DAQMAN PICKS BOTH TRIAL WINNERS: Daqman scored two out of two in the big novice trials at Naas yesterday, one bet in each. His nap at Chepstow was lost to the weather.
Sunday (2-2): profit on the day 22pts
WON 13-8 ILE ATLANTIQUE
WON 11-4 THE YELLOW CLAY
TODAY: Ludlow was called off this morning but better news in the north with Ayr’s card getting the green light. Hereford will look at midday today ahead of Tuesday’s meeting.
TRIP THE LIGHT FANTASTIC
Seeing the Light. Despite two cracking novice trials at Naas yesterday, those who stayed on in the dark of a winter evening claim to have seen a future star through the fog.
Light Up The Dark, sent out by Joseph O’Brien for the bumper, unheralded and allowed to start at odds against, won like a long-odds-on favourite.
The Flat-bred Camelot filly dealt with the deep conditions without drama, dominating two Group-related fillies and winning comfortably on her debut, really catching the eye.
It was certainly a card for the future, but quite what future awaits Gordon Elliott’s The Yellow Clay, 4-4 after winning the Grade-1 novice hurdle, beating Supersundae, the Supreme seventh who won at 6-1 on last Spring?
And Grade-2 scorer in the novice chase, Ile Atlantique, 2–2 for Willie Mullins with one win at 2m and one at 2m 4f; versatile then and another who loved the ground.
The immediate future for both is likely to be the Dublin Racing Festival at Leopardstown on February 1 and 2 before any decisions about Cheltenham.
MAG THE NAP
⭕ 3.10 Ayr We’ll take what we can at the moment and it was a bonus to see Ayr’s meeting survive on forecast soft ground.
Slogging around with a burden of 12 stone 5lb is not going to be easy for hat-trick seeking Maghlaak but he looks so far in front of the handicapper – even with his statutory 7lb penalty for his Catterick win on New Year’s Day.
That followed up a Wetherby win on 27th December so this will be a remarkably quick hat-trick for the six-year-old if he can land this.
Trained by Charles Hills on the flat, his only turf win came on soft and it’s a surface he seems to relish judged by an effortless 14 length win at Catterick where today’s pilot James Robottom was in the saddle.
Main danger is probably Rock On Jet but he probably needs to improve for his course and distance third last time out now racing in handicap company for the first time.
BREWING WORTH A TIPPLE
⭕ 6.30 Wolverhampton A lofty class 2 handicap over seven furlongs which is without doubt the race of the night at Dunstall Park.
Bobby Bennu is prominent on the Betdaq Betting Exchange but there are reasons to believe that the Roger Varian trained runner is opposable.
He was beaten five lengths into second at Southwell the last time he raced at this level and whilst he comes into this on the back of a Lingfield win in November, that came when he was wearing a hood for the first time which rather puzzling is left off today.
He probably needs to improve again to land this and whilst that’s not out of the question a safer bet might be the William Haggas trained Brewing who is certainly experienced at this level with all eight of his last races coming in class 2’s including all-weather wins at Newcastle and Kempton.
He’s just dropping back down the weight ladder now and could easily resume winning ways, particularly if he takes to the first time blinkers
Royal Zabeel is going class 4,3,2 in his last three races and whilst he won well enough at Southwell last time out he will find life tougher after a harsh looking rise of 6lb and a trickier race on paper.
⭕ 7.30 Wolverhampton Plenty of seasoned course performers here, although morning market leader Gustav Graves has struggled for form since back to back wins early last year and was beaten off this mark at Newcastle last time out.
Maharajas Express looks better value on his first start for Ian Williams. He was proving popular in morning trading and comes into this a relatively fresh horse.
DAQMAN’S BETS on Betdaq Betting Exchange
★ 3.10 Ayr (win 10, nap)
BET 9.1pts win MAGHLAAK
6.30 Wolverhampton (win 20)
BET 3.5pts win BREWING
7.30 Wolverhampton (win 10)
BET 4.2pts win MAHARAJAS EXPRESS
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