THEY ARE ALL A YEAR OLDER: Back to Cheltenham, the home of jumps racing, and a Happy New Year to all racehorses today – it’s their birthday – with the punter reminded of new-year resolutions that pay dividends on BETDAQ.
AND WE MUST BE THE WISER: Keep on the right side of the betting market with that illusive thing called value in the offers available on the betting exchange where the numbers add up to low, low margins.
%TIP OF THE DAY%: Create your own racecard by picking a short list of races. Study the form and assess the market as Daqman has done here with the seven races below adding up to 102%, 104, 103, 106, 101, 106 and 103%
JASMIN START FOR McMANUS
⭕ 1.25 Cheltenham Does He Know gets 12st for winning a veterans’ race, and Katate Dori is still a bit high in the handicap after a good run in the November Gold Cup at Newbury in November.
The same could be said for New Order, a Sandown novice winner who was beaten only a head at Sandown a month back.
Nicky Henderson, who has won this 3m+ handicap chase three times since 2018, brings Excello back to normality after three consecutive runs over the Grand National fences.
Herakles Westwood’s best form is on soft-heavy, but Jasmin De Grugy, who completed a five-timer last January, looks primed for JP McManus by a Grade-3 pipe-opener last month. Betdaq 5.8 taken at 11 am
HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU, KID
⭕ 2.15 Musselburgh The Kalooki Kid took the Scottish Champion Chase here over this CD last February, when Insurrection won a novices chase. Betdaq Betting Exchange 3.75
Jet To Vegas’s hurdles double at this time last year has him struggling 17lb higher over fences.
Tommy’s Oscar has dropped more than a stone but his small-field strikes in 2023-4 were all at around 2m.
TWO MELLING OUTSIDERS
2.00 Cheltenham Matata has been waking up towards the end of his races and this step up in trip may help.
He’s tried it before but hardly like for like: it was when third at Aintree, making a series of errors as the much-higher-rated Jonbon and Protektorat fought out the Melling Chase. BETDAQ 9.3
Jungle Boogie, who has been trained by Willie Mullins and Henry De Bromhead, tries to win for a third stable on his 12th birthday. BETDAQ 28.0.
MURPHY DOUBLE LINED UP
⭕ 2.30 Southwell Oisin Murphy was back in harness with a winner for Team Gosden yesterday, and I shall be on So Darn Hot (2.30 Southwell) for Ed Walker whose last five runners have finished 130112.
Second in a race of winners in October, the filly Shebara (1.20) may have launched Murphy into 2026 with success for Andrew Balding.
She will provide an even-money stakes saver to So Darn Hot, a tasty BETDAQ 12.5 send-off to 2026 on the Flat.
A winner last January within a spell of 1211, he was out of the frame only once, climbing 18lb in the ratings.
HOT SPOT IS A SUPERNAP
⭕ 2.35 Cheltenham (Relkeel Hurdle) Anything Paul Nicholls can do, his former assistant, Dan Skelton, tries to do better.
He certainly got the best out of Kabral Du Mathan, who leapt a stone in the ratings at Haydock in November, first run after wind surgery.
He was Scottish Champion Hurdle runner-up in today’s grade, since then gradually stepping up in trip, with the Stayers Hurdle at the festival as his ultimate target.
🔥HOT SPOT🔥 Kabral Du Mathan
50-1 HELPING WITH THANKS
⭕ 2.50 Windsor At this time last year, Thanksforthehelp (BETDAQ 51.0) had just finished a form spree of 11011 in two chases and two bumpers, and was a hurdles winner at the Punchestown Festival over hurdles in April.
He had a run back in a Pertemps qualifier in November and this Windsor engagement is a rare visit to the course for David Pipe (0-3) and for owner J P McManus (5-22), whose army is spread across Cheltenham, Fairyhouse and Tramore today.
🔥HOT SPOT🔥 Thanksforthehelp
AND ANOTHER SKELTON ACE
⭕ 3.10 Cheltenham Ace Of Spades went up to Ayr when stablemate Kabral Du Mathan was runner-up in the Scottish Champion Hurdle.
He, too, was narrowly beaten but, though stepped up in class, he won over shorter at Aintree after the sumer holidays, and tries again over 3m.
Ace Of Spades broke his hurdles maiden here at Cheltenham, where Double Powerful is a winner in the stayers series.
Ma Shantou has beaten both of them to 3m success but was punished 9lb for it and it was a losing favourite, trying to follow up in November (Harbour Lake pulled up).
DAQMAN’S BETS
on Betdaq Betting Exchange
1.25 Cheltenham (win 20)
BET 4pts win JASMIN DE GRUGY
2.00 Cheltenham (win 30)
BET 3.5pts win MATATA
BET 1pt win and place JUNGLE BOOGIE
2.15 Musselburgh (win 12)
BET 4pts win THE KALOOKI KID
2.30 Southwell (win-50 bull’s-eye bet)
BET 4.5pts win SO DARN HOT
★★ 2.35 Cheltenham (supernap)
🔥HOT SPOT🔥 20pts win KABRAL DU MATHAN
2.50 Windsor (win-50 bull’s-eye bet )
HOT SPOT BET 1pt win and place THANKSFORTHEHELP
3.10 Cheltenham (each to win 20)
BET 7pts win ACE OF SPADES
BET 6pts win MA SHANTOU
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.
Did you know? DAQMAN’s tips are posted each and every day so he’s always on hand to help with your horse racing betting.
