DAQMAN’S 9-2 NATIONAL STRIKE: Daqman painted a picture of ‘massive improvement’ in Art Decco yesterday and he duly won the Devon National at 9-2, for which he also named Jacks Parrot (3rd 4-1).
Friday: profit on the day 14 points
WON 9-2 ART DECCO (BETDAQ 6.7 taken)
TODAY: MAXIMUS IS OUT: Winter Derby day at Southwell; the Eider Chase at Newcastle and the Bobbyjo at Fairyhouse without I Am Maximus (withdrawn with a respiratory infection)
I’M JUST WILD ABOUT HARRY
⭕ 2.40 Southwell (Hever Sprint): William Buick flies in from Dubai with a double chance in the Sprint and then the Winter Derby on Diligent Harry (3.9) and Champagne Prince (5.2). BETDAQ morning offers quoted.
Diligent Harry prepped for this with a win at Lingfield last year three weeks before the Hever was switched to Southwell.
No worries. He had Clarendon House and Bedford Flyer third and fourth there, dispute giving them both 3lb in this Listed feature.
Harry will strip much fitter than at Lingfield behind Marshman, the hat-trick seeker, and Pure Angel who gets the mare’s allowance but is a class-4 animal.
CHAMPAGNE HAS THE BOTTLE
⭕ 3.15 Southwell (Winter Derby): Military Order won the new Southwell version a year ago, beating the 2023 winner at Lingfield, John Gosden’s Lord North.
Gosden is back with Military Academy (first-time headgear today), who would have had four in a row last summer into autumn but for encountering Burdett Road (the subsequent Greatwood Hurdle winner) in the Godolphin Stakes at Newmarket.
Persica, a Listed winner at Ayr in September, has his first run of the year but Champagne Prince has already impressed the ratings team. They hiked him 9lb after he won over today’s CD on the last day of January, taking him 19lb higher than for a handicap success here in October.
The older horse Royal Champion, winner of the Wolferton (Listed) at Royal Ascot in 2023, was Graded placed during a spell in Australia before bagging a Listed at Lingfield on the last day of 2024.
MAJOR OFFER: BETDAQ 31.0
⭕ 2.10 Newcastle (Eider Chase) Chasing winners over jumps begins with good to soft ground at Newcastle, where Bretney (Highland National and Borders National winner, both on soft) has been a massive lay.
Taken at 31.0 on BETDAQ (5.5 a place), Major Dundee could bounce back (Brian Hughes booked), lower in the handicap than when Scottish National third and Midlands National winner.
NICK ROCKETT ON THE UP!
⭕ 3.25 Fairyhouse (Bobbyjo Chase): Three, two, one! Rathvinden (third at Aintree 2019), Any Second Now (second 2022) and I Am Maximus (first last year) all won this on the way to places in the Liverpool Grand National.
Willie Mullins has withdrawn I Am Maximus (respiratory infection), leaving stablemate Minella Cocooner in the Bobbyjo, 2lb better than at Aintree.
Most recent staying star from the Mullins stable, and still only eight, is progressive Nick Rockett, winner of the Thyestes in January, and a big gamble this morning.
He was rated only 146 when a street behind Intense Raffles in the Irish Grand National last April but followed up third in the Sandown Gold Cup and is now on 161 after the Thyestes.
GOLDEN DAY FOR NICHOLLS
⭕ 3.35 Kempton: Our Power won in 2023 off the same mark, if you trim today’s 144 to account for Dylan Johnston’s 3lb allowance. But horses of a double-figure age don’t win this 3m chase, and Our Power hasn’t scored since.
Lowry’s Bar (wins over half a mile shorter) and Hyland are higher in the handicap than any recent winner.
But Hyland is 3-4 on good ground since June and was runner-up in the Kauto Star Novices’ Chase here at Kempton on Boxing Day, also on a sound surface.
Karate Dori hit a couple of fences in the Somerset National, when runner-up at Wincanton in January, with the winner giving him a lump of weight.
Not too far, Richie! Beachcomber under Richie McLernon cruised up 10 lengths over today’s Kempton CD in December, beating the Rehearsal Chase winner, Fero Banbou.
But he was in first-time blinkers (swapped for cheekpieces that day) and he’s up 9lb, with Jonjo O’Neill Jr taking over in the saddle.
The overnight punt for today’s race, Golden Son, third to Beachcomber that day, beat Heltenham here over a shorter trip last February yet is now 7lb better off.
He is also 9lb better with Beachcomber, and the Paul Nicholls team shows form figures of 021433101 (still standing) for four days’ racing in the last week, a marked change of fortune after 1-21 before that.
Golden Son is a Martaline, with bags of stamina in his pedigree, lightly raced in UK. His French form was all on soft ground, and the overnight rain at Kempton will be very welcome.
Betdaq Betting Exchange 5.2 Hyland, 9.7 Golden Son at 10 am
DAQMAN’S BETS on Betdaq Betting Exchange
2.10 Newcastle (win-50 bull’s-eye bet, 20 place)
BET 1.6pts win and 4.4pts place MAJOR DUNDEE
2.40 Southwell (win 20)
BET 7pts win DILIGENT HARRY
3.15 Southwell (win 20)
BET 5pts win CHAMPAGNE PRINCE
3.25 Fairyhouse (supernap)
BET 20pts win NICK ROCKETT
3.35 Kempton (win-50 bull’s-eye bet)
BET 5.75pts win GOLDEN SON
BET 7pts to win 30 HYLAND
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