DARING DAQMAN NICKS DOUBLE WHAMMY AND A PRINCELY 3-1: ‘Pondering Pondus is bad value’ was the headline as Daqman took on 11-10 favourite Pondus at Leopardstown yesterday with the 15-8 winner Nickajack Cave. Just 10 minutes later he landed a second winner with Princely (WON 3/1) giving him a 15.8 point profit on the day, his third winning day from four this week.
LOOK OUT FOR WEEKEND FEAST OF FREE BETDAQ INFORMATION: Hamilton and Yarmouth today have both been abandoned but Sandown and Cartmel are still standing, and Saturday features a feast of quality racing at Ascot, Haydock and Newmarket. Sunday has the top-class two-year-old trial, the Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh, and there’s a Group-1 cracker at Deauville (previewed below). Follow free tips and analysis in Daqman and Shamrock.
EARTHLIGHT THE LAST DEFENDER
⚠️ HEADS UP: Pinatubo (six wins in a row), Siskin (four consecutive) and Victor Ludorum (hat-trick) have all been turned over this term, losing their 100% records. Just one of the unbeaten 2019 juvenile stars remains.
Earthlight (five in a row), one-time Guineas favourite, but who had a setback in the early part of this year, finally returned to the racecourse in the first two weeks of July.
Earthlight, who had won last year’s Caborg, Morny and Middle Park consecutively, got back on track at Deauville, dropped to a Listed.
The son of Shamardal out of a New Approach mare, he absolutely hacked up, looking very much like his old self.
Earthlight (Andre Fabre – Mickael Barzalona) returns to the seaside course on Sunday for re-entry into the Group-1 arena, taking in the Prix Maurice de Gheest.
Three-year-olds are going for a hat-trick in the race (6.5f), which last year saw a 1-2-3 for English raiders (Advertise beating Brando and Space Blues).
Sunday’s raiding party could be headed by Clive Cox’s Commonwealth Cup winner, Golden Horde, but he came up short against older horses in the July Cup and it seems down to Earthlight to take Sunday’s £111,000 bounty on behalf of the Classic generation but so keeping it in France.
However, on old form, there is ‘nothing’ between them: Earthlight beat Golden Horde a neck in the Middle Park Stakes.
DREAMER FROM A WINNERS’ RACE
⭕ 12.35 Sandown An eight-race card but four of them short of the eight runners needed for three returns for a place.
If eight remain in the opener, I’d be tempted to Dark Illusion, who ran better than the bare form on his Windsor debut. William Buick’s booking follows 13 places from his last 16 rides. He is top jockey at Sandown on 35%.
Politics was hooded at 15-8 for a first-time strike but was slowly away at Pontefract. The hood is now removed for this sharper track.
When Pure Dreamer led for much of the way at Newbury, a Clive Cox debutant swept by, so Pat Dobbs will no doubt be looking over his shoulder for another first-time Cox strike via First Edition.
But second, fourth and fifth in the Newbury race have all won since, and Pure Dreamer (BETDAQ 4.4) showed the kind of speed that could be enough to see off the opposition, dropped down to the minimum today.
⭕ 1.10 Sandown Perotto was short of room when delivering his challenge at Goodwood the last day of last month. He’d won on the same course before that but Sandown is a completely different ball game.
After First Edition, Clive Cox has another live chance with 3.75 BETDAQ offer Bright Armor, who made all at Bath the last day, and looks leniently treated by the handicapper for this nursery debut.
Clive has had 11 two-year-old winners this year which is more than his rivals here have scored altogether (seven).
⭕ 1.45 Sandown Mr Value among trainers right now is William Haggas, with a hat-trick spread over Monday and Wednesday: three runners, three winners at 5-1 (twice) and 9-2, no losers this week.
Pink Sands in this one and Star of Wins (3.30) both try to win handicaps for three-year-olds. All three in his hat-trick were three-year-olds, as were 43 of his 61 winners this year to date.
Pink Sands (I took BETDAQ 3.7) made an impressive debut last June and may have needed the run when third this July, more than a year on, to an unbeaten sort who steps up to Listed company next Monday.
TWISTON TRIP IS A ‘GENTLE’ TIP
⭕ 12.50 Cartmel Nigel Twiston-Davies pays his first visit to Cartmel for more than three years to launch the hurdles career of Don’t Go Gentle (superbly named as a Dylan Thomas four-year-old). ‘Twiston’ is in top gear with a 50% strike rate in the last two weeks.
If this quiet introduction to hurdles goes as quietly as did his introduction to bumpers, then expect the home reputation of Don’t Go Gentle to go before him and make him a strong favourite.
Exchange offers of 4.3 as I write are thanks to an early-mouse punt on Finisk River for Donald McCain, who is also going well, and my theory is to grab that 4.3 and watch it melt down.
⭕ 2.35 Cartmel I shall nap another traveller, Captain Buck’s, who is looking for the cut in the ground at Cartmel to supplement his return to form at Stratford last month.
I’d be worried about the one-time Graded novice hurdler Seddon but trainer Tom George hasn’t had a winner since January 7.
No Hidden Charges made a reasonable start to fences a month back but, again, after having a good run, Neil Mulholland seems to have shot his ammunition and is currently 1-21.
The Racing Post site describes No Hidden Charges as a talented hurdler but, in fact, he took small-field novice events last Spring, skilfully placed by Mulholland.
DAQMAN’ S BETS
12.35 Sandown (win 10)
BET 3pts win PURE DREAMER
12.50 Cartmel (win 10)
BET 3pts win DON’T GO GENTLE
1.10 Sandown (win 10)
BET 3.75pts win BRIGHT ARMOR
1.45 Sandown (win 10)
BET 3.75pts win PINK SANDS
2.35 Cartmel (supernap)
BET 20pts win CAPTAIN BUCK’S
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