MORE ANTE-POST CHELTENHAM BETS: Daqman has ante-post bets in the Cheltenham handicaps today, 28-10 ahead of Pricewise and a weekend of hot handicaps in England and Scotland.
SINGLE-FIGURE SEARCH FOR VALUE: Only three races today with a double-figure field; 23 out of the 26 with less than 10, and the Forbra Gold Cup at Ludlow has just five runners. Daqman scours them all, looking for value.
ELLIOTT HAS A HANDICAP KING
DAQMAN, who is shadowing Pricewise ante-post bets for Cheltenham, challenges his selections for the festival handicaps here.
Don’t miss Saturday’s column on the weekend big handicaps of Grimthorpe at Doncaster, Greatwood Gold Cup at Newbury and Morebattle Hurdle at Kelso.
In weekly clashes, Daqman leads Pricewise 28-10 on winners since the end of the Flat in November, with 431.66 profit against his rival’s 305.83 loss.
⭕ County Hurdle (Cheltenham, Friday 15th March) King Of Kingsfield (BETDAQ 7.8) started his hurdles career only in October and has been placed in every one of five tries, including behind Ballyburn.
Ballyburn has proved better than a handicapper and is odds on wherever he chooses to go in conditions events at the festival.
Firefox (Gordon Elliott), who beat Ballyburn in December, takes the Supreme route where they could clash again, leaving King Of Kingsfield as Elliott’s handicap king.
⭕ Kim Muir (Cheltenham, Thursday, 14th March) Elliott has always had a staying career in mind for Firm Footings but the Martin Pipe sixth at Cheltenham 2023 over hurdles has been placed three out of three, back around the minimum, over the big jumps.
Firm Footings was significantly backed when the weights came out for the Kim Muir and eagle-eyed BETDAQ backers helped themselves to 11.5. I’m late coming to the table but 8.8 still looks good.
⭕ Plate (Cheltenham, Thursday, 14th March) Ga Law, whose potentially classy career was almost ruined by a nasty fall in his novice season, is a tasty 12.0 in the Plate (Thursday, Cheltenham).
He seemed back to his best when slamming Il Ridoto in the big chase on the new course at the end of January after Il Ridoto had run a short-head second in the December Gold Cup feature at Cheltenham the previous month.
ACCEPTANCE OF BLINKERS KEY
⭕ 4.15 Ludlow (Forbra Gold Cup) today, Not a single winning favourite in the decade in this class-3 ‘gold’, so interesting to watch the market, which has been dictating play during this ‘silly season’ before Cheltenham.
Unless, that is, you happen to have Daqman’s luck yesterday: favourite Famous Clermont goes into the lead before the last but, instead of letting him take the fence in his own time, he was ‘asked’.. Put out of his stride and, quite frankly, couldn’t be asked, if you can translate for me, please!
So the least I can do for myself here is find a jockey we can trust: will Daryl Jacob do you?
His mount, Special Acceptance finished within a couple of lengths of the winner over this trip, three times in a row second. They put him up in trip and he didn’t like it.
Today they’re trying a different tack, literally. He exchanges cheekpieces for blinkers first time and Daryl Jacob comes in for the ride. BETDAQ 9.8 taken.
Arizona Cardinal gives us more than a stone. He has never put two wins together before without a break but did put PP together in the autumn!
Hardy Fella always runs a decent race and has to be a bigger danger to the selection than Midnight Mary or One True King.
SOLDIER TO DEFEND HIS FORM
⭕ 4.35 Wetherby This is a rise in grade and a total hike of 21lb for North Parade’s hat-trick, every one of the three at Newcastle. Can he go on, despite this change of venue and rise in the weights? The market says not.
El Jefe didn’t in similar circumstances. A 20lb rise for a hat-trick, then couldn’t maintain the form, not even in the same grade.
Ryan Mania, currently striking at 46% (6-13), rides War Soldier has landed two wins back to back before, and returned to form over today’s CD, same class, similar surface, with The Four Sixes third.
The Four Sixes is expected to take the field along, with the trainer claiming he was not made enough use of the last day.
Windtothelightning breezed in over CD in November, before and after being close at the finish in class-2 mares’ contests at Cheltenham. But penalised 12lb for the win.
Betdaq Betting Exchange 3.95 War Soldier
JOLLY GOOD CHANCE: PIP PIP!
⭕ 7.00 Chelmsford Even further down the scale, in class 6, it’s even harder for a winner to keep his form and Ivasecret looks vulnerable with a 5lb penalty putting him up to 10st.
I’m a Hugo Palmer fan and Oisin Murphy, who won on his last ride for the trainer at Wolverhampton, takes over on Monkmoor Pip, who sustained his run at Wolver last time when blinkered first time. BETDAQ value: 5.2
DAQMAN’S BETS
4.15 Ludlow (win 20)
BET 3.25pts win SPECIAL ACCEPTANCE
4.35 Wetherby (win 12)
BET 4pts win WAR SOLDIER
7.00 Chelmsford (win 21, nap)
BET 5pts win MONKMOOR PIP
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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