IT’S DAQMAN 8, PRICEWISE 0 AT ROYAL ASCOT: Daqman is 8-0 up on Pricewise for returns at Royal Ascot this week (43-8 overall this Flat season and 196 points clear) but he is still hoping for his usual big hit, after a heartbreak series of places at 12-1, 16-1 (twice) and 20-1 (twice), including 23.0 and 30.0 BETDAQ offers:
WON 5-1 HEARTACHE (Wednesday)
WON 4-1 THOMAS HOBSON (Tuesday)
WON 5-2 BARNEY ROY (Tuesday)
WON 5-2 QEMAH (Wednesday)
WON 11-10 RIBCHESTER (Tuesday)
WON 5-6 CARAVAGGIO (gold banker, Friday)
WON 4-6 WINTER (multiples, Friday)
4th 20-1 BALLET CONCERTO (win and place, Wednesday)
3rd 20-1 TAKE ME WITH YOU (win and place Friday)
2nd 16-1 BLAIR HOUSE (win and place, 23.0 BETDAQ, Wednesday
2nd 16-1 RONALD R (win and place, 30.0 BETDAQ, Thursday)
3rd 12-1 DEAUVILLE (win and place, Tuesday)
3rd 8-1 CARDSHARP (win and place, 15.0 BETDAQ, Thursday)
* Today’s Pricewise challenge: 2.30, 3.40, 4.20 and 5.00
ANOTHER BANKER BID FOR THE FINAL DAY: After the sensational Caravaggio (WON 5-6) as a gold banker yesterday, Daqman today goes all in on Limato in the Diamond Jubilee. He has a 6.0 ante-post BETDAQ bet on the royal runner, Dartmouth. And he keeps up his big-odds attack with bets at 23.0, 24.0, 30.0, 31.0 and 34.0.
MASAR TO MUFFLE SEPTEMBER SONG
2.30 Royal Ascot (Chesham Stakes)
STATS: You don’t expect to take anything out of a Listed two-year-old race but Aidan O’Brien has changed all that in the last three seasons, finishing placed with two subsequent top juveniles, Ballydoyle and Dick Whittington, and then last year springing Churchill upon us.
He had given us fair warning that he might farm this race when he saddled five-time winner, Maybe, to score in 2011. So two of his winners have been fillies, like September today.
Draw: Stalls 7 (once) and 8 (three times) have won four of the last five, and have been in first or second seven years out of the last eight.
ANALYSIS: Showers forecast for this morning could make the surface slippery but surely not soft enough to spoil the chances of Gold Town (stall 7), who has form with three of the first four in the Coventry, or boost the prospects of We Are The World (in 8), who is from a soft-ground family.
September is a daughter of the Irish Oaks heroine, Peeping Fawn. She was a rare first-time winner for the yard little more than two weeks ago in a performance described as ‘exciting’ by racereaders.
Frankel’s son, Westerland, half-brother to a Gimcrack winner, and Godolphin’s well-related Masar, should also figure from the front of the market but be warned that there have been winners at 10-1, 14-1, 16-1 and 22-1 since 2009.
VERDICT: Gold Town drifted like a lonely dog on a raft this morning, right over my betting weir (31.0 BETDAQ offers) for one with such obvious form chances.
It leaves his superbly-bred stablemate Masar (7.0) as the only perceived threat to September. I’ll put both in my Daq Multiples.
23.0 AND 34.0 BETDAQ MAVERICK BETS
3.05 Royal Ascot (Wolferton Handicap)
STATS: Age: Four-year-olds are 8 out of 10. Trainer: John Gosden’s form figures in this are 110010. Jockeys: Ryan Moore 2, William Buick 2 in the decade.
Ratings: Muntazah’s rating is close to that of three of the last four winners, and he has cheekpieces first time.
BETS BEWARE: Scarlet Dragon and Dragon Mail
ANALYSIS Maverick Wave and Pacify, who both ran below expectations in this race last June, have waited all year to put things right. A 34.0 BETDAQ offer this morning, Maverick Wave (Gosden) is 7lb lower and entered in the King George, seemingly as a pacemaker for Enable.
Maverick Wave, Elbereth and Khairaat have all front-run recently and, despite the weight, I can see Scarlet Dragon (23.0) mounting a challenge in the last quarter-mile.
I’ve followed Elbereth (another pacemaker at home) and I’ve followed Sir Michael Stoute (Khairaat) to the poor house this week, so I’ll try the big outsiders, Scarlet Dragon and Maverick Wave, who looks a social runner here until you see Gosden’s record in the race.
FOUR-YEAR-OLDS HAVE WINGS..
3.40 Royal Ascot (Hardwicke Stakes)
STATS: Age: Four-year-olds have won the last nine. Trainer: Sir Michael Stoute’s form in this in the decade is 1301010111. He goes for a four-timer with his last year’s winner, Dartmouth.
TURNKEY FORM: Aidan O’Brien’s two winners had both scored in Group 3 but Idaho won the Great Voltigeur (Group 2) at York last August.
John Gosden took it with a Group-2 winner in 2009 and here has the 2016 winner of the Dante (good to firm), Wings Of Desire, not seen since he failed last August to repeat his York success when saddled for the International. Snow Sky (2015) had also won his previous race at York.
ANALYSIS Across The Stars and Dartmouth (both on soft), Idaho and Prize Money (both on good), and Wings Of Desire (firm) are the only Group-2 winners. Dal Harraild is the improver of the race.
VERDICT: This column is on Dartmouth at 6.0 to win 50 points and, since he’s 3.3 this morning in a 104% overround BETDAQ orange, we have some overs to play with.
It has to be a four-year-old and that means Wings Of desire (8.4), who finished just in front of Dartmouth when they were second and third in last year’s King George, won by Highland Reel. We’ll no doubt see all three here again in July.
BETDAQ 24.0 REALLY LONG ON VALUE
4.20 Royal Ascot (Diamond Jubilee Stakes)
STATS: Age: Four-year-olds 4, Five-year-olds 2 in seven seasons. Draw: Six of the last eight winners were within four of either extreme.
TURNKEY FORM: All winners had won or been placed in Group-level sprints. Five of the last six had just one or two starts this year.
ANALYSIS: Tasleet, Magical Memory and The Right Man would come into this if rain has gotten into the ground.
Otherwise, I see the low draw going to The Tin Man, while the high best seem to be Limato and Long On Value, and I favour those two at 3.55 to win and 24.0 for another place tilt.
Both have won up to 7f-1m and, with the heartbreak pace, I take this also as a turnkey to the Wokingham.
30.0 BIRCHWOOD FOR BLIND SPEED
5.00 Royal Ascot (Wokingham Stakes)
STATS: Age: Though ancient sprinters win some of these cavalry charges – right up to a double figure age – the Wokingham has been won by 10 five-year-olds and six four-year-olds this century. They are winning all sides now, but there will be three groups here, and it’s vital to have pace in your group.
TURNKEY FORM: Outback Traveller won it last year now 5lb worse off with the fifth horse, Buckstay, who will love the tough race.
The last five winners had all raced at 7f, even further, a good education for the lung-busting finish of this race..
ANALYSIS Among sprinters here that can get 7f: Intisab, Donjuan Triumphant, Squats, Outback Traveler, Steady Pace, Shanghai Glory, Normandy Barriere, Muntadab, Amazou.
Be warned that Birchwood, Certificate, Buckstay, Raucous and First Selection, race over 7f plus most of the time.
In fact, I can’t remember so many quality horses of 7f and 1m status trying to win this severe sprint. Big Timer won in 2008 after a 7f second in Group 3
The following year, High Standing had won at 7f and been placed at 1m. Laddies Poker Two (2010) had broken his maiden at 7f before a short career at 6f. Dandy Boy (2012) had been second over a 1m before winning this.
VERDICT: Donjuan Triumphant ran in the Commonwealth Cup (Group 1) at this meeting last year for Richard Fahey and is now with Andrew Balding, down 9lb, though hood and tonguestrap area bit offputting. Raucous who ran in the Jersey Stakes last year is back to 6f in blinkers first time,.
Birchwood, also in first-time blinds, is running in his first handicap and has also dropped 9lb inside a year. Won a Listed in first time visor but left off in four most recent starts,. Good value at 30.0 on BETDAQ.
Squats has run some cracking races at Ascot, since winning a nursery here in September 2014. Second in the Shergar Cup (6f), second in the International (7f), third in the Challenge Cup (7f).
Projection, very lightly raced, is with the Roger Charlton and Kieran Shoemark team which won here on Thursday with Atty Persse. The owners are the Ascot Racing Club.
I’ll take Birchwood down the low-to-middle side. Otherwise I’m in the high stalls with dual course-and-distance winner Normandy Barriere and Projection, who has been laid out for this.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 30 points)
2.30 Royal Ascot
BET 5pts win and place MASAR
BET 8pts win (stakes saver) SEPTEMBER
3.05 Royal Ascot
BET 1.5pts win and place SCARLET DRAGON
BET 1pt win and place MAVERICK WAVE
3.40 Royal Ascot
ANTE-POST BET 10pts (to win 50) DARTMOUTH
BET 4pts win WINGS OF DESIRE
4.20 Royal Ascot
BANKER 20pts win (nap) LIMATO
BET 1.3pts win and place LONG ON VALUE
5.00 Royal Ascot
TON-UP BET (to win 100) 3.3pts win and place BIRCHWOOD
BULL’S-EYE BET (to win 50): 5.5pts win PROJECTION
BULL’S-EYE BET (to win 50): 4.5pts win NORMANDY BARRIERE
5.35 Royal Ascot
BET (to win 20) 8pts win THOMAS HOBSON
DAQ MULTIPLES: 4 x 2pt win doubles MASAR and SEPTEMBER (2.30) with LIMATO and LONG ON Value (4.20) and 4 x 1pt win trebles the same four with THOMAS HOBSON (5.35)
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