COPPER-BOTTOMED BET WINS FOR DAQMAN AT 9-2: Daqman was quickly back in business on the first day’s resumption after the flu scare. His very first bet was Copper Gone West (WON 9-2), which turned over the 4-1 ON favourite in a three-horse race, the opener on the Jumps card at Musselburgh. Skilful staking created a break-even on the day, despite just the one winner.
COOKIES COULD BE THE WEEKEND’S TOP TEN HITS: Daqman starts the day with a list of 10 close engagements for his Fortune Cookies horses to follow, which are 500-plus points in profit. Poor fields all round today but huge entries for Saturday.
FORTUNE COOKIES 500 POINTS UP
ANGELS BREATH (3.30 Sandown tomorrow, 1.10 Wincanton Saturday, or 1.30 Huntingdon next Tuesday)
BOYHOOD (4.10 Haydock, Saturday)
CLAN DES OBEAUX (2.25 Denman Chase, Ascot, Saturday)
FIDUX (4.15 Taunton next Tuesday)
LAURINA (Quevega Hurdle, Punchestown, next Wednesday)
MISSED APPROACH (Eider Chase, Newcastle, Saturday week)
NATIVE RIVER (2.25 Denman Chase, Ascot, Saturday, doubtful)
PRESENTING PERCY (Red Mills Chase, Gowran Park, Saturday)
ROBINSFIRTH (3.35 Grand National Trial, Haydock, Saturday)
RONS DREAM (3.35 Grand National Trial, Haydock, Saturday)
Also: AUVERGNAT, CHAMP, ELEGANT ESCAPE, ELDORADO ALLEN, FRODON, HONEYSUCKLE, INVITATION ONLY, LALOR, LE PREZIEN, LE RICHEBOURG, LOSTINTRANSLATION, MIDNIGHT SHADOW, PAISLEY PARK, PALMERS HILL, ROCK THE KASBAH, SHARJAH, SIR EREC, THE WORLD’S END, UP FOR REVIEW, VERDANA BLUE, WARRIORS TALE, WINTER ESCAPE
- Profit-and-loss (all horses to follow so far, including plus and minus prior to deletions from previous lists) to 20-point level stakes: +506.76
- AW THEMAXWECAN, AMERICAN GRAFFITI, NEW KING. WISSAHICKON (Winter Derby, Lingfield, February 23)
BLANKET SATURDAY ENTRIES
Paul Nicholls 41, Colin Tizzard 27. That’s how two of Britain’s top trainers have blanket entered from their strings for the first Saturday back since the enforced flu-bug break.
Both revealed last night that they are not affected by the vaccination rule of ‘within the last six months’ both, as always, giving their teams the flu jab in time for the new year and the Cheltenham campaign.
Wise-owl Nicholls sets a puzzle for punters with his first entry back, Christopher Wood (2.35 Fontwell), a horse that hasn’t jumped a twig in public: it’s his sole runner of the day. Clever Colin Tizzard has two at Fontwell.
1.25 and 2.25 Kelso Nicky Henderson sends a hot double on the long haul North today, and I would normally do a stop-at-a-winner, which produced yesterday’s 9-2 hit.
But Dream Du Grand Val in the opener and We Have A Dream (2.25) later on will both be odds on. Dream double, maybe not; but mix them in Daq Multiples and they should provide a bit of leverage.
Definitly Red (3.00) – two Grade 2 wins in the autumn – warms up on the Gold Cup trail.
2.05 Fontwell Connections are hoping that 10 days off will be enough for Silver Quay to return fighting fit for the hat-trick. Though no penalty for the latest of the two Taunton wins at this trip, Jimmy Frost’s Dark Angel grey is up in class.
But King Cnut and Goodgirlteresa have been effective only over fences so far, and the local horse, Goldslinger, pulled up on the last day and he’s still 8lb higher than for a lower-class success in the Spring of last year. On BETDAQ this morning 10 would return 24 Silver Quay.
2.35 Fontwell Westbrook Bertie was officially 12lb better than Christopher Wood on the Flat and has some classy hurdles experience to put into the mix here.
Broke his maiden 14 lengths here at Fontwell on Boxing day and stepped up on that, second in a class 2 at Huntingdon.
The negatives are that he’s not easy to settle and will want to get on with it (may even spoil his chances), that the easy Christmas win came against a stablemate and that he gives 7lb to Christopher Wood.
‘BANK’ ON THE IN-FORM KING
3.45 Fontwell Alan King has had three winners from his last eight runners before and after the ‘flu break’, only one of them out of the first four, and we can assume that the Yeats mare The Cull Bank, an 8.4 offer on BETDAQ, is raring to go.
An Irish point winner, she takes on Bullfrog, who has a bit of a reputation and ran well at Sandown early in the month, though Gary Moore’s stable form puts me off: just 1-18 in the last fortnight.
Deja Vue is another Irish Point winner but comes here after a very long break – nearly a year – and Tom Scudamore’s sole ride of the day, Dame Du Soir, looks more interesting, having made all at Leicester on the last day.
Millarville was a 3m Point winner but they’re keeping her down in distance as they test her breathing. Her first op helped her score here at Fontwell a month ago, but she’s had another one since.
DAQMAN’S BETS
2.05 Fontwell (supernap)
BET 20pts win SILVER QUAY
2.35 Fontwell (win 10)
BET 7pts win CHRISTOPHER WOOD
3.45 Fontwell (win 20)
BET 2.75pts win and place THE CULL BANK
DAQ MULTIPLES
BET 5pt win treble
DREAM DU GRAND VAL (1.25 Kelso)
SILVER QUAY (2.05 Fontwell)
WE HAVE A DREAM (2.25 Kelso)
BET 1pt acca the same three with
CHRISTOPHER WOOD (2.35 Fontwell)
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