DAQMAN NAMES TWO STARS TO SHINE AT SUNDAY’S ARC MEETING: There are just two star hopes for England and Ireland left outside the Arc, says Daqman, reflecting on the latest defection: Battaash is out of the Abbaye sprint because of the very soft going. Today’s headlines:
🔹 NOW BATTAASH MISSES THE ABBAYE
🔹 FARRIS WHEEL OF FORTUNE AT LAST
🔹 ROCCO CAN MAKE THIS RACE COUNT
🔹 RAEEQ’S CHANCE TO BE TOP PLAYER
🔹 KING SET TO DAL-IVER 10.0 STAYER
TODAY: Daqman analyses the four main races on the card at Ascot.
TOMORROW: The start of the Longchamp meeting, second day at Ascot and the Sun Chariot card at Newmarket.
NOW BATTAASH MISSES THE ABBAYE
🇫🇷 Battaash at bay. The champion sprinter has been ruled out of Sunday’s championship, Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp, because of the deep ground.
He is the second star name to forfeit his chance to shine in Paris, after the defection of Love from the Arc de Triomphe. Both had been favourite for their race.
Kevin Ryan’s Glass Slippers, who beat Battaash in similar conditions for the Abbaye last year, is the new market leader. Battaash had won it as long ago as 2017 at the age of three when the race was run at Chantilly.
But, though six now, he landed a superb hat-trick this year: the Kings Stand, then King George at Goodwood and the Nunthorpe Stakes.
Glass Slippers Outside the Arc, England’s best chance of a big strike on the two-day Longchamp cards now rests with the sprinter beaten the last twice by Battaash.
Glass Slippers set herself up for back-to-back success in the Abbaye by taking the Flying Five at the Curragh in style. Sunday’s £100,000 first prize would take the Dream Ahead filly’s earnings past half a million.
Tarnawa As for Ireland, an even bigger prize for the Prix de l’Opera, also on Sunday, would take Dermot Weld’s Vermeille winner past £600,000.
The Shamardal filly, owned by the Aga Khan, is on a hat-trick this year, after two good-ground Group strikes, starting with the Give Thanks Stakes at Cork. But she won on the soft when taking the Give Thanks last season.
FARRIS WHEEL OF FORTUNE AT LAST
⭕ 1.55 Ascot Horses aged three and four have won eight of the nine runnings of this Classified, and Tulfarris could bounce back after a trip too far in the Cambridgeshire.
Hayley Turner’s mount was only a neck away from victory in a similar Classified contest over today’s CD before that (Grove Ferry held), and first-time visor could break his bridesmaid image of three seconds in a row, all at Ascot.
Tulfarris, 4.5 on BETDAQ this morning, was beaten a head after a fierce battle for the last two furlongs of this race a year ago.
The forecast rain and a change of stable might help heavy-ground winner Prince Of Harts but his new yard is in the doldrums with just one success in the last fortnight (1-17).
Prejudice also has bridesmaid figures (223) in his recent form since a gelding op. Dropping him back to a mile – his only winning distance – might help.
But the main danger to Tulfarris could be Piranesi, dropping back to his winning trip at York. Worry for his supporters is that soft ground contributed to his odds-on defeat the last day at Newbury, and he’s yet to be seen outside novice company.
ROCCO CAN MAKE THIS RACE COUNT
⭕ 2.30 Ascot Here’s another bridesmaid, Berkshire Rocco (form 2242), yet he’s odds on to beat hat-trick winner Without A Fight (3111).
That’s because he’s dropping down three grades from a Queen’s Vase second, Great Voltigeur fourth and neck defeat in the St Leger, while Without A Fight is trying to climb out of handicap company.
Musidora runner-up Albaflora takes on colts and geldings for the first time. Table Mountain tries to do it for the second time.
Her first attempt at the Pattern after winning the Brown Jack (2m) on today’s course was a disaster but there was a hat-trick of excuses. It was Goodwood (say no more), she was struck into, and the going was soft.
Berkshire Rocco should have all his own way here, with jockey Oisin Murphy trying to extend his lead in the title race before disruption by appeals against a French ban.
RAAEQ’S CHANCE TO BE TOP PLAYER
⭕ 3.05 Ascot Ascot over 7f suited Arbalet a month or so back, when beaten only half a length in a big field off a similar mark, gelded and moved from Hugo Palmer to David O’Meara during the summer.
Herculean is another to change stables (Roger Charlton to Stuart Wiliams) and another hard to win with. Good effort in first-time tongue-tie on the July Course but stable currently 0-22 so hard to get enthusiastic.
Tiger Crusade was favourite in July here at Ascot with prospects of a hat-trick but was run out of it into third by a subsequent winner and class-2 runner-up.
Ebury was sixth in the Buckingham Palace Handicap at the royal meeting on softish ground but was down the field over the CD in the International on firm.
But I’m pleased with the way that Brian Meehan has brought along Raaeq, a Kingman out of a Shamardal mare.
He had previous winner and subsequent Cambridgeshire fifth Dubai Mirage behind in third when he won well at Sandown. This is his chance to become a player in big handicaps.
Hieronymous has improved 21lb this year and Jumaira Bay could bounce back in first-time blinkers but Raaeq rates a bull’s-eye bet under Jim Crowley at 6.1 on BETDAQ as I write.
KING SET TO DAL-IVER 10.0 STAYER
⭕ 3.40 Ascot (Gordon Carter Stakes) I remember Quest For More doing me a big favour in this (2014) and subsequently improving a total of two stone by winning the Northumberland Plate and the Lonsdale Cup.
He won this with 10st though rated only 87, so the race wasn’t up to much. But it could mark a turning point for today’s top weight, 95-rated Dal Horrisgle (BETDAQ 10.0).
He’s moved from William Haggas to Alan King and appears here after wind surgery, which could make the difference. King has a 25% strike rate at Ascot and is 2-3 in races of this nature..
Beholden is yet another bridesmaid, with a sequence of 23222 since his debut success in an NH Flat race.
The series of places were in lower class and you need a lot of faith in trainer Mick Channon if the four-year-old is now to leap into class-3 handicaps.
In fact, Channon hasn’t had a winner at Ascot in more than two years (37 consecutive losers).
The Queen’s Natural History won at this level first run back after a gelding op. But it was his second success over 1m 4f and there is no evidence in his pedigree that this 2m is wanted.
The trip is also not guaranteed for Calling The Wind. His 1m 6f win here at Ascot reads more like a fluke with his SP 40-1 and the favourite fading out 10 lengths off the lead.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.55 Ascot (win 20)
BET 5.75pts win TULFARRIS
2.30 Ascot (supernap)
BET 20pts win BERKSHIRE ROCCO
3.05 Ascot (win 50)
BULL’S-EYE BET 10pts win RAAEQ
3.40 Ascot (win 20)
BET 2.25pts win DAL HORRISGLE
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