DAQMAN 637 POINTS UP ON PRICEWISE: Daqman bounced back from a week of low–level racing to bag a grand Saturday, a 6-1 winner plus the nap. It sent him a massive 637 points ahead of Pricewise with their winners’ tally now 21-7.
WON 6-1 FANTASTIC FOX (8.1 taken on BETDAQ)
WON 11-8 OH SO GRAND (nap)
LINGFIELD WINTER MILLION IS SAVED: Jumps action returns today after a huge operation of ground fleecing to save the Winter Million at Lingfield, supported by the staff of six other tracks from Fontwell to Bath and Brighton to Worcester.
🗓️ TOMORROW and TUESDAY: What’s to come next week plus Daqman’s preview of the Supreme Novice Hurdle at Cheltenham.
PEMBROKE COULD POUNCE AT 9.1
⭕ 1.15 Lingfield Small fields and only one winner bigger than 7-4 SP. That’s the 10-year-history of this novice chase, with such as Shishkin and Sceau Royal its alumni.
Master Chewy and Djelo are at a disadvantage, penalised for Grade-2 novice success already; or should we take that as a guide to potential greatness?
It seems like only yesterday (it was November 11) that they were one-two in a handicap at Aintree; the ratings say they are 19lb and 21lb better horses now, and both are headed for the Arkle.
So, too, at bigger ante-post odds is Master Chewy’s stablemate Matata, getting 5lb here but with his Ffos Las runner-up beaten three times out of four since and Matata himself stopped at Cheltenham
But the biggest puzzle of the race is how Pembroke will perform, only fourth to Master Chewy in October but twice a ‘winner’ since, one a walkover and one when everything else pulled up! Worth a pound at BETDAQ 9.1 to cause an upset.
CROMWELL KING OF THE RAIDERS
⭕ 1.50 Lingfield Last year’s winner (on heavy) Frero Banbou has been beaten 12 times since but the race consists of five lightweights supported by the 12-year-old 12st topweight, First Flow. Crazy!
First Flow has himself been beaten six times since winning the Peterborough Chase at Huntingdon in December 2021.
He was runner-up to Boothill in November, beaten four lengths giving the winner 9lb, with Saint Segal third. Three weeks later, Boothill gave Triple Trade 20lb and beat him three lengths (Ascot, good).
Either side of that, Triple Trade landed a class-2 double at Ascot and Cheltenham but both were on goodish ground.
The King Of Prs has won two on heavy in Ireland and trainer Gavin Cromwell has a 25% strike rate raiding UK this season. Betdaq Betting Exchange value: 5.5
BOLD BATTLE WITH NURSE SUSAN
⭕ 2.25 Lingfield A Stayers Hurdle entry suggests that lightly-raced Nurse Susan (BETDAQ 4.2) can get the extra trip.
When she scored at Cheltenham in mid-December, the Doctor Dino mare was stepping out of the shadow of Love Envoi; they were one-two here at Lingfield and one-four in the Dawn Run at the festival.
Bold Endeavour (BETDAQ 5.8 offers) might have won at the same December meeting (3m) but Freddie Gordon dropped his whip and had no means of correction when his mount hung left.
Ramo (holds Midnight Reflection) has to improve; he’s been stuck on 122-123 since taking a class-4 at Ludlow. Gowel Road and Tanganyika are also pretty static.
I WILL DO IT FOR SECOND AT 14.0
⭕ 3.00 Lingfield An old Fortune Cookie of ours, L’Homme Presse, is running for the first time since unseating in the 2022 King George (when second), after winning the Brown Advisory and the Rehearsal Chase.
He’s always done well when fresh but this is so fresh that the cream of his ability can hardly be settled on top!
Protektorat was also a Fortune Cookie in his day, winning the Lancashire Chase for us at 15-2, and his three-lengths third off 12st at Cheltenham in December would be ace had not the winner, Broadway Boy, come out and been found wanting since.
Welsh National and Warwick Classic winner Iwilldoit has his chance to topple the stars at 14.0 on BETDAQ (second?) but Protektorat and L’Homme Presse are a stone and more better when on their game, so not one but both must seriously underperform for him to win.
I TAUGHT I SAW 10.5 ON BETDAQ
⭕ 3.35 Lingfield (Surrey National) Iwilldoit could boost Notachance, third to him in the Warwick Classic a year ago. Like Blade Runner (5-6 before the Welsh National) he has to bounce back.
Animal and O’Connell were third and fourth at these weights and similar conditions in the Lincolnshire National but the Raceform analysis was that Animal needed softer ground and O’Connell a trip shorter than the 3m 3f that day. So here they are again, with Animal favoured by trip and conditions.
Not Sure was third behind Animal at Sandown but was buried by Nassalam and company in the Welsh Grand National and seems stuck in class 4.
As a Kayf Tara, Hold That Taught (BETDAQ 10.5), disappointed in stamina tests last year but his 3m wins in the autumn had Raceform calling him a ‘progressive young stayer.’ He’s nine now, so no more excuses, or ‘I taught I saw a puddy-cat.’
DOYEN CHIEF’S BIG CHANCE
⭕ 4.10 Lingfield 🔺 FORTUNE COOKIE The Doyen Chief is taken to muzzle the big guns of Paul Nicholls (Inthewaterside) and Nicky Henderson (Kintail) at 7.4 on BETDAQ this morning.
He just failed to catch Henderson’s Choccabloc at Ludlow (goodish ground) and then went clear on soft to slam Take No Chances (Dan Skelton) at Market Rasen.
I wish Alan King well, though we can see that Henderson and Skelton have good reason to think they know the strength of his Chief, and Nicholls has quality in depth. A good race.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.15 Lingfield (win 12)
BET 1.5pts win PEMBROKE
1.50 Lingfield (win 18, nap)
BET 4pts win KING OF Prs
2.25 Lingfield (win 12)
BET 4pts win NURSE SUSAN
BET 2.5pts win BOLD ENDEAVOUR
3.0 Lingfield (win 14)
BET 1pt win and place IWILLDOIT
3.35 Lingfield (win 20)
BET 4.75pts win ANIMAL
BET 2pts win and place HOLD THAT TAUGHT
4.10 Lingfield
🔺 FORTUNE COOKIE
THE DOYEN CHIEF
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.
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