IT WAS NO ORDINARY CHELTENHAM Daqman landed 11 winning bets at a sensational four-day Cheltenham festival, with six winners and five lays up. ‘No regrets’, says our man, but I would have liked the meeting to end five or six seconds early when No Ordinary Joe (2nd 14-1) was leading on the rails in the very last race.’
Friday at Cheltenham
WON 15-8 IMPERVIOUS
WON 11-8 LOSSIEMOUTH
WON (ran out 9-4 favourite) CORBETTS CROSS Lay
Thursday at Cheltenham
WON (4th 6-4 favourite) LUCCIA Lay
WON (2nd 7-2 favourite) STUMPTOWN Lay
Wednesday at Cheltenham
WON 9-1 LANGER DAN
WON 11-10 DELTA WORK
Tuesday at Cheltenham
WON 6-1 CORACH RAMBLER (Fortune Cookie)
WON 11-10 EL FABIOLO (Fortune Cookie nap)
WON (2nd 9-4) FACILE VEGA Lay
WON (unplaced) TEKAO Lay
Daqman 21, Pricewise 12 (Daqman 320pts ahead to level stakes)
NOW FOR THE MIDLANDS NATIONAL Straight back into battle, Daqman analyses the field for the Midlands Grand National at Uttoxeter and finds 9.7 and 15.0 BETDAQ bets.
THE BRAVE GALOP TO GOLD
NECK AND NECK jumping the last but it’s a brave man’s game and that accolade must go to Paul Townend for an imperturbable ride from behind on Galopin Des Champs to win the Gold Cup on the run-in yesterday.
And pity there had to be a loser, as the first two went right away, Bravemansgame unflinching but succumbing in the battle between the two greatest trainers in England and Ireland, Paul Nicholls and Willie Mullins, and their greatest jockeys, with Harry Cobden’s ride also faultless.
I billed it as a fabulous Gold Cup. It was, though I took sides with the wrong one. ‘I thought Paul was leaving it too late,’ said Willie.
But my Fortune Cookies finished 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and I shall stick with the fourth horse, Noble Yeats, whose run announced he is ‘on’ for a Grand National double at Aintree in April.
GB won the final day 4-3! And highest honours were even on the week with Ireland taking the gold star but Nicky Henderson and Constitution Hill just as imperious for the hurdles title, though the trophy overall was to Ireland.
OVERALL SCORE: Ireland 18, GB 10
TRAINERS: Willie Mullins (6), Henry De Bromhead (3), Gordon Elliott (3), Paul Nicholls (2), Dan Skelton (2), Barry Connell, Sam Curling, Bradley Gibbs, Nicky Henderson, John Kiely, John McConnell, Tony Martin, Colm Murphy, Patrick Neville, Lucinda Russell, Jamie Snowden, Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero.
JOCKEYS: Paul Townend (5), Rachael Blackmore (2), Harry Cobden (2), Michael O’Sullivan (2), Bridget Andrews, Nico De Boinville, Keith Donoghue, Derek Fox, Bradley Gibbs, John Gleeson, Ben Harvey, Brian Hayes, Aidan Kelly, Mr P A King, Liam McKenna, Patrick Mullins, Darragh O’Keefe, Gavin Sheehan, Harry Skelton, Sam Twiston Davies, Mark Walsh.
ANOTHER GALLOPING HERO
⭕ 3.00 Uttoxeter (Midlands Grand National) STATS: Seven out of nine for horses aged 8 and 9 but, when it’s soft, they tend to be slowed while the old boys get going.
Both 11-year-old winners in the nine seasons were claimed off to ensure they carried light weights. That’s a pointer to..
The Two Amigos Backed during the week on the strength of his Welsh Grand National win on the soft in December, but it’s more than four years since he was able to score back to back.
Secret Reprieve beat The Two Amigos in the 2021 Welsh National, getting 8lb. It’s level weights today, with Secret Reprieve gradually dropping down the ratings.
Time To Get Up is another of double-figure age. He won this in 2021 and was third last year, after running second (promoted from third) in the Haydock Grand National trial. Out of form since, but dangerously dropped a stone. Jonjo O‘Neill prefers to ride Guetapan Collonges.
The Galloping Bear ‘won’ that Haydock trial but was later disqualified (‘banned substance’). Time To Get Up, beaten a long way then, is now 19lb better off. Runner-up in the Eider Chase only three weeks ago.
Guetapan Collonges Most winners are eight or nine, so – at seven – this one has it all to do but was staying-on fourth (on heavy) in the Warwick Classic (kept wide); see Iwilldoit.
Iwilldoit, aged 10, the Warwick Classic’s easy winner that day in January, carrying only 4lb less than his weight today but with the third, Notachance, better off with him.
Iwilldoit was landing a hat-trick, for which the middle leg more than a year earlier was victory in the 2021 Welsh Grand National.
Truckers Lodge third in that Welsh National, has dropped 15lb since but was 28 lengths behind The Two Amigos in this year’s Chepstow race. Bryony Frost rides for the first time today.
Secret Reprieve had won the Welsh National the previous year (getting 8lb from the Two Amigos) and was favourite to win that 2021 version but was a long way back, fifth.
Notachance quirky winner of the 2021 Warwick Classic and 6lb better for just less than four lengths with Iwilldoit on Warwick Classic form; also 4lb better with Guetapan Collonges, who was more than nine lengths further back. But will the real Notachance stand up?
Major Dundee is down 3lb on his third in the Scottish Grand National last April. Whether or not he has that target again, he’s well in today, though a pound out of the handicap. He was the money horse along with Secret Reprieve this morning.
VERDICT Twists and foibles of form which reveal that these stayers take turns to win the major prizes. All except Iwilldoit, who wins one, has a break, wins another; though hard to conceive he can stop The Galloping Bear at a difference of 10lb, or Secret Reprieve and Major Dundee way down the handicap.
Betdaq Betting Exchange 9.7 The Galloping Bear, 15 Major Dundee.
DON’T HARBOUR A GRUDGE
⭕ 2.05 Kempton Harbour Lake can be forgiven his running in an attritional Lanzarote here in January. The better ground here helps.
We fancy Alan King’s chances at Uttoxeter with Major Dundee, and landing the double via four-times-winner Harbour Lake would make up for the stable disappointment with Edwardstone at the festival.
Too Friendly had no luck in running behind Irish Hill at Ascot. The longer trip will suit and Bridget Andrews could celebrate her fabulous finish on Faivoir to win the County Hurdle at 33-1.
There was support this morning for Outlaw Pete, Yorksea and Press Your Luck, who returned to form with an easy success at Wincanton.
BETDAQ value 7.4 Harbour Lake, 11 Too Friendly
BETDAQ VALUE COLLECTOR..
⭕ 2.25 Uttoxeter Wilde About Oscar could find his form again, while Lord Snootie and Trelawne are winners who go well fresh, Snootie having had his last-day win well boosted by the second.
Jonjo O’Neill seems on the edge of a form run after good efforts at Cheltenham from An Tailliur, Monbeg Genius (third in the Ultima) and Petit Tonnerre.
His runner, Collectors Item, must surely go close, switched to handicaps after a short-head defeat in a novices’ Grade 2 at Haydock, with a previous eight-lengths winner in third.
BETDAQ value 4.9 Collectors Item, 5.8 Lord Snootie
CRICKET MATCH FOR THESE
⭕ 3.35 Uttoxeter Harry Fry farms this race, a 3m novices’ chase. He’s won it four years in the last nine, and has How’s The Cricket in off a featherweight today.
Though the yard isn’t in winning form, its seven-year-old Love Envoi made Cheltenham memorable when finishing within a length and a half of Honeysuckle in the Mares Hurdle.
Jamie Snowden won the Mares’ Novices this week with front-runner You Wear It Well, and Super Survivor (holds Gustavian) seems sure to be on the premises, despite giving 23lb to How’s The Cricket.
Fern Hill beat Super Survivor on today’s course over shorter and, along with Iron Bridge, tries to carry the maximum 12st. Mackelduff has already defied a big weight at Wetherby.
BETDAQ value 4.8 Super Survivor, 11.0 How’s The Cricket
DAQMAN’S BETS
2.05 Kempton (win 20)
BET 3pts win HARBOUR LAKE
BET 2pts win TOO FRIENDLY
2.25 Uttoxeter (win 30, nap; win 10)
BET 7.5pts win COLLECTOR’S ITEM
BET 2pts win LORD SNOOTIE
3.00 Uttoxeter (win 50)
BULL’S-EYE BET 5.75pts win THE GALLOPING BEAR
BULL’S-EYE BET 3.25pts win MAJOR DUNDEE
3.35 Uttoxeter (win 50, win 12)
BULL’S-EYE BET 5pts win HOW’S THE CRICKET
BET 3pts win SUPER SURVIVOR
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