NOW SEVEN BANKERS FROM 10: Muhaarar, a Daqman pick from the start of the sprinter’s Group-1 treble, was another banker ace for him at Deauville yesterday. Muhaarar (WON 1-1) was his seventh banker from the last 10:
WON 1-2 Long Dog
WON 2-5 Solow
WON 11-8 Shalaa
WON 5-4 Imtiyaaz
WON 4-7 Shahbar
WON 4-6 Montsarrat
WON 1-1 Muhaarar
17 LAYS LANDED OUT OF 21: In Ireland, he landed a 17th lay from 21 with Buratino (3rd 11-10 favourite). His winning bets in Pricewise selected races now totals 63 more than Pricewise himself. The sequences are:
* Daqman 74, Pricewise 11
* 17 lays up out of 21
* 7 bankers out of 10
* 10 naps in 14 days
HEADING FOR MORE WINNERS: Daqman headline followers have their own special list of successes by the maestro, who even turned to predicting the big-race finishes yesterday:
ESOTERIQUE THE THREAT TO MUHAARAR (Deauville, WON 1-1, 2nd 48-10)
STEP FORWARD BUT BEWARE OF NUTAN (Hoppegarten, WON 2-1, 3rd 6-4)
O’BRIEN DUE ANOTHER NUNTHORPE WIN
Another Ballydoyle bandwagon? York next week is chokka with entries from the Coolmore-Ballydoyle empire, so many of them Galileos that the Dubawi dominance in this year’s bloodstock race could be partly eroded on the Knavesmire.
It’s more than 25 years since a non-Coolmore stallion topped the European sires list, and York, Ascot and Longchamp – August, September, October – will be critical to this year’s race.
Aidan O’Brien has 10 of the 40 entries in the International Stakes next week, 12 out of 40 in the Great Voltigeur, eight in the Yorkshire Oaks, but intriguingly only two in the Nunthorpe, sponsored by Coolmore.
Sprinting is not O’Brien’s best position in the field of racing for catching winners and one of his entries, Due Diligence, was clean bowled, seven lengths off the magnificent Muhaarar in the July Cup.
But the War Front colt was second as a three-year-old in last year’s Diamond Jubilee after back-to-back success on the soft and, if the current change of going persists, has a live chance at York.
However, the biggest talking point in the Nunthorpe would be the participation of Sunday’s Phoenix Stakes second for O’Brien, Washington DC, being quoted as low as 8-1.
Kingsgate Native won the Nunthorpe as a two-year-old in 2007, and O’Brien notably dropped the Irish Guineas runner-up Mozart down in trip to take the race in 2001.
Meanwhile Dubawi’s main strength in Europe this year has been the French Derby winner, New Bay, while Galileo has Gleneagles, Telescope, Found, Highland Reel, Wedding Vow, Giovanni Canaletto and Curvy with dates at all the big autumn festivals. So I’ll still bet Galileo.
WHY MIKA HAS ME SITTING ON THE FENCE
4.30 Ayr Meanwhile it’s raining class 5 and 6 races today. And it’s raining rain, too. Particularly at Ayr.
That’s good news for Richard Fahey, who withdrew Mica Mika from a class 2 because of the firm ground at Haydock on Saturday.
He won three in a row over this trip in the Spring, including in today’s class 3, and has a career total of five successes on the soft.
Mica Mika has had Corton Lad behind at these weights, beaten Urban Moon out of sight, and defeated Archie’s Advice and Mistiroc here at Ayr, despite firm ground in June.
That leaves him with three to beat (which suggests that 7.2 is value): First Sitting, Gworn and Final Countdown, who also beat Corton Lad in the Spring but can’t catch Mica Mika on a line through Mistiroc.
Gworn likes it soft, has won at Ayr recently, and is still 7lb lower than his best of two years or so back. But his efforts beyond a mile are not promising, with form figures of 24000.
There’s nothing between First Sitting and Mica Mika on a line through Archie’s Advice so Jack Garrity’s claim could swing it.
However, First Sitting should improve after only seven starts, and it’s probably not fair to say that he failed to step out of class 4 when well beaten at York last time, since it was 1m 4f and firm ground.
You can back First Sitting at around 2-1 and save on Mica Mika or t’other way round; even back both. Sounds like scope for a forecast headline!
7.20 Windsor Showers following on watering should ease the firm surface at Windsor. That makes it tricky. The unrelated form makes it trickier.
Harlequin Rock’s trainer said that the black gelding (so rare to see anyone admit that colour!) benefitted from stepping up to a mile when winning at Nottingham. So we can ignore his drop back to 6f on the last day?
Richard Hannon runs two: Dubai’s Secret finished well to win at Chepstow and had a crack at class 2 on the last day, yet stablemate Boycie, winner only of a lowly Wolver auction maiden, has been given a higher rating by the handicapper.
Second, third, fourth, fifth in the Wolver race have all failed since, though the sixth horse home has won!
Boycie went off at a rate of knots that day but faces another likely pacesetter here in New Caledonia, who made all at York.
The third, Mohab, ran very green, despite a flood of money, and made no mistake by eight lengths last time out.
New Caledonia has to give weight all round today, including to Miss Pimpernel, who has a fair mark after her three maidens with which to take on the boys: 6.0 for the craic.
7.50 Windsor More mixed messages. It’s nearly two years since we’ve since Breden but first-time hood suggests they’re pressing he button today.
Perfect Cracker likes Windsor but is seven now. Red Warrior is a bit of a bridesmaid, often placed without winning. Ditto, only more so, Energia Fox.
Bishop’s Leap must make two leaps: in grade and in rating but that’s how the system works and he still gets 7lb from Smartie Artie, the Noseda handicap debutant.
ROYAL ASCOT FORM POINTERS TO JOY
NAP: I’m taking a chance that Our Joy (3.15 Wolverhampton) will show the form of her short-head second at Sandown to the Queen Mary fifth, Kassia.
Our Joy used up her nervous energy fighting the stalls in the Albany, also at the royal meeting.
Clive Cox has done the right thing for this Kodiac filly, giving her a long rest and training her at home specifically to cure those second-race nerves, so often the downfall of a two-year-old. We’ll see.
DAQMAN’s bets (staked 1 to 9 for strength; 10 is a banker)
BET 7pts win (nap) OUR JOY (3.15 Wolverhampton)
LAY 5pts GWORN and BET 6pts win FIRST SITTING and 3pts win MICA MIKA (4.30 Ayr)
BET 1pt win and place DENISON FLYER (5.30 Thirsk)
BET 4pts win MISS PIMPERNEL (7.20 Windsor)
BET 7pts win BISHOP’S LEAP and 2.5pts win (stakes saver) SMARTIE ARTIE (7.50 Windsor)
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