WINNING WEEKEND FOR DAQMAN’S METHOD: With Largy Glory (WON 100-30), Daqman yesterday took his profits to 45 points for another successful weekend, in which his staking plan stole the glory. These three won 80 points, covered all other bets and left a handsome profit!
WON 7-1 RAVEN’S LADY
WON 7-2 HUNAINA
WON 100-30 LARGY GLORY
TOMORROW: KEY FORM FOR THE NATIONAL: Look out for Mr Second String and the return of the Fringe performer! Who’s your betting Angel in the Topham Trophy? Daqman marks your card for Aintree today and tomorrow he presents his key-form guide to the Grand National.
FRINGE THEATRE AT AINTREE
THREE-TIMER: Thursday is Foxhunters’ day at Aintree, with On The Fringe attempting a third win in four years for Enda Bolger, the sequence interrupted last season when Jamie Codd lost an iron early on. Nina Carberry, winning rider in 2015, is back on board.
ANGEL WINGS: As well as the Foxhunters and the Grand National, the Topham Trophy also uses the National fences.
The money horses for the Topham so far are Flying Angel and Rathlin Rose, who ran a stinker on the course in the Grand Sefton in December but has won two of his last three starts.
The word is for Nigel Twiston-Davies’s Flying Angel, whose last success was at Liverpool on the Mildmay Course. He could sprout wings first time over the big fences.
OPENING DOORS: Joseph O’Brien likes to spring a surprise at the world’s big meetings. He’s won in America and Australia, and seems to want to make his mark on Aintree in the opening Grade 3 on Friday.
He can choose from Early Doors, Ivanovich Gorbatov and Tigris River against three from the race’s top trainer, Nicky Henderson, who has won it three times in five years.
The race never ever goes to a favourite, and the last two Henderson winners have been ridden by Jeremiah McGrath and have beaten others from the yard with senior jockeys in the saddle. Can Mr Second String do it again?
DESTRIER’S EASIER KEMPTON CHALLENGE
2.30 Kempton The way the cookie crumbles. If I was an owner I would much rather have a runner in the second division of the opening novices’ hurdle at Kempton this afternoon which looks a significantly easier heat to win than the first division at 2.00.
We still need to find the winner of course and it could well be that the lightly raced Destrier is good enough to give the weight away in a modest contest.
He was never on terms, but by no means disgraced, when raised to Grade 2 level for the Dovecote over course and distance last time out – trainer Dan Skelton no doubt keen to find out exactly what he had on his hands after comfortable wins for Destrier at Leicester and Wetherby. The going was good for the Dovecote meeting but is soft in places today after plenty of overnight rain in the Kempton area which is another plus point for the top weight.
The stable aren’t exactly flying but not cold either with two winners from their last 15 runners and a further four placed.
Nelson’s Touch finished 10th to the ill-fated Fayonagh in the Champion Bumper at the Festival in 2017 and gained a first win over hurdles last time out at Taunton. The form looks modest though, the runner-up was beaten 36 lengths next time out, and Nelson’s Touch does look vulnerable under his penalty.
Elixir De Nutz is very hard to quantify – he finished last of six, beaten 87 lengths, in the depleted Triumph Hurdle won by the long odds-on Apple’s Shakira on only his second start having won a French bumper in October. The BETDAQ market isn’t particularly positive about his chances today and even allowing for the dramatic drop in class – he was beaten such a long way at Cheltenham that it’s quite hard to summon up much enthusiasm until we see a bit more from him.
4.45 Kempton Versifier is up 5lb for finishing a good second at Huntingdon last time out but still makes appeal off bottom weight with the rise in weights being countered by Harrison Beswick’s 7lb claim. The young jockey has finished first or second on three occasions out of last last four when riding for Oliver Sherwood and I’ll cover the WIN 20 stake with a stakes saver on the place market.
5.20 Kempton Ramore Will stands out here after his comfortable win in a conditional jockeys event at Plumpton last time out. He escapes a penalty for that success.
He is preferred to market rival Bolving who was well held over two miles here last time out and the step up in trip isn’t guaranteed to bring about an improvement.
DAQMAN’S BETS (win bets staked to win 20 points):
BET 7.8pts win (nap) DESTRIER (2.30 Kempton)
BET 3.4pts win VERSIFIER and 2.0pts place (stakes saver) (4.45 Kempton)
BET 7.8pts win RAMORE WILL (5.20 Kempton)
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.
