9-1 WINNER AND 20.0 PLACE HIT: Spot the deliberate miSTAKE! Daqman had a Ton-Up win and place – a bet to win 100 – on Roc d’Apsis (3rd 16-1) in the big chase at Kempton yesterday at 20.0 on BETDAQ when he intended a Bull’s-Eye Bet staked to win 50. Let’s put it down to double vision! The day also started well with Zubayr (WON 9-1).
CROSS-CARDS PRICEWISE CLASH: After their 1-1 draw yesterday, Daqman v Pricewise (scores 26-11 in the current season and 272-107 overall) moves on to the National Spirit Hurdle at Fontwell (3.20) and a handicap chase at Leopardstown (4.00).
TOMORROW: COUNTDOWN TO CHELTENHAM: This morning, 28 races are listed ante-post on BETDAQ for the Cheltenham Festival, with the last few contenders squeezing in their prep runs. Check them out.. can you spot the value? Daqman starts his own countdown tomorrow.
ROCKEFELLER CAN BEAT THE OLD-TIMERS
3.20 Fontwell (National Spirit Hurdle) My Way De Solzen, Celestial Halo and Lough Derg were winners of this, Solzen winning the World Hurdle the following month for Alan King and subsequently the Arkle a year later.
Kingy has always had hopes of Grumeti reaching the top, but he has been a nearly horse over hurdles and fluffed his lines as a novice chaser, only to spring a surpise by winning the Cesarewitch on the Flat!
But, if I can’t see myself taking 4.6 Grumeti, I certainly don’t want 6.0 the 10-year-oldf Cheltenian, and Medinas is short of a race or two.
It leaves me siding with youth – Lil Rockefeller and San Benedeto are both only five – but ages five and six have won four of the last six. And, on form, I have to go for Rockefeller.
FOR WHOM THE BETDAQ BELL TOLLS AT 10.5
4.00 Leopardstown If the result of this follows the stats, the top three in the handicap can stay at home and the bottom six contain the winner: only once in the decade has more than 10st 9lb been carried to victory.
Terence O’Brien, who trained last year’s winner, claims off Ballyadam Approach to put him in the picture but he’s a glass horse who’s broken down three times, and you have to trust him on the day.
Aurora Bell, one of the top novices at the big Fairyhouse meeting last Spring, has been laid out for today’s race, with a hurdles run on the last day to keep his chase weight down.
He was well behind Riverside City in the Ladbrokes-sponsored Troytown in November but this drop back to 21f will make it hard work for City, whose stable also runs the in-and-out performer Unic De Bersy.
Kylecrue was third in the Troytown after making most of the running, after a hurdles second to a subsequent Grade-1 winner, but he’s been out of sorts since that November form.
A top novice of 2013, Dressedtothenines – beat Zaidpour; second to Don Cossack – had a ring-rusty run back in December and Barry Geraghty is booked. Well handicapped.
Dressedtothenines and Draycott Place, both sired by Oscar, would be appropriate winners on this day. After three quick runs in January – including against Felix Yonger and Flemenstar in the Tied Cottage – Draycott looks a ‘hidden horse’ who is better than the bare form.
Colms Dream is going for the wrong kind of hat-trick, after falling the last twice, and Federici is hard to win with.
Barely Legal and The Mooch, though a bit short on class, are both tough performers, game at the business end of a race.
Rogue Angel, who won the Galway Blazers in the summer, took the Kerry National off a mark similar to today’s, and Jonathan Moore’s claim brings his weight to within a few pounds of what’s normally needed here.
In fact, this is a moderate renewal of the race, and quality animals Rogue Angel, Ballyadam Approach, Your Busy and Dressedtothenines should be among the finishers. The question is which one can we rely on to run to form at this trip?
BETDAQ: Though Pricewise calls it value, Dressedtothenines was short at 5-1 this morning and is inevitably down to 4.4 in the orange, 8.6 bar one, as I write.
Aurora Bell, on the other hand looks big at 10.5, and Rogue Angel and Draycott Place enormous at 17.5 and 29.0 respectively.
VERDICT: 1 Aurora Bell, 2 Rogue Angel, 3 Dressedtothenines.
4.20 Fontwell Mendip Express looms a league ahead of this field in the Foxhunter Trial, and is the last of my bankers in the current series. Look out for my Cheltenham betting set-iup.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 20pts, except bankers, which are charged to the account at level stakes SP)
BET 6pts win LIL ROCKEFELLER (3.20 Fontwell)
BET 2pts win AURORA BELL, and 1.2pts win and place ROGUE ANGEL (4.00 Leopardstown)
BANKER: BET 20pts win (nap) MENDIP EXPRESS (4.20 Fontwell)
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