13-2 AND 6-1 WINNERS IN 155-POINT FLING: Daqman landed winner after winner again yesterday, making 155 points profit in four successful races out of five, with Amber Silk (WON 13-2) and Watheeq (WON 6-1) his top scorers.
DAQ-MULTIPLES DOUBLE: He went in big on two horses in 10-point singles and a five-point Daq Multiples double, and both won, Watheeq being coupled with his nap, Michelangelo (WON 4-6). His other winner on the day was Figaro (WON 2-1).
15-2 HIT MAKES IT 180 UP: The day before he had three winning races out of three, tipping Beaufort Twelve (WON 15-2) and Primaeval (WON 5-2), and landing Golan Way (unplaced 11-4) a successful lay, so that his total profit in the last two days amounts to 180.38.
HE’S THE BIG NAME FOR THE BIG MEETINGS: It was a Goodwood spree to match York last week when Daqman, the man for the big occasion, had a 33-1 winner, naps up at 4-1 and 7-2, and a 10-1 jackpot scorer. Back of the net!
I’m on a three-year-olds Crusade today. Obviously one of them will win the Irish 2,000 Guineas but I reckon second-season animals are good enough to take the two big sprints: the Greenlands at The Curragh and the Temple Stakes at Haydock.
2.30 Haydock (Silver Bowl): The best of last year’s form – though we didn’t know it at the time – is for a 28.0 offer on BETDAQ this morning called Abishena: she split Coquet, who won the fillies’ Classic trial at Goodwood this week and Esentepe, winner of the Nell Gwyn and third in the Musidora.
Abishena has had a run but the snag is a 14 draw, and single-figure stalls have filled 18 of the 21 places in this since 2004. Last year’s winner was in 15, showing that the bias can be beaten, but had to come over to the favoured side to do it.
Abishena is a Mark Johnston and they just might want to try getting across. Mabaany and the Esher Cup winner, Grey Mirage, are others out wide who have big chances if they can hack the draw.
Archbishop, who ran in the Acomb at York (Group 3) in August, when still green, was winning his first handicap at Newmarket on his return but one came out of the pack and caught him. Frog Hollow was third, and these two are a potent duo in stalls 4 and 5.
Gabrial (in 2) was hampered at Musselburgh and hung left when beaten favourite at Chester; sounds like he makes his own trouble, so not for me.
Forest Row was also green when behind Wise Venture and Switzerland last season but trotted up in his maiden on the reappearance: he is drawn 7 here in his first handicap: 14.0 offers are interesting.
His stable was a close third last year, and Forest Row is a half-brother to Presvis, who improved dramatically out of handicap company and won twice at Group 1 over 9f.
With Grey Mirage wide apart in 17, three of the four known front-runners, Archbishop, Hazaz and Trail Blaze, are all in low stalls. Archbishop could hang on; Frog Hollow, better off at the weights, could turn him over, but you need a big price for value in these three-year-old handicaps.
2.40 The Curragh (Greenlands Stakes): You’ll find the three-year-old Crusade marked down for sprints in my horses-to-follow list, though he was still in the Guineas a few days ago.
A three-year-old hasn’t won this since Miss Emma (2003) and a second-season animal was made favourite last year and got stuffed.
But Crusade (7.4 on BETDAQ as I write) won the Middle Park and I’m betting today in the belief that last year’s crop of two-year-olds has really produced the goods.
Another one from the 2011 crop, Fire Lily, second in the Lowther and the Moyglare, also drops back to sprints, having run second in the Leopardstown 1,000 Guineas Trial (Bulbul behind).
Apart from last year’s winner, Hitchens, and recent scorer Tiddliwinks, the older horses here are handicappers, maybe Listed, at best. These two are not consistent high-flyers but in-and-out perfotmers, Hitchens with one win on turf since 2010, and Tiddliwinks never having put two good runs together before.
3.00 Haydock (Temple Stakes): The draw has been paramount: stalls 1-to-5 have won eight of the last nine (though not all at Haydock). If that works out today, then the expected one-two of Bated Breath (in stall 2) and last year’s winner, Sole Power (in 4), is on.
Three-year-olds who have won this had come from the juvenile classic trials, mainly the Cheveley Park, and Bapak Chinta, as winner of the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot, cannot be ruled out, assuming he’s back to his best. Mentally, after the long break, he should have forgotten the injury that set him back in the Middle Park. He had been fancied to win the Nunthorpe.
Bated Breath had Masamah and Sole Power well behind when just failing to land a Group 1, the Haydock Sprint Cup, over 6f on today’s course in the autumn.
But the fact remains he’s been bridesmaid at the top level, and won only a Listed, whereas another three-year-old, Best Terms, toughened up over 7f this Spring, won the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot and the Lowther at York.
The three-year-olds are getting lumps of weight and small stakes on the 12.5 Bapak Chinta and 20.0 Best Terms appeal more than dutching the favourites at 3.75 and 4.5 on BETDAQ, as I write.
3.15 The Curragh (Irish 2,000 Guineas): The top two sons of Hermival’s sire, Dubawi, both did good on a sound surface, while poor old Hermival has had to suffer soft ground in France and was unlucky when, coming to England for our 2,000 Guineas, he encountered soft again.
He was third with Trumpet Major fourth: the Major’s sire, Arakan, has only one outstanding son, Dick Turpin, who preferred good ground with a bit of cut in it.
So, if Team Hannon has cause for jubilation at the state of the ground (according to Press reports) for Trumpet Major, the more so Team Delzangles for Hermival.
Then we’re struggling. I won’t have a horse in blinkers (Born To Sea) or a tongue-tie (Takar) for a Classic. We have to ask Daddy Long Legs to bounce back or Wrote to rewrite his defeat at Leopardstown.
That leaves us with Reply. Third in the Middle Park and should get the mile, having (won 7f at Doncaster as a 2yo and same sire as the doughty Midday and the John Porter winner, Indian Days.)
Verdict: For Team Ballydoyle, Power looks best but has to bounce back from the Newmarket Guineas flop (Roderic O’Connor did just that last season). Hermival and Trumpet Major are better prices and better placed to stand up the Guineas form: 7.0 offers each, begging to be dutched, on BETDAQ as I write.
DAQMAN’S BETS
WIN-30 JACKPOT: BET 2.1pts win FOREST ROW, and 1pt win and place ABISHENA, plus 0.8pts win (stakes saver) FROG HOLLOW (2.30 Haydock)
BET 5pts win FIRE LILY and 3.1pts win CRUSADE (2.40 The Curragh)
WIN-30 JACKPOT: BET 2.6pts win BAPAK CHINTA, and 1.5pts win and place BEST TERMS plus 1.3pts win (stakes saver) BATED BREATH (3.00 Haydock)
BET 3.3pts win on each HERMIVAL and TRUMPET MAJOR (3.15 The Curragh)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 4 x 2pt win doubles Fire Lily and Crusade (2.40 The Curragh) with Bapak Chinta and Best Terms (3.00 Haydock) plus 4 x 1pt win trebles the same four with Sea Moon (nap, 4.25 Goodwood)
HORSES TO FOLLOW running today: Crusade (2.40 The Curragh), Gulf Of Naples (3.10 York), Trumpet Major (3.15 The Curragh), Sea Moon (4.25 Goodwood),
* Daqman’s selections are backed to win 20 points (unless otherwise stated or in Daq Multiples) so, if you divide 20 by his stake, you know the Betdaq offer taken for a win bet at the time of writing.
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