THIS IS TOP OF THE PILE, SAYS DAQMAN: Daqman has landed five Classic winners in a month but does not hesitate to place yesterday’s French Derby winner on top of the pile. Read his race analysis from Chantilly below and look out for Fortune Cookies later in the week.
TODAY: Daqman keeps the bets and the stakes low on a quiet start to the week. His nap runs at Thirsk.
STUNNING FRENCH DERBY ACE
FRANKEL is a Classic-winning grandad, with a Cracksman colt who could even challenge Frankel’s staggering 140 final rating; for certain he’ll surpass that of his sire (Cracksman finished his career on 130).
Ace Impact (by Cracksman by Frankel), is a great grandson of French Derby winner Anabaa on the dam’s side, and yesterday his own impact in winning the French Derby was staggering.
Four–times winner Big Rock seemed to have slipped the field at Chantilly, still clear final furlong with heavily-backed Feed The Flame and Aidan O’Brien’s Continuous struggling to get a toehold on the pace and make a challenge.
But Jean-Claude Rouget’s Ace was played down the outside in a devastating run under Cristian Demuro, leaving Big Rock and the French Guineas winner Marhaba Ya Sanafi three and a half and six lengths respectively behind him.
Ace Impact ran right away from the field, with clock-watchers boggled by his late sectionals to record an overall time nearly five seconds fast on a perfect grass surface. It was a record for the race.
Epictetus (John Gosden) was beaten eight lengths and Continuous 15, yet they had finished on the heels of Saturday’s Epsom Derby third, White Birch, when they met in the Dante Stakes at York, which was also run in a time faster than average.
Trainer Rouget is sure to want to match his Ace with Epsom Derby winner of the previous day, Auguste Rodin, well aware that, apart from yesterday’s form lines, Epictetus had run second to Auguste Rodin in October, the pair clear of the Futurity field at Doncaster.
Immediate plans could include next month’s Eclipse at Sandown, which trainer Rouget won last year with Vadeni.
THE NAP’S A RASCAL
⭕ 4.30 Thirsk Lady Rascal is napped to follow up on her recent Salisbury win where she was successful under today’s pilot Connor Planas.
If anything, her previous start was even more solid form – she finished third on handicap debut at Newbury behind Greysful Storm in a big 17 runner field.
Both those efforts look strong form in the context of this rather modest contest and it says plenty that her biggest market rival on Betdaq Betting Exchange is Folk Star who has finished seventh in each of her three starts to date and will need to improve significantly on handicap debut for David Simcock whose yard is hardly flying at the moment.
BRESSON IS BEST
⭕ 7.15 Windsor Not a bad class 3 handicap sprint in which Bresson looks the bet for Team Gosden.
His sole win to date from seven starts came on tonight’s forecast good to firm ground and he didn’t shape badly on seasonal reappearance at Goodwood on the same ground when fifth to Urban Sprawl in a much more competitive class 2 race over seven furlongs. He should be suited by the drop back in distance.
The big danger is the likely market leader Eminency who was a course and distance winner here last year.
I just think he might be in the grip of the handicapper who (harshly) has nudged him up another pound after a promising effort at Newmarket last time out. He was held off tonight’s mark in a lower grade race at Goodwood last season.
The Crisford’s saddle Spartan Arrow who is on a recovery mission after going off favourite on his handicap debut at York. Probably best to put a line through that form though as he was badly interfered with and gets another spin off the same mark here.
His win at Brighton, although impressive, is probably best not to get too carried away with as I find Brighton form doesn’t generally hold up strongly.
GREG FOR GOLD
⭕ 8.45 Windsor Can only be a speculative play given how competitive this closing one mile handicap looks but I noted how well Greg The Great ran at Newbury and he would go close to converting that silver medal into gold in this company with a similar effort.
Georgia Dobie has won on the four-year-old before and trainer Eve Johnson Houghton remains in good form with 4 winners from her last 19 runners.
A win 20 stake and place 10 stake is advised.
DAQMAN’S BETS
4.30 Thirsk (win 10, nap)
BET 10pts win LADY RASCAL
7.15 Windsor (win 10)
BET 2.2pts win BRESSON
8.45 Windsor (win 20, place 10)
BET 2.8pts win and 6.9pts place GREG THE GREAT
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