WHO ELSE KNEW? BACK-TO-BACK NAPS FOR DAQMAN: Whether the heady heights of a Group race at Longchamp or a novice auction stakes at Southwell, he knows you know! Daqman’s nap was opposed out to 9-2 just before the off at Southwell yesterday – and the SP was probably a travesty – but Littledidyouknow made it back-to-back best bets after his supernap on Morgan Le Faye at Longchamp on Sunday.
WON 7-2 LITTLEDIDYOUKNOW (Monday nap)
WON 7-10 MORGAN LE FAYE (Sunday supernap)
SUPERNAPS-DOUBLE PUNCHESTOWN LAUNCH TODAY: Today and every day during Punchestown, Daqman will present a naps double, one best bet at the festival, one in England. What better way to start than with two supernaps today! His current four supernaps out of five are:
WON 7-10 MORGAN LE FAYE (supernap, Sunday)
WON 5-6 CRYSTAL OCEAN (supernap, Friday)
WON 6-4 HONEYSUCKLE (supernap, last Sunday)
WON 4-9 KACHY (supernap, last Friday week)
Daqman also goes value hunting, 6-5 up on Pricewise
DON’T MISS THE DETTORI SUPERNAP
2.45 Yarmouth Mark Johnston loves to take one down to Newmarket-by-the-Sea and show the HQ stables who’s boss. He is 4-9 with two-year-old races. Don’t Joke! It’s Frankie Dettori on an even-money supernap.
3.05 Nottingham Early money for this one last night. Illetyougonow, related to Group winners on the dam’s side, has been working well with horses nearly a stone better on known form, and my man in the long grass expects her to go close. Morning best price 10.0 offers on BETDAQ.
3.15 Yarmouth This is a race not to miss on TV. It may be a match between Frankie on Derby outsider Questionare for John Gosden and Ryan Moore riding Babbo’s Boy for Michael Bell in receipt of 6lb, which could make the difference.
5.25 Yarmouth Sara Del Fabbro is 100% (2-2) for trainer Bell, who has trained a winner a day for the last three days. The combination is a win-and-place punt with Power Of Life at 6.6 on BETDAQ.
QUICK, GRAB THE BETDAQ 8.0 OFFERS
4.20 Punchestown (Champion Novice Hurdle) This opening day at Punchestown is dominated by Willie Mullins with 13 winners in the decade (excluding bumpers and banks races), with Gordon Elliott (3), Jessica Harrington (3) and Noel Meade (2) next and the rest tailed off.
Willie has four of the six runners in this novice championship, which he has won six times in the 10 seasons, including with Hurricane Fly, Faugheen and Douvan, all odds on.
But his last year’s winner – again with four from the yard taking part – was a 25-1 shot when the stable’s 11-10 favourite, Getabird, failed to perform, possibly having run too recently at the Cheltenham and Fairyhouse festivals.
Klassical Dream has had only two runs this year – two Grade 1 wins – but scored only a head at Leopardstown in February, before winning more easily at Cheltenham, beating Aramon in both races.
Felix Desjy was behind Klassical Dream at Cheltenham and then just held on from Aramon at Aintree, so the form has worked out a Dream! But, if it works out again today, another Mullins contender, Quick Grabim, would win on the figures.
Aramon was giving a pound to Klassical Dream when they were separated by a head at Leopardstown but was receiving 7lb from Quick Grabim when he beat that one four-and-a-half lengths at Navan in November.
Quick Grabim, in the same ownership as Klassical Dream, turned the tables when seven lengths clear of Aramon in winning the Royal Bond at Fairyhouse in December.
Klassical Dream improved to score at Cheltenham, and Aramon may have been to the well too often, but is the Dream really 9lb better than Quick Grabim, as they are rated by the handicapper?
It could be a case of ‘quick grab the BETDAQ offer of 8.0’, even though J P McManus has a spoiler to the home form with English-trained raider Champagne Platinum.
This future chaser ‘beat nothing well’ in two novice hurdles late last year. Related to a Gold Cup winner on the dam’s side, Nicky Henderson regarded him as ‘impressive and likely to be more so.’
This is a much better race than the odds on about the favourite suggests and Quick Grabim – huge at 7.8 on BETDAQ – is a fresh horse and collaterally the form horse, though Henderson may have a corker for the future in Champagne Platinum.
IT’S ALL HAIL MIN THE MAGNIFICENT
5.30 Punchestown (Champion Chase) Min was well behind in fourth when Un De Sceaux won this last year but is now rated 5lb higher than his arch rival after landing the John Durkan, the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase and, on the last day, cruising 20 lengths clear of Politologue in the old Melling Chase at Aintree.
Min had been beaten a neck by Politologue in the Melling the year before, and looks set for similar revenge today over the three-years-older Un De Sceaux, who has not looked the same horse that defeated Douvan a year ago, albeit lightly raced since.
Min is dropped to 2m but has his trail-blazing stablemates Great Field and Un de Sceaux to make this a whirlwind private gallop for the Mullins squad, and rain should bring stamina into play.
May the best man win, and may it be Min! Three previous winners in the decade were victors here after winning the Melling Chase: Fox Norton, God’s Own and Sprinter Sacre.
DELTA WINS BUT DOESN’T LIKE WORK
6.40 Punchestown (Champion Novice Chase) Getabird, he who flopped in the champion novice hurdle last year (see 4.20 analysis), has had a light campaign this time round; not see since December.
But that means he’s had only two chases in his life, winning his beginners here at Punchestown (2m) before succumbing by half a length to Gordon Elliott’s Hardline at Limerick (2m 3f+).
Can he now step up to 3m on his favourite right-handed track? Or has the Hardline stable got the answer to him again with Delta Work?
Beaten only a neck in Grade-1 novice hurdle at this Punchestown Festival a year ago, Delta Work’s switch to fences produced a hat-trick, completed at Christmas over 3m (beat Mortal eight lengths).
Before that he’d slammed the talking horse of those days, Le Richebourg, in the Drinmore, and he went on to finish third in the RSA at Cheltenham (beat Mortal 16 lengths). Surely that form shouts ‘improver’!
A day earlier at Cheltenham, A Plus Tard had taken the novices-handicap apart, winning 16 lengths. He, too, must now step up to 3m, officially 6lb clear at the weights today.
He’s 15lb in front of Winter Escape on the ratings today but, hang on a minute, isn’t that the fella who beat him two lengths giving a stone here at Punchestown in January?
It seems to me that any one of Getabird, A Plus Tard and Winter Escape could turn up here with their A game, but none can be trusted to do so because either ‘in and out’ or changing trip. Getabird could bounce back after his break but I’ll stand by the Delta Work form. He’s done it over and over and over.
You know I’ve had to (Tiger) Roll over about blinkers and the hood when it comes to top-class animals. Davy Russell says that Delta Work wears his hood because he’s ‘so lazy’. I can only say this: if Delta enjoys his Work today, he’ll slam this lot 10 lengths!
DAQMAN’S BETS
2.45 Yarmouth (supernap)
BET 20pts win DON’T JOKE
3.05 Nottingham (win 50)
BULL’S-EYE BET 5pts win and place I’LLETYOUGONOW
3.15 Yarmouth (win 10)
BET 5pts win BABBO’S BOY
4.20 Punchestown (win 30)
BET 4.4pts win QUICK GRABIM
5.25 Yarmouth (win 20)
BET 3.5pts win and place POWER OF LIFE
5.30 Punchestown (festival supernap)
BET 20pts win MIN
6.40 Punchestown (win 20)
BET 12pts win DELTA WORK
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