LAYERS PUT TO THE SWORD: Super-tipster Daqman landed his nap yesterday among two out of three with 15-lengths winner Storm Of Swords (WON 15-8, nap) at Southwell and Ballyegan (WON 6-4) at Taunton.
GRAND NATIONAL DILEMMA: Rising-star trainer, Gordon Elliott, is spoilt for choice with three horses in the Aintree Grand National, one that’s just won over four miles and one going for a hat-trick today. He’s Daqman’s banker nap.
ON SONG FOR AINTREE: SO FAR SO MEE
DOWN ROYAL The 2007 Grand National winning trainer, Gordon Elliott, is superbly placed in this year’s weights with two top-quality contenders among his three probables.
He preps Roi Du Mee for Aintree (4.45) today on a hat–trick mission, after Listed and Grade-2 success already this year. He’s half-brother to the winner of two English North-country nationals, the Durham and the North Yorkshire.
Roi Du Mee is clear on the ratings but has to give 10lb to the two others, which include last year’s winner, Yes Tom, and Foildubh, whom he beat only half a length in the Bobbyjo at Fairyhouse.
Strictly at the weights, Foildubh should get his revenge but he’s not one to rely on once he’s off the bridle and today’s trip will get him at it, with Roi Du Mee likely to dominate.
When Yes Tom won last year, bouncing back to form, he was beating a third Gordon Elliott National probably, Make A Track. Yes Tom is a once-a-year winner, who has never put two successes together before, and he’s already scored this year, at Ayr in February.
Roi Du Mee’s stablemate Cause Of Causes, winner of the Ladbroke Hurdle in 2012, leapt into the Aintree picture with a scintillating round of jumping in the four-miler at Cheltenham last week and is still only seven.
My own view is ‘keep him for another year’ – there’s been no National winner aged seven since before the war – though he looked really mature and jumped superbly at Cheltenham.
THE HORSE OUTGALLOPING CONEYGREE
EXETER Carraig Mor (3.55) beat the subsequent RSA runner-up, Southfield Theatre at Newbury in November, and got trainer Alan King ’excited’. Then it all fell apart.
Carraig Mor actually took over the gallop from Gold Cup runaway winner Coneygree at Kempton in the Kauto Star Chase over Christmas only to unseat Noel Fehily, leaving Coneygree to score (and the rest is history, as they say).
Carraig Mor, who afterwards failed to cope with heavy ground at Newbury – he should never have gone there – ought to get back on track this afternoon and show that his current mark of 24lb behind Coneygree is a joke.
He drops back in trip here but Alan King knows that it is vital to get Carraig More jumping at speed and restore his confidence with a view to taking a good prize on the decent Spring ground he relishes.
Local Devon trainer Nigel Hawke is in devastating form, with current figures of 131101, still standing, in the last two weeks, and Midnight Request (4.30) could add to his tally at the main expense of Candide.
WETHERBY Perhaps the outsider of the day is Gracie B (3.30), with Tim Vaughan travelling the mare, solo, all the way up to Wetherby from Welsh Wales: 16.0 on BETDAQ this morning.
Vaughan has just turned the corner after a long, lean spell. When a yard is down, poor form shown by some of its inmates can often be overlooked, particularly when, back to form, that stable makes a special effort with something, like this 450-mile journey with a maiden.
Carole’s Destrier (4.05) should provide the hub of a Daq Multiples wheel of fortune this afternoon.
He beat Carraig Mor at Exeter in November but his career-best performance came when he won the (Listed) Hamilton Chase at Ascot a month back, giving weight to a solid yardstick placed 10 times in a row.
Caroles Destrier is a seven-year-old stayer in the making who could be Grand National material one day. That’s where I came in.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked 1 to 9; banker 10)
BET 1pt win and place GRACIE B (3.30 Wetherby)
BET 8pts win CARRAIG MOR (3.55 Exeter)
BET 6pts win MIDNIGHT REQUEST and 2pts win (stakes saver) CANDIDE (4.30 Exeter)
BANKER: BET 10pts win (nap) ROI DU MEE (4.45 Down Royal)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 3 x 3pt win doubles and 3pt win treble CARRAIG MOR (3.55 Exeter), CAROLES DESTRIER (4.05 Wetherby), ROI DU MEE (4.45 Down Royal) and 1pt win acca with GRACIE B (3.30 Wetherby)
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