BIG OFFERS FOR FRIDAY BETS AT FIVE MEETINGS: Daqman scours five meetings today for some big-priced bets, including 29.0 and 22.0 offers on BETDAQ this morning. His nap is at Sandown.
CAN WE HAVE SOME EXPLANATION, PLEASE? Daqman complains that flopping favourites rarely bring Stewards’ inquiries nor is any explanation offered afterwards.
There’s a ‘duck egg’ at the end of my current naps sequence. And I want to know what it means. This is how the run looks now 2112210. I can cope with the narrow defeats into second but I hate full-blown losers, particularly that one yesterday.
Losers are often my own incompetence (you can’t win them all). Yesterday’s race was a maiden. And, yes, it was for fillies, which isn’t a sexist comment; my ‘best bet’, Toast of The Town, could have been ‘in season.’
She didn’t run her race and, as the Racing Post analysis says, ‘it’s possible something was amiss.’ Notice we are groping about in the land of ‘possible.’
Now I don’t expect her trainer, John Gosden, or his representative, to come up with an instant explanation on the day. Apart from any Stewards’ routine dope test, stable blood tests or a scope (whatever) will have been taken later to try to establish a reason for her poor show.
My beef is: we, the punter, will never know. There is no canon law in racing’s church that says that the Stewards or Gosden and his team owe us any explanation.
I raise this point because Gosden’s wife, Rachel Hood, is a big noise on the BHA, and Gosden himself has been tipped to take on the supremo mantle.
John, we, the punter (royal plural now, is it!) would like very much to know if you find anything to explain Toast Of The Town’s dismal run, and we would like very much for you, in this case, and all trainers of favourites when they flop, to issue some explanation at a later stage.
After all the punter pays, directly on the racecourse and indirectly through his betting, for this sport of quondam kings and sheikhs present and futurus.
York One common explanation for an off-colour performance is the ground, whether firm or heavy. Worst of all could be today’s ‘in between’: with rain forecast on ‘good to firm’, they could be ‘taking the top off’ a dead surface.
All I can see over my cornflakes are the ominous words ‘chance of rain’ in the going forecasts for English and Irish meetings alike.
Explanations for the duck-eggs against the names B Fifty-Two and Ponty Acclaim (in the 4.10 York) may or may not have been made public but we now have a strong indication that they were swallowing their tongue or otherwise gasping for air. Both are tongue-tied first time today, which gives facility to their breathing.
B Fifty Two is a classic case. He was in the firing line here at York over 6f when he faltered under pressure a furlong out and was eased by the jockey.
At 22.0 on BETDAQ this morning, I take the risk that the same jockey, Seb Sanders, can now go through with his effort off a lower mark and with the tongue-tie in place. There was money for him at Windsor last time out (33-1>16-1).
Muselburgh The Ladies Day Cup (4.00) sees a clash of interests for me: I followed Street Entertainer all the way up from Somerset to Nottingham last weekend and he landed my nap.
But I also followed the Prescott sequence horse, Mutual Regard, for four successive wins last backend.
I worry now that Street Entertainer can’t put back-to-back wins together (he’s never held his form before) and that Mutual Regard (all wins on a man-made surface) can’t hack it on turf.
He didn’t look that good on grass at Ayr recently but then he was fresh on his first run back.
Maybe it’s the turn of once-a-year-winner Bollin Greta, massive for each-way punters at 29.0 the win in an eight-runner race. Stable in hot form right now.
Sandown A modest meeting by the standards of the Esher track. Kieren Fallon fancies his chances on The Lock Master (4.20) and I wouldn’t put you off him, though Clowance Estate will have been ‘got up’ for the race, as a horse who doesn’t stand much training (won his only start last June).
Front-runner Sam Spade (2.10) is well drawn to attack and a decent price at offers of 4.9 this morning, with Ryan Moore doing the steering.
It will need rain for Benoni to come into it, while Kabbaas has to give 9lb and Roger Varian reaches for the headgear for his AW performer.
Goodwood Fallon is delighted to be on Dark Emerald (7.25), one of two winners from his three rides for Brendan Powell this year when he made all at Yarmouth in April.
Not so good raised in rating, class and trip last time out and he has to give 12lb to King Muro, from the in-form Andrew Balding yard.
King Muro only just failed to make all at Epsom, a similar switchback track, and Goodwood is the right way round (he won at Kempton) for this front-runner.
Sennpockian Star is another pacesetter but his sole success this year came in first-time blinkers: will they have the same effect and will he last out an extra two furlongs?
Goodwood Mirage may improve for his first outing of the season at Doncaster when too fresh, and Persepolis is a contender but the 8.0 King Muro embraces a lot of risk.
Goodwood couldn’t have made a punter’s life more difficult, with two more three-year-old handicap, but Claim (9.05) catches the eye, as a freegoing sort dropped back to sprinting: 8.0 on BETDAQ this morning.
The same connections of Stoute and Moore could win the maiden with Stomachion (8.35), the ‘bridesmaid’ Anna’s Pearl having flopped in the Free Handicap.
Aintree Potomac, now seemingly acclimatized after the switch from Ireland, has Tony McCoy up for the New Betdaq Customers Commission Free 1st Month Maiden Hurdle (5.55).
But Jason Maguire, who wants McCoy’s title, is on multiple Flat winner Goal, sent over from Ireland by Gordon Elliott.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 5pts win (nap) SAM SPADE (2.10 Sandown)
BET 0.7pts win and place BOLLIN GRETA (4.00 Musselburgh)
BET 1pt win and place B FIFTY TWO (4.10 York)
BET 4pts win CLOWANCE ESTATE and 2.8pts win THE LOCK MASTER (4.20 Sandown)
BET 5.5pts win GOAL and 3.2pts win (stakes saver) POTOMAC (5.55 Aintree)
BET 2.8pts win and place KING MURO (7.25 Goodwood)
BET 4.6pts win STOMACHION (8.35 Goodwood)
BET 2.8pts win CLAIM (9.05 Goodwood)
DAQMAN’S TARGETS: An ordinary day with singles to win 20 points.
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