IT’S THE WILLIE MULLINS SHOW: Roll up, roll up for the big Fairyhouse trials meeting today. Why ‘roll up’ (when you’re all going to stay home with the comfort of Sunday with Betdaq on computer)? Because Willie Mullins has four of the favourites. Roll ‘em up with an acca on Daq Multiples if you dare.
SIX WINNING LAYS IN A ROW: Daqman didn’t know the winners on Saturday but he sure knew the big loser. His only lay was a brave place lay on the much-touted and Racing-Post-headlined Hennessy ‘good thing’, Djakadam (unplaced 5-1 favourite).
HERE’S THE STATE OF PLAY: Daqman goes into the big Irish trials meeting at Fairyhouse this afternoon, doing battle again with Pricewise in the 1.30 and 2.05 races, with these current tallies for his main bets:
Bull’s-Eye Bet: 235 points profit
Naps: 4 out of 8 (50%)
Bankers: 2 out of 4 (50%)
Lays: 6 in a row (100%)
Value: Daqman 2, Pricewise 3 (overall 110-47)
MORE EGG ON THE FACE OF RACING..
Will they fine themselves? Ban themselves for a week or two? Racing’s powers-that-be have currently excelled in cock-ups (across several departments) that a politician would be proud of.
The little yellow flag saga of the voided race; the course measurements that were all wrong for years; the disqualification of a horse that won and should never have run; now a race advertised at the wrong distance. And that’s only what we know on the surface.
Meanwhile, jockey Leighton Aspell, must be punished because he could be seen to encourage the Hennessy winner with a wand of flexible cardboard (called a ‘whip’).
I’d rather call it a barefaced damper on the day by those hiding behind the sanctuary of authority who should, in fact, have very red faces indeed.
‘Pot calling the kettle black’ isn’t quite the right epithet. My old mum might have said it better: ‘How have they got the nerve, these people? Have they nothing better to do?’
When you compile your Christmas racing-quiz questions, start with: which of the following is bad for the image of the sport…..? (fill in as many as you like; there’s plenty to choose from).
BY JUPITOR! IT’S A TASTY 12.0 ON BETDAQ
12.30 Fairyhouse Our Conor won this on the way to his 2012 Triiumph Hurdle, though generally the winners are lower level than that.
Kalkir is hot in the morning BETDAQ market – too hot for me to handle – with Willie Mullins in much better form at home than with his raiding parties to England this season. He’d scored 9 out of 11 still standing up to Saturday.
1.00 Fairyhouse (Royal Bond Novice Hurdle) Super-champ Istabraq (1996) put this young race on the map and it continues to produce stars like Hurricane Fly (2008) and Jezki (2012).
The drying day may help Draco, an Aidan O’Brien with Tony McCoy booked, and winner twice on a sound surface.
If the going remains soggy, it will suit Allez Colombieres, hooded for this switch from heavy-ground bumpers in the French Provincers.
1.30 Fairyhouse (Hatton’s Grace Hurdle) Named after Vincent O’Brien’s triple Champion Hurdler, this has a scoreboard to match the one at Cheltenham: chalked up high are Istabraq, Limestone Lad, Solerina, Brave Inca, Hurricane Fly, Jezki, to name but a few, as they say.
This was to have seen the return of Annie Power, but stablemate Zaidpour carries the Willie Mullins’ flag. He’s won and been second in the Hattons Grace but needs blinkers for the first time today.
Zaidpour is the third in a sequence of Mullins’ hot-pots today after Kalkir and Allez Colombieres. The professional backer might want to back them, stop at a winner.
I must make a selection here in my challenge to Pricewise, so I’ll need to go to banker stakes on Zaidpour, and try some Money-Box Bets in doubles on the Drinmore and the Porterstown chases.
2.05 Fairyhouse (Drinmore Novice Chase) The winners this century have been nearly horses. Sky’s The Limit (2007) raised expectations but they never really got off the ground; Pandorama (2009) was a big disappointment.
Arvika Ligeonniere (2012) became a Punchestown-only champ, good but not great, though just about the best Drinmore winner in recent years.
This is a cracker with winners of 26 races, headed by The Tuillow Tank, who is within a couple of lengths of Vautour on hurdles form and made a comfortable start to chasing on today’s course earlier in the month.
Sadler’s Risk cantered clear in his final race of last season but looked ready for his restart, a well –backed favourite at Cork. However, he was put in his place by Perfect Gentleman.
We don’t really want Perfect Gentleman to win a top novice trial like this. Three years older than The Tullow Tank, he would be the first nine-year-old to win it.
Equally, the Mullins’ improver, Valseur Lido, would be only the second successful five-year-old. But Valseur Lido has already beaten Real Steel, was runner-up to Faugheen and was impressive first run back, stepped up to today’s trip at Punchestown.
3.10 Fairyhouse (Porterstown Chase) I was at Fairyhouse when Mouse Morris won this with Foxchapel King (2002), a massive effort off 12st. A few Fethard friends celebrated that day, I’ll tell you!
It’s an indication of just how good that performance was that nothing else has won with more than 11st 1lb in the 10 years since.
Man of the moment Gordon Elliott, who took last week’s Troytown with Balbriggan (I shall never tire of writing that), has since had three winners from seven still standing.
Mouse’s Rogue Angel, placed on today’s track in a beginners’ chase last term, was fairly well fancied when brought down in the Troytown after a good run back at Galway in October.
Gordon’s runner here, Vasco Du Mee, who was fifth in the Troytown, has Balbriggan’s jockey hero in the saddle today, claimer Kevin Sexton.
This is a big step up in trip for Vasco Du Mee, as it is for most of the field. In fact, the only pair with obvious form at this 3m 5f are Ipsos Du Berlais and Sword Fish, simply because they were second and fifth in the race last year.
Another good claimer, Ger Fox, reduces Ipsos’ weight to below that 11st barrier but Sword Fish does not need the 5lb claim he had last year, since he’s racing off a mark nearly a stone lower.
Consistent high up the handicap is Seefood, with the assistance of Barry Geraghty: had fair form in graded hurdles and in novice events on this course but has been kept to good ground on lesser tracks as a chaser, so could be disguised.
Down near the bottom of the weights, Cork’s Robert Tyner, who won at Newbury yesterday, saddles the hat-trick seeker Embracing Change, but David Casey, who has ridden the nine-year-old to success at Clonmel and Thurles, seemingly prefers Down Under.
There won’t be a pound in the saddle-cloth (Casey has already ridden at 9st 10lb this year) but the question-mark is the trip, the horse having only recently tried in excess of 3m (won at Gowran Park in October).
My fancy at a price in a hard race to forecast is Jupitor, a tasty 12.0 on BETDAQ early mouse. Winner on the course over 3m 1f in April, he was not disgraced over shorter on his return and is regarded as a stout stayer by Paul Nolan, who could do with some compensation for the loss for the season of injured Defy Logic.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 30 points, except banker and multiples)
BANKER: BET 20pts win (nap) ZAIDPOUR (1.30 Fairyhouse)
BET 8.8pts win VALSEUR LIDO and 4pts win (stakes saver) THE TULLOW TANK (2.05 Fairyhouse)
BET 2.7pts win and place JUPITOR (3.10 Fairyhouse)
MONEY BOX MULTIPLES: 3 x 2pt win doubles and 1pt win treble ZAIDPOUR (1.30 Fairyhouse), VALSEUR LIDO (2.05 Fairyhouse) and JUPITOR (3.10 Fairyhouse)
NEW !!!
You can now follow BETDAQ updates on Google+
For further details – CLICK HERE
£30 FREE BET
Did you know that as well as checking the realtime prices on BETDAQ below – you can also log into your account and place your bets directly into BETDAQ from BETDAQ TIPS.
