IT’S BREEDERS’ CUP WEEK: Daqman will be checking out the racing at Keeneland in Kentucky this week, culminating in a big day for Golden Horn on Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup card.
HATS OFF TO THE QUEEN: There was money at Ayr this morning for a Richard Johnson ride and there’s a royal runner worth the nap at Leicester, plus 14.5 a Richard Fahey outsider in a race he likes to win. That, says Daqman, is ‘huge.’
A CHAMPION START TO THE BREEDERS’ CUP?
All eyes will be on Golden Horn. But his stable could have a winner at Keeneland before Saturday night’s pageant in Kentucky.
Trainer John Gosden is twice a winner of the first international race on Friday, the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Turf), notably with Donativum (2008), reckoning that the gelding’s experience of five previous races would be vital.
So it proved. And so it proved again last year, when Hootenanny landed a home win for Wesley Ward, with four races already on his CV. Likewise for both Aidan O’Brien winners in the interim.
Ballydoyle won it in 2011 with Wrote (four times raced) and George Vancouver in 2012 (six starts on his CV before winning in America).
Key to Friday’s race could be the Lagardere (Grand Criterium) on Arc day, when Gosden’s Keeneland entry, Cymric, was beaten just a short-neck, with O’Brien’s Shogun only a length and a half or so behind.
Cymric overcome a stopper of a wide draw that day and, though Gosden said then ‘that’s it for the season,’ he could be tempted to Keeneland if the colt gets a good gate.
Cymric (five) and Shogun (four) are among the dozen entries, out of 27 declared, to have have had four or more races this season.
Frankie Dettori, who has won 11 Breeders’ Cup races, including on both Donativum and Hootenanny in this Juvenile Turf, also has a hot ride in the Juvenile Fillies’ Turf on Illuminate, whom he partnered when second in the Cheveley Park Stakes.
I shall be checking out the stats for the Breeders’ Cup for all the racing there on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but this is the meeting’s first start at Keeneland in all 31 years of its history, which doesn’t make life easy for punting.
LAW OFFERS OF 14.5 LOOKED HUGE THIS MORNING
1.50 Leicester Richard Fahey has won this for the last two years with 000000 Justonefortheroad and 000430 Gabrial, so 220000 Spirit Of The Law looks overqualified!
Spirit Of The Law, a winner over the Leicester CD, has slowly edged down the handicap to a previous winning mark.
Fahey’s back-to-back success in this was breaking a run of four successive victories for three-year-olds, but both from that age group here are returning from long breaks.
Storm Rock is intriguing in his first all-aged handicap, with trainer Harry Dunlop in a good seam of form.
Not so Rail Dancer’s yard, which has a very low strike rate this season, though I notice that all five of its runners in the last fortnight have been well backed, none starting bigger than 11-2. Curiouser and curiouser, said Alice.
On this premise alone, Rail Dancer at 21.0 could be a bet and lay to small stakes, in expectation of money arriving later. Whatever the Italian form means, at least he has 2212 in front of his name.
Andrew Reid’s stable (Athletic) is doing well but the hot trainer in this is Epsom handler Lee Carter, with three wins out of five last week.
His charge, Robert The Painter, is a winner on soft but has never scored higher than class 3, though being 5lb lower than his last winning mark is a help in that direction.
He loves a right-hand track, whereas Marcret seems to prefer going left-handed. I’ll have my pound on Spirit of The Law, win and place at a huge 14.5 in the BETDAQ orange as I write, with a saver on Robert the Painter.
FABRICATE NAPPED FOR A ROYAL HAT-TRICK
2.55 Leicester (Sir Gordon Richards Handicap) This one seems all set up for a three-year-old. They get 7lb here and, though we haven’t seen the royal runner, Fabricate, since the Spring, he likes trip and ground and Michael Bell has placed him well to win twice.
Conditions also suit Top Tug but he takes some driving and was expensive again last time out. Magic Dancer, the other three-year-old, has had a strange season.
He’s been seen in both the Ascot Derby (King Edward V11 Stakes) and the 2m 2f Cesarewitch! Blinkers first time in August, then a switch to the visor, and now cheekpieces.. It all suggests there is plenty wrong with the steering.
A bigger worry is Saab Almanal, purely on the grounds that his trainer has won with five of his last eight runners.
EYE ON STEEL! HE’S THE ONE FOR THE MONEY
3.55 Ayr The dogs are barking Jack Steel (in to 2.7 this morning), one of five rides for Richard Johnson. Placed at Ayr before but stepped up in trip for this switch to fences, as indicated by his breeding.
Dr Moloney and Ueueteotl are closely matched on Hexham form, Un Noble’s yard let me down yesterday and Retrieve The Stick probably needs some rain.
BETDAQ BETS (staked 1 to 9 on strength)
BET 2pts win and place SPIRIT OF THE LAW and 1.5pts win (stakes saver) ROBERT THE PAINTER (1.50 Leicester)
BET 7pts win (nap) FABRICATE and 1pt win SAAB ALMANAL (2.55 Leicester)
BET 6pts win JACK STEEL (3.55 Ayr)
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