54.0 CHELTENHAM FESTIVAL PUNT: The Albert Bartlett Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham is wide open and the winner could be seen out this week in a brace of trial races. Daqman sticks his neck out for the sake of a couple of points at 54.0 on BETDAQ ante-post.
FOUR-NATIONS FUN-DAY YANKEE: There’s racing this afternoon in England (Southwell mixed meeting), Ireland (Clonmel), Scotland (Ayr) and Wales (Ffos Las), so Daqman tries to fly the flags of four nations with a small-stakes yankee to brighten up the day.
FLETCHER LOOKS A HORSE WITH A FUTURE
Two trials this week for the same race. The Albert Bartlett at the Cheltenham Festival – the old Spa Hurdle – could be decided today at Clonmel or on Saturday at Haydock Park.
Eight of today’s nine runners for the novice hurdle (2.35) on the handsaw-shaped track, with its right-hand bends and stiff finish, are entered (the odd one out is Keppols Queen).
Saturday’s race under the Albert Bartlett name – it’s the old Prestige Novices’ Hurdle – has 10 probables, all headed for the finale at the festival.
Notable among them are Harry Fry’s Fletchers Flyer, Ben Case’s Ballach and Brian Ellison’s Definitly Red. The field is ‘definitly’ reduced to nine, since Eddie Harty swerves Haydock with the Kildare-trained Fletcher for today’s trial at Clonmel.
Fletcher caught the eye on his hurdles debut at Leopardstown in December and was back there three weeks or so back, jumping superbly as eight-lengths winner of an ordinary race.
But he couldn’t have done it better and is a Westerner, whose progeny love Cheltenham, in particular Western Warhorse and Caid Du Berlais. Like the Arkle-winning Warhorse, Fletcher is expected to make up into a top novice-chaser.
Kauto Grand Mogul got back on track at Thurles on the last day but his 32 and 79 lengths win in a small field only served to boost Shantou Flyer (Graded fourth since), who had finished in front of him at Navan.
Of the Willie Mullins’ pair, Ruby Walsh rides Measureofmydreams, who is also a son of Shantou, and is another Thurles winner, though had to be cajoled round the course by Ruby.
A third Thurles winner, and better fancied of the Mullins duo, Roi Des Francs is favourite on BETDAQ this morning. Had the form let down when his Thurles runner-up was later turned over at odds-on, but is the choice of Bryan Cooper from three Gigginstown runners in this.
As my horse to follow for the future here, Fletcher will carry the extra burden of my pound at around 10.0 in the orange, early mouse. And we’ll spend some of the ‘overs’ we’re trading on successful ante-post tilts so far, with 54.0 Fletcher for the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham. Just a hearty little punt!
McCOY AGAIN! HE’S TOP OF THE GLAS..
ENGLAND (SOUTHWELL) The best race at Southwell is actually on the Flat, the Ladbrokes Handicap, a class-3 in which two horses stand out.
They were left isolated this morning by alarming drifts in the market, each out to double-figures, for Kung Hei Fat Choy and Time And Place.
Neither could be deemed to have eased into the value zone, since the Fat Choy has already been put in his place by Westminster. And the long-time-loser Time And Place is stepping up in trip and raised in class.
Westminster ran on strongly when beating Fat Choy and Pretty Bubbles over CD in January but has been beaten at Chelmsford (a very fair track) off the revised mark since.
And I prefer Two Moons, a dual CD winner of the trip, who was ‘the moral’ trying to give more than a stone to the winner here last time.
IRELAND (CLONMEL) While Fletcher is a speculative punt for the day – and for Cheltenham – his trainer, Eddie Harty, has a favourite’s chance with Dalmatia (2.05).
You could say that the true odds against the grey Cape Cross filly are 17-1 in an 18-runner race, all things being equal (which is never really the case), or you could say: ‘The bigger the field, the bigger the certainty.’
What we can say with impunity is that a shrewd-looking buy from Sir Michael Stoute made a smart debut at Leopardstown, and her getting a massive 18lb from the second favourite suggests that she is ‘the one most likely to’ in this contest. A same-stable saver to our punt on Fletcher.
SCOTLAND (AYR) The champion makes ’em look like champions! The way Tony McCoy got hold of Dewala yesterday and set the pace he wanted made a hero of the horse for a day, an all-the-way winner at Catterick.
A.P. doesn’t give them time to think for themselves, which may well be what’s needed for three-times-placed Top Of The Glas (2.10 Ayr) before the grey’s own ideas about the game become a permanent fixture in his head.
McCoy has two rides for regular raider from Ireland, Stuart Crawford, but the stable’s last four runners have been beaten a total of 193 lengths, which is a worry.
Yes Tom (4.20) along with And The Man both have question-marks against them, though Yes Tom’s can be resolved by the champion, while And The Man (offers of around 7.2) could be back to his old Ayr form (four wins from six) with the aid of first-time blinkers for a stable having a great season.
WALES (FFOS LAS) It’s very hard to fancy horses of a double-figure age in hurdles, albeit in a likely slog over 3m here. And it’s his return to that very distance that has me on the side of the youngest horse in the race.
I’m looking at the rise and rise of Cash Injection, given plenty of handicap racing though still only six, still improving and with Noel Fehily to help.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked 1 to 9, according to strength; 10 is a banker)
BET 5pts win DALMATIA (2.05 Clonmel)
BET 8pts win (nap) TOP OF THE GLAS (2.10 Ayr)
BET 2pts win and place FLETCHER (2.35 Clonmel)
BET 5pts win CASH INJECTION (3.25 Ffos Las)
BET 5pts win TWO MOONS (3.35 Southwell)
BET 3pts win AND THE MAN (4.20 Ayr)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 0.5pts win yankee DALMATIA (2.05 Clonmel), TOP OF THE GLAS (2.10 Ayr), CASH INJECTION (3.25 Ffos Las) and TWO MOONS (3.35 Southwell)
ANTE-POST: BET (to win 50): 1pt win and place FLETCHER (Albert Bartlett, Cheltenham)
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