IT’S A PLEASURE TO BRING BACK THE SUPERNAPS WITH A WINNER: Supernaps returned yesterday, after a long absence due to the crazy form, and got straight off the mark with Pleasure Gardens (WON 8-15). Daqman explains: Form doesn’t usually settle down until the Derby. Because of the lockdown, we are several weeks late with the maidens and three-year-old handicaps hard to fathom. Today there’s real normality with the first nursery handicap for two-year-olds. I hope there’s a serious bet tonight at Naas for the nap.
KING GEORGE LATEST: Daqman’s form and facts guide to Saturday’s big race.
KING O’BRIEN PLANS A DOUBLE GOLD
⭕ 3.35 Ascot, Saturday (King George V1 and Queen Elizabeth Stakes) In a new twist, Aidan O’Brien has six left in Sunday’s Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh.. The same six you see below in the King George!
Today is the day when, after final gallops at Ballydoyle this morning, he will decide how to split them up.. and land the first three in both races? Decisions, decisions…
I promised a ‘normal tactics’ rundown of the King George probables, which serves as an ABC guide in official-ratings order.
Don’t forget that Enable, Magical, Fanny Logan and Magic Wand would all receive the 3lb sex allowance.
128 ENABLE (John Gosden) Dual King George winner; dual Arc winner; but 12-win sequence ended in seconds in the Arc (her last run last year, very soft) and the Coral-Eclipse (her first run this year, firm). Last three wins: tracked leaders; held up last quartet; made all.
122 JAPAN (Aidan O’Brien) Epsom Derby third, before winning sequence Of Edward V11 Stakes (the Ascot Derby), Grand Prix de Paris and York International. Last three wins: held up; settled in third; tracked leader.
122 MAGICAL (O’Brien) Irish and British Champion Stakes double. Last three wins: tracked leader; tracked leader; made all.
121 ANTHONY VAN DYCK (O’Brien) Won Epsom Derby (2019) in five-way blanket finish; Japan third, Sir Dragonet fifth. In his Derby trial and Derby wins, he was: behind early, pushed along; midfield, pushed along.
118 SOVEREIGN (O’Brien) Disputed lead early, soon led and made the rest in the 2019 Irish Derby, staying on strongly under hands and heels to beat Anthony Van Dyck, to whom he had trailed in the Epsom Derby after a bad start.
116 MAGIC WAND (OBrien) Lost 15 in a row after winning 2018 Ribblesdale (led and led again two out); last in this King George in 2019 but won big race in Australia (prominent, pushed along), dropped back a quarter of a mile.
115 FANNY LOGAN (Gosden) Four-timer last season at 1m 2f, generally Listed level but stepped up to Group 3 and then won Group-2 Hardwicke (1m 4f) in June. Last three wins: held up midfield; held up midfield; held up in rear.
114 SIR DRAGONET (O’Brien) A nearly horse not won since Chester Vase 14 months ago, when held up in last place. Held up midfield, led two out when fifth behind Anthony Van Dyck in the Epsom Derby (2019).
MILLISLE SHOULD SPOIL THE DREAMS
⭕ 4.30 Catterick At last a normal transition in this truncated campaign. July always launches the nursery season of handicaps for two-year-olds, and it’s arrived in this Catterick opener today.
The usual suspects – Mark Johnston, Richard Fahey, Tim Easterby – go straight in for the first kill, in a race won three times by Johnston in the decade, twice by Fahey.
Current trainer form may be significant in that the last three winners for Fahey (Samara Bay) have all been two-year-olds, while Tim Easterby’s juvenile score so far this year is 0-24.
Deep Impression beat nothing well at Beverley, and has to give Samara Bay 8lb. I took 9.2 on the BETDAQ Exchange.
⭕ 5.10 Bath Neil Mulholland had a stinking run of form, until Hidden Depths made the breakthrough at the last Bath meeting, heralding five winners in the last six days.
Despite a penalty, firm-ground lover Hidden Depths still gets 12lb from Sufi (1-28), and next in the market, Agent Gibbs, has not won since 2016.
Despite his age – nine – Cotton Club might be his closest rival, with trainer George Boughey 3-7, though the gelding was only third in this race a year ago.
⭕ 6.15 Naas Two of the disappointments of the year so far get the chance of adding a Group 3 to their CV in a mini-battle of the generations.
Colin Keane, who performed daylight robbery on Even So in the Irish Oaks at the weekend, takes over on the four-year-old, Forever In Dreams, who is living off her British Champions Sprint third of last autumn.
First-time cheekpieces almost got her home at the Curragh last month and they stay on today. Will they give her some oomph a second time?
The three-year-old Millisle surely has the better overall form, as winner of the Cheveley Park. You can hardly condemn her for finding Love too strong in the Newmarket Guineas.
And, when she was outgunned last time she tried to pick up a Group-3 consolation, she met a Group-1 player in the making, Art Power. I took BETDAQ 3.3 for the nap.
DAQMAN’S BETS
4.30 Catterick (win 10)
BET 1.25pts win SAMARA BAY
5.10 Bath (win 10)
BET 6pts win HIDDEN DEPTHS
6.15 Naas (win 10, nap)
BET 4.25pts win MILLISLE
Did you know that as well as checking the realtime prices on BETDAQ below – you can also log into your account and place your bets directly into BETDAQ from BETDAQ TIPS.
