BREEDERS CUP SUPERNAP IS A GAME WINNER! Game on and a first-day supernap for Daqman at Churchill Downs last night. Game Winner (WON 5-4) took his level-stakes lead over Pricewise to 277 points (+120 against -157). The returns score with a week to go is now 87-25 to Daqman. His bull’s-eye bet at Newmarket, ‘hidden horse’ Perfect Summer (2ND 25-1), was a morning 36.0 on BETDAQ.
DAQMAN JUMPS TO IT WITH TWO MORE BANKERS Today he has a banker among the Ascot and Wetherby jumpers before a second supernap at ChurchIll Downs tonight. The headlines:
BLACK CORTON IS GREEN FOR GO
BET GLOBAL DESPITE BIG WEIGHT
PUNT ON PONT’S LOVE OF ASCOT
I’M HAVANA CHURCHILL CIGAR..
FRANKIE AND EZIYRA PLACE ACES
KLIMT! BUT KNEES ARE KNOCKING
WALDGEIST ARC REVENGE LIKELY
LION LOOKS BIG AT BETDAQ 11.5
BLACK CORTON IS GREEN FOR GO
2.40 Wetherby (Charlie Hall Chase) We’ve already had our first Jumps shock, with Samcro beaten in a four-horse hurdle yesterday.
Now here’s a four-horse chase which usually sets a career alight, Bristol De Mai and Silviniaco Conti having both won it for Paul Nicholls yard.
Winner of the Kauto Star Novice Chase then the Reynoldstown, Black Corton looks good enough to fill their shoes and is fully primed, according to the trainer.
Definitly Red was a well-beaten third in this race last year and Double Shuffle’s bridesmaid form (2222 still standing), the King George among them, suggests he was flattered as runner-up that day. Virgilio is race fit and, as such, is a danger to the seasonal debutants.
3.15 Wetherby (West Yorkshire Hurdle) Paul Nicholls, who has won this three times in six seasons, has Old Guard, unexposed at the trip, left with a great chance to prove himself in the absence of Wholestone.
Monbeg Theatre has never been out of the frame (still standing) after a break but, though rated 10lb behind Old Guard, receives only 6lb under the race conditions.
Keeper Hill was well supported as the books opened last night, held in high regard but reverting to hurdles after failing to take to fences well enough.
BET GLOBAL DESPITE BIG WEIGHT
3.00 Ascot Will this be the middle leg of a hat-trick for Paul Nicholls, Divin Bere the best-priced meat in the sandwich of favourites Black Corton and Old Guard at Wetherby?
Sussex Ranger won two when fresh late on last year but, with a couple of novice-chase winners the exceptions, Gary Moore’s runners have been under a cloud, witness recent SPs: 100-1 (twice), 40-1 (twice), 33-1 (twice), 25-1, 20-1 (twice) and a poor strike-rate of 9%.
With two winners of this in six years, Alan King has Fidux in winning form but he has to make a big leap in class. So, too, Jumping Jack and Simply The Betts, while Caius Marcius has shot up the weights.
Divin Bere, a Grade-1 hurdler last Spring, is a recent winner on the Flat and Magic Dancer returned to hurdles with a sound run at Cheltenham eight days ago. Both were having their first starts after wind ops; both have had secondary ops since.
It’s left me looking for something less fragile: Global Citizen, from a stable in form, is a classy performer and 111 starting back. Could be well handicapped, despite top weight, on this ground.
PUNT ON PONT’S LOVE OF ASCOT
3.35 Ascot (Autumn Gold Cup) This is not a race Nicholls usually wins, and Art Mauresque disappointed at Chepstow. But stablemate Adrien Du Pont could shine for this step up in trip, with Ascot form of 122.
Lightweights usually win this, only one of them favourite in the decade, with Barry Geraghty scoring three times.
Geraghty’s ride today, Geordie Des Champs, and the ‘Twiston’ horse, Go Conquer, were both well backed last night.
Go Conquer is 5lb higher than when winning this for another stable a year ago, and has won three times fresh from a break.
‘Geordie’ is 134110 after a break and goes best on a right-handed track. I’ll try him at 6.0 and Adrien Du Pont at 8.2 on BETDAQ.
I’M HAVANA CHURCHILL CIGAR..
4.38 Churchill Downs (Breeders Cup Turf Sprint) The money has been for last year’s shock 40-1 winner, Stormy Liberal, who has never raced at Churchill Downs but will enjoy the extra half-furlong: 7.0 on BETDAQ
Disco Partner was third last year but has looked a false favourite during the week, now that the ground has come up soft (all his success has been on firm), and that could also be the undoing of Chanteline.
There’s been strong support for World Of Trouble, a Grade-2 Dirt colt who is 2-2 since switched to minor races on turf.
English raider Havana Grey (12.0) has beaten older horses before in the Curragh Flying Five, and Ballydoyle’s Lost Treasure was unlucky not to finish in the frame in the Abbaye (dwelt; not clear run closing stages).
But he has been beaten favourite twice since, again with excuses, and it’s easy now to think that he causes his own trouble.
FRANKIE AND EZIYRA PLACE ACES
6.04 Churchill Downs (Breeders Cup Filly And Mare Turf) Chad Brown – three winners in the last six seasons – farms this race but his Sistercharlie is surrounded in the market by the transatlantic party of Charlie Appleby (Wild Illusion), Aidan O’Brien (Magic Wand) and Dermot Weld (Eziyra).
Sistercharlie’s form is best on firm and her stablemate, Fourstar Crook, might be a better proposition on the soft.
Magic Wand has drifted in the markets since because of the going, and she was beaten by Wild Illusion in the Opera.
Charlie Appleby won this race last year and hit the jackpot here on the first day yesterday with Line Of Duty.
Frankie Dettori on Eziyra have to beat their gate 14 draw: but she is 21212311131 on firm, yielding, soft and heavy.
Eziyra has never won a Group/Grade 1 but there’s valid excuse in that the winners in her two attempts at the very top were none other than Enable and Sea of Class, the Arc one-two!
KLIMT! BUT KNEES ARE KNOCKING
7.36 Churchill Downs (Breeders Cup Mile Turf) Aidan O’Brien’s Gustav Klimt is another who doesn’t mind the ground either way and he seems well drawn in 13.
Goldikova won here from gate 10 in 2010 but found the one stall blocking even her for a fabulous four-timer in the same event the following year.
So it may not help One Master (William Haggas, gate 1) though Happily (Aidan O’Brien in 3) has been well backed.
Expert Eye and Oscar Performance seem to want it fast and, though I’ve never been a great fan, I am left kissing Klimt.
Freddy Head’s Polydream, winner of a Group 1 in August but behind One Master at the Arc meeting, was withdrawn by the Churchill Downs Stewards because her knees knock!
‘She’s always been like that and is fine in her paces,’ said an irate Freddy: ‘Would I spend my time and money taking a horse to America if she was not fit to run?’
WALDGEIST ARC REVENGE LIKELY
8.56 Churchill Downs (Breeders Cup Turf) Though odds-on Enable is comparatively fresh – just the one race between her two Arc wins! – trainer John Gosden says he’d rather be going to the Breeders Cup after last year’s long season of six wins in a row.
And in the Arc, she had a big draw advantage over Magical and Waldgeist (7.8 today) who, despite failing to get a clear run, was beaten less than two lengths. He will love the ground, and his trainer has won this three times.
Magical (7.6) was more than five lengths off Enable in the Arc but bounced back on the soft to take the British Champion Fillies and Mares at Ascot, and has been well backed.
LION LOOKS BIG AT BETDAQ 11.5
9.44 Churchill Downs (Breeders Cup Classic) Though horse of the year in England, Roaring Lion has been double-figure odds for this because the race is on Dirt but is too big at 11.5 on BETDAQ.
John Gosden won the race with Raven’s Pass 10 years back. Like Roaring Lion, Raven’s Pass was American bred and he, too, had had a long, hot summer, both rated 127.
No horse on any track has won this race from a double-figure stall and 2 and 5 won it the last twice it was run at Churchill Downs. Yet tonight’s favourite is Accelerate from gate 14.
DAQMAN’S BETS
2.40 Wetherby (supernap)
BET 20pts win BLACK CORTON
3.00 Ascot (win 20)
BET 4pts win GLOBAL CITIZEN
3.15 Wetherby (win 20)
BET 20pts win OLD GUARD
3.35 Ascot (win 50)
BULL’S-EYE BET 10pts win GEORDIE DES CHAMPS
BULL’S-EYE BET 7pts win ADRIEN DU PONT
4.38 Churchill Downs (win 30)
BET 6pts win STORMY LIBERAL
BET 2.75pts win HAVANA GREY
6.04 Churchill Downs (win 50 and win 10)
BULL’S-EYE BET 7pts win EZIYRA
SAVER BET 5pts win WILD ILLUSION
7.36 Churchill Downs (win 20)
BET 5.25pts win GUSTAV KLIMT
8.16 Churchill Downs (win 20)
BET 8pts win ABEL TASMAN
8.56 Churchill Downs (supernap)
BET 20pts win WALDGEIST
9.44 Churchill Downs (win 30)
BET 3pts win and place ROARING LION
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.
