ECLIPSE BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS: DAY 1: Which is the best three-year-old this season? Is it a good crop or a bad year? Daqman is not very complimentary in advance of his personal list of ratings tomorrow, followed by his ABC guide to Saturday’s Eclipse Stakes at Sandown when the second-season animals meet older horses.
PONTEFRACT SUPERNAP: DAQMAN starts the week with three bets including a SUPERNAP on the Pontefract card who only has two rivals to beat.
DERBY COLTS OR CLOWNS AGAIN?
The Epsom Derby is a lay all day. It badly needs a new star and, even if this year’s winner, Masar, romps home in Saturday’s Eclipse, it will only go to show that colts of the class of 2018 are a bunch of mile-and-a-quarter horses that keep beating each other, boys in a man’s world.
Ok, I hear the old riposte. Not to worry; you’ll soon change your tune, because the winner always looks good in hindsight. Really?
Try last year’s result: 1: Wings Of Eagles (who?), 2: Cliffs Of Moher (what, that thing!), 3: Cracksman (mile-and-a-quarter horse if ever I saw one).
And the year before? Harzand beat US Army Ranger who never won another race, with subsequent Group-2-only winner, Idaho, in third place.
Now they’re saying that Latrobe improved tremendously to win Saturday’s Irish Derby. Do you mean the Curragh Classic which I described as ‘modest’ before the race?
Do you seriously suggest that beating a Chester Listed winner Rostropovich, an Epsom Derby non-stayer, Saxon Warrior, and the ‘Ascot Derby’ fifth, Delano Roosevelt, warrants the use of the word ‘tremendous’?
In fact, I warned you that Latrobe didn’t have to improve much. I said in my column on Saturday:
“Latrobe still ‘could be anything.’ He’s not far off the best if his maiden second to Hunting Horn is any guide, and his runner-up spot in the Gallinule (can turn tables on Platinum Warrior) put him not far off Derrinstown form.
“What we needed was a step forward and we got it, not so much on form but on style and confidence, as three weeks ago he commanded his maiden over today’s CD at the Curragh.”
I’ll sit down this afternoon and try to work out some straight ratings for this lot (for tomorrow’s column) but, off the top of my head, I’d say we’ve got a whole bunch of them within a couple of pounds of each other.
And, my feeling is that, if Enable were to meet them only three-parts fit, she’d have them struggling.
Yesterday confirmed that she has a quality stablemate in Coronet. Can you safely bet that the colts would beat either of those Gosden fillies, come the Ascot championships and the Arc?
You disagree. Well the time will surely come when you can make me an offer in the orange, the BETDAQ way! I’ll be waiting.
A CONSTRUCTIVE SUPERNAP TO START THE WEEK
3.30 Pontefract Construct now has just the two rivals to beat in this handicap following the defection of Burn Some Dust.
The Ralph Beckett trained runner is still at qualifying SUPERNAP odds though and should make short work of seeing off his two rivals.
The lightly raced colt made a pleasing handicap debut at Newbury last month when finishing second to Pippin and over the same trip and ground should prove hard to beat, especially when you consider further improvement is likely to defy his 4lb hike in the weights.
French Resistance gained a first career win at Carlisle last time out but he’s up 7lb for that hard-fought victory and is unproven over this trip.
Contrebasse completes the trio (outsider of three I hear you cry!) but this one ran disappointingly at Beverley last time out when tried over this trip for the first time and is hard to make a case for.
7.30 Windsor This class 2 handicap is by far the best race on tonight’s Windsor card.
It’s a race that’s thrown up more than its fair share of shock results over recent seasons, with a 22/1 winner and THREE 14/1 winners among the last seven runnings.
Ice Age certainly looks a favourite to take on. He comes here on the back of running 16th in the Wokingham, unable to match the Royal Ascot headline grabbing achievements of stable companion Accidental Agent that week.
The handicapper has dropped him a 1lb but he may need more relief as he’s never won off a mark this high.
A better bet looks to be Double Up who was a close up sixth in a valuable Newmarket handicap last time out and has since been dropped 2lb in the weights.
8.45 Hamilton Paramount Love is up 9lb for an easy win at Nottingham but that’s a tough hike and the win also came on soft ground.
The Mark Johnston trained Tight Lines receives weight from all of the field and can strike here, She’s only won one start previously (Redcar last July) but has been reasonably consistent since then.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to won 20 points except SUPERNAP)
SUPERNAP BET 20.0pts win CONSTRUCT (3.30 Pontefract)
BET 6.6pts win DOUBLE UP (7.30 Windsor)
BET 11.2pts win TIGHT LINES (8.45 Hamilton)
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