IT’S ONE-ALL ON TROPHY DAY: Daqman and Pricewise are 1-1 in their value challenge after a hesitant start to the Jumps, in which value has been hard to find, with winners coming out of the blue on the unseasonal ground.
DAQMAN HUNTING FOR VALUE: The Rehearsal Chase and Fighting Fifth Hurdle at Newcastle; the Ladbrokes Trophy at Newbury, plus some tricky handicaps on a strong Saturday which Daqman explores as the going changes.
HIGH WINDS CLAIM BANGOR: Bangor today has been cancelled because of wind damage, and both Newcastle and Newbury have easier ground after overnight rain. Carlisle and Leicester have announced inspections for tomorrow’s cards.
FORTUNE HOPES BOOSTED
⭕ 1.50 Newbury Surprise to see scopey Lecale’s Article here in this handicap hurdle; he was said to be going chasing. Maybe his weight, past success when fresh and his good-ground form in Points decided Nicky Henderson to try to pinch the £21,000 first prize.
You could almost say the same thing about Masters Legacy but he’s already a winner in the autumn.
Umndeni let the Calva d’Auge form down yesterday but Welsh Champion Hurdle winner Glory And Fortune was boosted by the Haydock Stayers Hurdle victory of Dans Le Vent and his stable won the big novice chase with Not Available yesterday.
BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE 7.9 Glory And Fortune
RIGHT! IT’S NO REHEARSAL
⭕ 2.05 Newcastle (Rehearsal Chase) Sue Smith, who has already had a huge win this month with Midnight Shadow, won this with Wakanda (2015) and will have prepared her top-of-the-ground horse Informateur for today but will the going have eased too much?
Scottish Grand National fourth The Ferry Master is also among the bottomweights and, just above them, Glen Forsa, hat-trick winner in 2019, has slipped a stone down the handicap.
These light weights are all held up by Nut Well’s 11st 12lb off the top; strangely trying a new trip for the first time at age 10.
Most likely winner on form is last year’s Ladbrokes Trophy runner-up, Aye Right, switched to this race with his trainer having just hit form at Hexham the other day with her only recent runner.
BETDAQ value 7.9 Aye Right
IRISH LAUGH IN THE RAIN
⭕ 3.00 Newbury (Ladbrokes Trophy) Stats and Preview in Tuesday Archive.
1 Eklat de Rire The Henry De Bromhead and Rachael Blackmore bandwagon, which again rolled over the English defenders only last Saturday to win the Lancashire Chase with A Plus Tard, has a strong contender here. I told you Tuesday it looked like ‘see you later’ for ‘a good laugh!’
In Henry’s words, ‘Eklat stays well and jumps well.’ Has won three chases on heavy ground, and the only worry is his unseated rider behind Monkfish at Cheltenham (Fiddlerontheroof second), though the race hadn’t reached the business end.
2 Ontheropes Not punished in stablemate Monkfish’s slipstream at Fairyhouse a year ago and came back last month for Willie Mullins to land the Munster National.
3 Enrilo Reckoned a Grand National horse, had prepped here with a win at Newbury before the Sandown Gold Cup disqualification for hanging left-handed on the run-in. Surprisingly, no prep race for this, which just puts me off in favour of my first pair.
4 Potterman This was my selection at 22.0 but Alan King is worried about the change of going.
Second, awarded the Sandown Gold Cup on the disqualification of Enrilo, is 3lb better off to try to turn around threequarters of a length with Enrilo and 12lb better with the third, Kittys Light.
He unseated rider in this race last year and rain which would boost Eklat De Rire could ruin Potterman’s chance, so a drifter this morning to 25.0.
5 Cloth Cap Another who prefers a decent surface. Tom Scu is the only jockey still riding to have won this race more than once, but his success on this one a year ago was achieved off a 136 rating and the nine-year-old is now up to 154.
Only Arkle, Denman and Mandarin were able to win the race back to back but Scu remains loyal despite being in line for the ride on Remastered.
6 The Hollow Ginge Fourth last year and looking for a win that would put his weight up to Grand National level.
7 Remastered went clear of Demachine in the Reynoldstown at Ascot in February but wants really testing ground.
BETDAQ value 5.1 Eklat de Rire 8.9 Ontheropes, 25 Potterman
A CHAMPION COMEBACK
⭕ 3.15 Newcastle (Fighting Fifth) Nicky Henderson played with punters again yesterday and, when I say that Epatante should need the run after back surgery, she is getting the allowances and the stable has won this before with a former champion hurdler.
Paul Nicholls tries two four-year-olds in 20 minutes! Il Ridoto in Newbury’s next race, and the unbeaten Monmiral in this.
Sceau Royal beat Silver Streak at Kempton, then won the Elite for the second year running.
Silver Streak beat Epatante in the Christmas hurdle and the stable won the stayers hurdle last weekend with Dans Le Vent but the ground may have turned against him.
NUMITOR CAN MAKE ALL
⭕ 3.35 Newbury Nine out of 10 winners of this 2m chase have come from the first three in the final market but there were five horses in single figures in the BETDAQ orange this morning.
Il Ridoto was in pole position for Paul Nicholls, who won this with a four-year-old in 2012, but the ex-French is very likely to need the soft-heavy he won on over there for Guillaume Macaire.
Eclair d’Ainey for the Skeltons is French-bred and did best on the soft last winter. Much depends on which of several front-runners dictates, and which can travel with them and kill them off at the last.
Grey Diamond landed a Sandown novice chase on good ground in the Spring, reversing form with an old rival, Dostal Phil, who was fourth in the Autumn Gold Cup at Cheltenham last weekend.
The strong traveller Frere Banbou also won at Sandown but lacked fluency on the last day when reappearing at Ascot
Numitor is the one the handicapper rates. He has marked him up steadily for three wins out of four, including on tough tracks, Wetherby and Wincanton.
His forte is jumping and I was impressed by his attitude at Wetherby, particularly the way he found reserves to jump boldly at the last.
BETDAQ value 7.5 Numitor
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.50 Newbury (win 25)
BET 3.5pts win GLORY AND FORTUNE
2.05 Newcastle (win 25, nap)
BET 3.5pts win AYE RIGHT
3.00 Newbury (win 25)
BET 6pts win EKLAT DE RIRE
BET 3pts win ONTHEROPES
BET 1pt win POTTERMAN
3.35 Newbury (win 12)
BET 3pts win NUMITOR
What are points? Points facilitate a staking plan, which is the secret to creating profit. One point is whatever you choose: a pound, a euro, or whatever ….
Start with a bank and decide how much you can afford to lose over a period of time, and determine the size of your bets accordingly. Daqman makes this variation every day.
