IT’S A BIG WEEKEND FOR PUNTERS Look out for the two-day meeting at Sandown with the Sandown Mile and Classic trial tomorrow and the Sandown Gold Cup on Saturday. Enjoy your value betting on BETDAQ without getting involved with plunge horses, warns Daqman below.
AND IT’S A BIG WEEK FOR BETTING The Fat Lady sings at last for the end of the Jumps.. doing an Irish jig! It’s going to be a sensational Punchestown all next week, starting on Tuesday. Don’t miss race-by-race analysis by Daqman with a bit of lucky Shamrock to help you win.
STEP BACK AND IGNORE THE KITES
Who’s flying these kites? Reported major gambles on the big races are ‘a mystery’ and ‘the case of a double setback’.
We keep saying goodbye to the Jumps but they linger on, while the Flat sputters into life then goes out again.
Sandown has the answer: a Flat card tomorrow and a Gold Cup all of its own to end the NH season on Saturday.
But, while most of us are suffering from the shock results of jaded jumpers and sudden improvement from the Flat contingent, somebody thinks they know something or The Word is around the layers to take cover. Or it’s just a publicity kite.
WHY the reported plunge with bookmakers on Step Back (16-1>7-1) for a repeat win in Saturday’s Sandown Gold Cup?
Trainer Mark Bradstock says: ‘It’s a mystery; nothing to do with us. The owner is a gambler but he hasn’t backed it because we told him we might not even run if it’s firm.’
HOW COME the plunge horse in the 2,000 Guineas, Calyx, was ‘unlikely to run in the first half of the season’ after a setback (I took it out of my Early Bird list) but replaces the same stable’s Too Darn Hot who will ‘not now run in the Guineas after a setback’?
I warn every year about three-year-olds: no one knows how they will develop; as for the form, this is this year, last year was last year.
But the Jumpers? This Step Back thing is a setback for public relations with the punter. You can’t have a shrewd gamble if the trainer and the shrewd gambler don’t even know if their horse is running!
ELLIOTT TO STRIKE AGAIN AT PERTH
1.50 Perth Gordon Elliott won the opener here yesterday with Braid Blue and can strike again with Rakhine State with champion Richard Johnson onboard.
The six-year-old won a maiden at Clonmel on good to yielding ground and was subsequently fourth in a much higher grade race at Leopardstown.
He should be able to give weight away to Fanzio and the topically named Snookered who just seems to find the minimum trip too much.
2.50 Beverley Musharrif looks one to take on here. It’s odd to see him stepped back to 5f as he was staying on over 6f at Thirsk when fourth first time out this season. It was a good effort but the distance move doesn’t add up to me and there is also a big question mark over trainer form.
Similar concerns on the trainer form front with second in Mininggold who is consistent but Darlington based trainer Michael Dods has failed to score with any of his 18 runners in the last two weeks.
In contrast, Archie Watson could’t be on better form (11 winners from last 30) and we should get a good run from the top weight It’s All A Joke on his first turf start for the yard and he is only 1lb higher in the handicap than when he won a Class 4 at Lingfield in February. I’ll go for a WIN 20 return in both the WIN and PLACE BETDAQ markets.
3.20 Beverley My man in the long grass puts in a good word for the lightly raced Henry Candy trained runner Nefarious.
The colt has been given a break since making a winning handicap debut at Wolverhampton in January and looks the sort to continue to improve this season and can strike a blow in this better class race.
Fahey and Johnston (coupled) have had a good strike-rate in this race over the years and both have runners today. Biggest danger may come from the Richard Fahey trained King Of Tonga, although on the evidence to date he may need need easier ground optimally.
DAQMAN’S BETS (Staked to win 20 points unless stated otherwise)
1.50 Perth
BET 13.3pts win (nap) RAKHINE STATE
2.50 Beverley
BET 2pts win and 9.3pts place IT’S ALL A JOKE
3.20 Beverley
BET 8.5pts win NEFARIOUS
EARLY BIRDS (20pts level stakes)
7.00 Chelmsford
EIRENE
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