CAPTAIN DAQMAN HITS BULL’S-EYE: Daqman joined in a day of shocks yesterday with a 50-point bag from the Portland Handicap at Doncaster. His sole bull’s-eye bet of the entire St Leger meeting was Captain Colby (WON 6-1 from 10.0 on BETDAQ).
HE’S NOW ON 74 BIG-RACE WINS: That gave him a 3-1 win over Pricewise of the Racing Post for the Doncaster meeting, taking the scores to Daqman 74, Pricewise 32. Today’s challenge sees bets from both in the 3.10 Chantilly, and in the 3.10 and 3.40 at The Curragh.
THE BIG TWO ARC TRIALS TODAY: The Chantilly races – Prix Niel and Prix Vermeille – are notable trials for the Arc. Four of the last eight Arc winners ran in the Vermeille, the queenmaker race which has been producer of the greatest of fillies and mares from Allez France to Treve.
SUN SHINE ON MARSHA FOR SIR MARK!
12.55 Chantilly (Prix du Petit Couvert) This is usually England’s race. Today could be the 20th successful raid since 1988, Rae Guest leading Robert Cowell 4-2 but with Sir Mark Prescott the interloper today, saddling Marsha.
In fact, though Mirza’s name is twice on the trophy for Guest, he dead-heated in 2013 before an outright victory a year later. Last season, he could manage only third, and is nine years old now.
Of course, all this happened at Longchamp, and the French have made this a big-field heat in an attempt to repel boarders as the race switches temporarily to their Derby track.
Damila, for instance, not disgraced in a Group 1 on the last day, won on good at this Group-3 level at Maisons (Ross Castle only fifth, Catcall seventh, Gammarth last of eight).
How heavy are the forecast showers will be a concern to Sir Mark Prescott, who has won two Listeds on sound surfaces with Marsha, not disgraced in the Goodwood King George (even faster).
But cut in the ground is also against Goldream, who was disputing favouritism with Marsha this morning, with Damila around 15.0
So, for the second day running, I’m betting blind over my cornflakes, wondering just what will be the going returns, never mind the 1-2-3 returns.
NO ARC HICCUPS ON MAKAHIKI DEBUT
2.00 Chantilly (Prix Niel) This is the Arc trial that was! Year on year, Niel winners went on to win the big European championship race in the same or subsequent years but, again, I have to remind you that both Niel and Arc have been switched from Longchamp this year.
Trempolino (1987), Carnegie (1990) and Helissio (1996) won this and the Arc before an amazing three-year sequence of doing the double by Sagamix, Montjeu and Sinndar.
Sinndar (2000) was the first Niel winner this century who won the Arc in the same year: Dalakhani 2003),and Hurricane Run (2005) followed but Rail Link (2006) 10 years ago was the last.,
Whatever happens today, the 2015 winner New Bay, is on track after a decent run in the ‘race of champions’ at The Curragh, won by this year’s French Derby winner, Almanzor.
Almanzor looked awesome, swopping late as if he would get the Arc trip and emulate Suave Dancer, who won at The Curragh and followed up at Longchamp in 1991.
But all eyes in the Niel today are on the Japanese Derby winner, Makahiki, making his European debut.
Sir Michael Stoute’s one-time Epsom Derby favourite Midterm returns after injury in the Dante Stakes.
LEFT HAND THE RIGHT VERMEILLE BET
3.10 Chantilly (Prix Vermeille) This race, which once upon a time produced queens of the Arc in Allez France and Three Troikas, revived the filly fairy-stories as an Arc trial, with the success of Zarkava (2008) and the mighty Treve who did the Vermeille-Arc double in 2013.
Though the colts are growing in prowess as they take their place for a super Arc line-up, the French Oaks winner La Cressonniere now stands alone among the fillies, after Minding’s defeat yesterday.
Four of the last eight Arc winners have come from this Vermeille but the most likely outcome today is that French Oaks runner-up Left Hand will boost La Cressonniere.
The danger is Golden Valentine, not entered for the Arc, but a previous winner at Chantilly who has had today’s Group 1 as her target.
3.50 Chantilly (Prix Du Moulin De Longchamp) Dutch Connection is asked to step from his Group-3 Goodwood win over 7f to this Group 1 over a mile against burgeoning three-year-olds.
Do you back Zarak to emerge from the shadow of Almanazor – they were one-two in the French Derby – or assume that Almanazor’s Jean-Claude Rouget stablemate, Zelzal, will continue on the upgrade after taking the Prix Jean Prat? Over the mile, Zelzal is the one most likely to.
COTAI HAS LAST CHANCE OF GLORY
2.00 The Curragh English sprint raiders who could lift their 20th opener to the day at Chantilly are going for a hat-trick in this Curragh fast starter.
Richard Fahey’s George Bowen (13.0 exchanged this morning) has slipped down the handicap to just a couple of pounds higher than for last year’s win in this, and seemed to respond well to blinkers when, badly drawn, he finished close up on the wrong side in the Great St Wilfrid Consolation at Ripon.
Intissab has been super consistent, rising a stone from a class-4 success in June, through to narrow defeats in the York Dash and the Great St Wilfrid proper.
3.10 The Curragh (Flying Five) First, third and fourth in this last year – Sole Power, Take Cover and Toscanini – are back for more.
Sole Power hasn’t had much of an impact this season at the age of nine, but, though he’s just as old, Take Cover, has scored twice, including the Group-2 King George at Goodwood.
My bet for that race, Cotai Glory, was squeezed out of contention, and was only a neck behind Take Cover, staying on. when fourth in the Nunthorpe.
But, even more of an indicator, he was beaten only a neck, when he last encountered give in the ground. That was in the Kings Stand at Royal Ascot, with Take Cover well out of the back door: I took 5.7 this morning. It’s last-chance saloon for me.
SAME ORDER: O’BRIEN FIRST AGAIN
3.40 The Curragh (Moyglare Stud Stakes) and 4.15 (National Stakes)
Aidan O’Brien, who has won the Moyglare three times in six years, notably with Minding last season, has taken the last two National Stakes with horses whose futures couldn’t have turned out more different.
Gleaneagles (2014) went on to win both Newmarket and Curragh Guineas the following year, while Air Force Blue (2015) has failed to train on.
Promise To Be True (3.40) from Rhododendron, and Churchill (4.10) from Finn McCool are set to give Ballydoyle a one-two in both races.
4.50 The Curragh (Irish St Leger) While the two-year-old trials are still guesswork, this is a matter of staking your life, or your mortgage at least.
You’ll get nowhere punting Order Of St George unless you are determined to buy money at long odds on. I shall hope that he continues his run as the hub of my Daq Multiples.
Order Of St George is unbeaten in more than a year with six wins in a row, mainly at today’s 14f but having no problem stepping up to the 20f of the Ascot Gold Cup, treating his rivals with similar disdain.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 6pts win MARSHA, and 1pt win and place DAMILA (12.55 Chantilly)
BET 2pts win and place GEORGE BOWEN (2.00 The Curragh)
BET 9pts win MAKAHIKI (2.00 Chantilly)
BET 6pts win (nap) COTAI GLORY (3.10 The Curragh)
BET 8pts win LEFT HAND (3.10 Chantilly)
BET 7pts win PROMISE TO BE TRUE (3.40 The Curragh)
BET 8pts win ZELZAL (3.50 Chantilly)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 4 x 2pts win trebles and 1pt win acca Cotai Glory (3.10 The Curragh), Promise To Be True (3.40 The Curragh), Churchill (4.10 The Curragh) and Order Of St George (4.50 The Curragh)
£25 IN FREE BETS
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