REACH FOR THE SKY AGAIN! One jackpot race, one nap: two winners. That was Daqman, back on the winning trail yesterday, though only last week he recorded an amazing spree of 320 points profit in nine days. His Monday bets were Danadana (jackpot, WON 5-4) and Sky Lantern (nap, WON 11-8).
HORSES TO FOLLOW: Today Daqman revises his horses-to-follow list in time for Royal Ascot. His daily bets are, as usual, at the foot of the column. Offers are already available on BETDAQ ante-post for several races over the Royal Ascot meeting. Check them out.
Bonnie Brae: Beaten less than a length in the Victoria Cup, the mare got knocked about early and was feeling the firm ground on a tricky track, Goodwood, next time out.
She’s better than that and her come-from-behind style in a fast-run race could get her into the money in the open spaces of the Royal Hunt Cup. The Victoria Cup has been a good guide to this Royal Ascot handicap over the years.
Colour Vision: Godolphin have had a poor season so far but Colour Vision could change their fortunes in the Ascot Gold Cup or, as a face-saver, the Irish St Leger.
The Rainbow Quest grey had a magnificent ending to his 2011 season when stepping up to be third in the Cesarewitch, though only three, then making an even bigger forward leap by taking third in the Champions Gold Cup behind the Ascot Gold Cup one-two Fame And Glory and Opinion Poll.
Both these super stayers are now six years of age and Colour Vision should have improved a ton while they are standing still, improvement wise.
They have shown that ‘standing still’ is an inexact epithet for them, with terrific wins already this season, but Colour Vision, too, has been in form, slamming the Yorkshire Cup winner and Coronation Cup runner-up, Red Cadeaux, at Kempton. He is 7.4 on BETDAQ this morning, as I write.
Crusade: Mayson was the ‘find’ of my first horses-to-follow list of 2012, giving me wins at 4-1 and 7-2 in the Abernant and Palace House. He will probably come back at the end of the season but I will ‘rest’ him for now.
I’m keeping on the right side of another potentially good sprinter, Crusade, despite his finishing last at The Curragh, form that ‘can’t be true.’ Ballydoyle has entered him in all the big sprints.
His sire was second in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, and Crusade himself was sixth in the Breeders Cup Juvenile (8.5f) – a race loaded to the gunwales with Graded winners – on the back of his Middle Park (6f) win at Newmarket.
Diala: Closer in the market for the 1,000 Guineas but didn’t run her race; it was one of those Frankel-type Guineas, where the winner left them for dead, and you can probably discount the form for the rest of the field.
Diala goes for the Brownstown Stakes, a Group-3 at The Curragh early next month, to get her black type for the paddocks.
Imperial Monarch: Has a high knee-action, so another who needs an easy surface. Ran away with the Sandown Classic Trial from subsequent Derby fourth Thought Worthy.
Withdrawn from the Epsom Derby when the ground dried up. Then lost his chance in a rough-house French Derby when shuffled right back to almost last place, running on strongly again in the short straight, a race in which Joey Barton might have fared better than Joseph O’Brien.
The Irish Derby, the Eclipse and the Irish Champion Stakes are all on the agenda for this unlucky horse, whichever favours him with some cut in the surface.
Kissed: Last-minute ‘nonner’ in the Oaks because of the ground. Had the race happened yesterday, when it rained, she might have been in there and won. She has a host of Group-1 and Group-2 entries.
Most Improved: Hugely hyped for the 2,000 Guineas but had to miss the race through a minor setback. Down the field on belated reappearance in that scrimmaging French Derby (lost both front shoes) and could spring a surprise in the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Rosslyn Castle: An outsider for the King Edward at Royal Ascot. I put him down for the St Leger after he skated up at Chester, coming from a long way back with consummate ease but he should get the strong pace he needs at Ascot.
Sea Moon: Another at his best with some cut in the ground. The Breeders Cup Turf runner-up could be at Ascot for the Hardwicke Stakes if it’s an umbrella meeting. Otherwise, the Irish St leger looks the perfect occasion.
The Fugue: Any expression ‘unlucky’ about some of the above horses is nothing compared to the awful run The Fugue got in the Epsom Oaks, nearly knocked over, then hampered again as another door closed in front of her.
The impressive Musidora winner ran into contention with raking strides down the outside at Epsom, once able to get into her stride, and finished third, within threeparts of a length of the winner, Was. Looks hot for the Coronation Stakes.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 1.8pts win HIGHLIFE DANCER (3.10 Redcar)
BET 4pts win UPRISE and 1.3pts win (stakes saver) FLEXIBLE FLYER (3.15 Leicester)
BET 5pts win (nap) SOLAR VIEW (4.20 Leicester)
BET 6.7pts win SEA FEVER and 1.5pts win (stakes saver) NEIGE D’ANTAN (4.55 Leicester)
Did you know that as well as checking the realtime prices on BETDAQ below – you can also log into your account and place your bets directly into BETDAQ from BETDAQ TIPS.
