15 WEEKEND WINS FOR 226 POINTS: Daqman made it 15 winning bets in a glorious two days’ tipping when he landed four trebles and an accumulator for the second day running yesterday. Total profit around 226 points.
BACK-TO-BACK BANKERS UP: He landed back-to-back banker naps with Vroum Vrom Mag (gold, WON 6-4) and Faugheen (WON 3-10). His winning bets included:
Two bankers
7-1 big-race winner
Lay
Eight winning trebles
Two accumulators
HE LANDS TREBLES EIGHT-TIMER: Here are the individual winners from which he made up his double of bankers, eight trebles and back-to-back accumulators:
WON 7-1 Rock The Kasbah (9.6 BETDAQ), Saturday
WON 11-4 Baywing, Saturday
WON 6-4 A Toi Phil, Sunday
WON 8-11 Don’t Touch It, Sunday
WON 4-6 Vroum Vroum Mag (gold banker), Saturday
WON 8-13 The New One, Saturday
WON 1-2 Un De Sceaux, Saturday
WON 3-10 Faugheen (banker), Sunday
WON 1-14 Douvan, Sunday
WON (lay) Sire De Grugy (2nd 11-4), Saturday
WHO’S TOP ON THE TEAM SHEET? Today Daqman looks at the two days of Willie Mullins’ domination of Ascot and Leopardstown, as he marks each of 11 horses – from 1 to 10 – on the team sheet of big-race players that ran during this top trials weekend.
DAQMAN MARKS THE BIG-RACE PLAYERS X1
ARCTIC FIRE (6 marks)
Ran his usual honest race to finish second in the Irish Champion Hurdle yesterday, but remote from the winner, Faugheen, by 10 lengths.
It’s hard to see where to go with him, though Cheltenham engages his stamina and he was just a length and a half behind Faugheen for the championship that matters most at last year’s festival.
Tried at 3m over Christmas – only fourth – but scoped badly afterwards and (excuses, excuses) that may also account for his failure to get to grips with Faugheen yesterday. Even if he did better at 3m, the World Hurdle is already well populated with his stablemates.
BRISTOL DE MAI (8)
Never out of the first three over hurdles and fences, was running only the 12th race of his life when pulverising the opposition 32 lengths at Haydock, with some fine leaps out of the mud.
Just as effective on a sound surface, he earned himself a tilt at the RSA, according to his handler, but the bookies were more concerned to cut him to 8-1 for the JLT Novices’ Chase, which would be the easier option.
CLOUDY TOO (7)
Gets better and better for a yard that won the Grand National only three years ago. Took Saturday’s Peter Marsh by 15 lengths, thrown in 20lb below his 2014 rating and seems sure to go on again, now he’s back to form.
DOUVAN (9)
Like a cat that’s opted for a quiet, pampered life (don’t they all), Douvan purred round the Leopardstown track yesterday to land the Arkle Novice Chase, a joy to watch but he beat nothing well, and we can’t give him 10 because we learned only that an inch of Douvan rein equals about 10 lengths from a hack canter!
FAUGHEEN (10)
If Hurricane Fly can win five Irish Champion Hurdles, what can Faugheen do? The answer: not so many.
He’s already eight years old, so starts his Leopardstown reign a year late.
But he’ seems certain to go level peggings with the Fly in Cheltenham championships, with back-to-back wins in March, after an awesome display yesterday, in which he extended his advantage over Arctic Fire and dismissed the new kid on the block, Nichols Canyon.
LE PREZIEN (6)
Not given a hard race in the Supreme Novices Trial at Haydock yesterday after back-to-back success at Doncaster and Ludlow either side of Christmas. Backers should put him on their Aintree shopping list.
NICHOLS CANYON (5)
Even Willie Mullins himself called yesterday’s Champion Hurdle ‘round two’ after Nichols Canyon’s defeat of stablemate Faugheen in the Morgiana in November.
He closed in the betting, and he closed in the race, but only until Ruby Walsh pushed pedals on Faugheen and left Canyon with no gears left.
Winner at Aintree, and of the Punchestown Novice last Spring, he is now likely to head back to those festivals for consolation on better ground.
SIRE DE GRUGY (5)
The revenant! The 2014 Champion Chase winner was brought back by trainer Gary Moore to win the Tingle Creek in December but dropped down again from the gods to the stalls, humbled by two great players in racing’s theatre, Sprinter Sacre and – on Saturday – Un De Sceaux.
Another with nowhere left to go.. except plan for a Tingle Creek hat-trick next season!
UN DE SCEAUX (9)
He’s still getting into the bottom of the odd fence but perhaps I’m mean not giving him 10, after he shook off Sire De Grugy with everything else off the bit for lack of keeping pace in Saturday’s Clarence House, so often the final Champion Chase stepping-stone.
VIBRATO VALTAT (3)
I got him all wrong. He hasn’t really progressed, and he couldn’t lie up to test his stamina (the Ryanair had been mooted) against Un de Sceaux on Saturday.
Paul Nicholls needs to stay home and grow some more hot potatoes in March. The Cheltenham festival is already a series of field days for Ireland and Ditcheat dreams are in the ditch.
VROUM VROUM MAG (8)
This mare was the revelation of the weekend. You could hear high-octane fuel still swilling in the tank as she cruised clear, again beating not a lot, so not a 9 or 10 performance.
Will she win at Cheltenham? Maybe, but first you have to guess whether she goes for the World Hurdle or the Mares race. The Mullins bandwagon rolls on, vroum vroum!
A NIGHT IN VIENNA WOULD BE NICE!
I am concentrating on Kempton today. Newcastle is off and the racing at Wolverhampton, aside from one moderate race, is pretty poor. Jumping it is then.
2.40 Kempton Despite just four runners, this is an interesting contest. All four are nicely rated at 138, 151, 143 and 145 so it’s not a bad yardstick.
Onenightinvienna is the pick on ratings and on form. He’s 6lbs higher that in the ratings that Closing Ceremony and while, he gives away the same to that rival, the Hobbs horse looks to be the improver. He won at Exeter, beating Fletchers Flyer, and then ran Blaklion to two and a half lengths at Cheltenham when giving him weight. The former is now rated 150.
It’s hard to see Local Show or Padge troubling the front pair. Onenightinvienna is the Nap.
3.45 Kempton This is a mixed affair. There are some that could improve and there are some that look to be at their peak.
Opening Batsman is getting on now and running off 142 is probably as high as he’d like to be.
Ericht is similar as he’s also 10. On the other hand, his mark is going backwards and he’s now at a rating that he can probably go close in an event like this. He will still need to be at the top of his game.
Stellar Notion is difficult to asses. His debut run for Paul Nicholls resulted in him being pulled up at Newbury over two miles, not his best trip. He finished down the field prior to that in two good Cheltenham handicaps, including one at the festival. It’s his win on Boxing Day 2014 that is of interest though. He went from the front, jumped well and ran them ragged. If he can reproduce that form he’s in with a shout. The problem is whether he’s up for racing or not. Time will tell.
I’m siding with Barrakilla here. This is a slightly stiffer test that his last two runs which will be more in his favour. He went close in the December Gold Cup in 2014 when running on at the finish to take second behind Niceonefrankie. He didn’t stay over three miles at the Festival. This race looks to be right for him.
4.20 Kempton The final race is another competitive one. A handicap hurdle over two miles with Debdebdeb the likely jolly, now trained by Dan Skelton.
At the prices, I can’t look any further than Hollywood All Star. He was second last time over course and distance having won over further the time before at Uttoxeter. That was his second win in a row having won at Bangor before that (back over two miles). He’s an improving sort and although getting a penalty for finishing second isn’t ideal, his course form will stand to him and he’s one that could improve further.
DAQMAN’S BETS (Staked 1-9pts on strength, 10pts for a Banker)
BET 8pts win (nap) ONENIGHTINVIENNA (2.40 Kempton)
BET 4pts win BARRAKILLA (3.45 Kempton)
BET 4pts win HOLLYWOOD ALL STAR (4.20 Kempton)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 3 x 1pt Double and 1pt Treble ONENIGHTINVIENNA, A HARE BREATH & HOLLYWOOD ALL STAR
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