FOX TROTS UP IN VALUE-ODDS SEQUENCE: Power to the punter! That cunning old fox Daqman landed six winners in three days when Fox Power made all at Wolverhampton last night, maintaining a run of value SPs from even better odds acquired in BETDAQ offers:
WON 7-2 FOX POWER (Monday)
WON 17-2 THE BIG GALLOPER (Sunday from 14.0)
WON 6-1 GREEN BOOK (Saturday)
Also: 8-13 (Fortune Cookie), 4-9 and 1-5 at the weekend
FORTUNE COOKIES UPDATE-1: With Cheltenham on the horizon, Daqman looks at trainers who are hot and cold. It’s all in the Fortune Cookies update, with the full list published tomorrow.
VENETIA’S TEAM 21-CARAT GOLD
More rich pickings? The Rich Ricci bandwagon has suddenly switched back into top gear, with Willie Mullins saddling him five winners in a row.
They included Chacun Pour Soi and Vauban at the Dubin Festival and followed a rare visit to England the previous week when Royal Pagaille won his second Peter Marsh for England’s trainer of the season, Venetia Williams.
Royal Pagaille was burdened with a 163 rating, the highest since subsequent Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Jodami, in 1997.
If the ground is soft at Cheltenham in March, Royal Pagaille (21.0 in the BETDAQ Sportsbook) would have a 21-carat Gold Cup chance. He was sixth, despite injury, during last year’s race.
Venetia Williams has already won two of the big three chases, the Grand National (Mon Mome 2009) and the King George (Teeton Mill 1998) and, on form, is currently most deserving of the home team to strike Gold in March.
And I’m looking forward to her Aintree entry, Commodore, running for Fortune Cookies in Saturday week’s Haydock Park Grand National Trial, bidding for another big weekend.
Venetia has just had a sensational Saturday at Sandown, landing a double with another Fortune Cookie, L’Homme Presse, and Green Book in the handicap 35 minutes later.
Paul Nicholls Meanwhile, all eyes are on the Paul Nicholls runners this weekend. The stable has had 103 winners at a strike rate of 23% this season.
But that has currently dipped to 5% from two wins and 38 losers.
Nicholls and his worried staff admit they are baffled, having searched every avenue for a reason, and are now, literally, sifting through feedstuffs for any content that may be blamed or that is missing in the daily search for superfine fitness.
Kapcorse, withdrawn last weekend, could run on Friday, but it’s Saturday’s Denman Chase that Ditcheat would like to win, of course.
It has the favourite, Clan des Obeaux, and the new kid on the block, Bravemansgame, who is a Fortune Cookie with us.
🗓️ Tomorrow: Fortune Cookies update.
HOLDING OUT FOR A HERO
⭕ 1.35 Market Rasen The jumps fare looks distinctly modest on Tuesday so just one afternoon selection but it is the nap!
Hometown Hero and Bridget Andrews probably need to do no more than they did at Ludlow last time out when runner-up to Latitude. The Dan Skelton yard continue in good form with 9 winners from their last 36 runners.
Hometown Hero was disputing morning BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE favouritism with the Olly Murphy trained Tigerbythetail who has shown ability in three starts – notably when fourth to Hillcrest at Aintree – but didn’t appear to kick on from that effort with a fourth at Uttoxeter last time out. The Murphy yard (2-35) are quite a bit short of full throttle too at present.
ROXZOFF GETS HANDICAPPER GIFT
⭕ 7.00 Southwell Apart from being a good word in Scrabble, Roxzoff looks to have a cracking chance of following up on his recent Wolverhampton win.
He arrived on the line to win by a short head but it was dodgem cars up the home straight and he might have been value for a little more than that official margin. As such, the handicapper may well have taken a chance by raising the Charles Hills trained runner just a pound. No matter how fine the margins, very few winners escape with such leniency for their next start.
Roamin In Gloamin ran his best race to date when second at Lingfield last time out but is a watching project for me off a starting handicap mark of 71 which looks high enough.
KING FOR A CHECKMATE
⭕ 7.30 Southwell King’s Advice has an exceptional career strike-rate of 11 wins from 33 starts including three on the all-weather. The problem is he is now 16 starts without a win with his last success coming at Glorious Goodwood in 2019.
His recent runs have been more encouraging and suggest a return to winning form might be close by. This race, by his standards, looks very much there for the taking.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 10 points)
BET 6.6pts win (nap) HOMETOWN HERO (1.35 Market Rasen)
BET 5.8pts win ROXZOFF (7.00 Southwell)
BET 3.8pts win KING’S ADVICE (7.30 Southwell)
What are points? Points facilitate a staking plan, which is the secret to creating profit. One point is whatever you choose: a pound, a euro, or whatever ….
Start with a bank and decide how much you can afford to lose over a period of time, and determine the size of your bets accordingly. Daqman makes this variation every day.
