11-2 STRIKE GIVES HIM THREE NAPS IN A ROW: After three consecutive supernaps, Daqman landed his best bet yet again yesterday with Planet Nine (WON 11-2) at Catterick, giving him another treble, as his third winning nap in a row:
WON 11-2 PLANET NINE (nap)
WON 8-11 CAPTAIN CATTISTOCK (supernap from 2.52)
WON 4-6 UNCLE ALASTAIR (supernap)
DAQMAN WINS THE KANSAS CITY SHOOT-OUT: After the defeat of Bob Mahler (2ND 10-11) by Caderyn (WON 9-4) on Tuesday, the Planet Nine win gave Daqman his second double whammy of the week against an odds-on favourite. He warned that runner-up, Kansas City Chief, had previously won a flawed race, even though the handicapper was impressed and hiked him a stone.
BACK Planet Nine WON 11-2
LAY Kansas City Chief (2ND 4-6 favourite)
HE’S WELL CLEAR FOR THE DUBLIN FESTIVAL: His value bets lead Pricewise of the Racing Post 16-7 before the opening of the two-day Dublin Festival at Leopardstown, 51 points clear (+ 47 to – 4)
PARK THE BUS AGAINST MULLINS
1.10 Leopardstown Willie Mullins has won this six years running but faces a tough task against my Fortune Cookie, Dortmund Park, having ruled his top two, Getabird and Next Destination, out of this Dublin Festival.
Mullins prefers to run Ballymore and Albert Bartlett outsiders, Fabulous Saga and Carter McKay, who was more than 13 lengths behind Getabird at Punchestown.
Fabulous Saga is 10 lengths behind Next Destination on a line through Cracking Smart. That makes it a ‘must win’ race for Dortmund Park (3.05 on BETDAQ early mouse), though Mullins warns that his pair are expected to improve.
1.45 Leopardstown (Dublin Chase) I suggested earlier in the week that Mullins could choose between Min or Yorkhill in this; maybe run both. He does.
Yorkhill, the 2016 Neptune and 2017 Golden Miller winner at Cheltenham, has not raced over a distance as short as today’s since launching his career over fences 14 months back.
But he can travel very strongly in the front rank, and this could be a tactical Yorker at better than evens on BETDAQ!
Min was impressive over the Leopardstown CD as a novice but, following a winning return at Gowran Park in November from almost a year off, he lost a Stewards’ inquiry, after coming too close together with Simply Ned over the same CD at Christmas.
FOOTPAD CAN STEAL THE ARKLE
2.20 Leopardstown (Arkle Novice Chase) Un De Sceaux and Douvan both won this on the way to their Ryanair and Arkle successes at the Cheltenham Festival.
Footpad could be odds on for both Arkles: today’s and, if he wins this, the Cheltenham version in March. Footpad is rated 160 over fences; Petit Mouchoir was 160 over hurdles.
Petit Mouchoir beat Footpad twice last season, first in the Ryanair Hurdle, then in the Champion Hurdle at this meeting a year ago.
But his rival is 2-2 at the start of his chase career, including here over Christmas, when he looked a star in the making (Any Second Now 11 lengths behind as runner-up).
Petit Mouchoir is four lengths inferior to Footpad over fences on a line through Brelade whom he beat in October, but that was his only chase and we haven’t seen him since.
One to watch or fun bets in Daq Multiples with Footpad as short as 1.53 on BETDAQ this morning.
2.55 Leopardstown There’s not much between Nearly Nama’d, Some Plan, Bel De Sivola and Blast of Koeman on form here and at Fairyhouse. It puts me off when they’re ‘all of a heap.’
At 9.2 on BETDAQ, classy Tully East, the novice-handicap winner at last year’s Cheltenham Festival, looks perfectly suited to this long-term target, dropped back in trip but off a likely fast pace.
Front or van runner Conrad Hastings (19.0 BETDAQ), also down in trip, is one of those who could be tactical early under Davy Russell and with the stamina to see it out.
FAUGHEEN IF HE’S BACK ON SONG
3.30 Leopardstown (Irish Champion Hurdle) This column has just been looking at horses with a ‘P’ last time out, and one won at 9-1 yesterday. Now here’s a giant among the last-day pulled up!
With Petit Mouchoir now over fences, Faugheen, the 2016 winner, tries to regain the title after failing to get round in the Ryanair over CD at Christmas.
If he’s back on song, he’s nearly a stone in front of anything he meets today, including stablemate Melon (first-time hood) and 2017 Triumph Hurdle winner Defi Du Seuil, who is very easy to back in the market.
But the lesson of Bristol De Mai, struggling to come back after a similar eclipse, suggests P for Put Off and P for Patience. Wait on the outcome; don’t bet at short P-P-Prices.
4.05 Leopardstown (Coral Hurdle) Willie Mullins (12), and Gordon Elliott (8) had a total of 20 entries for this, now boiled down to four runners for Mullins and just two for Elliott.
The Elliott six-year-old Ben Dundee (11.0 on BETDAQ as I write) has had massive stable confidence behind him, favourite in three consecutive races since October. Out of the frame in a Grade A at Fairyhouse but winner and second in the two others.
He was the ‘moral’ over today’s CD at Christmas, beaten three lengths but giving 9lb to the winner.
He’s shown bags of stamina and, with a high cruising speed, will be hard to beat, granted the likely decent pace.
Tony Martin’s Tudor City, second in this race last year, has been successfully treated for a back problem, and is huge at 29.0 under Donagh Meyler.
4.40 Leopardstown Eight of the nine in this Future Stars bumper were winners last time out, and first past the post will take front rank in the grid for the Cheltenham championship.
Derek O’Connor, for J P McManus and Joseph O’Brien, could wind back the clock with Rhinestone (7.0 win and evens a place for insurance).
CRUISE IN WITH COUNTISTER
12.40 Sandown The mares’ allowance swings this 7lb in favour of Nicky Henderson’s Countister over my Fortune Cookie, Ainchea, and 11lb over Arthington, yet only a short under even money on BETDAQ this morning (1.96).
Countister cruised clear of two winners at Doncaster and the one Ainchea had to be driven out to beat at Sandown was trained N Henderson! Supernap.
3.00 Sandown My man in the long grass (pictured!) says that trainer Sophie Leech expects a big race out of Man of Plenty now that he’s stepping up in trip: 23.0 on BETDAQ this morning, despite his featherweight.
The stats say that nothing wins with more than 10st 10lb., and I’m going for plenty of cover under the lightweights’ panoply, thanks to a big-value BETDAQ ‘book’ of offers.
Fourth Act (17.0), back-to-form after a wind op for Team Tizzard, is nearly a stone well in on his old chase rating, whole the Cheltenham-entered novice, Dashing Perk (12.5), ‘could be anything.’
3.35 Sandown Ballydine (BETDAQ 7.0) is a glass horse but Charlie Longsdon has kept him together well and has ‘looked forward’ to stepping him up to 3m.
Another Tizzard who could go forward now after a wind op is Quite By Chance (15.5 offers)
DAQMAN’S BETS
12.40 Sandown (SP)
ENGLISH SUPERNAP: 20pts win COUNTISTER
1.10 Leopardstown (win 20)
BET 10pts win DORTMUND PARK
1.45 Leopardstown (SP)
IRISH SUPERNAP: 20pts win YORKHILL
2.55 Leopardstown (win 30)
BET 3.5pts win and place TULLY EAST
BET 1.5pts win and place CONRAD HASTINGS
3.00 Sandown (win 50)
BULL’S-EYE BET: 4.25pts win DASHING PERK
BULL’S-EYE BET: 3pts win FOURTH ACT
BULL’S-EYE BET: 2pts win and place MAN OF PLENTY
3.15 Musselburgh (win 20)
BET 1.5pts win and place LOOKING WELL
3.35 Sandown (win 20)
BET 3.25pts win BALLYDINE
BET 1.3pts win and place QUITE BY CHANCE
4.05 Leopardstown (win 30)
BET 3pts win and place BEN DUNDEE
BET 1pt win and place TUDOR CITY
DAQ MULTIPLES FESTIVAL FAVOURITES: 4 x 2pt win trebles and 1pt win acca Dortmund Park (1.10 Leopardstown), Yorkhill (1.45 Leopardstown), Footpad (2.20 Leopardstown), Faugheen 3.30 Leopardstown)
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