9-1 WIN SO 21-12 UP ON PRICEWISE: Daqman’s level-stakes-profit lead over Pricewise of the Racing Post jumped to 350 points when he landed a 9-1 Cheltenham strike yesterday, sending him ahead 21-12 on winners. There were near misses from the short-head defeat of Gerri Colombe and the Grand Annual second and third at 7-2 and 12-1.
Wednesday at Cheltenham
WON 9-1 LANGER DAN
WON 11-10 DELTA WORK
Tuesday at Cheltenham
WON 6-1 CORACH RAMBLER (Fortune Cookie)
WON 11-10 EL FABIOLO (Fortune Cookie nap)
WON (2nd 9-4) FACILE VEGA Lay
WON (unplaced) TEKAO Lay
THE CHELTENHAM DREAM COME TRUE: Ireland went 10-4 up at Cheltenham yesterday, and the bad news for team GB is that the Irish have the next jockey generation sorted, too! After 23-year-old Michael O‘Sullivan’s double on the opening day, 18-year-old John Gleeson landed the bumper, appropriately on A Dream To Share.
OVERALL SCORE: Ireland 10, GB 4
TRAINERS: Willie Mullins (4), Gordon Elliott (2), and one each for Henry De Bromhead, Barry Connell, Nicky Henderson, John Kiely, Patrick Neville, Lucinda Russell and Harry Skelton.
JOCKEYS: Paul Townend (3), Michael O’Sullivan (2), Rachael Blackmore, Nico De Boinville, Keith Donoghue, Derek Fox, John Gleeson, Patrick Mullins, Darragh O’Keefe, Dan Skelton and Sam Twiston Davies 1 each.
MIGHTY GOOD FAVOURITE
⭕ 1.30 Cheltenham (Turner Novices’ Chase)
FIRST-DAY GUIDE Seven of the last eight winners of this were no bigger than 4-1 and results already this week suggest a boosted three-way battle for the Turner.
On Tuesday Gaillard Du Mesnil’s NH Chase strike points up Mighty Potter who beat him easily in the Drinmore.
Banbridge (would like drying ground) and Appreciate It were also given a fillip by El Fabiolo’s defeat of Jonbon in the Arkle; both were placed behind him in the Irish Arkle.
But Banbridge had been only third in the Drinmore, more than 18 lengths adrift of Mighty Potter, who is therefore the pick again today. Stage Star impressed here over CD in January and Balco Coastal ran second at Sandown to Gerri Colombe, who was short-headed in the Brown Advisory yesterday.
Betdaq Betting Exchange 2 Mighty Potter, 19.5 Balco Coastal
THANKS FOR FINAL HELP
⭕ 2.10 Cheltenham (Pertemps Hurdle Final)
FORTUNE COOKIES An Tailliur and Green Book. Jonjo O’Neill gave this column – and my bank account – a big lift when he trained the 2013 running of this with Holywell at 25-1.
He has saved up An Tailliur for today, now is worried about the ground but, though he won six in a row, still standing, on good, he has form on soft when second to Marie’s Rock as a five-year-old.
Marie’s Rock went on to win the Grade-1 Mares Hurdle last year and achieve a 153 rating.
An Tailliur – nicely in here with a couple of pounds more than had Holywell – was raised 10lb for a good year in 2022 when he won the Stayers Final at Haydock.
He has scored twice when fresh after a break, so his absence since third in his qualifier for this, beaten less than three lengths giving 12lb to the winner, is a bonus.
Right alongside An Tailliur in the handicap is Green Book, who ran well in there Ballymore last year, has also won at Haydock on the soft and completed a Grade-3 double at Sandown.
Thanksforthehelp, third in the final of a similar series at Punchestown last Spring, hardly broke out of a canter to score at Chepstow last month. I should cover the Fortune Cookie stakes.
BETDAQ value 5.1 Thanksforthehelp, 14.5 An Tailliur, 41 Green Book
SCINTILLATING SHISHKIN..
⭕ 2.50 Cheltenham (Ryanair Chase)
COURSE FORM That’s an essential in this, with 14 out of 16 winners previously scoring at Cheltenham or placed in a Grade 1 there.
That flags up Shishkin, Envoi Allen and Ga Law – all winners – and last year’s Arkle third, Blue Lord, though the form was let down yesterday by the winner, Edwardstone, and I’m not sure Blue Lord’s jumping is up to winning at Cheltenham.
Despite boasting eight wins over fences, Shishkin was hammered by Edwardstone in the Tingle Creek, though excuses were made and he was back to scintillating form the last day.
Envoi Allen has been winning over further, while Ga Law, successful on heavy when trained in France, is regarded as a top-of-the-ground horse in England, so drifted during the week like a lonely dog on a raft, out to 36.0 on BETDAQ this morning.
BETDAQ value 2.0 Shishkin. Fury Road is consistent and ran his best race – against Gold Cup hopes – the last day so is each-way value at 14.0
THERE’S HONEY FOR TEA
⭕ 3.30 Cheltenham (Stayers Hurdle)
FORTUNE COOKIE: Blazing Khal. The worry is that, in the trainer’s own words, he’s had a poor preparation.
Gavin Cromwell goes for a hat-trick after 12-1 and 4-1 wins for Flooring Porter (2021-22).
But Flooring Porter has also had recent setbacks and the safest bet may be the laid-back Teahupoo, who has won eight hurdles, including defeat of Honeysuckle in the Hattons Grace.
BETDAQ value 3.55 Teahupoo
RIDOTO IS RIGHT FOR THIS
⭕ 4.10 Cheltenham (Plate)
NICHOLLS TURN Il Ridoto had been underperforming until first-time cheekpieces helped him concentrate here the last day over the Plate (New) course and distance.
They might have averted the mistake he made at the last when only fourth to Ga Law in the Autumn Gold Cup here in November.
The impression is that Paul Nicholls now has him where he wants him and, by now, a win for Ditcheat will be badly wanted.
BETDAQ value 9.8 Il Ridoto
LOT MORE JOY FOR WILLIE
⭕ 4.50 Cheltenham (Mares’ Novices Hurdle)
OLD GREY MARE Could ever scenes rival the Honeysuckle farewell on Tuesday! Well, here’s another magical mare who deserves a round of applause.
The grey Princess Zoe, who won the French Gold Cup (2m 4f heavy) and the Sagaro Stakes (2m) at Ascot on firm.
She is pitched into novices hurdles here against the young pretender, the penalised Luccia, having dead-heated at Punchestown on her jumping debut with another outsider here, Ladybank, for the Honeysuckle team of Kenny Alexander and Henry De Bromhead.
Willie Mullins won this five years running (2016-2020) and, though third in the Irish Cesarewitch and half-sister to an Irish St Leger winner, Lot Of Joy has concentrated on the jumps, winning and placed second twice in big fields. She could turn over Luccia.
The last four market leaders have crashed: Epatante (2019) 9th 15-8, Minella Melody (2020) 18th 11-4; Royal Kahala (2021) 9th 9-2; Dinoblue 11-8 was 9th last year.
The one Luccia beat at Exeter the last day started a no-hoper at 200-1 and was stone last in the Supreme on Tuesday.
BETDAQ value 7.6 Lot Of Joy
HAS HE DUN MISBEHAVING
⭕ 5.30 Cheltenham (Kim Muir)
WHO WILL TURN UP? Will it be the Dunboyne who refused to race at Punchestown in November or the one narrowly beaten in the Thyestes (fourth horse then won the Grand National trial)?
Dunboyne has four times winner of this amateurs race, Jamie Codd, taking over for Gordon Elliott, who won it with Cause Of Causes (2016). I was also on Mount Ida (2021) for Team Elliott.
Mr Incredible, too, has been reluctant to race on more than one occasion but loved the mud at Warwick latest.
Fontaine Collonges, suited by a stiff test on soft ground, is from the Venetia Williams yard which likes this type of race; saddled first and third last year.
Six-year-olds like Stumpton don’t win this and the favourite has scored just the once in 10 years.
Third black mark for Stumpton is his 21lb rise for two wins this year; the second horse in his last-day win at Sandown has scored since but again it was in class 3.
BETDAQ value 8.4 Dunboyne, 26 Fontaine Collonges
DAQMAN’S CHELTENHAM BETS
+STAR STATS 1.30 a favourite’s race; 4.50 favourite’s disgrace
+LAYS LOGIC 4.50 Luccia, 5.30 Stumpton
1.30 Cheltenham (win 10, win total of 22)
BET 10pts win MIGHTY POTTER
BET 1pt win and place BALCO COASTAL
2.10 Cheltenham
FORTUNE COOKIES
BET 20pts win AN TAILLIUR
BET 20pts win GREEN BOOK
BET 10pts to win 40 win (saver) THANKSFORTHEHELP
2.50 Cheltenham (win 10, win total 22)
BET 10pts win SHISHKIN
BET 1.25 win and place FURY ROAD
3.30 Cheltenham
FORTUNE COOKIE
BET 20pts win BLAZING KHAL
BET 7.75pts (win 20) TEAHUPOO
4.10 Cheltenham (win 30)
BET 3.5pts win IL RIDOTO
4.50 Cheltenham (win 50 nap)
BULL’S-EYE BET 7.5pts win LOT OF JOY
5.30 Cheltenham (win 20, win 30 total)
BET 2.75pts win DUNBOYNE
BET 1pt win and place FONTAINE COLLONGES
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