DAY OF THE DEMOLITION OF ALL FAVOURITES AT NEWMARKET: It was a pinstickers’ day on very fast ground at Newmarket yesterday with two course records broken and winners at 25-1, 20-1, 11-1 (twice) and 10-1. ‘At least I opposed Masar!’ said Daqman, referring to the unplaced 2018 Derby winner, ‘but clearly we could do with a spot of rain.’ Only one favourite was even placed, third in a race with place returns only for the first two!
DAQMAN REMAINS 44-20 UP ON PRICEWISE: 275 POINTS CLEAR: Daqman goes into the second day with these figures on his main bets:
➡️ Supernaps: 14 out of 19 (118 points up to 20 point stakes)
➡️ Daqman 44 Pricewise 20 (275 points clear to 10-unit stake)
➡️ Bull’s-eye naps (5-10) 201 points up to recommended stakes
Today’s headlines
🔹 NEWMARKET HEADS UP: DAY TWO
🔹 JOHNSTON PRINCE ON FIVE WINS
🔹 DAAHYEH BUT FAST GROUND FEAR
🔹 BEST ADVICE ON A FIRM SURFACE
🔹 WHY BLUE SHOULD BE FAVOURITE
🔹 QABALA ANSWERS THE QUESTION
NEWMARKET HEADS UP: DAY TWO
LEADING TRAINERS UPDATE: Mark Johnston 15, Charlie Appleby 12, Aidan O’Brien 12, Richard Fahey 11, John Gosden 11, Saeed Bin Suroor 9, Andrew Balding 8, Richard Hannon 8, Sir Michael Stoute 6, Charlie Hills 4, Ralph Beckett 3, Michael Bell 3, Ed Dunlop 3, David Elsworth 3, Karl Burke 2, Paul Cole 2, David Simcock 2.
JOCKEYS: Ryan Moore 23, Frankie Dettori 12, Paul Hanagan 11, James Doyle 9, Silvestre De Sousa 6, Tom Queally 5, Harry Bentley 4, Adam Kirby 4, James Macdonald 4, David Probert 4, Joe Fanning 4, Jamie Spencer 4, Jim Crowley 3, Robert Havlin 3, P J Macdonald 3.
TODAY’S DRAW: 1.50 race (10 years): six winners from stalls 1 to 4.
TODAY’S FAVOURITES (10 years) : 2.25 three winners; 3.35 four; 4.10 three; 5.20 four the rest nil.
JOHNSTON PRINCE ON FIVE WINS
1.50 Newmarket Mark Johnston, who has won this 1m 2f handicap five years out of six, has Oasis Prince drawn low, where most of the winners came from in the decade (six out of stalls 1 to 4).
A battling winner over a mile whose sire won the July Cup at this meeting, he has stamina on the dam’s side for this step up in trip. I took 13.0 on BETDAQ.
Alkaamel has already failed to make the same step up but may have been nursed too long to get the trip at Epsom and was third to a useful sort in La Don De Vie. Loves fast ground.
The Don’s stable now runs Good Birthday – third in the London Gold Cup to a subsequent Group-2 winner – with The Trader (Johnston again) only fifth, better off now but with no winning form beyond 7f.
Dark Vision ran in the Britannia, as have previous Johnston winners of this, but has to give 13lb to Migration who was just in front of him at the finish of that race.
There’s nothing in his pedigree to support a bet that Migration can win over the trip but his eight-furlong success on the Rowley Mile course shouted stamina, and he misses a mile race tomorrow for this: around 10-1 this morning.
DAAHYEH BUT FAST GROUND FEAR
2.25 Newmarket (Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes) None of the trainers with runners today has won this race, the former Cherry Hinton Stakes.
Three recent winners came from failing in the Albany Stakes (though a fourth won it) at Royal Ascot, and two from the Queen Mary, also finishing down the field.
This year, therefore, looks strong, with the Albany winner and second, Daahyeh and Celtic Beauty (Divine Spirit behind), taking on the Queen Mary winner and third, Raffle Prize and Final Song (Lambeth Walk behind).
The odd filly out is Bredenbury but David Simcock made it clear yesterday (with Spanish Mission) that – with Jamie Spencer’s help – he was here to win whatever the opposition.
The fifth in the Albany has since been second in a Group 2; the fourth and fifth in the Queen Mary have been first and fourth in a Listed since.
Raffle Prize was behind Daahyeh on the Rowley Mile course in the Spring, yet now has to give her a 3lb penalty, though officially 5lb behind her in the ratings. I would normally go ‘supernap’ but fast conditions yesterday unravelled the form.
BEST ADVICE ON A FIRM SURFACE
3.00 Newmarket This race is now worth double the value of the small field which Charlie Appleby’s Godolphin runner dominated last year, hence the big turn-out.
The same team brought back Secret Advisor (2017 Ascot Stakes third to Stradivarius) after 664 days off to finish down the field at Ascot over shorter three weeks back.
All the rage for this in the week but the gelding was a drifter early doors for today behind the well-supported trio, Ben Vrackie, Caliburn and Outbox.
Ben Vrackie just failed to land a huge Fortune Cookie gamble in the same race that saw Secret Advisor’s return. Collide, receiving 5lb, was fifth. Though the weights are the same, this is two furlongs further.
Ben Vrackie, Collide, King’s Advice and Outbox are all sons of Frankel. King’s Advice, who has taken a 1m 6f handicap and was badly drawn in the Northumberland Plate, is 2-2 on firm ground, and I took 11.5 on BETDAQ this morning.
Outbox, unbeaten last year, and went down only a head at Chantilly (1m 7f) first run back, climbing through the ranks from class 5 to Listed since last September.
Caliburn has improved every race but his breeding gives us no encouragement for this step up to a longer trip.
WHY BLUE SHOULD BE FAVOURITE
3.15 York (Summer Stakes) Archer’s Dream is entered for the Nunthorpe and this is a valuable education on the track for James Fanshawe’s unbeaten filly.
Shades Of Blue is 7lb better for just over a length on Spring form with Archer’s Dream, so deserves to be favourite but is 6.4 second best on BETDAQ as I write.
Ed Walker is determined to win today’s heat for the Lloyd Webbers, with two being offered at 13.5 and 44.0 respectively.
He has Paul Hanagan here for the one ride on Royal Intervention, who drops down from the Group-1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot, when he led until inside the final furlong.
And Colm O’Donoghue, striking at 50% (4 wins from 8 finishers) tries to revive the same stable’s Fille De Reve, also having his only ride of the day.
QABALA ANSWERS THE QUESTION
3.35 Newmarket (Falmouth Stakes) Just half a dozen runners for this Group 1 on firm ground, following seven a year for the previous four seasons and four the year before that.
Maybe for breeding kudos it’s worth £113,000 to the winner but the spectacle is diminished and the punter is never happy with fewer than eight runners.
Only one of them today – One Master – has a rating to match any of the last five winners and, for the sake of appearances, the executive hope she’ll win it.
But she’s never quite been good enough at a mile (form figures 0043), though third in the Queen Anne on the last day. Her forte is 7f and she won the Foret last autumn.
One Master was only fourth when Beshaayir beat I Can Fly at The Curragh in May. Can any one of the four-year-olds beat this year’s Classic generation?
Qabala beat Mot Juste in the Nell Gwyn at the Craven meeting on the Rowley Mile course before running third in the Newmarket 1,000 Guineas, and scoped badly with an infection after flopping in the Curragh 1,000.
It’s always on the cards that Sir Michael stoute can improve a four-year-old filly (Veracious) but to my mind this is Qabala’s big chance.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.50 Newmarket (win 20)
BET 2pts win MIGRATION
BET 1.65pts win OASIS PRINCE
2.25 Newmarket (win 20)
BET 12pts win (nap) DAAHYEH
3.00 Newmarket (win 30)
BET 2.85pts win KING’S ADVICE
3.15 York (win 30)
BET 5.5pts win SHADES OF BLUE
BET 2.4pts win ROYAL INTERVENTION
BET 1pt win and place FILLE DE REVE
FORTUNE COOKIES
(20pts level stakes)
BEN VRACKIE 3.00 Newmarket
QABALA 3.35 Newmarket
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