O’BRIEN DOUBLE FOR DAQMAN: Daqman went for an Aidan O’Brien treble at Longchamp yesterday but, after 2-2 in the top two-year-old tests, his Arc de Triomphe bet, Minnie Hauk, was beaten a head. See ‘Next Year’s Champion Named’ below.
Daqman Sunday: Group-1 2yo: 2-2
WON 11-10 DIAMOND NECKLACE (Marcel Boussac)
WON 39-10 PUERTO RICO (Lagardere)
Daqman Saturday: LAYS LOGIC 2-2
WON (7th 3-1 favourite) BEDTIME STORY (Royallieu)
WON (2nd 5-2 favourite) COLTRANE (Gold Cup)
NEXT YEAR’S CHAMPION NAMED
DIAMOND in the rough. In all the hard-driven racing on rain-sodden Longchamp, with its draw bias, and relentless pursuit of another few million by the power teams at the top, the ordinary punter stays faithful to the game, hoping for a tip that changes his life.
He got one yesterday after two juvenile tests that went to Aidan O’Brien when his super-sub jockey Christophe Soumillon piled praise on the Marcel Boussac winner, Diamond Necklace.
She wasn’t just a winner but a future champion who would stay even a mile and a half, her frame and constitution already so profound that racing came easily and gracefully for her. She had all the attributes.
Soumillon, who would later on be beaten in the Arc, shrugged off his victory on her stablemate, Puerto Rico, in the Lagardere.
When asked about him, he was not distracted from more sparkling Diamond adjectives, though her future is not for Soumillon. She will race for Ryan Moore when he returns next season and Christophe may have to watch her win an Arc!
The fairytale of the day was the raising of Francis-Henri Graffard to the ranks of ‘great trainer for the Aga Khan,’ his handling of Daryz – the family’s record eighth Arc victory – as superb as that of his predecessors, Alain de Royer Dupre and Jean-Claude Rouget.
Michael Tabor made it clear that the runner-up, Minnie Hauk, would be back ‘many times’ to win more races after her head defeat in the Arc, the only race at Longchamp yesterday to be won in fast time.
Minnie’s rider, Soumillon, steered a course off the rails after being trapped by the one draw but kicked for home half a furlong too soon and gave Mickael Barzalona the chance to challenge late and snatch the Arc by a head on Daryz, the pair five lengths clear.
The draw and the dramatic change of ground between the York International (firm) and yesterday’s £2.3m prize transformed Daryz from last of six on the Knavesmire to champion of Europe in the Paris bois.
It shouldn’t be a shock but punters are still caught out by the draw. Winners by stall on the Longchamp card yesterday (going ‘very soft’) were 3, 5, 3, 2, 4, 4, 2, 3.
BRAKES ARE OFF FOR HOLLIE
⭕ 4.55 Wolverhampton Though huge prizemoney slipped by Marco Botti at the weekend, he picked up nearly a quarter of a million for Giavellottto’s fourth in the Arc, added to fifth place compensation with Colori Forever in a £1,000,000-plus sales race at Newmarket the day before.
Interesting that he has withdrawn three of his four declared for this afternoon, leaving only Brakeman (Hollie Doyle), trying to follow up his close second on the course two weeks ago.
ONE FOR WINNING RETURN..
⭕ 4.25 Stratford It’s been a long summer’s wait for Nico De Boinville, injured on Easter Monday, but not as expensive as missing big-race mounts in the winter racing.
Jockeys are often gifted a winning return and Nico has The Expensive One on a plate from the family Twiston-Davies neighbours.
Staying in the Cheltenham area, Jonjo O’Neill Jnr is also back from injury on J P McManus’s Trapista (⭕ 5.00), riding for his father, Jonjo, who is in form with two winners and two seconds from his last six starters. Looked tasty at 5.8 on BETDAQ this morning.
MURPHY’S BACK ON A DREAM
⭕ 5.13 Yarmouth Oisin Murphy scored on Midnight’s Dream on the four-year-old’s 2025 debut at Kempton.
He has won at Leicester since then and now reunites with the champion to compensate for a disappointing return to Kempton the last day, beaten favourite. I didn’t expect the 6.0 on Betdaq Betting Exchange to last.
DAQMAN’S BETS on Betdaq Betting Exchange
★ 4.25 Stratford (win 12, nap)
BET 6pts win THE EXPENSIVE ONE
4.55 Wolverhampton (win 12)
BET 6pts win BRAKEMAN
5.00 Stratford (win 20)
BET 4pts win TRAPISTA
5.13 Yarmouth (win 20)
BET 4pts win MIDNIGHT’S DREAM
What are points? Points facilitate a staking plan, which is the secret to creating profit. One point is whatever you choose: a pound, a euro, or whatever ….
Start with a bank and decide how much you can afford to lose over a period of time, and determine the size of your bets accordingly. Daqman makes this variation every day.
Did you know? DAQMAN’s tips are posted each and every day so he’s always on hand to help with your horse racing betting.
