7-4 SCORER IN BACK-TO-BACK NAPS: Daqman followed up his successful place nap on Monday (Minsk 2nd 5-1 from 12.0) with a 15-point win bet on Saphir Du Rheu (WON 7-4) at Taunton yesterday, his biggest single stake since September.
47 POINTS PROFIT ON THE DAY: He landed a Taunton treble with the nap backed in doubles and a trio with Sound Investment (WON 5-6) and Cantlow (WON 4-9), so that his daily profit hit 47 points. He tries to do the same at Leicester today.
He’s had as many winners as the rest of the top 10 NH owners put together. It’s J P McManus, of course, but his entry fees to get the 63 on the scoresheet so far this season must be staggering.
He’s had a massive 77 runners to grab 11 winners this side of Christmas alone – that’s in only 13 days’ racing – saddled by no fewer than 26 different trainers.
Thereby hangs a tale? Does he have enough top-line ammunition to hold on to the title, come the ‘real racing’ at Cheltenham and Aintree?
Darlan is his big-prize contributor at this stage and, fronting the Champion Hurdle market, his sole Festival market leader.
Six of his recent 11 winners have come in England, five ridden by Tony McCoy, who partners four McManus horses for three different trainers at Leicester today.
A handicap mark seems to be Jonjo O’Neill’s intentions for Irish Buccaneer (12.30), next time out over a longer trip. It depends how hard McCoy works him today, and what the opposition can do.
But basically he is bred to go a lot further, and Pine Creek may have the legs of him, having given weight away on his hurdles-debut third to Lord Of House, who followed up with a scintillating class-2 handicap victory at Sandown on Saturday.
Calypso Bay (1.00) needs to improve on his jumping – beaten six times under McCoy – and the extra pace by dropping him back in trip won’t help.
Caulfield’s Venture is on a redeeming mission, having failed as favourite over CD in early December, beaten 11 lengths, giving away 17lb. Dropped 3lb for that, and claimed off today, he reappears 10lb lower.
Todareistodo is consistent but seems to be a Towcester specialist and I prefer Reginaldinho, who is down in grade and must show an awful lot at home, having started 3-1, 7-2 and 4-1 (favourite or joint favourite each time) in his last three runs since the start of 2012.
He obviously doesn’t stand much training but the stable is now in form and the difference in class should theoretically get him much closer today and 6.0 is a fair deal on BETDAQ this morning.
Also dropped in grade is Lovcen (2.30), a classy hurdler who is taken to respond to blinkers in this novices’ chase.
Rouge Et Blanc and McCoy’s McManus mount, To Live, have left the rest behind in the market for the novice chase (3.15) but I think Prince Of Dreams overpriced at 6.4 BETDAQ offers.
To Live looked one-paced when Prince Of Dreams came to win his race at Warwick in December but, jumping right, came down at the last when two lengths clear. Will be suited by the Leicester right-hand bends today.
Rouge Et Blanc also jumped right in a four-horse race at Wincanton but was receiving more than two stone and seems best when fresh.
The market says that McCoy will finally land a J P prize in the last with Thunderstorm (3.35) and I’ll double him with Lovcen. That ‘s where I came in.
DAQMAN BETS
BET 4pts win REGINALDINHO (1.00 Leicester)
DAQ VALUE BET 3.7pts win PRINCE OF DREAMS (3.15 Leicester)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 3 x 3pt win doubles and 1pt win treble PINE CREEK (nap, 12.30 Leicester), LOVCEN (2.10 Leicester) and THUNDERSTORM (3.45 Leicester)
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