BIG RACES WITH BIG BETDAQ OFFERS: Newcastle’s Northumberland Vase and Plate, with BETDAQ-value bets at 7.9, 9.4 and 13.5, plus the Pretty Polly at the Curragh and a nap tonight at Lingfield. That’s how Daqman butters his bread for a seven-hour Saturday. The headlines:

HADRIANUS HAS TOUCH OF CLASS
HAGGAS GIVES IT GREENE FOR GO
FORTUNE COOKIES’ CURVED BALL
APPLEBY STARS FOR 2YO DOUBLE

IRISH DERBY TOMORROW: Irish Derby Day at the Curragh with Daqman bidding for eight Classics in a row, overall 33-16 in front of arch-rival Pricewise.


HADRIANUS HAS TOUCH OF CLASS

⭕ 1.30 Newcastle (Northumberland Vase, 2m+) The Vase is not much of a guide to the Plate which follows, though it’s same course same trip.

Blow Your Horn has done well since third in the Vase in 2021, but won the Pontefract Cup only six days ago and is penalised.

Appier has twice beaten Citizen General but he, too, now has to shrug off a penalty.

Along with Mostly Sunny, Thermoscope and Legendary Day, I am talking course winners all the way so far.

Mostly Sunny has tried several times but cannot win above class 4, while Thermoscope is stuck in the groove of class 5 and Legendary Day needs to drop a few pounds.

But something similar applies to Appier, Blow Your Horn and Citizen General; in other words this is a class-4 handicap posing as class 2.

Maybe Hadrianus can show his class in this company, after being placed in the Blue Riband at Epsom, the Chester Vase and the Derby trial at Goodwood.

Instead of stepping down in grade for his first attempt at a trip (1m 6f), he went into Group 2 company at Royal Ascot, well beaten in the Queens Vase behind Gregory.

BETDAQ value 7.9 Hadrianus


HAGGAS GIVES IT GREENE FOR GO

⭕ 2.05 Newcastle (Northumberland Plate, 2m+) Since checking out the facts and stats in an earlier piece about the top seven in the betting, Nathanael Greene has moved into market contention.

He is stepping up in trip here, cheekpieces back on, but has won at Haydock over 1m 6f (soft) and we have the line that he was giving 8lb to Post Impressionist when, favourite, beaten four lengths at York last October.

He’s now getting 7lb, though Post Impressionist hasn’t raced since and William Haggas’ Nathaniel four-year-old hasn’t placed since!

As I said, discussing the Vase, the winner of that race – Zoffee last year – hasn’t followed up in this but Zoffee must come into it as fourth in the Cesarewitch, second in the Chester Cup, and sixth in the Ascot Stakes yet, supposedly, has always had today as his main target.

Stablemate Rajinsky has been in the frame in the last two Northumberland Plates but that’s just it, both seem to place without winning.

Golden Rules was fourth in that Ascot race last year and fired immediately when changing stables and dropping to 2m on AW.

I’ve been a Mark Prescott fan for many years but would he tell his granny, or even Alastair Down, whether Omniscient is ready to score after 270 days off?

Sir Mark had a winner at Doncaster yesterday, and Omniscient is half-brother to a Queens Vase winner, Dashing Willoughby.

Calling The Wind has been in the frame in long-distance feature races – Cesarewitch, November Handicap, and Queen Alexandra (twice) – but has won only once in three years.

Betdaq Betting Exchange 9.4 Nathanael Greene. 13.5 Omniscient


FORTUNE COOKIES’ CURVED BALL

⭕ 3.25 The Curragh (Pretty Polly Stakes) Our FORTUNE COOKIE in this is Above The Curve. I mean by name (a ‘trailblazer’) and by nature (‘above average’).

Officially she is 3lb behind Via Sistina, but the soft-ground Newmarket winner in early May hasn’t been seen since. There’s no rain about but the runner-up that day, Al Husn, put Nashwa in her place last night.

The link is that Above The Curve, who won the Saint-Alary last Spring and the Blandford in September (from Insinuendo), turned over odds-on Nashwa in May.

Never Ending Story has been beaten by the best – but beaten she’s been, four times out of five – behind Tahiyra in the Moyglare and, this year, trounced in the French 1,000 Guineas and Oaks by Blue Rose Cen.


APPLEBY STARS FOR 2YO DOUBLE

⭕ 12.40 and 2.25 Newmarket Charlie Appleby has had a quiet year so far after his 2022 Classic haul, but he is quietly getting on pretty well (43% strike rate) with his ever-recurring project: a two-year-old team with next year’s Classics in mind.

Star of Mystery (12.40 at BETDAQ 2.32), who ran 11 lengths clear at Haydock the last day, and Race The Wind (2.25 at 4.7) are entered up in the Moyglare Stakes.

7.45 Lingfield James Fanshawe, who landed a double at Doncaster yesterday, has struck a seam of winning form (would that the England bowlers could find the seam!) and Song Of Success, at BETDAQ 6.4, drops two grades, down a furlong to dash for the line at Lingfield.

DAQMAN’S BETS

12.40 Newmarket (win 10)
BET 7pts win STAR OF MYSTERY

1.30 Newcastle (win-50 bull’s-eye bet)
BET 7pts win HADRIANUS

2.05 Newcastle (each to win 30)
BET 3.5pts win NATHANAEL GREENE
BET 2.4pts win OMNISCIENT

2.25 Newmarket (win 10)
BET 2.75pts win RACE THE WIND

3.25 The Curragh
FORTUNE COOKIE
BET 20pts win ABOVE THE CURVE

7.45 Lingfield (win 30 nap)
BET 5.5pts win SONG OF SUCCESS


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DAQMAN: Christmas Briefing
THE STRIKER: Boxing Day Thursday Preview
THE EDGE Thurs: Australia v India 4th Test
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