DAQMAN’S NAP SPIRALS TO THE TOP OF THE 1,000 GUINEAS MARKET: Daqman had seconditis at Sandown yesterday with Annandale (2nd 5-2), ‘beaten a neck’, and Lady Reset (2nd 10-1), ‘finished fast; winner had flown’. But Inspiral (WON evens) landed his nap with such authority that she heads the 1,000 Guineas ante-post betting for the first fillies’ Classic of 2022.
WON 1-1 INSPIRAL (nap)
Inspiral was Daqman’s fifth winning nap in six days and his 10th day out of a 11 with a winner a day.
KING GEORGE RIDING PLANS: Daqman checks out the jockey plans for the King George tomorrow and then puts four races at Sandown under the microscope, looking for a third consecutive day in profit.
ADAYAR DARES THE GALILEO DOUBLE
Fortune Cookies. Mishriff (David Egan) and Wonderful Tonight (Oisin Murphy) will represent Fortune Cookies in tomorrow’s King George V1 and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot.
But the race will be a hard race to win, with Adayar (William Buick) attempting to land the Epsom Derby and King George double for the first time since Galileo (2001).
Ryan Moore rides the Aidan O’Brien mare Love, with Wayne Lordan on stablemate and likely pacemaker Broome.
A field of six is completed by Frankie Dettori on Lone Eagle, just pipped by Hurricane Lane in the Irish Derby.
STAR CALIBER HAS A BIG ADVANTAGE
⭕ 2.30 Ascot (Brown Jack Stakes) Three-year-olds have a massive record in this: five winners and a second from eight runners in nine years, the last of them 12 months ago for Andrew Balding.
Balding, who is having a tremendous year, has the only second-season runner today, Star Caliber, earmarked long term for the Cesarewitch.
Though rated just 4lb behind Blow Your Horn and 6lb behind Notation, who are the two top-rated four-year-olds in the race, Star Caliber is receiving 19lb and 21lb from them, respectively.
No horse over the age of four has won in the decade, and there’s been only one winner bigger than 9-2 at SP.
Star Caliber, a big-framed Golden Horn, is having his first run over 2m and his first in the wide open spaces having learned his trade round the turns of Goodwood, Epsom and Chester (placed all three).
BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE 3.75 Star Caliber (nap)
LIGHTS OUT FOR THE DARK HORSES
⭕ 3.00 Ascot (Valiant Stakes) It’s a tie in this fillies’ and mares’ between three and four year olds (5-5) in the decade, but this is only it’s second year hiked from a Listed to a Group 3.
Where the winner was usually rated in the 90s – even with Lady Bowthorpe, last year – today has the three-year-olds Indigo Girl (mark of 112) and Elysium (106) taking on 110-rated four-year-old Lights On, who has to give them each 8lb.
But Lights On, a daughter of second-leading sire Siyouni (sire of Sottsass and St Mark’s Basilica), has improved 25lb this year, and has both trainer (Sir Michael Stoute) and jockey (Ryan Moore) in splendid form.
Can she step up from Listed level against Group-2 winner and Group-1 Fillies’ Mile second, Indigo Girl (Mother Earth third), and against Group-3 winner Elysium?
The big query with both is that they have been absent 287 days (Indigo Girl) and 299 days (Elysium); have they even trained on?
Of the two, Elysium has the entries, but we are really in the dark. I’ll try for 3-1 or better Lights On.
BETDAQ value 4.0 Lights On
WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT, ALFRED?
⭕ 3.35 Ascot You can make out a case for several here but the hidden horse in this 1m 4f handicap is clearly Alfred Boucher. Snag is he’s been hidden for years, as a grey bred to win in the Pattern and over trips up to 2m 6f.
Henry Candy is so laid back it seems for all the world as if he’s sitting on his shooting stick all the time but to run Alfred for two years from 6f to a mile, finishing well, and then – in recent months – have him placed (without winning) three times in a row over 1m 2f, finishing well? It suggests that all is not well with the insanguine beast (not you Henry; Alfred) and that he makes his own misfortune.
Yet the long wait nearly came off the last day, first run over 1m 4f, when he failed to get a clear run, second at Windsor; quote from the form book, ‘a particularly good effort as he came from a long way back.’
The offers this morning of 8.0 provide a last-chance saloon bet to prove he is an all-time dosser or infinitely better than the bare form. Saver 3.75 Grand Bazaar.
BETDAQ value 8.0 Alfred Boucher
JUST JAWWAAL IN CRACKING SPRINT
⭕ 4.10 Ascot Karl Burke’s likely favourite has improved Significantly for back-to-back wins here at Ascot, so inevitable he returns for the hat-trick bid. As a three-year-old his rating is still within the class-2 ceiling.
Jawwaal was a CD winner at this time last year and is also on a treble but this race is of such depth that, though rated 5lb higher, he’s actually down in the weight he will carry.
Mountain Peak is better off for each of his last two defeats by Jawaal and trainer Ed Walker is in good form: 1312 for Andrea Atzeni and then fifth in the Portland, but Jawwaal cruised by him here last July.
Yet a third hat-trick seeker is Caspian Prince, beaten narrowly by Jawwaal in June. An amazing old servant at age 12, giving nine years away to Significantly and the progressive front-runner Bedford Flyer, who is blinkered first time and didn’t like the heavy ground when behind Significantly in the Spring.
Tis Marvellous is 5lb better off with Significantly for the length and a quarter that separated them on the last day, which was his 9th race at Ascot for returns of 404121444, but he’s been beaten favourite since and it’s nearly three years since he won here.
BETDAQ value 3.5 Jawwaal
DAQMAN’S BETS:
2.30 Ascot (win 14, nap)
BET 5pts win STAR CALIBER
3.00 Ascot (win 12)
BET 4pts win LIGHTS ON
3.35 Ascot (win 20)
BET 2.85pts win ALFRED BOUCHER
BET 1pt win (stakes saver) GRAND BAZAAR
4.10 Ascot (win 12)
BET 4.75pts win JAWWAAL
What are points? Points facilitate a staking plan, which is the secret to creating profit. One point is whatever you choose: a pound, a euro, or whatever ….
Start with a bank and decide how much you can afford to lose over a period of time, and determine the size of your bets accordingly. Daqman makes this variation every day.
