NAPS HAT-TRICK WORTH 130 POINTS: Daqman completed a another hat-trick of naps yesterday – worth 130 points to 20-points level stakes – with April Dusk (WON 2-1), taking him to 16 out of 31, of which the last 14 have won or been placed. The three in a row are:
WON 7-4 DJAKADAM (banker nap)
WON 11-4 MARAWEH (nap, from 5.5)
WON 2-1 APRIL DUSK (nap)
BETDAQ DUEL LANDS 36 BEST BETS: Says Daqman: ‘I’m so far in front of Pricewise again already (11-3) that I’m glad of competition from my BETDAQ colleague, Shamrock, who currently has 20 naps up from 33, which is a 60% strike rate. I’m after you, Shamrock!’ The duo’s winning naps currently total 36 in their combined sequences. Daqman’s is:
Naps: 113211011101F001F21232112213111
DECEMBER GOLD CUP ABC GUIDE: Today Daqman features his horse-by-horse ABC guide to Saturday’s December Gold Cup. Tips for the day are at the foot of the column.
ART TICKS ALL THE BOXES FOR GOLD CUP
1.50 Cheltenham, Saturday (December Gold Cup) Great names like Flyingbolt and Pendil won this way back. In recent years, Fondmort and Monkerhostin were among the best winners. Paul Nicholls has won it three times in the last six years.
With a sunny day forecast for Saturday, and the ground currently good to soft, we can expect this 2m 4f chase to be run at speed.
A Won or been placed at Cheltenham (10/10)
B Aged five to eight (9 out of 10)
C Rated 142-151 (6/10)
D Ran in PP Gold Cup (6/10)
ABCD Art Mauresque
Third to easy winner Irish Cavalier on his return before winning well back in novice company at Cheltenham. Trainer Paul Nicholls says he’s grown up a lot.
But handicapper not impressed – has raised him only 3lb since April – and he was only sixth in PP Gold Cup over this CD, behind Annacotty, Buywise, Sound Investment and Irish Cavalier; not much better off at the weights on Saturday.
ABC Champagne West
Ran four times in a row at Cheltenham, including back-to-back novice chases at this time last year, but has been dropped a couple of pounds since losing his form at the start of the year. First run back: 121. But this is a return after injury.
ABC Little Jon
Now 9lb better for 10 lengths with Irish Cavalier on Cheltenham festival form after running fourth to Annacotty, for which he’s 5lb better for eight lengths. Needs to have improved but 5lb claim helps.
ABC Salubrious
Grade-1 hurdler – second in the Relkeel and the Long Walk – but down the field at Cheltenham and Aintree festivals. Two from two over fences, though rating not raised for the last of them. Mudlover.
ABD Annacotty
Improved on Cheltenham success in January when landing the PP Chase there last month but it’s a tight call now at revised weights with runner-up Buywise, third Sound Investment, fifth Irish Cavalier and sixth horse home, Art Mauresque.
ABD Buywise
The unlucky horse at Cheltenham last month (slipped early; mistake three out) when he charged home to get within half a length of Annacotty, reversing earlier form with Sound Investment.
ABD Generous Ransom
No show at Cheltenham in two runs back, including behind Annacotty on the last day. Big chance if he can reproduce Cheltenham Festival third to Irish Cavalier, with a 17lb turnaround for three lengths.
ABD Irish Cavalier
Beaten by Generous Ransom as a novice, took his revenge on advantageous terms at the Cheltenham Festival and won his prep race for the PP Gold Cup. Despite a 5lb rise for that, he led two out and is poised to redeem himself again at Saturday’s weights.
ABD Johns Spirit
PP Gold Cup winner of 2013 and second last year off 156. Has kept Grade-1 company since but well behind in last months’ PP Gold Cup renewal when the ground was too soft.
ABD Sound Investment
Big improver this year to win the Greatwood Chase in the Spring and then, returning this autumn, the Old Roan Chase after a prep run.
Improved again on first trip to Cheltenham to take third off a big weight behind Annacotty in the PP Gold Cup. But only one horse has won this December Gold Cup with 11st 10lb or more since 1991.
BC Tenor Nivernais
Has failed to reach the frame, hurdles or chases, in six attempts at Cheltenham, mainly in handicaps to Grade 3. Goes well when fresh, as when romping 27-lengths clear in small field at Ascot last month. Has never followed up.
B Doctor Phoenix
Has won two of three chases in a light career, improving with racing as he did over hurdles. Jumps well but a lot to find at this stage.
B Pass The Hat
Irish raider who won two Graded races at home last year, not disgraced, fourth, in the United House Gold Cup at Ascot. Not much to show for this year’s campaign but handicapper not keen to help him out.
B Shantou Magic
This looks mighty tough for a Southwell and Bangor novice winner but he shaped quite well behind Irish Cavalier at Newton Abbot, albeit more than 17 lengths last to finish.
B Turn Over Sivola
Has won only a novice chase at Huntingdon surrounded by 15 defeats since his last hurdles success at Wincanton in the Spring of 2013. Some 11 of those defeats were when placed second or third, which tells the story of a nearly horse, found lacking at the business end.
B Village Vic
The handicapper has had to put him up 11lb for back-to-back chasing successes this autumn after a series of injuries spoiled his potential as a youngster. Can he do more catching up at the age of eight? It’s unlikely.
C Mozoltov
Grade-2 winner over both hurdles and fences but not seen since the 2014 Punchestown Festival, and completed the course just once in 20 months. With Ireland’s great champion trainer, Willie Mullins but you have to go back to 1993 to find a winner over eight years old.
C Texas Jack
Third Irish raider. Has struggled for most of his senior career and has now been dropped back to a rating 2lb below what he achieved as a novice two years ago. Just one Grade-2 win since those novice days, though well supported earlier this year for top events in Ireland.
BLAZING A TRAIL TO THE NAP
1.35 Leicester As last year, Chicoria won when fresh on his reappearance. He followed up with a close second last year, and is favourite to add to his Market Rasen success last month.
But I had a whisper for Bekkensfirth when he was withdrawn after the ground turned heavy last week. It’s a drying-out good to soft on the chase course this afternoon: 9.8 for a bit of win and place.
3.35 Leicester There are question marks over several in this race: Salmanazar is reluctant and a hood didn’t help on the last day. Maybe he’ll go well fresh; but it’s a ‘maybe.’
Discay, Goodbye Dancer and Milord have won only on a soundish surface and it’s heavy on this hurdles course. Maybe, maybe, maybe..
Thatcher’s Gold was easy to back this morning, with fears that his Uttoxeter win was a one-off after a long break and that he’ll bounce. Space Walker pulls hard.
Hedley Lamarr (a 4.0 shot when I analysed the race) is destined for fences but may win this by default: a big, long-striding sort, he showed up well at Cheltenham on his seasonal debut and could be too strong for this field round the hills and dales of Oadby.
It is a shocking day’s racing and, with Hedley Lamarr weighted like a class-2 horse, he may be one of the few with any claims to a future.
There are one or two like that at Kempton Park but, with precious little form to go on, we can only play small stakes and watch.
If Hedley doesn’t land the nap, get out your DVD of Blazing Saddles and have a good laugh at him. If that doesn’t work, watch an old black-and-white of Hedy Lamarr, herself; she was way ahead of modern models and celebs when she self-effacing declared:
‘Any girl can be glamorous. All you have to do is stand still and look stupid.’
The splendid irony of that remark is that she wasn’t in the least stupid: as well as playing in films that made her a fortune, she invented the ‘frequency hopping’ technology which prevented the Germanys from jamming our guided-torpedoes systems. Oh, and she wasn’t bad looking either!
5.10 Kempton Likely-favourite Cape Banjo and expensive Derby-entered newcomer Khor Al Udaid are drawn out wide and that may play into the hands of the leading two-year-old trainer on the course, Saeed Bin Suroor, who has had five winners from his last eight runners.
He saddles another costly sort, Short Distance, from stall 5 offered at 2.95 on BETDAQ this morning, as I write.
6.10 Kempton Sir Roger Moore looked a different ‘horse’ on his first run after being gelded – well, he would, wouldn’t he – and can make up for lost time, reverting to handicaps: 8.8 taken.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked 1 to 9)
BET 2.2pts win and place BEKKENSFIRTH (1.35 Leicester)
BET 7pts win (nap) HEDLEY LAMARR (3.35 Leicester)
BET 6pts win SHORT DISTANCE (5.10 Kempton)
BET 2.5pts win and place SIR ROGER MOORE (6.10 Kempton)
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