DAQMAN HITS THE BULL TWICE! Daqman landed a win-50 bull’s-eye bet for the second day running at Cheltenham yesterday. On the opening day at the festival, he struck in the Fred Winter then yesterday in the Grand Annual. He also had winners of the Arkle, the Champion Chase and the Cross-Country. His named lays are 2-3.
Wednesday: Win-50 bet on target 15-2
WON 15-2 JAZZY MATTY (bull’s-eye, BETDAQ 10.0)
WON 5-1 MARINE NATIONALE (Jonbon 2nd)
WON 5-2 STUMPTOWN
WON (Lay) BE AWARE unplaced favourite
Tuesday: Win-50 bet on target 17-2
WON 17-2 PUTURHANDSTOGETHER (bull’s-eye)
WON 5-1 JANGO BAIE (BETDAQ 9.6 taken)
WON (Lay) MAJBOROUGH 3rd 1-2 favourite
DAY-3: IRISH LEADING 9-5
🔢 THE FESTIVAL STORY SO FAR: Ireland 9 winners, England 5.
🔢 TRAINERS: Willie Mullins (5), Cian Collins, Barry Connell, Gavin Cromwell, Rebecca Curtis, Nicky Henderson, Joseph O’Brien, Lucinda Russell, Jeremy Scott, Dan Skelton,
🔢 JOCKEYS: Paul Townend (2), Nico De Boinville, Keith Donoghue, Sean Flanagan, Danny Gilligan, Ben Jones, Danny Mullins, Sean O’Keeffe, Harry Skelton, Jody Townend, Patrick Wadge, Mark Walsh, Lorcan Williams.
Full stats and facts on all Day-3 races: see last Thursday
‘ALL SPEED’ DIVA BIG VALUE
⭕ 1.20 Cheltenham (Mares’ Novices Hurdle) The last six market leaders have been beaten in this opener at layable prices, but the front of the market may not be decided until close to the race.
Sixandahalf looks vulnerable on experience after just the one hurdle race, though her stablemate, Hello Neighbour, who runs in tomorrow’s Triumph, has already disposed of Galileo Dame (only four years old), giving her 7lb.
There’s a separate race of seven Willie Mullins runners, from which money can be expected for highly-regarded Maughreen, the Walk In The Park mare, related on the dam’s side to Faugheen.
But she, too, has had just one start over the sticks, beating nothing well at Punchestown, and Paul Townend rides Aurora Vega.
She is one of two I fancy – the other is Diva Luna – with stamina as well as speed and Mullins at first favoured the Grade-1 2m 4f mares hurdle at Fairyhouse over Easter.
Though Diva Luna has won over 2m 4f, her stable, the burgeoning yard of Ben Pauling, is adamant ‘she’s all speed’, and here’s her chance to prove that mix with her stamina here on a soundish surface.
Diva Luna has raced only on soft and heavy but her sire’s progeny has no preference; they have figures just as good on firm!
Betdaq Betting Exchangevalue 10.5 Aurora Vega, 12.5 Maughreen, 18.5 Diva Luna
RING FOR WINNERS CIRCLE
⭕ 2.00 Cheltenham (Golden Miller Novices’ Handicap Chase) A lot of collateral form here. Moon d’Orange (4th to Haiti Couleurs in December), Answer To Kayf (5th to Lecky Watson in January), Firefox, Asian Master (both 3rd to Majborough) and Springwell Bay (six-lengths runner-up to Jango Baie with Caldwell Potter 3rd but beat Insurrection in the autumn) all had their abilities exposed by runners on the opening day.
Lord Of Thunder and Pic Roc (gave 6lb) were one-two at Newbury over further but it was Pic Roc’s sixth time second.
I can see why punters have looked down the handicap at something unexposed but who runs as if he needs the trip: Nurburgring, 4th in the Irish Cesarewitch, jumps well and is related to winners with stamina.
Asian Master (fourth in the Supreme) is tough; always ridden by Tommy Costello, whose 7lb claim spikes the handicap.
Betdaq Betting Exchange value: 7.9 Nurburgring, 9.5 Asian Master
FEET HAS THEIR MEASURE
⭕ 2.40 Cheltenham (Pertemps Hurdle Final) Bugise Seagull, Feet Of A Dancer, Harbour Lake, Karl Des Tourells, Supreme Gift, D Art D Art and Win Some Lose Some have got the ratings for this.
English trainers are two out of three with both winners at 25-1 and this won’t be the slog in the mud that won it three years running for Gordon Elliott.
Feet Of A Dancer and Maxi Mac Gold (ridden by punter’s pal here, Sean Flanagan) are from the Paul Nolan yard which plotted the 2021 strike with an outsider.
‘Dancer’ is 7lb better off for defeat by Win Some Lose Some in the Leopardstown qualifier. D Art D Art’s claimer could make the difference.
Supreme Gift (blinkered first time today) would come out best at the weights over Zain Nights and Harbour Lake if Spring form over CD on good ground were repeated. Zain Nights is strongly fancied by connections, with Charlie Deutsch booked.
Betdaq Betting Exchange value 7.8 D Art D Art, 10 Feet Of A Dancer, 29 Zain Nights, super outsider 132 Supreme Gift
FILE FREE OF THE CHAMPION
⭕ 3.20 Cheltenham (Ryanair Chase) The smaller the field and the more obvious the form.. the more mishaps. That seems to be the rule at Cheltenham this week!
The last two Ryanair winners, Envoi Allen and Protektorat, are old men now and win only in their turn.
Il Est Francais is good on a flat track but 16 out of 18 winners had already scored at Cheltenham or been Grade-1 placed here.
Djelo is the improver but Fact To File (pictured below) has not been disgraced when taking on the supreme champion, Galopin Des Champs, and can step out of his shadow today.
WALLPARK COMING FOR TEA
⭕ 4.00 Cheltenham (Stayers Hurdle) Teahupoo for Gordon Elliott attempts back-to-back wins in the hoofprints of Flooring Porter (2021-22) for Gavin Cromwell, whose stable fails to mount a challenge this time.
Teahupoo has been saved up, fresh for this ,but improving young horses do best (six out of eight when aged six and seven) and that includes his stablemate, The Wallpark.
Lucky Place was Nico De Boinville’s pick in the Henderson yard for this test and he has bogeys to bury at the meeting this week.
Betdaq Betting Exchange value 6.7 The Wallpark, 7.6 Lucky Place
WEIGHTS MAKE IT MASACCIO
⭕ 4.40 Cheltenham (Plate) Last year’s winner, also third previously, Shakem Up’arry wears cheekpieces first time today.
Il Ridoto, well behind that day for the second year running, now tries blinkers. Seddon won the 2023 Plate but is 12 now.
Gemirande has run five of his last six races at Cheltenham, winning a Grade 3 over today’s trip, and his stable has won the Plate three times.
Ginny’s Destiny also ran five chases in a row here (won three) but may need softer ground to stage a revival.
Paul Nicholls has been winning only at the gaffe tracks lately, drawing blanks at Newbury, Sandown and Cheltenham (so far).
Winner and third over today’s CD in January, Jaguar and Mosaccio meet again with Mosaccio favoured by the weights and wearing cheekpieces first time.
Betdaq Betting Exchange value: 9.4 Masaccio, 25 Gemirande
MIDNIGHT KIM MUIR MAGIC
⭕ 5.20 Cheltenham, (Kim Muir Challenge Cup) No horse in the decade has won this race with a rating as low as Walking On Air. He’s finished only twice in five starts, beaten a total of 114 lengths.
Midnight Our Fred has been placed six times in a row and three times running at Cheltenham around this trip. Second in the big chase at Leopardstown over Christmas.
Git Maker, runner-up off a similar mark a year ago before his Scottish National third, wears cheekpieces first time today.
Betdaq Betting Exchange value 7.7 Midnight Our Fred, 15.5 Git Maker. LAY: Walking On Air
DAQMAN’S BETS on Betdaq Betting Exchange
1.20 Cheltenham (win-5o bull’s-eye bet and win 25 x 2)
BET 3pts win and place DIVA LUNA
BET 2.5pts win AURORA VEGA
BET 2pts win MAUGHREEN
2.00 Cheltenham (each to win 20)
BET 3pts win NURBURGRING
BET 2.25pt win ASIAN MASTER
2.40 Cheltenham (win 30)
BET 3.75pts win D ART D ART
BET 3pts win FEET OF A DANCER
BET 1pt win and place ZAIN NIGHT
BET 1pt win and place SUPREME GIFT
★ 3.20 Cheltenham (supernap)
BET 20pts win FACT TO FILE
4.00 Cheltenham (each to win 30)
BET 5pts win THE WALLPARK
BET 5pts win LUCKY PLACE
4.40 Cheltenham (each to win 30)
BET 3.5pts win MASACCIO
BET 1pt win and place GEMIRANDE
5.20 Cheltenham (win-50 bull’s-eye bets)
BET 7pts win MIDNIGHT OUR FRED
BET 3.25ps win GIT MAKER
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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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