HAPPY NEW BETDAQ YEAR: The four races form-checked by Daqman at Cheltenham this afternoon are just waiting for a shrewd bet from you, with BETDAQ offers hardly overround: recorded this morning (at 11am) as 100: 103: 103: 101. And with 0% commission for new customers to welcome you to BETDAQ 2025!
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BOY FIRST BANKER OF 2025
⭕ 1.30 Cheltenham Youngest horse in the race yet with three wins and two places at Cheltenham in the locker, Broadway Boy looks the banker on day one of the new year.
Such is his consistency, placed seven out of eight over fences and five out of seven hurdling, he’s started favourite seven times in a 15-race career.
On only two occasions has his SP been bigger than 3-1, and he’s been out of the frame just twice, still standing, in 15 starts.
Cloudy Glen is a Kim Muir runner-up but has failed to score at Cheltenham on six consecutive starts. Bowtogreatness is 0-4 on the course.
Though a drifter this morning, Our Power ran second here on his sole start this season and he was fifth in the 2022 Ultima at the festival.
But, despite his age, Chantry House could be the main danger, three times a course winner, including the Golden Miller at the 2021 festival.
The handicapper has been kind and dropped him 9lb on his mark of two years ago, after a hurdles career in the interim.
GEM KEEPS RAISING HIS GAME
⭕ 2.05 Cheltenham Main race of the day, double the money in the winner’s prize packet, and the star stables of the season so far – Venetia Williams and Dan Skelton – are both hungry for another purse.
They have shared three of the last five winners of this 2m 4f+ chase but Nigel Twiston-Davies has had three all to himself in the decade, and Broadway Boy could put him closer to third place in the current championship table.
Skelton runs Midnight River, who won this for him in 2023, then won the Freebooter Chase at Aintree. His modest form since has eased him back to a similar mark in the handicap.
But he’s giving weight to two from stables in form: Gemirande is the hot one, unbeaten for Venetia in two recent strikes, latterly in the December Gold Cup here. That’s sent his mark soaring 16lb.
He’s still a pound behind Jonjo O’Neill’s Springwell Bay, who has won only one chase, a novice here over shorter in November, but has carried forward a strong figure from the hurdles rank.
Lounge Lizard split Ga Law and Il Ridotto in the big Cheltenham chase at the end of January (Hitman 9th of 13), which he’ll probably go for again, today’s race putting two under his belt before then, as was the case last year.
Betdaq Betting Exchange 4 Springwell Bay, 5.6 Gemirande, 12 Midnight River
YEAR STARTS WITH A BANG
⭕ 2.40 Cheltenham It could be significant that the in-form Ben Pauling has switched Twig from the Relkeel, the Graded race run after this handicap.
But it means Twig is set to give weight all round for a high rating after his second in the Ultima Chase at the Festival here in March. Bad mistake in a hurdle the last day.
Itchy Feet, who goes well fresh, hasn’t raced for almost a year and usurps top weight because of Twig’s riding allowance.
Deep Cave, a decent winner on the soft in France, stayed on up the hill here at Cheltenham over 3m on good.
The grey An Tailliur won seven out of eight still standing, going back three years, and is 9lb lower than when sixth here in the Pertemps Final of 2023.
Well backed this morning, What A Johnny ran well, third in a Pertemps qualifier the last day, despite a double mishap: first-time tongue-tie was left off in error; he stumbled over the path on the Market Rasen run-in.
Catch Him Derry, punished two stone for three wins from four starts, went out like a light at Haydock when second favourite for a Grade 3.
It was the race in which Twig pulled up and One Big Bang hit the last or would have been closer to 139-rated Shoot First.
Strackan finally got his act together with a double but, raised 18lb, his front running style, needs a reservoir of stamina at Cheltenham nd was easy to back this morning.
AN ACE IN THE RELKEEL PACK
⭕ 3.15 Cheltenham (Relkeel Hurdle) Twig’s absence leaves half a dozen runners, among them Triumph Hurdle third Salver, having his second run back and looking last time at Haydock as if needing today’s longer trip.
Golden Ace, weighted to turn recent Ascot tables with Lucky Place (when struggling Thunder Rock stopped quickly), has just had her Dawn Run victory at the Festival boosted by the runner-up, Brighterdaysahead.
Langer Dan won his second Coral Cup the previous day at that Festival and Spring is his time to shine.
A small-field novice chase apart, Gowel Road hasn’t scored since 2021.
DAQMAN’S BETS on Betdaq Betting Exchange
★ 1.30 Cheltenham (supernap)
BET 20pts win BROADWAY BOY
2.05 Cheltenham (win 22)
BET 4.75pts win GEMIRANDE
2.40 Cheltenham (win 22)
BET 7pts win ONE BIG BANG
BET 4pts win WHAT A JOHNNY
3.15 Cheltenham (win 20)
BET 7pts win GOLDEN ACE
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