SANDALS OR BOOTS STAR CLASH: Today’s going at Haydock will tell us more about tomorrow’s Sprint spectacle: will it be Time For Sandals or Wellington boots? The Commonwealth Cup winner clashes with the Jubilee star, Lazzat. Don’t miss Daqman’s verdict.
KEANE’S FULL CARD AT KEMPTON: Colin Keane switches from the beach party at Laytown, where he had a 6-1 winner yesterday but, though he rides at Haydock this afternoon, he is not involved there on Saturday but has a full card (seven races) at Kempton.
ACCENTUATE THE POSITIVE
⭕ 4.40 Ascot Theoryofeverything won this class-2 mile handicap last year from stall 4 and has a low number again, coming out of the one stall, and similar soft ground.
Ebt’s Guard (11) is on the other side but he loves the track, with a 31001 record, one of those wins and one third both on an easy surface.
After a soft-ground double last Spring, Balmacara (6) was always strong in the market and established a rating in the 100s but disappointed when fancied for the Cambridgeshire.
A Derby-trial winner on this ground, Epictetus (stall 2), now down a stone, threatens to bounce back one of these Jamie Osborne days!
Though his weight looks harsh, Grey’s Monument (7) is back to the mark on which he won a similar race here last autumn.
But I’m taking the three-year-olds to dominate, despite few runners; that’s the story of their four wins in the decade.
Connections of High Degree (stall 16 a query), Shout (out of 4 has had a lot of chances) and Accentuate (5) have worked handy marks for them and they have soft-ground ability in their pedigrees. I’ll accentuate the positive.
Betdaq Betting Exchange Taken at 9.30 a.m. 12 Accentuate, 14 Theoryofeverything, 50 Epictetus
KIERAN’S NEW BEGINNING
⭕ 4.55 Haydock Despite Field Of Gold’s missing out on the 2,000 Guineas, Kieran Shoemark’s season is of a jockey in demand.
He has been repaying the faith of Ed Walker, James Owen, Charlie Fellowes, Michael Bell and Hughie Morrison, scoring 11 winners in eight racing days at the end of August and into September.
He comes out of the one stall on 6.5 offer Ata Rangi, the former Henry De Bromhead four-year-old, who just failed to hold on for Kieran and Ed Walker in the Summer Festival Handicap at York in July. Ata Rangi means ‘new beginning.’
TOP RIDE FOR TOP TRAINER
⭕ 6.24 Down Royal (Ulster Cesarewich) A handicap with a famous name is a magnet for me.
And pulling me in for a punt in this one is Noel Meade, for whom the race is such an attraction. He has bagged four winners in the last six seasons.
In fact, his score is four in a row (no runner in the other two years), the money down every time, two of them favourite. Colin Keane scored on three of them is a wanted man at Haydock today.
So the ever-affable Mr Meade from, County Meath, 74 years young this year, turns to the 22-year-old Dylan Browne McMonagle, who must now be odds on for Irish jockeys’ title.
He also calls on Shane Foley, well known to be Ireland’s workaholic jockey.
It must be Open To Question (Foley) whether cheekpieces can coax this winning hurdler into breaking his duck on the Flat.
But the Meade magic and the McMonagle touch seem irresistible as the grey filly Billie Frechette goes to post favourite having recently shown eyecatching ability over hurdles.
She beat 14 others in her maiden at Cork then just failed to give a stone and more in a mares handicap at the Galway Festival.
Her 120 Jumps rating is almost double her Flat mark and I’m going to nap her to close the gap today.
DAQMAN’S BETS on Betdaq Betting Exchange
4.40 Ascot (win-50 bull’s-eye bets)
BET 4.5pts win ACCENTUATE
BET 3.75pts win THEORYOFEVERYTHING
BET 1pt win and place EPICTETUS
4.55 Haydock (win 20)
BET 3.5pts win ATA RANGI
★ 6.24 Down Royal (win 20 nap)
BET 10pts win BILLIE FRECHETTE
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