NEWBURY QUARTET: DAQMAN heads to Newbury on Wednesday – a card with several short priced favourites. He asks ‘where is the big handicap for punters?’. He splits his bets between the BETDAQ win and place markets.
COMMON SENSE AT SANDOWN: He reflects on the decision by the BHA to squash the bans for the ‘Sandown Seven’.
SANDOWN SEVEN – COMMON SENSE AT LAST
There was a race in France yesterday that needed to be stopped due to horse injuries. A klaxon sounded and the jockeys all pulled up within seconds. In other words the system worked.
The system didn’t work at Sandown earlier this month in the London National at Sandown where confusion reigned and after a stewards enquiry of over 30 minutes the race was declared void and seven jockeys banned for ignoring the yellow ‘stop’ flag. This all came about after the tragic incident involving Houblon Des Obeaux.
Common sense by the BHA yesterday to quash the bans which would have covered the lucrative Christmas period.
BETTING MAGIC STILL NEEDED
Race planners should see the light. On a day of novice and juvenile events – all necessary learning stages, I agree – a solid handicap with a double-figure field was essential for punters to bite on at Newbury this afternoon.
The only magic on the cards will be a long-odds-on shot nearly two stone in front of her field.
Jessica Harrington’s Magic Of Light led the Grand National finishers from five out until between the last two fences and got within three lengths of Tiger Roll.
It was a mighty race for a mare who had never seen the big obstacles before. Today she’s back among her own sex, favoured by the conditions in a race she won last year.
12.50 Newbury Nicky Henderson goes for a hat-trick in this race – and a fifth success since 2010 – with Shishkin, a Points winner who was eased right down to win his bumper at Kempton in the Spring.
‘He’s got real talent,’ says my man in the long grass, ‘and the guv’nor expects!’.
Another easy bumper winner is Enemy Coast Ahead. The only one in the race with an official rating, Iconic Muddle, has been beaten twice in hurdles round here.
Morning Spirit has been nibbled at in the morning market. The Jonjo O’Neill trained runner has been beaten a total of 48 lengths in his two starts to date but should improve for his course and distance seventh last month in what looked quite a decent contest.
1.20 Newbury Alan King does well at this meeting. He’s won the opener three times since 2010 and the 2.25 twice, and is going for a hat-trick in this novices’ limited-handicap chase.
His course winner here over hurdles, Notachance, only just held on in a similar handicap at Exeter in November but jumped well round the tricky track and has a good attitude to the game.
He is joint favourite at the time of writing with Fontsanta who was last of five finishers on his chase debut here last month.
1.55 Newbury Magic Of Light is over from Ireland, going for a repeat in this as part of her preparation for the Grand National, in which she ran second to Tiger Roll in April.
She had finished third in the Ladbrokes Troytown Chase at Navan in the November when she came to this, and staying on strongly to beat two others rated 141 and 144.
Nearest rival today to Magic Of Light, now off 159, is one rated 135 so she’s 24lb and more in front of her field yet, under the race conditions, gives only 4lb away, and it’s mares only.
Magic Of Light is priced prohibitively but there’re two places up for grabs on BETDAQ in this quartet and Graceful Legend looks booked for second. She relished the testing conditions to win well at Bangor last time out and is preferred to Drinks Interval who showed more at Ascot last time out but is generally not reliable and was beaten 14 lengths by Magic Of Light in this race last year.
Graceful Legend would surely be an odds-on chance if Magic Of Light wasn’t in the race, yet we are offered 2.1 for the place.
2.25 Newbury Another short price favourite on today’s card – back to where I started – where’s the big handicap for punters to get stuck into?
The Big Breakaway is unbeaten in a point and maiden hurdle at Chepstow where he looked a good prospect and had his field well strung out.
It would come as no surprise to see him defy a penalty, especially with the Colin Tizzard yard going so well.
I’ll chance a place bet on Killer Clown from Emma Lavelle’s stable who have had two winners from their last eight runners.
A bumper winner at Warwick, he looked in need of the race when fifth at Huntingdon on his hurdling debut and could easily improve enough to land a place. He looks a better place prospect than I K Brunel who ran poorly at Cheltenham when the trainer said he was ‘unsuited by the testing ground’ so it’s hardly a confidence booster that he is running on soft ground here!
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 10 points)
BET 12.8pts win (nap) SHISHKIN (12.50 Newbury)
BET 2.6pts win NOTACHANCE (1.20 Newbury)
BET 9.1pts place GRACEFUL LEGEND (1.55 Newbury)
BET 5.0pts place KILLER CLOWN (2.25 Newbury)
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