JUST THE TICKET FOR DAQMAN RETURN TO FORM: After form figures of 22223 since Monday, Daqman finally broke the place-only hoodoo with Return Ticket (WON 9-4), a decent price and an unchallenged winner yesterday.
NOVICES WHO COULD BE STARS DOWN THE LINE: There are one or two clues to the novice potential at Newbury today: a jockey over from Ireland, and one prepping for a top hurdle at a bigger Newbury meeting in a race won in the past by Denman and Wichita Lineman. Headlines:
TIZZARD CALLS FOR POWER RIDE
POSH LOOKS ONE FOR THE BOYS
HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU KID!
MOON RACER ABLE IF HE’S READY
SILVER OR DOUBLE FOR ROBBIE
TIZZARD CALLS FOR POWER RIDE
1.50 Newbury You can look forward (!) to dozens of these beginners’ chases: small fields, slow paces. You can rate them, if anything collateral lends itself.
But, generally, you can’t rely on any of these young novices until better quality events in January and February test them for Cheltenham. This looks hot, as implied by a 105% BETDAQ orange, as I write.
Colin Tizzard’s Lostintranslation has Grade-1 form over hurdles and Thomas Campbell was useful at around Listed level. La Bague Au Roi was showing real class with her four wins in a row.
But be warned that both Absolute Power and Book Of Gold have pedigrees which imply that chasing and this kind of trip will bring improvement.
Both winners of this race so far have been decent. Lostintranslation (BETDAQ 2.92 as I write) has 2017 Irish National and Gold Cup winner Robbie Power over for the six-year-olds chasing debut.
POSH LOOKS ONE FOR THE BOYS
2.25 Newbury This mares’ novices’ hurdle has been a favourite’s race but which horse will be favourite?
When BETDAQ opened, Posh Trish was clear at 3.25 of, close together in the market, Lust For Glory and Duhallow Gesture, but Sula Island was well backed overnight with some bookmakers.
Posh Trish won over further at Chepstow last month and Paul Nicholls says he can see her taking on ‘the boys’ in the Challow Hurdle.
Lust For Glory, a £240,000 purchase, won a speed-track bumper last Spring; Duhallow Gesture, a 100,000gns buy, is from the family of Rhinestone Cowboy and Wichita Lineman.
Sula Island won with the minimum of fuss, first time over hurdles. It looks very hot, with Posh Trish and Sula Island fit from recent wins but penalised for them.
HERE’S LOOKING AT YOU, KID!
2.05 Market Rasen Actinpieces has not been herself since she ran in the Kim Muir, and Peter Bowen (Ron’s Dream) is striking, or rather not striking, at 0-11. Hard to enthuse about the pair of them.
Back-to-back success after wind surgery has shot Atlanta Ablaze through the handicapping roof (21lb rise).
Casablanca Mix is up in trip after jumping errors over shorter, and the Shirocco mare’s pedigree suggests this is a wise move.
She will still need to be pretty sharp on this track and in shadowing the front-running Kings Theatre mare Drinks Interval, who is having her first chase outside novice company, but going straight for some black type.
Another hot one, another 105% overround which opens up value on BETDAQ, but doesn’t help me solve the problem: Casablanca Mix or Drinks Interval. Here’s looking at you, kid!
MOON RACER ABLE IF HE’S READY
2.55 Newbury Horses aged five and six dominate the Pertemps Final, and the older horses tend to win an early qualifier like this one, with the youngsters looking on, waiting to overtake them at a later stage.
A 9.2 shot behind too-short Ready And Able, is Moon Racer, who has won several times after a break, is an old hand at this game, and that applies to young Mr Pipe these days; no match for dad’s amazing record, but back to a decent tally last season.
Ready And Able runs off 134 in future, so is 9lb well in after a hat-trick, and gifted another 5lb by Jonjo O’Neill junior’s claim. Gotta be the saver at 2.66, or you can punt him and save on Moon Racer. Be our guest!
SILVER OR DOUBLE FOR ROBBIE?
3.30 Newbury Thomas Crapper is 2-2 here but has fallen apart since scoring on the course in the Spring of last year.
That’s some time ago, but handicappers have long memories, and he’s only 7lb lower. He’s had a couple of wind ops which might revive him, and there’s no other course winner in the race.
J P McManus has a big ex-French beast in Kapcorse, who surprised Paul Nicholls first time over fences after a break.
He’s had another break since then and the raw bones should have been fleshed out for this, his first serious season: 3.45 for this early mouse.
De Dollar Man, who gives him 7lb, would like plenty of rain; so, too, Chef d’Equipe. Silverhow won’t be the 20-1 of his return at Chepstow. The run should have brought him on, a second Tizzard ride of the day for Robbie Power on this close relative of Altior.
Would you bankroll me for Kapcorse, J P? Can Silver turn to gold for Robbie? It’s all in a tough day’s punting at Newbury
DAQMAN BETS
1.50 Newbury (win 10)
BET 5.25pts win LOSTINTRANSLATION
2.05 Market Rasen (win 10)
BET 8pts win CASABLANCA MIX
2.25 Newbury (win 20)
BET 8.75pts win (nap) POSH TRISH
2.55 Newbury (win 20 and win 10)
BET 2.5pts win MOON RACER
BET 6pts win READY AND ABLE
3.30 Newbury (win 20 each)
BET 7.5pts win KAPCORSE
BET 3.25pts win SILVERHOW
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