DAQMAN on Sunday

Daqman has had 12 winning bets in the eight days of December, including a double yesterday.

It’s a cat-and-mouse game for the Scottish Borders National this afternoon, and that’s not just the horses.

Keep your Daq up at Kelso (1.50) and get ready with your mouse to pounce, cat like, on a big offer about Petite Margot in running.

She has more stamina than Bruce Forsyth but invariably hits a flat patch and struggles to get her second wind towards the business end of her races. I took an offer of 8-1 this morning but they could be laying several times that if she runs her usual last-gasp race.

Her trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies’ big rival in the stayers’ league is Ferdy Murphy, who fields three against Petite Margot, including Delray Beach who was a nice touch for us in the Northumberland National a fortnight ago.

However, Graham Lee deserts ‘Delray’ to partner Trisons Star, who was 15 lengths behind ‘Margot’ on today’s track last month when that one finished with a late rally but ‘Star’ was upsides at the last, needing his first run back, and is now 10lb better off.

There’s another tough stamina test at Warwick (3.10), where the ‘Twiston’ team is hoping that The Gangerman can return to form now that he has his ground.

The race is called the Christmas Party Chase but Victory Gunner is likely to keep his crackers hidden until Boxing Day when he targets a hat-trick in the Lincolnshire Grand National at Market Rasen. A clear round today and the Rasen race is gift-wrapped for him.

The real feast right now is at Punchestown, a marvelous turn out of old favourites and rising stars for the John Durkan Memorial (2.05).

But it’s a headache for me, a case of the turkey served too soon. You see, Mansony is on my horses-to-follow list; I really rate the future chances of this former top-class hurdler who, when last seen, beat Justified and other young chasing hopefuls in the Kerrygold Cup over today’s course.

But that was 229 days ago and it was 2m; will he be ready for this?

Well, he won that race with a last-to-first burst, has won at Punchestown at today’s trip over hurdles and, most important for today, won first time out last season.

I would kick myself if he won and I wasn’t on him though, when the brain overrules the heart, Forget The Past looks the ‘one most likely to.’

The 2006 Cheltenham Gold Cup third won his recent prep run for this and his stable took this Grade-1 contest just last year.

Back at Warwick, Copper Bay (2.10) always runs well at this stage of the season and has had a wind operation and a nice long holiday to help him run even better.

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BET 2pts win on each PETITE MARGOT and TRISONS STAR (1.50 Kelso)
BET 3pts win FORGET THE PAST and 2pts win MANSONY (2.05 Punchestown)
BET 4pts win COPPER BAY (2.10 Warwick)
BET 3pts win THE GANGERMAN (3.10 Warwick)