DAQMAN SUPREMACY WITH JACKPOT DOUBLE AT 14-1 AND 9-1: Daqman slammed his price-wise rivals yesterday with huge big-race jackpot coups among four winners in a row at Ascot at starting prices of 14-1 and 9-1 (from 16.5 on Betdaq), capped by Bourne’s supremacy in the handicap hurdle.
60 POINTS PROFIT ON THE DAY: He’d already paid for most of his bets through Invictus (WON 6-1), one of five winners on the day, which produced a total of 60.70 profit to recommended stakes. Here are his spectacular four in a row at Ascot, in which he twice gave first and second:
1.50 Ascot (Reynoldstown Chase): one bet, INVICTUS WON 6-1
2.25 Ascot (Listed Chase): two jackpot bets, MASSINI’S MAGUIRE WON 9-1 (selected at 16.5 Betdaq) and Cappa Bleu 3rd 7-1.
3.00 Ascot Chase: two bets, RIVERSIDE THEATRE WON 13-8 and Medermit 2nd 7-2
3.35 Ascot (handicap hurdle), three jackpot bets: BOURNE WON 14-1 and Smad Place 2nd 9-2.
That was yesterday. If you want to take a break and count the winnings, I don’t mind. I’ll try and join you later for the roast; meanwhile, there’s no peace for the wicked and the racing tipster, who is as good as his last winner.
The show must go on, though the best heat we have today is a class-3 at Market Rasen, which is on a level of roughly Gas Mark 2. No offence to Rasen, one of the most punter-friendly tracks with a panoramic view of the action (do they still do ‘hot peas and mint sauce.’)
It will be hard to find one winner, never mind two, which reminds me of a well known Fleet Street racing editor who, in all seriousness, said to me on the rattler to the races one day:
‘This bloke has been in the office and reckons he has a fool-proof way of landing a yankee. You put a hot favourite with three non-runners, and they have to pay you out on the lot! What do you think?’
Well, firstly, I think he didn’t last long in the job (though, on second thoughts, knowing the Street of Shame, he’s probably winged his way into the editor’s chair by now).
The truth of the matter is that, though the headline above this column talks of a jackpot double (and I hope some of you did just that at 149-1 SP), I didn’t specifically select a double.
Let me speak simply, but hopefully not as foolishly as our esteemed racing editor: I am in fact quoting one of my mentors, Phil Bull, founder of Timeform.
I asked him one day if he ever did doubles. He replied sardonically: ‘I did, until I realized that, when I’d had one winner, the bookies were taking my winnings away – and the stake! – and putting it all on another horse.’
He pointed out that, as a specified double, both horses had to be selected in advance of the races, with no chance to check on their well-being in the paddock or as they went down to post.
That, of course, is my situation as a tipster, with every single selection. I can’t see much over my breakfast cereal! No paddock inspection; no ‘going down’; no post-time checks on the market.
Returning to Rasen, though a little early for mushy peas, we cannot, in fact, forget yesterday, since – as the Racing Post points out – the Ascot and Wincanton results completed a set-up for Nicky Henderson of four favourites and four second favourites for Cheltenham. Some hand!
He has one runner at Rasen today, with his current fortnight’s score on 14 wins and eight other places yet, in the same trade paper, it would seem he is using less than 60% of each horse’s potential. Blimey.. what’ll happen when he strikes form!
The potential Henderson benefit today is, in fact, State Benefit (3.15), dropping back from Graded level, and only having to be pushed out in a small field against his seniors at Exeter on the first day of the year.
State Benefit likes to be up there, where the action is, so Rasen should suit him well. All in all, the makings of another Henderson cinch.
Except that Victor Dartnall doesn’t think so: his Mic’s Delight, travelling all the way North from Devon, is one of those ‘never out of the frame’ horses and he, too, likes to make the running, which he did – all the way – over course and distance a month ago.
And local trainer Steve Gollings hopes to throw a spanner in the works; two, in fact. He runs Honest John and Springfield Raki from his yard, not far down the road near Louth.
Charlie Mann’s Maringo Bay can’t be left out either, having run third to one of yesterday’s heros, Invictus, and only failing to catch Alfie Spinner by a length last time out.
The worry with Maringo is whether this is far enough for a soft-ground 20-furlong hurdles winner, with that Alfie Spinner second having been over 3m on heavy.
He’s certainly the class horse of the race on the evidence, and there seems to be plenty of pace on, yet he’s fourth favourite, getting 7lb from all three market principals.
That class-3 I was talking about (2.40) is just as tricky: Attaglance, Conquisto, Dorabelle and El Dancer have all run in higher grades and Elsafeer is a Listed winner as a novice.
It’s another great little Rasen race, very hard to call as the Betdaq market suggests: there are eight horses between 5.4 and 9.6, as I write.
The answer may be to side with Uncle Mick if you want to land your pudding. No not the horse but that huge slice of Yorkshire beef and gravy, M Easterby.
He’s plotted Fridaythorpe (7.2 on Betdaq as I write) into his first handicap off a featherweight, getting a stone from most of the field. Bring on the mushy peas!
I shall throw a wild card at Rasen. Henry Brooke, who won on Bourne yesterday, will be on a real high there this afternoon, and I just wonder if he can give the handicapper cause to regret dropping Worth A King’s (2.10) – a massive 52.0 on the Daq – by 16lb since October.
That’s 19lb with Henry’s claim, and it means he’s getting two stone from the top weights. Stranger things have happened, haven’t they Barney.
I shall stop writing now and study form for later in the week; you won’t like it if I waffle on and tip losers. Equally, some of you don’t like it, if I nap a horse and don’t write about it. Others complain if I drop a nap into my Multiples on a drab day. Can’t win, can I.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 0.3pts win and place WORTH A KING’S (2.10 Market Rasen)
BET 3.2pts win (nap) FRIDAYTHORPE (2.40 Market Rasen)
BET 8pts win STATE BENEFIT and 6pts win MARINGO BAY (3.15 Market Rasen)
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