DAQMAN LEADS 10-6 GOING INTO DAY 2 AT PUNCHESTOWN: It was a goalless draw between Daqman and Pricewise yesterday, as punters took a kicking on the first day at Punchestown. Try to get on BETDAQ early and follow the race as your position changes. That’s Daqman’s advice after seriously slow times and seriously high SP take-outs yesterday. Daqman still leads 10-6.
GOLD TO PLAY FOR AS HE OPPOSES BOTH DUAL CHAMPIONS: Today’s Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup sees an English raid by a dual King George winner against a dual Cheltenham Gold Cup winner. Daqman opposes both!
SLOW DOWN FOR FAST BETDAQ VALUE
STRADIVARIUS SIMPLY TAKING A BOW
LOOK OUT HAQEEQY! HAZZARD AHEAD
VANILLIER’S TOP VALUE AT THE TRIP
KEMBOY CAN DO A GOLD CUP DOUBLE
SLOW DOWN FOR FAST BETDAQ VALUE
HOW the mighty have fallen. Somewhere among Monkfish, Envoi Allen, Allaho and Nube Negra there was at least one winner yesterday, yeh? No, not a one. The only ‘star’ that didn’t fall from its place in the racing cosmos was Chacun Pour Soi. What on earth’s going on?
One possible answer appears in the race times on the supposed good-to-yielding surface: all were slow.
THREE races including the Monkfish defeat by Colreevy were 30 or more seconds slow. We’re talking HALF A MINUTE!
The form going into the races was not worth a light; the form for future assessment, even less so.
Betting wise, the most striking thing yesterday was the low, low total percentage (the overround) of the BETDAQ offers. In one case, which I logged in this column yesterday, exchanges were to a level playing-field of 100%. Total SPs included 139% and 133% (three times)!
Stay with BETDAQ for value for money, with plenty of time to update your position during a race: an extra half minute, in fact..
STRADIVARIUS SIMPLY TAKING A BOW
⭕ 2.45 Ascot (Sagaro Stakes) Stradivarius, who has played in the top two tiers for 21 consecutive races over the last four years, drops to a Group 3 for his reappearance today.
Unbeaten in four start-out runs since his handicap days, he lost that record in June last year when the shutdown forced him to return in a Group 1 over 1m 4f, his first attempt at that trip at Group level. He had previously won six races between April and June.
Nayef Road met him twice last summer. He closed down a 10-lengths defeat in the Ascot Gold Cup (2m 4f, soft) to just a length at Goodwood (2m, good), though Stradivarius was always going to win that day, once extricated from a pocket.
Nayef Road was afterwards third in the Lonsdale at the Ebor meeting at York. Even deleting this bogey track, and the bog at Longchamp for the Chaudenay in October, he is now 32131223, very much in the bridesmaid mould at the top level, the two successes both in Group 3.
Stag Horn improved throughout 2020 but still has to find 15lb on the favourite (rated on the same mark as handicapper Ocean Wind).
Desert Skyline, who missed all last season, has finished behind Stradivarius EIGHT times (03200400) in just less than four years.
⭕ 3.20 Ascot (Commonwealth Cup Trial) Three-year-olds are hard to fathom at this time of year; sprints are always hard. Add them together and you get this 6f Group 3 on firm going, which could be modified by watering and showers to the north side of good!
As Group-1 Middle Park winner, Supremacy is penalised but a stone clear in the ratings. The Middle Park has had one winner and a Greenham third from two runs for its first three this season. Supremacy was paying 8.6 for every 10 on BETDAQ this morning.
LOOK OUT HAQEEQY! HAZZARD AHEAD
⭕ 3.55 Ascot (Paradise Stakes) This is the trial for the Queen Anne Stakes at the royal meeting but winners of this going on to the big race proper in June have managed just two thirds and a fourth in the decade.
Last year’s surprise winner (race transferred to Newmarket), Marie’s Diamond at 14-1, is back for more. The Mark Johnston entire’s form fizzled out after his subsequent third in the Queen Anne, but he could still be on the boil after a close second first run back.
Haqeeqy won the Lincoln like a Group horse in a handicap; and here’s his chance to prove it.
His fourth win in five starts, it still leaves him a pound behind Marie’s Diamond, and 4lb and 5lb behind Sir Busker and Duke Of Hazzard, respectively.
Sir Busker tried to keep Group company after winning the Silver Hunt Cup: second in the Celebration Mile on soft at Goodwood (Duke Of Hazzard fifth); fourth in the British Champions Mile here at Ascot.
Duke Of Hazzard had won the Celebration Mile in 2019 on good ground, completing a hat-trick after a double on firm. He could find his old turn of foot after wind surgery, if the showers don’t get into the ground.
BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE 14.0 Duke Of Hazzard
VANILLIER’S TOP VALUE AT THE TRIP
⭕ 5.20 Punchestown Last month’s Cheltenham Gold Cup winner, Minella Indo, took this Grade-1 novice hurdle when it was last run in 2019.
Galopin Des Champs won only a handicap at Cheltenham, and has stamina to prove at 3m; similarly, Telmesomethinggirl quickened clear in the Mares Novices but that was 2m 1f.
Neither was as impressive as Vanillier, who galloped right away with the Albert Bartlett (3m) from Oscar Elite, Streets Of Doyen (afterwards third and fourth in the Grade 1 at Aintree) and Stattler, earlier a short-head behind Gentlemansgame at Leopardstown.
KEMBOY CAN DO A GOLD CUP DOUBLE
⭕ 5.55 Punchestown (Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup) I took 4.9 Kemboy on BETDAQ, assuming the race is tactical, never helpful to Al Boum Photo who needs to come off a fast pace.
1: Kemboy Two out of two over fences at this meeting, including defeat of Al Boum Photo in this race last time it was run in 2019.
The time was slow, like yesterday’s, and Kemboy was favourite, ridden clever, before Al Boum Photo could get to him. Al Boum similarly stayed on third in last month’s Cheltenham Gold Cup behind Minella Indo.
Kemboy won February’s Irish Gold Cup at Leopardstown, with Minella Indo only fourth and Melon fifth. Ignore his Cheltenham form (04U00).
2: Clan Des Obeaux The 2018 and 2019 King George winner came back to form in a Grade 1 at Aintree but had been well beaten by Kemboy in the same race the last time it was run.
3: Al Boum Photo Has run three, lost three, at Punchestown, and was beaten by Kemboy in this after the first of his two Cheltenham ‘golds.’
DAQMAN’S BETS
2.45 Ascot (supernap)
BET 20pts win STRADIVARIUS
3.20 Ascot (win 10)
BET 12pts win SUPREMACY
3.55 Ascot (win 50, win 10)
BULL’S-EYE BET 3.75pts win DUKE OF HAZZARD
BET 7.5pts win HAQEEQY
5.20 Punchestown (win 20)
BET 6.75pts win VANILLIER
5.55 Punchestown (win 20)
BET 5pts win KEMBOY
What are points? Points facilitate a staking plan, which is the secret to creating profit. One point is whatever you choose: a pound, a euro, or whatever ….
Start with a bank and decide how much you can afford to lose over a period of time, and determine the size of your bets accordingly. Daqman makes this variation every day.
