DAQMAN’S TWO-YEAR-OLD RATINGS: Will the best two-year-olds of 2024 be among the Classic stars of the 2025 season? Daqman takes the Dewhurst form of Shadow Of Light and Expanded over the Doncaster Futurity one-two of Hotazhell and Delacroix, but there’s just a pound or three in it!
DAILY WINNER AT 15/8: Daqman was on target with 15/8 winner American Sniper at Newbury yesterday having earlier suffered a reverse (at around 1.1 in running) when his nap Roysse appeared to do everything right and travelled with style but ran out of petrol on the run-in.
THE THREE-YEAR-OLDS OF 2025
120 SHADOW OF LIGHT (Lope De Vega/Charlie Appleby) won the Dewhurst in the absence of The Lion In Winter, only the second horse to back up victory in the Middle Park.
The Middle Park success when rated 108 came at the expense of the Morny winner, Whistlejacket (115), beaten four lengths.
118 EXPANDED (Wootton Bassett/Aidan O’Brien) Beaten a neck by Shadow Of Light in the Dewhurst
117 HOTAZHELL (Too Darn Hot/Jessica Harrington) Second in the Irish Futurity (good ground) to Henri Matisse, won the Doncaster Futurity on soft by a nose over Delacroix.
117 THE LION IN WINTER (Sea The Stars/Aidan O’Brien): After winning at York (7f firm), he was made favourite for the Guineas and Derby but had to miss the Dewhurst and his York runner-up, Wimbledon Hawkeye, was was well behind, third in the Futurity (see Hotazhell)
115 CAMILLE PISSARRO (Wootton Bassett/Aidan O’Brien) Won the Lagardere (soft) from Rashabar, who ran up to Whistlejacket in the Morny.
115 DELACROIX (Dubawi/Aidan O‘Brien) Group-3 winner at Newmarket in early October. See Hotazhell
115 HENRI MATISEE (Wootton Bassett/Aidan O’Brien) won the Railway Stakes in the early summer but was stronger than ever to take the Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf in November after flopping behind Camille Pissarro in the Lagardere, suggesting the need for a sound surface.
113 TWAIN (Wootton Bassett/Aidan O’Brien) Soft-heavy winner including the Group-1 Criterium International at Saint-Cloud.
Fillies for 2025
118 LAKE VICTORIA (Frankel/Aidan O’Brien) Unbeaten in five starts, including the Moyglare, Cheveley Park (soft) and the Breeders Cup Juvenile Fillies.
112 RED LETTER (Frankel/Ger Lyons) The Frankel grey – dam’s sire, dark Angel – was very impressive in her maiden before running fourth in the Moyglare to Lake Victoria, Simmering and Exactly.
111 EXACTLY (Frankel/Aidan O’Brien) Group-3 winner since the Moyglare, and third in the Marcel Boussac to Vertical Blue with Simmering fourth
111 SIMMERING (Too Darn Hot/Ollie Sangster) See Exactly
TIZZARD TO HOLD ON TO HALDON
⭕ 2.25 Exeter (Haldon Gold Cup Handicap Chase) Paul Nicholls has won four of the last 10 runnings of today’s feature and relies on Sans Bruit here who will be partnered by Bryony Frost who flies in for two rides.
San Bruit hasn’t run since Ayr in April and prior to that was the impressive winner of the Red Run Handicap Chase at Aintree where he made all the running under Frost.
It’s hard to know whether he is in that kind of form today and he has needed the run before after a break but this is a big prize in its own right so you wouldn’t think he would be lacking in the fitness department.
I thought the value in the race, at double figure odds on Betdaq Betting Exchange, was Scarface who is the only one of the six to have had a run this season and I thought ran well at Cheltenham behind Calico – only fading in the closing stages to finish fifth.
Trainer Joe Tizzard won this last year and I’ll also include his other (more fancied) runner JPR One who was an impressive novice chaser last season, winning a Grade 2 event at Lingfield. He also goes well fresh.
DEAR MADEMOISELLE
⭕ 3.35 Exeter Coco Mademoiselle jumped well on her chasing debut at Worcester and only went down by a head to Hometown Boy with Weveallbeencaught (six lengths back in third) giving the form a decent boost by running a cracker at Cheltenham next time out.
This looks a good stepping stone for Dan Skelton’s mare who can use her allowance to help see off the likes of Beachcomber (was weak in the market but ran well on chase debut at Chepstow) and Tightenourbelts (struggling for form and might need even more help from the handicapper).
Striking A Pose (another Joe Tizzard trained runner on the card) has place prospects but my reservation with him is the fences as he still looks better over the smaller obstacles.
IT’S KRISTAL CLEAR
⭕ 5.15 Newcastle It’s rare to see just four runners in a Newcastle handicap and this surely presents a good opportunity for Kristal Klear to continue her strong recent form (1212).
She brings by far the best recent form to the table and is a confirmed all-weather specialist.
Main market danger Lincoln Legacy hasn’t shown much in two starts since taking a year out and is now tried in blinkers.
A bigger threat might be Keep Me Stable who has a good course and distance record and should be re-energised for a return to the all-weather.
DAQMAN’S BETS
2.25 Exeter (win 10, win 20)
BET 3.5ps win JPR ONE
BET 1.6pts win SCARFACE
3.35 Exeter (win 10)
BET 5.0pts win COCO MADEMOISELLE
5.15 Newcastle (win 10, nap)
BET 11.1pts win KRISTAL KLEAR
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