BACK-TO-BACK BEST BETS: Yesterday’s winners landed him a 9-1 treble and made a profit on the day of 37 points. His nap (STORM THE STARS WON 3/1) was back-to-back with Thursday’s best bet, Yorkidding (banker, WON 4-5). Friday’s four were:
WON 16-1 Czech It Out
WON 3-1 Storm The Stars
WON 5-6 Endless Time
WON 4-11 Nelspruit
DIAMOND BANKER IN IRISH 2,000 GUINEAS: Today is 2,000 Guineas day at The Curragh in which Daqman resumes his challenge to Pricewise of the Racing Post, with the score this season 31-6 to Daqman. He stakes 40 points on a diamond banker and bets a 21.0 shot for a place bet. Daqman and Pricewise also clash in the 2.00 Haydock.
21.0 TOMBELAINE GUINEAS VALUE ON BETDAQ
3.20 The Curragh (Irish 2,000 Guineas) Here’s my order-in for this afternoon’s Irish 2,000 Guineas, in which I try for a banker and a place bet.
1 GLENEAGLES (diamond banker) Colt of the year so far, rated 122 to Golden Horn’s 118, and could yet meet the English prince in one of the Derbys at Epsom and The Curragh.
Gleneagles sister was an Irish 1,000 Guineas winner and, on breeding, he looks a 10-furlong horse at best, but that’s what they thought Golden Horn was before the Dante.
There’s no such thing as a formality in racing – unless a freak like Frankel comes along – and you could argue that, on a line through Territories (Newmarket 2,000 runner-up) and Karar, Gleneagles is only as good as French 2,000 winner, Make Believe.
And the direction the colts are currently taking suggests that it’s much more likely that the big head-to-head will be Gleneagles v Make Believe in something like the St James’ Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot and then the Eclipse at Sandown.
Sandown could appeal to Golden Horn’s connections – were they right about his trip all along? – if they feel that the English-Irish Derby double isn’t an option.
The debate should be fuelled by Gleaneagles today. The only worry was how warm he got beforehand at Newmarket, but that may just be his way. I can’t oppose him: he showed a Classic turn of foot, literally.
2 TOMBELAINE (21.0 on BETDAQ early mouse, as low as 12-1 with bookmakers): Was beaten by all three of the Ballydoyle top two-year-olds of 2014: Gleneagles, Ol’ Man River and John F Kennedy.
But, while two of those three have gone backwards, Tombelaine came out in the Tetrarch (heavy going) and beat Endless Drama, who had run up to Tombelaine’s Dermot Weld stablemate and leading Derby hope, Zawraq, in the Leopardstown 2,000 Guineas Trial.
The progeny of Tombelaine’s American sire have a fantastic record of 33-40% strike rate on all surfaces. His daughter, Close Hatches, won three straight Grade-1s at around a mile on fast ground.
Endless Drama will appreciate the better surface but his sire has much the best record with sprinters (21%); he is half-brother to a sprinter and his dam was a sprinter. That’s sprinter, sprinter, sprinter! No wonder he was overhauled by Tombelaine in the Tetrarch.
Tombelaine was well held by Gleneagles last summer but, while others, including those Ballydoyle flops, have failed to train on, Tombelaine is clearly this year’s horse.
Ivawood was much further behind Gleneagles at Newmarket and I can’t see him getting any close on the winner’s home ground. The English 2,000 was a sprint won by a miler.
Belardo will appreciate the drying surface but a horse wearing a hood in a classic? Not for me, thank you.
3 SMUGGLER’S COVE, 4 IVAWOOD For third, I shall take something that will be staying on through the tired horses. Ivawood and Endless Drama may just be run out of it by those with stamina in the pedigree. Smuggler’s Cove and Convergence have that.
On a line through War Envoy, Convergence is behind the top class but Smugglers’ Cove didn’t like the ground at Chester and ‘could do better’ (though that is on the Spring-term report of so many Ballydoyle three-year-olds this season).
GOODWOOD: THE CORSICAN IS ON THE WAY UP
1.45 Goodwood Grandeur is a CD Listed winner but, though twice in front of Educate, has finished behind both Clon Brulee and Lamar in two of his last four starts. And there are two big improvers in this.
The Corsican went up 19lb last summer, including success over CD, and is expected to take Group status this season.
The lightly raced Remote is already a Group-3 winner – at Royal Ascot – and we have to trust John Gosden that he’s got him back after a long absence. We usually can but I make The Corsican first choice.
2.55 Goodwood Rich man, poor man .. John Le Carre fans will want to be on Percy Alleline at 20.0 and they could be right for a place at least.
His chance in the handicap is suggested by two things: he’s 9lb better for a neck over this CD with Popeswood, and he’s a well-drawn front-runner, who should like this course.
CD winner King To Be flopped at York. Muffri’ha made all at Chester, which augurs well here, and both Mullionheir and My Dream Boat have won in the last two weeks. Like Mullionheir, speedy Felix Leiter tries an extra furlong.
But I think top-weight Mister Universe will take some catching, with Mark Johnston a Goodwood lover, and in the form of his life: 9 wins from 15. Mark also saddles Enlace (16.0), so we must have a saver.
G FORCE CAN TAKE TEMPLE STAKES AT HAYDOCK
2.00 Haydock Nearly Caught (6.0 on BETDAQ) is 9lb better for the two lengths Noble Silk (offers of 12.0) beat him in this race last year.
But Noble Silk’s trainer, Lucy Wadham is in terrific form (three wins from last four starters) and the pair could fight it out again.
2.35 Haydock (Silver Bowl) Moonlight Navigator, Mutarakez, and Mutasayyid have all three won over a mile in this grade recently.
Salateen will probably lead and may be a trade, if you take the 9.6 on BETDAQ this morning. But Mutarakez beat a fair bunch of winners at Sandown.
3.10 Haydock (Cecil Frail Stakes) Only the Karl Burke grey Explosive Lady represents the Classic generation, who are five from eight in this. She won first time, keeping good company as a juvenile, and the stable is having a good year: 13.5 on BETDAQ, as I write.
The ground is drying out against Aetna, Al Thankhira, Lastuce and Lulu The Zulu, and Gathering Power may do best of the exposed animals.
3.45 Haydock (Temple Stakes) Hot Streak, G Force, Justice Day and Kingsgate Native are returning to the scene of some of their greatest victories.
The drying surface doesn’t help last year’s winner Hot Streak or Justice Day, and I think the 8.4 G Force was big in the BETDAQ orange this morning.
G Force won his maiden and a Group 1 in the same season last year, only five months apart, such was his improvement. His usual work horse, Out Do, has already won twice this Spring.
Goldream has a big chance on his Palace House form and Danzeno is an improver, but I take G Force to win from Hot Streak.
DAQMAN’S BETS (all staked to win 20pts except the banker)
BET 2.8pts win THE CORSICAN and 1.6pts win (stakes saver) REMOTE (1.45 Goodwood)
BET 5pts win NEARLY CAUGHT and 1.8pts win NOBLE SILK (2.00 Haydock)
BET 5.5pts win MUTARAKEZ (2.35 Haydock)
BET 4pts win MISTER UNIVERSE, and 1.3pts win and place ENLACE (2.55 Goodwood)
BET 1.6pts win and place EXPLOSIVE LADY (3.10 Haydock)
DIAMOND BANKER: BET 40pts win GLENEAGLES, and (to win 20) 1pt win, 6pts place TOMBELAINE (3.20 The Curragh)
BET 2.7pts win G FORCE (3.45 Haydock)
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