13.0 FILLY FANCY IN THE FRED DARLING: There’s a cracking fillies’ Classic trial, the Fred Darling today, and Daqman takes his cue from Roger Varian for a 13.0 BETDAQ bet, before relying on James Doyle’s renewed partnership (2-2 last year on this horse) to take the Newbury Spring Cup.
EASTER FEAST OF RACING: Daqman is trying to be selective with literally hundreds of holiday races around, culminating in Irish Grand National day on Monday and the Epsom Spring Meeting Tuesday.
Today’s headlines:
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
CAROL ANN CAN STEP UP NOW
PERFECT-ANGEL JOCKEY CLASH
JAMES DOYLE KNOWS SALEYMM
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU
⭕ 1.32 Musselburgh (Royal Mile) Karl Burke is in tremendous form with six winners in five days, and he felt that Bullet Force (BETDAQ 7.0) had so progressed that he ran him in the Futurity last backend.
Team Johnston has a Group-raced filly, Value Theory, off topweight here, claimed off but looking vulnerable, giving weight to colts.
Spirit Catcher is the right sort to do well for Team Johnson if he can reproduce his debut win when he settled well in front.
A third Johnston runner, Qipao, is well behind on last year’s ratings but, with three runners, they can change the face of the race.
⭕ 2.04 Musselburgh (Silver Arrow) Zip (BETDAQ 7.6) won over the CD with cut in the ground last autumn (Northern Express behind) and has had a run back. Gioia Cieca is another CD winner but in class 3 and with his stable currently struggling (1-15).
CAROL ANN CAN STEP UP TODAY
⭕ 2.25 Newbury (Fred Darling Stakes) STATS: Favoured fillies’ trial, but with its recent principal protagonist Ralph Beckett (winner in 2010, 2012 and 2015) without a runner this year.
Beckett has three in the 1,000 Guineas: Prosperous Voyage, Girl On Film and Puffing. Prosperous Voyage looks ‘the one most likely to’ after running up to Inspiral in both the May Hill and the Fillies Mile last autumn.
Beckett also has three in the Oaks – again, all without a run this year so far – Suspicious, Moon de Vega and Luna Dorada.
Suspicious is by Nathaniel, who improved from a 91 rating in May to win the King George and achieve a mark of 128.
Moon De Vega is a powerful stayer, according to the yard, while Luna Dora has a deep pedigree, by Golden Horn out of a mare related to Derby winner Workforce.
FORM for today’s trial: Team Charlton (Harry and Roger) have just struck form and Jumbly is a CD winner with cut in the ground.
Miss Carol Ann didn’t enjoy the very soft ground here in October but one or two of Roger Varian’s have already shot forward this year (he won the Feilden at 22-1).
Wild Beauty, for champion-trainer Charlie Appleby, ran third to Inspiral in the Fillies’ Mile, with Majestic Glory in last place.
The Frankel filly’s first Classic target is the French 1,000 Guineas and in-form champion trainer Charlie Appleby is confident that Newbury will suit her.
BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE 4.1 Jumbly, 13 Miss Carol Ann
PERFECT-ANGEL JOCKEY CLASH
⭕ 3.00 Newbury (Greenham Stakes) STATS: Produced Henry Cecil’s Guineas winners, Wollow and Kris, and brought back to favour by the same yard with Frankel.
FORM: Frankie Dettori, who landed a Group hat-trick for Ralph Beckett on Angel Bleu – with the Lagardere the middle leg – is here riding against his French rival, Christophe Soumillon (Perfect Power).
They are likely to meet again in the French 2,000 Guineas, which is Angel Bleu’s target because of his seeming love of soft-heavy ground.
Soumillon won the Morny on Perfect Power, then came over here and completed a Group-1 juveniles double in the Middle Park on the Royal Ascot Norfolk Stakes winner.
Perfect Power is a speedball yet related on the dam’s side to an Arc winner. It is hard to separate them, as the ratings reveal: both he and Angel Bleu are racing off 115 but Angel Bleu rewards at 3.5 against 2.5 Perfect Power.
JAMES DOYLE KNOWS SALEYMM
⭕ 3.35 Newbury (Spring Cup) Dwelt, then hampered, Rogue Bear missed the honey-pot in the Lincoln Handicap but landed me a bit of place bread-and-butter at huge BETDAQ offers.
After Rogue Bear (3rd 12-1 from 20.0) and Intellogent (short-head 2nd 14-1 from 18.0) on Thursday at Newmarket, I am 100 points below my usual Spring take at the early-bird meetings.
I have to be patient and not blunder into bull’s-eye bets that are just best guesses. With 201 Easter events, the chances are not good of locating an appropriate race, even before the hard work of assessing form and potential.
Rogue Bear is going to be no price but the stats say that nine winners out of 10 are from 4-1 to 10-1 SP. When they’ve been bigger fish, I’ve landed them, Banksea (WON 9-1) and Chatez (WON 16-1) being sweet.
Saleymm, Rogue Bear, Irish Admiral and Modern News were 2-3-4-7 in the Lincoln: Irish Admiral, was just a head, fourth, behind Rogue Bear. They meet on the same terms but with Irish Admiral now in cheekpieces. He’s suited by top of the ground..
Rogue Bear has come on for the Lincoln and Saleymm should do better given some cover after seeing a lot of daylight at Doncaster.
Intriguing race, which requires a top jockey: Moore, Buick, Hangan, Dettori. I think James Doyle good enough to give Saleymm a different ride. He was 2-2 on the horse last year but wasn’t available for the Lincoln.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.32 Musselburgh (win 20)
BET 3.25pts win BULLET FORCE
2.04 Musselburgh (win 20)
BET 3pts win ZIP
2.25 Newbury (win 30, win 10)
BET 2.5pts win MISS CAROL ANN
BET 3.25pts win JUMBLY
3.00 Newbury (win 10)
BET 4pts win (nap) ANGEL BLEU
3.35 Newbury (win 10)
BET 3pts win SALEYMM
What are points? Points facilitate a staking plan, which is the secret to creating profit. One point is whatever you choose: a pound, a euro, or whatever ….
Start with a bank and decide how much you can afford to lose over a period of time, and determine the size of your bets accordingly. Daqman makes this variation every day.
