ANTE-POST TODAY: ‘CAPTAIN’ COUP FOR THE LINCOLN: Daqman completes his preview of the Spring Double. He’s already on Cappa Bleu and Seabass for the National on BETDAQ. Now he reveals why Captain Bertie can land a silver-anniversary present in the Lincoln.
ANTE-POST TOMORROW: THE TWO CHELTENHAM CHAMPS: The Gold Cup and Champion Hurdle provide Daqman’s final pre-festival bets for Cheltenham. His outlay on BETDAQ is itemized big race by big race, along with his horses to follow.
9-4 WINNER GETS HOME BY DEFAULT: Daqman’s luck was in when he made a profit on the day yesterday through Uncle Jimmy (WON 9-4 from 4.0 on BETDAQ) after the favourite fell and despite the winner trying to duck out through the paddock exit.
THE NAP IS SECOND AGAIN: Daqman was due some luck, with a dose of ‘seconditis’ over the weekend, so that his race-by-race form-figures for the two days read: 2311230122. Both naps were second.
Don’t forget you read about the Lincoln winner here first. After 25 years as an owner, with only pennies to show for it in return, Robert Morton expects to collect his first big-money prize in a month’s time.
His five-year-old, Captain Bertie, has been laid out for the £100,000 Lincoln Handicap, ‘inspired’ money having reduced his odds to 16-1 all round with bookmakers.
Robert has owned horses since 1988 but Captain Bertie gave him his best ever return on the Flat when winning the Newbury Spring Cup last year.
Morton went four years – 2002 to 2006 – without a penny back from 23 starters on the Flat, with 2010 his top season when he had six wins from 14 runners for a 43% strike rate, yet only £15,000 in win prizemoney.
You can see his colours of blue and yellow carried today at Kempton Park (2.50) by Dicey Vows, who is about as lucky as his owner: he’s been beaten a total of 85 lengths in five turf and AW starts, including last of 12 at Kempton on the last day.
But there’s always Doncaster on the horizon, and a long-service silver jubilee in ownership to be celebrated with Captain Bertie.
Captain Bertie was the neck winner in that Spring Cup at Newbury, holding on tenaciously in the soft ground last April, after finishing fourth in the Spring Mile at Doncaster.
Confides trainer Charles Hills: ‘He should have won at Doncaster first time out and on his first outing after being gelded. It’s hard to believe he wouldn’t have got home with a clear run.’
The Racing Post form report was: ‘Met every bit of trouble going between the 3f and 2f poles as weakening rivals fell back into his lap. He soon faced an impossible task but once seeing daylight he finished with a rattle.’
You can get 16-1 for the Lincoln and 16-1 my two Grand National horses, Seabass and Cappa Bleu. So I’ll have two 288-1 doubles with Ladbrokes, who offer the best prices.
Of course, I’ll be backing Captain Bertie for a win at (usually) better offers on BETDAQ, nearer the time, when we really need some cut in the ground for ‘Bertie’ to bag the Lincoln.
Meanwhile, Dicey Vows’ chances look dicey and my Kempton race must be the better-quality class-4 (the 4.20 handicap), in which CD-winner Guest Of Honour looks plenty short enough.
At 8.2 bar one on BETDAQ, this was a place race for me this morning. Every one of Guest of Honour’s 10 opponents was a better price for a place than he was for the win. And you have three chances of a return instead of one.
The one I fancy at big offers is Dutch Old Master: not an obvious choice but, scratch the surface, under the ‘vermeer’ of the form is a horse waiting to show his true self.
A winner first time up on Polytrack – two good omens for today – he was then aimed at class 2 and at soft-ground races. Not within his compass. But today, at offers of 19.5, he could pay for an interest.
The same stable, Gary Moore’s, and even that of Nicky Henderson, have been left in the cold, at 5.1 bar one, with the flood of early money for Leviathan (2.10) at Plumpton.
Leviathan was only just worried out of it by the smart Tominator at Sandown, when not fancied to do so at an easy 9-1, because of the heavy ground. It’s not so bad today.
Two stables with big-odds winners recently, Richard Philips (Crystal Swing won 8-1 from 12-1) and Nicky Gifford (Kuilsriver won 33-1), both book Tony McCoy for outside rides.
I could get 3.8 Stop The Show (4.10) and 13.0 Old Dreams (4.40) this morning. With a win bet on Stop The Show, and win and place Old Dreams, I have three chances of a return. The trick is to get the Old Dreams place return to more than cover the win stakes on the two, so that worst scenario – one in a place – is still a winner.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 13pts win (nap) LEVIATHAN (2.10 Plumpton)
BET 7pts win STOP THE SHOW (4.10 Plumpton)
BET 1.3pts win and place DUTCH OLD MASTER (4.20 Kempton)
BET 1.6pts win and place OLD DREAMS (4.40 Plumpton)
ANTE-POST: BET 2 x 1pt win doubles with Ladbrokes: Captain Bertie (Lincoln Handicap) with Seabass and Cappa Bleu (Grand Nationjal), all 16-1.
* Daqman’s bets are staked to win 20 points, unless in ante-post races, jackpots or multiples.
Did you know that as well as checking the realtime prices on BETDAQ below – you can also log into your account and place your bets directly into BETDAQ from BETDAQ TIPS.
