ANOTHER BATTLE OF THE STARS BUT LUMP ON TARLA: Daqman is forced to take sides in today’s clash of Flemenstar and Sir Des Champs but saves his big money for Tarla at Cork. Lump on!
BEST HORSE OF THE DAY? HE’S A CHAMPION: Daqman described Sprinter Sacre as his ‘best horse of the day’ yesterday and doubled him with Captain Conan but the third leg of his Daq Multiples treble went down, and one of his outsiders, Into Wain (2nd 15-2), was beaten on the line.
No wonder this is the age of racing champions. With the midweek sport now so sub-standard, competition at the top among big-money breeders and owners is concentrated on the cash-cow weekends and major festivals.
The cream rises to the top of the milk in such clashes as yesterday’s in which Sprinter Sacre crushed Sanctuaire, and by association, many a Cheltenham 2013 pretender.
Flemenstar versus Sir Des Champs continues the no-rags, all-riches theme in the John Durkan Memorial (2.00) at Punchestown today. But this time the winner won’t be automatic odds-on for Cheltenham.
The pair could join Bobs Worth, Silviniaco Conti, Long Run and Al Ferof in what is shaping up to be one of the great Gold Cups of the present era.
Punchestown Flemenstar hasn’t just come on for his Navan battering of Big Zeb, he’s improved ‘a hell of a lot’, trainer Peter Casey tells the trade paper this morning of his Irish Arkle and Powers Gold Cup winner.
Sir Des Champs will have to. Improve, I mean. Though he’s scored seven in a row – early in the sequence becoming one of my horses to follow – his only real claim to fame is his Jewson win at Cheltenham.
He finished four-and-a-half lengths in front of Champion Court, afterwards slammed 13 lengths by Silviniaco Conti, with recent handicap winner For Non Stop third.
Flemenstar has won four consecutive Graded chases and has the advantage of a run for this two-and-a-half miler. He’s 6lb ahead on the ratings for that, but has won most of his races around 2m, while Sir Des Champs has concentrated on 2m 4f plus.
So pros and cons, but hopefully a true-run race, with last year’s John Durkan hero, Rubi Light, and the 2011 Drinmore winner Bog Warrior both pacesetters in the past and hoping to play giant-killer here. I’ll stick my neck out for Sir Des Champs.
If I tip Flemenstar and show Sir Des Champs in my horses-to-follow list, Bill down the betting-shop will say: ‘Giving yourself two chances again are you!’
Two – or more – chances are justified, particularly in handicaps, when the price is right but not when the contestants are 2.06 and 2.7, albeit in a 104% ‘book’ of BETDAQ offers, and I can see no opportunity for an opening gambit, then back or lay later, unless something unusual happens in running.
Cork Another of my horses to follow, the ex-French Tarla (2.15), seemingly a natural jumper, will be a short price to win the mares’ novices’ chase. But lump on!
She made all in her first chase at Clonmel, jumping round as if returning home from holiday instead of having her first run over fences in England.
Ruby Walsh swerves Punchestown to ride Tarla and also to resume his fences partnership in the Hilly Way Chase with Blazing Tempo (1.45), once 12 lengths behind Tarla over hurdles at Punchestown.
In fact, Blazing Tempo has been back over hurdles four times since pulling up in the Ryanair Chase last March. He’d won four Graded chases before that, including the Galway Plate.
Foildubh meets his Punchestown conqueror of a year ago, Days Hotel, on better terms here but still concedes a pound to Blazing Tempo, whose trainer rates as his biggest worry Realt Dubh, who virtually blundered out of the race behind Flemenstar the last day, as the Irish call last time out.
But I doubt Realt Dubh’s ability to call time on Blazing Tempo. He hasn’t won a race since April 2011 and making excuses for beaten horses is the road to Carey Street.
Kelso It’s champions day at Kelso, too, with the Champion Chase seemingly a knock-down to Knockara Beau, if he can put back-to-back wins together, the only market threat, Lie Forrit, being generally out of sorts and needing to bounce back.
That’s not a race I’d want to bet in, but I can never resist a National and, in the Scottish Borders version (2.25) I shall try Lord Villez, whose jockey, James Reveley, has won it twice, second once, in its three-year history, and whose trainer excels with stayers. The 12.0 BETDAQ offers were tempting.
Warwick Sticking with jockey form, Richard Johnson is two out of three for Richard Philips, and Excelsior Academy (3.10) seems to have been primed for this first handicap. Nice 6.2 on BETDAQ, at the time of writing.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 1.8pts win and place LORD VILLEZ (2.25 Kelso)
BET 4pts win EXCELSIOR ACADEMY (3.10 Warwick)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 10pts win on each and a 5pt win double SIR DES CHAMPS (2.00 Punchestown) and TARLA (nap, 2.15 Cork) plus a 3pt win treble with BLAZING TEMPO (1.45 Cork)
HORSES TO FOLLOW: Sir Des Champs (2.00 Punchestown) and Tarla (2.15 Cork)
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