DAQMAN KEEPS THE FAITH: 16-1 PLUS THREE AT 10-1: They abandoned Salisbury yesterday but, head down and start again, Daqman stuck to the task and produced another winning supernap, Equilateral (WON 1-2), and yet another successful outsider, Question of Faith (WON 10-1), from what remained at Leicester and Catterick. It was his third 10-1 shot, including a BETDAQ 11.0, plus winners at 16-1 and 7-1 in September.
BIG HIT AND SUPERNAP ON FIVE DAYS OUT OF FIVE: It’s been the pattern five times in the month without fail of a short shot as his supernap (five on target) on the same day as a long shot for the big hit (five handicaps):
Saturday, September 1
WON 15-2 GLOBAL APPLAUSE (from 11.0)
WON 10-11 VERACIOUS (supernap)
Thursday, September 6
WON 10-1 FONDEST
WON 11-10 PAST MASTER (supernap)
Saturday, September 8
WON 7-1 RIPP ORF
WON 8-15 ENABLE (supernap)
Sunday, September 9
WON 16-1 FRANCIS XAVIER
WON 4-9 LIMATO (supernap)
Tuesday, September 11
WON 10-1 QUESTION OF FAITH
WON 1-2 EQUILATERAL (supernap)
DAQMAN 209 POINTS UP TO START LEGER MEETING: The Doncaster St Leger meeting starts today but the big handicap is the Kerry National, for which Daqman lines up against Pricewise 68-22, with Daqman +106 and Pricewise -103.
ANOTHER ROUND OF APPLAUSE
3.00 Doncaster Global Applause was the start of my September sequence (listed above) when Gerald Mosse got the gaps in a big field at Sandown.
It’s altogether different here two grades higher but his 7lb penalty doesn’t apply in this stakes race, a Listed similar to one he also won at Sandown in May, and it’s only his second run for ace sprinters trainer, Robert Cowell, and only his fourth start of the year.
El Astronaute, his weight now high for handicaps but very much at his best in big fields, is consistent and likes to front-run.
On the last day at York, he only just headed Final Venture, who is now 2lb better off for a neck and won a small-field Listed from the front at Haydock on soft last summer.
This is a stronger race than a year ago, when Encore d’Or won after Final Venture (favourite) dwelt in the stalls.
3.35 Doncaster (Leger Legends) Gimmick races are never a help to the punter, and this one is ghastly, with nine horses rated 70 and six off 69.
Not to mention the anticipation of an ITV reprise of Luke Harvey (Ventura Gold) being chased by Gay Kelleway on Lady Alavesa, who is hooded (I mean Lady Alavesa not the jockey; oh I don’t know though, with that view).
4.05 Doncaster Making it clear, if you hadn’t realised already, that this is a low-quality add-on day, we now have a fillies’ handicap, then a tiny conditions race (well sponsored, Hilliam Will); finally another trappy class-4 sprint.
5.25 Doncaster A 9.4 offer on BETDAQ this morning, Bashiba won this in 2015. How different that Tinks (Nigel Tinkler) reaches for an apprentice claim when it was Frankie Dettori on a job ride that day but at least the beast was back to form a couple of races back, and likes track and ground.
JURY IS OUT ON ELLIOTT’S BEST
4.20 Listowel (Kerry National) Young horses are on a roll: three consecutive seven-year-old winners, carrying 10st 4lb or less.
In fact, that weight barrier hasn’t been breached for six years now, with the last three winners all apprentice ridden.
Gordon Elliott is on a hat-trick, with leading Irish jumps jockey, Rachael Blackmore, on Rogue Angel, winner in 2015 for Mouse Morris, and Robbie Power on Jury Duty, whom I headlined for the race last week on the strength of his Galway Plate third, never nearer.
But the Elliott contender who fits the stats is Timiyan (7-10-3) under Darragh O’Keefe, claiming 7lb so, like three of the last six winners, races in effect from out of the handicap.
Darragh’s first ever winner came only in July in the famous green and yellow of J P McManus, who just happens to own Timiyan.
Timiyan was also getting off the mark over fences in July, winning the Midlands National at Kilbeggan (beating Rogue Angel who will be 4lb worse off for a neck).
Decent on the Flat, and breaking his hurdles maiden, for Dermot Weld, Timiyan had been slow to repay 470,000euros from the McManus back pocket but, now that the penny’s dropped, could land a second National today.
His winning jockey at Kilbeggan was Mark Walsh, who now rides Blazer for Willie Mullins. The Galway Hurdle runner-up is only 1-8 over fences and there’s nothing in his form or pedigree to say he will do anything special at today’s 3m.
Vieux Morvan, also apprentice ridden, ran excellent races in two big handicaps at Leopardstown around the turn of the year, and was well fancied for the Galway Blazers last month but was brought down in midfield.
A Rated, runner-up in the Blazers, hasn’t raced over a full 3m, since his point-to-point days.
Bay of Freedom, beaten little more than a length in this race last year, has done very little before or since, and relies on first-time blinkers to wake up his ideas.
VERDICT: Jury Duty (BETDAQ 8.0) and Timiyan (13.0 offers) for Gordon Elliott, with a wave of the wand needed for Call It Magic (24.0), but outsider who is consistent in top handicap company if you delete his first run back, as this time.
DAQMAN’S BETS
3.00 Doncaster (win 20)
BET 8.75pts win (nap) GLOBAL APPLAUSE
4.20 Listowel (win 30)
BET 4.25pts win JURY DUTY
BET 2.5pts win and place TIMIYAN
BET 1.25pts win and place CALL IT MAGIC
5.15 Doncaster (win 30)
BET 3.5pts win BASHIBA
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