DAQMAN DEFIES UNISON VERDICT AND HAS 5-1 HIT: Daqman’s done it again! He hit another good-odds winner, standing alone against the Press pundits who warned of the horse’s big weight and found collateral form against it. But Daqman’s own studies spotted better form lines to Unison (WON 5-1 but taken at 8.0 on BETDAQ. Result: Unison made all!
THREE CONSECUTIVE WINNING DAYS FOR 82 POINTS: It took Daqman’s profit to around 82 points from his staking plan over three consecutive winning days of five winners from nine races, some of them much better odds on BETDAQ. The five strikes were:
WON 7-1 JENNYS SURPRISE (Sunday, 9.8 on BETDAQ)
WON 5-1 UNISON (Tuesday, 8.0 on BETDAQ)
WON 3-1 SHANROE SANTOS (Monday, 5.0 on BETDAQ)
WON 5-4 MONBEG NOTORIOUS (Sunday, supernap)
WON 6-5 BLOTTOS (Monday, nap)
RIGHT TURN! IT’S DAQMAN’S NAP VOTE AT KEMPTON: Daqman checks out his favourite Cheltenham horse today, takes Willie Mullins second string in the feature hurdle at Punchestown but puts his nap at Kempton tonight on the one horse in the race that loves the clockwise track.
OUR CAUSE IS BANG ON COURSE
Back or lay? Cheltenham Festival favourites present the same conundrum every year. Here I continue to check out some of the facts.
This is day two, Wednesday, for which there were live BETDAQ markets this morning for Champion Chase, Cross-Country and Bumper.
1.30 Cheltenham, Wednesday, March 14 (Ballymore Novices’ Hurdle) THREE winning favourites and only one outsider in the decade. That was last year for Ben Pauling, who now hopes to saddle Gowiththefellow. Rest of the stable story: W Mullins 4 winners.
BETDAQ GUIDE: This column took 17.5 Black Op but everything behind the odds-on Samcro has eased after confirmation that this is his target.
2.10 Cheltenham, Wednesday, March 14 (RSA Novices’ Chase) FOUR winning favourites but three at double-figure odds in the decade. N Henderson 2, W Mullins 2.
2.50 Cheltenham, Wednesday, March 14 (Coral Cup) FAVOURITES BLANKED. And only one winner of single-figure odds in the decade. Trainers: N Henderson 2, G Elliott 2.
3.30 Cheltenham, Wednesday, March 14 (Champion Chase) THREE winning favourites out of 10, and 11-1 the biggest SP. Trainers: Nicky Henderson 3, Paul Nicholls 3, Henry De Bromhead 2.
BETDAQ GUIDE: Altior, who looked majestic on his recent return, was best priced with BETDAQ at 1.81 this morning. Min was also best with the exchange at 5.1.
Douvan, 4-1 and 5-1 with the fixed-odds layers, was 8.8. Politologue, 4-1 and 6-1 in places but generally averaging around 7-1, was 17.5 in the ante-post orange.
4.10 Cheltenham, Wednesday, March 14 (Cross-Country) Just ONE winning favourite in the decade but, with a couple of exceptions, the SPs are 4-1 to 11-2. Trainers: Enda Bolger 3, Philip Hobbs 2.
The 2017 winner, Causes Of Causes, was scoring for the third time for this column at the Cheltenham Festival and, despite a modest effort on his return two weeks ago, was well touted by trainer Gordon Elliott at the unveiling of weights for the Grand National, in which he was runner-up last April.
4.50 Cheltenham, Wednesday, March 14 (Fred Winter Juvenile Handicap Hurdle) Just the ONE winning favourite, and a huge surge of outsiders in the last six years: 25-1 (twice), 33-1 (twice) and 40-1.
That’s despite most winners being trained by the usual suspects: Paul Nicholls 3, Nicky Henderson, Gordon Elliott, Nick Williams.
5.30 Cheltenham, Wednesday, March 14 (Champion Bumper) All bar ONE favourite has been swamped by outsiders (14-1 to 40-1 win five out of six from 2008 to 2014). Willie Mullins 3.
CLASSIC HAS THE CLASS FOR THIS
2.50 Doncaster That Work Du Breteau has moved to Dan Skelton, there is no doubt. That he should be marked for first run after a wind operation is debatable.
Those rushing to back him because of the ‘w1’ on the racecard should know that he’s already had a wind op, back in the autumn 2016 and won his next race at Bangor last Spring.
Age is also against Work Du Breteau; seven winners of the last nine have been aged five or six, only to be expected in this staying hurdle series.
As a Presenting, Duke Debarry should improve for the sounder surface today, but he needs to. His jumping has been sketchy.
The handicapper probably has hold of Early Retirement, now up 22lb for back-to-back wins at Southwell. Up in grade, too.
Classic Ben’s double in December has been franked from both races, and he can be forgiven for his failure to get involved at a much higher, Graded level here on Town Moor on the last day. I took 9.2.
QUE? WILLIE’S SECOND STRING
3.05 Punchestown (Quevega Hurdle) Willie Mullins has the lines to form in his attempt to win the race named after his great champion.
Meri Devie might have been close to Alletrix on the last day but for being hampered, then not punished to challenge. Now 21lb better off but for me is a pointer to stablemate Pravalaguna.
Meri Devie is Flat bred and has finished well beaten in two previous attempts beyond 2m whereas the seeming second-string Pravalaguna, half-sister to Petit Mouchoir, has already won at today’s trip, and is 2-2 when fresh. I took 4.8.
THE COURSE FAVOURS GEORGE
6.45 Kempton Ryan Moore returns from Japan to give Sussex Ranger a good blow before the Triumph Hurdle.
Native Fighter has a fine chance despite still waiting for his first win in UK.
I shall have a pound on Multigifted, at 38.0 on BETDAQ. Twice a winner at Kempton and first run after a wind op.
7.15 Kempton There’s only a length between Watersmeet and Lord George on Newcastle form, but George is a dual winner at Kempton, never out of the first two here.
Watersmeet much prefers a left-handed track, for which he is 11 from 28 but a poor 1-13 going clockwise. I took 2.5 Lord George.
DAQMAN’S BETS (each to win 20)
BET 2.5pts win CLASSIC BEN (2.50 Doncaster)
BET 5.25pts win PRAVALAGUNA (3.5 Punchestown)
BET 1pt win and place MULTIGIFTED (6.45 Kempton)
BET 13pts win (nap) LORD GEORGE (7.15 Kempton)
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