DAQMAN HAILS BETDAQ CHAMPION WITH BIG-RACE SUPERNAP: What better way to celebrate the BETDAQ Punchestown Champion Hurdle than with a supernap on the winner by BETDAQ champion tipster, Daqman. Winners of eight champion hurdles took part but Buveur d’Air burst from the pack, potentially setting up a revenge mission next season against the newly-crowned Cheltenham title holder, Espoir D’Allen, trained by BETDAQ ambassador Gavin Cromwell.
HE HITS STEEL-TRAP DOUBLE AND GOES 11-5 UP ON PRICEWISE: Daqman’s results in consecutive races were 13321 and he doubled Buveur d’Air with Real Steel, who put up a fine round of jumping in the race won last year by Wednesday’s Gold Cup winner Kemboy. Daqman’s winners, which put him 11-5 up on Pricewise of the Racing Post, were:
WON 5-2 REAL STEEL (doubled with the supernap)
WON 2-1 BUVEUR D’AIR (BETDAQ Champion Hurdle supernap).
NOW FOR A 2,000 GUINEAS TON-UP BET AT 28.0 BETDAQ OFFERS: Aidan O’Brien could win the 2,000 Guineas today but you have to bet odds on to land the winner from his two hot-shots. So Daqman tries for a shock result from a 28.0 BETDAQ offer to win 100 and a place to earn 20.
GET A 28.0 KICK OUT OF THE GUINEAS
VOTE ELECTOR FOR MAESTRO STOUTE
JUDICIAL REVIEW OF THE 2018 RACE
NOW CORONET CAN WEAR THE CROWN
BORODIN FOR STEPPE UP IN THE CUP
GET A 28.0 KICK OUT OF THE GUINEAS
3.35 Newmarket (2,000 Guineas) The stats for this first Classic concern only the success of previous winning stables and jockeys, and of quality in the horse (with 10 out of 12 previous Group winners).
TRAINERS: Aidan O’Brien 9, John Gosden, Mark Johnston, Saeed Bin Suroor, Richard Hannon and Hugo Palmer 1 each
JOCKEYS: Frankie Dettori 3, Ryan Moore 2, Donnacha O’Brien 1
GROUP WINNERS: Advertise, Madhmoon, Magna Grecia, Royal Marine, Skardu, Ten Sovereigns.
1️⃣ Kick On (rated 107) Officially nearly a stone to find on the favourite but is the John Gosden hope instead of Too Darn Hot (injured) and Calyx (switched to the Commonwealth Cup Trial). Does that make him deputy Deputy Dawg or was he always the stable’s ‘hidden horse’ waiting to emerge?
Not fashionably bred for a Classic but mile winner as a juvenile and quickened well, though still looked green, in taking the Fielden (1m 1f) from the front here at Newmarket on his reappearance.
Can he make up a three-and-a-quarter lengths Futurity deficit on Magna Grecia? When the penny dropped in the last furlong, he was going on well at the finish.
The third colt home, Western Australia, beaten a length, was nearly 12 lengths behind Kick On in the Fielden, suggesting that there might be a Messi kick (back of the net!) to come from the godsend colt, who is owned by the 2,000 Guineas sponsors.
Not quite the finished article, and target is the French Guineas, but a place today will do nicely at 6.6 on BETDAQ this morning to pay for ‘un plunge’ in France.
2️⃣ Ten Sovereigns (120) Described by Aidan O’Brien in the autumn as ‘a very fast horse with a lot of speed’, with the trainer qualifying a Press question about the Guineas with ‘if he gets a mile.’
That, and his Middle Park victory, suggests he should be taking on Calyx in the Commonwealth Cup not chasing rainbows in the Guineas. But preferred over Magna Grecia by Ryan Moore, who gets it right with multiple O’Brien Classic contestants around 60% of the time.
3️⃣ Madhmoon (115) Son of Dawn Approach, back-to-back sound surface wins in the autumn, easily bagging juvenile champions race at Leopardstown from Broome, who then trotted up in the Ballysax.
The trainer says he wasn’t fully fit, and was on the wrong ground (soft), when beaten by a seeming Ballydoyle lesser light in the Leopardstown 2,000 Guineas Trial.
4️⃣ Magna Grecia (113) Narrow winner of the Futurity (ex-Racing Post Trophy) at Doncaster after being pipped over today’s CD by the French ace Persian King.
Maybe the draw helped Ryan Moore decide against him. Very wide berth in 17 – so needs to be a Gleneagles or Sea The Stars – but stamina should come into play in the dip.
5️⃣ Advertise (119) Consistent at the top as a juvenile, runner-up to Calyx in the Coventry before July Stakes and Phoenix Stakes winning double. But easily dismissed by Too Darn Hot in the Dewhurst.
Al Hilalee (notional 112) Has a stamina-packed pedigree (Dubawi out of a Derby winner’s daughter). Courageous 1m Deauville win as a two-year-old.
Great Scot (111) Just failed to catch Al Hilalee at Deauville. Greenham runner-up, having been little more than a length off Magna Grecia in the Futurity. Draw (12) should actually be helpful to this staying sort.
Royal Marine (113) Double-figure draw not helpful and introduction of a hood off-putting. But form reads well: beat Broome a neck in the top French two-year-old trial, the Lagardere at Longchamp. Too keen, then hampered late on, fourth to Skardu in the Craven Stakes.
Shine So Bright Silvestre De Sousa made it an astonishing 8-10 when riding for Andrew Balding this year, as he took the Free Handicap from the front on this Oasis Dream grey, whose dam is daughter of a Derby winner. But the runner-up was last of eight to Ten Sovereigns in the Middle Park.
Skardu (109) Skardu is rated 4lb inferior to Royal Marine (fourth), despite beating that one in the Craven Stakes.
Set Piece (104) Craven Stakes third who wears a tongue-tie for the first time today.
VERDICT: Oisin Murphy hasn’t got a bad record for John Gosden! He won six Group races on Roaring Lion last season, including the British Champions Mile. Now he can write his name into the Classic records on the colt he steered to an all-the-way win in the Feilden Stakes (1m 1f) on today’s track.
Inevitably the Ballydoyle colts are feared but the one, Ten Sovereigns, has raced like a sprinter, and the other, Magna Grecia, is rejected by Ryan Moore, possibly on account of his being drawn in another county.
Madhmoon, son of a Guineas winner, out of a Guineas winner’s daughter, looked very good over a mile on top of the ground last year, and hopefully his reappearance defeat on the soft was because of the ground and his needing the run.
However you decide – either the doubtful stayers win through on class or get stuffed out of the dip – BETDAQ is the place to be for value.
I put a leg in both camps, taking 28.0 (win 50) and 6.6 (place win 20) Kick On from the BETDAQ orange, and another win-20 Ten Sovereigns to score at 5.3.
VOTE ELECTOR FOR MAESTRO STOUTE
1.50 Newmarket Power of Darkness uncharacteristically dwelt over a mile at the Craven meeting but came through as if this extra furlong was needed. Wind ops since.
Al Muffruh was impressive first time out last year, then muffed his lines! Gelded since (that’ll larn him).
Elector was a first-time winner as a youngster and that master improver of older horses Sir Michael Stoute has booked Joe Fanning, who is currently leading England jockey with 56 winners.
Elector has had wind surgery and he, too, was gelded before he was put away for the winter. I saw 7.6 in BETDAQ offers, with Power Of Darkness handy at 4.7 for a saver.
JUDICIAL REVIEW OF THE 2018 RACE
2.20 Newmarket (Palace House Stakes) Mabs Cross, who would go on to win the Abbaye at the end of the season, bids for back-to-back wins in this sprint, last achieved by Sole Power (2013-14).
A 7lb penalty lofts her to 9st 10lb, which makes her 7lb worse off with the neck second a year ago, Judicial.
Judicial, who goes well fresh, is with Michael Dods, who struck form with three wins from six starters in a spell this week, two of them sprinters.
Sergei Prokofiev won the Cornwallis over today’s CD in October, and prepped for this with a head success in a Listed at Navan at the end of March. A three-year-old last won the Palace House 10 years ago (Amour Propre).
Judicial looked big with BETDAQ at 10.5 early mouse, with Sergei Prokofiev the obvious saver at 2.86.
NOW CORONET CAN WEAR THE CROWN
2.55 Newmarket (Jockey Club Stakes) Coronet stepped out of the shadows of four consecutive defeats by stablemate Enable and, as well as winning two Group-2 contests, was placed in the King George. Her form on debut and after a break is 1312.
Coronet did particularly well at York and maybe the Dante meeting is a target again, but Young Rascal, who won the Vase, is clearly missing Chester this time around to try for today’s prize.
Defoe and the six-year-old Red Verdon were the one-two in this race last year. Red Verdon’s had his win this term already and it would be unusual for younger horses to succumb to one of his age here.
In fact, four-year-olds usually win it, so Young Rascal is a formidable foe for Coronet (BETDAQ 2.96 this morning). She is rated a pound behind him but her 3lb sex allowance could swing it, and Rascal was disappointing when favourite at Newbury on the last day.
BORODIN FOR STEPPE UP IN THE CUP
3.10 Punchestown This 3m 7f chase is the Grand National of the meeting. Last year’s winner, Wounded Warrior, has not shown the same form with his new stable.
A 5.8 offer on BETDAQ, Minella Awards wears cheekpieces first time for Harry Fry, who won the race three years ago, but the winner of the Munster National is tempting: Spider Web at 14.0.
3.15 Goodwood Is there a coincidence double here: Kick On in the Guineas with Kick On Kick On in this. Watch your bets!
4.15 Thirsk (Hunt Cup) Borodin (drawn 15) continued last year’s progress with third in the Newbury Spring Mile and, taking the one stall to give me hope on the other side of the track, Waarif would just about win it on his York second in October. I took 5.1 and 9.0 respectively.
DAQMAN’S BETS
➡️ VALUE NOTE: The BETDAQ orange was pure gold this morning with overrounds in the seven races at Newmarket of only 103, 106, 101, 105, 106, 103 and 106%. Compare with Punchestown Total SPs yesterday of 116, 125, 131, 114, 124, 122, 120, 137%.
1.50 Newmarket (win 30, win 20)
BET 4.4pts win ELECTOR
BET 5.5pts win POWER OF DARKNESS
3.10 Punchestown (win 50, win 20)
BULL’S-EYE BET: 3.75pts win SPIDER WEB
BET 4pts win MINELLA AWARDS
3.35 Newmarket (win 100, win 20, win 20)
BET 3.75pts win KICK ON
BET 3.5pts place KICK ON
BET 4.5pts win TEN SOVEREIGNS
2.20 Newmarket (win 30, win 20)
BET 3pts win JUDICIAL
BET4pts win SERGEI PROKOFIEV
2.55 Newmarket (supernap)
BET 20pts win CORONET
4.15 Thirsk (win 20)
BET 5pts win BORODIN
BET 2.5pts win WAARIF
EARLY BIRDS
2,000 GUINEAS ORDER IN: Ten Sovereigns, Madhmoon, Kick On and Set Piece
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