because of restrictions).
Early favourite is Marie’s Rock, a Nicky Henderson course and distance winner on Boxing Day, closely followed by Gelino Bello, who represents the recent Cheltenham form of Blazing Khal.
Including Marie’s Rock, there are seven last-time-out winners in the race, three of them going for hat-tricks.
They are Earth Lord (Philip Hobbs), Green Book (Venetia Williams) and On My Command (Harry Fry). Foster’sisland (Micky Hammond) is on a four-timer.
ROAD MAP TO A PROFIT
⭕ 2.20 Sedgefield today Venetia Williams, who has spread winners around Cheltenham, Exeter, Ludlow, Sandown, Taunton and Warwick since the turn of the year, makes her longest January journey today.
She has two runners at Sedgefield but her poor strike-rate there is not encouraging for Commis d’Office (2.20) and Don Herbager (2.50).
Commis d’Office’s sire, Pas De Bal, translates as ‘no bowl’ but we would say ‘no cigar,’ meaning that he won’t be celebrating victory.
His Doncaster run was his first since May, when he won at Southwell after a break, so there could yet be a cigar.
Galileo Silver gives him 4lb but is on a hat-trick mission from 50 miles further south, into Welsh Wales, Sam Thomas’s yard near Cardiff.
J P McManus’s Dr Sanderson, who is also on a hat-trick, has raced only twice on the soft – abysmal in both- so Ben Haslam will be hoping the ground dries out.
The King Of May has dropped 11lb down the handicap since he last won a race, here at Sedgefield as a novice.
But that was two years back and his first wind surgery of November (since tweaked) was followed by a 21-length defeat at Kelso.
Ashutor has dropped a similar amount in the ratings, since summer soft-ground wins in 2020.
But the one they all have to beat is Road Warrior, who struck form the last day and has Sedgefield form figures in the last year or so of 1131 on good, soft and heavy. Could be a real racehorse.
BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE value 4.6 Road Warrior
KOTMASK HAS THE FORM
⭕ 2.30 Huntingdon This class-2 juvenile hurdle was part of an early hat-trick for Sceau Royal (2016) and other notables have won it, though it hasn’t been run since 2019.
Genuflex ‘just galloped and jumped and is an honest horse with a big heart’, said his rider to Raceform’s man in the winner’s enclosure here at Sedgefield in October.
He went on to win at Wetherby but his performance in a Grade 1 at Chepstow (always in the rear) has prompted the fitting of cheekpieces, suggesting more than the leap in class was to blame.
Dual Flat winner on the soft in France, Collingham completed a hat-trick in his first race for Donald McCain, scoring over hurdles first time, but he’s not found it easy out of maiden company the last twice.
Kotmask hauled in a runaway leader at Fontwell who had won at the previous meeting there. Lifetime Legend is a lifetime maiden (12 starts). Rewired is bred, and races, as though he needs further.
Parliament Hill, any price on the Flat in Ireland (never less than 50-1), landed a gamble first hurdles run for Olly Murphy in November. But the second has been ‘run over’ twice since.
BETDAQ value 3.7 Kotmask
LISTEN! BACK ATTENTIVE
⭕ 3.10 Lingfield Three winners so far in January and David Loughnane sends out Province, an eye-catcher in the Spring, staying on in sprints and now up in trip.
It’s a race of exposed horses at the front of the market, with Province (9.9 offers in the BETDAQ orange) the pick of a trio of outsiders with the two others both drifting this morning.
⭕ 5.30 Wolverhampton Also three winners so far in January (6-9 placed), William Haggas has just the two runners today, including Attentive in this, first time in a handicap.
There are Group winners on both sides of her pedigree, and she’s not been beaten far here and at Kempton.
Poptronic, runner-up when Attentive was third here in November, has since won a class 4 on the course.
This is the choice of four engagements for Bearing Bob in the next few days but, despite gelding and wind surgery, he was beaten in his first handicap at a lower level than today.
San Francisco Bay has a long absence to overcome after finishing lame here in the summer, also in the sixth grade.
BETDAQ value 5.5 Attentive
DAQMAN’S BETS
2.20 Sedgefield (win 10)
BET 2.75pts win ROAD MAP
2.30 Huntingdon (win 10)
BET 3.75pts win KOTMASK
3.10 Lingfield (win 10)
BET 1pt win PROVINCE
5.30 Wolverhampton (win 20 nap)
BET 4.5pts win ATTENTIVE
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.
