MYSTERY TIP FOR THE LINCOLN: Daqman is busy working on the Cheltenham Festival, preparing a race-by-race report for next week on all four days. But his stats slog over the form book was interrupted by a mystery caller, who told him: ‘This horse will win the Lincoln.’ Read about it in his column below.
CONFIDENT ‘HORSE WHISPERER’: Says Daqman: ‘I didn’t recognise the man’s voice. The caller sounded confident. But I have no idea how good the tip is, though the story certainly rings true. Maybe he was the man from Porlock. Maybe he was pulling my leg. Maybe.. just maybe.. my horse whisperer knows something.’
LINCOLN IS A GOOD CALL FOR THE LINCOLN
Did I hear you right? We’re been concentrating in this column on Cheltenham and the Grand National but somewhere, sandwiched in between, is the start of the Flat and the Lincoln Handicap.
I heard a whisper the other day for a horse laid out for the race in one of those conversations which sounded a bit like the famous Abbot and Costello sketch (watch it on You Tube).
In the sketch about a baseball team, guys called Who and What are on first and second base (suspension of disbelief required).
Lou: Who’s on first?
Bud: Who.
Lou: What?
Bud: No, What’s on second.
Lou: Who?
Bud: No, he’s on first.
Lou: Who’s on first?
Bud: Who.
When my mobile rang the other day, a voice I did not recognise said: Are you Daqman? Do you want the winner of the Lincoln? I replied: ‘Maybe’ and ‘yes please’ in that order.
Me: The Lincoln, you said?
Man: Yes.
Me: What’s it called?
Man: Lincoln.
Me: Yes, I do know the race.. (hint of sarcasm). It’s a mile handicap at Doncaster in March. I like to get things straight; one mile straight, in fact; but what’s the horse called?
Man: Lincoln.
Me: Lincoln’s the race.
Man: No, Lincoln’s the horse.
Me: So what’s the race?
Man: The Lincoln
Me: Maybe I’m missing something here, but…
Man: Don’t miss it! That’s the whole point (by now, I had called up the Lincoln runners on the Racing Post site, and found a horse called.. you guessed it, Lincoln).
Me: Ahhhh! It’s Lincoln for the Lincoln.
Man: Exactly
Me: Do I know you?
HOOFTNOTE: Lincoln, trained by Mick Channon, is a four-year-old on a hat-trick in the big race at Doncaster on March 28, the first of back-to-back wins at the end of last season coming at Doncaster itself under Graham Lee.
The West Ilsley stables regard Lincoln as ‘a very nice horse; improving, and should stay the mile.’ Martin Harley, who won on him on soft ground at Ayr, and could also be in line for the mount, says: ‘I’m a massive fan’.
So there it is. Lincoln could win the Lincoln, the first big race of the 2015 Flat season. You read it here first. But Who knows What will happen! And Who knows Who that was on the phone.
NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT
Small fields are the order of the day. Just two out of the six races in Leicester have three places attracting 8 and 10 runners in the second and third races. The remainder have less than 8 runners.
Three out of seven at Catterick have more than the required eight runners to have three places.
Ironically, at what is supposed to be the wrong time of year for flat racing, the All Weather is the Each Way punters saving grace with all seven races at Lingfield above the eight runners. Although with the safety limit meaning there can never be four places (16 or more runners), it cannot be sniffed at on a day like today, to get the value of three places in every race.
However, this is what we have to work with today but I feel that I have still found the best value of the day.
My nap, and only bet for Catterick runs at 3.30 and it is the formidable combination of JP McManus and Jonjo O’Neill teaming up with Richie McLernon in the saddle. Less Time won on his last time out, his third attempt over fences. Although he is relatively short on experience with only 9 runs his hurdles form was encouraging at times like finishing third behind Cheltenham fancy, Parlour Games.
Less Time won very readily at Market Rasen and there is every possibility that he can build on that this afternoon. At just a shade of odds on, he still looks to be the value bet and it is hard to look beyond him.
In the opener at Leicester, again a small field of just seven runners, despite being put up seven pounds for his last run, Expanding Universe still appears to be the one they all have to beat. It was his first try over three miles and he showed that he stayed really well and that will be required again today.
Gentle George and Bally Braes look to be the main dangers but I think Expanding Universe can continue the good run of form of the Tony Carroll stable.
Later on at Leicester, in the concluding Handicap Chase, Sam Twiston-Davies takes the mount on the very consistent Iona Days. Although she was running quite well over the longer trip of three miles, she probably wasn’t fully seeing out the trip. Stepping back to two and a half today should aid her cause and she seems well enough handicapped to do the business.
Over on the All Weather, I have two selections. One at 3.10 which looks to be the best Each Way bet of the day in the 10 runner handicap over seven furlongs. Black Truffle is currently around 8/1 on BETDAQ and off bottom weight in a race that is likely to have a strong pace. Six furlongs is probably his optimum trip but he has won over seven previously and can go very close once again.
In the penultimate race over two miles, and the top weight, Keep Kicking looks to have a great chance of following up his last win at Chelmsford over today’s trip. Jim Crowley’s mount won nicely that day and the form has been franked since. This does seem to be a competitive race but the Simon Dow charge can contend with the rise in the weights to win again.
DAQMAN’S BETS (1 to 9 stakes show the strength; 10 is a banker)
BET 6pts win EXPANDING UNIVERSE (2.20 Leicester)
BET 2pts win and place BLACK TRUFFLE (3.10 Lingfield)
BET 8pts win (Nap) LESS TIME (3.30 Catterick)
BET 4pts win KEEP KICKING (4.10 Lingfield)
BET 4pts win IONA DAYS (4.50 Leicester)
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