ENABLE FOR KING GEORGE GOLD: Daqman declared himself for a gold banker Enable as soon as she joined the King George field for today. Was he premature? Rain and the stats of his ABC guide (see yesterday’s column) suggest that it won’t be easy. Daqman today takes both a whimsical view and makes a value BETDAQ verdict, which brings in a 38.0 outsider.
4-RACE PRICEWISE CHALLENGE: Daqman v Pricewise 1.50, 2.25 and 3.35 Ascot and the 3.15 at York. Current scores Daqman 54, Pricewise 10. Daqman is 231 points in front of Pricewise to a single-unit level stake. DAQMAN bids for his fourth nap of the week today following on from Nobleman’s Nest (nap) WON 5/4 at Newmarket on Friday.
DETTORI’S RIDE OF THE CENTURY
3.35 Ascot (King George V1 and Queen Elizabeth Stakes)
After my ABC form and stats guide yesterday (see Daqman Archive), and on the grounds that you’ve read so many Press opinions that you’re up to here with them, here’s a different version of events this afternoon:
Oh brother, where art thou? Well, they’re right here together to bring that filly favourite down in the King George at Ascot this afternoon: Highland Reel (Galileo – Hveger by Danehill) and Idaho (Galileo – Hveger by Danehill). It’s world’s-best trainer Aidan O’Brien with his twin attack on Enable.
Longest way round is the shortest way home. That’s James Joyce with a perfect bit of Irish in his memorably unreadable book, Ulysses. Maybe he was anticipating Frankie Dettori’s problem: should he lie up on Enable in this tactical race, with ground hard to make up on the soft surface.
It’s been a long way home for Frankie, recovering from a shoulder injury. A sensational success for Enable would cap his season, his century, perhaps even his riding career.
199 First-class centuries Jack Hobbs, the batsman, couldn’t quite make it to the double century. Jack Hobbs, the racehorse, was also an equine one short when second twice to Golden Horn in 2015. Can he carry his bat for two seasons and hit them all for one final six?
Sixties Song Hidden horse of the race, as champion in S America, where the form could mean anything and nothing. He might be tracking Enable; then suddenly he’s trapped on the rails (We Gotta Get Outa This Place (No 84 in the NME charts Sixties charts); but a furlong later She‘s Not There (No 88).
RAIN MEANS THE BOAT COMES IN
DAQMAN’S KING GEORGE VERDICT: I moved all in on Enable, bold for a banker, playing up my 25-1 Oaks winnings, as soon as it was announced earlier this week that she would run.
The rains came. They said her Oaks double would take its toll. But the rains affect the then favourite, last year’s winner, Highland Reel, much more. And he’s had his own epic duo of battles at Epsom and Royal Ascot.
While Highland Reel dug deep as a ferret in a fox hole for his double, Enable went five and more lengths clear of each field and has raced just five times in her life.
Four-year-olds do best in this kingmaker. But Idaho, too, has won only on firm ground. Ulysses has thus far been best at 1m 2f and only recently hung on by a nose-hair to beat Barney Roy in the Eclipse.
When the rain is falling on a race of champions, there can be a turn-up. Something gets at least a place out of the blue, or perhaps we should say out of the clouds that are spread over normal form.
That one could be My Dream Boat, soft-ground lover who last year stopped Found from doing her fandango. Clive Cox is bullish about her today despite a dip in her form since that day at Royal Ascot last year.
BETDAQ BOUNTY: You have an incredible 104% orange this morning on BETDAQ (the total SP for this race has been 115-116% in the last two years).
You can get a point over the top Highland Reel, and the same if not more, should you think Sir Michael Stoute can do more of his older-horse improvement magic on Ulysses, though too much rain would spoil his chances.
My Dream Boat? Well, there’s an incredible 17 points over and above what some bookies are offering, so nearly double the odds at 38.0.
PEALER PICK OF THE DERBY PAIR
1.50 Ascot (Princess Margaret Stakes) Favourites are going for five wins in six years in the form of Nyaleti, though Dance Diva was breathing down her equine neck this morning on BETDAQ (104% orange) and Maysons have a big record with cut in the ground.
There are two from Royal Ascot. Nyaleti was runner-up in the Chesham, so stays further and is bred from a soft-ground sire. Neola was fifth in the Queen Mary, which is still waiting for a form boost.
2.25 Ascot Pealer (9.4 in a BETDAQ 104% orange) won unchallenged either side of a crack at he Epsom Derby and is my danger to D’bai (8.8), who ran well enough for this in the French Derby. Loves the soft and has first-time blinkers.
2.40 York (Dash) In results of this race since 2010 and in the CD successes of Nameitwhatyoulike and Al Qahwa, I can’t find any big-field winners in stalls higher than 12 and, from eight races, six came from 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8.
We have the front-runner Flying Pursuit in stall one, who would normally tow the the low numbers. But, in fact, he couldn’t get near the leaders here at York on the soft when Al Qahwa held off Muntadab when both were drawn low at the Dante meting.
Al Qahqwa now has gate 2 while Mundatab is out in 13. Yet Muntadab is 8.0 on BETDAQ t his morning, Al Qahwa 13.0.
64.0 BUT HAS SOFT-GROUND STAMP
3.00 Ascot (International Stakes) Winners in the last eight years include a 40-1 shot, two at 33-1 and one at 25-1 until a favourite rescued punters last season.
All winners in the decade were aged four or five, with only one carrying more than 9st 1lb. and only one below 8st 6lb. This suggests that 10 horses in the middle of the card are favoured, though it’s pure guesswork which side is best in the split.
Remarkable and Johnny Barnes have obvious chances for John Gosden, while Fastnet Tempest (high numbers) along with Fawaareq and Makzeem (low) fit the stats and have won on soft,.
Makzeem (7.2 BETDAQ) has to race off 7lb higher in future and is the selection, with the outsider, Stamp Hill (64.0), blinkered first time and the more rain the better,.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked as stated to win at BETDAQ offers, except King George SP)
1.50 Ascot
BET (to win 20) 9pts win NYALETI
2.25 Ascot
BET (to win 30) 3.5pts win PEALER
BET (to win 20) 2.5pts win D’BAI
2.40 York
BET (to win 30) 2.5pts win and place AL QAHWA
3.00 Ascot
BET (to win 30) 5pts win and place MAKZEEM
BET (to win 50) 1pt win and place STAMP HILL
3.15 York
BET (to win 30) 6.5pts win HATHAL
3.35 Ascot
GOLD BANKER: BET 30pts win (nap) ENABLE
BET 1pt win and place MY DREAM BOAT
4.10 Ascot
BET (to win 20) 10pts win TIGRE DU TERRE
5.20 Ascot
BET (to win 20) 1.25pts win and place BARWICK
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