ASCOT ‘LUCKY’ FOR CHAMPIONS DAY: Saying ‘we’ve been lucky’, Ascot is daring to forecast ‘good to soft’ on the inner course; soft on the straight course for this afternoon’s showdown of British Champions Day races.
HERE’S DAQMAN WITH BETDAQ VALUE: Daqman goes into the meeting 56-32 in front of Pricewise and on 91 winning naps after last weekend’s big-race double.
KYPRIOS FRESH FOR THE FIGHT
⭕ 1.15 Ascot (British Champions Long Distance Cup, 1m 7.5f) It’s a mighty clash of staying power from Kyprios and Trueshan, and hard to choose between them.
Trueshan completed a hat-trick in this last year and is arguably a better horse now after wind surgery which produced September back-to-back wins in the Doncaster Cup and Prix du Cadran (French Gold Cup).
But surely he’d have to be the iron horse to follow up and complete a treble spanning only around five weeks.
Kyprios on the other hand is fresh from his return in the Irish St Leger, after an absence of 11 months since landing six wins in a row, including the 2022 Ascot Gold Cup and such a runaway win in the Cadran that he almost ran off the track, bewildered by being on his own so far in front.
Betdaq Betting Exchange value and Daqman one-two 2.69 Kyprios, 3.45 Trueshan
KINROSS TO SCORE ON STAMINA
⭕ 1.50 Ascot (British Champions Sprint, 6f) He’s won only one Group race in two years and his Group-1 form is; 5th, 6th, 7th, 12th and 22nd.
He’s Vadream and he’s been the plunge horse for this sprint ever since the rains came. I can’t see it myself.
Kinross has won five Group 2 and two Group 1, raising the bar in this last year after taking the Group-1 Foret at Longchamp, as his third consecutive strike over 7f.
This year he came back to form with a 7f double at Goodwood and York and, had it been top of the ground today, I might have opposed one with only a 1-6 strike rate at 6f. But it’s going to be a test of stamina in the mud.
I fancy Mill Stream for second. The Gleneagles colt impressed me when bursting through to score on the soft at Deauville in August. William Buick booked.
BETDAQ value and Daqman one-two 2.62 Kinross, 16 Mill Stream
MEMORIES MADE OF THIS
⭕ 2.25 Ascot (British Champions Fillies and Mares, 1m 3.5f) Frankie Dettori will be backed to cap his astonishing Ascot career with Free Wind, a winner on soft and head second in the Yorkshire Oaks to Aidan O’Brien’s subsequent Vermeille scorer, Warm Heart.
O’Brien now saddles Jackie Oh, who ran Blue Rose Cen to a neck in the Opera on Arc day three weeks back (Stay Alert 9th).
Free Wind’s Team Gosden stablemate, Sweet Memories, is a dual soft-ground winner, who will be having only the fifth race of her career. First-time cheekpieces.
She split Time Lock and a third Gosden filly today, Running Lion (good to firm), at Newmarket after a break at the end of September.
In cheekpieces first time is Bluestocking, beaten only half a length in the Irish Oaks, but finding Warm Heart her nemesis (three times placed behind her).
BETDAQ value and Daqman one-two 6.2 Free Wind, 14 Sweet Memories
PADDINGTON BACK ON TRACK
⭕ 3.05 Ascot (British Champions Mile) This is a shrewd move dropping Paddington back to the mile, with the race otherwise resembling a ‘fillies and mares’ match of Tahiyra and Nashwa.
Of the three-year-old colts, Big Rock will love the ground but has that ‘nearly horse’ look at Group-1 level after seconds in the French Derby, Jacques le Marois and the Moulin at the Arc meeting.
Chaldean was lucky that Auguste Rodin was ‘not at the races’ in the 2,000 Guineas and was dwarfed by Paddington at Royal Ascot.
Paddington was behind Nashwa in the International at York but he’s had a long rest since and, with recent form figures like Big Rock’s, Nashwa is a place bet not a win bet.
Tahiyra is a different matter. Superbly campaigned by Dermot Weld; just five races in her life and won the Matron at Leopardstown the last day 8-10 kilos over her Royal Ascot weight when she took the Coronation Stakes, despite the firmish ground.
BETDAQ value and Daqman one-two 3.3 Paddington,4.5 Tahiyra
NEW STAR ON THE HORIZON
⭕ 3.45 Ascot (Champion Stakes, 1m 2f) Bay Bridge came alive in this last year, beating the 2021 Derby winner, Adayar, with Baaeed (1-4 favourite) failing to act on the good-to-soft ground, fourth.
Mostahdaf had the Champion Stakes one-two beaten at Royal Ascot and slammed Nashwa and Paddington in the York International but is best on top of the ground.
Horizon Dore made it four in a row, all on good to soft, all over 1m 2f, when winning the Prix Dollar at the Arc meeting.
Still improving and now officially only a pound behind Derby runner-up King Of Steel, third to Hukum in the King George, with Point Lonsdale, who did a soft-heavy-ground double in the Spring, only eighth.
BETDAQ value and Daqman one-two 6.3 Horizon Dore, 6.3 Bay Bridge
AWAAL BEST AT THE WEIGHTS
⭕ 4.25 Ascot (Balmoral Handicap, 1m) Not a single winning favourite in the decade. Stall 11 goes for a hat-trick with its occupant this time, Migration.
He was winner of the Lincoln on heavy from Awaal (rec 2lb) and Baradar (getting 7lb) with Al Mubhir fifth, also getting 7lb.
Awaal, third here in the Royal Hunt Cup on ground too quick, is the one with a winning swing in the weights, now 9lb better with James Doyle booked.
Coeur D’Or is up in the weights after back-to-back strikes at the Galway Festival (soft) and in the Irish Cambridgeshire at the Curragh. It’s his first time traveling and he’s a seven–year-old now.
Docklands is also up in the weights and three-year-olds are just 1-10 in the decade.
BETDAQ value and Daqman one-two 9.4 Awaal, 18 Coeur d’Or
DAQMAN’S CHAMPIONS DAY
1.15 Ascot (win 20, nap)
BET 11.75pts win KYPRIOS
1.50 Ascot (win 20)
BET 12pts win KINROSS
2.25 Ascot (win 20)
BET 4pts win FREEWIND
BET 1.5pts win and place SWEET MEMORIES
3.05 Ascot (win 20)
BET 8.75pts in PADDINGTON
3.45 Ascot (win 21 each)
BET 4pts win HORIZON DORE
BET 4pts win BAY BRIDGE
4.25 Ascot (win-50 bull’s-eye bets)
BET 5.75pts win AWAAL
BET 3pts win and place COEUR D’OR
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.
Did you know? DAQMAN’s tips are posted each and every day so he’s always on hand to help with your horse racing betting.
