14.5 THE 10-1 HUNT CUP WINNER: Daqman who landed a 140-1 one-two in the Kings Stand Stakes on Tuesday (4-1 and 33-1) had first and fourth, both win and place, in the Royal Hunt Cup yesterday, Portage (WON 10-1 from 14.5 on BETDAQ) and Azraff (4th 20-1 from 27.0 on BETDAQ)
ANOTHER HOT FORTUNE COOKIE: Daqman got a third return from his Royal Ascot Fortune Cookies when Usherette (WON 9-4) romped home. He scored three returns on the day to go 41-17 up on Pricewise in the value-hunting challenge. Day’s takings:
WON 9-4 Usherette (Fortune Cookie)
WON 10-1 Portage (14.5 Hunt Cup)
4th 20-1 Azraff (27.0 Hunt Cup)
THE MAN WHO MAKES THE HEADLINES: As ever, Daqman is bold in his predictions today: he has a gold banker and a ‘hidden horse’ at 22.0 contained in headlines like these:
SILVER START FOR GODOLPHIN IN NORFOLK
BLUE SKIES FOR FALLON’S ROYAL RETURN
ARCHITECTURE? IT LOOKS AN EVEN RACE
GOLD BANKER THE ORDER OF THE DAY
SIGNS THAT TAUREAN IS A HIDDEN STAR
‘SHRAAOH THE MAGNIFICENT’ SHOULD RULE
SILVER START FOR GODOLPHIN IN NORFOLK
2.30 Royal Ascot (Norfolk Stakes)
No winning favourite since 2008, not even when Wesley Ward brought over No Nay Never (2013) to beat Aidan O’Brien’s Coach House.
Ballydoyle scored last year with Waterloo Bridge. But both Red Lodge (Ward) and Peace Envoy (O’Brien) are not proven on bad ground. In fact, Peace Envoy’s sole defeat was on soft.
But the Ascot surface is a strange phenomenon, with fast-ground American and Japanese horses blasting through it, maybe because some man-made tracks have a similar constitution.
Global Applause’s sire won on heavy but so far we’ve seen specialist-soft horses are not the betting answer. They couldn’t give Peace Envoy away this morning, out to 9.2.
And Wesley Ward warns that the filly Red Lodge (no filly has won since 2000) is unlikely to act on the ground, so the 4.8 Silver Line seems to be the value for the revitalised Godolphin outfit.
BLUE SKIES FOR FALLON’S ROYAL RETURN
3.05 Royal Ascot (Tercentenary Stakes)
One of Abdon, Hawkbill or Blue De Vega – they were close at the front of an open market this morning – would be the fourth consecutive winning favourite.
Long Island Sound is easy to back in the BETDAQ orange as I write at 9.2 and this is not normally a Ballydoyle race.
Twice a winner of it in the decade is Sir Michael Stoute, who sets punters a puzzle with two starters, as does Saeed Bin Suroor.
As if we didn’t k now already, we shall get to know just how canny Stoutie is when he runs twice-raced Mulk in this and Shraaoh in the King George V Handicap (5.35), both having started out in the Wood Ditton at Newmarket’s Craven Meeting.
VERDICT: I’m told to pass Mulk and go for Shraaoh so, in this Tercentary, I’ll take Abdon who has improved at home, and Blue De Vega on Kieren Fallon’s return to the hallowed Royal Ascot ground.
He represents Guineas form and we saw how Ribchester franked the one-mile Classics yesterday.
ARCHITECTURE? IT LOOKS AN EVEN RACE
3.40 Royal Ascot (Ribblesdale Stakes)
Has Architecture recovererd from her Oaks battle with Minding of only 13 days ago? Has she improved past Chicadoro, who beat her into third place at Haydock last September?
Chicadoro was runner-up in the Newmarket Pretty Polly Stakes on her return (Even Song third),looking as if today’s trip were needed.
On the other hand, she needs to settle, too: the slower pace of stepping up two furlongs demands it.
Even Song finished late that day, looking as if the race would bring her on a ton, and she could be the biggest threat to Architecture.
In a superb punter-friendly BETDAQ orange (103% overround), I could back both Architecture and Even Song.
So few punters with one bookmaker can get a run for their money with two or more bets. BETDAQ backers can on one page, while Pricewise lemmings have to have accounts with 12 different firms today.
GOLD BANKER THE ORDER OF THE DAY
4.20 Royal Ascot (Gold Cup)
Perhaps in view of the ‘anything can win’ attitude because of the ground, perhaps because they were unexposed in the UK, the ‘monsters’ that we’ve seen, particularly yesterday’s Frankel of a filly, Lady Aurelia, did not frighten away the opposition.
Today we have, by modern standards, a massive Gold Cup field, despite the presence of another monster in many people’s eyes, Order Of St George.
He looks a Group horse against handicappers. From what little he’s seen, the handicapper is certain of it. He’s getting on for a stone clear of everything bar Max Dyamite and Flying Officer.
Max was seen to improve 10lb to win the Lonsdale at York from Mizzou, who had won the Sagaro, with Flying Officer third. So it seems to be a clear-cut one-two. I’ll back Max as a saver in case anything goes wrong with George.
SIGNS THAT TAUREAN IS A HIDDEN STAR
5.00 Royal Ascot (Britannia)
Eight out of 10 winners come from below the 9st mark, though Aidan O’Brien grabbed the prize with a seemingly out of form Group 1 performer last year off 9st 6lb., a 104 rating.
This year he has a completely different kind of runner: he brings Monarch straight from his Gowran Park maiden.
Horses with three or four runs can win this and Out And About, Monteverdi, Garcia and Folkswood are similarly lightly-raced.
At the start of the week, I listed four ‘hidden horses’ far better than their bare form. Mokarris didn’t give his running, but Cotai Glory almost pulled off a 33-1 shock and Portage won the Hunt Cup at 10-1.
The fourth hidden horse is Taurean Star. Michael Bell has admitted to ‘boxing clever’ with this one. He’s 2-2 at Ascot.
Monteverdi ran well at York and both Garcia and Oh This Is Us go for a four-timer. There’s not much between Out And About and Fighting Temeraire.
VERDICT: I took 9.2 Out And About, 22.0 Taurean Star and 36.0 Monarch, looking for another 140-1 Ladbrokes forecast!
‘SHRAAOH THE MAGNIFICENT’ SHOULD RULE
5.35 Royal Ascot (King George V Stakes)
When Sir Michael Stoute won this with Colony (2008), the colt had had only four starts and been beaten in his prep race.
Shraaoh, described as a ‘magnificent specimen’, has been seen in public only three times and, most significamntly, all of them this year, a Stoute late developer indeed.
Lovell is chssing him in the BETDAQ orange this morning but Irish Derby entry Harrison has a pull on him from their Sandown meeting, though connections don’t seem too keen on this Ascot ground (whatever it is!)
Guy Fawkes is another runner here for the Queen in this big nine-O birthday year. Could be anything, but again I read worries about the ground.
Paris Protocol (18.0) goes well fresh and the step up in trip will suit, though team Hannon is not known for getting it right at middle distances.
The Major General (15.5) is improving all the time at Ballydoyle, and could add to The Lads’ George’s day celebrations.
DAQMAN’S ROYAL ASCOT BETS (stake as stated)
BET (win 20) 5pts win SILVER LINE (2.30)
BET (win 20) 5pts win ABDON and 4pts win BLUE DE VEGA (3.05)
BET (win 30) 10pts win on each ARCHITECTURE asnd EVEN SONG (3.40)
GOLD BANKER: BET 30pts win (SP nap) ORDER OF ST GEORGE, with 3.5pts (stakes saver) MAX DYNAMITE (4.20)
BULL’S-EYE BETS (to win 50): 7pts win OUT AND ABOUT, plus 2.3pts win and place TAUREAN STAR and 1.4pts win and place MONARCH (5.00)
BULL’S-EYE BETS: 10pts win SHRAAOH, 3.4pts win and place THE MAJOR GENERAL, and 3pts win and place PARIS PROTOCOL (5.35)
£25 IN FREE BETS
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