DAQMAN GOES FOR BULL’S-EYE AND A BIG-RACE DOUBLE: It’s Irish Cambridgeshire day at The Curragh and Daqman tries to hit the bull’s-eye with win-50 bets, but the nap is at Hamilton for a Scottish big race, the ancient Lanark Silver Bell. Look out also for bets at Goodwood and Newmarket.
SATURDAY SPECIAL TOMORROW: Don’t miss Daqman’s Saturday special, including his verdict on the Celebration Mile at Goodwood, then another Fortune Cookie on Sunday. Yesterday’s ran second but he made up the money with a win on a place, Katherine Place (WON 7-4)
CHAMPERS FOR MAGICAL MURTAGH
⭕ 5.15 The Curragh (Snow Fairy Fillies Stakes) Oodnadatta hasn’t won since her maiden; always a bad sign. Winner of the Moyglare last September, Shale has been very disappointing since, and has to step up here if she is to defy the view that she hasn’t trained on.
Since those two are its top two representatives, it would seem that the Classic generation is struggling to win this after a 9-1 hold on the race in the decade.
Next three-year-old in the market, Emaniya, was beaten into third by the four-year-old Solene Lilywhite in the Hurry Harriet on the last day.
That seems to be final confirmation that an older filly can win, and my pick would be Champers Elysees, with Johnny Murtagh having just won a three-year-olds’ Group race, the Royal Whip with Earlswood.
Champers Elysees, who landed a four-timer between June and September last season, was favourite here in May and ran well at Royal Ascot.
But she was obviously laid out for the Falmouth (Group 1) in July, going as well as anything until badly squeezed out at the business end of the race.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Murtagh in a double bid here, with Champers in this one and a real Carry on in the Cambridgeshire with an animal we haven’t seen for 335 days. Let’s have a closer look..
BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE value 4.7 Champers Elysees
IT’S A CASE OF CARRY ON WINNING
⚠️ HEADS UP The Irish Cambridgeshire is wide open, and notorious for bookies’ overrounds, averaging just short of 150% this century and reaching an unforgivable 167% in 2009. So it’s essential to play the BETDAQ orange!
DRAW: Winners by stall (10 years): 18, 6, 9, 16, 2, 23, 27, 19, 24, 13. High numbers do best but the middle of the track is usually the place to be. Smart boy wanted! Colin Keane (2), Wayne Lordan (2).
FAVOURITES: None for 20 years; in fact, only one winner in the decade was single-figure odds at the ‘off’.
AGE: Only one was older than six.
⭕ 6.45 The Curragh (Irish Cambridgeshire) Sirjack Thomas won a premier handicap over the mile here at the Curragh on similar ground in June but is up a total of 17lb after his exploits afterwards (first and fourth) in two races at Ballybrit.
He is now badly off on Curragh form with Dream Tale (2nd, short of room two out), Bopedro (3rd, had to be switched) and Eagle’s Flight (4th, bumped, kept on).
Eagle’s Flight is 17lb better off for three lengths and is with Mick Halford, the only trainer with runners today to have saddled two winners of this race.
Eagle’s Flight was also, not clear run, sixth over today’s CD when Comfort Line was second, Turbulence third and Toshizou (favourite and not clear run) fourth.
Dream Tale was short of room or might have been placed at Galway behind Dedillon, who is 7lb worse off today.
Johnny ‘Big Race’ Murtagh has the very lightly raced Carrytheone 6lb higher than he carried to victory last September in what might have completed a hat-trick. He won either side of an incident in August when, as favourite, he clipped heels and went through the rails.
Crystal Black is a dark horse, impressive in his maiden and running on when dropped back into a sprint. Visored to enter this big-field fray after only three runs.
His inexperience is a worry, so is the top of the ground for another smart three-year-old, Lust (first-time tongue-tie) who has already beaten a big field here, but his success so far has been at 7f on soft-heavy.
Moddy Poddle is up 24lb for her hat-trick and, along with Pierre Lapin, Bopedro, Zozimus and Juyush, has a tricky single-figure stall.
Ado McGuinness nominates Pierre Lapin as best of his quintet of Sirjack Thomas, Saltonstall, Spanish tenor and Star Harbour but the one stall is off-putting.
BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE 10.5 Eagles Flight, 13.0 Carrytheone
THE NAP CAN RING THE SILVER BELL
⭕ GOODWOOD: The track and fast ground should suit Lola Showgirl (6.53), who goes with the pace. She won the Kensington Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot under Laura Pearson and gets 10lb from Stunning Beauty.
⭕ HAMILTON: The Lanark Silver Bell (6.40 nap) could ring up the hat-trick for Mahrajaan, first time in a handicap after trotting up at Ripon when stepped up to today’s trip off the back of a first-time strike at Leicester. Gets up to 22lb from the older animals.
⭕ NEWMARKET: Kevin Ryan has been winning most days in the North and Midlands but pays his first visit South for more than two weeks, with Cairn Island (4.30) his best chance.
His run on the Rowley Mile course in the Spring was fourth to Jersey Stakes winner, Creative Force, Royal Ascot handicap winner Significantly and dual scorer since, Jumby.
BETDAQ value 2.6 Mahrajaan, 3.45 Cairn Island, 4.5 Lola Showgirl
DAQMAN’S BETS
4.30 Newmarket (win 10)
BET 4pts win CAIRN ISLAND
5.15 The Curragh (win 20)
BET 5.25pts win CHAMPERS ELYSEES
6.40 Hamilton (win 15 nap)
BET 10pts win MAHRAJAAN
6.45 The Curragh (win 50 bull’s-eye)
BET 5pts win EAGLES FLIGHT
BET 4pts win CARRYTHEONE
6.53 Goodwood (win 10)
BET 2.75pts win LOLA SHOWGIRL
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.
