‘AL’ IS YOUR PAL ON BETDAQ CARD TONIGHT: Daqman rates the Marco Botti colt Al Raqeeb as nap of the day at Kempton Park tonight, where four BETDAQ-sponsored races are part of a six-rides-each battle of AW star jockeys, Adam Kirby and Luke Morris.
‘GLORIOUS’ TRIAL FOR CHELTENHAM: At Ludlow this afternoon, it’s Mickie the obstacle to Nicky as trainer Henderson takes aim with Glorious Twelfth for the Mares Final at Cheltenham.
Are layers taking the Mickie at Ludlow? They have Glorious Twelfth a short-priced favourite for the Henley Hall Gold Cup but I’m not grousing about offers of 6.6 Mickie (3.15) on BETDAQ this morning. She has better form in the book.
Her trainer, Henry Daly, suddenly reappeared on January 30 after giving his horses a break. He’s had five starters since, which have finished 11312, including Winds and Waves, a winner at Market Rasen yesterday.
It’s asking a lot for the grey mare Mickie to concede 10lb to a Nicky Henderson hope for the Mares’ Final at Cheltenham.
But Glorious Twelfth came out of a slow-run race at Newbury to finally get off the mark at Huntingdon with the next three home having been beaten in a total of eight hurdles contests before or since.
In fact, the form of Prima Porta looks better than that but I can’t bring myself to back an Evan Williams’ runner right now: his last seven starters to complete have been beaten a total of 290 lengths.
Mickie’s form stands up. After winning well on her sole visit to Ludlow on her only start under Richard Johnson, it was no disgrace when she failed to get in a blow at Warwick, running up to The New One.
On Saturday, The New One failed by only a neck to repel the challenge of super-improved At Fishers Cross. The New One remains second favourite for the Neptune and At Fishers Cross has been promoted favourite for the Coral Cup.
Tonight it’s six each for Adam Kirby and Luke Morris. Not winners as yet, but rides at Kempton Park, though you wouldn’t be surprised if one of those crack AW jockeys got a Dettori-style cricket score one day.
All winter surfaces seem to come alike to Kirby. In the last nine racing days, he’s had two winners at Kempton, two at Wolverhampton, three at Lingfield, and one at Southwell yesterday.
He’s got eight booked rides already for Wolver on Thursday and Friday and is becoming an ever-present man-machine to match the likes of Tony McCoy.
With current form figures for Marco Botti of 10102, he partners that stable’s Al Raqeeb (7.05) in a classy looking 7f handicap. But first a Betdaq-sponsored yankee of races to open the meeting.
5.05 Kempton (Win Big With Betdaq Multiples Handicap): Kirby rides top-of-the-card Red Ramesses in this sprint but the handicap range is only 5lb.
Just five horses here have ever won a race: Chateau Lola, Deveze, Nafa, Miserere Mei, and Rooknrasbryripple. But such was Red Ramesses progress that he started odds on at Wolverhampton in December.
He fluffed his lines that day but this is the persuader Adam Kirby’s first ride on him, so it will be interesting to see how he goes, dropped 20lb from his opening mark and 7.8 on BETDAQ, at the time of writing.
Kaylee went very close at Kempton on the last day but that was when wearing a hood for the first time. Will it have the same effect today?
Miserere Mei (holds Burnt Cream) has the same chance as Kaylee on a line through Beach Candy, which places CD winner Deveze behind them.
Lowtherwood has been last or second last in five of his most recent six starts, so first-time blinkers will have to improve him a stone.
Rooknrasbryripple, whose form at Kempton is 232, is down 9lb since that last second. His run at Lingfield last week was his first in four months and he should strip much fitter.
5.35 Kempton (Back or Lay At betdaq.com Handicap) Another first-time ride for Kirby on Surrey Dream but both horse (a maiden) and stable are out of form.
The 10 furlongs is an in-between distance and only four of these have won at the trip, one of them – Lytham – over CD but he’s 11 now, King Of The Moors 10 and Sommersturm nine. I wouldn’t want to risk my hard-earned on any one of these grandads.
Mark Tompkins’ four runners in 2013 have all finished third, one of them distance winner Five Hearts, who’s been second and fourth on his two trips to Kempton. Jim Crowley booked.
6.05 Kempton (Betdaq Mobile Apps Handicdap) The eight runners have chalked up 27 finishes in the frame from their last five or six starts, with six of them distance winners, and we’re up in quality to class 5.
The last six starts for Modern Lady since she became the only course winner in the race are a bit off-putting: they scream ‘bridesmaid’, with four times second and three times third.
One of those to beat her was Kirby’s mount, Mossgo, at Lingfield. Modern Lady is a pound better off for a short-head but can you trust her to take advantage of that bit of help from the handicapper?
She also somewhat devalues the form of Ada Lovelace, who beat her at Lingfield, but ‘Ada’ won well in her first handicap that day and is another solid booking for Jim Crowley.
Luke Morris has a tricky ride: Windforpower (holds Marvellino) needs all the extra aids but still manages to come up second more often than not, and shows a marked preference for Lingfield.
6.35 Kempton (Betdaq Casino Games Maiden Fillies’ Stakes) Morris gives Kirby a breather here, taking over for Marco Botti on Wakeup Little Suzy, and anyone who can remember that song is growing everly older.
Morris, who can strip down below 8st., some 12lb lighter than Kirby, is on an equally amazing AW run, with form figures up to yesterday of 114332423313
After a lean spell at the start of the year, Mark Johnston has had seven of his last nine starters in a place, among them two winners but I’m waiting for Always Fabulous to go handicapping, preferably dropped a furlong in trip.
Charles Hills had two winners in three days last week, four out of six placed, but Golden Causeway swerves handicaps, though qualified.
That class-4 race of winners (7.05) sees Kirby back for Botti on Al Raqeeb, as Morris goes for Black Dave’s hat-trick, though he has never ridden David Evans hope when it’s won a race.
All here are distance winners except Fortinbrass, who seemed to ‘bounce’ at Wolver a week after just missing out at Lingfield from a six-month break.
Al Raqeeb, son of a French Derby winner, has a fine reputation at home and impressed when winning his maiden last month.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 3.5pts win MICKIE and 1.9pts win (stakes saver) GLORIOUS TWELFTH (3.15 Ludlow)
BET 2.9pts win RED RAMESSES (5.05 Kempton)
BET 5pts win FIVE HEARTS (5.35 Kempton)
BET 8.5pts win ADA LOVELACE (6.05 Kempton)
BET 11pts win (nap) AL RAQEEB (7.05 Kempton)
Daqman’s selections are all backed to win 20 points, so you know the offer he took from the points he’s placed (divide 20 by the stake).
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