10.0 BEACH PEACH FROM BETDAQ: A Beach Whale Of A 10.0 Bet, declared Daqman yesterday as he spotted more huge BETDAQ value. Airlie Beach (WON 4-1) landed a gamble from 10.0 on the exchange, part of a bag of three winners on the day at Fairyhouse and Huntingdon, and his second one-two in two days:
WON 4-1 Airlie Beach (from 10.0 BETDAQ)
WON 7-4 Josses Hill
WON 1-1 Landofhopeandglory (one-two with Bapaume, 2nd 6-1)
DAQMAN CLEAR OF PRICEWISE: Josses Hill sent him further in front of Pricewise (4-2) in their feature-race match, and it could have been so much more as his banker was beaten a short-head and a handicap one-two at Fairyhouse was snuffed out with just one flight left: 9-2 Campeador (clear when fell last); 7-1 Sir Scorpion (disputing second, brought down).
WHY HE’S CHAMPION OF 2018: Daqman, who goes into the week with 9 out of 11 bankers up, two naps out of four, and a profit on his bull’s-eye bets, first of all looks back at the weekend racing, and asks: What do you do with a horse called Mad? Answer: wait until 2018..
MONDAY’S RACING: Only two meetings to dissect with the abandonment of Ludlow due to frost but DAQMAN likes the look of a few up at Ayr as well as a dark one in a good sprint handicap at Lingfield.
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH MAD HORSE?
Horses get frightened. And I felt for Ar Mad as he overjumped at Sandown on Saturday, when clear at the time in the Tingle Creek. He just couldn’t get it together for the rest of the race.
That is, until he got his confidence back towards the end, and ran on so well that he posed several questions, concerning what to do with him and where to go next.
Would he have been involved in the finish? Before the race, I surmised that, on the prevailing good-to-soft ground, good in places, I thought he had every chance of staying in front. But his exuberance – even more of it than usual – let him down. Can you restrain him?
He had made virtually all the running at Sandown twice before (plus Plumpton and Kempton for four in a row) although, headed two out in two of the successful quartet, he fought back to win again.
Add those fightbacks to Saturday’s late rally, and another question presents itself: should he be tried in top class over further?
Though most of his racing has been done at the Tingle Creek trip (2m), he has scored twice at Plumpton over 19f (hurdle) and 20f (chase).
Such a 19f-hurdles winner would be expected to get further over fences. And, as we’ve said, such a finisher, as on Saturday, would also be expected to get further.
But then comes the final concern. In the slower pace of a race over further, would his exuberance get the better of him, and present even more of a hazard to the outcome.
I shall be interested to see what trainer Gary Moore does, whether he’s tempted to go for the King George, and test him over 3m against potentially even stronger opposition. The main thing is not to disappoint him.
The answer I’ve got is that Ar Mad is a work in progress. That, at this time of year, when stablemate Sire De Grugy was only six – as Ar Mad is now – he was winning a five-runner novice chase at Lingfield which gave him a 145 rating, and he then climbed 26lb in 15 months, and became champion of Cheltenham when he was eight.
Assuming he stays in rude health and continues to get exposure in the top flight of chasing, who would bet against Ar Mad – currently racing off an official 157 – becoming champion in the same space of time; so 2018. After all, he’s nearly a stone in front of of Sire De Grugy at the same stage!
This morning, Ar Mad is 18.0 for next year’s Champion Chase in the BETDAQ ante-post orange; Un de Sceaux, who won the battle for the Tingle Creek, is 9.6.
Vroum Vroum Mag is now 19.5 for the Champion Hurdle and 16.0 for the World Hurdle. Apples Jade, who pipped her at Fairyhouse yesterday, is now 23.0 for the Champion Hurdle.
AYR: KEEP THE RED HOT HUGHES ONSIDE
12.10 Ayr: Progress Drive looks set to be a short priced favourite in the first after his second placed finish on hurdling debut but at the prices Elusive Theatre looks the bet. An impressive winner of a point-to-point, he followed up in a bumper before three respectable runs in maiden hurdles. Those races looked to be stronger contests than this and a first time hood here could help. His trainer has a good strike rate of 13% with his raiders to Ayr and Elusive Theatre at an early show of 5.1 on BETDAQ appeals.
1.45 Ayr: Jockey Brian Hughes has had a season to remember so far with 72 winners to his name already and he looks again to have a great chance with Spanish Fleet. He has switched stables this season to George Bewley and has two good runs to his name being placed on both occasions. Today’s his main rivals have all had major injury layoffs and are on the comeback trail with either their first or second run from a long break. That leaves the door wide open for a fit, in-form horse and at 3.2 Spanish Fleet fits the bill very nicely.
2.20 Ayr: Brian Hughes can make it a quick double in the next with Titian Boy who was a revelation over fences last time. He bolted up over course and distance on chasing debut and the 15lbs he has been given may not be enough to stop this progressive seven year old. He looks a completely different horse over fences and it would be no surprise if he were to prove a class above these rivals.
LINGFIELD: SIGNS POINT TO BIG RUN FROM KODIAC
2.30 Lingfield (Due Off 2.35): Sign Of The Kodiac has a tremendous record on the All Weather of 8 runs, 3 wins, 5 seconds and must be respected now returning to his favourite surface. He has been given a break after a busy 10 race campaign during the spring/summer and is entitled to improve for it as a three year old. He is drawn nicely in stall 6 and an early show of 21 to win and 5.3 to place on BETDAQ must be worth a small interest.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 5pts win ELUSIVE THEATRE (12.10 Ayr)
BET 7pts win SPANISH FLEET (nap) (1.45 Ayr)
BET 7pts win TITIAN BOY (2.20 Ayr) &
DAQ MULTIPLE: BET 3pts win double SPANISH FLEET & TITIAN BOY (1.45, 2.20 Ayr)
BET 2pts win & 2pts place SIGN OF THE KODIAC (2.30 Lingfield)
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