11-4 FRENCH GUINEAS HIT AS DAQMAN MARCHES ON: Whenever Pricewise sets his stall out, along comes Daqman and knocks it over! In doing the trick yet again yesterday in the French 2,000 Guineas (Olmedo WON 11-4), Daqman was hitting a mighty SIX big-race winners since Thursday:
WON 11-4 OLMEDO (French 2,000 Guineas, Sunday)
WON 5-1 PERFECT CLARITY (Lingfield Oaks Trial, Saturday)
WON 13-2 SILVER STREAK (Swinton Hurdle, Saturday)
WON 8-1 MAGIC CIRCLE (Chester Cup, Friday)
WON 5-2 ROSTROPOVICH (Dee Stakes, Thursday)
WON 8-11 IDAHO (supernap, Ormonde Stakes, Thursday)
TOMORROW: YORK PREVIEW OF BIG WINS TO COME: Daqman was not impressed with the weekend Oaks trials so spends a few points on an 18.0 BETDAQ offer for Epsom, as he reviews his Fortune Cookies. But all should become clearer after York this week. Don’t miss Daqman’s big-race bets on the Knavesmire, starting Wednesday, with a look at the stats tomorrow.
FARCE OF THE NEW LONGCHAMP
It was a ‘winning’ tip Daqman would do without. His criticism in yesterday’s column of the new ParisLongchamp track seemed borne out when jockeys demanded a Classic switch.
After Ryan Moore’s mount U S Navy Flag almost came down in the French 2,000 Guineas, jockey protests prompted the stewards to run the 1,000 Guineas on a different part of the course.
Said Daqman yesterday:
‘Perhaps after the fortunes spent on luxury racegoing for the seigneurs et dames, the track was an afterthought in the massive renovations and refurbishment. It has been savagely criticised at home. Now is the hour for us all to find out.’
That hour wasn’t French racing’s finest. Jockey Christopher Soumillon declared: ‘The track is dangerous. It’s scandalous.’
The 2,000 Guineas had been moved because of complaints of draw bias (also highlighted in Daqman). Then the 1,000 was moved back.
Says our man: ‘Where is the punter in all this, left not knowing even where they’ll be racing!
‘The draw on one piste ruins the race. The ground on the other is dangerous. Why wasn’t all this addressed in the renovations?’
BETDAQ 18.0 PERFECT FOR OAKS
They win if they’re in, and they win if they’re out. Magic Circle was a big hit for the Fortune Cookies in taking the Chester Cup at 8-1.
Then yesterday, I realised I’d left out of the update one of my first ‘finds’ of the new season (check it out in the Archive), City Light (WON 14-5), who grabbed the Prix de Saint-Georges sprint on the ParisLongchamp Guineas card.
My thinking was probably that we wouldn’t see the Lingfield All-Weather Sprint Champion in England again (I tipped him to win that day, remember).
But his continued progress up the ladder means that we’re seeing him in the better races and, because of that, the BETDAQ markets are catching his runs at home in France.
His hat-trick this year (in ground very soft, standard and good) means he surely must come to Royal Ascot.
Yesterday I warned that fillies are ‘monsters’, that they can grow past their rivals unnoticed almost on the home gallops, once the sun is on their back.
So after the 66-1 Newmarket 1,000 Guineas winner, Billesdon Brook, we had Teppal step up and win the French 1,000 Guineas straight from a Kempton class-4 novice.
I wouldn’t read much into the result for the future, as you could have thrown a blanket over the lot of them at the finish, and Teppal had to thank a good draw (stall 3) for her victory with gates 14 and 13 second and third.
Result by draw for the French 2,000 was 3, 2, 8, 4, so the day went to the low stalls, track switch or no. In fact, it was a Classic double for gate 3.
I’m sticking Chiara Luna into my Cookies, after her late run (hampered and ran green) to be fourth in the 1,000 trial at Leopardstown.
Her trainer, Dermot Weld, landed the Derby trial with Hazapour. Dermot’s Epsom Derby winner, Harzand, is his uncle!
Chiara Luna is a stayer in the making of Oaks calibre, but more immediately my tip for the Lingfield 1,000 Guineas Trial, Perfect Clarity, looks value at 18.0 in the BETDAQ ante-post orange for the Epsom oaks. Fortune Cookies now are:
-4 CHIARA LUNA Late finish in 1,000 trial. Has stamina for an Oaks.
11 CITY LIGHT I can’t keep pace with him. Neither can the other sprinters.
-1 CRACKSMAN Won the Ganay for us and the sky’s the limit
— ENABLE Won’t be out until later in the season.
-1 MAGIC CIRCLE Chester Cup congratulations to Ian Williams and a superb Fran Berry
-1 MAYBRIDE Black-type quest now after Craven day success
10 MENDELSSOHN Consolation awaits after roughhouse Kentucky Derby
-1 PERFECT CLARITY 18.0 Epsom Oaks offers taken on BETDAQ
30 ROARING LION 20-1 Derby bet, backed down to favourite for the Dante
-1 SAXON WARRIOR Hot Derby favourite after the Guineas
-2 SHARJA BRIDGE The ‘moral’ at Newmarket, just beaten, giving weight to the winner.
— VERACIOUS No plans after a setback
-1 WITHOUT PAROLE No plans after a setback
-1 ZARKAMIYA Smartest Frankel of the year so far.
JUST ANOTHER MANIC MONDAY
SEVEN meetings today and it’s not even a Bank Holiday. There’s flat, jumps, all-weather, firm ground, heavy ground – it’s the Monday with the most-ess.
As ever, DAQMAN has sifted through the feast of racing and concentrates on three bets to start the week.
BANDSMAN TO MARCH IN AGAIN
3.15 Kempton The first two maiden hurdles on the Kempton card look uncompetitive so we need to wait for this novices’ handicap chase – race three on the card.
Dan Skelton has his string in good form with 7 winners from his last 30 winners, with a further 11 placed 2nd or 3rd and there must be every chance that his Bandsman can follow up his easy Warwick success seven days ago which came over hurdles.
The big question here is whether he can be equally effective over the larger obstacles which he tries for the first time today.
I think it’s a chance well worth taking as he is undoubtedly well handicapped off his current mark of 116 – the same level as which he won off last week by eight lengths.
Ballycamp has more experience fencing but his stable have generally been quiet and he was soundly beaten in third at Huntingdon last time out in a race that looked weaker than this. He may need more respite from the handicapper than the 1lb he has been discounted today.
The bigger danger might be Royal Supremo, although he has been off the course for exactly a year. He hails from a stable that isn’t in form (Kim Bailey 1-20 last 14 days) and it’s a big ask off top weight here on his chasing debut (although he does have point to point experience).
20 points buys us 20 points on BETDAQ and Bandsman looks worthy of SUPERNAP status.
5.50 Windsor A couple of first time out winners should battle this out, unless any of the debutants are above average. Big Boots really quickened up in good style to win on debut at Bath. He was value for much more than the two length win and the Mick Channon trained colt should know much more about the game today.
Fellow penalised runner is James Watt who won well at Brighton on debut and I prefer his chances today given that the runner-up at Brighton, Wedding Date, gave the form a major boost when winning at Chester last week.
7.20 Windsor Desert Path should be up to winning a race like this. He has been gelded during the closed season having improved on his second start at Kempton to finish fourth to King And Empire. He was staying on well over a mile and should be suited by the extra distance here.
He is preferred to the Simon Crisford trained Nautical Mile who was fourth on debut at Beverley, but just like his name a mile might as far as he wants.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 20 points):
SUPERNAP 20pts win BANDSMAN (3.15 Kempton)
BET 10.5pts win JAMES WATT (5.50 Windsor)
BET 6.1pts win DESERT PATH (7.20 Windsor)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 3 x 2pt win doubles and 1pt win treble above three
ANTE-POST 3pts to win 50 PERFECT CLARITY (Epsom Oaks)
Did you know that as well as checking the realtime prices on BETDAQ below – you can also log into your account and place your bets directly into BETDAQ from BETDAQ TIPS.
