7-1 WIN AND DAQMAN 500 POINTS UP: The old year went out with 111 successful Daqman naps and a big-value BETDAQ winner on the last day, Chagall (WON 7-1). His account in the challenge to Pricewise moves into the new year today at 17-6, with a Daqman profit of 345.33 against a Pricewise loss of 154.16, so almost 500 points clear.
SIX BETS TODAY: Daqman launches 2024 with a supernap among five bets at Cheltenham, plus one at Musselburgh.
❌ ABANDONED: Be warned that Ffos Las and Huntingdon on Wednesday are already abandoned.
J P HAS A LITTLE THUNDERBOLT
⭕ 12.55 Cheltenham Petit Tonnerre – little thunderbolt – is a song about pursuing your dreams, so an appropriate bet for a Happy New Year!
Owner J P McManus, just passed 100 Jumps winners for 2023-24 across England and Ireland, had high hopes of this one, witness his tackling two top autumn novice chases.
Runner-up on the old course at Cheltenham in the Arkle trial, he then took on the Henry V111 Novices’ Chase at Cheltenham, which went to hat-trick winner Le Patron.
Today, he plummets from Grade 1 to a class-3 handicap, facing Matata, who was marked up to 143 for beating one who has established a level of 125 at best since then.
Libberty Hunter has scored at an even lower level at Wincanton which, alongside Cheltenham, is like comparing a walk in the park with the Great North Run.
Betdaq Betting Exchange At 5.0 in a four-horse race, Petit Tonnerre is spot on value for money.
CAN INCH HOUSE BE STUMPED?
⭕ 1.30 Cheltenham Inch House is another trained by Jonjo O’Neill but heading for a hat-trick today, going through the grades at Newbury, up 17lb for back–to-back wins there on good to soft. Snag is, will he perform in the mud.
Stumptown (BETDAQ 5.6) very nearly won the Kim Muir, beaten a neck giving away weight on this very course on soft. Not so good since but dropped into handicap company, and first-time blinkers could revive him for a trainer who does little wrong in his raids on English prizes (23% strike rate).
Cloudy Glen is also crashed in grade but is 11 years old today and vulnerable to the two seven-year-olds. Angels Breath steps up in trip with the Sam Thomas yard currently not firing.
STAGE STAR RATES SUPERNAP
⭕ 2.05 Cheltenham (New Year’s Day Chase) Stage Star won the Autumn Gold Cup in November over the slightly-shorter Old course here on soft, surviving a bad mistake at the last.
He now returns to the New course, where he won the Golden Miller at the Cheltenham Festival in March. It will be his fifth race here, his second handicap chase, up 12lb for the November victory.
Remaining at this trip today suggests he will go for the Ryanair at the festival, rather than the Gold Cup.
His main rival, Richmond Lake, has never been to Cheltenham but he has won five chases out of six, two of them on heavy.
He was entered at Cheltenham a fortnight ago but took an Aintree date instead – and won there – though Donald McCain has now decided the little horse ought to have his chance at these tougher fences.
Shakem Up’Arry ran third over today’s CD at the festival but his effort petered out at the business end; wind surgery since then might help.
Frero Bambou finished in rear that day but was third in the December Gold Cup over the same CD in mid-December (Torn And Frayed 6th).
Al Dancer is 11 now; his best form at Cheltenham was third in the Autumn Gold Cup of 2020 off 154; he was restored to that rating when back to form at Chepstow in October of this year.
IKARAK KICK TO PASS KEEPER
⭕ 2.40 Cheltenham David Maxwell doesn’t use a stick, which you may well applaud unless you were on 11-10 favourite Joker De Mai and you edged out, losing your line and bumping your rival on the run-in, to finish second at Exeter on December 21.
His mount here, Jatiluwih, won at Cheltenham over 2m 5f under a brilliant Maxwell ride in 2019, but subsequent results over further suggest he will need added encouragement today (near-3m on heavy).
But, like Joker De Mai, Jatiluwih is owned by his jockey and they get the bonus of his remaining 3lb claim.
Ed Keeper didn’t need Sam Twiston-Davies to resort to the stick at Newbury; he went in many notebooks for his strong travelling and effective finish. But his winning form is on good to soft.
The ‘Twiston’ stable (which won this with Cogry in 2017) runs The Newest One, winner on soft the last day at Chepstow after a close second – but getting lumps of weight – in a big field at the November meeting.
Butch bagged his third novice hurdle out of four here over 3m in October but this is a big step up.
Three winners of this aged six have won this in the last seven years, still novices or just recently stepped up to senior level, and Ikarak (BETDAQ 6.7) could be the one. He lengthened well off heavy ground at Newcastle the last day and has a featherweight here.
DAQMAN’S BETS
12.55 Cheltenham (win 20)
BET 5pts win PETIT TONNERRE
1.30 Cheltenham (win 12)
BET 2.5pts win STUMPTOWN
2.05 Cheltenham (supernap)
BET 20pts win STAGE STAR
2.20 Musselburgh (win 20)
BET 2.5pts win FIDELIO VALLIS
2.40 Cheltenham (win 20, win 10)
BET 3.5pts win IKARAK
BET 3.75pts win ED KEEPER
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