TRULY A SPECIAL BANKER: Special Tiara (WON 8-11) put the Daqman bankers back on track yesterday but there was no great harvest in doubles across the Christmas cards, the pairing of short-priced winners of the big handicaps amounting to only 25-1, and the score in the Daqman v Pricewise challenge remained 7-3.
BIG-RACE DOUBLE BILL: Daqman has another banker today, and another at huge offers, 28.0 in the Pertemps qualifier, which heralds a magnificent double bill at Leopardstown of Christmas Hurdle and Lexus Chase
FORTUNE COOKIE: Vroum Vroum Mag (1.50 Leopardstown)
MULLINS HITS FABULOUS 44% STRIKE
An excess of winners. The third day of Leopardstown dawns ahead of (a forecast of) sunshine, and smiles as wide as the River Barrow at ‘Moneybeg’, with Willie Mullins sending out EIGHT winners from there on the first two days of the Leopardstown Christmas meeting.
Trailing him, but glad to have a single success, are Joseph O’Brien, Jim Culloty, Robert Tyner, Noel Meade, Thomas Mullins and, last but not least (that’s cruel?), Gordon Elliott.
In fact, Gordon, who took over a whole bunch of Gigginstown horses from Willie, still leads the season’s trainers’ table in Ireland on prizemoney won.
But Willie’s not only closed him down to a few thousand euros, but has ramped up his strike rate to 38% (107-279). His dominance at Leopardstown is up from an average of 29% to a fabulous 44% there in the current campaign.
Mullins has 17-strong squad of Leopardstown runners this afternoon and 19 to choose from this morning for tomorrow’s final day of the Christmas meeting.
12.15 Leopardstown Montalbano today makes his debut for Closutton, the name mostly attached to the Co Carlow stables, but I prefer Moneybags (sorry Moneybeg or Muine Beag).
It doesn’t take much detective work (Montalbano not needed) to reckon this Listed-placed in France has a big chance here, for Ruby Walsh, whose form figures over Christmas are 1141111412. Can do better, Ruby!
A place or better might be expected of Cap York (12.5 in the BETDAQ orange), entered up for a Grade-1 at Naas in 12 days’ time. Well related in his NH antecedents, whereas Montalbano is Flat-bred.
HERE IS YOUR STARTER FOR TEN..
12.50 Leopardstown This Pertemps qualifier has recently been won by the top-class Jetson and Forever Gold, every winner so far coming from the bottom half of the handicap.
Willie Mullins has Noble Inn (Walsh) and Wood Breizh (Danny Mullins) 12lb apart, with Wood Breizh – not raced for 520 days – at the right end of the ratings.
Missing from the middle of the handicap is The Crafty Butcher, who ran over fences yesterday instead; second, very nearly pulling off a huge gamble in the PP Chase.
The one to be on for a flutter may be Mahler Ten, a half-brother to none other than Native River, and sure to appreciate this step up in trip.
He’s inexperienced but I would start following him now at 28.0 on BETDAQ. Noble Inn is also ‘big’ at 12.0.
IN THE BAG FOR VROUM VROUM MAG
1.50 Leopardstown (Christmas Hurdle) My Fortune Cookie Vroum Vroum Mag – I can lay claim to her, as I tipped her at a big price ante-post to win the Mares’ Final in March – can return to form here, after just failing to catch Apple’s Jade in the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse.
She was the ‘moral’, beaten narrowly giving weight to the winner, but gets the mares’ allowance in this Grade 1.
For all her 10 in a row before that, Vroum Vroum is still rated a pound behind Clondaw Warrior but gets 7lb here against a stablemate who will be 10 years old in a few days’ time.
And, if we could trust his hurdling, Snow Falcon, who might have won the Long Distance at Newbury but for a fall three out, would be a bigger danger, as a potential improver, still only six.
He’s never run in a handicap but, if he did, would have to saddle 7lb extra for losing that race! That puts him, officially, 2lb ahead of Clondaw Warrior and 10lb ahead of the Nicky Henderson recruit, Kotikova.
Kotikova could do with some rain and the one he beat on the last day, Tara River, was out of sight behind Un De Sceaux in the big-money Barka at Auteuil in May.
De Plotting Shed and Shaneshill were both behind Snow Falcon at Navan last month, so I’m banking on Vroum Vroum Mag
THIS IS ‘GOLD CUP’ DAY FOR ‘JACK’
3.00 Leopardstown (Lexus Chase) Winners of this read like a who’s-who of chasing stars in the decade: Denman, Synchronised, Bobs Worth..
Last year’s winner, Don Poli, meets the recent John Durkan one-two, Djakadam and Outlander, but the sunshine could dry up the Don’s chance today: he was pulled up on a sound surface in the Down Royal Champion Chase last month.
That race was won on his debut for Henry de Bromhead by another Gigginstown decamper from Closutton, Valseur Lido, the Cheltenham Ryanair runner-up who was 12 lengths behind Djakadam in the 2015 John Durkan (2m 4f) on heavy.
We shall soon know what Ruby Walsh thinks about this return match, if he kicks on over this extra trip – it’s 3m today – and makes this the trade bet of the day.
Djakadam has proved a nearly horse, runner-up to two Gold Cup winenrs, Coneygree and Don Cossack, as well as being placed behind Many Clouds and Cue Card.
I look at it like this: the Lexus is Djakadam’s Gold Cup and, all in all, he has much better form than Valseur Lido, despite a difference of just a poound in their ratings.
After that, there are five in this field all racing off 161, with Outlander off 160 and, if Djakadam does go on, it’s worth joining in the battle for the places at 12.0 bar two in the BETDAQ orange.
Decent ground is the key to Zabana –beat Outlander in the Champion Novice at Punschestown in the Spring – and the 12.0 is interesting in the sunshine about a horse with form figures at Leopardstown of 1314.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET (to win 20): 1.75pts win and place CAP YORK (12.15 Leopardstown)
BULL’S-EYE BETS (to win 50): 4.5pts win NOBLE INN, and 1.75pts win and place MAHLER TEN (12.50 Leopardstown)
BANKER: BET 20pts win (nap) VROUM VROUM MAG (2.50 Leopardstown)
BET (to win 20) 11pts win DJAKADAM and (place to win 10) 1pt win and 3pts place ZABANA (3.00 Leopardstown)
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