11-4 AND 5-2 BACK-TO-BACK NAPS FOR DAQMAN: Daqman, who scored with Goodtoknow (WON 5-2) before the Christmas holiday, landed Cloudy Too (WON 11-4), the big-race winner at Wetherby, as his best bet on Boxing Day, and he goes for a hat-trick at Kempton this afternoon.
NOW IT’S SEVEN BEST BETS UP OUT OF 11: Cloudy Too took his current naps tally to seven out of 11, giving him form figures of 11121122011, spoiled by just the one running below par. Cloudy Too took his score in the challenge against the Racing Post value column to Daqman 10, Pricewise 4.
1.00 Kempton Paul Nicholls has figures of 1011 in this since 2006, and Vicenzo Mio now has his ground after failing as favourite on a sound surface in the Triumph Hurdle Trial at Cheltenham a fortnight ago.
Alan King (Memberof) has won the race twice since 2007 but the yard is missing strike badly, with an ominous sequence of recent results (32244456). Astre De La Cour is an interesting dark horse on his British debut.
Stephen Hero (4.6 on BETDAQ this morning) ran second to Rutherglen at Wetherby last month and that one strung out a four-horse field at Bangor on Sunday by 21 lengths, 26 and 45.
Rutherglen is regarded as a potential Cheltenham horse and Stephen Hero, weighted to get 10 lengths start on Vicenzo Mio, has a tough of class as full brother to a Graded winner on the Flat.
1.20 Leopardstown Repeat winners are common in this but Sizing Europe was 12lb clear in the ratings when he took it last year at long odds-on by two-and-a-half lengths from Rubi Light.
Rubi Light was recently beaten nine lengths by Arvika Ligeonniere and that one is now only officially 6lb inferior to Sizing Europe, and clearly closing fast, if not already past him, according to this form line.
Baily Green got within a length and a quarter of Sizing Europe at Gowran in October but that was on good ground and Arvika Ligeonniere has stopped him twice on the soft.
‘Arvika’, who has a 100% record at Punchestown (1111), is thought generally much better going right-handed but he did beat Baily Green and Benefficient in the novice chase on this card last year, and Hidden Cyclone and Kid Cassidy have a stone to find.
2.30 Kempton (Desert Orchid Chase) Sire De Grugy is a better horse on a sound surface and, in any case, is rated 19lb inferior to Sprinter Sacre.
I shall put the 10 times unbeaten favourite in my Daq Multiples but I shall not be piling in, banker stakes, with just that suspicion that the reason for Sprinter Sacre’s delayed start is more than we’ve been told.
2.55 Leopardstown (PP Chase) Seven winners in the decade carried 10st 8lb or lower but only one of the 10 was out of the handicap – below 10st – and only one older than eight.
Sraid Padraig is a natural jumper, come to form with a stylish success at Fairyhouse, but that’s just the point: he’s never held his form before and his figures after a win are 65.
The Tony Martin stable is struggling for form, with figures rather like those of Alan King in England, badly missing strike – 5604533554 – among them two joint favourites both only fourth.
In any case, Sraid Padraig is worse off at the weights with Tony McCoy’s mount, Cause Of Causes, who ran him to a nose at Fairyhouse and this three times hurdles winner on soft-heavy has his ground for the first time over fences. His stable had three winners on Boxing Day.
The highly-regarded Kerry National fourth Questions Answered switches back to fences, and Panther Claw will benefit from his Troytown return, but Hunting Party’s swerving the novice event looks ambitious.
Daring Article tries to avoid full retribution for his Punchestown win under Ruby Walsh, who now rides Rockyaboya, the Troytown fourth.
DAQMAN’S VERDICT: Panther Claw has his ground and needed the run in the Troytown. Paul Nolan has him placed spot on in this handicap, with Davy Russell in the plate.
I took 15.0 on BETDAQ this morning, but just had to back the improving five-year-old Cause Of Clauses, who has the perfect pilot and a tasty offer of 13.0 as I write.
3.05 Kempton Bally Legend is up in grade. He could never cope higher than class 3 over hurdles. Merrion Square also seems firmly pegged in class 3 over fences, Forest Walker even lower but still only six.
Niceonefrankie prefers better ground and is high in the handicap. So, too, Ma Filleule for a five-year-old. Valoroso likes very testing ground but will he get the trip?
The distance and the ground are both exactly right for On Trend, who has been given a chance by the handicapper, down 11lb on his Spring rating, despite spending most of his time in Graded chases since.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 20 points each, except in multiples)
BET 5.5 pts win (nap) STEPHEN HERO (1.00 Kempton)
BET 1.6pts win CAUSE OF CLAUSES and 1.5pts win PANTHER CLAW (2.55 Leopardstown)
BET 1.6pts win and place (Outsider Of The Day) ON TREND (3.05 Kempton)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 1pt win yankee Stephen Hero (1.00 Kempton), Arvika Ligeonniere (1.20 Leopardstown), Sprinter Sacre (2.30 Kempton) and On Trend (3.05 Kempton)
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