JONBON IN FORTUNE COOKIES HAT-TRICK: The Daqman limelight switched to his Fortune Cookies horses-to-follow list yesterday when they completed a hat-trick with a superstar performance from novice hurdler Jonbon at Ascot. The three runners so far for 60 points profit to 10-point level stakes (no losers) are:
WON 4-1 PROTEKTORAT
WON 1-1 BLAZING KHAL
WON 1-1 JONBON
14 BIG-RACE WINNERS OVER PRICEWISE: Today it’s back to Daqman’s feature-race value challenge to Pricewise (Racing Post) at Ascot and Haydock after a sensational start to December with all his bets:
➡ SEVEN consecutive winning days
➡ (116 POINTS PROFIT)
➡ SIX winning naps in a row
➡ DAQMAN 14, PRICEWISE 5
THIS IS THE DAY FOR KNIGHT
⭕ 1.50 Ascot Palmers Hill put on a good show at Wetherby, but he didn’t have a strong supporting cast and the time was slow.
Guy keeps running well but his strike rate is just 1-10 and he has never won in senior company; his mark is just 3lb up on last year at this time.
Financier won 10 lengths at Hereford in March and has won fresh, but there is no evidence in form or pedigree to support this step up in trip.
It’s two years since Knight Of Dubai landed a gamble in a Doncaster novice chase. He’s raced only three times since, including at the Cheltenham Festival. He is, therefore, a ‘hidden horse’ but market vibes are strong.
Sully d’Oc AA has also run in better class: Ascot form 00103; that win was over the CD and he’s back up to that trip today.
Diego Du Charmil tries the trip for the first time: Ascot chase form F3120, with the win coming two years back. And it’s more than four years since stablemate Dolos won over the CD, and recent form has been poor.
Zhiguli is a rear runner who’s won over another half-mile, so needs some pace on. Has a light weight and his yard is among the winners.
BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE value 5.2 Knight Of Dubai
THYME TO TAKE A LONG WALK
⭕ 2.25 Ascot (Long Walk Hurdle) The staying hurdle stars (Big Buck’s, Thistlecrack, Paisley Park) all won this, and any one of half a dozen in today’s field could take this big stepping-stone to Cheltenham in the absence of the injured Buzz.
The Cheltenham market in BETDAQ Sportsbook (with Buzz deleted) goes Thyme Hill at 7.0, Ronald Pump 13.0, Champ 21.0, Paisley Park 21.0. Lisnagar Oscar 26.0, if you fancy an ante-post bet before today’s trial.
The finish of today’s race was a humdinger a year ago when Paisley Park got up in the final strides to pip Thyme Hill a neck on heavy ground.
Paisley has not shown his old sparkle since and was disappointing favourite in the Long Distance Hurdle at Newbury in November, won by Thomas Darby from On The Blind Side.
The handicapper was not impressed and left both on the same mark behind Thyme Hill and Ronald Pump, but just 5lb covers the first five in the market.
Thyme Hill beat Thomas Darby easily in the Liverpool Hurdle in the Spring, with Roksana splitting them at the finish, unable to take advantage of her 7lb mares’ allowance.
BETDAQ value 3.55 Thyme Hill
HE’S GOT FORM: CHECKITOUT!
⭕ 3.00 Ascot (Silver Cup) Recent winners of this, Valtor (2018) and Regal Encore (2016 and 2019 when aged 11), are both back for more, at the veterans stage now. Only one other horse of a double-figure age (in 1973) has ever won this.
Looking for some pace, I find three or four who like to be in the van, and with Cloth Cap the arch-frontrunner. His career highlight was when making all in the Ladbrokes Trophy last November.
He’s a stone higher now and weakened out of it in the same race this autumn, so young Jonjo might try to hold on to him a bit.
Annsam takes a keen hold but has no form over 3m so he, too, could be held on to if that is possible.
Jerrysback has failed to complete the last three races but was third in this race last year off a 5lb higher mark and the stable is doing well.
Checkitout has been placed at Grade-3 level twice in his last two starts, both here at Ascot. This race drops him back to Listed level on the same mark as his London Gold Cup second.
He finished well in front of Regal Encore that day and clear of another winner of this, Mister Malarkey.
His last run two weeks back – the Becher Chase – was a cracking third to the big improver Snow Leopardess. The ground suits today and I just hope he’s over that
BETDAQ value 9.6 Checkitout
CORK STILL KEEPS THE FIZZ
⭕ 3.35 Ascot This 2m handicap hurdle is partly a rerun of the Greatwood in November when the winner after a long absence, West Cork, had almost three lengths to spare over No Ordinary Joe (third), with Tritonic (fifth) more than five lengths further back.
No Ordinary Joe raced freely, dropped back in trip, so it was no ordinary performance. But West Cork usually holds his form well. And Tritonic’s first hurdles strike was over today’s CD on the soft.
Samarrive is up 11lb for a smooth success at Sandown, but is now badly off with Benson. Goshen will like the cut in the ground, down in grade and 7lb lower in the handicap since the Spring.
That pace is likely to come from make-all winner Onemorefortheroad, who has crept up to this level (won a Listed the last day) at a cost of only 10lb for a hat-trick.
Garry Clermont has a fine chance with Onemorefortheroad on a line through Captain Morgs, who was third at Cheltenham to Guard Your Dreams and Coole Cody, both winners of serious contests since.
BETDAQ value 5.9 West Cork, 12.5 Garry Clermont
STEEL TOUGH FRONT-RUNNER
⭕ 2.05 Haydock The market leaders are all suspect. Mackelduff’s winning form either side of the break was on a sound surface, though stable reports are good.
Stellar Magic has his first race outside novice company after a long holiday to recover from a broken knee-bone, and the word is: no more than an each-way chance.
Up For Parol has yet to show the same form as his hat-trick at this time of year in 2019 and didn’t inspire recently.
Boss Man Fred also landed three in a row at the same time but has hardly had a race since and we assume that he was injured when he tried fences 440 days back. He’s a big horse who may need this.
Hart Of Steel is likely to race freely and could tough it out to the business end, which makes him a potential back and lay. Oliver Sherwood is keen on Little Awkward, who ‘could be anything’.
BETDAQ value 14.0 Hart of Steel, 16.0 Little Awkward
TRY 24.0 BETDAQ ADVENTURE
⭕ 2.40 Haydock (Tommy Whittle Chase) The handicapper stopped Sam’s Adventure with an overall stone rise in the weights after he followed up from winning this last December with victory in the Eider in February.
He is down a few pounds again and has his ground at a big price today. The same applies to Vintage Clouds, the 2020 Peter Marsh winner here on heavy but not getting any younger.
Enqarde was going ok when he unseated behind Sam’s Adventure last year, sandwiched between solid performances at Newcastle and Ascot.
Remastered was going well when falling four out in the Ladbrokes Trophy but has to give weight away all round.
Venetia Williams has won this before with a six-year-old (Yala Enki) and Fuji Flight carries less than 10st today, with the form of his last race working out well.
BETDAQ value 10.0 Enqarde, 24.0 Sam’s Adventure
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.50 Ascot (win 20)
BET 4.75pts win KNIGHT OF DUBAI
2.25 Ascot (win 15, nap)
BET 5.75pts win THYME HILL
2.05 Haydock (win 50 bull’s-eye bets)
BET 3.75pts win HART OF STEEL
BET 3.25pts win LITTLE AWKWARD
2.40 Haydock (win 50 bull’s-eye bets, place win 10)
BET 5pts win ENQARDE
BET 2pts win and 3pts place SAM’S ADVENTURE
3.00 Ascot (win 50 bull’s-eye bets)
BET 5.75pts win CHECKITOUT
3.35 Ascot (win 20, win 30)
BET 4pts win WEST CORK
BET 2.5pts win GARRY CLERMONT
What are points? Points facilitate a staking plan, which is the secret to creating profit. One point is whatever you choose: a pound, a euro, or whatever ….
Start with a bank and decide how much you can afford to lose over a period of time, and determine the size of your bets accordingly. Daqman makes this variation every day.
