THREE DAQMAN NAPS WIN IN THREE DAYS: Daqman’s 5-2 Lyon-Parilly winner, San Fabrizio, completed three naps in three days for him yesterday, including two supernaps out of three. His wild-card outsider at Lyon, Woot City (3rd 48-1), finished in a place, following a 20-1 third, Tudo Bem (from 40.0), earlier in the week.
WON 5-2 San Fabrizio (Lyon-Parilly, Friday, nap, 5.0 on BETDAQ)
WON 1-1 Raabihah (Longchamp, Thursday, supernap)
WON 11-10 Simeen (Saint-Cloud, Wednesday, supernap)
SWITCH TO HURDLES FOR BULL’S-EYE BET: Today Daqman analyses the Saturday big race, the Spring Champion Hurdle at Auteuil, and comes up with another outsider for a 25-1 bull’s-eye bet to win 50 points.
🔹 CLASSY ZAHID CAN SPRING 26.0 SHOCK
🔹 GO-AHEAD NIMES NAPPED FOR REVELEY
⚠️ HEADS UP ENGLISH GUINEAS OPEN TO IRISH: Ireland was yesterday given the go-ahead to resume racing from June 8, and there was further good news when international runners, including from Ireland and France, were allowed to run in the Newmarket 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas on June 6 and 7, and also in the Coronation Cup.
CLASSY ZAHID CAN SPRING 26.0 SHOCK
2.15 Auteuil (Spring Champion Hurdle, 2m 2.5f) Felix De Giles, one-time boy star jumps rider with Nicky Henderson, partners a value outsider in the Spring Champion Hurdle at Auteuil today.
Felix rode 44 winners in the 2011-12 English National Hunt season, and coincidentally has had the same number, 44, in France in the last 12 months, 13 this year so far, putting him second in the jockeys’ table there.
When he lost his claim in England, he found rides hard to come by and relocated to France in 2016, following James Reveley, who was then jumps champion there.
Felix has become known for his ability in cross-country races, no doubt inspired by his nipping back to England for trials afternoon at Cheltenham in January, 2017. He showed the home crowds what they were missing with a sterling ride to win the day’s Glenfarclas cross-country on a 50-1 outsider.
Young horses, aged five and six, have won two out of the last four of these Spring Champion Hurdles at Auteuil, and the six-year-old Zahid has stamina in his breeding and steps up in trip for Marcel Rolland.
1️⃣ ZAHID has finished in the first four in three consecutive hurdles, all over 2m 2f, under Geoffrey Re, since switching from Pascal Bary on the Flat, when owned by the Aga Khan.
His new trainer, Rolland, is currently showing (3-6) a 50% strike rate over the sticks with his first winners of the year.
Zahid now moves up around half a mile to the distance favoured by his illustrious relatives on the dam’s side, Zaidpour and Zaynar, who was third in the Cheltenham Champion Hurdle after winning consecutively the Triumph Hurdle, and the Ascot and Relkeel hurdles over longer trips.
Zaidpour, Grade 1 placed for Willie Mullins as a juvenile, won four in a row in 2012 including the Galmoy, and later took the Christmas Hurdle at Leopardstown.
He was second to Thousand Stars in the La Barka at Auteuil over today’s course and distance, and third in the French Champion Hurdle there.
The class of today’s race might be judged by last year’s result. The winner, Paul’s Saga, was a moderate 10th to Willie Mullins’s Benie Des Dieux in the Auteuil Champion Hurdle itself, which will be run later this year.
Geoffrey Re, rider of the 2019 winner, Paul’s Saga, and Zahid’s partner so far, is now up on Danse Avec Jersey, formerly a useful hurdler who has had a run back after a long break, following a disappointing career over fences in 2017-18.
The rider of the second last year, Ludovic Philpperon, who had a winner at Compiegne on Monday, is now on outsider Foreign Flower, who hasn’t scored for three years; Bounwell not since November, 2017.
The veteran My Maj, winner of 14 races, was only sixth in this last year. He is 11 now but a 10-year-old, Farlow Des Mottes, won it in 2018, trained by Francois Nicholle.
2️⃣ Deportetoi Nicholle, who is well clear in the trainers’ table with 40 winners, and is leading trainer at Auteuil, now runs three, best of whom may be Deportetoi, a back-to-back winner here at Auteuil earlier in the year, one over hurdles, one over fences, under today’s rider, Angelo Zuliani, who prefers him over Staunton Street, a course winner in November, 2018.
3️⃣ Echo De Champdoux Zuliani is currently third in the French jump-jockeys’ table behind Clement Lefebvre, whose mount, Echo De Champdoux, has won over hurdles and fences at Auteuil, and had a run back in March.
4️⃣ Bebe d’Or Arnaud Chaille-Chaille, who won this Spring Champion Hurdle in 2017, saddles the five-year-old Bebe d’Or, who has won his last two chases here at Auteuil under Pierre Dubourg on heavy ground.
Yellow Field has run in eight consecutive Auteuil hurdles in 2019-20 for just one win (over 2m 2f). Fou Du Bresil has run six of his last seven starts there, winning just the once.
DAQMAN’S VALUE BETS: Bull’s-eye bets (win 50): 2pts win Zahid (26.0 in BETDAQ Sportsbook), 3pts win Echo De Champdoux at 17.0 and (to win 20) 3.25pts win Deportetoi.
GO-AHEAD NIMES NAPPED FOR REVELEY
⭕ 12.05 Auteuil (2m 6f chase) Francois Nicholle has three others runners in this in support of his likely favourite, Nanosecond, ridden by Zuliani.
The pair won here at Auteuil in March but this is more than half a mile further. He is a son of Doctor Dino, sire of Sharjah and Sceau Royal, both two-milers, and I didn’t get any encouragement from the dam’s side.
But, when I checked the rest of the field, including two runners for Guillaume Macaire, I got the same stepping up in trip for all, and improvement I found in Nanosecond led me to rate him best by a thousand millionth of a margin.
⭕ 12.35 Auteuil (2m 2f Listed handicap hurdle) On their last two starts here, in which they have been first and second, then the other way round, James Du Berlais and Denomedenuo are weighted to run a dead-heat.
That suggests they are not improving, or they are improving at the same rate. Either way, I was tempted to find something to beat them.
But the obvious dangers, Raffles Sainte, and Loradame, who was third in the same race at Compiegne, are also now on a revenge mission, with a weights equaliser. The difference is they are fillies. So, too, Mamartre.
Robert Collet (James Du Berlais) hasn’t had a jumps winner for 11 weeks, so I sided with Nicolle-Zuliani again, and Raffles Sainte at 6.0 in the BETDAQ Sportsbook.
⭕ 1.05 Auteuil (1m 7f, Prix Go Ahead 3yo Listed hurdle) A super new name for this 3yo Listed hurdle, and James Reveley’s big ride of the day.
The one-time champion jockey is on Nimes, a Guillaume Macaire winner; in fact, the only winner in the race. Well-bred; easy success in March.
⭕ 1.35 Auteuil (Prix Murat, Grade 2, 2m 6f chase) Quality youngsters, Figuero (Nicolle-Zuiliani) and Ebonite (Emmanuel Clayeux and Felix de Giles) do battle in the highest grade of race today.
Figuero has already won a Grade 1 over today’s Auteuil CD and won eight lengths over hurdles on his return. He is my pick at 2.37 but you might want to grab a bit of 6.0 about Carriacou in BETDAQ Sportsbook, then come back and ask for a better off Figuero on the BETDAQ Exchange later.
Carriacou is current Grand Steeplechase de Paris holder and the question is whether he can give three years in age and 7lb in weight to the progressive Figuero.
⭕ 2.15 Auteuil (Spring Champion Hurdle, see above).
DAQMAN’S BETS
12.05 Auteuil (win 10)
BET 4.4pts win NANOSECOND
12.35 Auteuil (win 20, win 10)
BET 4pts win RAFFLES SAINTE
BET 3pts win JAMES DU BERLAIS
1.05 Auteuil (supernap)
BET 20pts win NIMES
1.35 Auteuil (win 10)
BET 7pts win FIGUERO
BET 1.5pts win CARRIACOU
2.15 Auteuil (two to win 50, win 20 saver)
BULL’S-EYE BET 3pts win ECHO DE CHAMPDOUX
BULL’S-EYE BET 2pts win ZAHID
BET 3.25pts win DEPORTETOI
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.
