DOUBLE FEAST OF DELIGHT THIS WEEKEND: It’s a fabulous weekend of racing delight served up double each day: SATURDAY at Ascot and Leopardstown; SUNDAY at the Curragh and at Longchamp. Championship races, Arc trials and a fiendish sprint butting in from Haydock today. BETDAQ offers of 16.0 and 22.0 taken by DAQMAN!
Starters
★ FORTUNE COOKIES:21 winners
★ NAPS: 75 this year
★ VALUE: Daqman 45, Pricewise 24
POPMASTER BIG AT BETDAQ 16.0
⭕ 2.35 Ascot (7f class-2 handicap): Hickory has two ways of running, both so far prejudicial to a finish. He can travel strongly, in which case his high draw should see him lead the field on the rail, vulnerable in the final furlong.
But in the International here in July, another high-stall leader allowed him to rear run, despite his coming out of gate 26.
He was second after making good headway that side, but that was first-time visor and only a neck separated him from Star Of Orion on these terms. Orbaan, seventh, is finally slipping down the handicap. Popmaster was denied a clear run.
First-time cheekpieces helped Spangled Mac to beat Popmaster on an easy surface at Newbury and he will be held up from stall 4 on the other side. Tends to hang left, and that could mean problems at the business end; Popmaster looks well drawn in a central position out of 10.
Quinault has done best at 6f, while Mobashr, Love De Vega and Havana Blue have done well but in a lower grade. The fast ground suits Bless Him, who was beaten a short-head in the race last year.
Betdaq Betting Exchange The markets have it billed as a battle of the girls: 5.8 Hickory (Saffie Osborne), 9.1 Star Of Orion (Laura Pearson), 12 Bless Him (Hayley Turner) this morning, but the good value lay with the men: Spangled Mac 7.4 for William Buick and Popmaster at 16.0. The overround was 107%. Last year’s Total SP was 128%.
I’M WITH TAHIYRA ALL THE WAY
⭕ 2.45 Leopardstown (Matron Stakes): FORTUNE COOKIE Tahiyra (pictured below) has been well backed for British Champions Day in October but it could be costly to see this as a prep race.
She’s never been raced that way, winning on her debut and getting to within half a length of Mawj first time this year in the Newmarket 1,000 Guineas.
Tahiyra won the Irish version, clear of Meditate, who tries blinkers today in a bid to bridge the gap, but Meditate was even further behind her in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Only Homeless Song came close to Tahiyra on the ratings and she has been withdrawn.. by Dermot Weld! Zarinsk has twice narrowly beaten Tarawa, rated 13lb behind Tahiyra and also trained.. by Dermot Weld! Evens on BETDAQ.
GET A TUNE OUT OF CHORISTER
⭕ 3.00 Haydock (Old Borough Cup): With Oisin Murphy at Leopardstown, James Doyle comes in for the ride on Aztec Empire, hampered when beaten a neck by Forza Orta at York, the track which produces most winners of this from the last day.
This comes half an hour before ‘Doyler’ will be in the parade-ring on Shaquille. He’ll be hoping for a fast pace for both, with Aztec Empire dropping back from game efforts over 2m.
Caius Chorister was the unlucky horse of the Ebor and will carry Jamie Spencer, another jockey looking for the double in the Sprint later on. I took 5.8 on each.
CHAMPION FRANKIE ONESTOES!
⭕ 3.20 Leopardstown (Irish Champion Stakes): STATS: See Daqman Wednesday
The 0110 binary code of Auguste Rodin’s form this season is number 6 in the decimal translation but is he really hit for six? He’s very in and out, nought and one.
Fortune Cookies have had two wins from him, and we have lost confidence with his form dip in the King George suggesting he might now struggle to confirm his half-length Epsom Derby defeat of King Of Steel.
Apart from the €712k first prize, his stud value will hardly be the next dip: as a dual Derby winner, he can expect a busy life!
With just one run each this season, Alflaila and Onesto – second in this last year – are the fresh horses aimed at an autumn campaign.
I shall have a bit each way Frankie Dettori’s mount, Onesto, who has lived most of his French-racing life on soft ground but today could be his breakthrough on a sound surface: sons of Frankel win well over 40% of the time on firm. BETDAQ 7.4
⭕ 5.05 Leopardstown Dettori is the perfect pick to ride Jackfinbar for Willie Mullins in this 1m 5f handicap. Yet 9.8 on BETDAQ this morning.
Usually ridden from behind, ‘Jack’ tried to make all in the Ebor but ran out of steam. This is a furlong shorter and some spot-on Dettori fractions could see him dominate throughout.
KHAADEM TO SHAKE UP SHAQUILLE
⭕ 3.35 Haydock (Sprint Cup): SIX-HIT ABC guide: see Friday.
Most other kingpin sprinters have dropped off the board and left Shaquille as a lone target to be bowled at by a surprisingly long list of lesser players.
Shaquille is unbeaten in six starts over the last year, including the Commonwealth Cup on firm, and most of the opposition is well exposed, with the possible exception of other three-year-olds.
Swingalong, who pinged out of the gates at Ascot and finished within a couple of lengths of Shaquille, is entitled to improve again but stall 18 is a worry.
Sacred has first-time cheekpieces to help claw back the neck defeat by Khaadem in the Jubilee but Khaadem has head-waiter Jamie Spencer, no doubt geared to pounce late again.
He’s got his ground so should be nearer than the 3.5 lengths Shaquille beat him on the soft in the July Cup. BETDAQ 22.0.
DAQMAN BETS
1.50 Haydock (win 10)
BET 1.25pts win POINT LYNAS
BET 1.25pts win REGAL REALITY
2.35 Ascot (win-50 bull’s-eye bets)
BET 6pts win STAR OF ORION
BET 3.25pts win POPMASTER
BET 2pts to win 12 (saver) SPANGLED MCA
2.45 Leopardstown
FORTUNE COOKIE
BET 20pts win TAHIYRA
3.00 Haydock (win 20)
BET 4.25pts win AZTEC EMPIRE
BET 4.25pts win CAIUS CHORISTER
3.20 Leopardstown (win 30)
BET 4.5pts win and place ONESTO
3.35 Haydock (win-50 bull’s-eye bet)
BET 2.5pts win and place KHAADEM
BET 7pts win to win 10 SHAQUILLE
5.05 Leopardstown (win-50 bull’s-eye nap)
BET 5.5pts win and place JACKFINBAR
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