DAQMAN ROCKS WITH 9-1 BIG HANDICAP HIT: Saturday-king Daqman bagged big money – 65 points profit – on the first two big chases of the Jumps season, back to back on the Cheltenham card yesterday:
WON 9-1 ROCK THE KASBAH (bull’s-eye bet)
WON (2nd 16-1) FRODON (win-30 place bet)
YOU CAN DEFI-NITELY PLAY UP THE WINNINGS: Daqman returns to Cheltenham today for the third day at the meeting, with the Southern National covered at Fontwell. Headlines:
NEW DAWN RISES FOR CROMWELL
DEFI TO MAKE A WINNING DEBUT
PREZIEN IN BIG-VALUE ORANGE
COLOURS CAN BE BLUE OR NEGRA
LET’S MOVE IN WITH BIG FEET
NEW DAWN RISES FOR CROMWELL
1.15 Cheltenham ‘You can’t come without the horse’ is an old racing adage; but how many conditional jockeys can do it with FOUR different horses in FIVE years in the same race. And Cheltenham at that!
Kieron Edgar has won this opener with a 6lb claim then a 3lb claim (three times), scoring two each for Harry Fry and David Pipe.
Now a third stable, that of future-star trainer Gavin Cromwell, has booked Kieron for Irish raider Aasleagh Dawn.
And he’ll no doubt be wishing he still had an allowance, with Dawn rising 12lb for her Navan success last Sunday.
Connor Brace can claim 10lb, despite being the winning rider when Ballyhome won easily at Wetherby first time out for Fergal O’Brien.
And another Irish raider, the Oscar grey Offshore Oscar, has Conor McNamara also getting the full 10lb.
Nicky Henderson (three times a winner of this) will be delighted with the ground for Follow The Bear (22304 on soft or heavy; 11230 when completing on good).
Well behind a Jonjo O’Neill runner at Aintree three weeks back, but the drop back in trip will help, and Jonjo’s runner this time, Palmers Hill, may need rain.
Paul Nicholls insists that, despite moderate form figures, the best of The Dellercheckout has yet to come. Bit short at 6.0.
So I took 14.0 each of two Aasleigh Dawn and Offshore Oscar for a first Irish ‘steal’ at Cheltenham. Many more to come in march.
DEFI TO MAKE A WINNING DEBUT
1.50 Cheltenham (Arkle Trophy Trial) Paul Nicholls 6, Philip Hobbs 2 in the decade. They are to to toe here with Dynamite Dollars for Nicholls, a relative of Big Buck’s. Impressive debut chase.
Defi Du Seuil, twice a winner at Cheltenham, was a top-class young hurdler in 2016 – ‘a fabulous horse’ said Hobbs then – but you have to allow for a tailing off in his form and absence of 288 days though, at the same time, there’s a tick in the box for class and for a yard in great heart.
Claimantakinforgan (likes good ground) looked very professional when winning first time over fences at Uttoxeter for Nicky Henderson.
Lalor (will need the race) and Pingshou (a bit old at eight) are previous winners of the Top Novices Hurdle at Aintree.
I played up my Rock The Kasbah winnings on the same stable’s Defi Du Seuil at 5.5 for a winning chase debut.
PREZIEN IN BIG-VALUE ORANGE
2.25 Cheltenham (Cheltenham Chase) Le Prezien won the previous race, the Arkle trial over the CD, two years ago.
His Grand Annual win, and the novice hat-trick by Sceau Royal put their ratings as high or higher than the long-experienced Simply Ned and Sizing Granite.
With a run over hurdles to sharpen him up, Le Prezien’s 4.0 on BETDAQ appeals more than the 2.32 Sceau Royal this morning in a fabulous 102% overround for the orange.
2.40 Fontwell (Southern National) Morney Wing looks cooked to perfection, 10lb lower than last year and in top form already this campaign.
Gets weight all round, and another one today giving you a place saver at BETDAQ 6.0 and evens. Three chances of getting the insurance money in an eight-horse race.
COLOURS CAN BE BLUE OR NEGRA
3.00 Cheltenham (Greatwood Hurdle) This column’s ‘horses to follow’ have started well, even though Frodon could not quite haul his penalty close enough to the winner in one of the big handicap chases yesterday.
It’s a similar situation in the Greatwood today, with Verdana Blue set to give weight all round. She has already won a Grade 2, the Elite Hurdle at Wincanton on the last day. At 6.0 the win and evens a place saver, she’s worth a ‘have a go’ bet to see if she’s good enough for the Fortune Cookies list.
Big at 9.4 is Nube Negra, third in the Fred Winter, has had a recent wind op and his leading stable has just now bounced back to form (4-7 still standing). The same stable’s Mohaayed won the County Hurdle but seems too close to Verdana Blue in the handicap.
Old Guard will race with a 17lb pull on Verdana Blue for seven lengths in a Listed at Kempton in October but has been beaten over further since.
Midnight Shadow won the Scottish Champion Hurdle (Charli Parcs fourth). However, Sue Smith’s current strike rate is only 1-14 and Midnight was a shadow of the Ayr form when beaten in a class-3 handicap on his reappearance.
LET’S MOVE IN WITH BIG FEET
3.30 Cheltenham (Supreme Novices Trial) Cue Card and Altior won this on their climb up the ladder, and only last year’s winner came to the race off the minimum 11st.
That was Colin Tizzard’s second success but he sends out Elixir De Nutz today as a hurdles maiden who ran well here three weeks ago but could do with some rain.
If Not That Fuisse goes well in the Greatwood it will be a big boost to Seddon who beat that one easily on the last day. But I’ll go with the stats and the big 5.3 BETDAQ offers about hat-trick scorer Itchy Feet.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.15 Cheltenham (win 30)
BET 2.25pts win and place AASLEAGH DAWN
BET 1.25pts win and place OFFSHORE OSCAR
1.50 Cheltenham (win 20)
BET 4.5pts win (nap) DEFI DU SEUIL
2.25 Cheltenham (win 20)
BET 6.5pts win LE PREZIEN
2.40 Fontwell (win 20)
BET 4pts win and place MORNEY WING
3.00 Cheltenham (win 30)
BET 6pts win and place VERDANA BLUE
BET 3.5pts win NUBE NEGRA
3.30 Cheltenham (win 20)
BET 4.75pts win ITCHY FEET
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