DAQMAN’S FLAT-JOCKEY HALL OF FAME: With Jimmy Fortune’s retirement, Daqman checks out Jimmy’s generation and picks his top 10 riders of the past in order of their ability to carry his cash! It’s Daqman’s Hall Of Fame of retired jockeys, in which just three make up the ‘A’ team.
SUPERNAP AT KEMPTON: Three bets in quick succession for DAQMAN on Monday including a SUPERNAP at Kempton.
CARSON KING OF THE ‘A’ TEAM
I was Willie’s ghost. But, though I interviewed him and wrote his stuff for two full Flat seasons for the papers, William Hunter Carson never once tipped me a winner.
That’s because he didn’t tip me a single horse. Nor did he break any other form of loyalty or tell tales out of school in any way; yet we had a good story to fill ‘his’ column every week.
I even had to pay someone in Dick Hern’s yard to tell me about Derby winner Troy, while Willie kept stum.
I also ‘ghosted’ John Francome, Steve Cauthen, Steve Smith-Eccles, Cash Asmussen and Graham Bradley, all great characters in their own way.
Cash, the man from Laredo, was the gentleman of them all. When I wrote him a piece, it was with his collaboration, of course, yet he would send me his card with a thankyou note. Every time.
But put together the dedication of Cauthen and the nerve of ‘Ecky’, the cheeky-chappy Smith Eccles, and you got Laughing Willie.
The best tipster of them all? I once hired US Hall Of Fame rider, Gary Stevens – who played Seabiscuit’s rider in the film – to tip for this BETDAQ column just one horse in every heat of the Breeders’ Cup. He got five straight winners, six out of seven at the meeting.
Here’s my own hall of fame of the 10 best Flat jockeys of racing past that you could always rely on to carry your money with courage and distinction. Winners, every one!
Read across: jockey, retirement age, birthplace, style, year they quit, best horse for me.
A: Willie Carson 54 (Stirling). Never-give-up finishing style (1996) Troy
A: Mick Kinane 50 (Tipperary). Reliable on the big occasion (2009) Azamour
A: Lester Piggott 60 (Wantage). Champion jockey 11 times (1995) Alleged
B: Steve Cauthen 32 (Kentucky). Champ on two continents (1992) Pebbles
B: Kieren Fallon 51 (County Clare). Cool with great hands (2016) Yeats
B: Johnny Murtagh 43 (Navan). Four Irish Derbys; six Oaks (2014) Sinndar
C: Joe Mercer 51 (Bradford). Star for Hern, Cecil, Walwyn (1985) Brigadier Gerard
C: Walter Swinburn 42 (Oxford). The choirboy (2003) Shergar
C: Pat Eddery 47 (Dublin). Frenchie Nicholson academy (1999) Dancing Brave
C: Jimmy Fortune 45 (County Clare). Strong in the saddle (2017) Ravens Pass
· With grateful thanks for their great rides with my cash or on my horses: Paul Cook, George Duffield, Dean McKeown, Richard Fox, Michael Hills, Tony Murray, Willie Newnes, Richard Quinn, John Reid, Mouse Roberts, Peter Robinson, Philip Robinson, Brian Rouse, Greville Starkey, Brian Taylor, Taffy Thomas et al.
ORTIZ LOOKS A NAP, MAKE THAT SUPERNAP
4.55 Kempton What was a nap is now a supernap on the basis of every tick seems to be in the right box for Ortiz.
She gets pole position in stall one tonight and after a promising debut at Windsor fairly scooted up over six furlongs here last time out and should relish the step up to seven furlongs.
Furthermore, the Kempton race has worked out well form wise and my man in the long grass reports that she has been thriving at home since her win.
The 7lb penalty is partly offset by a 3lb claim from Hollie Doyle and with the BETDAQ morning vibes positive it really does look all systems go. She has had a stack of recent entries with tonight being the ‘chosen one’.
There’s not much on offer from her rivals who have ran and I think the debutants (which include the Roger Varian trained Augenblick) will need to be well above average to win first time up.
5.00 Pontefract Bombay ran well at Ripon on his debut but the soft ground seemed to count against him at Hamilton last time out where he was sent off an odds on favourite in a four runner race but beaten a ‘National Hunt’ distance of 13 lengths over a mile – so don’t let the form figures deceive you and it’s soft again today.
The Charles Hills trained Munthany should be suited by the step back in trip but is another who didn’t convince on his sole start with give in the ground at Ripon when a well beaten third.
In contrast, Soldier Blue does seem to handle give in the ground and will find this much easier than some of his recent assignments.
5.05 Salisbury Soft ground prevails at Salisbury too and the closing handicap can go to Gawdawpalin who has run several good races at Ascot with give in the ground.
He wasn’t beaten far in a £25,000 Newbury handicap last time out and the balance of evidence suggests that he should be suited by the step up in trip.
DAQMAN’S BETS
Supernap (4.55 Kempton)
BET: 20pts win ORTIZ
5.00 Pontefract
BET: 5pts win SOLDIER BLUE
5.05 Salisbury
BET: 5pt win GAWDAWPALIN
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