WARNING AS DAQMAN HUNTS ANOTHER 28-1 ROYAL ASCOT WINNER: Daqman continues to look exactly one week ahead to Royal Ascot with words of warning about next Wednesday’s Royal Hunt Cup, which landed him Invisible Man (WON 28-1) last year.
SIX LAYS OUT OF SEVEN: He made it six successful lays out of seven when he started his day yesterday with a deliberate loser, Atyaab (unplaced 9-2)
NAP MAKES ALL THE RUNNING: It was then a back-and-lay delight as Daqman’s nap of the day, April Fool (WON 2-1), made all the running, challenged neck and neck as the rider dropped his whip but going away again to finish clear. He also tipped Danvilla (WON 13-2).
IT’S A DAQMAN SUPER SEQUENCE: Taking his best result in each race tipped in, and regarding lays as wins, Daqman’s current sequence of success is 13012111441
BETDAQ NIGHT AT KEMPTON PARK: Look out tonight for four more Betdaq Wednesday sponsored races at Kempton Park. With analysis by Daqman, of course.
Don’t be fooled by the bookies. Last year, I chose my Royal Hunt Cup bets from the low draw, including 28-1 winner, Invisible Man and, sure enough, the result by stall was 11, 12, 2 and 5 in a field of 29.
That had followed stalls 1 and 2 housing three winners from four on the straight course on the opening day, Tuesday. So wait for the Hunt Cup decs and wait for the Tuesday indication again and get the Betdaq surplus value. That’s what the philosopher said, so don’t rush in to ante-post prices where Engels feared to tread.
With Workforce expected to be diverted to the Sandown Eclipse, the markets suggest that the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes is a match between So You Think and the Prix Ganay winner, Planteur.
With Betdaq layers offering 19.0 bar two, there is a temptation to swerve the Frenchman and look among the long-shots for an each-way bet: that may be good thinking on the day; wouldn’t put you off. But be warned that Planteur is one of those rare French horses who wants a sound surface.
Good going is forecast and Planteur has won his last two on ‘good’ at Longchamp, last time beating the Arc third, Sarafina, giving 3lb. That’s form which says that ‘So You’ will have something to think about.
Third Wednesday warning: I hear that William Haggas, who pulled off a 20-1 Oaks shock with Dancing Rain, is delighted with Dever Dream for the Windsor Forest. Last year’s form? 11131211.
6.15 Kempton (betdaq.com Every Wednesday at Kempton Apprentice Handicap): In the five one-mile handicaps with double-figure fields at Kempton Park in the last month – four sponsored by Betdaq – seemingly advantageous stalls below five have reached the frame only once, and draw positions from 7 to 12 have secured 12 of the 15 places, four of the five wins.
Eastern Gift’s last AW run over the mile was a CD win here in March off only 3lb lower, thanks to a good gallop throughout. Gallantry, Having A Ball and Cactus King are also CD winners, but are giving the years away to Eastern Gift, Hecton Lad and Sasheen.
Sasheen managed to win from the rail in April (stall 2) but is unlikely to take them along again from 13, and Hecton Lad’s CD win, also in April, was probably down to first-time blinkers. Lucy Barry has a good record for Pat Phelan but the stable is currently out of form.
The overall view, without necessarily trying to pick a winner, must be to have a back-and-lay Catchanova, a good second from the front at Goodwood and ideally drawn to make his presence felt for most, if not all, of this tricky contest.
6.45 Kempton (betdaq.com Exchange Price Multiples Maiden Stakes): Two-year-old non-handicap favourites have a near-50% record at Kempton, and the top track yards for juveniles are John Gosden and Jane Chapple-Hyam, both represented here.
Main Focus (Gosden) looks well up to this if he can reproduce his close sixth of 15 in a Newbury race, from which first, third and fourth have all won since. Flying Trader (Chapple-Hyam) is a speculative outsider but Fallon is booked and the grey is drawn almost adjacent to the pace.
7.15 Kempton (Lay Back And Win At betdaq.com Handicap): Favourites are three out of four since 2007, with all four winners set 9st 4lb or more. In three of those years, the winning ratings have been 77, 78 and 80.
With no horse on a mark higher than 75 today, it suggests that the rags have even less chance of upsetting those who have earned some respect from the handicapper.
Mosaicist is related to some decent sprinters and did the job well in a fast time at Yarmouth but it’s a bit worrying that James Fanshawe has kept this filly down at a low level for her handicap debut, as if he isn’t expecting much improvement. She seemed to have a chance in better races at Sandown and Goodwood on Friday.
She has to give weight to Speightowns Kid, who turned over some older sprinters on the course last week, going right away as if today’s extra furlong is well within his compass.
7.45 Kempton (Betdaq Mobile Apps Handicap): Two seasons out of three this race has produced a Royal Ascot runner: last year’s winner, Arctic Cosmos (John Gosden), ran second at in the King Edward V11 Stakes and, three years ago, Unleashed won as hot favourite for Henry Cecil before finishing down the field in the Queens Vase.
Cecil and Gosden are back with Baltic Light and Antarctic but they’re among 10 previous winners this year, six of them last time out.
I’m taking Western Prize. The High Chaparral colt has been given time to mature since landing a gamble at Lingfield over a mile and will be ideally suited by today’s trip. In fact, one of his half-brother’s won this race in 2003 when it was called the Be A Wednesday Winner Stakes. You said it!
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 3.7pts win RYEDANE (2.30 Beverley)
BET 6pts win MAHKAMA and 4.8pts win DARE TO DREAM (2.50 Haydock)
BET 7pts win on each KEYS and WILD COCO (3.50 Haydock)
BET 10pts win MAIN FOCUS and 2.9pts win FLYING TRADER (6.45 Kempton)
LAY to win 10pts MOSAICIST and BET 8pts win (nap) SPEIGHTOWNS KID (7.15 Kempton)
BET 4pts win WESTERN PRIZE and 1pt win (saver) ANTARCTIC (7.45 Kempton)
