DAQMAN ELEVEN OAKS-DAY HIT: Daqman was batting just short of the boundary with seconds (Respond and Legacy Link) on the Oaks card yesterday but his Seagulls Eleven (WON 5-2) pulled his team through for a 2.50 points profit on the day.
IT’S DERBY DAY TODAY: Daqman takes you through the Derby card at Epsom with bets at morning offers on BETDAQ of 5.6, 6.0, 8.3, 9.8 and 15.0. Packed with Classic value.
ITEM! CLASSIC FOLLOW ‘ON’
🎩 4.00 Epsom (The Derby) My Thursday words now reveal themselves as a gone-soft Derby badly needing a Thundering On.
When a filly wins the Oaks as she did yesterday, and no less than John Gosden still has high praise afterwards for his runner-up, Legacy Link, then we may have another potential Arc filly.
What price Frankel to do the double and follow ‘On’ by siring the Derby winner with one of his four contenders today: Action, Ancient Egypt, Benvenuto Cellini and Item.
112 BENVENUTO CELLINI Won the Chester Vase in the hoofprints of last year’s dual Derby winner, Lambourn, showing a long-striding action. But that race is not normally to a Derby winner (Lambourn was the first since 2013) and his defeat, third, in the Futurity on heavy ground is a red flag for Epsom today.
117 ITEM (pictured below) Missed the Futurity because of the ground but has ‘a big beautiful stride’ and his trial win was in the Dante, very much more of a Derby trial and he looked as if he would come on a ton for it.
113 ACTION Staying-on second in the Futurity and nearly three lengths behind Item in the Dante at York (carried head high), with Christmas Day third.
108 JAMES J BRADDOCK The Box-Clever Derby Bet (see Tuesday’s Daqman) would give Thundering On’s trainer, Joseph O’Brien, a sensational two-day Classic double.
Beaten by Christmas Day in the Ballysax but ran on well and finished in front of Pierre Bonnard whom he then pipped a short-head in the Leopardstown Derby Trial.
109 PIERRE BONNARD Aidan O’Brien put down that Trial defeat to a gentle training approach ‘because he is such a big horse’.
He’d easily beaten the Ballysax second, Endorsement, at Newmarket in October. He’s won on very soft ground and his sire and grandsire were both Derby winners.
109 CHRISTMAS DAY See Action and James J Braddock.
108 MALTESE CROSS Narrow defeat of 107 Bay Of Brilliance in battle for the Lingfield Derby Trial. Sire and grand sire both Derby winners
100 ANCIENT EGYPT Million-guinea yearling, three from four but outclassed, 14 lengths 7th, in the 2,000 Guineas.
💬 DAQMAN says: Several times I’ve dealt myself a three-card trick and Item, Benvenuto Cellini, and Pierre Bonnard turn up in a different order: Item for winning the Dante; Benvenuto for his long, staying stride; Pierre Bonnard, the winter favourite now getting his ground and coming to hand. BETDAQ value decides:
Betdaq Betting Exchange 6 Item, 9.8 Pierre Bonnard. Saver: 2.9 Benvenuto Cellini.
DERBY WARM-UP RACES
⭕ 1.30 Epsom I picked Oisin Murphy as the man to follow yesterday and he obliged with a treble. Seven winners here over the specialist 7f, with his mount, Never So Brave the Group-1 winner poised for a return to form.
⭕ 2.05 Epsom Look no further than the four-year-olds, who go for a six-timer in this. Classic form here has been displayed by She’s Perfect, runner-up in the 2025 French 1,000 Guineas. BETDAQ 5.6 taken.
⭕ 2.40 Epsom Calandagan, highest rated in the world, was beaten by Jan Brueghel in this Coronation Cup last year but got his revenge in the King George and is now 5lb clear in the computer.
⭕ 3.15 Epsom 🤔 LAYS LOGIC: Favourites have drawn a blank in the decade. Two from the high draw, both given a run to put them right, are King Of Light (likes deep ground) and Stormy Impact,winner of the three-year-olds Dash on this card last year. BETDAQ 15.0.
💷 GETTING-OUT GAMBLE: 4.40 Epsom Ray Dawson, who rode a peach of a race on Sallaal yesterday, looks the value at 8.3 on BETDAQ this morning with handicap debutant Starlight Time for the same stable.
DAQMAN’S BETS
on Betdaq Betting Exchange
1.30 Epsom (win 20)
BET 10pts win NEVER SO BRAVE
2.05 Epsom (win 25)
BET 5.25pts win SHE’S PERFECT
★★ 2.40 (supernap)
BET 20pts win CALANDAGAN
3.15 Epsom (win-50 bull’s-eye bet)
BET 3.5pts win STORMY IMPACT
4.00 Epsom (win-50 bull’s-eye DERBY bets)
BET 10pts win ITEM
BET 5.5pts win PIERRE BONNARD
BET 10pts to win 20 BENVENUTO CELLINI
4.40 Epsom (win-50 bull’s-eye bet)
BET 7pts win STARLIGHT TIME
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