UNACCOMPANIED? DAQMAN IS OUT ON HIS OWN: Daqman’s jackpot bets landed a big-race one-two for the second time over Christmas week with Unaccompanied and Thousand Stars in the Istabraq Hurdle yesterday. Here are his three jackpot races since Boxing Day:
December 27 (3 bets)
CHANCE DU ROY 2nd 8-1
CONSIGLIERE 3rd 14-1
December 27 (3 bets)
LE BEAU BAI WON 10-1
GILES CROSS 2nd 17-2
December 29 (3 bets)
UNACCOMPANIED WON 100-30
THOUSAND STARS 2nd evens
Don’t get carried away. Yes, there was good reason to back Unaccompanied and Moon Dice in the Istabraq Hurdle yesterday, and it worked out well for Unaccompanied.
But only two five-year-olds have won the Champion Hurdle since 1976, and connections would be wise to aim at the 2013 championship.
I backed her yesterday because she was getting the fillies’ sex and four-year-olds’ age allowances, totaling 10lb, over Thousand Stars. She also received brilliant opportunist support in the saddle from Paul Townend.
Trainer Dermot Weld said after the race: ‘My biggest concern was whether stamina would be brought into play.’ In fact, the race was run in a poor time, and Unaccompanied will find the breakneck pace and Cheltenham hill a different matter in March.
Though she was placed at a lower level in the Triumph Hurdle, she was also getting the 7lb sex allowance from the winner that day when run out of it on the climb to the line.
Unaccompanied would be a formidable opponent for Quevega in the Mares Hurdle, and we might not even see the runner-up, Thousand Stars, in the Champion. He again raced as though ready to challenge Big Buck’s for the World Hurdle.
Don’t get carried away. Yes, Synchronised took the Lexus and, yes, that could be seen as improvement. But the runner-up, Rubi Light, was finding out about the trip (3m) – he’d never run beyond 21f before – and the third, Quito De La Roque, was trying to make the step up from novice grade.
As the 2010 Welsh National winner’s connections said afterwards: ‘Obviously, the first two in the King George are ahead of everybody else for the Gold Cup.’
Great credit to Jonjo O’Neill for the Lexus success but Synchronised may now fall between two stools: too high in the weights for the Grand National; a few pounds short of Gold standard. Unless, that is, he can improve again.
HAYDOCK With most of the Haydock runners today already sunk in the bog, it was noticeable how horses sired by Old Vic and Flemensfirth have been winning at the heavy-ground meetings so far this week.
There are plenty of Flemensfirths around today but Old Vic is solely represented at Haydock by Sandyknow (12.20).
Sandynow (holds C’monthehammers and Vivarini on Chepstow form) is no great shakes but is in his element on a deep terrain, has been dropped 13lb this year and is now 24lb below the official mark he was given after breaking his maiden: the 6.2, with seemingly only two opponents left to beat, is value.
The veteran chasers (2.00) will know they have been in a race, particularly since Atouchbetweenacara will set a pace, despite the ground. A recent Chepstow third to the Welsh National winner, Le Beau Bai, off 10lb higher, he may be hard to catch.
His problem is Santa’s Son (holds Camden George), another front-runner, and a winner off today’s mark at Wetherby. A battle for the lead between the two could see them set it up for Tamarinbleu and Abbeybraney.
Tamarinbleu hasn’t won for three years but his two runs back after a long absence have been classy, compared with this race.
Abbeybraney also kept top company, in the four-miler at Cheltenham and over the Grand National fences at Aintree and, amazingly for a 10-year-old, this is his handicap debut today over normal park-course fences, having been rated as high as 142 in his novice days.
If he ran to that, he’s 3lb shy of Tamarinbleu, but in receipt of 11lb., so the 6.2 Abbeybraney, with a stake saver Tamarinbleu is my idea of first position on the race.
Bold Ransom (2.35) tries to turn around Carlisle placings with Lockstown, which was his first run back after a long lay-off. Lockstown has since made an unlucky step up in trip and grade.
He was the moral, beaten in a close finish over 4m at Kelso (with Captain Americo behind) but, with Lucy Alexander’s allowance, Lockstown can race 3lb lower today, only 1lb higher than Bold Ransom, though officially rated an 8lb better chaser.
Douglas Julian (3.40), who won five in a row over hurdles and fences (when completing) between October 2010 and February this year, seems to have started another sequence, with success in a chase at Newcastle.
He reverts to hurdles here 17lb lower than his new chase mark. In fact, the handicapper has regrets and will raise him another 8lb from tomorrow.
He can be forgiven for expecting a sequence winner in one year to suffer from those exertions the next; but there’s no sign of that happening with Douglas Julian.
Unbeaten in three races on officially heavy ground, and with the only market threat this morning, Hassadin, winner only of a modest seller. he reads like banker material to me.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 3.8pts win SANDYNOW (12.20 Haydock)
BET 3.8pts win ABBEYBRANEY and 1.2pts win (stake saver) TAMARINBLEU (2.00 Haydock)
BET 6.25pts win LOCKSTOWN (2.35 Haydock)
BANKER: 20pts win DOUGLAS JULIAN (3.40 Haydock)
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