ANOTHER DAQMAN NAP AS HE LINES UP DONCASTER VALUE BETS: Ibleo (WON 6-5) landed Daqman’s nap at Doncaster yesterday. Now he tackles the big-race scene there today, with the score in his value challenge: Daqman 20, Pricewise 12. Headlines:
🔹 SHISH CAN BE KEBABED BY OUTSIDER
🔹 COB TO BEAR FRUIT AT BETDAQ 26.0
🔹 McMANUS HAS GREAT YORKSHIRE PICK
🔹 LEGACY (NAP) LOOKS A GIFT FOR KING
NOW FAIRYHOUSE IS ABANDONED: Only Doncaster survives of the Saturday jumps cards, with Fairyhouse and Cheltenham both abandoned. There is AW racing at Lingfield and Kempton.
SHISH CAN BE KEBABED BY OUTSIDER
⚠️ Though the Cheltenham Trials have fallen to the weather, we have one or two star names at Doncaster: Shishkin, Floressa, Canelo and Mister Malarkey have all been mentioned in Fortune Cookies early-birds at one time or another, and all have Cheltenham dates.
⭕ 1.30 Doncaster Odds-on for the Arkle, Shishkin (162) stands out in the ratings here, 13lb clear of anything else in this grade-2 novice chase.
But it’s no slouch of a contest, with the first four down the card each having won two of their last three starts.
The odd one out, Fast Buck, comes well into the reckoning, after his head defeat in a class-3 novice over today’s CD (heavy), giving 19lb to the winner, Est Illic.
Eldorado Allen also won a grade-2 novice. He finished 21 lengths clear, after Gumball looked all over the winner but paid the price for lack of concentration when he fell two out.
There was no Eldorado at the business end of the Henry V111 Novices Chase at Sandown in December, when unable to get into the firing line on the soft behind Allmankind.
Connections of Cheddleton, dual winner in the autumn, have declared that they don’t want to ‘use him up’ this season, and he has no fancy entries.
Shishkin, winner of the Supreme Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham in March, took his two Kempton novice chases, including the Wayward Lad, to make it seven winners.
I shall cheer him on if he can maintain the form in these conditions but few do these days and I shall have loose change on Eldirado Allen (17.0) and Fast Buck (18.0).
COB TO BEAR FRUIT AT BETDAQ 26.0
⭕ 2.40 Doncaster Ben Pauling likes to line one up for this and book a strong jockey for the job. He did it with an odds-on shot (Barters Hill, David Bass 2016, won 4-7) and he did it with an outsider Nadaitak (2019 Nico De Boinville, won 12-1).
Though both Bass and De Boinville are engaged by their regular trainers today, Ben still manages to locate a top man in Daryl Jacob for The Cob. He was 26.0 on the BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE this morning.
Bass, who won on The Cob over shorter (Haydock heavy in December), rides Bobhopeornohope for Kim Bailey on a hat-trick mission after 2-2, the last win here at Doncaster (Will they call the next one, Bingwithorwithoutbling?)
It’s Nico for Nicky, of course, a first-time ride on Emir Sacree, a maiden over fences in France but winner over hurdles on his English debut for Henderson at Ascot in December under a 10lb claimer and in a first-time hood, so clearly ‘got up’ for the one race.
The horse he beat, Castle Robin, was going for a hat-trick that day, and has since finished sixth in the Lanzarote, with Shang Tang pulled up, ran too ‘free’ in the heavy ground.
There are two Shang Tangs (or is it three, as the 1FP form figures suggest). He is bred to do better, stepped up in trip, but will have to settle, as he did when scoring at Ascot in November.
Pats Fancy (second), Ask A Honey Bee (third) and Ashtown lad (well behind, fifth) were beaten easily at this level (3m) at Cheltenham, when Took The Lot was tailed off last.
In fact, Ashtown Lad and Exploiteur are the only distance winners in the race, Exploiteur’s at Chepstow (heavy) but he’s since been beaten on the same course when bidding for a hat-trick.
As well as by Bobforhopeornohope, there’s a hat-trick attempt today for dual Wetherby winner Fern Hill but it’s a big ask, up from class-4 novices.
Verdict: The ground is a worry for Bobhopeornohope (2-2 on good), while Fern Hill and Shang Tang (despite getting the Pricewise vote) were both drifters this morning.
Pats Fancy did best at Cheltenham but beaten-favourite Ashtown Lad didn’t pick up on the hill and this should suit him better. I took 9.2 on BETDAQ.
McMANUS HAS GREAT YORKSHIRE PICK
⭕ 3.15 Doncaster At first glance, the favourite for this quality 3m chase looks opposable in the mud: Cap Du Nord has won only on good ground, good to soft at worst, and he’s up 19lb for his last two races, of which he won only one.
Strictly on the book, he should not beat Canelo again, 7lb worse off for a four-lengths win at Newbury and now up in distance.
But he made that rise in trip at Kempton the last day on soft and improved dramatically (check out the line through Mellow Ben, who ran in both races).
The winner, Royale Pagaille, went on to win 16 lengths at Haydock to complete a hat-trick so impressive that the handicapper has raised him 31lb overall and prompting jockey Tom Scudamore to say of the Haydock strike: ‘It was a helluva thrill!’
Tom rides One For The Team today, placed on good ground behind quality novices, McFabulous and Next Destination. Conditions might not suit and he’s only 1-10 (hurdles and fences).
Musical Slave’s best performance came on his sole attempt at 3m. It was heavy at Uttoxeter in March when he gave 4lb and was beaten little more than a length by subsequent Tommy Whittle winner, Sam’s Adventure.
Third behind Cyrname in the Charlie Hall, Aye Right then ran up to Cloth Cap, staying on in the Ladbrokes Trophy (3m 2f) on drying ground. Said to be targeting the Scottish National, but beats Mister Malarky today on lines through The Conditional.
Back to Canelo. J P McManus reckons him an Aintree horse; he’s one of the favourites the Haydock Grand National Trial in late February. He would get in the National with about 10st 8lb if the weights closed today.
Verdict: You can’t ignore the form boost for Cap Du Nord, who gets in 3lb well in here but trainer Christian Williams (0-13) has hit a brick wall recently; without a winner from 19 runners in 33 days, and, of his two recent favourites, one was beaten 35 lengths, the other took a heavy fall
Philip Hobbs fortunes have turned, as ever on the back of relentless pursuit of the best placing for each horse.
His J P McManus gelding Musical Slave (BETDAQ 6.4) is a grandson of Kayf Tara and ran a cracker first time at this trip.
McManus also owns Canelo (BETDAQ 9.6), who is beginning to look really solid, and takes an old-fashioned Great Yorkshire route to the Grand National here, as did Freebooter (1950), ESB (1957), Nicolaus Silver (1962) and Rough House (1975). He could revive the race as an Aintree trial.
LEGACY (NAP) LOOKS A GIFT FOR KING
THE NAP: Another trainer out of form but saddling a favourite is Charlie Fellows, whose last two market leaders have finished eleventh and third of four.
Charlie hasn’t had a winner for 31 days (20 losers) and his Flat score in the new year is 0-16.
Pirate King, a CD winner (2.55 Lingfield), could turn the corner for him, but you wouldn’t want to be on at at 2.38 this morning.
Hyrdroplane hasn’t won since 2019 and that was at a much lower level, and CD-winner Renardeau could be the main threat to Midnights Legacy.
Renardeau’s last win was back in March last year and he’s disappointed since. The one he beat that day was a lesser beast from the Alan King stable.
Kingy now has Midnights Legacy against him here as a four-year-old, the age to improve where the others are usually flattening out. Raced wide here from stall 7 but now reunited with his winning jockey, after wind ops. Around 4.0 in BETDAQ trading.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.30 Doncaster (win 20)
BET 1.1pts win ELDORADO ALLEN
BET 1.1pts win FAST BUCK
2.40 Doncaster (win-50 bull’s-eye bets, place 10)
BET 6pts win ASHTOWN LAD
BET 2pts win and place THE COB
2.55 Lingfield (win 20 nap)
BET 6.5pts win MIDNIGHTS LEGACY
3.15 Doncaster (win 50 bull’s-eye bets)
BET 9.25pts win MUSICAL SLAVE
BNET 5.75pts win CANELO
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