DAQMAN LANDS HIS THIRD ONE-TWO AND SECOND ASCOT NAP: Daqman comes into the last day at Royal Ascot with eight winners in the bag and profits for all his special bets. He landed a one-two for the third time at the meeting yesterday, opening the day with a 4-1 winner quickly followed by his second winning nap of the meeting.
FRIDAY
WON 4-1 DAAHYEH
WON 6-4 JAPAN (nap)
WON 7-2 BAGHDAD (2nd 7-1 place bet Ben Vrackie)
THURSDAY
WON 13-2 SANGARIUS (2nd 7-2 Fox Chairman)
WON 1-1 STRADIVARIUS, Fortune Cookie (2nd 7-2 Dee Ex Bee, Gold Cup)
WEDNESDAY
WON 6-1 DASHING WILLOUGHBY, Fortune Cookie (bull’s-eye nap at 14.0 BETDAQ)
WON 3-1 CRYSTAL OCEAN
2ND 16-1 Clon Coulis and 3rd 8-1 Raising Sand (Royal Hunt Cup)
TUESDAY
WON 15-8 ARIZONA
STANDINGS UPDATE:
➡️ Daqman 36, Pricewise 18 (140 points clear)
➡️ Naps: five winners out of seven (160 points up)
➡️ Supernaps: 12 out of 14 (150 points profit)
➡️ Bull’s-eye naps: four out of seven (171 profit)
SATURDAY HEADLINES
🔹 THE FIRST OF THE MOHICANS..
🔹 DETTORI’S DIAMOND SPARKLE
🔹 DANCER FOR STOUTE’S DOZEN
🔹 SOUMILLON LIGHTS ON CITY
🔹 20.0 HIT! HORSE CALLED HORSE
THE FIRST OF THE MOHICANS..
FIRST FOUR DAYS: trainers Aidan O’Brien (5), John Gosden (2), William Haggas (2), Mark Johnston (2), Sir Michael Stoute (2), Charlie Appleby, Andrew Balding, Ralph Beckett, Simon Crisford, Charlie Fellowes, F-H Graffard, Charles Hills, Martyn Meade, David O’Meara, Roger Varian, Ian Williams.
Jockeys: Frankie Dettori (7), Ryan Moore (5), Daniel Tudhope (3), Harry Bentley, Pierre-Charles Boudot, Jim Crowley, James Doyle, David Egan, Seamie Heffernan, Richard Kingscote, Oisin Murphy, Hayley Turner.
DRAW: winners by stall 1, 3, 1, 1, 18, 12, 25, 6, 6, 11, 21, 24, 9, 8, 6, 2, 29, 8, 14, 2, 4, 9, 4, 12.
2.30 Royal Ascot (Chesham Stakes) Leading trainers (this race only): Aidan O’Brien 4, Paul Cole 4; Mark Johnston 3, John Gosden 2; jockeys Frankie Dettori (3), Ryan Moore (3).
Age: 2yo. Favourites 30%. Draw: stalls 1 to 8 nine out of 10.
Pinatubo was strong at the finish at Epsom but unruly at the start (upset in the stalls). Surprising that Highland Chief had the speed to win over 5f; this should suit him better, and Paul Cole used to save his best two-year-old for this.
The runner-up to Highland Chief at Newbury was a long way back in yesterday’s Albany but the Gleneagles colt ‘kept coming forward’ and just had to have a race, even at 5f. Today’s 7f should suit.
Mohican Heights, an Australia out of a Shirley Heights mare, was sold into David Simcock’s yard this week for £520,000; has a good draw and a jockey for the big-field occasion.
His Leopardstown win came at the expense of Lil Grey, who beat Year Of The Tiger at the Curragh earlier this month. She, too, was beaten in the Allbany, though not that far in sixth.
The 900,000-euro yearling Lope Y Fernandez (third, fourth and seventh from his Curragh win have all been beaten) has to overcome a wide draw, and Ryan Moore trying to extricate himself from the wall has not been a pretty sight this week, if sometimes effective.
VERDICT: Mohican Heights looked huge at 18.0 in the BETDAQ orange this morning, 4.3 for a place. Highland Chief was also big at 15.0 (3.7): 1 Mohican Heights, 2 Highland Chief, 3 Lope Y Fernandez.
DETTORI’S DIAMOND SPARKLE
3.05 Royal Ascot (Jersey Stakes) Leading trainers: Aidan O’Brien 3, David Elsworth 2, John Gosden 2; jockeys: none with more than one win.
Age: 3yo. Favourites: 20%. Draw: seven winners out of 10 in single-figure stalls.
Another 7f, another where a low draw has an advantage, another where Moore has to Houdini out of a trap, on the Fred Darling third, So Perfect (stall 10), a winner since who went down narrowly in the Phoenix as a two-year-old to the now revived Advertise.
Space Blues (better than the neck he beat Urban Icon at Epsom) and Happy Power (likes it soft; beat older horses at York) are drawn inside So Perfect.
Marie’s Diamond (Dettori up today) and Angel’s Hideaway (fourth 1,000 Guineas) were third and fourth to Space Blues at Epsom, and they, too, are drawn low now.
It’s decent form because Urban Icon (8th) and Momkin (10th, not clear run) ran in the Guineas. Momkin had been second in the Craven to Guineas third, Skardu, and blinkers first time today should help; stall 13 doesn’t.
I Am Superman (sixth in Irish Guineas) and Duke Of Hazzard (fifth in Freench Guineas) have to be respected, and Masaru missed the Britannia on soft for this better ground.
VERDICT: Momkin looked tasty at 10.0 BETDAQ offers this morning, hoping Andrea Atzeni gets the breaks. Always more than hope that Dettori will at 19.5 Marie’s Diamond. So Perfect third.
DANCER FOR STOUTE’S DOZEN
3.40 Royal Ascot (Hardwicke Stakes) Leading trainers: Sir Michael Stoute 11, Mark Johnston 4, Aidan O’Brien 3; jockeys Ryan Moore (5).
Age: 4yo 10/10. Favourites: 50%. Draw: 2 to 10; no winner from the one stall.
A lot of lustre is lost with the absence of Lah Ti Dar and Frankie Dettori, and we are left wondering whether last year’s Derby winner, Masar, can return to form after injury, more than one year on.
I am also wondering why Morando is 20.0 on BETDAQ when he beat Kew Gardens eight lengths at Chester and Defoe beat that one just half a length in the Coronation Cup at Epsom.
Morando didn’t like Epsom and was well behind Defoe in the Coronation but returned with a gashed leg. The easy surface today is in his favour but a thunderstorm would be welcome.
Aidan O’Brien caught a cold (me, too) dropping Ten Sovereigns back to sprints (and does something similar with Le Brivido later on) but this stiff 1m 4f for the stayer Southern France gives Ryan Moore the chance to show his judgment of pace. Foot off the accelerator, Ryan; ease it down slowly, ‘do’ the others for stamina and find any weakness in Masar.
Stayers, a Derby winner smelling of mothballs and soft-ground hopefuls? Bake them in a pie and you can be sure that Sir Michael Stoute has plotted to pull out the plum.
Mirage Dancer, perfectly primed at Goodwood, is in a race Stoutie has called his own with 11 winners. What a good boy am I.
VERDICT: 1 Mirage Dancer (6.6 BETDAQ), 2 Southern France (5.3), 3 Masar.
SOUMILLON LIGHTS UP CITY
4.20 Royal Ascot (Diamond Jubilee Stakes) Leading trainers: James Fanshawe 2, Aidan O’Brien 2; jockeys Frankie Dettoti 2, Ryan Moore 2.
Age: 4yo five, 5yo three in nine seasons. Favourites: 20%. Draw: stalls 3 (four), 4, 6 and 11, 12, 15 (two).
Blue Point tries to emulate Choisir (2003) by winning the Kings Stand and the (then Golden) Jubilee at the same royal meeting. He beat 123-rated Battaash in the Kings Stand on Tuesday and Invincible Army, the improver of todays’ race, is on 115.
The Tin Man (117 but seven now) won this in 2017 and City Light was short-headed last year under Christophe Soumillon, who is back for the ride. Bound For Nowhere was third, and is getting a big confidence vote from Wesley Ward.
All three of those rivals have had just the one run back this year, while Blue Point would be chalking up a fifth consecutive victory since February. This also applies to Emblazoned, who was third, just behind Sands Of Mali in last year’s Commonwealth Cup.
VERDICT: This sort of revenge mission is right up Soumillon’s street and City Light at 11.0 on BETDAQ catches the eye coming back to this fresh. Bound For Nowhere looks big at 19.0 but I’m tied to a Fortune Cookie, Invincible Army (8.2).
20.0 HIT! HORSE CALLED HORSE
5.00 Royal Ascot (Wokingham Stakes) Leading trainers: Paul Cole (2); jockeys none with more than one winner.
Age: 5yo five; 4yo three. Weight: 8st 11lb to 9st 2lb: eight out of 10 Favourites: 10%. Draw: 21 to 31 five; 11 to 16 three.
Though only three, Foxtrot Lady was favourite for the Stewards Cup last summer behind Gifted Master but lost a shoe during the race, and could go on again as a four-year-old.
Perfection, fifth here in the Sandringham (1m) for John Gosden a year ago, will appreciate the fast-run 6f, now with David O’Meara.
Bacchus has won first time out in the last two seasons, including this race last year off a 3lb lower mark; has a higher stall now. Tis Marvellous was fourth on the same terms as today and is drawn in the middle this time.
Argentine import Southern Horse has been entered up by Jim Bolger as if a Group horse in a handicap here.
Just now retired Jeremy Noseda, who won this race in 2010, saddles his last Royal Ascot runner, Cenotaph, whom he improved 23lb with an AW hat-trick in the late summer of last year.
VERDICT: With Bacchus not wanted (out to 27.0), Cape Byron (BETDAQ 7.0) is my one from the front of the market: won the Victoria Cup here and should have a stamina surge left in him for the business end of this. Southern Horse (20.0) and Foxtrot Lady (30.0) are my outsiders.
DAQMAN’S BETS
2.30 Royal Ascot (win 50, 10 place)
BULL’S-EYE BET 3pts win and place MOHICAN HEIGHTS
BULL’S-EYE BET 3.25pts win and 3.7pts place HIGHLAND CHIEF
3.05 Royal Ascot (win 50, 10 place)
BULL’S-EYE BET 5pts win and place (nap) MOMKIN
BULL’S-EYE BET 2.75pts win and 2pts place MARIE’S DIAMOND
3.40 Royal Ascot (win 30)
BET 6.75pts win SOUTHERN FRANCE
BET 5.25pts win MIRAGE DANCER
4.20 Royal Ascot (win 30)
BET 3pts win and place CITY LIGHT
5.00 Royal Ascot (win 50, win 50, win 30)
BULL’S-EYE BET 2.5pts win and place SOUTHERN HORSE
BULL’S-EYE BET 1.75pts win and place FOXTROT LADY
BET 5pts win CAPE BYRON
FORTUNE COOKIES
(20pt level stake)
INVINCIBLE ARMY 4.20 Royal Ascot
CLEONTE 5.35 Royal Ascot
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