HE’S RACHAEL’S LUCKY HORSE SAYS DAQMAN: It’s a championship start to Punchestown in three divisions today: champion chase and hurdle for novices and the Champion Chase clash of the holder, Chacun Pour Soi, and the winner of the title at Cheltenham, Energumene. Daqman also tips Rachael Blackmore to win on an unbeaten chaser, who was a lucky winner at Cheltenham.
DAQMAN’S BID FOR SEVEN DAYS WITH A WIN: Romantic Proposal (WON 3-1) yesterday put Daqman on eight winning bets over six consecutive days with a win. Can he make it seven today?
ARDLA ON A VERY LENIENT MARK
⭕ 4.15 Punchestown (Champion Novice Hurdle) Douvan and Faugheen were among a run of six out of seven Willie Mullins winners in this, four of them favourite; he’s currently on a five-timer.
He has two formidable chances with Sir Gerhard and Dysart Dynamo, who had very different experiences of Cheltenham.
Sir Gerhard impressed in the Ballymore and the runner-up, Three Stripe Life, followed up by winning the Aintree equivalent.
Dysart Dynamo had won the Moscow Flyer here at Punchestown in January in such style that he was joint-favourite with Constitution Hill for the Supreme Novices Hurdle. He was going easily after forcing the pace when he fell heavily three out.
Sir Gerhard’s only defeat in seven starts came in the bumper at this festival last year, but the handicapper has him 5lb clear in the ratings. An interesting match which is unlikely to light up any other stable.
⭕ 4.50 Punchestown Favourites rarely win this but Ardla (BETDAQ 5.5), second in a strong maiden on the course in November, has continued on the upgrade yet this mark for his first handicap is lenient, now that the winner when he was third at Navan in January has won the Martin Pipe at Cheltenham.
ENERGUMENE LOOKING CHAMPION
⭕ 5.25 Punchestown (Champion Chase) Another Mullins stable clash, this time with just a pound between two course-and-distance winners.
In fact, Chacun Pour Soi achieved that by winning this race last year from subsequent Cheltenham Ryanair winner, Allaho, when he took over the title from stablemate Un De Sceaux, who had won it for two years running at age 10 and 11.
It is now Chacun Pour Soi who is the older man of the party, now aged 10, but as those results suggest, he himself could be heading for the double, if it wasn’t for the new kid on the block
Energumene had both Chacun Pour Soi and the Cheltenham title-holder Shishkin (unseated rider and pulled up respectively) behind him when taking the Champion Chase there by all of eight lengths in March.
BOB OLINGER TO BE LUCKY AGAIN
⭕ 6.35 Punchestown (Champion Novice Chase) Bob Olinger has won five in a row for Rachel Blackmore and is 3-3 over fences, as part of a six-race winning run.
His Grade-3 novices’ chase strike here in January (runner-up Capodanno) turned out to be his prep for a lucky victory at Cheltenham, when Galopin des Champs fell at the last.
Bob now has to step up half a mile, when all others in this, bar Manifesto winner Millers Bank, have already tried 3m.
But Bob has seen off Lifetime Ambition (beat Beacon Edge in the autumn), while Fury Road has been unsighted behind Galopin des Champs. His odds against this morning on BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE is good value.
ESPRESSOO WORTH A FEW BEANS
⭕ 7.25 Ayr The Mark and Charlie Johnston trained Espressoo showed more than enough in three starts last season to suggest she can lose her maiden tag in this company.
The grey filly ran a fine race on her final start of last year when finishing a half length second to Atomise. The pair pulled eight and a half lengths clear of the third.
Smiling Jayne and Breaking Light both bring good form to the table and look progressive unlike Brazilian Beach and Dandy’s Diva who have had plenty of chances.
Smiling Jayne showed great promise on her debut at Haydock but flopped on her return to the course when sent off favourite and hasn’t been seen again since.
Breaking Light looks a bigger threat judged on her course and distance debut second but needs to reproduce and probably better that form on quicker ground.
TASK IN HAND
⭕ 8.30 Ayr Taskheer can prove too strong for Chookie Dunedin in what could easily develop into a match in the closing seven furlong handicap.
Taskheer should be suited by the drop in trip and the 2lb drop in the weights is a handy bonus and also slightly surprising given his good run in third at Musselburgh last time out.
Chookie Dunedin may finally be in the grip of the handicapper who has raised him another 2lb for a narrow defeat at Catterick last time out when he was chasing a hat-trick.
DAQMAN’S BETS
4.50 Punchestown (win 10)
BET 1.5pts win ARDLA
5.25 Punchestown (supernap)
BET 20pts win ENERGUMENE
6.35 Punchestown (win 10)
BET 7.1pts win BOB OLINGER
7.25 Ayr (win 10)
BET 6.25pts win ESPRESSOO
8.30 Ayr (win 10)
BET 5.5pts win TASKHEER
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.
