PROFITABLE FRIDAY AS MASTER NAP FROM DAQMAN WINS AT 3-1: Daqman’s tips were all in at the finish yesterday with form figures from four races of 2212, all paid for – with profit to spare – by a bold nap on the eight-length Supreme Trial winner, Master Debonair (WON 3-1).
ACCOUNTS UPDATE
Daqman 13, Pricewise 5 (+112.30 to -140.00)
Bull’s-eye bets 35% (+76.20 from 5-14)
Bulls-eye naps 47% (+249pts from 8-17)
All Daily Naps 46% (+81.36 from 18-39)
Supernaps 60% (+64.68 from 6-10)
ASCOT SURVIVES INSPECTIONS BUT LOSES STAR, PAISLEY PARK: After two inspections and a stewards’ inquiry, with part of the track realigned to swerve the ‘bad bits’, Ascot keeps the show on the road but with the star turn, Paisley Park, an absentee. The going at Ascot and Haydock is heavy, and Daqman thinks the market will tell which horses can perform in the soggy conditions. Headlines:
RAIN THE HAYDOCK TOPICAL TIP
PAPAGANA IS THE IMPROVER
CLOUDS TO MAKE IT A GREY DAY
CRIEVEHILL IS MY RISING STAR
RAIN THE HAYDOCK TOPICAL TIP
1.00 Haydock The young grey mare Early Morning Rain suits the scene and fits the stats: favourites have won four years running. She is 2-2 on soft and heavy.
Flow Away won on heavy under a penalty on the last day, and Sweet Adare also comes into this on a hat-trick.
In fact, there are seven in the race who were winners on the last day, and even the supposed donkey Eeyore isn’t out of it, as one with form on very soft ground for Guillaume Macaire in France.
1.50 Ascot The only Ascot CD winner in this 2m 3f handicap chase is Mr Medic, 11lb higher than when winning it two years ago on a better surface; he has scored only on good and good to soft since.
First Flow went for a CD win just a week ago but was stopped in his tracks by Angels Breath, who won again yesterday.
Golden Whisky won on heavy in lower class but Espoir De Guye looked mature for a five-year-old (as ex-French chasers often do) when taking command at Exeter two weeks back.
Another one-time top chaser in France, Kobrouk, has his first race over fences since May, 2017, and his first in England. Delire d’Estruval has also been off a long time. I took 4.3 Espoir de Guye.
2.05 Haydock Ben Jones is a jockey of the future but his present-day role is s a 5lb claimer who can make the difference, as he’s done on De Rasher Counter for Emma Lavelle and on Gumball for Philip Hobbs.
His Hobbs mount here, Big Shark, is an improver among older horses, already a 10-lengths winner on the soft.
PAPAGANA IS THE IMPROVER
2.25 Ascot (Long Walk Hurdle) Star-turn Paisley Park defected from a soggy Ascot this morning, leaving me with only a short time for Long Walk glory!
In today’s race in 2017, L’Ami Serge was second, with The World’s End fourth. L’Ami Serge will need the run after a 580-day lay-off, though has done plenty of work.
The World’s End went down seven lengths to Paisley Park in the Ladbrokes Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury in November, and the Park also had the measure of Agrapart.
The improver – up 30lb in a year – is Papagana, winner of the mares’ final at Sandown on heavy last December, and a back-to-back Listed winner, also against her own sex.
Today is an all-comers event but she gets 7lb allowance and should be a decent price.
CLOUDS TO MAKE IT A GREY DAY
2.40 Haydock (Tommy Whittle Chase) Daklondike won this off 139 on similar heavy ground a year back, with a first-time visor and continual hard driving by Tom Scudamore. He’s 6lb higher now and the visor is left off.
The Hollow Ginge will love the ground; not sure to like the trip, though many Twiston-Davies chasers do, and he’s unexposed at six years old.
At the same age, Lord Du Mesnil is fairly well exposed but he, too, likes deep terrain. The Orchardstown Cross sequence came to a halt here at Ascot last month after a hat-trick and a 32lb rise.
Top Wood has been placed in the Foxhunter at Cheltenham twice and won the Foxhunters at Aintree but impressed here at Ascot despite his 13 years when runner-up, giving weight to the winner, in a three-miler last month.
Eider Chase winner and placed in Warwick Classic and Scottish National marathons, Crosspark pulled up on his reappearance but chase form under Harry Skelton is 221132, still standing. I hit the BETDAQ button on 12.5.
Vintage Clouds won a similar race here at Haydock a year or so back after third in the Scottish National.
Despite all attempts to turn the grey into a marathon horse, his best form over fences has always been from 3m to 3m1.5f: form figures 12312, still standing. I took some 10.0 in the BETDAQ orange this morning.
CRIEVEHILL IS MY RISING STAR
3.00 Ascot (Silver Cup) Give Me A Copper won the Badger Beer on his return and has every chance today if he can handle the ground.
In a similar position is Black Corton, ultra consistent and his good autumn-gold-cup third here to Vinndication gives him a strong stake in this.
But, on a line through the same horse, he has no hope with Jerrysback, who ran so well for much of the way in the NH Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, and is a youngster full of promise, the one for the money this morning.
Yalltari needs to step up considerably to figure in this but Venetia Williams is striking at 42%, so adept at placing her horses.
Kildisart was superb, giving weight all round at the Aintree Grand National meeting, and has taken on such as Defi Du Seuil at Cheltenham and Lostintranslation.
But my rising star in this – my Grand National horse – is Crievehill, the Kim Muir fourth who has looked classy in autumn handicaps over the tough fences of Haydock and Wetherby.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.00 Haydock (win 10)
BET 3.25pts win EARLY MORNING RAIN
1.50 Ascot (win 10)
BET 3pts win ESPOIR DE GUYE
2.05 Haydock (supernap)
BET 20pts win BIG SHARK
2.25 Ascot (win 20)
BET 5pts win PAPAGANA
2.40 Haydock (win 50 bull’s-eye bets)
BET 5.5pts win VINTAGE CLOUDS
BET 4.25pts win CROSSPARK
3.00 Ascot (win 20 each)
BET 4pts win JERRYSBACK
BET 2pts win and place CRIEVEHILL
3.35 Ascot (win 20)
BET 3.5pts win at 6.8 UMBRIGADO
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