DAQMAN BIDS FOR FOUR NAPS OUT OF FIVE: Daqman scored his winner a day for five days running yesterday with Nortonthorpe Boy (WON 100-30) at Kempton. Today’s nap, going for four out of five, is at Wolverhampton tonight. Clonmel failed an inspection this morning.
17 IRISH RUNNERS LEFT IN THE GOLD CUP: News from Ireland is that Willie Mullins will be prepping his team for Cheltenham, despite the current travel problems, and has seven of the 17 Irish runners left in the Gold Cup.
MULLINS READY FOR CHELTENHAM
Few trainers will hold a stronger hand.. So opened an article in an English national newspaper this week about Cheltenham. A stronger hand than..?
I was waiting for the usual (Willie Mullins, Gordon Elliott, Paul Nicholls) but the answer – ‘a stronger hand than Henry De Bromhead’ – was a little unexpected.
Even if Gold Cup fourth Monalee were fit and healthy, I can’t see Henry having a stronger hand than the three I’ve mentioned.
The answer is in the lazy word ‘few.’ It means almost anything we want it to mean. Or in this case, served to brush aside objection.
Minella Indo and A Plus Tard are cited as ‘hardly shabby substitutes.’ But, in fact, they are tied together not merely by stable but by form.
Minella was favourite when he fell in the Savills at Leopardstown, won by A Plus Tard.
It was his second Grade 1 after being beaten by Champ in the RSA last March. The third horse home, Allaho, has failed amid considerable ballyhoo since.
If I were punting Cheltenham now (and I hardly ever do until the going is known near the day), A Plus Tard would be the only one on my short list of those I’ve mentioned here.
A strong contender but not an overall strong hand. Though I wish Henry the best of luck and very much recognise his skills as a trainer, it is not the case of – as the heading to the story declared – ‘De Bromhead holding most cards at Cheltenham.’
Meanwhile, Willie Mullins, who had seven winners from 56 Cheltenham contenders last year, says he will continue preparing for March in the hope that there will be a break in the lockdown and the consequent travel restrictions.
The festival has been an Irish goldmine, ever since Vincent O’Brien won the Gold Cup three years in succession with Cottage Rake (1948-50).
Al Boum Photo heads 41 entries for this year’s race, one of seven entries for Willie Mullins among 17 for Ireland.
IT’S HARD TO FIND A PERFECT WORLD
⭕ 2.15 Southwell I like the one where Stephen Hawking is quizzed by the interviewer about parallel worlds.
‘Do you think there’s one where I am as clever as you are?’ he was asked.
Replied Hawking: ‘Yes, and there’s even one where your jokes are better than that!’
Parallel World (BETDAQ 9.8) could be in a race at Southwell today where he does better than in one at Newcastle in November.
He was pipped into third, a head and a short head, by Perfect Swiss, giving the winner 7lb. They meet on level terms this afternoon but with Parallel World claimed off so that he has 12lb with which to turn over the form.
But his two wins at Southwell have been over 7f and the issue remains: can he stay the mile, even with this weight concession, even after wind surgery. It’s a worry that his stable continues out of form (0-12)?
Perfect Swiss, on the other hand, won his fifth race at a mile only last week, and it was also here at Southwell, on his fibresand debut.
He stormed home eight lengths from the Wolverhampton winner, Thrill Seeker, and is probably still on the upgrade… on the BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE 2.76.
HE’LL DO MORE IN THE MUCK…
⭕ 2.28 Ffos Las This is a cracking little novices handicap over fences that will take some jumping in the mud.
Lieutenant Rocco put up a performance full of promise on his transfer from Colin Tizzard to Nick Mitchell, when running up to Fusil Raffles at Cheltenham, despite twisting a shoe.
Fusil Raffles was winning three in a row still standing, and was himself giving weight that day.
Rocco has to beat Muckamore (BETDAQ 3.75), favourite but made no show on his chase debut (Market Rasen, good) but his hurdles and Point success were on soft-heavy.
CASTLEBAR LOOKS NAP OF THE DAY
⭕ 5.30 Wolverhampton Charlie Appleby has had just three runners since Boxing Day, all winners. Castlebar in this handicap is his sole English runner for the four-timer.
But he could already have won the UAE 1,000 Guineas Trial at Meydan (4.15) with Looktotherainbow, to be ridden by William Buick.
Looktotherainbow’s sire, Dubawi, gets many winners on the Meydan dirt, and had a superb year on turf last year, too, with such as Ghaiyyath.
Castlebar turned over an odds-on stablemate at Newcastle last month and beat a John Gosden contender into second place.
Book of Secrets stopped the favourite, next-time-winner Coupe De Champagne, when scoring at Lingfield and he gets 10lb from Castlebar, which I’m hoping maintains the chance this morning of getting eight for every 10 bet on Castlebar in the BETDAQ exchange offers.
TOM’S BACK ON BOARD TINTORETTO
⭕ 7.00 Wolverhampton Beauty Choice, described by trainer Charlie Fellowes as ‘electric out of the gates’ will be hard to keep out of the frame again today.
He’s been drawn 4 and 5 for a first and second on the track the last twice, and bags the four stall again tonight.
Kapono has four lengths to make up on Beauty Choice with a 7lb pull and Hollie Doyle determined not to make the tardy start that cost precious ground that day.
But the one I fancy for my pound is 10.5 BETDAQ offer Tintoretto, back-to-back winner for Tom Marquand at Kempton last Spring, and now back to his winning mark with Marquand in the saddle again.
DAQMAN’S BETS
2.15 Southwell (win 20)
BET 2.25pts win PARALLEL WORLD
BET 2pts win PERFECT SWISS (stakes saver)
2.28 Ffos Las (win 10)
BERT 3.5pts win MUCKAMORE
5.30 Wolverhampton (win 8)
BET 10pts win (nap) CASTLEBAR
7.00 Wolverhampton (win 20)
BET 2pts win TINTORETTO
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