FOUR NAPS UP OUT OF FIVE: Daqman completed a hat-trick of naps – and four on the week – when Politologue (WON 10-11) scored at Ascot yesterday. The four were:
WON 1-1 Theinval
WON 1-3 Cosmeapolitan
WON 4-6 Give Me A Copper
WON 10-11 Politologue
PROFITS ALL THE WAY! Daqman clashes with Pricewise of the Racing Post today in the 1.50, 3.00 and 3.35 Ascot, and in the 2.40 Haydock. The state of the different Daqman bets is:
Bankers: 10 out of 14 (nine consecutive)
Naps: 4 out of 5 (three consecutive)
Bull’s-eye bets: 46 points up
Fortune Cookies (9-23): 136 points up
Daqman 6, Pricewise 2 (Daqman 23 points ahead)
12.0 ULTRAGOLD ON THE PODIUM
1.15 Ascot: Paul Nicholls, who won this five years in a row until being without a runner last year, today bids to reclaim this Graduation Chase via Caid Du Berlais.
Nicholls was in hot form at Ascot yesterday with three winners. Caid Du Berlais lost his way over fences after winning the PP Gold Cup at Cheltenham but returned to form over hurdles in November.
Forget his run on the last day in a bog at Haydock and he can wait on the front-running novice Top Notch. Nicholls has beaten the other Henderson novice Hammersley Lake with Le Prezien who is rated 2lb behind Caid Du Berlais.
I exchanged Caid Du Berlais at 5.6 this morning, which seemed better value than the 1.91 about Top Notch.
1.50 Ascot Ultragold, fourth in this last year, heads the list 16lb higher, after two wins at a better level (class 2), including at Newbury three weeks back, with Ravens Tower in third.
Ultragold is a few pounds worse off with Ravens Tower here but made a mistake two out at Newbury, otherwise looked strong and might have won far more easily, and is a three-miler capable of imposing his stamina at today’s trip.
Ultragold, a 12.0 BETDAQ offer this morning, keeps stablemate Dusky Lark (10.5) down on a decent racing weight and today is the first real test for Overtown Express, with connections looking for a boost from Top Notch who beat him more than 10 lengths at Plumpton.
The handicapper thought that Dark Flame’s defeat of More Buck’s at Sandown was worth a 10lb rise, but Orbasa has been more or less static in his chase rating for 10 months now. Pull The Chord was disappointing on his chase debut but softer ground should suit.
UNOWHAT? ALEX ODDS LOOK BIG
2.25 Ascot (Long Walk Hurdle) Reve De Sivola, hat-trick winner of this (2012-14) after a similar sequence by Big Buck’s, is back for more today, since last year’s new kid on the block, Thistlecrack, has other plans.
‘Sivola’ is 11 now – 12 on New Year’s Day – and there’s been only one winner of a double figure age (Deano’s Beeno was 10 in 2002) since 1990.
The race offers Unowhatimeanharry the chance to confirm that he is a World Hurdle contender after six wins in a row, transformed by Harry Fry and now 50lb higher than when he struggled to break his maiden over hurdles in 2014.
‘Harry’ won the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham, and beat Ballyoptic on his return to action in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury’s Hennessy meeting last month, which is the usual stepping stone to this.
Reve De Sivola was only fifth that day, nearly 30 lengths down, and a bigger threat to the favourite is Alex de Larredya, who has improved 10lb in the last six months to take a Grade-1 on the last day, beating Ptit Zig.
We will know today whether he needs the soft-heavy of French racing, and whether the first-time tongue-tie today can take him even further up the staying-hurdler ranks but, in such a low BETDAQ overround, you can take win and place at 7.4 with a stakes saver on the jolly.
‘GO’ FOR JOHNSON TO CONQUER
3.00 Ascot Silver Cup Nine-year-olds have won this only three times in its 50 years, and five of the last six scorers were five, six or seven. None has carried more than 11st 6lb since 2002.
If you’ve used your blue pencil to knock out those who are damned by these stats, you’ll find yourself looking at the bottom four in the handicap, where Jonjo O’Neill has sneaked in two, one of them with Richard Johnson booked.
That one is 6.4 BETDAQ offer Go Conquer, who beat Dusky Lark (see 1.50) in the Spring and came back with a close second here at Ascot last month. But the difference today is the step up to around 3m. He’s related to an Irish National winner on the dam’s side.
Eduard (9.2), fourth in last year’s Ryanair, has a Grand National winner in his distaff line. He prepped for this on today’s course in November after a long absence, as he too moves up in trip for the first time, with the handicapper taking a chance. He’s been dropped 8lb since that Ryanair of 21 months ago. Watching brief.
Fourth Act (12.5) is down a level from Grade 3, where he’s looked a progressive stayer at Ascot and Cheltenham this autumn-winter.
Le Mercurey’s best form is over shorter (was Future Champion winner at Ayr in the Spring over 20.5f) but he proved his stamina when he came up against a rejuvenated Many Clouds at Aintree (25f) two weeks ago. His stablemate Irish Saint has not made the same step up in trip.
MEYLER A SPEAR IN THEIR SIDE
3.35 Ascot This handicap is where Cause Of Causes first came to my attention (when only four years old) before I made him a Fortune Cookie to end all fortune cookies, winning at enormous odds both the National Hunt Chase and the Kim Muir at successve Cheltenham festivals.
With decent ground, I shall again remove the older horses from calculations, and check out those under the age of seven, though the Ascot form of Jolly’s Cracked It (1131) makes him hard to put down, even after his year off.
The Irish November Handicap winner, Golden Spear, is 12lb higher than for his last hurdles success more than a year ago but the smart boy Donagh Meyler is in the plate for the first time.
He is one of three big guns for Tony Martin: the two others, Quick Jack (Galway Hurdle 2015) and Pyromaniac (last win even before that time), were a neck apart on the Flat in September. Both are well known to the handicapper.
Brain Power has his ground but not much to spare on Sandown form over stablemate Consul de Thaix, unexposed after only four runs in his life. A tongue-tie might make Meet The Legend best of Dan Skelton’s pair.
Modus is up in the handicap for two defeats, albeit narrowly at both Ascot and Cheltenham (in the Greatwood, when the Skeltcons won tche races).
Who Dares Wins wasn’t far off Ballyoptic (who is in the Long Walk today) at Chepstow in October but this looks a tough task for a four-year-old off 11st 11lb. Cause Of Causes won it off 10st 13lb at the same age.
Sternrubin’s form is is 211 at Ascot and he dead-heated with Jolly’s Cracked It in this race – when known as The Ladbroke – a year ago.
This freegoing sort who, at two years younger, could have improved past Jolly’s, has his ground and is the trade horse at 17.0 this morning. But Golden Spear must surely be in the three.
OSCAR PERFORMANCE NEEDED
2.40 Haydock (Tommy Whittle Chase) In this racing age of young bloods, there’s been no winner in the decade over the age of eight and only two this century.
Four out of seven from among the old boys here are claimed off in the hope of winding back the years, and the front of the market looks opposable.
Corrin Wood hasn’t won for nearly three years, and topweight Yala Enki hasn’t captured a steeplechase prize since beating tiny fields in France in 2013-14.
Trickaway has improved only seven pounds in seven chases, and faces a rise in grade to land his hat-trick. He’s won only on lower-class tracks.
Sue Smith is in terrific form but De Vous A Moi is also in a grade higher race, has won only on soft-heavy and never in a double-figure field. You could make half a dozen guesses and get this one wrong.
I shall take a swing at it with Courtown Oscar, a 19.5 offer, who improved 31lb over fences last season and had a run back over hurdles at Haydock recently.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 30 points)
BET 6.5pts win (nap) CAID DU BERLAIS (1.15 Ascot)
BET 3pts win and place DUSKY LARK, and 2.75pts win and place ULTRAGOLD (1.50 Ascot)
BET 4.75pts win and place ALEX DE LARREYDA, and 6.6pts win (stakes saver) UNOWHATIMEANHARRY (2.25 Ascot)
BET 1.5pts win and place COURTOWN OSCAR (2.40 Haydock)
BET 5.5pts win GO CONQUER, and 2.5pts win and place FOURTH ACT (3.00 Ascot)
BET 6.75pts win GOLDEN SPEAR, and 1.85pts win and place STERNRUBIN (3.35 Ascot)
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