LIGHTNING IS SECOND BANKER STRIKE: Daqman landed a second banker out of three this week with Lightning Spear (WON 1-1) at Goodwood yesterday following on Cracksman (WON 4-6) at York. The scores in his challenge to Pricewise of the Racing Post are 70-13 to Daqman, who is 304 points clear to a single-unit stake.
29.0 SHOT CAN LEAD FROM THE FRONT: Today is a European tour of class-1 tracks at The Curragh, Deauville and Goodwood. It’s Pricewise v Daqman in the Irish Cambridegshire (4.20), in which our man stars an English raider but fancies a BETDAQ 29.0 front-runner to stay on into a place at least.
‘ROUND TOWER’ SHARK WARNING
1.30 The Curragh Aidan O’Brien goes for a fourth consecutive success in this maiden with – among three declared – Christopher Robin, second in a one-two for the stable at Leopardstown, a likely odds-on shot today.
Mick Halford resorts to blinkers for Port Lions who has been a bridesmaid so far but including two-lengths runner-up to Rostropovich, subsequent winner of the Futurity.
2.00 The Curragh (Flame Of Tara Stakes) Hard to see why Ballet Shoes can’t make it a quick double for Ballydoyle in this Group 3, if she doesn’t get on her toes.
So casual was her Tipperary success that her rider put up 2lb overweight in a Listed race. It’s already looking like a day for Daq Multiples.
2.35 The Curragh (Round Tower Stakes) Jim Bolger 3, Ger Lyons 2, Aidan O’Brien 2 are the scorers in the decade, and all represented again as another two-year-old Group 3 is up for grabs.
O’Brien has such quantity that something of quality is sure to place itself at each Group level at this stage of the season, and July Stakes runner-up and Phoenix Stakes fourth seem credentials sound enough for this juveniles heat.
Holder of those credentials is US Army Flag, who can wave in the O”Brien hat-trick for the day after little more than an hour’s racing, though he’s looking exposed to any decent improver.
Colts have won eight out of 10 in the decade and, if there is an improver here, Landshark would be the one, by the same sire as Beckford, who was second in the Phoenix. At 5.7 on BETDAQ should recoup the win stakes from a place bet
INTIMATION FOR IMMORTALITY..
2.45 Deauville Here’s a bold move by Roger Varian for his sprinter, Lahore, who has been Group entered (swerved Goodwood) since winning a Windsor handicap.
Even with the three-year-old allowances, he’d have more than a stone to find with Signs Of Blessing, Group-1 successful here at Deauville who started his season by beating Profitable in the Prix de Saint-Georges on the course in May.
Diamond Jubilee fifth Finsbury Park would go close if repeating that form but there’s another three-year-old on the march, Andre Fabre’s Aiming For Rio.
3.45 The Curragh (Snow Fairy Stakes) Not so much another battle of the generations but a seemingly simple task in this race so far for the Classic-season fillies who are 9 out of 10, including three of the last five for Aidan O’Brien.
With four declared he has 50% of the three-year-old contenders, including Rain Goddess, Irish Oaks runner-up to Enable.
But there’s a bogey mare among the older horses: on lines through Flying Fairies, Glamorous Approach and Making Light, Intimation – with current leading jockey Colin Keane booked – is the winner over Rain Goddess.
4.05 Deauville (Grand Prix) Frontiersman didn’t like the soft ground at Newbury last weekend but his seconds to Hawkbill and Highland Reel on better ground are the best pieces of form on show here.
Doha Dream just failed to catch Tiberian on today’s course after an untidy start early in the month but is 5lb worse off now.
‘HIDDEN HORSE’ EASY TO BACK: 29.0
4.20 The Curragh (Irish Cambridgeshire) An old-fashioned handicap with a 22lb weights span, and results come from anywhere among them, but not the favourite (last won in 2000) and you can probably strike through some of the seven veterans in the race (famous last words).
Among those seven-year-olds and upwards is the English raider Dream Walker (Brian Ellison: current form 0-24) from the ‘coffin box’ one stall. He ran a cracker, third in a big mile handicap at the Galway festival.
But Scotland’s Iaain Jardine, who is celebrating the Ebor winner among four successful out of seven in two days, was unlucky not to win it.
Hibou ran second of 18, hampered final furlong, and Dream Walker has franked the form since. Hubou is 9.8 in the BETDAQ orange as I write.
Another seven-year-old, Breathe Easy, is massive at 29.0 on BETDAQ, as a four-time Curragh winner, who is a ‘hidden horse’ front-runner because he’s been seen over further.
4.30 Goodwood (Supreme Stakes) A drop down to Group 3 should help Dutch Connection but the entire is difficult to win with (only one win in more than two yers).
Tomyris is still unexposed but failed in a similar situation at this level here earlier in the month on soft, though she had scored in deepish ground at the York Dante emeting.
So I fancy a further step forward for the progressive Bless Him, who didn’t get a clear run last time he was seen on this course but afterwards surged through to land the Britannia at Royal Ascot : 8.0 on BETDAQ this morning is plain wrong
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked as stated)
3.45 The Curragh: win 30
BET 8.8pts win (nap) INTIMATION
4.05 Deauville: win 20
BET 8pts win FRONTIERSMAN
4.20 The Curragh: win-50 bull’s-eye bets
BET 5.5pts win HIBOU
BET 1.75pts win and place BREATHE EASY
4.30 Goodwood: win-50 bull’s-eye bet
BET 7pts win and place BLESS HIM
DAQ MULTIPLES
BET: 4 x 2pts win trebles and 1pt win acca CHRISTOPHER ROBIN (1.30 The Curragh), BALLET SHOES (2.00 The Curragh), US NAVY FLAG (2.35 The Curragh), INTIMATION (3.45 The Curragh)
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