DAQMAN ON THE RIGHT ROAD WITH 4-1 WINNER: Daqman yesterday continued his winner a day this week with Market Road (WON 4-1) but his supernap was out of luck again. On Wednesday, Suhayl Moon had to be snatched up when challenging for the lead, and yesterday Casablanca Mix was cruising to extend a seven-lengths advantage when he fell at the last. Is it third time lucky at Ascot today, when he bids for a supernap double?
KING GEORGE HOLIDAY SOUND BITE
TOMORROW The Graduation Chase at Ascot was a Paul Nicholls preserve (five winners in a row 2008-14). He chooses from three to get the trophy back on the Ditcheat mantelshelf.
The Long Walk Hurdle has been a race for sequence horses (Big Buck’s 3, Reve De Sivola 3). Can Unowhatimeanharry score back to back at the age of nine?
More racing at Haydock, featuring the Tommy Whittle Chase, and Newcastle (both Jumps) and Lingfield Park (AW).
SUNDAY (Christmas Eve) and MONDAY (Christmas Day) No racing. No Daqman column.
TUESDAY (Boxing Day) Sounds like the clash of rising stars Bristol de Mai and Might Bite in the King George at Kempton, unless you’re a Colin Tizzard man. He goes for a hat-trick in the race via Thistlecrack (last year’s winner) and Fox Norton.
More English racing at Fontwell, Huntingdon, Market Rasen, Sedgefield, Wetherby, Wincanton and Wolverhampton (AW).
Racing in Ireland at Leopardstown and in Northern Ireland at Down Royal, County Down.
WEDNESDAY The Coral Welsh Grand National (2.,50) at Chepstow on a seven-race Coral card, which also features the Future Champions Finale Juvenile Hurdle.
More English racing at Kempton, Wetherby and Wolverhampton (AW), and racing in Ireland at Leopardstown and Limerick.
STAGE’S STAMINA COULD KICK IN
12.45 Ascot Three outings, three trainers. That hardly recommends Whiskey In The Jar, though there was money for him this morning. Robin Waters has had two runs, two trainers, while Oakley Hall has been switched from Gordon Elliott to Jonjo O’Neill, Settie Hill from Neville Bycroft to Nickly Henderson, and Stage Summit from Ireland to Ben Pauling.
It’s hard enough assessing novice hurdlers, even harder when the stables themselves are not familiar with them!
One guess is that, stepped up in trip on more attritional ground, the grey Stage Summit, related on the dam’s side to a Grand National winner, will improve on his English debut on firm, though 14.0 on BETDAQ this morning.
SPEAR IS AN EXCITING PROSPECT
1.20 Ascot Exitas looked good in a seven-lengths success over the Ascot CD in November, but it seems that he beat nothing well, with the next four to finish all held since.
The handicapper didn’t know that would happen, so he hiked Exitas 10lb, not a nice thing to do to a nine-year-old novice-chaser.
Equally damning is that the handicapper kept Darebin on a rating of 123 after he won at Ludlow in October. That has been proved correct, with Darebin beaten twice since and still on 123.
The way seems to be open for Divine Spear, better than even money to improve on his chase debut win at Catterick, which would be in line with the trainer’s predictions in the Racing Post stable tour: ‘A lovely big horse who could be an exciting prospect over fences.’
HENDERSON HAS STRONG CLAIM
1.55 Ascot This Supreme Trial was part of Yanworth’s winning sequence as a novice, and three of today’s runners are on a treble or a four-timer.
Claimantakinforgan is not. He has just the one success over hurdles but beat a subsequent winner at Newbury that day, and comes out of the Cheltenham Champion Bumper (the three imediately behind him in that have all won recently).
Slate House is ‘not a world beater yet’, said Colin Tizzard ominously, after the Presenting gelding’s second successive Cheltenham hurdles win, one a Grade 2.
The second to Slate House in that graded race was also second to Mr One More earlier in the season at Stratford, which makes them much of a muchness.
Collateral form says that Tizzard knows all about the Nicky Henderson ‘Claim’ because his Lostintranslation (subsequent winner) ran second to that one at Newbury.
But I think Slate House may need further than today’s short 2m. He’s bred that way and is a Cheltenham winner switching to a flat track, and giving weight away to Claimantakinforgan. Seemingly another Henderson banker, and another better than evens this morning.
DOLOS NEXT IN NICHOLLS LINE
2.30 Ascot Paul Nicholls saves up his best youngster for this novice chase, having won it for the last three years with Ptit Zig, Le Mercurey and Politologue, who is set to become the star of the trio.
Again the Tizzard, Finian’s Oscar, has to give weight. He couldn’t lie up at Sandown over the minimum trip and would be well suited to this 2m 5f if it hadn’t been a small-field tactical race.
As it is, Dolos, the latest young pretender from Ditcheat, may be good enough, in receipt of 11lb. I took 3.55 on BETDAQ.
3.40 Ascot Seven of the last eight winners of this bumper have been four-year-olds, like 5.3 offer Bullionaire who is in my horses-to-follow list.
Second, third, fourth, fifth and seventh in his winning bumper at Newbury in the Spring have all won since.
Posh Trish has the mares’ championship bumpers on her agenda and I’ll assume she will do better against her own sex but, like Bullionaire, she is big, strong and scopey.
DAQMAN’S BETS (all at Ascot; each to win 20 points)
BET 1.5pts win and place STAGE SUMMIT (12.45)
SUPERNAP: BET 20pts win (best of the day) DIVINE SPEAR (1.20)
SUPERNAP: BET 20pts win CLAIMANTAKINFORGAN (1.55)
BET 8pts win DOLOS (2.30)
BET 5pts win BULLIONAIRE (3.40)
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