78 DARNATIONS LEAD THE NAPS PARADE! Daqman’s 78th winning nap on Darnation yesterday led to speculation: can he get 101 such ‘Darnatians’ by Christmas? In fact, at his current seasonal rate he can spot 110 naps by the end of the year! And with the scores now 46-25, he can beat Pricewise on the Flat with 60 winners. This week:
★ WON 11-10 DARNATION (Thursday nap) Three naps out of four
★ WON 4-1 SUMO SAM (Thursday) Profit on the day 12.50
★ WON 11-10 BUCCABAY (Wednesday nap) Profit on the day 3.20
★ WON 5-4 SECRET HANDSHEIKH (Monday nap) Profit on the day: 5.40
FRESH GROUND FOR THE LEGER: Soft ground again at Doncaster today after jockeys described yesterday’s going as ‘soft, tacky and quite tiring.’ Fresh strips of ground have been saved for tomorrow’s St Leger.
BATTLE CRY: WATCH THE MARKET
⭕ 1.50 Doncaster(2yo Flying Scotsman Listed, 7f) In small fields, you want low-drawn horses, middle to far side of the bunch as they jostle down the centre of the track: stalls 1, 2, 3 have won six out of 10; none out of a gate higher than 5.
The best winners of this have reached 108 to 113 rating, so Group 3 success may be possible at some stage.
War Rooms has the advantage of a course-and-distance (CD) win on soft ground but second and third have done nothing for the form.
Battle Cry broke his maiden on firm but is well entered up and should act on the ground, as should Newbury winners Dancing Gemini and Warm Spell, whereas Local Hero is by a top-of-the-ground sire.
But we simply don’t know at this stage; yesterday Chic Columbine, daughter of a very fast American, handled the soft well; she is stamina bred which helped and which should see her win over much further than yesterday’s 6.5f.
I’ll take 9.9 on BETDAQ about Battle Cry; I’ll know my fate close to the race, when the market signals Ballydoyle’s confidence, and I can then take an alternative if need be.
MOORE CAN HANDLE KYLIAN
⭕ 2.25 Doncaster (Flying Childers 2yo Group 2, 5f) Only one winning favourite in the decade, and a low draw again handy (1 to 5 seven out of 10).
Windsor Castle winner Big Evs coped with the soft to score again in the Molecomb at Goodwood. Faced with a tall order in the all-aged Nunthorpe but ran no sort of race. He has stall 10 making it harder to bounce back.
Kylian, third in the Molecomb, staying on, was hampered out of contention in the Gimcrack. Ryan Moore, who knows him best, returns to the saddle today but drawn 9.
Inquisitively, nearly four lengths, third, behind Big Evs at Royal Ascot, won at York after changing stables: all his form is on firm but progeny of his sire (unbeaten as a two-year-old) have a 25% record on soft, though not with a big sample.
Valiant Force, who won the Norfolk Stakes on firm, struggled to a combination of Group-1 company and soft ground in the Morny at Deauville. Flora Of Bermuda cannot be ruled out, returning to soft ground.
SWEET WILLIAM IS BLOOMING
⭕ 3.00 Doncaster Cup (2m 2f) If you bet on ratings, you have a hard time here separating 117 Coltrane (but penalised 3lb), 117 Trueshan and 116 Broome.
Coltrane won it last year when Trueshan was beaten only a neck at level weights. That seems to hand it to Trueshan this time.
But he was rated 11lb in front of Coltrane that day and their new marks tell us that Coltrane is considered to have improved 4lb and Trueshan gone backwards 7lb.
Broome has won three Group races with cut in the ground but surely a race with pace will sweep him away: his sole success in five races at 2m and beyond was on a sound surface at Meydan when he beat a Group-3 112-rated by a neck
Sweet William, never out of the first two in seven starts, improves every race. Winner at Goodwood on heavy and pipped half a length in the Ebor on firm, he still has a stone to find, racing beyond 2m for the first time
Cup races were ‘one day in the future’ for John Gosden when he spoke to the Press about Sweet William in early August; I don’t think that one day is really here but John does and it’s worth a try, when the ground and several tough races may take their toll on the obvious candidates for this prize.
Betdaq Betting Exchange 3.95 Sweet William
⭕ 3.35 Doncaster (class-2 handicap, 1m 6.5f) Real Dream was a revelation on softish ground at Ascot in July but that has shot him up to a 99 rating.
It helped him get into the Ebor, where he led two out but – not alone among Sir Michael Stoute’s runners at the time – failed to finish his race.
He could bounce back but his new mark has him giving more than a stone to The Goat, eased down winner over 1m 4f at Goodwood (soft), but faded on firm in the final furlong of the Melrose at York (just short of 1m 6f).
Bague d’Or (BETDAQ 5.8) has been out of the first two only once since being gelded 10 races back in the Spring of 2021. Progeny of his sire, Belardo, do well on the soft.
CROWLEY MOVE FOR MITWAA
⭕ 4.55 Salisbury (class-5 nursery, 6f+) James Doyle and Jim Crowley, who both have rides in the St Leger tomorrow, are down South at Salisbury today, Doyler for a hatful of rides, Crowley for just the one.
Crowley and Mitwaa were slowly away here at Salisbury after running in a very strong Nottingham maiden won by the Richmond Stakes and Morny winner, Vandeek.
Mitwaa really got the hang of it up in trip at Newbury the last day and patience could be rewarded this afternoon.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.50 Doncaster (win 12)
BET 1.25pts win and place BATTLE CRY
2.25 Doncaster (win 10)
BET 3pts win KYLIAN
3.00 Doncaster (win 10)
BET 3pts win SWEET WILLIAM
3.35 Doncaster (win 10)
BET 2pts win BAGUE D’OR
4.55 Salisbury (win 12 nap)
BET 7pts win MITWAA
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