DAQMAN NAPS HAT-TRICK AS HE HAILS THE BEST IN EUROPE: He’s the best in Europe, said Daqman before he landed a naps hat-trick yesterday, marked up as the very highest calibre when St Mark’s Basilica (WON 5-6, nap) held on from a strong but small field – and from the Stewards – in a dramatic flying finish to the Irish Champion Stakes.
Saturday nap
WON 5-6 ST MARK’S BASILICA (BETDAQ 2.0) Irish Champion Stakes
Friday supernap
WON 4-11 STRADIVARIUS Doncaster Cup
Thursday nap
WON 15-8 FREE WIND (BETDAQ 3.4)
* Results continue to reveal the fabulous value available on BETDAQ throughout the day. Daqman’s early spots included two at around double the SP. Keep getting these huge ‘overs’ and you will win in the long run.
2ND 17-2 FEV ROVER (beaten half a length) from BETDAQ 9-8
3RD 25-1 COUNT D’ORSAY (beaten 1.25 lengths) BETDAQ 32.8 and 29.0
4TH 8-1 INTERPRETATION BETDAQ 15.5 gamble
(Unpl 11-1 PREMIER POWER (beaten 3 lengths) BETDAQ 23.0 gamble)
ARC TRIALS PLUS IRISH ST LEGER ON CRACK CURRAGH CARD: It’s another double bill today as the Irish St Leger casts The Curragh in the lead role, with a supporting script of future players at October’s Arc meeting from today’s trials at Longchamp. Standings:
DAQMAN 53, PRICEWISE 32
SUPERNAPS 16-21 (76%)
LAYS LOGIC 13-18 (72%)
FORTUNE COOKIES 12-30 (40%)
SNOWFALL QUEEN OF ARC TRIALS
⭕ 1.33 Longchamp (Prix Niel) Bolshoi Ballet (Aidan O’Brien), currently an outsider for the Arc, has won three times at 1m 2f, and is more likely a contender for the British Champions Middle Distance at Ascot.
But it was in this 1m 4f trial in 2019 that Sotsass proved his ability to step up from 10 furlongs, though he didn’t win the Arc until last year.
Pretty Tiger (6th) and Baby Rider were behind St Mark’s Basilica in the French Derby, and Bubble Gift behind Hurricane Lane in the Grand Prix de Paris. You could get 2.2 Bolshoi Ballet last night.
⭕ 2.55 Longchamp (Prix Vermeille) O’Brien runs three in this, with Snowfall and Joan of Arc top rated in a race which has been the Arc stepping-stone for fabulous fillies and mares from Allez France to Zarkava and Treve.
Epsom and Irish Oaks winner, Snowfall is unbeaten in four starts as a three-year-old, while Joan Of Arc has already had the French experience, second in the Irish 1,000 before winner of the French Oaks. Can she step up to 1m 4f?
⭕ 3.30 Longchamp (Prix Foy) With Wonderful Tonight out through injury, this Arc test now has to prove that Harcourt and Ispahan winner Skalleti can step up to 1m 4f against Frankie ‘Snowfall’ Dettori on Broome (Aidan O’Brien), who was second to Wonderful Tonight in the Hardwicke.
But this is 100% a four-year-olds race; the only previous winners aged five were doing the double from the year before.
I fancy the Japanese stayer Deep Bond to make his mark for the Arc with a front-running ride under Cristian Demuro.
MURPHY MOUNT FOR LAST LAUGH
⭕ 1.45 The Curragh (Bold Lad Sprint) English raiders have won five of the last seven but this year only Gulliver goes on his travels from England. He has a worsening record on today’s track (form figures 32000) and was a moderate 11th in this sprint last season.
I shall take one either side in the draw. Power Under Me (stall 9) is a Group horse in a handicap but may not give 21lb to Ted Walsh’s Ferrybank (out of 3), who is better than the bare form.
Blairmayne and (2nd) and Laugh A Minute (4th) were close up last year, and Laugh A Minute has Oisin Murphy booked in stall 18 to do the job after Ado McGuinness’s handicapper has been dropped 13lb this year!
BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGEvalue 30.0 Laugh A Minute, 35.0 Ferrybank
IT’S A WELD GRACE AND FAVOUR
⭕ 2.20 The Curragh (Blandford Stakes) Despite six out of seven Group-1 wins including the 2020 Epsom Oaks, Love has been dropped 4lb in the ratings after defeats in the King George and the York International.
But she’s down in a Group 2 here and should recover the lost ground at the expense of last year’s 1-2-3.
Cayenne Pepper, the winner then, is rated a pound higher and wears cheekpieces first time for Jessica Harrington.
Dermot Weld is five out of seven in this. He runs last year’s runner-up, Amma Grace, switched from a visor to blinkers, and a 9lb better filly now, according to the official ratings.
The third, Thundering Nights, is up 8lb after a strong season, including her first Group 1 in the Pretty Polly over today’s CD.
Three-year-olds are 60% in the decade and La Petite Coco looks best of a quartet today, though may need rain. She broke into the pattern when winning at Cork on the soft last month.
SLIPPERS CAN WEATHER WINTER
⭕ 2.55 The Curragh (Flying Five) Glass Slippers is back, defending her 2020 success in this and hoping to regain the Abbaye crown which she lost last year. She is around 3-1 here if you believe in her against the new kid Winter Power.
Winter Power’s Nunthorpe win from Emaraaty Ana and Dragon Symbol got a big boost when Ana bagged the Haydock Sprint earlier this month.
Rohaan had beaten Dragon Symbol in the Sandy Lane on the Haydock course but has dropped out of contention the last twice and has to bounce back.
Mooniesta may instead be best of the three-year-olds. The Dandy Man filly went clear over the CD at the expense of Gustavus Weston, who needs further improvement as well as being 3lb better off, if he is to reverse the placings.
⭕ 3.30 The Curragh (Moyglare Stud Stakes) Aidan O’Brien, who has won this with Love and Minding, can score with Prettiest.
Odds on for the Silver Flash at Leopardstown when Agartha sprang a 16-1 surprise, but Prettiest was in season, and she could spring one back at 13.0 on BETDAQ.
⭕ 4.05 The Curragh (National Stakes) Form horse: Point Lonsdale. Talking horse: Duke De Sessa.
Potential: Native Trail. This looks tougher than yesterday’s Champion Stakes.
The Tyros and Futurity winner Point Lonsdale is our Fortune Cookie and, on a line from the Chesham, can beat Native Trail but, in Duke Of Sessa, Dermot Weld has a course winner who is a strong finisher with pace, and can’t hide his excitement.
PASSION PICK OF THE IRISH LEGER
⭕ 4.40 The Curragh (Irish St Leger) Aidan O’Brien and Dermot Weld, three each in this in the last eight seasons, both have lightly-raced sorts clearly saved up for this, Search For A Song and Passion. Both are on the trail of the British Long Distance championship next month.
Melbourne Cup winner Twilight Payment was back to form over the CD here the last day (his sixth win on the track) but was outgunned more than two lengths by Search For A Song in this race last year on today’s terms.
O’Brien’s CD Curragh Cup winner, Amhran Na Bhfiann, also likes the ground, and the trainer gives himself champion chances today, with Ryan Moore and Colin Keane riding the top two from Ballydoyle.
Amhran beat Passion at these weights in the Curragh Cup but that was Passion’s first run since a staying-on third to Wonderful Tonight in the British Champions Fillies And Mares last October.
I would include the Ebor winner, SonnyboyListon, in my calculations for this but Johnny Murtagh has done very little since: he’s 0-17, with Ottoman Emperor running no sort of race in the English Leger yesterday.
Betdaq value 5.7 Search For A Song, 13.5 Passion
LOOK INTO YOUR CRYSTAL BALL
⭕ 5.45 The Curragh Three-year-olds are 4-7 in this 1m 2f handicap, and Crystal Black, sixth in the Irish Cambridgeshire, running on well, has his first real chance to reveal his stamina. I took 7.6.
DAQMAN’S BETS
FORTUNE COOKIES
SNOWFALL
(2.55 Longchamp)
GLASS SLIPPERS
(2.55 The Curragh)
POINT LONSDALE
(4.05 The Curragh)
1.33 Longchamp (win 10, nap)
BET 10pts win BOLSHOI BALLET
1.45 The Curragh (win 50)
BULL’S-EYE BETS
BET 1.75pts win LAUGH A MINUTE
BET 1.5pts win FERRYBANK
3.30 The Curragh (win 20)
BET 1.5pts win PRETTIEST
4.40 The Curragh (win 20)
BET 4.25pts win SEARCH FOR A SONG
BET 1.5pts win PASSION
5.45 The Curragh (win 20)
BET 3pts win CRYSTAL BLACK
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.
