LET’S GIVE A BIG HAND FOR ANOTHER WINNING NAP: Tony McCoy earned the plaudits of Press and punters yesterday when he shrugged off the pain of an ugly fall at Fontwell to land Daqman’s nap, Let’s Get Serious (WON 5-4), in a driving finish.
20-1 (TWICE) IN FOUR-DAYS-IN-A-ROW OUTSIDERS SEQUENCE: Daqman continued his run of big-odds places when, following a 20-1 third on Saturday, the same price a third on Monday, and a 17-2 second on Sunday, he named Transient (3rd 11-1) yesterday. He’s found two today, at 15.5 (‘crazy offers’) and 12.0 on Betdaq.
Give us a break! Punters don’t much love odds-on favourites, beginners, sellers, claimers, novices and conditionals, but have to wait three races at Lingfield and four at Leicester today before they are rid of them. An unlikely-to-get-lucky seven.
I’ll have to nap in a handicap, so I’ll rely on A P McCoy again – what would we do without him? – on Christopher Wren (3.00 Leicester).
It’s a poor field for a class 3, which Fiendish Flame is likely to try to boss, running quickly after his CD romp has hiked his rating.
But there’s only one boss, and A P will know that Christopher Wren, receiving 12lb, and owned by the guv’nor, J P McManus, was class 2 on the Flat and will be suited by today’s step up in trip.
3.50 Kempton (Free Entry For Betdaq Members Handicap) Stall 3 goes for a hat-trick in this (every winner in the four years of the race has been drawn 1-to-4) but Atlantic Cycle is 0-12 in handicaps.
The 2008 winner Bookiesindex Boy – Tony Culhane’s only mount of the day – and six times course winner Sherjawy have it all to do from stalls 10 and 12, respectively.
Too Many Questions won’t find it easy to revert to his front-running role from stall 9 but the 11 gate may actually help Danzoe, who likes to come from behind off a strong pace and is a CD winner off today’s mark.
Perlachy is the flag-bearer for the Ron Harris yard, which is otherwise struggling with just his one win from 21 starters in the last fortnight but his arena of choice is Wolverhampton not Kempton Park.
Welsh Inlet’s one win in 28 doesn’t excite and Cliffords Reprieve is a similar bridesmaid though not so exposed. Mi Regalo, the Andrew Balding cast-off, is blinkered for the first time by Phil McEntee, but the yard’s record with the blinds is 0-18.
I think it’s between Crimson Queen and Skylla, seemingly bred for a Golden Jubillee, by Kyllachy out of a Dayjur mare.
Skylla has been struggling until now dropped 10lb in seven weeks and, with Mark Coumbe’s allowance, 22lb below her last winning mark and drawn 2 to lead. Back and lay.
Crimson Queen ran well enough, third, at Kempton recently (holds Black Baccara) and 12.0 on Betdaq about Roy Brotherton’s dual Nottingham winner looks far too big and should certainly hold up my outsider-in-a-place sequence, if remaining at similar odds.
4.20 Kempton (Betdaq Multiples Maiden Auction Stakes) Top of the hot-trainers’ list, Sheena West (three winners from six runners) and Marco Botti (3-7), clash in this.
West’s Feb Thirtyfirst looked in need of time on his debut whereas Botti’s San Mambo is in a race type the trainer does well in.
But ‘Mambo’ couldn’t live with Quizzed and Haafhd Handsome, second and third, less than two lengths apart at 2lb difference, at Newmarket in October.
Quizzed has been hitting a flat spot in her races whereas I’ve noticed ‘Haafhd’ gets closer as he steps up in distance, Claiming off him, and adding another two furlongs today, might be the answer. Unfortunately, there’s not much ‘might do’ about 3.1 this morning, so I won’t be betting at this stage.
4.50 Kempton (Back Or Lay At betdaq.com Handicap) Well drawn and back to form recently, course-winner Ellemujie hails from the A1 Radlett yard (of Ken now Dean Ivory) that has farmed Kempton over the years and is currently getting 100% out of its runners, according to the Racing Boast.
And I note that Ellemujie, forecast 8-1 in the same coggage, was within a decimal point of 5.7 favourite Songburst when I checked my Daq at 9.30 this morning. Fancied or what!
Songburst is two from two at Kempton but over a mile and his front-running style may have to be tempered if he is to get today’s extra quarter-mile.
In stall 9 here, he led (from 8 stall) most of the way last time but it was a steady gallop which didn’t suit the third horse, Veroon, a winner here in October at this level and already successful over 1m 2f on turf.
Am I missing something here? Songburst is 5.5 and Veroon 15.5, as I write. Crazy offers! Veroon must be another good chance of at least a place at big odds today.
5.20 Kempton (Betdaq Mobile Apps Maiden Stakes) Who is the Queen Of Heaven? Christine Dunnett, whose Patience is tongue-tied first time out (what?) or Eve Johnson Houghton (trains the bridesmaid, Lovat Lane)?
No, Queen Of Heaven is a Peter Makin filly at the each-way price of the race, 7.8 this morning, and bred to be a star, related to an Abbaye winner.
But, as we’ve seen already tonight with Skylla (3.50), good breeding doesn’t always produce the top gear (!), and Queen Of Heaven is being aimed so low she’s limbo dancing here.
Amber Heights has had plenty of chances, so I rate Sketchy Evidence ‘the one most likely to’ on form, but evidence is sketchy all round in this modest maiden.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 6.25pts win (nap) CHRISTOPHER WREN (3.00 Leicester)
BET 1.8pts win and place CRIMSON QUEEN (3.50 Kempton)
BET 4pts win ELLEMUJIE and 1.3pts win and place VEROON (4.50 Kempton)
BET 2.9pts win QUEEN OF HEAVEN and 2pts win (stakes saver) SKETCHY EVIDENCE (5.20 Kempton)
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