CLASSIC FORTUNE COOKIES HORSES TO FOLLOW: Patrick Sarsfield (WON 6-5) kept Daqman’s winner-a-day sequence going yesterday at a time of reflection on what’s been happening during the resumption and the lessons of Ascot. The result is a new list of Fortune Cookies containing the potential for four Derby winners.
JUMP TO IT WITH DAQMAN IN IRISH DERBY WEEK: It’s focus on Ireland this week. Jumps racing returns at Limerick today, followed by an evening card at Roscommon on Wednesday night. But the big occasion is Saturday’s Irish Derby at the Curragh. Look out for Daqman’s previews.
FORTUNE COOKIE’S DERBY QUARTET
It’s the Derby season. Saturday’s Irish Derby is followed a week later by the Epsom Derby (Saturday July 4) and the French Derby (Sunday). Fortune Cookies expects to have runners in them all, even in the German Derby (July 12). Check them out below in this update.
🏇 ADDEYBB (form 1212112 William Haggas) Seven times a winner with ‘soft’ (once heavy) in the going return, was caught out by the drying ground at Ascot and one to keep by you for the autumn.
🏇 ALPINE STAR (3111 Jessica Harrington) At last the breakthrough for Jessica Harrington from her fold of fillies, storming clear to become Frankie Dettori’s first winner of the Coronation Stakes at Ascot.
🏇 ART POWER (311 Tim Easterby) Exerted a long way out, looking like the proverbial Group horse in a handicap at Ascot. Going right to the top as a sprinter.
🏇 BATTLEGROUND (01 Aidan O’Brien) The big War Front colt out of a Galileo mare strode away with the Chesham Stakes in the recent hoofprints of ChurchIll (2016) and Pinatubo (2019), and looks like a sequence horse in the two-year-old tests of the summer months.
🏇 BORN WITH PRIDE (104 William Haggas) Beat Irish 1,000 Guineas winner, Peaceful, on heavy at Newmarket in November. Given a poor ride at Ascot, and another to keep by for the autumn.
🏇 DANDALLA (11 Karl Burke) Known in the yard as ‘the double of Laurens’, the Dandy Man filly put a six-lengths gap between herself and a dozen other fillies in the Albany at Ascot.
🏇 ENABLE (1111111111112 John Gosden) Goes back in the list now in time for the Eclipse on July 5. Those form figures contain the nine times we tipped her in the Fortune Cookies.
🏇 FANNY LOGAN (21 John Gosden) Up a stone since this time last year, and up two furlongs in trip, as she pases £250,000 in earnings so quietly from very patient handling that she was almost unknown as she strode away with the Hardwicke.
🏇 FRANKLY DARLING (211 John Gosden). The daughter of Frankel won the Ribblesdale Stakes on only her third appearance and is now Oaks bound for us.
🏇 INNISFREE (112 Aidan O’Brien) Irish Derby on Saturday or Epsom Derby, July 4; gave Galileo nine straight wins in the Beresford (the last three were: Capri, Saxon Warrior, Japan), despite heavy ground, and three-lengths defeat by Kameko in the Futurity at Newcastle doesn’t look at all bad after that one’s Guineas success.
🏇 MISS O’CONNOR (1111 William Haggas) We’re still waiting for this one but perhaps just as well she missed Ascot, where Haggas was humbled with four second, two third and two fourth, despite winning 10 times at minor meetings – before and during – in the last fortnight. See Addeybb and Born With Pride.
🏇 OCEAN ATLANTIQUE (2121 Andre Fabre) The Fabre stable has been in terrific form and this colt won his trial at Deauville on the way to the French Derby (July 5). Owned by The Lads (Magnier, Tabor, Smith).
🏇 RAABIHAH (11 Jean-Claude Rouget) Powerful finish at Longchamp in May to book her place in the Prix de Diane on July 5
🏇 VATICAN CITY (012 Aidan O’Brien) My selection for the Irish 2,000 Guineas, stepped up dramatically from his maiden and finished fast, second to Siskin. One of the Derby favourites.
🏇 VICTOR LUDORUM (1113 Andre Fabre) French 2,000 Guineas winner for the Cookies column.
🏇 WONDERFUL MOON (32111 Henk Grewe) Won again for the Cookies list on his way to the German Derby (July 12) and a tilt at the Arc de Triomphe.
⚠️ HEADS UP: Rose Of Kildare became the 13th out of 13 runners from the English 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas to be beaten (see yesterday’s story) when she was only third in the German 1,000 Guineas at 7-5 favourite.
STAR LOOKS ABOVE THIRSK RIVALS
⭕ 3.50 Thirsk A Star Above looks the nap on the Thirsk card. William Haggas has trained nine winners in the last 14 days and sends this son of Sea The Stars on the journey north for what could be an above average maiden by course standards.
He showed promise in both his starts as a juvenile, notably last time out at Lingfield when third to Kipps who paid the form a handsome compliment with his close-up second to Hukum in the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot last week.
A Star Above has been gelded since and should have the class to take this over some interesting, but hard to figure out, chief BETDAQ rivals.
Retrospect represents another in-form Southern yard, that of Roger Varian who is red hot with three winners and a runner-up from his last four runners.
Retrospect has been popular in morning trading with backers who are clearly expecting so see him build considerably on his racecourse debut at Kempton where he could only finish 9th and was beaten 25 lengths. He us surely better than that, the pedigree would indicate that would be the case, but DAQMAN can only go on the form in front of him and it’s worth noting that he wasn’t without support on debut (at 10/1) so it has to go down as a very disappointing effort.
Stockbridge Tap also has chances based on a promising Haydock third on debut. He is bred to be much better over this half mile longer trip.
RATHAGAN BACK TO FAVOURED TURF?
⭕ 5.30 Windsor Officially ‘good’ by the Thames but on a red hot day that could easily be faster come post time for the opener.
In the sprint handicap at 5.30 I’m keen on the chance of Rathagan who sports blinkers for the first time. The Richard Hughes trained runner has only raced once on the turf from seven starts but it’s interesting to note that was his best effort by far and it could just be that he is better on the grass and potentially very well handicapped too. He chased home Spirit Of The Sky at Nottingham in October and that was an unlucky run too given that the blindfold was slow to be removed and it then got caught on the bridle!
BETDAQ favourite Giovanni Tiepolo has shown some good form on the all-weather but is making his turf debut here and it’s hard to back horse at favourite with that dilemma.
HAVING A TILT ON HAVANNA
⭕ 7.00 Windsor Red Bravo hasn’t won since his debut at Newmarket and that came on soft ground. Given he has had 15 starts since without success he looks a favourite very much to take on from a stable that are only 1-23 from their latest runnners.
The ground has come right for Our Man In Havanna who has been knocking on the door on the all-weather this season but returns to the turf on a decent looking mark.
DAQMAN’S BETS (all staked to win 10 points)
BET 7.4pts win (nap) A STAR ABOVE (3.50 Thirsk)
BET 3.6pts win RATHAGAN (5.30 Windsor)
BET 1.6pts win OUR MAN IN HAVANNA (7.00 Windsor)
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