3-1 NAP HITS THE HEADLINES: Daqman landed back-to-back naps yesterday when, following Thankyou Very Much (WON 1-2), his best Friday bet was More Buck’s (WON 3-1). His headline selections in the two days were:
THEY WON’T BE PASSING THE BUCK’S! (Friday, WON 3-1)
RASEN JUST RIGHT FOR LINGER’S STYLE (Thursday, WON 5-1)
37 POINTS UP IN TWO DAYS: Daqman was making 37 points profit in two days with two winners a day, as follows:
WON 5-1 Linger (Thursday)
WON 1-2 Thankyou Very Much (nap, Thursday)
WON 3-1 More Buck’s (nap, Friday)
WON 9-4 Messire Des Obeaux (Friday)
NINE BANKERS WIN OUT OF 10: Daqman goes into today with nine winning bankers out of 10, bidding for a naps hat-trick, and 3-2 ahead of Pricewise of the Racing Post in their value challenge. He has three Fortune Cookies and two Preview Horses running.
MAD PACE TO HAVE THEM UP THE CREEK
This is Nicky’s day. Winner trained by Henderson features a dozen times on the Sandown card in recent seasons. He has won the opener seven times and has a clear chance with Bardd (3.25 BETDAQ offers in the 12.20).
The Henry V111 Novices’ Chase (1.55) chase has thrown up stars like Somersby and Al Ferof in recent years. It features an old-firm clash between Henderson (Altior) and Paul Nicholls (Marracudja).
With five winners in the bag already, Fortune Cookies followers will be rooting for Marracudja (huge at 9.8 on BETDAQ), bidding for a hat-trick and already a winner at Cheltenham on the last day.
But Altior, who has seen his Supreme Novice Hurdle runner-up, Min, launched successfully over fences, a 10-lengths winner at Navan on Sunday, himself made a winning steeplechase debut at Wetherby.
Henderson also farms the Listed hurdle (2.25) with form figures since 2009 of 131310. But you’d have to back both Brain Power (8.4 offers) and Consul de Thaix (6.0 tops), who was the better fancied this morning.
3.00 Sandown (Tingle Creek Chase) This has produced aces from the two-milers pack like Kauto Star, Twist Magic, Master Minded, Sprinter Sacre and Sire De Grugy, who attempts to take the prize for a third time.
But he is 10 now and to support him is to say that the young bloods are not up to much, including stablemate Ar Mad, who won the Henry V111 Chase 10 lengths here a year ago and is 2-2 at Sandown.
Punchestown Champion Chase winner Gods Own has flopped in two starts on today’s course, and was beaten by Un De Sceaux in the 2015 Arkle and when they were second and fourth in the Champion Chase.
Un De Sceaux is Willie Mullins’ first runner in England this winter – preferred to Douvan – but I believe that fast ground hands the initiative to Ar Mad, who loves going right-handed and is a tasty 5.6 in the BETDAQ orange.
3.30 Sandown (London National) Conas Taoi completed six handicap wins in 14 weeks on this course at this time last year, and has stepped up to marathon trips since with a second at Cheltenham and success at Warwick.
Trainer Paul Morgan is in fine form; Conas Taoi has had a recent run, is down the bottom of the handicap, has his ground and he is backable at 7.4 on BETDAQ as I write.
Have you ever had the feeling that it all looks too easy? I certainly think we need an alternative, and that we can afford one, because of that 7.4 offer and the value morning overround of 106%.
I pass over Mountainous (only sixth in this last year) and Woodford County – both need rain – Leg Iron (hopeless right-handed and 11 now), Morney Wing (not up to this level), Five In A Row (high in the handicap), Doing Fine (only one chase win); Court By Surprise, Loose Chips and Bob Tucker (all three-milers) and top weight Rocky Creek (won once in 43 months).
Jimmy The Jet Plane and Loose Chips are likely to set the pace, which will suit Belmount, who is in the right yard to improve for a trip and the extra distance will help his jumping.
A Westerner, Belmount is in line from the stamina-packed Le Moss on the dam’s side and 10.5 is a nice win-and-place price in BETDAQ offers.
BECHER JUMPING CLASS BY THE MASTER
12.00 and 12.30 Aintree The subsequent Punchestown Champion Novice won this a year ago for J P McManus, whose runner this year, Litterale Ci, was comfortably stopped by Evening Hush at Exeter but was having her first run in England and it was her debut hurdle.
In addition, Litterale Ci (a 7.0 offer on BETDAQ this morning) and Heaven Sent are the only good-ground winners in the field, Flat or Jumps.
Oldgrangewood (12.30) is the apple of Dan Skelton’s eye and, as the trainer forecast, jumping fences seemed to be the making of him at Kempton. Could go far.
1.35 Aintree (Becher Chase) Experience is usually vital over the National fences (Alvarado was fourth in the Grand National itself; The Last Samuri second) and there’s been just the one seven-year-old winner since 1993.
That one, Silver Birch for Paul Nicholls, went on to take the Grand National itself two seasons later after being switched to Gordon Elliott.
The Young Master, Viconte De Noyer and Vieux Lion Rouge give the seven-year-olds a strong hand this year, with year-old The Last Samuri and Ucello Conti also front rank in the market.
And I thought Cogry, another seven year old, was going to take a hand in the finish of Viconte Du Noyer’s race at Cheltenham three weeks back. His jumping lets him down.
Last year’s one-two Highland Lodge and Dare To Endeavour, for whom Harry Skelton is an interesting booking, are brought close together by the revised ratings but this looks a much stronger renewal.
It was soft when The Last Samuri, Ucello Conti and Vieux Lion Rouge finished in the first seven in the National, and their profiles are about soft-heavy ground.
So this must surely be the big chance for The Young Master, a 14.0 BETDAQ offer, and Viconte Du Noyer (12.5 in the orange).
3.15 Aintree (Grand Sefton) There might not be much between last year’s one-two Bennys Mist (needs rain) and Seventh Sky at the revised weights.
Both are high in the handicap now but that’s partly because this is a weaker race. In fact, the bottomweight is 22lb lower than last year’s.
As De Mee, blinkered, then hooded, has been placed only in novice events, landing the bets only once in 21 months, and that when odds-on in a class-4 chase.
Astracad likes the ground but seems to win only when fresh, before he’s had time to think about the hard work involved. So I shall have a pound on Valadom, a good jumper who gets further but likes to be up with the pace. I took 12.0 on BETDAQ.
DAQMAN’S BETS (each single bet staked to win 20 points unless otherwise stated)
BET 3.3pts win LITTERALE CI and 1pt win (stakes saver) EVENING HUSH (12.00 Aintree)
BET 9pts win BARDD (12.20 Sandown)
BET 5.75pts win (nap) OLDGRANGEWOOD (12.30 Aintree)
BULL’S-EYE BETS (to win 50): 4.3pts win and place VICONTE DU NOYER, and 3.8pts win and place THE YOUNG MASTER (1.35 Aintree)
BET 4pts win CONSUL DE THAIX and 2.75pts win BRAIN POWER (2.25 Sandown)
BET 4.5pts win AR MAD (3.00 Sandown)
BET 1.8pts win and place VALADOM (3.15 Aintree)
BULL’S-EYE BETS (to win 50): 8.3pts win CONAS TAOI, and 4.5pts win and place BELMOUNT (3.30 Sandown)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 5 x 2pt win doubles and 2 x 1pt win trebles Bardd (12.20 Sandown) and Oldgrangewood (12.30 Aintree) with Altior and Marracudja (1.55 Sandown)
FORTUNE COOKIES: Its’afreebee (12.40 Wetherby), Marracudja (1.55 Sandown), The Young Master (1.35 Aintree)
PREVIEW HORSES: God’s Own (ABC guide, 3.00 Sandown), The Young Master (1.35 Aintree)
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