SATURDAY KING FLIES TO FIVE-TIMER WITH AERIAL: Daqman took over the mantle of price-wise king when he completed FIVE consecutive winning Saturday Betdaq-value jackpots with Aerial (WON 100-3 from 5.5).
118 POINTS FROM 2012 JACKPOTS: Aerial’s Newbury win followed success at 14-1, 9-1, 7-1, 13-2 and 11-4 (all listed in the Daqman Library) and brings his total profits this year to 118 points and his current winning sequence to more than 179 points since December 3rd.
MASTER NAP TAKES 4-DAY PROFITS TO 82 POINTS: It was also his fourth consecutive day in profit on his win bets, for a total of 82 points from Wednesday: Fabulu (WON 11-2) and Big Easy (WON 7-2). Thursday: Father Probus (WON 7-1). Friday: Niceonefrankie (WON 9-4). Saturday: Aerial (WON 9-4) and Master Of The Hall (nap, WON 6-4).
Those man marvels did it again on Saturday. Ruby Walsh got me up in the last stride on Aerial at Newbury and, while all eyes were on National winner, Ballabriggs, at Kelso, Tony McCoy had a rare ‘steering job’ on Master Of The Hall to land the nap.
Don’t be fooled by Master Of The Hall: he loves small-field races. His wins have come (in order since November 2010) against five runners, four, three, three again and, on Saturday, four.
Master Of The Hall has a date at Cheltenham in the Speciality Handicap, where McCoy may ride again but more likely Barry Geraghty will be in the saddle.
However, also remember, as you go through the Festival cards, that Geraghty has been Cheltenham champion jockey only once and – you wouldn’t bet on it in a pub quiz – McCoy has not been top jockey at the meeting since 1998.
Ruby Walsh is out on his own, as leading rider the last four years and in six of the last eight. In the last five years at all meetings at Cheltenham, Walsh has ridden almost as many winners as McCoy and Geraghty combined: 71 to their 37 and 36 respectively for near-double McCoy’s strike rate (Walsh 23% and McCoy 12%).
With only 10 days to go to Big Buck’s and – hopefully – Kauto Star, Ruby is at Leopardstown today attempting a double for father Ted, and McCoy is at Huntingdon.
The entertainment value of such as Walsh, Geraghty, McCoy and Richard Johnson is stunning: in no other sport would you see the stars performing at a low level, except possibly in an FA Cup match or an early round at Wimbledon.
Never do the divas stoop to conquer from the heights of a grand slam court or a premier-league venue down to a small-town two-grand egg-and-spoon race, such as McCoy takes in today on a wet and miserable March afternoon.
A P sticks to hurdles at Huntingdon; I always carefully check out his rides over fences in the run-up to Cheltenham – particularly any novice event – when one error could cause a breakage or a dislocation and lose him many thousands of pounds and winners in the annual championship arena.
Ruby, on the other hand, is in a Grade-B chase today for McCoy’s number-one owner, J P McManus: Colbert Station (4.00) Leopardstown), trained by Ted Walsh.
The stats for the race are insistent: no horse with more than 10st 9lb has won it in the last 10 years, and none over the age of nine; in fact, the one win for a nine-year-old in 2008 was exceptional; horses aged six and eight have won the nine other renewals in the decade.
And here we have Walsh down to within a pound of his stated riding weight to partner Colbert Station, an eight-year-old with 10st 2lb.
Stats wise, the opposition is down to just four young horses, one of them Montan who ran well over CD against Seabass but who, though carrying only 10st 9lb, has been struggling with his chase rating, which is 29lb higher than for his last hurdles success.
Like Peak Raider and Mister First, Montan’s CV suggests they badly need some rain and won’t be at home on the prevailing good ground.
The other youngster, the Irish Grand National winner Organisedconfusion, is prepping here for the Aintree version, while the class act of the race, Roberto Goldback, can choose between Cheltenham and the National.
If Roberto runs at Cheltenham, he would encounter Master Of The Hall in the Speciality Chase. Today he meets old rival Follow The Plan, with the score 2-1 to Roberto in three Graded races since just before Christmas.
But Roberto Goldback and Follow The Plan have never won a handicap, with Roberto’s form figures 00 and Follow The Plan U0F.
Meanwhile, at Huntingdon, it’s not often you see a McCoy ride offered at 15.0 at a track where he is 40% and Jonjo O’Neill, the trainer of the beast, is 20% when fitting first-time blinkers. The horse, Rocky Raccoon (4.40).
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 6pts win (nap) COLD KNIGHT (3.10 Huntingdon)
LAY to win 10pts KINKEEL (3.50 Sedgefield)
BET 9pts win COLBERT STATION (4.00 Leopardstown
LAY to win 10pts BRADDOCK ISLAND (4.20 Sedgefield)
BET 1.4pts win and place ROCKY RACCOON (4.40 Huntingdon)
BET 7pts win GRANWOOD (4.50 Sedgefield)
Did you know that as well as checking the realtime prices on BETDAQ below – you can also log into your account and place your bets directly into BETDAQ from BETDAQ TIPS.
