WINNING NAP NUMBER 18 AT 2-1: Daqman went 267 points up on his naps to 20-point stakes since the start of the jumps season proper with winner number 18, Southfield Royale (WON 2-1), at Doncaster yesterday. It was also his 18th consecutive nap in the frame, so that his current sequences are:
Bankers 2111F1121311
Naps 212321122131113211
CHAMPION 7-1 HITS PRICEWISE: But Daqman’s big news of the day was the success in the International Hurdle at Cheltenham of his Champion Hurdle ante-post bet, Old Guard (WON 7-1). He outran the Pricewise tip, Sempre Medici, on the run-in to take our man even further ahead of his Racing Post rival. Latest score:
Value challenge: Daqman 12, Pricewise 4 (overall 258-99)
WHAT CHANNEL-4 MUST GUARD AGAINST
Show me the colour of your money, Mick! After Old Guard gamely won the International Hurdle yesterday, doubling up at Cheltenham on his Greatwood victory, Mick Fitzgerald poo-pooed the horse’s chances in the Champion Hurdle to Channel-4 viewers.
Put your money where your mouth is, Mick: lay me 20-1 to £50 for charity – I suggest the Injured Jockeys’ Fund – which will get my £50 if the horse loses; your £1,000 if he wins.
No intention to act as bookmakers. Just a bet among colleagues in the Press. And jockeys – of whom you were one of the best – will be the richer, one way or another.
Mick The Fitz compares Old Guard with Rigmarole, who won the same two races for Paul Nicholls, before a final prep at Wincanton in the Kingwell in February, which is also the destination of Old Guard.
Rigmarole was then only eighth in Hardy Eustace’s Champion Hurdle, but I suggest that Old Guard is a different animal and was winning yesterday under very different circumstances.
Nicholls started the day on 13 consecutive losers, a continuation of his poor form for weeks now, and he continued to take a drubbing all day yesterday. Until Old Guard.
A sequence of seven more losers at Cheltenham and Doncaster (form figures 223000F) stretched the Ditcheat flops to another 20 consecutive and prompted Old Guard’s odds to ease alarmingly on the rails and on the exchange.
Yet Old Guard won with a message for Cheltenham in March, which showed the difference. The message was: ‘I want good ground but I also want to win; I have speed but I also have stamina. What’s more, I’m still improving.’
Incidentally, I have written in two previous columns this year my reasoning why Channel-4 is losing viewers, and the Racing Post devoted a double-page spread to its ‘investigation’ into their near-demise only recently.
Forget the consumer probes and viewer feedbacks. I came up with the short answer on Saturday. It’s dead simple.. They don’t have the viewers because they are not showing the racing!
Their ‘service’ didn’t start until half a dozen races – split between their coverage meets at Cheltenham and Doncaster – had already been run. It was nearly 2 o’clock when we saw a live race. The racing had started at 11.50.
By that time, a legion of punters, potential terrestrial viewers, were entrenched in the coverage of RUK or ATR. Or both. Why switch to Channel-4? What would they be missing?
In fact, the day began at Southwell at 11.25. Why is this relevant? Because two of the early races in the Scoop6 – key feature the Ladbrokes Handicap (1.05) – were at the Rolleston Junction venue. Coverage by? ATR.
It’s not the faster (or slower?) pace we want. No googlies. Just plain fact: if you’re gonna start the afternoon on the back foot, you leave yourself open to the spinners for the rest of the day. Ch-4 given out: hit wicket.
Daqman ante-post: Ton-Up Bet (to win 100): 2.8pts win Old Guard at 36.0. Today’s BETDAQ offers: 17.0.
BELLSHILL SHOULD SHOW HIS CLASS
12.30 Navan Ttebbob’s Thurles success came when the 1-2-3 were making their chase debuts, so the form has to be tested, though he certainly looked good.
His better hurdles form and receipt of 6lb from the Gordon Elliott runners will help, but Lord Scoundrel is winner of three in a row, including at this level, until a vain attempt to outjump Sizing John at Punchestown.
Lord Scoundrel really needs further but, if he sets a target again, he might upset the jumping rhythm of the inexperienced Ttebbob.
1.00 Navan Punchestown bumper champion Bellshill translated his classy ability to the obstacles in fine fashion at Cork.
Interesting to see Jacques Ricou over here for Bellshill’s Willie Mullins stablemate Stone Hard, who also scored over hurdles recently, but a bigger threat may be Tycoon Prince, mysteriously put to sleep at Navan after impressing at Punchestown.
Not forgetting Chesterfieldavenue, a half-brother to Bobs Worth, and described as ‘a big horse with gears.’
ALL YOU NEED IS A CLAIMER IN THE MUD
1.30 Navan (Tara Hurdle) The stats urge you to be on a young horse (six of the last seven winners were five-year-olds).
The really strong front-runner All You Need will take some catching, though stepped up in trip here.
Aminabad is a slick jumper and won 12 lengths giving away half a stone last time he was stepped up to today’s trip. As with Bentelimar (has won four over hurdles), Aminabad is claimed off to bring him into the picture.
Noel Meade has had a poor season so far by his standards, saddling just one winner recently, in a bumper. But this is his home track and his contenders both did well recently.
Russian Bill was just touched off over further in a Grade C three weeks back, and stablemate Harvey Logan went down narrowly giving two stone to the winner at Fairyhouse a fortnight ago.
Bentelimar (9.8 on BETDAQ this morning) finished in front of both Harvey Logan and Aminabad in the Spring, had a promising run back and has hot 7lb-claimer Donagh Meyler to do the steering. Donagh beat a big field for the same stable at Tramore recently.
All You Need loves the mud and can make it a one-two for the claimers: 5.5 this morning, and likely to have a lot of these stone cold early.
SIGNIFICANT MOVE FOR FINE RIGHTLY
2.35 Navan (Foxrock Chase) Another claimer with a big chance is Jack Kennedy on Fever Pitch, who could benefit from a bit of old-fashioned handicap engineering by a master mechanic, the veteran Arthur Moore.
Buckers Bridge (back on the Aintree Grand National trail) and Dressedtothenines are returning from very long lay-offs.
Along with My Murphy, Ucello Conti, Leavethelighton and Irish Thistle, they haven’t been seen for 2,322 days in total.
Surely, such as Fever Pitch, the very able novice Fine Rightly and Smokey Joe Joe will beat them for fitness. I took 7.4 Fever Pitch and 4.3 Fine Rightly, who was significantly backed in to front of the market.
WESTERN SHOOT-OUT WITH BRONCO
12.05 Carlisle Mango Cap, a winner in France last month, has travelled up from Somerset to Carlisle at great expense, not least the £160.000 paid for him by the owners.
Gelded since arriving from France, and with tongue-tie applied, giving a stone and more to the field, I have to lay him. I broke my sequence of 18 in a row yesterday and I like to dare one before resuming normal service.
1.05 Carlisle With Bronco Billy another one returning from a long absence – more than a year – Western Rules is napped as a Westerner (they love the mud) after a convincing start over hurdles
2.10 Carlisle Bronco Billy’s partner Richard Johnson is up to the flood plains to ride Pineau De Re, hoping to find that old Grand National spark.
What a race of old-timers: two of 12 going on 13, and two aged 11. I’ll try another for Nichy Richards, Isaacstown Lad.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 20 points, except banker, lay and multiples)
LAY 5pts MANGO CAP (12.05 Carlisle)
BANKER: BET 20pts win (nap) WESTERN RULES (1.05 Carlisle)
BET 11pts win ISAACSTOWN LAD (2.10 Carlisle)
BET 4.4pts win ALL YOU NEED, and 2.2pts win and place BENTELIMAR (1.30 Navan)
BET 6pts win FINE RIGHTLY and 3pts win FEVER PITCH (2.35 Navan)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 3 x 2pt win doubles and 1pt win treble Lord Scoundrel (12.30 Navan), Bellshill (1.00 Navan) and Western Rules (1.05 Carlisle)
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