16-1 DAQMAN STRIKE PLUS 5-2 SUNDAY NAP: Daqman struck gold with his fifth winning nap out of the last eight yesterday in the Apprentices Derby, and landed a big-race double with a 16-1 strike in the Summer Stayers’ Final, in which his other bet in the race was fourth at 28-1.
Sunday big-race double
WON 5-2 SARATOGA GOLD (nap, Apprentices Derby)
WON 16-1 FRED BEAR (Summer Stayers’ Final)
WON (4TH 28-1) EASY EQUATION (win and place, same race)
Saturday specials
WON 5-1 WANEES
WON 17-2 EQUALITY
TODAY AND ALL THE WEEK: Arc de Triomphe spotlights, trends and form guides. Three Monday bets include a nap at Hamilton this afternoon.
SUNDAY’S ARC: DAILY SPOTLIGHTS
⭕ 3.05 Longchamp, Sunday (Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, 1m 4f)
Verry Elleegant (7-9-2) rated 123: winner on good, good to soft, soft, heavy; 7f, 7.5f, 1m, 1m 2f, 1m 4f, 2m. Best form at: Randwick. Best win: the Melbourne Cup.
VERRY ELLEEGANT The 11-time Group-1 winner in Australia, now with Francis Graffard in France, will have an Aussie rider for the Arc.
Mark Zahra has partnered the Melbourne Cup winner three times before, including when winner of the 2020 Caulfield Cup.
That connections of Very Elleegant would pay the £120,000 late-entry supplement for the Arc was announced a week ago, despite the seven-year-old’s defeat in both her prep races in France, unplaced in the Jean Romanet and third this month in a more traditional Arc trial, the Prix Foy.
IT WAS A RACE YOU SHOULD FORGET
Too wild for me. Watching five two-year-olds of limited experience bouncing off each other up the cambered hill at Epsom yesterday reminds me of something I wrote years ago when one of my own juvenile fillies was ruined for life by the fear engendered by such an experience.
She seemed fine until she was saddled up for her next race; then she broke out into such a lather that we could have changed her name to Persil.
Yesterday’s Derby ‘Wild Card’ Stakes was no such thing; apparently only part of the entry fee is paid for the lucky winner who wants to go back to Epsom for the Classic.
It was a farce, a race which should be forgotten. I had warned with a bit of two-way lays logic that I didn’t advise backing Castle Way at long odds-on, and I was even more perturbed that he was 4-5 not the 4-9 his form suggested.
In fact, the SP after his ‘pushed along, unbalanced, hung left’ experience was returned as 5-6 favourite.
My selection, Struth, carried his head high, got positioned for a run but wouldn’t finish. Victory by default went to Ndaawi, who hung right, and it was difficult to call the winner, even in the final struggle to the line, as they all fought the camber.
I remembered two rules from the good old bad old days: don’t back a two-year-old at Epsom; don’t back a two-year-old second time out.
ALL EYES ON SPANISH
⭕ 2.48 Hamilton Newmarket trainers dominate this fillies handicap on Betdaq Betting Exchange and the best of the bunch might be Spanish for William Haggas.
She looked really good over a similar trip at Kempton last time out when staying on strongly at the end which should bode well for the stiffer contours of Hamilton.
She’s also got experience of good to soft ground having finished a close up fourth to Whitebeam at Newbury in June – the three in front of her that day have all run with credit since.
I think her starting handicap mark looks fair enough compared to the likes of Beautiful Secret who went up 3lb for winning a three runner race at Yarmouth and followed that up with a creditable fourth in a class 2 at Ascot. She looks the obvious danger.
Shampion was looking progressive until her handicap debut at York when she finished last of the 10 runners despite being sent off at 4/1. The jockey reported she ran too freely that day – despite being fitted with a hood which is on again today.
CANAGAT CAN
⭕ 8.00 Newcastle I’ve heard of horses that ‘suffer’ from seconditis but with Canagat it’s more like fourthitis. He has finished fourth six times in his last seven starts – that must surely be some kind of record.
He starts a new chapter in his career tonight though and there are reasons to think he might do quite a lot better.
This is his first start for David O’Meara having joined from Jim Boyle and the new trainer is fitting a hood for the first time.
The switch back to the all-weather is also interesting – especially to Newcastle where he is 2-2 after wins here in 2020 off marks of 83 and 86.
There’s been plenty of water under the bridge since then and he’s on a long losing run but off a new mark of just 57 he could easily get competitive if the stable switch and head gear prove positives.
CHESTER’S ON A STREAK
⭕ 8.30 Newcastle Impossibly competitive closing 5f handicap closes the card but we get rewarded accordingly.
The Gay Blade won his first start in 12 last time out and races under a penalty but is only 2lb higher taking into account his new mark. However, I wouldn’t be in a rush to back him to follow up his Hamilton good to soft ground win on the Tapeta.
I thought there might be more to come from Chester Le Streak who is relatively lightly raced with just seven starts and seems to be progressive. He comes into this on the back of a first win and he’s worth another look on the all-weather having shown promise on his only previous start on the surface at Wolverhampton.
High draw tends to be preferred here so he has fared well coming out of box 11.
DAQMAN’S BETS
2.48 Hamilton (win 10, nap)
BET 5.8pts win SPANISH
8.00 Newcastle (win 10)
BET 4.3pts win CANAGAT
8.30 Newcastle (win 20)
BET 3.5pts win CHESTER LE STREAK
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