MONEY FOR CHELTENHAM OUTSIDER: Can anything beat some of those odds-on favourites at the Cheltenham Festival? Surely a move for an outsider would be significant, particularly if backed up by Daqman’s famous Man In The Long Grass. Here’s one at around 17.5 BETDAQ offers.
BET ON HUSH-HUSH BLACK OP!
My man in the long grass has been trampled on lately. Fair’s fair, and things haven’t gone his way. But he lives to fight another day, albeit the safari hat is slightly dented.
It came in handy for his secret military duties. Or at least that’s the name of the horse – Black Op – being trained by Tom George for the Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival.
Black Op ran away with a novice hurdle by 17 lengths at Doncaster, eased down, in January and would have scored again, deliberately sent to try the Cheltenham obstacles 18 days later, but rapped his shin as he took the last.
Goodish ground at the festival will make a big difference (he was tongue-tied against the hard labour of Cheltenham in the mud when just run out of it).
The handicapper was impressed and put him up almost a stone, yet the stable still says he is better than the bare form, and just coming to himself as an athlete of potentially high rank.
My man saw him do a convincing gallop at the weekend and he’s shortening up for the Ballymore (17.5 on BETDAQ last I looked), despite continued strength in the odds-on favourite, Samcro.
The handicapper has no doubt had his eye on Black Op, since the form of his game bumper win at Doncaster last Spring was super-franked when the very smart runner-up, Claimantakinforgan, won a Supreme Trial at Ascot in December.
So it is we have the first building blocks for our ante-post book of the big races to come this Spring:
33-1 ABOLITIONIST Grand National to win 100 (3pts staked)
17.5 BLACK OP Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle to win 50 (3pts stake)
GETALONG TO BETTER THINGS..
2.25 Kelso Cyrus Darius, has to shrug off a penalty if he is to repeat last year’s triumph in this race, when the favourite came down and presented him with an easier task. He’s mostly been chasing since then.
Apart from a crack at the Cheltenham festival, Better Getalong has never been out of the frame, winning four times (4-6), yet is unexposed at today’s distance.
He’s now stepped up in trip but is bred for it and, in fact, it’s a surprise that he hasn’t been asked to show his stamina before now.
Again on breeding, Dame Rose should be better equipped for 2m 2f than Chti Balko, but Nicky Richards has won this twice in the last six years and Better Getalong should make it three at slightly better than 2-1 on BETDAQ early mouse.
3.35 Kelso Worries about the favourite here. Planet Nine prefers a sounder surface, is up 7lb and the hood that helped him win at Catterick is left off.
There were two maidens in second and third when Bruichladdich won at Hexham last Spring and he’s been beaten twice since.
Landecker has been in the frame 11 times in 15 course visits,
scoring five times, and his form figures here since November 2016 are: 12321. Very tasty win and place at 9.5
3.45 Fontwell There have been no winners of this above 11st 1lb, but Prettylittlething’s best form is on a sound surface, Silver Ticket is still a maiden and Willshebetrying has changed stables five times since August 2014 and scored just the once, albeit here over this CD at Fontwell recently.
The Green Ogre has dropped well down the handicap for a yard which does exceptionally well at the Sussex tracks. Another around 9.0 that’s worth a shot.
We know that all last-day winners at this level are questionable. Last time Tactical Manouevre came to the track after a win, he pulled up. Minellatillmorning won only a conditionals’ race, so they are hardly ones to follow.,
4.20 Fontwell Neil Mulholland’s Bath yard has had four winners in the last 11 days and the time to catch Matrow’s Lady is when she’s fresh at this time of year, witness her 20-length romp in the heavy at Lingfield last January after 10 months off.
She’s obviously a glass horse but surely a better risk at 5.5 in these circumstances than the appropriately named Shockingtimes (one win since 2013), Redmond (needs a soundish surface) and Turban (1-20 since 2013).
DAQMAN’S BETS (each staked to win 20, except ante-post)
BET 10pts win (nap) BETTER GETALONG (2.25 Kelso)
BET 2.25pts win and place LANDECKER (3.35 Kelso)
BET 2.5pts win and place THE GREEN OGRE (3.45 Fontwell)
BET 4.5pts win MATROW’S LADY (4.20 Fontwell)
BULL’S-EYE BET (to win 50): BET 3pts win BLACK OP (ante-post 17.5, Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle, Cheltenham, March 14)
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