‘RIFLES’ ON TARGET FOR 40-POINT JACKPOT WIN: Daqman edged a Saturday profit to take his three-day winning run to 60 points, thanks to Eton Rifles (WON 5-1), a 40-point Goodwood-handicap jackpot bet at a value 10.5 on Betdaq, almost double the SP.

ACROSS-THE-CARDS QUALITY: Today his punting sat-nav takes him to three countries, from Deauville to Goodwood and on to the Curragh, in search of the quality bets in the quality races.

2.40 (Grand Prix de Deauville): There’s not the value edge in this that we hope to get in the Meautry (see below): on form, it has to be Cirrus des Aigles but do you want to take such a short price?

‘Cirrus’ turned over last year’s Grand Prix de Vichy winner, Agent Secret, in July for his fifth Group win on ground from good to very soft, then added a sixth, again over 10f, on today’s course on heavy.

He’s already beaten Silver Pond – when second in the Saint-Cloud Grand Prix – and he, in turn, has beaten Ivory Land. That leaves Ted Spread, our Tompkins raider, still dining out (pun intended) on his Chester Vase win of last year and with only one run on ground worse than good to soft, when he was seventh of eight. I think it’s margarine on Ted’s bread (!) today.

3.10 Deauville (Prix de Meautry): Deauville results this summer have been a draw-players dream, with 12 out of 14 sprints having gone to the high half of the stalls.

Last year’s Meautry result, when Swiss Diva won for David Elsworth, gives strong confirmation, with the 1-2-3 by stall 12-11-9 of 12 declared (11 ran).

The Racing Post boys can’t be bothered to do a their usual form guide; only the English and Irish horses – three out of 16 – have their past results listed by date, meeting, distance and going. Slovenly.

But I can tell you that Rock Jock, Tracey Collins’ raider from The Curragh, has shown all his best form on top of the ground (form figures on soft 00200) and the going is reported ‘very soft, heavy in places’ today. The ‘going stick’ goes up to your armpit (though the Post hasn’t given the official measurement; hope they’re having a nice weekend off).

Poppet’s Treasure also seems to be a good-ground horse, though relatively unexposed with only 10 races under Rules, and soft-going form figures of 0000. So it is that, hopefully, we are down to seven runners.

Of these, Bluster, Chinese Wall and Nuit De Grace are handicappers. Chinese Wall is only three and with potential to improve but has been well held by Izalia and Split Trois.

We have a line to Stark Danon, the German horse, since he was remote behind Excelebration at Cologne (1m), though he might do better, dropped to 6f and with his stamina brought into play by the soft surface.

The well-drawn Time Prisoner’s neck Maisons Laffitte win in July was over Fred Lalloupet, with Split Trois an unlucky fifth – both well beaten in Group races – and that reads like he has a lot to make up on Definightly, who beat ‘Fred’ 14 lengths at ‘Maisons’.

Definightly doesn’t get a penalty for that but it was last November and he’s done ‘nothing’ since, while Izalia, only three, is the improver of the race for me. I will have to back both.

3.20 Goodwood (Supreme Stakes): The three riders dueling at the top of the jockeys’ table are all now past the 100 winners mark, with Kieren Fallon closing marginally on Paul Hanagan after a fabulous ride on Eton Rifles and Silvestre De Sousa hitting a four-timer.

With Hanagan out of the action today, De Sousa can get another one back via Jeu De Vivre, who has Grey Command to beat in the 2.55 Beverley, while Fallon has a chance here on Doncaster Rover if David Brown’s Yorkshire raider can hold his form.

But he has never managed back-to-back wins before and has failed a massive 14 times to step up to Group company, despite winning three Listeds and looking well worth it.

One who has beaten him in a Group 3 is High Standing, though that one has been badly in and out since his great year in 2009.

So close was Lechevalier Choisi to Doncaster Rover at York that he looks vulnerable to a three-year-old and, though he’s weighted to reverse CD form in July with one such animal, Libranno, there’s another who could topple him now she has the rain-softened ground to suit.

That’s Hooray, who had a miserable run on firm at Tipperary when the subject of a gamble last time, having been beaten little more than three lengths in a Group 1 (the Golden Jubilee) at Royal Ascot.

Hopefully she is ready to bounce back if returning to her old see-no-other-horses style, with the usual front-runner, Libranno, badly drawn.

4.25 Curragh (Moyglare Stud Stakes): Maybe the 1,000 Guineas winner is here (pun intended). Maybe has already beaten La Collina but you have a big decision to make, which only today’s race can reveal.

Did La Collina’s subsequent Phoenix Stakes win over the colts merely frank the Maybe form and make Maybe a stand-out today, or was it that La Collina improved significantly, maybe (there I go again) enough to overtake her old rival here?

I think I would have to argue that La Collina was thrashed (jockey banned for excessive use) to win the Phoenix, and has had just the maiden win at 7f, whereas Maybe has scored three successive 7f Pattern wins on different ground.

When Maybe beat La Collina, Maybe was giving weight. Now it’s level peggings and Ballydoyle has won this four times in the last decade, with a stable in depth of quality juveniles to choose from.

DAQMAN’S BETS
LAY to win 10pts DONCASTER ROVER and 5.7pts win HOORAY (3.20 Goodwood)
BET 6pts win JEU DE VIVRE and 3.5pts win GREY COMMAND (2.55 Beverley)
BET 3.3pts win IZALIA and 1.8pts win and place DEFINIGHTLY (3.10 Deauville)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 3pts win double Cirrus Des Aigles (2.40 Deauville) and Maybe (4.25 The Curragh)