FISHER 9-2 CATCH FOR DAQMAN AS HE TAKES VALUE LEAD 9-8: Daqman took the lead 9-8 for winners in the tense value hunt with Pricewise of the Racing Post, after scoring yesterday with Mister Fisher (WON 9-2). It’s been a winner-a-day week, including a 9.5 BETDAQ strike with Casimir Du Clos (WON 11-2) on Wednesday.
BETDAQ VALUE AT 23.0 AND 41.0 IN THE DECEMBER GOLD CUP: Today Daqman takes you through the card at Cheltenham, with bets in the December Gold Cup (up to 23.0 and 41.0 value on BETDAQ) and the International Hurdle. Headlines:
🔹 CHANTRY HOUSE LOOKS SEAMLESS
🔹 PIRATE NAPPED TO STEAL THE LOOT
🔹 23.0 LAD COULD WIN CUP A STREET
🔹 TAKE AN INTERNATIONAL HIT SONG
CHANTRY HOUSE LOOKS SEAMLESS
⭕ 12.05 Cheltenham (Triumph Trial) A good race for favourites (6-10 in the decade), won by subsequent Triumph Hurdle winner Defi Du Seuil (2016) and placed horses, like Far West 2012 and Hargam 2014.
Adagio was second in another Triumph Trial here at the November meeting and Son of Red won a class 2 at Newcastle. Elham Valley’s class-2 win at Sandown was on heavy ground.
⭕ 12.40 Cheltenham Nicky Henderson, who has won this novice chase with horses aged five (2) and eight (2) four years out of nine, saddles Chantry House, the Supreme Novice Hurdle third to Shishkin.
Past results and today’s small field suggest that the race won‘t throw up a high-grade festival contender. Favourites are 5-10, with only one SP return bigger than 4-1.
Chantry House can continue a seamless start to his chasing career at Ascot (soft) in a similar small field.
Stablemate Fusil Raffles, who won at Uttoxeter and on the Old course here in October, has a higher rating but pulled up here in November behind the runaway Eldorado Allen, with Henderson claiming that he was unsuited by the good-to-soft-turning-rapidly-softer ground.
The second horse home in that race, Quel Destin, also races off 152. He won over hurdles here on heavy last term.
PIRATE NAPPED TO STEAL THE LOOT
⭕ 1.15 Cheltenham Yesterday’s winners at 33-1 and 18-1 have become typical of the big NH meetings since the end of the Flat.
Frustrating for students of form but not unusual, not in this race at any rate, with winners at 33-1 and 12-1 in the last four years.
Top-weight Magic Saint, tongue-tied first time today, didn’t get any kind of boost yesterday from runners-up in his Newbury (2019 Bun Doran) and Cheltenham old-course (2020 Fanion d’Estruval) autumn successes of the past 12 months. Both lost.
Paul Nicholls also runs Capeland, who was at his best at this time last season off 143 when a 12-lengths winner at Ascot (soft) but he is 00 at Cheltenham, though you can give him some leniency since they were in the JLT and the Grand Annual at successive festivals.
However, dropping to 150, and down from Graded contests to Listed and class-2 level, he didn’t cut much ice at Ascot twice autumn, including tried in cheekpieces the last day.
Zanza ran behind Eldorado Allen and then second to Allmankind in his first runs back, so I tipped him up at Newbury and he proved the form easily in a Ladbrokes handicap.
Ibleo, short-headed at Ascot in a Listed chase, appears to need deeper ground. But I fancy Sky Pirate to try to steal the treasure from the front.
Usually a hold-up horse over much further (he ran in the Kim Muir here), he was not disgraced at Cheltenham in the Autumn Gold Cup and in-form Tom Scudamore has been booked. I took 4.9 on the BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE
23.0 LAD COULD WIN CUP A STREET
⭕ 1.50 Cheltenham (December Gold Cup) Older horses, like Master Tommytucker, haven’t won this for more than 25 years. His trainer, Paul Nicholls, knows that, because he’s the leading trainer: five hits in 11 years, including with two four-year-olds.
Before that it was a winter springboard for Nicky Henderson youngsters, like six-year-old Fondmort (2002). He runs Champagne Mystery, nicely weighted on his return after a wind op but with Aintree as his long-term target.
Master Tommytucker is described as ‘an ignorant youth who has matured and just gallops and gallops.’
He faces the Autumn Gold Cup winner here, Coole Cody, who is also nine and also a late developer. Can these two young old-boys continue to dominate?
The market moves last night were for two seven-year-olds, Al Dancer and Good Boy Bobby, both trained by Nigel Twiston-Davies, who won with Double Ross (2007), also seven.
Why Al Dancer? Because he is 9lb better off though he beat Master Tommytucker in that one’s prep at Newton Abbot, and 6lb better to catch up four lengths with Coole Cody on his third in the December Gold Cup.
Good Boy Bobby gets 11lb for his 15-lengths defeat by Master Tommytucker at Haydock, which doesn’t seem enough.
Cepage, who goes well fresh, has been second and fourth in this race for the last two years and won over CD in January. Midnight Shadow is the only other CD winner but that was a gift when clear-leader Champ fell.
Fortune Cookies, which had a winner on Thursday with Atholl Street, has a wild-card outsider in the Jonjo O’Neill mare, Annie Mc, who has not yet fulfilled her promise. Cheekpieces tried but 41.0 on BETDAQ.
Another lower down the handicap, Chatham Street Lad, is a rapid improver (up 16lb in the autumn): impressed at Cork the last day.
VERDICT: The autumn-winter cup double here is a rare feat and I can’t fancy Coole Cody doing it; Al Dancer (BETDAQ 7.0) is right on top of him. What you risk with Master Tommytucker (9.5) is his occasional loss of concentration which can affect his jumping. Cepage is a stronger stayer this year, according to his trainer, and goes well fresh. Looked big at 14.0. So, too, Chatham Street Lad at 23.0.
TAKE AN INTERNATIONAL HIT SONG
⭕ 2.25 Cheltenham (Bristol Novices Hurdle) It’s the Albert Bartlett trial, in which Ashtown Lad looks strong, as the only distance winner in the race.
Make Good, bred for 7f on the Flat, is a bit of a freak, impressive in strong company for a 2m hurdle on heavy at Gowran Park the last day.
BETDAQ 10.0 says he’s worth a tilt at 3m after his John McConnell stablemate, Some Neck, grabbed the cross-country on the line yesterday.
⭕ 3.00 Cheltenham (International Hurdle) Questions to answer:Can Goshen redeem that last-flight fall when clear in the Triumph Hurdle?
Can Verdana Blue return to the form that won her an Elite, a Christmas Hurdle and a Scottish Champion Hurdle?
The form book says that Verdana and her Kempton conqueror, Silver Streak, both prefer good ground. So, too, Sceau Royal.
Ballyandy enjoys it soft but he also enjoys finishing second. He’s been the bridesmaid before in this race.. and against Sceau Royal at Kempton.. and in the Greatwood the last day!
I fancy ultra-progressive Song For Someone, the Kingwell winner who ran away from Call Me Lord at Ascot (soft), so scoring at two different trips. A generous 6.8 taken on BETDAQ.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.15 Cheltenham (win 20 nap)
BET 5pts win SKY PIRATE
1.50 Cheltenham
FORTUNE COOKIE
BET 10pts win ANNIE Mc
BULL’S-EYE BETS (win 50)
BET 3.75pts win CEPAGE
BET 2.25pts win CHATHAM STREET LAD
2.25 Cheltenham (win 20, win 10)
BET 2pts win MAKE GOOD
BET 4pts win ASHTOWN LAD
3.00 Cheltenham (win 20)
BET 3.5pts win SONG FOR SOMEONE
3.15 Doncaster (win 20)
BET 3pts win JERSEY BEAN
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