DAQMAN on Thursday

Thursday 13 November Daqman yesterday illustrated Betdaq methods which every punter can follow: back it at 2-1, lay it at odds-on; that, for instance, was his bet-and-lay advice about beaten-favourite Tataniano. Tataniano (mistake at the last) traded 1.2 in running while the winner, Shalone, which he suggested backing if it drifted to around 5-1, was matched at 5.6. It was a break-even day at SP from his three winners, which included Laurel Creek (won 7-4), but again the advantage was to Betdaq backers if they followed his advice and got on Laurel Creek at 4-1 before the gamble at Wolverhampton. Today, the last day of low-key racing before the big three-day Open meeting at Cheltenham, Daqman puts his neck on the line against another Nicholls’ favourite. Despite Tataniano’s demise yesterday, another Paul Nicholls’ newcomer to hurdling, Thundering Star, will be in many a Daq Multiple today but is he also being inflated as ‘a good thing’ in some of the papers? The South Africa Flat winner over 12 furlongs was considered classy enough to take his chance in the Ascot Gold Cup (2m 4f) but the normal rule of thumb is that stayers on the Flat need further over the sticks, and he’s been working that way at home. Thundering Star (2.40 Taunton) has been gelded at age five, which is a bit late in the day, so he’s been given plenty of time and, according to Nicholls in the Racing Post stable tour last month, was only ‘just starting to come to himself.’ He has no form yet on soft ground, but it’s too early to mark that against him as he’s lightly raced and his sire, Fort Wood, though an American stallion, loved plenty of cut – like his own sire, Sadlers Wells - and beat Arc runner-up, Hernando, on the soft at Saint-Cloud. Hot Diamond has already done well enough over hurdles, making 137-rated Squadron work all the way to the line at Cheltenham, to have an outstanding chance in a race like this. Humble Opinion is interesting: brother to the same stable’s useful sort Junior, and a winning Flat performer, he’s bred for the winter game and has schooled well at home; his winning over 10 furlongs is much more like it for a hurdle race of today’s distance and he was marked ‘one to look out for’ by Alan King in his stable tour. With two good prospects against him – Hot Diamond and Humble Opinion – you could lay Thundering Star and leave it at that but, with so little action around so far this week, and with the odds in my favour, I’m going to be greedy and go for a double whammy. I shall lay the favourite to win 10 points and spend that amount dutching in the ratio 7:3 on Hot Diamond and Humble Opinion at 3.75 and 7.8 respectively on Betdaq as I write. Kerrys Girl (3.10) is ‘expected’ in this handicap, if the same Nicholls’ stable tour can be believed: she wouldn’t be the biggest mare but was a gutsy winner at Exeter last season when still green. Main marker rival Bazart looks a bridle horse but Sangfroid appeared to need it at Cheltenham and finished nicely. Sangroid’s stable runs Mighty Moose in the next, and they’ll be hoping to show some form ahead of Maljimar’s fancied run in the Paddy Power at the weekend but I’ll put The Venetian (3.40) in my Daq Multiples: he owes us nothing after a 12-1 win the other day. Paul Nicholls says that Great Mates (4.10) ‘should pick up a bumper on the way to novice hurdling’; looks hard to oppose in the one he’s chosen. The Bob’s Return gelding suffered from sore shins after being struck into on his debut last season but has strengthened up well during the summer, says my man in the long grass. Front Of House (1.00 Ludlow) failed to make it a bumper hat-trick in the championship at the Punchestown Festival but that can hardly be held against him when considering a class-4 novice hurdle with the stable in such hot form. What better way for a trainer to please ‘her indoors’ than to plot her horse into the bottom of a handicap: Old Brigade (2.30), owned by Mrs Jonjo, was a tad tempting this morning at 19.5 on Betdaq. But who chose the name? Surely not a woman.
TODAY'S BETS
BET 6pts win FRONT OF HOUSE (1.00 Ludlow) BET 1pt win and place OLD BRIGADE (2.30 Ludlow) LAY to win 10pts THUNDERING STAR, and BET 7pts win HOT DIAMOND, 3pts win HUMBLE OPINION (2.40 Taunton) BANKER 10pts win KERRYS GIRL (3.10 Taunton) BET 6pts win GREAT MATES (4.10 Taunton) DAQ MULTIPLES: Front Of House, Great Mates, Kerrys Girl and The Venetian (3.40 Taunton), charged to the account as 1pt win doubles.
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