STAKING PLAN MEANS THAT ONE WINNER PAYS FOR THE LOSERS: ‘Winning’ is the aim, but ‘not losing’ is a worthwhile second best. That’s the nature of Daqman’s staking plan, which kept him fractionally ahead of break even yesterday through Cale Lane (WON 3-1), following two winners on Sunday at 4-5 (supernap) and 9-4 for a profit of 36.50.
TOP STABLE COULD HAVE SIX HIT OF MAJOR RACES THIS MONTH: John Gosden got back into the big time at Saint-Cloud on Sunday but intends a haul twice as big this coming weekend and has mapped out July for a hot six hit of major races. Daqman checks them out.
WHY GOSDEN IS JULY’S HOT TRAINER
July is a wicked month for John Gosden. He intends his string to be darned hot! He’s £1.25m behind Aidan O’Brien in prizemoney in England, even trailing Mark Johnston for second place.
June ended on a high note in France when he won – or, more accurately, Frankie Dettori won – two top prizes at Saint-Cloud worth £273,000, with Mehdaayih and Coronet, on Sunday.
Mehdaayih had no trouble in a Group 2 after getting (twice) hampered out of the Group-1 Epsom Oaks.
But Coronet’s Group-1 Grand Prix required typical Dettori flair and courage to squeeze through and score by a short neck and a short head, though he was the first to praise Gosden’s skilful handling of the two top fillies.
Now Gosden is planning a weekend double of more than twice the value of Sunday’s haul: the £425,325 Eclipse at Sandown on Saturday and the £205,704 Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly on Sunday.
Too Darn Hot was his best ever two-year-old but his biggest-ever flop in this Classic season. As the colt won Champagne, Solario and Dewhurst, Gosden could be forgiven for aiming at 8-10 furlongs in the colt’s second season. But he has failed to score in 2019.
Second in the Dante, second in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, third in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, favourite or jointly so every time at evens, 6-1 and 2-1, any satisfaction coming only if Gosden allowed himself some schadenfreude since his closest rival as a nearly horse is the O’Brien-trained filly Pink Dogwood.
Gosden beat her in the Epsom Oaks with Anapurna, and the Ballydoyle filly was place only again when third in the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh. Anapurna will next be seen in the Yorkshire Oaks in August.
Now Too Darn Hot drops back to 7f in the Jean Prat. ‘I think we got it wrong with this horse,’ says Gosden, ‘and I hope the straight seven at Chantilly will suit.’
Enable Apart from Enable in Saturday’s Eclipse, Gosden has favourites in four more major July earners, including her market leadership of the King George.
Ben Vrackie, one of the Ebor market leaders, could first step up on his Royal Ascot second on the Friday of the Newmarket July Meeting (July 12).
King of Comedy is new market leader for the Sussex Stakes on the last day of the month, if you take out Too Darn Hot.
Stradivarius, unbeaten now in his last seven starts, bids for a hat-trick in the Goodwood Cup on July 30.
❗ HEAD’S-UP: Haydock on Friday advertises Irish Champions weekend in September with a 7f two-year-olds race, for which Mark Johnston – the 2018 winning trainer – has entered West End Girl, a Golden Horn out of a Dansili mare. The dam had two juvenile wins from her first foal, and West End Girl is reckoned a hot filly.
❗ HEAD’S-UP: Sandown’s 5f sprints are very difficult to win if you’re not drawn low. As if to prove it, five of the last six winners of Saturday’s Coral Charge were from stalls 2 (twice) and 4 (three times). So be sure your bets will not get trapped.
BAKER’S HAT-TRICK AT BRIGHTON
2.00 Brighton I don’t really want to look beyond the George Baker trained Confrerie here as he is doing what his rivals are finding hard – winning.
He bids for a course hat-trick today and the handicapper has given him every chance of achieving that, raising him just 3lb for his latest success which came over course and distance a month ago.
He rattles off this fast ground and the winning run may continue in a race where many of his rivals still look high in the handicap.
A case in point being Pearl Spectre who was beaten a short head here last time one six furlongs but has no relief from the handicapper today. He should however be suited by this extra distance.
Hedging is dropping back in trip, which might not necessarily suit as he was staying on over a mile here last time out. Although he has won on good to firm ground, the suspicion, looking at the bulk of his CV, is that he is better with some give in the ground.
Harlequin Rose is closely matched with Confrerie and has to be respected here at Brighton.
2.15 Hamilton The six furlong trip at Hamilton is quite a test for the two-year-olds at this stage of the season with the stiff uphill finish.
Coastal Mist found life tougher under his penalty at Ripon last time out after his narrow debut win at Wetherby. He may also struggle today with this being a much tougher ask than Ripon.
Preference is for Dragon Command. His trainer George Scott has saddled three winners from his last 15 runners and four from his last five runners have finished first or second.
Dragon Command takes a drop in class having been out of his depth and taken off his feet in the Woodcote Stakes at Epsom last time out. His previous form at Carlisle gives him every chance in this company and he can continue the good recent work of the stable.
2.30 Brighton Trainer Archie Watson could win with the stable cat at the moment so the chances of Startego here have to be respected. However, his form is pretty modest and although he finished second on his only previous trip to Brighton he was thumped seven lengths in the process and didn’t run much better last time out when a well beaten fourth wearing cheekpieces for the first time. He remains a maiden after eight starts and although this is one of his easiest tasks others are preferred.
Kachumba has the best form on offer and goes well here at Brighton. She ran a sound enough race over course and distance last time out when third to De Vegas Kid and with a 1lb less to carry here could easily improve on that
Angel Islington is fitted with cheekpieces for the first time and hails from the in-form stable of Andrew Balding. She looks interesting, but is a nervous character at the start. She unseated her rider when leaving the stalls at Salisbury and was also fractious at the start last time out. She could be an in-running BETDAQ play if getting away without incident.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 20 points)
BET 6.9pts win (nap) CONFRERIE (2.00 Brighton)
BET 6.25pts win DRAGON COMMAND (2.15 Hamilton)
BET 5.7pts win KACHUMBA (2.30 Brighton)
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