DAQMAN GOES 80 POINTS CLEAR WITH 8-1 CUP WIN: Daqman landed yet another big race yesterday, the Chester Cup with Magic Circle (WON 8-1) and, hey presto, sent his level-stakes profit soaring to more than 80 points in front of Pricewise. The scores are now Daqman 19 wins, Pricewise 6, with the yield from one-point level stakes: +24 Daqman -57 Pricewise.
BIG HANDICAP’S SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS AT 19.0: More Classic trials today but it’s really a punter’s haven, with big handicaps on the Flat and over the sticks, the Victoria Cup and the Swinton Hurdle, with Daqman tipping as high as 19.0. Here are his headlines:
PERFECT FILLY FOR THE OAKS TRIAL
LEARNER ANOTHER BERRY EARNER
‘KEW’ TURNS SCREW FOR O’BRIEN
CAPITAINE CAN STEAL THE SILVER
SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS AT 19.0
PERFECT FILLY FOR THE OAKS TRIAL
1.55 Lingfield (Oaks Trial) You’d think we were still at Chester, with the last four winners of this race drawn 2, 3, 3, 1, which appears not to help Ralph Beckett’s Cecchini, the Kempton mile record holder, out of the 8 stall here.
Beckett usually packs a punch in the fillies’ trials (he’s won this one twice in the decade) but his Cheshire Oaks runner on Thursday was 46 lengths last of 10, so maybe not Cecchini, eh!
John Gosden has also won this twice recently and cheekpieces could help Stream Song, an unruly madam who had to be led part-way to the start before winning at Windsor.
There’s nothing in Flattering’s pedigree to suggest she’s an Oaks filly but she won 10 lengths over 1m 2f in a bog at Cork. Was Flattering flattered?
It all adds up to a possible shock result in this one. Maybe Lady of Shalott, a nicely named Camelot. BETDAQ reapers, reaping early, might want the 9.8 in the orange this morning.
But I shall hope for a late developer in the manner of Enable. Perfect Clarity (10.5 offers) is by the same sire, Nathaniel, who himself made a meteoric rise in his second season from a Haydock maiden to win the King George three months later.
LEARNER ANOTHER BERRY EARNER
2.15 Ascot Humble Hero has been well supported but the one stall is off-putting and he was behind Koeman at Newmarket in the autumn.
From a stable that’s made a spectacular start, Koeman was also backed overnight but is also badly drawn and, on Lingfield form, where he finishes so Fearsome should be.
Thundering Blue has a high stall but will he get the trip? There’s nothing in the pedigree that says he will. Count Calabash will get it but has he got the class?
Fran Berry pulled the rabbit out of the hat when he steered home Magic Circle from a tricky position in the Chester Cup.
He has more than a maybe chance here on Machine Learner (nice draw; stable in form; goes well fresh). Unlucky not to steal a big-field handicap at Leopardstown in the autumn off today’s mark, but an 12.0 offer on BETDAQ early mouse.
Twice a winner on firm ground, Machine Learner was giving 10lb to Great Sound on the soft when fourth in a bunch finish at Newbury last August. There’s a pound between them today.
‘KEW’ TURNS SCREW FOR O’BRIEN
2.30 Lingfield (Derby Trial) Second, fifth, sixth (twice), seventh and eighth. That’s where winners of this have finished in the Derby since 2007. So ‘nearly horses’ all. Not an Epsom winner since High-Rise (1998).
Aidan O’Brien has taken it four times, but only with signposts. And Kew Gardens, behind stablemates Nelson and Saxon Warrior as a juvenile, looks very much one of those but should still be far too good for his field, with a run under his belt.
Won the Zetland in the autumn from a colt placed this Spring in both the Blue Riband and the Chester Vase, so signposts everywhere.
John Gosden won this trial way back, though his inexperienced American-bred Corelli, related to a St Leger winner, is not well drawn (stalls 1 to 5 are eight out of 10).
Thrave has been working well at home with older horses but both class and trip here are described as ‘experimental’ by trainer Henry Candy.
CAPITAINE CAN STEAL THE SILVER
3.10 Haydock (Swinton Hurdle) Evan Williams has won this three times in five years, last season via John Constable, who is back for more off a 22lb higher mark, which does not look justified, despite his second to the Champion Hurdler in a Listed at Sandown in February.
But the Constable’s 11st 12lb creates a big pull for grey stablemate Silver Streak, a 7.6 BETDAQ offer, saved up for this and racing off a featherweight after a Grade-3 second at Ascot in a big field around Christmas time.
In fact, it looks a battle of the bottom weights, the question being, who among Capitaine, Forth Bridge, Lord Napier, Havana Beat, William H Bonney (had a wind op), Ashkoul and Act of Valour will act on the firmish ground.
Paul Nicholls may know the answer. Act of Valour is here after missing the cut in the Chester Cup so this is an afterthought, whereas stablemate Capitaine has been laid out for this, needing a sound surface. I took 9.4.
SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS AT 19.0
4.00 Ascot (Victoria Cup) Jamie Spencer, master finisher in big fields, has a hard task today with my usual suspect, Keyser Soze, the 5.8 favourite on BETDAQ tchis morning.
Having cost me the Newbury Spring Cup at 25-1 (that’s personal, Spenny!) by striking the front too soon, he now has to manoeuvre from stall 7, last done in this race by a 3lb claimer (that’s really personal, Spenny!).
To be fair the winner that day in 2011 was Hawkeyethenoo, who needed neither claimer nor Spencer but could look after himself.
Since then, with one exception, stalls 13, 18, 23, 25 and 29 have won as the high end has dominated.
Tony Curtis (27) has his ground now after leading two out on the soft in that Spring Cup. I took 19.0, so success would be sweet
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.55 Lingfield (win 30)
BET 3pts win and place PERFECT CLARITY
BET 4pts win (stakes saver) FLATTERING
2.15 Ascot (win 30)
BET 2.75pts win and place MACHINE LEARNER
2.30 Lingfield (SP)
SUPERNAP: 20pts win KEW GARDENS
3.10 Haydock (win 30)
BET 4.5pts win SILVER STREAK
BET 3.5pts win CAPITAINE
3.40 Lingfield (win 20)
BET 6.5pts win ONE MASTER
4.00 Ascot (win 30)
BET 6.25pts win KEYSER SOZE
BET 1.6pts win and place TONY CURTIS
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