4-1 DAQMAN STRIKE FOR 6-3 LEAD: Daqman made a profit of 20.50 yesterday with two more weekend winners, featuring his first Fortune Cookie of the new season, and now has double the success rate of Pricewise already, taking a 6-3 lead.
Saturday
WON 4-1 PROTEKTORAT (Fortune Cookie)
WON 2-1 TAMAR BRIDGE
Friday
WON 5-2 L’HOMME PRESSE
WON (3rd 10-1) HAYEDO e.w from 14.5 on BETDAQ
RACE OF EIGHT GRADE-1 WINNERS: There’s a Sunday feast today with a Punchestown Chase of eight Grade-1 winners, the Hilly Way at Cork, Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon and Scottish Borders National at Kelso. What a yankee!
PROTEKTORAT GLORY PATH
Who’s top of the jockeys’ list? In alpha order, Bridget Andrews and Bryony Frost yesterday.
Which trainer won seven at Navan and blew a double raspberry at Aintree? Gordon Elliott.
In fact, as well as Elliott (Tiger Roll, always rear; pulled up; Ravenhill, rear throughout, pulled up), Willie Mullins at Sandown (Chacun Pour Soi 34 lengths last at 8-13 favourite) let the Irish down.
And punters have deserted his six runners in today’s Punchestown Chase in the early markets, preferring to bet on another lady day, Rachael Blackmore to triumph on Envoi Allen.
Bridget Andrews gave Protektorat a brilliant ride in his first race over 3m (in fact, it was 25 furlongs), opening the door to King George and Gold Cup possibilities.
Bryony blew away her detractors and took a winner’s-enclosure ovation with a sensational Tingle Creek on Greaneteen, first of a Paul Nicholls hat-trick.
BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE Now for Rachael Blackmore at Punchestown. If you fancy her today, take the 15.0 Envoi Allen in the BETDAQ Sportsbook for the Champion Chase at Cheltenham before today’s race, with Chacun Pour Soi and Nube Negra – another flop yesterday – out to 11.0 and 17.0.
Energumene, who is odds-on in the Hilly Way at Cork, is 4.0, tight up to the favourite Shishkin, who has been an absentee from the weekend trials.
AMATEUR IS A PRO STAYER
⭕ 1.03 Kelso (Scottish Borders National) Gordon Elliott has the favourite for this four-miler, Weststreet, who won over the trip in the Spring of 2019 when with Oliver Sherwood.
He’s down a stone on last year’s high rating and should be spot on after two decent efforts in October.
Charlie Longsdon, winner of the Becher Chase yesterday with Snow Leopardess, has Almazhar Garde poised from his recent second in the Southern National at Fontwell.
Rain and deeper ground won’t help the topweight and he burst blood vessels at Fontwell.
Both he and Big River have weights higher than anything carried in the last decade.
But Big River is a stayer you can bet on at Kelso, where he is 11211112, still standing, nicely prepped there for this race on the last day.
Last year’s winner, Dino Boy, is 9lb higher now but has targeted the race again and still looks well placed to get involved.
Rose Dobbin completed a hat-trick – two of them here at Kelso – before second, stepped up to 3m 6f at Musselburgh
Amateur won the Mandarin at Newbury last new year and was then fourth in the Devon National and winner of the West Wales National.
Still only eight and had a run back in the stayers’ chase at Haydock in November. I think he’s got to be thereabouts.
Do Not Disturb landed a hat-trick here at Kelso on good ground between a double in the Spring and a successful start back in October.
BETDAQ value 4.1 Weststreet, 8.3 Amateur
ALLMANKIND IS EXPECTED
⭕ 1.52 Huntingdon (Peterborough Chase) Dan Skelton was P0FPP coming up to the Graded races at Aintree and Sandown yesterday.
And, if his yard had run only Third Time Lucki (third) and Nube Negra (fourth) yesterday, he would look vulnerable this afternoon.
But Protektorat gave us all a big lift and Team Skelton will be ‘expecting’ Allmankind, slightly better than even money for this 2m 4f Grade-2 chase, after their five-year-old won the Old Roan Chase at Aintree at the same level.
Another with scope at age only six is Funambule Sivola having a second try at 2m 4f. Three times a winner over shorter, including the Hallow’een at Newbury and second to Shishkin in the Maghull at Aintree in the Spring. First run back today but stable in form.
First Flow would come into this if there has been plenty of rain, though he is also trying a trip.
CD-winner Master Tommytucker ran well when second to the revitalised Lostintranslation at Ascot recently. Does well in small fields and Paul Nicholls hit the jackpot with three bells in a row yesterday.
Eldorado Allen was well beaten by Allmankind at the Tingle Creek meeting at Sandown a year ago and has since been dwarfed twice by Shishkin, though his last-day second to Hitman in a Grade 2 was boosted yesterday.
ALLAHO RATES CHAMPION
⭕ 2.00 Punchestown (John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase) This never fails to throw up a gem: Min (three times), Djakadam (twice), Sizing John and Don Cossack have all won it in the last six seasons.
But I can’t remember any of them having to triumph over eight Grade-1 scorers and a Grand National winner, such is the strength in depth of today’s race. Surprising, then, that there is a standout on the ratings:
174 Allaho is an incredible (at this level) 7lb clear.
167 Fakir D’Oudairies 14 times out of 15 in the frame, still standing
166 Kemboy 2020 Irish Gold Cup winner
164 Melon Third last year
163 Envoi Allen Heh! That’s the favourite.. only fifth?
Envoi Allen has scored 13 times in a row, still standing, but failed to finish at both big festivals of Cheltenham and Punchestown last season. He’s won only at Down Royal (Grade 2) outside novice company over fences.
Allaho pulverised his Ryanair field, going clear and finishing 12 lengths up on Fakir D’Oudairies, who was less than fluent at the Cheltenham fences. Tornado Flyer was third; Min and Melon pulled up.
This was a reversal of the form of this Punchestown cChase when Min beat Tornado Flyer and Melon, with Allaho running last of six, left out of the back door in the fog and unable to find his way home!
His trainer, Willie Mullins, saddles six of the nine runners today, with very poor (for him) current returns of 1-22.
And the market has gone for his stable to finish only third (with Allaho) behind Henry de Bromhead (Envoi Allen) and Joseph O’Brien (Fakir d’Oudairies), which are the only two race-fit animals in the race.
BETDAQ value 5.1 Allaho on the ratings; 11.0 Asterion Forlonge, as the Punchestown novice champion.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.03 Kelso (win 50 bull’s-eye bet, win 12)
BET 6.75pts win AMATEUR
BET 4pts win WESTSTREET
1.52 Huntingdon (win 10 nap)
BET 10pts win ALLMANKIND
2.00 Punchestown (win 50 bull’s-eye bet, win 20)
BET 5pts win ASTERION FORLONGE
BET 5pts win ALLAHO
What are points? Points facilitate a staking plan, which is the secret to creating profit. One point is whatever you choose: a pound, a euro, or whatever ….
Start with a bank and decide how much you can afford to lose over a period of time, and determine the size of your bets accordingly. Daqman makes this variation every day.
