DAQMAN AGAIN WITH 7.0 BETDAQ-VALUE WINNER: Daqman landed three winners yesterday for the second day running, including more BETDAQ value with Rizeena (WON 9-2 from 7.0) in the feature at The Curragh, the Moyglare Stud Stakes. He had the 1-2-3 in the race, doubling the runner-up with Great White Eagle (WON 1-3) as a saver.
TWO WEEKEND BANKERS OUT OF TWO: Following maximum stakes on Integral (WON 13-8 dd ht) on Saturday, Daqman continued to play up his winnings on Novellist (banker, WON 3-10), his third success in a row with the horse he’s backed in his column for the Arc De Triomphe at 24.0 on BETDAQ. Previous Daqman wins with the German colt were at 7-2 then 13-2 in the King George.
SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM FROM DAQMAN: Today’s tips are at the foot of Daqman’s column, in which he answers seven questions about the season so far and big races to come. Pillars of wisdom? Well, in the manner of Novellist, he now has huge ‘overs’ on the St Leger.
What do you think of the idea for racing on Good Friday? Same as I think of the new meeting at Brighton today. There’s far too much mediocre racing, with prizemoney spread too thinly.
Every race meeting with consistently small fields should be merged with another meeting. Every race with regularly poor turn-outs should lose its status and the prizemoney added to boost another.
I speak not on behalf of horses, trainers, punters, racegoers or anyone else, though I’m sure many would agree with me. I speak for myself, purely as a punter, because I can’t trust animals running below class 3.
The real success at the lower level has been Kempton Park. Almost always good fields, and competitive stuff – BHA take note – and I enjoy trying to winkle out the winners there, as much as I do a big handicap.
Which racecourse do you applaud this year? Once my local course for a number of years, Market Rasen has thrived despite recession – and comparative remoteness – and staged a fantastic summer meeting with ground so well cared for that there were bumper fields for both chase and hurdles features. Ditto Perth.
York looked a picture of health at the Ebor meeting, and displayed its usual mix of warmth, true grit and generosity, a party atmosphere which sets it apart from the southern tracks, and gives it a kinship with such as Derby day at The Curragh or Melbourne Cup day.
More should be made of our big handicaps: more publicity for betting, more advertising for the racecourses, more opportunities for the general public to appreciate and take part.
They’d never let people off work weekdays so they have to be run on a Saturday? Not at all. Why not have big handicaps geared to the local industry, giving it free advertising, and with the first 100 tickets to the track free to that company? More business involvement in the business of racing.
Which jockey has caught your eye? Obviously, we’ve seen the rise and rise of Cool-hand James Doyle (excellent again on Rizeena yesterday) and there are other young bloods scenting success in the big time but the few visits to UK by Johnny Murtagh have displayed the mastercraft skills we last saw in Mick Kinane.
For a time at Goodwood, Richard Hughes looked like the long fella himself (I mean a certain L Piggott) but jockeys largely tied to one yard are unable to set themselves on a pedestal as Piggott did. Never again will a rider take his pick of the best horses.
For sheer presence, and for punting certainty that they will get the most from the horse beneath them, nothing could touch the busman’s holiday of the great Gary Stevens at the Shergar Cup meeting.
Incidentally, I warned against believing the form of that meeting, and was rewarded when Broxbourne, given a desperate ride in the stayers’ handicap that day, was therefore much bigger odds than she should have been next time out when a 6-1 scorer at York.
You might see her again tomorrow at Goodwood before she wins the Cesarewitch for Mark Johnston and Joe Fanning.
Which trainer? I’m generally not a fan of the scatter-gun entries of a Mark Johnston or a Richard Fahey. A month or so ago, neither Johnston, nor the stiff-upper-lipped John Gosden, would have been high on my list but both have come good recently.
But, for patience, placing of his horses, improvement of older animals, winners-to-runners ratio, prizemoney per horse, it’s the man they all wrote off early season. Sir Michael Stoute.
I like Richard Hannon, even with all those entries, because I know he’s not going to win many races beyond a mile (lovely for lays). But I prefer Tim Easterby, a different animal altogether: waiting, waiting, waiting.
And winning, winning, winning.. Maven (WON 10-1), First Class Favour (WON 9-1) and Laffan (WON 7-1) in the last week or so all vouch for the Easterby skills. What prices! And I tipped them all to you (remember my headline ‘Laffan all the way to the bank?’)
What will win the Arc? Novellist, despite his workmanlike win yesterday. He had to go on, off a crawl, then run a sprint finish. I do worry that races like that do more harm than good to a horse’s mentality.
But at least the home crowd have seen an Arc winner and the owner has spending money for the big day in five weeks’ time from the £121,000 first prize.
The St Leger? This column took 45.0 offers about Queens Vase runner-up Feel Like Dancing on BETDAQ. He’s suddenly nosedived to 17.0, and only 14-1 with some bookmakers. Strictly, I don’t feel like dancing yet, but we’re value for a good spin around Doncaster.
Who do you think will win the 2014 Guineas at this stage? The bookmakers. Anyone mug enough to take short prices for the Classics before the trials season is over in October is at odds with reality.
IN THIS COLUMN NEXT WEEK: How to make racing rich. A special article from Daqman.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 5.5pts win LAUGHING DOVE (3.00 Brighton)
BET 2.3pts win MULTILICIOUS (3.10 Hamilton)
BET 7.4pts win DUMBFOUNDED (4.20 Ffos Las)
BET 5.5pts win GREEN EARTH (4.30 Brighton)
BET 2.5pts win FLIGHTY CLARETS and 2pts win FEEL THE HEAT (4.40 Hamilton)
BET 12pts win ABATED (4.50 Ffos Las)
BET 1pt win MR BURBIDGE (5.20 Ffos Las)
BET 6.6pts win (nap) PILATES (5.30 Brighton)
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