IT’S A DAY FOR DAQ MULTIPLES: It all looks so easy, with a string of hot favourites at Ascot and Haydock. But we’re deep in the mud and mire again and Daqman keeps his individual bets to the better prices. To the rescue is Daq Multiples, allowing you to bet on the hot-pots in mixed bets to small stakes, so you have an interest all the way through the day.
BULL’S-EYE BETS IN BIG FIELDS: Daqman still doesn’t have to spend many points as he bids to win 50 on each of three bets in the big-field races, where he is lined up against Pricewise (current score: Daqman leads 14-7, well clear on single-unit level stakes (+ 45 to + 6).
YOU FANCY NAYATI? ME TOO..
12.40 Ascot This Novices’ Championship Hurdle launched future Triumph Hurdle and Champion Hurdle winners for Nicky Henderson, but he’s swerved the race today.
That’s seemingly left it to the short-priced Nayati for Alan King, who’s taken it twice in the last four years with odds-on shots.
But how does Nayati rank alongside his former stablemate in France, Oistrakh Le Noir, now with Ben Pauling? Je pense que nous devrions etre dit (I think we should be told).
If the betting is anything to go by, the horse the trainer (Gary Moore) says he couldn’t even pronounce, Et Moi Alors, backed in to second favourite, could be a bigger danger.
Surely, the Me-Too girls should be on that one. Don’t worry; I don’t expect anything from you to me (De Vous A Moi, 4.15 Haydock)
1.50 Ascot Always a fair heat but raised to another level in its last renewal by the Mares Hurdle winner, Vroum Vroum Mag, rated 149 at the time.
That’s bang on the rating of yet another ex-French beast La Bague Au Roi, who could leap to that high level, according to the form book.
La Bague Au Roi was runner-up to Jer’s Girl at Kempton on the last day, a mare only a couple of lengths behind Apple’s Jade, herself once beaten only a head by Vroum Vroum Mag in the Hatton’s Grace.
THE TRIP MADE UP MY MIND
2.25 Ascot A Grade-3 hurdle over 2m 3f plus, won by the likes of Lough Derg, Smad Place and Rock The Kasbah.
Despite those names, it’s been a bad race for favourites, with all the winners bar one in the decade scoring at between 11-2 and 10-1 SP.
Jenkins is hiked two grades and 11lb – some of it cancelled out by the claim of the superb James Bowen – after scoring at Kempton a week ago. Now stepped up in trip, which is not a good idea on pedigree.
But it is should be the right direction for 5.1 BETDAQ offer Crossed My Mind, placed in big handicaps at Down Royal and Sandown and a winner on soft-heavy, and now with a featherweight.
Arthur Moore would love to win this for J P McManus, and in Crossed My Mind’s only previous venture beyond 2m – at the Punchestown Festival – the ground was too fast and he was hampered turning in (still finished sixth in a big field for the Martinstown Opportunity Final).
This trip and ground also suited the consistent Oxwich Bay on the last day but he takes a big step up in class.
Air Horse One, who completed a hat-trick when scoring over the Ascot CD last February, is up 15lb after good efforts since in the County Hurdle at Cheltenham, and big handicaps at Newbury and here again at Ascot.
Neptune fourth Burbank has also lost the struggle with the handicapper since but could bounce back in first-time cheekpieces. Night Of Sin disappointed until dropped to class 3 last time.
ACTING LASS CENTRE STAGE
2.40 Haydock (Champion Hurdle Trial) The New One, winner of this for the last three years, has been second in separate races in December to a Champion Hurdle winner, Buveur d’Air, and a runner-up My Tent Or Yours.
When My Tent Or Yours and The New One were one-two in the International Hurdle in December, Ch’Tibello was one paced in fourth, though entitled to improve for that reappearance race, still only seven.
3.00 Ascot It’s great to see Nicky Richards stable strong enough again now to be raiding the big southern prizes and Guitar Pete has done well at Cheltenham in his festival preps, but Ascot is not Cheltenham.
And Harry Fry is very keen on his Kings Theatre improver, Acting Lass (a gelding not a mare), who could be too nimble for his more experienced rival: BETDAQ 2.68 taken for the nap.
THEATRE CAN STEAL SHOW
3.15 Haydock (Peter Marsh Chase) No outright favourite has won this in recent years but there has been success for ages from six (Bristol De Mai) to 12 (Our Vic) and weights carried to victory from 9st 11lb to 11st 10lb.
It’s so hard to bet in this race that the first five in the BETDAQ market, narrowly headed this morning by Rock The Kasbah, were within a 2.8 points parameter.
Though a Chepstow specialist, Kasbah swerved the bog-heavy Welsh National, which suggests he may have a problem today.
Captain Redbeard and Hainan are the Haydock-heavy winners. Redbeard has a 9lb penalty for his success here in the Tommy Whittle, a race which has thrown up previous Peter Marsh winners.
Hainan was well behind Rock The Kasbah two races back but is probgressive now and from the Sue Smith stable, which has won this race three times.
Tintern Theatre ran a fine trial for this in mud at Kempton, where he looked a strong stayer. He will be getting a stone from Kasbah.
Walk In The Mill has been upgraded for his last two runs, but both were on good-to-soft ground at Ascot. Holds Yala Enki on one of those runs but that one is a Haydock winner on the soft.
And the last two Peter Marsh winners had run in the Rehearsal Chase at Newcastle, where Yala Enki was third off a big weight.
If only Venetia Williams’ string (7% strike rate) was in better form, but I said that about David Pipe yesterday.
VERDICT: I’ll stick with young improvers with light weights from stables that know how to win this: Hainan (7.2 on BETDAQ) and Tintern Theatre (7.4)
SCEAUX! IT’S A HAT-TRICK
3.35 Ascot (Clarence House Chase) I talked about the relevance of this race earlier in the week, when it seemed that Un De Sceaux, one-time Champion Chase runner-up to Sprinter Sacre, would frighten off the opposition and the punters in this hat-trick bid.
Yet, though 9lb behind in the ratings, Brain Power has been the medium of a gamble, ignoring his sole success from two steeplechase starts against Un De Sceaux’s CV of seven Grade-1 wins.
He must now confirm his potential but, as the ratings stand, it’s not even a no-brainer that he’s second, since San Benedetto is officially his equal. Speredek has his first race outside handicap company, with 22lb to find on the favourite.
DAQMAN’S BETS
2.25 Ascot (win 50)
BULL’S-EYE BET: 12pts win CROSSED MY MIND
3.00 Ascot (win 20)
NAP: BET 12pts win ACTING LASS
3.15 Haydock (each to win 50)
BULL’S-EYE BET: 8pts win HAINAN
BULL’S-EYE BET: 7.75pts win TINTERN THEATRE
4.15 Haydock (win 20)
BET 3pts win and place DE VOUS A MOI
DAQ MULTIPLES: 4 x 3pt win trebles and 1pt acca Nayati (12.40 Ascot), La Bague Au Roi (1.50 Ascot), The New One (2.40 Haydock) and Un De Sceaux (3.35 Ascot)
Did you know that as well as checking the realtime prices on BETDAQ below – you can also log into your account and place your bets directly into BETDAQ from BETDAQ TIPS.
