DAQMAN MIXES A BANK HOLIDAY COCKTAIL: There’s a lighter flavour to Daqman’s Bank Holiday brew of Epsom and Ripon with an added twist of Roscommon today. Headlines:
THIS LADY CAN BREAK THE RULE
DOW HAS HOME MONEY SPINNER
CEMHAAN ANOTHER LOCAL HOPE
KEANE EDGE KEY TO HARANNDA
TAKE TIME TO ASSESS TOP TWO-YEAR-OLDS: Look out this week for top two-year-olds to follow on form and speed, plus form and facts for the Haydock Sprint and the race that begs you to lay the favourite.
THIS LADY CAN BREAK THE RULE
⭕ 3.05 Ripon (Champion 2-Y-O Trophy) Some winners of this never win another race; and the entire 10 winners in the last decade afterwards took a not-so-grand total of only three Flat turf races in England.
But the pack of 11 previous winners today are hunting a prizemoney increase of 70%, so there could be genuine champion quality here after all.
Nine out of 10 times the winner has been 9-2 or shorter at SP; six out of 10 he has been drawn one. I say ‘he’ because, in the decade, there’s been no winning filly; not a one.
That won’t stop the money for three fillies with strong credentials today: Hellomydarling, Atomic Lady and Flotus, who has raced in the pattern ever since her debut maiden success.
Wonderful World, out of the one stall, seemingly has an impossible task: he is giving 5lb to Hellomydarling though that one finished in front of him in a York nursery, giving away 16lb.
Atomic Lady, who broke her maiden at Ripon, was beaten a neck in a big-field Sales race at York’s Ebor meeting, which had racereaders rating the winning colt a Group horse.
Taj Alriyadh completed a hat-trick when winning a similar race to this, the Ripon Hornblower conditions race, two weeks back. Today is up a notch to Listed level.
Mot And The Messer, down the field in the Group-2 Superlative Stakes at Newmarket (July), won either side of that, starting with a five-lengths-plus romp here at Ripon, with the well-beaten runner-up scoring next time.
BETDAQ value 6.2 Atomic Lady
DOW HAS HOME MONEY SPINNER
⭕ 3.10 Epsom (Stanley Wootton Handicap) In the great days of Epsom, Stanley Wootton was famous for his apprentice academy, which pervaded the racing scene for decades.
It is said that, when Zabara won the 1,000 Guineas, the winning jockey (Ken Gethin) and trainer (Vic Smyth), and three names among the also-rans, had all served an apprenticeship with him.
A riding victory today for 7lb claimer Liam Browne (Lexington Dash) would be appropriate; a training success for Simon Dow a reminder that winners are still prepared at Epsom, though precious few.
Jockey champions these days are Irish, jumps and Flat, and maybe Oisin Murphy will take it with the Dow runner, Corazon Espinado, a CD winner in 2019 and successful at Epsom again for Hollie Doyle at the Derby meeting in June.
BETDAQ value 5.6 Corazon Espinado
CEMHAAN ANOTHER LOCAL HOPE
3.45 Epsom (Amateurs Derby) In the good old bad old days, sponsors of this event gave a magnum of champagne to every Press tipster who could name in print the first past the post.
One enterprising racing editor who lived at Epsom sniffed out the winner and that day his newspaper suddenly sprouted so many new names among it’s tipping staff, all of them tipping the winning horse, that he was able to claim 10 prizes (I make that 20 bottles).
Unfortunately, his wheeze was spotted by the sports editor who had the front desk divert the magnum delivery to his office. ‘Thanks lads,’ he said, adding with an edge to his smile: ‘I wish you could pick winners like that every day!’
If there’s any champagne flowing this afternoon, it might be poured for local trainer George Baker and Cemhaan, who got within half a length of a handicap strike here last month.
Maori Knight (0-11), Hotspur Harry (0-10) and Catfish Row (0-2) are all maidens on turf and Glan Y Gors has spent more time over hurdles, also for a poor return (1-15).
Hotspur Harry and Captain Haddock, both with today’s riders in the saddle, were one-two in a similar amateur-jockeys handicap on Tapeta at Newcastle in the Spring.
Harry is pounds better off and has blinkers for the first time today. So he may pose the bigger threat to Cemhaan, who was a shade better (2.26) than evens on BETDAQ this morning.
KEANE EDGE KEY TO HARANNDA
4.40 Roscommon Colin Keane, Irish apprentice title winner in 2014, won his first championship in 2017 with 100 winners.
He passed that mark for 2021 at Navan on Saturday to reach the fastest century ever in the Irish Flat championship.
Now his third title could break another record: Joseph O’Brien’s 126 in a single season. Keane has the edge because O’Brien did not hit the century mark until September 7.
Colin has six rides today at a memorial meeting for Pat Smullen, nine times Irish champion who will be forever linked to Vinnie Roe, Irish St Leger winner four times in row.
In this 4.40 fillies and mares maiden Colin rides for Dermot Weld, for whom Smullen won the Epsom Derby (Harzand), 2,000 Guineas (Refuse To Bend) and Ascot Gold Cup (Rite Of Passage).
The Weld runner is Harannda, second of 25 at the Curragh under Keane in the Spring, travelling strongly and winner in her group but in the final furlong was wide of the winner’s far-side lead. Today’s extra furlong should suit.
BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE 6.8 Harannda
DAQMAN’S BETS
3.05 Ripon (win 20)
BET 3.75pts win ATOMIC LADY
3.10 Epsom (win 20)
BET 4.25pts win CORAZON ESPINADO
3.45 Epsom (win 12 nap)
BET 9.5pts win CEMHAAN
4.40 Roscommon (win 20)
BET 3.5pts win HARANNDA
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.
