DAQMAN FAVOURITE GIVES HIM 13-2 STRIKE: Daqman declared it one of his favourite Flat races, a stamina-sapping 2m 5f+ at Pontefract yesterday, and the result notched another big-value winner on his CV. The race report says that Dereham ‘soon went clear’ and came away by seven lengths at a value 13-2.
WON 13-2 DEREHAM (Monday)
HAGGAS BID FOR FIRST-DAY DOUBLE AGAIN: Daqman takes the hint from William Haggas whose two winners on this opening day at Newmarket last year both improved to take Group prizes. Can he do it again? Classic trials come complete with stats and early-bird guides, with Daqman leading Pricewise 6-2 and by 83.45 to 10-point stakes.
SCIENCE RUN GIVES HIM AN EDGE
⚠️ HEADS UP Leading trainers at this three-day Craven meeting in the decade: Charlie Appleby 17 (he was 2021 champion trainer), Team Gosden 17, Team Hannon 14, Roger Varian 10, William Haggas 8, Charlie Hills 8, Kevin Ryan 7, Ian Balding 5, Richard Fahey 5, Ralph Beckett 4, Saeed Bin Suroor 4, Mark Johnston 4, Sir Michael Stoute 4, Jane Chapple-Hyam 3, Stuart Williams 3.
⭕ 2.25 Newmarket (Free Handicap) EARLY BIRDS: Trainer Charlie Appleby (New Science) is in hot form already (currently 3-8 with latest figures 101312). All bar Power Of Beauty won first time out last season but his trainer, Hugo Palmer, has had one runner, one winner, from his new yard, on April 1.
📊 RACE STATS: Richard Hannon (Tacarib Bay) has won this twice in the last seven seasons. As a trial, it has not produced a 2,000 Guineas winner since Mystiko for Clive Brittain in 1991.
📊 FORM: Though Ribhi won first time in 2021 that first run was in August, and trainer Marcus Tregoning hasn’t had a Flat-turf winner in 191 days.
New Science, who has been favourite in four of his five starts, won at this Listed level at Ascot in the summer. He was one of the Godolphins who went to Meydan (third) this year, and that could give him the edge.
Keep one eye on the weather. Tacarib Bay is the least exposed but hard to assess because he was kept to soft ground last season: third in the Group-3 Horris Hill.
FRANKIE SETS SAIL ON MEGALLAN
⭕ 3.00 (Earl Of Sefton Stakes) First Group event of the season draws Frankie Dettori to HQ on Megallan for Team Gosden, winners of the race twice in the decade; four-year-olds are 3-4.
Master Of The Seas, Craven Stakes winner at this meeting a year ago, was subsequently runner-up in the 2,000 Guineas but lost his way after, and has been gelded.
Catch Twentytwo’s stable does well at this meeting but his 116 rating (a pound behind Master Of The Seas and 4lb up on Megallan) is from seven Group places – three of them wins – in Turkey and South Africa, which rarely translates to the same level over here.
Bell Rock won a similar handicap first time out on this course last year at the Guineas meeting and has been placed at Group level.
Brunch was second in last year’s Lincoln and ran well in the race again last month.
PERFECT BID FOR HAGGAS DOUBLE
⭕ 3.35 Newmarket (Nell Gwyn Stakes) EARLY BIRDS: Ribbon Rose, Cachet, Hello You and Rishes Baar all won on their debuts. Trainers in form: Marco Botti (Ribbon Rose), William Haggas (Perfect News) and David O’Meara (Rishes Baar).
📊 RACE STATS: William Haggas is going for back-to-back wins in this fillies’ trial, after his Sacred, who won it last year, went on to take the Group-2 Hungerford Stakes in the autumn.
Otherwise the race has been a poor pointer recently: the winners between 2016 and 2019 failed to take another prize – not a one!
📊 FORM: Hello You and Cachet were one-two in the Rockfel (Group 2) on this course in September, and then fourth and fifth in the Breeders Cup (juvenile fillies), but both look well exposed.
Perfect News also won at Newmarket in September, then stepped up to be third in the Group-3 Oh So Sharp Stakes.
EDUCATOR IS ON A ROYAL MISSION
⭕ 4.45 Newmarket I warned yesterday that handicap marks for three-year-olds are unreliable until the form settles down. But the market for this usually gets the whisper via the ‘right’ money.
Six winners in the decade were favourite; only one bigger than 5-1 at SP. So keep your Daq up and watch which way the betting goes.
The royal runner, Educator, is full brother to a filly owned by the Queen, Portfolio, who improved in her second season to score at today’s 1m 2f on the July Course at Newmarket.
Interesting that last year’s winner, Mohaafeth, for Educator’s trainer, William Haggas, made huge progress to win the Group 3 Hampton Court Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Ryan Moore, who has won this race three times in the last six seasons, maintains his partnership with Wind Your Neck In, who improved race by race last season.
In September on soft ground at Salisbury, David Evans’ colt had Moore in the plate when easily beating the favourite, Israr, a winner at Doncaster on firm.
They meet again here on a sounder surface, with Israr now 7lb better off.
Israr (Gosden) is unexposed after just two starts; so, too, Independent Act, both for top trainers at the meeting
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked as indicated on BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE)
3.00 Newmarket (win 10)
BET 4pts win MEGALLAN
3.35 Newmarket (win 10)
BET 1.8pts win PERFECT NEWS
4.45 Newmarket (win 10, nap)
BET 4.7pts win EDUCATOR
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.
