THREE FROM THREE IN DAQ MULTIPLES: Daqman switched from bankers (six in a row) to Daq Multiples yesterday (three out of three, including the nap) and landed three winning doubles and a treble. Why no banker? Says Daqman: ‘They were all bankers!’
WON 4-5 Sutton Manor
WON 8-13 The Bay Oak
WON 4-9 Crack Tiepy (nap)
TODAY: Daqman goes to Wetherby for a hat-trick of naps and a seventh consecutive banker, plus an 11.5 value bet at Hereford. He tries to repeat his three-from-three Daq Multiples doubles and treble of yesterday.
FOLLOW OLD-FIRM FIGHT AT NEWBURY
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. It’s a big weekend at Newbury, from major novice-chase trials to the big one itself, the Hennessy Gold Cup.
And results for the decade from the two-day meeting on Friday and Saturday suggest that for the top meeting you need a top man. Stick with the cream of trainers, with Nicholls and Henderson alone netting 31 winners, suggesting another old-firm battle, race by race.
It’s usually a solid meeting for Philip Hobbs and Alan King, and one of the season’s best for David Pipe (can he raise his game?).
Read across left to right: number of winners at the Newbury meeting in the decade and trainer’s overall course strike rate as a percentage of winners to runners; current form of last 10 races in parentheses with number of winners in last six days; plus total for the season at right.
17 Paul Nicholls 19% (4P0P040220; eight winners in six days; 77)
14 Nicky Henderson 23% (1334330113; seven winners in six days; 50)
09 Philip Hobbs 17% (31401300U1; six winners in six days; 44)
08 Alan King 11% (20130243P3); four winners in six days; 45)
07 David Pipe 14% (30000000P1; one winner in six days; 33)
05 Colin Tizzard 10% (2000142P11; five winners in six days; 27)
03 Jonjo O’Neill 11% (003U02244P; one winner in six days; 33)
ZERO LOOKS SET FOR WETHERBY REPEAT
WETHERBY Warren Greatrex is the Wetherby wonder, with a 38% strike rate, but boosted mainly by 67% in chases.
So what are punters to make of today’s pair of travellers from his Lambourn yard? Both are unraced under NH Rules. And not a mention of them in his stable tour or weekly-racing-paper interviews.
But Norse Magic (1.55) was placed four in a row on the Flat and is Group-racemare related. Petticoat Tails (3.30) has a strong Jumps pedigree, a Presenting out of a King’s Theatre mare. Both need watching (including in the market today!)
At the last meeting here, the ultra-consistent Royal Vacation came up from Colin Tizzard’s yard, well fancied, but was hammered 11 lengths by runaway winner, Zeroshadesofgrey.
Neil King’s Wiltshire stable remains in good health and ‘Zero’ (1.20 novices’ chase) could have too many guns for the newcomer Flashjack.
Royal Plaza (3.00 Wetherby) gets on well with William Featherstone and Alan King’s five-year-old finished 15 lengths clear at Warwick recently. Looks good at 1.87 best BETDAQ offers this morning.
The pair he has to beat, according to the market, are Cooking Fat and Generous Pet, who are a respectful distance behind in the BETDAQ betting this morning.
Generous Pet is a Spring Horse (wins all came in March and April) and was hiked 18lb for winning four in a row.
He was well behind Cooking Fat at Ayr a couple of weeks back, but that one’s second was a surprise to connections that day (he started 16-1) and he hasn’t won for nearly two years.
HAVE A PONY EXPRESS AT ‘TOO BIG’ 11.5
HEREFORD I was going to make the Points winner, The Happy Chappy (1.40) a banker on his hurdles debut, but two words of warning.
No Hassle Hoff has been pressing him for the jolly spot – not much between them in the BETDAQ orange, as I write – and secondly Paul Nicholls is saying ‘we’re in no rush with this one’.
As for a bet at longer odds over the sticks today, it means getting involved in the novice hurdles (they look tricky) or the 16-runner handicap (3.50) I’m a handicaps man, so here goes.
Fraser Canyon showed improve form, coming away with the winner, 25 lengths clear of the rest of the field at Fontwell recently, and that winner has gone in again since.
Super Sam hasn’t won for two years and Scooby hasn’t won; period. The bridesmaid Barton Rose should get a place in this modest company.
But my idea of a bet is to take the quality nag at the top of the handicap, Winged Express, far too big at 11.5 in the BETDAQ orange this morning.
Mixing chases and hurdles, he hasn’t been out of the frame for eight races, still standing, and came back full of promise on good ground at Bangor last month; now has his conditions.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked 1 to 10 for strength, except handicap bet)
BET 7pts win ZEROSHADESOFGREY (1.20 Wetherby)
BET 6pts win THE HAPPY CHAPPY (1.40 Wetherby)
BANKER: BET 10pts win (nap) ROYAL PLAZA (3.00 Wetherby)
BET (to win 20 points): 2pts win and place WINGED EXPRESS, with 2pts win (stakes saver) FRASER CANYON (2.50 Hereford)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 3 x 3pt win doubles and 1pt win treble ZEROSHADESOFGREY (1.20 Wetherby), THE HAPPY CHAPPY (1.40 Wetherby) and ROYAL PLAZA (3.00 Wetherby)
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