SAY ALLAHO TO THE CHAMPION TIPSTER! Daqman made it four winners over Pricewise in a red-hot weekend of big-race strikes when he declared that Allaho (WON 7-2) ‘rates champion!’ Just as Allaho did in the John Durkan (Punchestown Chase), and he has done now for 14 seasons, Daqman is ‘making all’ against his Racing Post rival; he now leads 7-3 in the 2021-2 Jumps season.
Sunday
WON 7-2 ALLAHO
Saturday
WON 4-1 PROTEKTORAT (Fortune Cookie)
WON 2-1 TAMAR BRIDGE
Friday
WON 5-2 L’HOMME PRESSE
TODAY: The story of the Sunday feast of big races. Daqman heads to Musselburgh and Wolverhampton for his Monday bets.
ALLAHO GUTS AND GLORY
It was billed as the race of the season. Possibly better than we’ll see at Cheltenham, one scribe said, with eight Grade-1 winners in the Punchestown Chase.
But, late drama apart, the John Durkan, as it’s better known, was a procession yesterday. Despite being without a prep race, Allaho made every yard of the running.
Drama came as it all became attritional in the conditions, with my second choice, Asterion Forlonge, challenging three out, misjudging the fence and unseating rider, leaving his supporters to imagine what might have been.
The winner, untidy at the second last, lifted himself over the final fence like an old man from an armchair struggling to reach his tea and biscuits.
But, for Allaho, it was reaching out to more and better glory at Cheltenham (he romped the Ryanair in March) as he put to bed the ignominy of trailing in 33 lengths behind in the John Durkan last year.
Energumene did what good things do in winning the Hilly Way at Cork, leading at several stages of the race until finally going clear and landing the Grade 2 by more than eight lengths.
Meanwhile at Punchestown, it was Energumene’s success there at the April festival in their Ryanair that was one of the talking points after Allaho’s guts-and-glory triumph.
The only horse to make a race of it with Allaho in the final stages, beaten just a couple of lengths, was Janidil, who had been hammered 16 lengths in a canter by Energumene in that Ryanair.
BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE Allaho is now 3.0 favourite for the Ryanair at Cheltenham in the BETDAQ Sportsbook, Janadil 13.0, Asterion Forlonge 15.0.
Energumene is 3.0 to Shishkin’s 2.75 in the Champion Chase, with Allaho and Greaneteen 8.0.
🗓️ TOMORROW: Who goes into the Daqman Fortune Cookies as his stars of tomorrow?
FIRST IMPRESSION STANDS
⭕ 1.15 Musselburgh Odds on favourites in the first two races on the Musselburgh card which I don’t want to be with or be against. It happens and should happen that way – remember missing a loser is as good as backing a winner.
My first impression of this handicap hurdle was First Impression and I haven’t changed my mind since! Having run well on the flat at Redcar he bolted home to win well over jumps at Wetherby and is taken to defy the 7lb hike. It’s a career high mark for him but he’s pretty talented as he proved when running a close up fifth at Ascot in a class 2 handicap hurdle in March off a 6lb lower rating. That’s fairly solid form in the context of this race.
The obvious danger is the hat-trick seeking Minella Plus who starts life in handicap company off a mark of 121. He’s in great form winning his last two starts easily – here over C&D and last time out at Catterick when he coasted home as easily as his 2/7 price tag indicated he might. He’s a confirmed front runner and will take some pegging back but his two wins have come in really weak company and I think the starting handicap mark is plenty high enough.
Spriritofthenorth has shown some form in his first two starts over jumps, both at Sedgefield, but he’s used to finding one or two too good as his flat figures prove: 345/323765-322233.
LION TO ROAR
⭕ 5.00 Wolverhampton A class 4 handicap which might not take much winning and might well go to Darwell Lion who has attracted early support on the BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE market.
He has his first start for David O’Meara since joining from Ellmarie Holden’s yard and the fact that O’Meara is in such good form (8 winners from last 23) makes that a huge positive.
He made a winning start at Lingfield but was disappointing in two subsequent races at Gowran and last time out at Dundalk when ninth (beaten 5 1/2 lengths).
He might prove too strong here for Tricolore who had excuses for his last run here but both his wins have come over further and Enfranchise who is up in class and up in the weights.
ELHAFEI GETS STAMINA TICK
⭕ 6.30 Wolverhampton A speculative play here on Elhafei who, unlike many of tonight’s rivals, gets a big tick in the stamina box.
He rattled off a hat-trick in May/June on the turf with wins all coming over a similar trip and two of them on soft ground so has plenty of staying power.
There’s almost a stone between his turf and AW rating which seems right on the CV (1 from 19 AW) but there’s every chance he’s arriving here in much better form than previously which potentially makes him well handicapped.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 10 points)
BET 7.1pts win (nap) FIRST IMPRESSION (1.15 Musselburgh)
BET 4.4pts win DARWELL LION (5.00 Wolverhampton)
BET 1.4pts win ELHAFEI (6.30 Wolverhampton)
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.
