SON OF O’BRIEN CROWNED TRAINER OF THE FUTURE: A sensational all-Irish finish to the Melbourne Cup this morning puts 24-year-old Irish handler Joseph O’Brien on the podium of world’s top trainers. His victory was greeted by a massive Aussie roar in the Flemington stands and a television forecast Down Under delivered in shocked tones: Crikey, mate; he could be around the big prizes for 50 years!
DAQMAN LEADING THE VALUE-TIPPING CHASE 84-23: In the final week of the Flat season, Daqman and Pricewise remain 84-23, with 297 points the difference between them, as they go head-to-head for a steeplechase, the Haldon Gold Cup at Exeter today, with just one bet each.
JOSEPH STARS IN IRISH CUP 1-2-3
Come on, my son! Ireland’s champion trainers for many years, Aidan O’Brien and Willie Mullins, were pipped for the Melbourne Cup this morning by the new kid on the stable block, Aidan’s son Joseph O’Brien, in an all-Irish 1-2-3.
A final-furlong swoop by the three-year-old Rekindling placed Joseph (24) in the hall of fame of handlers of this multi-million-dollar southern-hemisphere trophy, alongside Bart Cummings, Alain de Royer-Dupre, Dermot Weld and Colin Hayes.
The father seemed to have the race framed and hung up on the wall with Johannes Vermeer, as the 2015 runner-up Max Dynamite could find no more but the son’s Rekindling took a neck out of Johannes on the line under jockey Corey Brown and repainted the world training picture.
It was a triumph for the English St Leger, in which Rekindling was fourth to Capri in September. It was yet again a triumph for the race’s prep pointer, Caulfield Cup, in which Johannes Vermeer was third, and it continued the huge bias in the draw at Flemington as the placed horses were side by side in stalls 4, 3 and 2.
Big Duke (out of 5) was fourth as the only home horse to get into the first six among the English and Irish raiders, with Nakeeta (Iain Jardine in 19) fifth and Thomas Hobson (another Mullins in 20) sixth, leading in the high numbers.
Hughie Morrison’s Marmelo, sixth in the Caulfield, led three furlongs out but weakened and was swallowed up by the closing pack, from which Rekindling and Johannes Vermeer finished two and a half lengths clear.
DYNAMITE RACE FOR FAVOURITES
1.30 Exeter Nine of the last 10 winners were favourite! And the odd one out was joint favourite.. What a jolly race for punters!
Paul Nicholls has won this four times and his favourite here, Chepstow winner Dynamite Dollars, pays 9 for 10 in the BETDAQ orange as I write (5.0 bar one), with the opposition desperate for a run.
2.00 Exeter (Haldon Gold Cup) Paul Nicholls and Tom George have won two apiece since 2010, with George’s Sir Valentino going for back-to-back success 13lb higher than a year ago.
The previous season Vibrato Valtat won for Nicholls but is now making his stable debut for Emma Lavelle off 7lb lower and back to his winning trip for the first time since his Grade-1 skirmishes with Un De Sceaux in the Tingle Creek and Clarence House Chases of 2016/17.
Ar Mad was fourth in that Tingle Creek, with Sir Valentino and Vibrato Valtat behind him, when he lived up to his name with his customary mad pace but dived at one or two fences, and hasn’t been seen since. Has always needed a run back.
The stats say we should ‘expect’ a horse of his age – six and seven year olds are 8 out of 10 – and it’s the Nicholls stable that again catches the eye with two aged six that promised great things last season. Then they met at Aintree.
San Benedetto and Politologue were disputing the lead at the last fence for the Maghull Novices’ Chase when Politologue stumbled badly.
It left San Benedetto to fight out the finish with Forest Bihan, who know has to concede 3lb.
While San Benedetto has been sharpened up over hurdles, Politologue was late in, yet Sam Twiston Davies sides with him and a claimer rides Benedetto.
If the ground has turned soft-heavy in the rain, Politologue,whose last three wins have come between 2m 4f to 2m 6f, would be concerned with the finish but the one plotted to bag this one is 5.9 BETDAQ offer Garde La Victoire, second in the race last year and runner-up at Auteuil in a Listed last month, a fine prep for this.
3.05 Exeter Above Board looked one to follow when overcoming greenness (overjumping) at Worcester on the last day, eventually running out an impressive winner from two previous scorers, one of whom has scored again since.
Jonjo O’Neill sees the race only as a fact-finding mission, which it is for all at this time of year, particularly for hunter-chaser Ask The Weatherman.
Rain enhances the prospects of a first-time winner over this CD last season, Royal Palladium, but his trainer Ventia Williams is 0-15 right now.
It leads me to have a bit of win and place I Am Colin (BETDAQ 22.0), who likes the mud and is another to score first run back last November, and from a stable with current returns, still standing, of 1310.
DAQMAN’S BETS
SUPERNAP: 20pts win DYNAMITE DOLLARS (1.30 Exeter)
BET 3pts win GARDE LA VICTOIRE (2.00 Exeter)
BET 1pt win and place I AM COLIN, and 3pts win (stakes saver) ABOVE BOARD (3.05 Exeter)
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