11.0 KING-GEORGE JACKPOT FOR DAQMAN: King George heroine Danedream (WON 9-1 from 11.0 on BETDAQ) was ‘the best value’ in the contest, roared the Daqman headline yesterday on another top tipping day.
HERO AT 9-2: Price-wise Daqman’s first big-race Saturday bet was a confident one-horse vote for Local Hero (WON 9-2) in the Summer Handicap at Market Rasen.
HEROINE AT 9-1: He headlined Danedream’s value for the King George and saw her last-gasp 9-1 win come at the expense of one of his horses to follow, Nathaniel.
THREE NAPS UP: Earlier Daqman named Toronado (WON 1-3) for his third winning nap of the week to bring his daily best bet to form figures in the seven days of 1123301.
DAQMAN NOSE: On Thursday he tipped Epsom Salts (WON 12-1) and had close calls Friday with Martial Law (2nd half a length 9-1) and Ladyship (2nd a nose 5-1), and yesterday with Al Co (2nd short-head 5-1) and Edinburgh Knight (2nd half a length 12-1)
BETDAQ WIN: King George winners all day were BETDAQ punters. Price-wise king Daqman advised that the morning ‘book’ of offers was 102% against a likely overround situation of up to 116% at SP. In fact, the bookies were even meaner, with a final 119 total percentage.
1.30 Maisons-Laffitte (Prix Robert Papin): Royal Ascot form is on the line here through the winner of the Norfolk Stakes, Reckless Abandon, and the Coventry fourth Sir Prancealot.
But the fillies have been the ones to watch in the re-emergence of the Papin, reduced to Group-2 status in 1987, and suffering a bleak spell of quality winners since the heady days of Blushing Groom and Ma Biche 30 years and more ago.
The Newmarket 1,000 Guineas winners Natagora (2007) and Special Duty (2009), and the French 1,000 heroine Divine Proportions (2004), all won this in the Noughties.
Unless Sage Melody and To My Valentine, both beaten by Snowday, show significant improvement – always possible in their short careers – the Head filly Sara Lucille looks the likely lass, her dam having been third in this race.
Of the Ascot races, the Coventry has been producing Group-2 standard since, but we don’t know how soft it is at Maisons (what happened to the ‘pogo-stick’ figure, Racing Post?) and the Hannon hope missed the July Stakes because it was soft.
The seeming front man of the home hopes, Penny’s Picnic, has to step up from Listed class, so I’ll just have a little flutter on ‘Lucille’.
Cogito (2.40), like Sir Prancealot, has missed a race – the Eclipse – because of soft ground, and it’s hard to make a choice between that one, John Gosden’s Starboard and the Godolphin buy Fractional, without knowing the ground conditions.
2.10 The Curragh: Caponata, a Selkirk who will love the heavy ground, is on a hat-trick mission but trainer Weld has a poor strike rate here, whereas David Wachman is going for his third win from runners in four of the last five heats of this contest.
A line through Soon says that Wachman’s Tannery has plenty to find with Caponata, but Tannery has already produced a massive turnaround of form with Backbench Blues.
Up is down two grades, back to the level of her length defeat in the Leopardstown 1,000 Guiness Trial. She has done nothing wrong in Group 1: her form there says she will beat the Listed-only winners, and Joseph O’Brien will be looking to redeem a second too-far-back ride on St Nicholas Abbey.
2.45 The Curragh (Anglesey Stakes): Five in a row (to 2005), Aidan O’Brien is odds on through Cristoforo Colombo to return to that winning streak.
News of the Robert Papin would boost Ballydoyle – their colt was third when Sir Prancealot was fourth in the Coventry – but Colombo was off course in the Railway Stakes on heavy so drying ground would also help.
Hard Yards and Count of Limonade should make it a fast pace so I will have an old florin win and (second) place on the stayer in the race, Grafelli (8.6 this morning).
3.20 The Curragh (Darley Irish Oaks): Great Heavens (that was William Buick that Was)! But Lancashire Oaks form (Great Heavens) is usually inferior to Epsom Oaks form (Was).
But, in a muddling rain-washed season, the collateral in fact dictates that – on a line through Shirocco Star – it will be Princess Highway who offers the greater threat to Great Heavens.
Even if Was was below par when Princess Highway beat her at Naas, as we are led to believe, the Princess slammed Shirocco Star more than six lengths in the Ribblesdale, whereas the Star got within a neck of Was in the Epsom Oaks.
Again, much depends on the ground but, with a 103% ‘book’ of offers on BETDAQ over my cornflakes, backers are in another King George situation. If they want to bet, here is the place to do so, with the odds so punter-friendly.
Granted such margins, I can afford to oppose some of the favourites and then spend the difference with a few Daq Multiples on the short shots. Well, you have to give yourself more than one chance in this game!
5.05 Ascot: At the end of a last day at Ascot which can be described as ‘only fair’ after a sensational Saturday, we can allow ourselves a final fling because of the dominance of high numbers on the straight course.
Yesterday’s results by stall in the three straight-course races were: (7f) 22, 18, 16 of 24; (1m) 10, 9, 3 of 11; and (7f) 22, 18, 23 of 27.
Front-runner Bathwick Fair should set the high numbers alight, but the quality horses best drawn are clearly B Fifty Two in 19 of 23 and 22-enstalled Dungannon (7.4 on BETDAQ, as I write), a CD winner of just 2lb lower who ran fifth in the Wokingham.
Dungannon’s chance is obvious but B Fifty Two, dropped to a class-2 handicap, is an astonishing 30.0, assuming the ground has continued to dry out.
John Hills ‘bomber’ has been overfaced, but not disgraced, in five consecutive pattern races: second to Dabirsim at Deauville, which looked Guineas form at the time, then Gimcrack, Mill Reef, Middle Park and Free Handicap, before a Listed at Kempton Park last time, when he was beaten a little more than two lengths.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 1.2pts win and place SARA LUCILLE (1.30 Maisons-Laffitte).
BET 6.7pts win (nap) UP (2.10 The Curragh)
BET 2.2pts win and place GRAFELLI (2.45 The Curragh)
BET 3.1pts win DUNGANNON, and 0.6pts win and place B FIFTY TWO (5.05 Ascot)
DAQ MULTIPLES YANKEE: Sir Prancealot (1.30 Maisons-Laffitte), Up (2.10 The Curragh), Cristoforo Colombo (2.45 The Curragh), Princess Highway (3.20 The Curragh)
* Daqman’s selections are backed to win 20 points (unless raised to jackpot level) so, if you divide 20 by his stake, you know the Betdaq offer taken at the time of writing. Jackpot bets are for higher returns. Daq Multiples are at SP.
Did you know that as well as checking the realtime prices on BETDAQ below – you can also log into your account and place your bets directly into BETDAQ from BETDAQ TIPS.
