9-2 NAP AND 20-1 WINNER AS DAQMAN STORMS HOME: Storms and flooding diminished the usual Saturday feast of racing but BETDAQ King Of The Tipsters, Daqman, still managed a fantastic 20-1 starter and 9-2 main course, both at Lingfield yesterday.
THE 9-2 BEST BET WAS A MORNING 8.6 ON BETDAQ: His big-odds winner, Chevise, which he named Outsider Of The Day, was seen at 48.0 in running and his nap, Castilo del Diablo, traded 8.6 on BETDAQ before racing. Daqman made 53 points profit on the day.
NOW HE GOES 3-0 UP ON PRICEWISE: After a 2-0 triumph on New Year’s Day, Daqman’s selection of Castilo Del Diablo puts him 3-0 up on Pricewise in 2014 and the 14-4 leader since launching his challenge to the Racing Post value tipster in November.
1.00 and 1.30 Naas No prizes for guessing who might dominate at Naas today. Willie Mullins doesn’t need much Mazal Tov (good luck). He seems to get on well enough without, and the misnomer Mozoltov (1.00) should be yet another winner for the record-breaking trainer, unless the horse bounces after winning on his return last month.
The bounce factor concerns his 10 months’ absence before that win but Mozoltov hardly broke sweat at Fairyhouse in December, so there seems no reason why Mullins can’t hold him together, and we will surely see a son of Kayf Tara stepping up in trip soon.
Mallowney still has a bit to find on their revised weights following their one-two at Fairyhouse. It was his first run back, too, and he was a Listed hurdler, though officially 4lb behind Mozoltov.
Mallowney had Irish Thistle 3l back in a Listed novice hurdle in the Spring and Irish Thistle’s two lengths second to Ned Buntline in a novice chase recently suggests that Ned is not up to this class.
We needed confirmation but that’s the way it seemed almost a year ago when Ned was beaten more than six lengths by none other than Mozoltov in February.
Golanbrook won at Clonmel but only because those around him coming to the second last all failed to negotiate the obstacle and crashed out.
The Slaney Novice Hurdle (1.30) has recently thrown up Grade-1 animals of the calibre of Mikael d’Haguenet, Monksland and Rule The World.
And the partnership responsible for Mikael D’Haguenet could complete a novice double – after Mozoltov earlier – with Briar Hill. Ruby Walsh is set for a four-timer on the Mullins winner of Cheltenham’s Champion Bumper, who’s scored twice over hurdles this winter.
But be warned that even Mikael D’Haguenet was giving away only 4lb at this stage, where Briar Hill has to give between 7lb and 10lb today.
Officially, his stablemate, Upazo, is on 144, where Briar Hill is, on Navan form in December, an almost identical rating through the one he beat that day, Azorian. Now he gives Upazo 7lb. The 4.8 Upazo on BETDAQ this morning was therefore a tempting tilt at the favourite.
1.20, 1.50 and 2.20 Plumpton It’s the Venetia Williams show at Plumptious! While the big yards have largely swerved this mudbath of a meeting, the cool-glam Herefords trainer has set her stall out with three forecast favourites this morning.
Her Grade-2-placed hurdler Brick Red (1.20) would, officially, have 20lb in hand of King Spirit, if this were over the ‘sticks’, and he also gets 6lb from his penalised rival.
But this isn’t a hurdle and that penalty is because King Spirit has already won a chase, when he made all the running.
Trainer Brendan Powell was ‘stunned’ when King Spirit won over two miles, saying he needs a test of stamina. He certainly gets one here in the mud and may not be that easy to peg back by a favourite making his debut over fences.
Venetia Williams, who saddles Brick Red, also saddles Marcilhac at the front of the market for the novice hurdle (1.50).
Marcilhac is well used to the mud from Auteuil but it’s misleading to say he was a Grade-3 hurdler there. He was beaten at least 24 lengths on the three occasions he was tried at this level. In fact, his sole success at any level came in a chase.
Spirit Oscar ‘loves’ heavy ground, according to Oliver Sherwood. If taken at face value, her back-to-back wins at Lingfield and Fontwell, with the same horse runner-up each time, shows improvement of around 19lb to a mark of 123.
But Marcilhac was given a 131 rating for his second to Knock House over todays’s CD in December so, theoretically, is 11lb clear, getting weight from Spirit Oscar today, depending on whether the mare called ‘Oscar’ improves yet again and by how much.
Venetia again. But the rather aptly named Mudita Moment (2.20) has to give weight all round in the 2m 5f handicap hurdle, with the stats warning that nothing with more than 11st can win it and commonsense telling us not to bet an odds-on shot in the conditions.
Additionally, there is the bounce factor to worry us, since Mudita Moment had been absent since June 2012 before winning on New Year’s Eve.
Venetia’s not choosing her Moment to strike again but trying to sneak Mudita in with just a 7lb penalty, only five days after success at Warwick, to try to beat the handicapper.
Only when you look at the form of the others do you realise why the topweight is odds on. Unless there is one with enormous potential hidden deep in its dross form, then Mudita Moment wins.
If, indeed, there is a dark horse, it must be My Friend Riquet (13.5 on BETDAQ), who seemingly sauntered home in a point-to-point three weeks ago.
2.10 Southwell (Ladbrokes Handicap) They could almost have called this a veterans’ race. They’re all between six and eight years of age.
Frontier Fighter ran a cracker to get to within a quarter of a length of Dubai Hills over 7f a fortnight ago but the handicapper spotted it and upped him 5lb.
Connections were tempted to beat the deadline on that rise but could only find a 6f race at Wolver – he prefers a mile – and he was last but one.
Today’s rating is 9lb above his highest winning one, though he’s always thereabouts at Southwell (career form-figures 3142)
Greyfriarschorista goes for a quick double after winning here the day after Boxing Day but his form after a win in the last two years is 0004 and he’s never won this high from 53 starts.
The Lock Master is an early-year horse. He has scored at Southwell in January, February and May (twice) in his career, has dropped 2lb below his last success here, and looks the likely answer in a tricky contest. Too big at 7.8 on BETDAQ this morning.
2.50 Plumpton (Sussex National) I’ve searched back as far as copperplate records by the Monk of Lewes to find a winning favourite or anything set to carry more than 11st 4lb.
Nor can I find a winner as ancient as the 13-year-old former Scottish Borders National hero of a year or so ago, Mortimers Cross.
Becher Chase fourth Ballybough Orta and Reblis, back to form but back up the weights, too, may have to give way to Smoking Aces and Adrenalin Flight, the Southern National second on heavy at Fontwell in November.
It’s just the sort of contest that A P McCoy can ground out on an old warhorse like Smoking Aces and the morning BETDAQ market suggested that the money is down.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 5.2pts win UPAZO ((1.30 Naas)
BET 3pts win THE LOCK MASTER (2.10 Southwell)
BET 1.6pts win and place (Outsider Of The Day) MY FRIEND RIQUET (2.20 Plumpton)
BET 7.5pts win (nap) SMOKING ACES (2.50 Plumpton)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 3pts win double Mozoltov (1.00 Naas) and Marcilhac (1.50 Plumpton)
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