Saturday

Saturday 23 April

DAQMAN

DAQMAN SLAMS INTO THE FAVOURITES: Three Sandown favourites are under attack from Daqman today as false for different reasons: the first looks well beaten on form lines and is brought out again after winning only a week ago, the second has to transfer from one discipline to another which hasn’t been done in 40 years, and the third lacks a finishing kick and prefers soft ground.

BIG-RACE VALUE ON BETDAQ: All through the Sandown card he finds Betdaq morning value, including a ‘gift’ back-and-lay bet at 10.0, and must-have big-race offers of 12.5 and 11.0

1.30 Sandown All bar one of the 11 winners this century had failed at the festivals of either Cheltenham or Aintree, or both, and Champion Hurdle sixth Clerk’s Choice, with Tony McCoy riding, will be distinctly fresher than last week’s Scottish Champion Hurdle winner, Sanctuaire.

The horse Sanctuaire beat into second at Ayr, Bygones Of Brid, was more than 16 lengths behind Clerk’s Choice, when a remote 28-lengths 10th of 11 in the Cheltenham championship. Hopefully, front-runner The Jigsaw Man will ensure a decent gallop.

2.05 Sandown It’s two wins in three years for David Pipe in this, and he has Kazzene lower down the handicap than either of them, blinkered for the first time. But they will all have to catch Dantari, the back-and-lay bet of the day at a ‘gift’ offer of 10.0 on Betdaq, as I write. He’s almost guaranteed to be very short toward the business end of the race.

Dantari was not headed until three out in the Coral Cup (2m 5f) at Cheltenham and had earlier faded only from the second last over 2m 6f at Sandown, third in the Grade-3 hurdle won by subsequent Albert Bartlett fifth, Kilcrea Kim. Today’s 19.5f could see him hang on to the line.

The David Pipe top-weight Raslan is likely to go the pace for some way with Dantari but the 19lb difference in weight may soon tell, though not until stablemate Kazzene has coasted into a position to challenge.

King Of The Night, who looked unlucky at Cheltenham, has plenty to do off 11st 8lb. Both Extreme Conviction (after 210 days off) and trainer John Berry (after 57 days without a jumps winner) have to bounce back.

2.35 Sandown (Celebration Chase) This has always been more ‘consolation’ than ‘celebration’, with Paul Nicholls (four) and the Pipe stable (twice) taking the prize after failure or near miss at Cheltenham and Aintree.

French Opera, sixth at Cheltenham and fifth at Aintree, fits that bill, though Oiseau De Nuit won at Cheltenham (9lb ratings rise) and was second at Aintree. Both will find it hard to beat the fresh Tataniano (Nicholls), who will love the conditions.

3.10 Sandown (Gold Cup) The defection of Siegemaster takes the weights up, so that only three horses now fulfill all the stats of my ABC guide (see Thursday and Friday column) – Can’t Buy Time, Gentle Ranger and Major Malarkey – as former graded-race runners who have won beyond 3m and carry no more than 10st 10lb.

Of these, the one who can be forgiven poor recent performances is the good-ground novice, Major Malarkey (trip too far; heavy ground), though the easy-to-back 35.0 this morning and the currently moderate stable strike-rate are off-putting.

I can’t have the favourite, Baby Run, on the grounds that a hunter hasn’t won this in 40 years, and he prefers soft ground. The form of Kim Muir runner-up Faasel, is equally suspect since amateur-riders’ events also rarely translate to ‘proper’ racing.

Balthazar King should ensure a good gallop but it’s hard to see a front-runner lasting this far and, in any case, I would prefer stablemate Triggerman (14.5): as a Double Trigger, he ought to relish the trip and is 7lb well in with the handicapper.

You should be looking for a fresh horse at this stage of the season and that suggests Meanus Dandy (11.0 on the Daq), winner of a feature handicap over 3m 1f at Sandown last Spring, who can be forgiven his last two runs (didn’t take to Grand National fences; reappearance run at Doncaster).

Poker De Sivola (12.5), the NH Chase winner last season, is lightly raced and can be excused his excursion into banks racing at the Cheltenham Festival. Aimigayle (8.0) is also fresh for this, having returned to form at Cheltenham when a game runner-up in the Byrne Group Plate but her style of running doesn’t give you confidence in her lasting the trip.

Church Island runs his race in this event (fourth and first) but another with conditions in his favour off a featherweight if he can bounce back is Fire And Rain (37.0), the Uttoxeter Summer National winner of 2009.

3.45 Sandown (Mile) Dick Turpin, the 2010 Guineas runner-up, looks poised to make it six wins in eight years for Richard Hannon. Cityscape, who must have good ground, is dead level on Racing Post ratings, though has won only a Group 3 and the going may be too firm.

4.20 Sandown (Gordon Richards Stakes) King’s Gambit’s form suggests a certain shyness about entering the winners’ enclosure: 40223222.  The race has been a whitewash for favourites this century; their form reads 2223002032.

In any case, Viscount Nelson (he’s also got the needle stuck on 2020303) is not a value favourite: those placings are good – third in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, third in the Eclipse – but he’s always been caught out for pace, with his winning form all on softish ground. They have played around with blinkers and visors (left off here) which haven’t improved him: he’s been off the track 294 days and has never won fresh.

Sir Michael Stoute (Nouriya, easy to back at 7.4) has yet to hit his usual stride and the indications are – all Group 1 entries – that 2010 improver Afsare comes here with a massive home reputation.

DAQMAN’S BETS
LAY to win 10pts SANCTUAIRE and BET 10pts win CLERK’S CHOICE (1.30 Sandown)
WIN-30 JACKPOTS: BET 7pts win KAZZENE, and 3pts win and place DANTARI (2.05 Sandown)
LAY to win 10pts BABY RUN, and WIN-30 JACKPOTS: BET 3pts win MEANUS DANDY, and 2.5pts win and place POKER DE SIVOLA (3.10 Sandown)
LAY to win 10pts VISCOUNT NELSON and BET 10pts win AFSARE (4.20 Sandown)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 6 x 1pt win trebles Clerk’s Choice (1.30 Sandown), Tataniano (2.35 Sandown), Dick Turpin (3.45 Sandown) and Afsare (4.20 Sandown).

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