BACK-TO BACK DAQMAN NAPS: Daqman swooped on big races at both Cheltenham and Doncaster to land back-to-back weekend naps, with yesterday’s, Hawk Mountain, becoming the new favourite for the 2026 Derby.
Saturday: Doncaster
WON 18-5 HAWK MOUNTAIN (nap: 5.04 BETDAQ xsp)
Friday: Cheltenham
FINE INTERVIEW WON 7-2
ALNILAM WON 9-4 (nap)
LELOOPA WON 14-1 (BETDAQ 20.0)
HAT-TRICK BID: The Flat in France and Jumps at home mix again, with Group-1 racing at Saint-Cloud and a Grade 2 at Aintree. Can Daqman land a naps hat-trick?
‘HIGH’ FIVE’ O’BRIEN RAIDS
CHRISTMAS came early for Aidan O’Brien at Doncaster yesterday when he landed the 1-2-3 in the Futurity for two-year-olds.
And Christmas Day, his Camelot colt, ridden by Tom Marquand, is among nine stablemates in the three Group-1 events at Saint-Cloud on very soft ground this afternoon.
Alongside Marquand, the Ballydoyle jockeys’ team includes the man who rode the Futurity winner on Hawk Mountain, Ronan Whelan.
Christophe Soumillon, Wayne Lordan, and Colin Keane make up a magnificent ‘high five’ riding for total prizemoney of £712,480.
ORATOR SET TO ROCK RICO
⭕ 12.30 Saint-Cloud (Criterium International) O’Brien has four in this. They are one-two in the market, with Ralph Beckett’s Cape Orator intervening in third, ahead of two Ballydoyle outsiders.
The supplemented Puerto Rico (Soumillon) is favourite on the strength of his easy Arc-day win in the Lagardare, Campacite fourth.
I think at around 5-1 Cape Orator, winner on very soft at Longchamp on the first-day Arc card, could now get closer to Puerto Rico than the 2.75 lengths he was beaten in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster in September.
⭕ 1.34 Criterium de Saint-Cloud O’Brien’s four in this are headed by Pierre Bonnard (Christophe Soumillon) and Endorsement (Wayne Lordan), the one-two in the Zetland (Group 3) a Newmarket earlier this month on good to firm.
Christmas Day won his maiden on heavy but pipped A Boy Named Susie only a short-head afterwards on yielding at Lepardstown, and the Wootton Bassett colt, Endorsement, could do best in the ground from the one stall.
ARROW COULD IMPACT OAK
⭕ 2.50 Saint-Cloud (Prix Royal Oak) O’Brien hasn’t won this French stamina test (2m) since four-time Ascot Gold Cup winner, Yeats (2008).
His five-year-old, Queenstown, was third in the marathon Cadran but has won only his maiden way back, always a bad sign.
The Cadran winner (over Coltrane with Sunway fourth) was Caballo De Mar, for Newmarket’s George Scott, who had earlier won the German St Leger, and leaves the impression that he could be the stamina find of the season.
Sevenna’s Knight (Andre Fabre) won the Gladiateur (2m) in September last year but was beaten favourite in this Royal Oak, a length down to Double Royal, who also won the year before when the race was run at Longchamp.
Ratings are tight: around 5lb covers all bar Espoir Avenir and include Arrow Eagle, half-brother to Arc winner Ace Impact, and from the same Jean-Claude Rouget stable.
Arrow Eagle was nearest-finish sixth in the Arc of three weeks back, and is now stepping up in trip for the first time.
NUMITOR 11.0 A BIG NUMBER
⭕ 1.50 Aintree (Veterans Chase) Le Milos has won two similar events at lesser tracks and has to give weight all round.
Numitor goes well fresh and is well tested as a winner at Ascot, Cheltenham, Haydock and Wincanton. Big at Betdaq Betting Exchange 11.0.
Torn And Frayed has dropped down the handicap but the stable disappointed at Cheltenham this weekend.
Lucinda Russell scored with Conman John at Cheltenham yesterday and If Not For Dylan could be value off a light weight.
IMPERIAL HAS THEIR MEASURE
⭕ 2.55 Aintree (Old Roan Chase) Lucinda again with Ahoy Senor who loves this course: won the Mildmay Novices of 2022; twice second in the Aintree Bowl and third in this Old Roan last year behind Minella Drama when giving 20lb.
Hitman was runner-up that day but it’s nearly three years since he won and he’s been placed seven times without scoring since.
Master Chewy has won only at 2m and his yard is not firing, whereas the Philip Hobbs set-up had a magnificent strike with French Ship at the Cheltenham Showcase meeting.
Their runner, Imperial Saint, is 1112 on the Mildmay course here, is on a handy mark and can improve at age seven.
Boombawn ran well in the Grade-1 Manifesto here but, though winning a handicap, the Skeltons mainly misfired at the Cheltenham this weekend: 2-14 with three beaten favourites.
SERIOUS BID FOR FOUR-TIMER
⭕ 3.30 Aintree Fergal O’Brien has won this three years running with young horses and seems to have found another one in Serious Challenge, who landed a hat-trick on differing ground in the Spring.
DAQMAN’S BETS on Betdaq Betting Exchange
12.30 Saint-Cloud (win 10)
BET 2pts win CAPE ORATOR
1.34 Saint-Cloud (win 10)
BET 3pts win ENDORSEMENT
1.50 Aintree (win 20)
BET 4pts win IF NOT FOR DYLAN
BET 2pts win NUMITOR
2.50 Saint-Cloud (win 12)
BET 6pts win ARROW EAGLE
BET 2pts stakes saver CABALLO DE MAR
2.55 Aintree (win 20, nap)
★ BET 10pts win IMPERIAL SAINT
3.30 Aintree (win 12)
BET 4pts win SERIOUS CHALLENGE
What are points? Points facilitate a staking plan, which is the secret to creating profit. One point is whatever you choose: a pound, a euro, or whatever ….
Start with a bank and decide how much you can afford to lose over a period of time, and determine the size of your bets accordingly. Daqman makes this variation every day.
Did you know? DAQMAN’s tips are posted each and every day so he’s always on hand to help with your horse racing betting.
