APACHE A 9-2 SCALP FOR DAQMAN: Daqman and Pricewise were deadlocked on an action-packed Leopardstown card yesterday, hitting one apiece, with Pricewise striking the first blow at 9-2 but Daqman responding with Apache Stronghold (WON, also 9-2) for a score draw on the day. Daqman now leads 17-9.
CHELTENHAM WAR-CHEST BOOSTED: Apache Stronghold was intended to boost Daqman’s Cheltenham ante-post wallet. He got the overs all right from yesterday’s test, taking 23.0 on BETDAQ for the RSA and, after his trial win, the Apache is as low as 8-1 with bookmakers. But he could go instead for the JTL Novice Chase: 7.4 on BETDAQ this morning. Taken.
FOX THAT ROCKED WAS YER MAN McCoy
Embarrassment of riches! Ted Walsh’s Foxrock and Noel Meade’s Apache Stronghold both came of age yesterday, as forecast in this column. Makes a change from that name, Willie Mullins.
But that name, Tony McCoy, took the honours yet again, again at the weekend. He declared at 200 not out with a lesson in patience on the slow-starting Mr Mole on Saturday, then yesterday pulled off a brilliant stroke to beat Foxrock in the Irish Hennessy on Carlingford Lough.
When announcing his retirement to Channel-4 viewers on Saturday, he said he’d wanted to go out on top. He might have added ‘like a lion’; he might have added ‘and I’ll teach those young whipper-snappers a few tricks before I go.’ He was. He did. And he’s still in the saddle until April.
Where does Foxrock go now? His rise and rise continues. They rated him 142 when he ran second in the PP Chase, also at Leopardstown, at Christmas. That put him up to 158 for yesterday’s return to the Irish championship course.
But the Hennessy run was really significant. He was dropped out off the pace to come with a long, searching run through the gaps to lead from the last, only to be caught and bowled by that irrepressible big-hitter McCoy.
Foxrock kept on well and a sustained run like that makes him a chaser of high quality at only seven years old. Some 16 months ago, he trailed in the equivalent of 10 lengths behind the Lough. Now here he was finishing less than a length down, arguably losing out tactically.
Apache Stronghold had to be held together. And Paul Carberry gave him a masterly McCoy-type ride to beat the hotpot Valseur Lido. On the book, that takes him from 145 in December to around 156 this morning.
But where does he go now? We’re in a trading position on our 23.0 RSA punt, placed in advance of yesterday’s race, but he looks more likely to tackle the JLT, for which he has 7.4 offers on BETDAQ as I write, as low as 5-1 with one of the so-called Big Four bookmakers.
We’ll take some 7.4, so that the Cheltenham ante-post wallet looks like this (offers taken and stake given first; just one win required for break-even; trades possible on three horses):
44.0 x 1.1 CAUSE OF CAUSES (win 50, NH Chase, Tuesday). Now as low as 16-1 (bookies) and 39.0 (Betdaq)
15.5 x 3.5 VIBRATO VALTAT (win 50, Arkle Chase, Tuesday). Now 5-1 and 7.6
23.0 x 1.8 APACHE STRONGHOLD (win 40, RSA Chase, Wednesday). Now 8-1 and 19.0
05.1 x 10 DODGING BULLETS (win 40, Champion Chase, Wednesday) Now 7-2 and 5.2
07.4 x 4.6 APACHE STRONGHOLD (win 30, JLT Chase, Cheltenham, Thursday). Now 5-1 and 7.4
15.0 x 3.5 BRIAR HILL (win 50, World Hurdle, Thursday). Now 16-1 and 41.0
07.8 x 5.8 BRISTOL DE MAI (win 40, Triumph Hurdle, Friday). Now 12-1 and 25.0
39.0 x 2.6 PAIN AU CHOCOLAT (win 100, Triumph Hurdle, Friday). Now 14-1 and 19.0
GREAT CHOICE FOR NAP OF THE DAY
CATTERICK: There’s no let-up with McCoy. He wins the races at Leopardstown. He flies back. He takes the A1 trail to Catterick. We can’t wait for his comeback (you read it here first)!
Of his two Yorkshire mounts, Dewala (3.10) is a front-runner, which needs judgement of pace. Red Devil Boys (3.40) is up in trip and needs all that urging and hard-driving, a feature of the champion’s strengths.
McCoy rides will be short now until retirement day at Sandown in April, and he can’t win them all – famous last words – so the best approach is probably stop at a winner. See my tips below.
Itstimeforapint (2.40) can afford to take his time in this – and needs to for the sake of his jumping – with his nearest market rivals giving a lump of weight (Askamore Darsi) and a one-paced maiden over fences (Gonow).
PLUMPTON: Donald McCain trains a full book of runners nearer home at Catterick but sends one horse on the 444-mile round trip to Plumpton. It’s Kings Bandit (2.50).
As a ‘raw and clueless’ animal last season, still managed a sequence of hurdles success, including under McCoy, and he could now start back where he left off, but over fences.
A King’s Theatre, like Carlingford Lough, he’s out of a Strong Gale mare, family of smart staying hunter-chaser Gunner Welburn.
Seventh Sky tries to sneak under the handicapper’s radar after his recent win but, with a nominal 7lb penalty, is up 15lb since January and out of the comfort zone of novice-chases.
Grade-1 hurdler Cash And Go is in his first chase but Traffic Fluide ran well in his first handicap. It’s a cracking little contest, despite the small field.
It may be a Great Choice (3.20) for nap of the day! A winning Pointer, he’s played in much tougher company at Cheltenham and Wincanton.
Our Phylli Vera is a nervous type and Padre Tito looks to have his fair share of weight for what he’s done. Great Choice was the only one backed the race, early mouse.
DAQMAN’S TIPS (stakes 1 to 9 shows the strength of the selection; 10 is a banker. But the McCoy bets are staked with stop-at-a-winner stakes, the second bet with a similar win target but also covering any losses on the first)
BET 5pts win ITSTIMEFORAPINT (2.40 Catterick)
BET 6pts win KINGS BANDIT (2.50 Plumpton)
BET 8pts win (nap) GREAT CHOICE (3.20 Plumpton)
BET 6pts win DEWALA (3.10 Catterick), if lose 8pts win RED DEVIL BOYS (3.40 Catterick) and 1pt win double the two.
NEW !!!
You can now follow BETDAQ updates on Google+
For further details – CLICK HERE
£30 FREE BET & 0% COMM MULTIPLES
Did you know that as well as checking the realtime prices on BETDAQ below – you can also log into your account and place your bets directly into BETDAQ from BETDAQ TIPS.
