NAPS DOUBLE AND 8-1 WINNER TWICE: Daqman is in hot form this week with another winning nap yesterday, Tommy Silver (WON 7-2), following Coolking (WON 8-1), his Monday best bet. He also added another 8-1 scorer to make it three winners on the day.
86 POINTS PROFIT IN TWO DAYS: Only on Saturday he completed a hat-trick of bankers with Cue Card (WON 4-9), and landed a treble with a 3-1 winner. Here are the Monday-Tuesday scorers for a profit of 86 points to recommended stakes:
WON 8-1 Coolking (Monday nap)
WON 8-1 Plaisir d’Amour (Tuesday)
WON 7-2 Tommy Silver (Tuesday nap)
WON 4-11 Jerrysback (Tuesday double)
TODAY and TOMORROW: The final instalments of Daqman’s search for his Cheltenham Cavalry.
FRIDAY: The Devon National at Exeter. Can he add to the 8-1 Surrey National winner he landed on Monday.
SATURDAY: More big races with Daqman leading Pricewise 16-8 (there’s a 39-point gap, +25 to -14 to level stakes).
MERCUREY IS MY HANDICAP SNIP
The Cheltenham Cavalry is almost complete. And the search for horses to follow is all about the Gold Cup today, with the defection of Thistlecrack through injury. I picked up Native River in my Fortune Cookies. I deleted last year’s Gold Cup faller Cue Card after Saturday’s success. So my position is clear.
HORSES TO FOLLOW: Already given the big tick: Altior, Ballyandy, Blaklion, Brain Power, Cue Card (for one race), Defi Du Seuil, Douvan, Empire Of Dirt, Finian’s Oscar, Fox Norton, Frodon, Good Thyne Tara, Movewiththetimes, Wholestone, William H Bonney, Yorkhill.
RESULTS SO FAR: Blaklion (2nd 7-2), Cue Card (WON 4-9 and deleted).
ANTE-POST on BETDAQ (to win 100 each): Ballyandy (Supreme Novice Hurdle at 12.0), Brain Power (Champion Hurdle at 8.8).
THISTLECRACK
The rise and rise of Thistlecrack, the World Hurdle and King George winner, is on hold because of a tendon injury. He’s out for the season.
So Cheltenham will be without Annie Power, Coneygree, Don Cossack, Faugheen, Many Clouds, Min, Sprinter Sacre, Thistlecrack and Vautour. I’m glad we kept much of our ante-post powder dry and have escaped the melee of withdrawals.
NATIVE RIVER
Thistlecrack’s demise pushes Native River to the front of the market for a sensational Hennessy, Welsh National and Gold Cup treble.
Accelerated away from his rivals in his prep race, the Denman Chase at Newbury, showing the class they were looking for in his style, in answer to critics who have knocked him as ‘just a galloper’. Newbury meant that he’d shown speed to add to the stamina of carrying top weight to win the marathon at Chepstow
LE MERCUREY
Some of the Native River knockers pointed to his having beaten only a 151-rated in the Denman. That was Le Mercurey. But I think Le Mercurey is destined for better things on a flat track.
Though put in his place by Native River and finishing in front of a below-par Bristol de Mai, he had also finished second in similar circumstances to Many Clouds in December: small field, slow pace.
But the fact remains that Le Mercurey divided a 166 (Many Clouds won) and a 160 (Irish Cavalier third); then split a 168 (Native River won) and a 166 (Bristol De Mai third), yet keeps a mark of 151.
If a horse does that once, it’s flattery; twice, and you have to take notice. He’s only seven and I’d prefer that he didn’t run in the Grand National; nothing in his pedigree says he should.
But he is very highly regarded by Paul Nicholls, and is one to keep on your side for a race that suits him. It’s down to you to find that race, Paul. He looks a snip with that 151 rating, which – to give you a measure of where he is in the handicap – translates as 10st 9lb at Aintree.
ELLIOTT LAUGHING LITTLE APPLES
1.55 Punchestown This is the race in which Willie Mullins launched Un de Sceaux (2013) on a sequence of 12 wins in a row still standing, but I think it’s the first leg of a Gordon Elliott hat-trick.
If you believe in ‘the bigger the field, the bigger the certainty,’ then Knockmaole Boy (not much better than evens this morning) is for you. Not for me as a single bet, because he would require banker stakes, though he should mingle happily in my Daq Multiples.
2.25 Punchestown (Quevega Mares Hurdle) This is a cracking contest, with Cheltenham places to be decided and three hats in the ring.
Elliott again as Apple’s Jade heads the market, around 2-1 on, based on her defeat of Vroum Vroum Mag in the Hattons Grace on her third outing when that one was making her comeback.
Vroum Vroum Mag was back to her best in the Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown and, though Whiteout was only fourth that day and was also well behind in the Hattons Grace, she is 3-3 at Punchestown.
Whiteout beat Limini comfortably in the Mares Champion Hurdle at the Punchestown Festival, with Rock On the Moor only fourth. That was fine form as Limini had won the Mares’ Novices at Cheltenham.
The trip could decide the outcome: Whiteout’s optimum seems to be around 2m 2f. Limini similar and Flat-bred. So Apple’s Jade’s Hattons Grace (2m 4f) takes on a new significance.
3.00 Punchestown Another big field like the opener but this time a Mullins’ hot-pot. But you can get a bigger BETDAQ return for three chances a place on Mossback than for a win with the same stake on Castella Sforza.
Gordon Elliott has won this twice in the last three seasons and Mossback looked in need of this extra furlong when running on third of 21 at Naas. The second has won since.
PAINT THE CLOUDS WITH SUNSHINE
2.10 Doncaster The 210,000-euros buy Charming Zen is a grey start to Doncaster – another for your Daq Multiples – but another grey may be worth a place bet
The top two have to carry double penalties so are giving a 10-lengths start to Bomber Command, huge at 15.5 this morning, with his place return better than the win for both previous winners. His stable took this at 50-1 in 2015.
3.15 Doncaster If this race is any good, you’d hope to find youngsters (no older than six) winning it; sure enough, they are six from eight.
Jonjo O’Neill is currently 3-9 still standing, which is his best strike rate for some time, and his Oscar gelding The Tailgater has bags of stamina on the dam’s side.
A first-time tongue-tie may help Some Kind Lama deal with an 11lb rise for back-to-back wins over this kind of trip, Rocky’s Treasure is half-brother to a 3m winner; and Skip The Cuddles has a cracking stayer’s pedigree, by Westerner out of a Roselier mare.
But The Tailgater (a tasty 7.6 offer) and front-runner Rocky’s Treasure each get bonus points for winning on good ground, and for getting a lump of weight from the other youngsters.
The Tailgater recovered his form here at Doncaster; in fact, might have won but for being checked in the losing stages –
4.20 Doncaster Paint The Clouds goes for a hat-trick in this under Sam Waley-Cohen and looks the banker of the day. I’ll go for gold with a 30-pointer.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 20 points, except the banker)
BET 1.5pts win and place BOMBER COMMAND (2.10 Doncaster)
BET 4pts win and place MOSSBACK (3.00 Punchestown)
BET 3pts win and place THE TAILGATER (3.15 Doncaster)
GOLD BANKER: BET 30pts win (nap) PAINT THE CLOUDS (4.20 Doncaster)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 4 x 2pt win trebles and 1pt win acca KNOCKMAOLE BOY (1.55 Punchestown), CHARMING ZEN (2.10 Doncaster), APPLE’S JADE (2.25 Punchestown), and PAINT THE CLOUDS (4.20 Doncaster)
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