MAXIMUM-STAKES PLACE BETS: Daqman analyses the Sandown card with a banker and a strong place bet. He repeats the maximum-strength place stake on the Highland National at Perth. The challenge to Pricewise today is in the 1.20 and 2.20 Sandown, with the score this season 11-4 to Daqman.
DON’T MISS GOLD CUP VALUE: Look out tomorrow for his BETDAQ-value verdict on the Sandown Gold Cup plus the Nicholls v Mullins final-day clash for champion trainer. There’s also racing at Doncaster, Haydock, Leicester and Ripon.
BLUCHER WILL LOVE THE ESHER CUP GROUND
1.20 Sandown (Esher Cup) Team Hannon (Chief Whip) is having winners – six in the last fortnight – but spaced between a sequence of 33 in the first five without scoring; all round, that’s missing strike pretty badly.
John Gosden (Von Blucher by soft-ground sire Zoffany) has won it twice from five runners in the decade. Ebtihaal is the pick for the boys in blue if Paul Hanagan has got it right.
Godolphin runners are always fairly easy to back and 7.0 Ebtihaal looks the obvious opening position. I preferred Von Blucher at 3.35 to Chief Whip at 4.4 as the alternative.
Pricewise picks two, searching out big offers from three different bookmakers. I can have more responsible bets, and in just one place, with BETDAQ allowing me to dutch in a 105% overround orange.
READING FROM THE SAME HYMN SHEET..
1.50 Sandown (Gordon Richards Stakes) When Western Hymn won this last year, his being fresh and the tacky ground helped him beat the subsequent King George winner, Postponed.
It’s a similar scenario today, and his stable is flying with four winners out of seven, maybe five out of eight if Von Blucher has run and won.
My Dream Boat, a handicap winner at York last summer, stepped up to win Listed then Group 3 in France, and will relish any more rain.
But that Group success costs him a 3lb penalty, which hasn’t been carried since 2008, and Western Hymn should defy his long absence.
2.20 Sandown (Classic Trial) Western Hymn, the selection for the Gordon Richards Stakes, won this trial in 2014, but there’s been nothing that went to the very top since Old Vic (1989 French and Irish Derby winner).
It was a fashionable Epsom Derby trial before that, with Troy (1979), Henbit, Shergar and Shahrastani all scoring in seven amazing years.
And the man who trained two of those, Sir Michael Stoute, who had his last Derby winner in 2010, is expected to get back on the Derby trail with Midterm.
All runners today barring Palawan are scheduled tor the Dante-Derby route, and Midterm is already only 8.4 in the BETDAQ ante-post list for Epsom.
That will surely go if he wins this, as punters struggle to find an alternative to a weak favourite in US Army Ranger, so Midterm has potential for a trade if you want to speculate that he lands the odds today. I’ll put him in my Daq Multiples.
5.05 Sandown Sir Michael again, with Stargazer from a family he knows well. It’s a race he’s won twice in the decade with horses aimed at the Epsom Derby meeting (one was third; the other won the King George V Handicap).
Though only third in this last year, the Stoute horse went on to bag another Epsom handicap.
With hindsight, today’s race was a very tall order, since the winner was a certain Jack Hobbs.
I’ll stake Stargazer to win 20 points for both the win (at 9.6) and (3.35) place bet in the BETDAQ lists this morning. And you will know where to play up your winnings!
THE MILE LOOKS BEST LEFT TO BELARDO
2.55 Sandown Mile Four-year-olds dominated this when Team Hannon ran the show (four winners out of six, 2008-13). Today they want a five-year-old, Toormore, to add to their form figures of 11114123.
Godolphin, who have vowed to have a revival in England, are using the scattergun approach, with three in the Esher Cup and three more here, mainly matching Toormore with Belardo, and it’s 7.4 bar the two in the BETDAQ market this morning, with Belardo clear favourite.
This Mile is a finding-out mission for one of my favourite improvers of last season, Adaay, who so far seems to be a 7f horse, and Dutch Connection needs a sounder surface.
So it is that Belardo, who has already raced and won, and is the Godolphin pick over Lockinge-bound Toormore, has this Mile at his mercy.
BETDAQ THE VALUE CRUSADER: 8.4 TAKEN
4.15 Perth (Highland National) Rule The World (9), Rogue Angel (8) and Vicente (7). Young horses by staying standards have won the big three Nationals at Aintree, Fairyhouse and Ayr.
So I’m ignoring the double-figure ages, particularly on fast ground. That leaves me six horses to choose from.
But do I need to look further than Winged Crusader, who won his only race beyond 3m and is well in here for a stable which has won this twice in the last five seasons: 8.4 on BETDAQ is big value.
Like Stargazer, I have staked both the win and the place to win 20 points.
DAQMAN BETS (staked to win 20 points, both win and place, except the banker)
BET 8.75pts win VON BLUCHER and 3.3pts win EBTIHAAL (1.20 Sandown)
BANKER: BET 20pts win (nap) BELARDO (2.55 Sandown)
BET 2.7pts win and 12pts place WINGED CRUSADER (4.15 Perth)
BET 2.3pts win and 8.5pts place STARGAZER (5.05 Sandown)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 4 x 1pt win trebles and 1pt win acca MIDTERM (1.50 Sandown), WESTERN HYMN (2.20 Sandown), BELARDO (2.55 Sandown) and WINGED CRUSADER (4.15 Perth)
£25 IN FREE BETS
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.
