WHERE IT ALL ENDED YESTERDAY: After his King George (7-1) and Christmas Hurdle (supernap) double on Boxing Day. Daqman’s luck deserted him yesterday in the Welsh Grand National: the late gamble Where It All Began (10-1 from BETDAQ 15.0) flew into the picture but made a bad mistake four out, Jubilee Express (2nd 6-1 from 9.9 on BETDAQ) went second on the run-in but failed to catch the winner.
‘GALOPIN’ BACK TO GOLD TODAY: Today Daqman relies on Gold Cup hero Galopin Des Champs at Leopardstown, where he is five times a winner.
GO TO WAR WITH HENDERSON
⭕ 1.45 Newbury Go To War with Nicky Henderson! His 2-0 big-race victory over Willie Mullins’s raiders was the feature of Christmas racing at Kempton.
I’ll have more to say about Constitution Hill in my Fortune Cookies review next week. But I’ll certainly be with Sir Gino.
Chase and hurdles on the London track yesterday were run up to almost 15secs slow but Henderson’s Wayward Lad winner, Sir Gino, beat Mullins’s Ballyburn in a time 2secs better than average.
Go To War landed back-to-back wins for Fergal O‘Brien before being beaten in a 2m handicap on his Seven Barrows debut. But this is his first true test, bred as he is to need another mile! The better ground will also help.
Dan Skelton’s figures have nosedived to a current 4-50, so I’ll let Mr Hope Street run with that very label attached!
Mr Bramley is a future chaser – and his homework suggests he’s a good one at that – locked on a 124 hurdles rating with Go To War and Mr Hope Street.
Ex-Irish Rightsotom and the promising Westerner six-year-old Welsh Charger have higher ratings of those in form, but I’ll Go To War with Henderson
THE BOB AND RACHAEL SHOW
⭕ 2.00 Leopardstown This Grade-1 3-mile hurdle usually finds five-year-olds of the calibre of Apple’s Jade and Flooring Porter, with no winner above the age of seven in the decade.
So it’s a shock to find the same old same old of ages nine and 10 mingled with staying chasers like Hewick and Noble Yeats.
The race ‘belongs’ to Gordon Elliott (five winners in nine years) but I can’t see his Beacon Edge beating Bob Olinger, who has Rachael Blackmore back in the saddle to avenge his defeat by Home by The Lee in November.
Rachael still needs her first winner back from her neck injury, after four places in nine starts in the last two weeks.
She reports Bob Olinger ‘in mighty form’, now 5lb better with Home By The Lee.
HOUSE! CHEEKY INCH FORWARD
⭕ 2.20 Newbury (Mandarin Chase) Surrey Quest goes for a repeat 11lb higher, and Inch House (cheekpieces on today) landed a double here at this time last year.
His stablemate Brave Kingdom and Henrys Friend for Ben Pauling (Boxing Day double up) have yet to score over fences outside novice company, and Hoe Joly Smoke also has improvement to make, with Dan Skelton dropped out of form.
GALOPIN ROAD TO GOLD AGAIN
⭕ 2.35 Leopardstown (Savills Chase) Dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Galopin Des Champs was relegated to third behind Brown Advisory winner Fact To File in the John Durkan, from which the runner-up, Spillane’s Tower, flopped in yesterday’s King George.
But Galopin never liked Punchestown and the John Durkan sets him up nicely for six wins in a row here at Leopardstown.
The 2022 Savills star Conflated has failed in an unlucky-13 events since, pulled up twice behind Galopin, including in this a year ago.
English and Irish Grand National winner, I Am Maximus has been beaten in four tries at Leopardstown, including eight lengths down in the Beginners at this meeting in 2022.
The winner that day, Gentlemansgame, has since beaten Bravemansgame in the 2023 Charlie Hall at Wetherby, but neither one has won at the game since!
THE NEW LION PAYS OFF BILL
⭕ 2.55 Newbury (Challow Hurdle) Six of the seven starters in this Grade-1 novices were winners the last day.
Bill Joyce impressed to win a Grade-2 at Sandown three weeks ago, and The New Lion steps up to this from a race here at Newbury won by previous Challow winners.
Regents Stroll, from the family of Denman who starred in this race, would make it five Challows in a row for Paul Nicholls, the sequence started by Bravemansgame (2020).
DAQMAN’S BETS on Betdaq Betting Exchange
1.45 Newbury (win 20)
BET 6pts win GO TO WAR
2.00 Leopardstown (win 20)
BET 6pts win BOB OLINGER
2.20 Newbury (win 20)
BET 3pts win INCH HOUSE
2.30 Leopardstown (supernap)
BET 20pts win GALOPIN DES CHAMPS
2.55 Newbury (win 14, win 12)
BET 4pts win BILL JOYCE
BET 4pts win THE NEW LION
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