NO PRIZES FOR SECOND, SECOND, SECOND.. Daqman is licking the wounds of three consecutive seconds out of three yesterday, including in the race in which he opposed the selection of Pricewise, which was third.
NOTTINGHAM SUPERNAP: DAQMAN heads to Nottingham today for two bets – both trained by John Gosden.
‘BATTLE OF SOMERSET’ TROPHY..
The local heroes do battle on Saturday. The Badger Ales Trophy at Wincanton features major stables from a Bermuda Triangle of Jumping, where many top prizes disappear!
Paul Nicholls, who has won it EIGHT times since 1999, can choose from three, including last year’s winner, Present Man, who went on to finish third in the Sandown Gold Cup in the Spring.
The hypotenuse in the triangle is the 42 miles from Nicholls’ yard at Ditcheat to the Wellington, also Somerset, emporium of David Pipe, who has won the trophy THREE times since 2005.
Pipe is hopeful of Ramses De Teillee after a wind op. The six-year-old ran up a sequence of 3221212 before finding the Cheltenham hill had him gasping at the festival and in the Silver Trophy at the April meeting. Hence the wind op.
Colin Tizzard broke into the triangle two years ago when his Gentleman Jon scored after a double disaster in the race for Nicholls: Present Man unseated and his favourite for the race, Southfield Theatre, fell when leading at the last.
Tizzard, who could run Theatre Guide or On Demand, is often described in the Press as training ‘in deepest Dorset’, which sounds like a spit of land off Bournemouth.
In fact, his base at Milborne Port is at the top of the tea-and-buns county, a stone’s throw from Wincanton racecourse and only 15 miles from Ditcheat on the Somerset side of the triangle.
Coming down from Warwick to take them all on with THREE possibles is Dan Skelton, nine years assistant trainer to Nicholls.
Skelton is current leading NH handler after the earliest century in a season landed at Cheltenham late last month.
Previous earliest was Martin Pipe, David’s father (November 2001), who could probably still claim the fastest, because his season started later.
NOTES LOOK STRONG FOR SECRETARY
1.05 Nottingham The two divisions of the Nottingham maiden look like they could throw up some decent sorts but in the second division at 1.05 the experience of Provate Secretary should count for plenty.
Trained by John Gosden, Private Secretary was only beaten a neck on debut at Yarmouth and although sent off favourite that day it was still an encouraging debut and one from which he should improve.
He’s bred well and head and shoulders above the ones who have already run.
Trading at around evens on BETDAQ at the time of writing, he’s well with SUPERNAP criteria and can see off the challenge of the Charlie ‘Melbourne Cup’ Appleby trained newcomer Space Blues who looks the pick of the debutants.
1.40 Nottingham I’m sticking with Mr ‘Godsend’ for hopefully a double in the next race at 1.40.
He runs Murray River in this nursery who sports blinkers for the first time.
He hasn’t been beaten far in all four of his starts and hopefully the blinkers may make the difference and his handicap mark might not prove too harsh, if you take the view he’s shown better form on the turf than his only start on the all-weather at Chelmsford last time out.
The Mark Johnston trained Cape Islay is the obvious danger after a course and distance second last time out but the second from that race didn’t frank the form next time out and this doesn’t look any easier a contest.
1.50 Musselburgh Normal Norman looks opposable under his penalty after he landed the odds at Market Rasen last month.
Preference is for the Ruth Jefferson trained Return Ticket who looked in need of the run at Carlisle last time out and wasn’t given a hard time when his chance was gone. He is surely better than that form, if he settles better.
DAQMAN’S BETS (Staked to win 20 points)
SUPERNAP BET 20pts win PRIVATE SECRETARY (1.05 Nottingham)
BET 10pts win MURRAY RIVER (1.40 Nottingham)
BET 6.6pts win RETURN TICKET (1.50 Musselburgh)
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