NOW IT’S FOUR LAYS IN A ROW: Daqman dared to lay a Ballydoyle favourite, Cenotaph, at The Curragh yesterday, declaring: ‘He looks a loser.’ Cenotaph was third, giving our man four consecutive winning lays:
WON (place lay) Collaboration (unplaced 8-1)
WON (lay) Telescope (unplaced 6-4 fav)
WON (lay) Wicklow Brave (unplaced 5-4 fav)
WON (lay) Cenotaph (3rd 15-8 fav)
DAQMAN REMAINS IN TOP FORM: Daqman’s naps are on three out of four, and his super bankers on eight out of 10. Today he looks ahead to the Eclipse and to Goodwood, and checks out the days cards at Pontefract and Windsor.
THERE’S ANOTHER OAKS DIAMOND TO COME
Luck be a Lady. The Epsom camber has a lot to answer for. Derby form has worked out to the inch, with second, third and fourth filling first, second and third places in the Irish Derby in Golden Horn’s absence.
And Golden Horn can now be expected – he’s 7-4 on expected, in fact – to add Saturday’s Eclipse at Sandown to his belt.
But the Oaks fillies rolled all over the place, leaving Qualify to get the applause as 50-1 winner, scooting past Legatissimo, as half the field cannoned into each other like a set of snooker balls on the green baize of Epsom.
And those barged out of their stride as Qualify’s stablemate, Together Forever, swerved both left and right, have emerged, the forgotten fillies, and won two great races.
Star Of Seville, badly hampered final furlong at Epsom, got a quality ride from Frankie Dettori to win the Prix de Diane at Chantilly. The price? A staggering 16-1.
Then yesterday, Diamondsandrubies, also badly hampered at Epsom, beat Legatissimo for the Pretty Polly Stakes at a juicy 8-1.
Better men than I – but I hold my hand up, too – forgot the fact that Star of Seville had won the Musidora, and Diamondsandrubies the Cheshire Oaks.
And we also forgot – though I deny the charge entirely – that such as Legatissimo and Pleascach had had hard races (I did express the fear about Pleascach but still napped her) at Epsom and Ascot.
You see, not only were Star of Seville and Diamondsandrubies hampered but their ‘finish’ wasn’t used up. So it was they went to Chantilly and The Curragh as comparatively fresh animals.
Those SPs of 8-1 and 16-1 stick in my throat! But, as every professional knows, it’s not the winners you miss that count; it’s the winners you back.
Taking another look at that Epsom Oaks camber melee, I’m left wondering what Luca Cumani plans with Lady of Dubai.
There she is, third in the order-in, surrounded by an Oaks winner, a Diane winner, and a Pretty Polly winner! And don’t forget that she won another major trial, the Height Of Fashion Stakes at Goodwood.
My guess, therefore, would be that Cumani will be aiming her at the Nassau Stakes on August 1 on the same Goodwood track. Can luck be a lady again? You read it here first.
NASH TO DEFY TOP WEIGHT IN PONTEFRACT
PONTEFRACT The 2 year old Spindrifter EBF Conditions Stakes looks a decent race.
Despite the small field, Pontefract have attracted some very nice prospects for this 6 furlong contest. Age of Empire, Dodgy Bob and Gold Medallion are the principles on paper, and the two outsiders, Young John and Mon Beau Visage, although they will their work cut out for them, they are by no means out of it.
Age Of Empire was sixth in last week’s Coventry at Royal Ascot behind Buratino but won a Class 3 Maiden at York prior to that and won it quite easily beating Galileo Gold by two and three quarter lenghts. The form of that Maiden has worked out quite well with several of the runners going on to win and some have a brace of wins to their name since.
The fear I have is that so many of the Royal Ascot runners have no run to the same standard since and it is quite a short turnaround between then and now, especially for a 2 year old.
Gold Medallion has just the one run behind him in a Leicester Maiden and even though he was workmanlike in his performance, it was a really good run and he stuck his neck out well to win from Derby entry Shahbar.
The Mark Johnston colt is entered for the Group 1 National Stakes at The Curragh later in the year so he is clearly held in high regard by Johnston. He looks the one to beat.
Dodgy Bob does need more to really trouble the top two but he appears to be a sort that is open to improvement but may need a little more to split the jollies.
Another 6 furlong contest at 4.00 is where my next bet goes. There doesn’t seem to be much strength in depth in this one and the top three are very closely matched on form.
I’m taking a slight chance with Augusta Ada with Ryan Moore in the saddle. His last three runs can be discounted as they were at the wrong trip for him. Back down at 6 furlongs and having regressed in the Handicap to a mark of 80. This is probably the limit of his ability but with all things in his favour he should be able to score in a weak enough contest like this.
It is difficult to look beyond David O’Meara’s Thornaby Nash at 5.30 despite having to carry top weight of 10-2 but he won well enough at Wetherby last week to suggest that he can defy this penalty and the weight.
WINDSOR Just the one selection for Windsor this evening at 7.30 and it is a very open race.
I’m going for some value here and looking down to the bottom of the Handicap, Evervescent may be the answer.
He ran very well in defeat on his debut over the same trip at Chepstow, beaten by a very unexposed sort from the Andrew Balding yard. Off the same mark this evening and with the assitance of Kieran Shoemark, he is a good each way bet.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked 1 to 9pts on strength, 10pts for a Banker)
BET 6pts win GOLD MEDALLION (3.00 Pontefract)
BET 4pts win AUGUSTA ADA (4.00 Pontefract)
BET 8pts win (NAP) THORNABY NASH (5.30 Pontefract)
BET 2pts win and place EVERVESCENT (7.30 Windsor)
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