RACING INTERNATIONAL:  DARING DAQMAN DERBY LAY: Daqman, whose lays are scoring at a success rate of 72%, was made to ‘Think’ again after the Eclipse yesterday, but bounces straight back with defiance of the German Derby favourite this afternoon.

RACING AT HOME:  CONFIDENT DAQMAN BANKER: Meanwhile, at Market Rasen, Daqman explains why he’s having a maximum-stakes bet.

Back of the net? The twin strikers of Michael Owen and Tom Dascombe are hoping for their biggest success today if they can follow up last year’s breakthrough when Buzzword won our first German Derby.

But it’s no penalty kick, since their attacker, Brown Panther, is only a handicapper, though his sire, Shirocco, scored in the 2004 German Derby.

And a twist of fate may have handed the race to Kieren Fallon. No sooner had Jans Hirschberger’s jockey, Adrie De Vries, picked Mawingo of their five runners because of firm ground, than the rain came and Arrigo, gifted to Fallon, now looks the home team’s main hope.

Owen and Dascombe are also blessed by the cut in the ground, Brown Panther having won the King George V at Royal Ascot on good to soft.

But the ‘Panther’ had only class-4 handicappers in second, third and fourth at Ascot and, in his previous win at Haydock, the runner-up, Reflect, was the ‘moral’ since he gave away weight.

I tipped Reflect, back at Haydock yesterday, on the strength of that second to Brown Panther but he could finish only third in a class-3, which again seems to nail the Brown Panther form down to class-4.

Arrigo has won at the highest level in the race – he’s the only Group-2 scorer – when he beat Ametrin, Gereon and Saltas, who all take him on again.

Waldpark remains unbeaten and won his Derby trial, while time may tell that Lindenthaler – also unbeaten at home – was not disgraced in the Prix Hocquart, one of France’s most prestigious tests of a three-year-old.

Meanwhile, at Chantilly (2.45), champion stables of England (Richard Hannon), France (Andre Fabre) and Ireland (Aidan O’Brien) clash in the Prix Jean Prat.

Ballydoyle’s Zoffany tests the value of that scare he gave Frankel at Royal Ascot (Neebras fourth). It was his closest to a Group 1 since he’d won the Phoenix Stakes as a two-year-old.

Strong Suit, who finished stone last to Frankel in the Greenham, was a different horse on the easy surface at Ascot, where he won the Jersey Stakes.

He was only half a length behind in Zoffany’s Phoenix Stakes, and there is further validation in that he earlier beat Neebras. He’s won on firmer ground, has the best of the draw and trainer Hannon took this race last year.

You can’t leave out the filly, Glorious Sight: she got within a length and a neck of Golden Lilac in the French Oaks – closing down the winner on previous form –  and some observers thought those in the frame would at least hold their own against the Classic colts.

Another Trump (4.30 Market Rasen) is my good thing of the day. Though worse off with Chorizo, he comfortably beat that one on the course last month.

North Island goes well when fresh but has been hiked 13lb for his last chase win and Global Flyer’s trainer Caroline Bailey hasn’t had a winner at Rasen for more than 10 years in 33 attempts.

DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 4pts win STRONG SUIT (2.45 Chantilly)
LAY to win 10pts BROWN PANTHER and 4pts win ARRIGO (4.35 Hamburg)
BANKER: BET 20pts win ANOTHER TRUMP (4.30 Market Rasen)