9-2 WINNER FOR THE KING AND THE NAP IS CAREFULLY SELECTED! King-of-the-tipsters Daqman yesterday revealed his pick for the very top, a horse to follow for successive wins. But he also kept the faith with a horse he had selected at a lower level, landing successive naps with Carefully Selected, 24-lengths winning best bet at Punchestown and now a naps scorer at Naas despite a bad blunder four out. Profit on the day: 17 points.
WON 4-6 CAREFULLY SELECTED (nap)
WON 9-2 THE KING OF MAY
DAQMAN SETS THE SCENE FOR HIS DUBLIN FESTIVAL PREVIEWS: England and Ireland have held their fire as their separate armies line up for the battle of Cheltenham, the English practising at home on Saturday, the Irish due a sensational two-day Dublin Festival next weekend. Daqman will be looking at the stats for every race. He sets the scene today, with the first Dream Race he hopes to see at Cheltenham
KEEPING RACING’S KINGS APART
Like two heavyweights at the weigh-in. The rivals are eyeing each other across the Irish Sea (with just the invisible Boris border between) and not an equine blow will be struck until March.
On my left the English Trials Day, just been and gone on Saturday and not an Irish hope for the Cheltenham Festival in sight. On my right next weekend, Ireland’s two-day Dublin Festival, virtually Brit free!
The best of them will finally come together, gladiators in racing’s most sensational four days at the fabulous Cheltenham Festival which decides the world’s champion jumps horses.
Because of this coincidental separation policy, the winners must surely be the layers, unless backers can find some slings and (Daqman bull’s-eye) arrows of outrageous good fortune at BETDAQ offers.
This week I’ll look closely at the Dublin Festival, race by race, stat by stat, as I did Saturday’s Cheltenham trials, which I thought were less than we’d hoped.
What to pick at Leopardstown that we should back now on the exchange or on the sportsbook for Cheltenham, mindful that whatever wins on Saturday or Sunday will go to the front of the grid in the March line-up?
DREAM RACE 1: England-Ireland heavyweight clashes I’d like to see at Cheltenham (Stayers Hurdle):
Paisley Park BETDAQ 1.8 Stayers Hurdle favourite. Seven wins in a row for Emma Lavelle after power drive clinches Cleeve Hurdle.
versus
Benie Des Dieux BETDAQ 3.15 in Mares Hurdle but Willie Mullins tempted to switch to the Stayers Hurdle for which she’s 6.0.
PURE GOLD FOR BETDAQ PUNTERS
⚠️ HEADS UP: I’m checking out the entire week’s programme in terms of quality and betting levels: gold-quality racing = bets to win 30 and 50 points; silver = bets to win 20 and 30; bronze = 10-point targets mostly.
Today: Kelso and Plumpton jumps; Wolverhampton AW, all bronze.
Tuesday: Down Royal, Newcastle and Lingfield jumps; Southwell AW, all bronze.
Wednesday: Hereford two class-3 races silver, the rest bronze; Leicester three silver handicaps including the Golden Miller Hurdle; Kempton AW bronze
Thursday: Possible silver for two races at Wincanton; bronze at Ffos Las, Limerick; Southwell and Chelmsford AW.
Friday: Possible silver class-3 races at Catterick and a class-2 at Lingfield AW; the rest bronze at Chepstow and Newcastle AW.
Saturday: Gold throughout Irish Champion Hurdle afternoon at Leopardstown; more gold and silver at Sandown; silver in the Lingfield (AW) Winter Derby trial; and a gold and silver day of Scottish Champion Chase and Edinburgh National at Musselburgh; silver bets possible at Wetherby; bronze level at Kempton (AW)
Sunday: Irish Gold Cup day at Leopardstown: pure gold for BETDAQ bettors. I’ll be telling you why in my preview.
WILLIAM AND HARRY ARE KELSO BETS
Going changes at both the turf venues on Monday and it’s getting wetter.
Plumpton is now heavy (from soft) and Kelso is now heavy in places (from soft).
1.15 Kelso The testing conditions shouldn’t inconvenience Sirwilliamwallace who ran his best race yet in the mud at Ayr last time out when runner-up to Marown and put good distance between himself and his other rivals.
The step up in trip seemed to help and the extra furlong here is another positive for the locally trained Sandy Thompson runner. The stable have had two winners from their last 10 runners with a further four placed, so are going great guns.
Maid In Manhattan is 0/5 over hurdles but can’t discounted. The mare also has an entry for Newcastle tomorrow so connections seem keen to get a run in and she will certainly find this easier than the Haydock Listed contest she fell in (when well beaten) last time out. As always though, confidence after a fall can always be a factor to take into account.
Dancewiththewind has been well backed on BETDAQ this morning but his only win to date came in a Point on good ground and (here’s a coincidence) has been beaten 28 lengths in BOTH of his starts over hurdles so far.
1.45 Kelso Kalaharry enjoyed testing conditions when winning at Ayr last time out beating Haul Is In by three parts of a length with a full 29 lengths back to the third.
The form of that race took a huge boost at Uttoxeter on Saturday when Haul Is In won a Listed race by 16 lengths – that was a chase but even so has put a very big seal of approval on the form for me and Kalahari should be able to defy the rise in weights.
Another ‘Harry’, Uptown Harry is BETDAQ favourite at the time of writing. He bounced back to form here with a maiden win over the shorter trip last time out but this looks tougher in handicap company.
2.00 Plumpton Wenceslaus is in great form of late and on the face of it doesn’t look harshly treated with just 3lb extra for his latest win but he disappointed on his only previous run on heavy ground.
Page Fuller continues to impress and can land this with Clondaw Robin who can build on his third at Lingfield last time out on bottomless ground and is now a 1lb lighter in the weights.
DAQMAN BETS (all staked to win 10 points as discussed above)
BET 7.7pts win (nap) SIRWILLIAMWALLACE (1.15 Kelso)
BET 3.3pts win KALAHARRY (1.45 Kelso)
BET 4.1pts win CLONDAW ROBIN (2.00 Plumpton)
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