7-1 NAP WAS A ‘HIDDEN HORSE’: Daqman declared Birchwood (WON 7-1) ‘a heavily-disguised hidden horse.. in an ideal situation’ to score at Chester yesterday, despite being beaten 27 lengths on the last day. Birchwood eased in the market but landed a huge 7-1 nap. Daqman’s Saturday returns were:
WON 7-1 Birchwood (nap)
2nd 16-1 Elbereth (from 24.0 BETDAQ)
55 FEATURE-RACE WINS SO FAR: Elbereth failed by half a length in the bid for a high-odds winner on a day of huge fields at Ascot, Newmarket and York, but Daqman still edged further in front of Pricewise, bringing their score to 55-25 and a grand total of 352-141. They meet again today in the Prix Jean Prat.
MONACO A GRAND PRIX RIDE FOR GUYON
2.45 Chantilly (Prix Chloe) Mark Johnston’s 1,000 Guineas fourth, Fireglow, is expected to bounce back, dropping down to Group 3, which saw her four lengths runner-up to So Mi Dar in the 1m 2.5f Musidora
That was her first run beyond a mile, and this 1m 1f Prix Chloe, which has had two English winners since 1993, could be her optimum trip.
But collateral form suggests it will be a close-run affair. Albeit hampered over a furlong out, Fireglow finished well in rear of Qemah in the Coronation Stakes, whereas Chartreuse was less than five lengths off Qemah earlier in the season and was a length better filly than Fireglow on today’s course last backend.
Fireglow is the most exposed horse of the race with 11 runs. The mighty Goldikova won it after five previous appearances in 2008. Since then, seven winners out of eight have had between two and six starts.
There’s only a head (on their Chantilly second and third in June) between Besotted and Aim To Please, and the winner that day went on to place in the Prix De Diane.
The German 1,000 Guineas fourth, Monaco Show, who finished well at Dusseldorf that day, has Maxime Guyon booked.
Potential improvers are War Flag, who has a stone to find, and Maquette nearer two, but they come from the champion stables of Jean Claude Rouget and Andre Fabre, respectively.
VERDICT: The best on form versus the lightly raced potential. Always a tricky one, but out-of-form veteran Thierry Jarnet is left for Freddy Head’s Chartreuse, with Maxime Guyon switching to German raider Monaco Show. Generally around 12-1 this morning.
3.10 Fairyhouse (Brownstown Stakes) Odds-on Raymonda has beaten nothing well and clearly is a glass horse with training problems.
She will have been got up for this, but so too will last year’s winner, Ainippe, who is 6.4 to Raymonda’s 1.71. Can’t be right.
ZONDERLAND PUTS COX IN WONDERLAND
3.15 Chantilly (Prix Jean Prat) England has won this eight times in 20 years and, even though the last two winners were trained Freddy Head and Andre Fabre, they came from the English 2,000 Guineas (second and fifth).
Step forward Clive Cox’s Zonderland, sixth in the Guineas this year (front-runner First Selection and Stormy Antartic behind), and a smooth winner of a Sandown Listed, who swerved the soft ground Royal Ascot, when he was fancied for the St James’s Palace Stakes.
Nemoralia, who takes on the colts for Jeremy Noseda, was runner-up in the Coronation Stakes to Qemah, who had been third, three parts of a length in front of the German raider today, Spectre, in the French 1,000 (Positive Vibration well behind)
Positive Vibration’s trainer, Jean-Claude Rouget, has a bigger chance with the Sea The Stars colt, Zelzal, who beat Degas at Chantilly, but had disappointed in the French 2,000, when First Selection finished second.
Degas was a fast finisher in the German Guineas but the winner, Marco Botti’s Knife Edge, had been beaten in his prep run for the Greenham at Chelmsford and is rated the same as Nemoralia.
VERDICT: The fillies Nemoralia and Spectre stand a good chance. Among the colts, Degas could improve, though strictly held by Zelzal. First selection is back on his ground. But I fancy the 9.6 BETDAQ offer Zonderland , who finished in front of First Selection in the Newmarket Guineas, a race which seems the best guide.
PARTHENIUS SAVED FOR GERMAN DERBY
4.10 Hamburg (German Derby) Still heavy ground at Hamburg but, though 6.0 BETDAQ offer, Wai Key Star beat El Loco – second to Boscaccio at Cologne – on good ground in the Baden-baden Derby Trial for this, and his sire gets colts which act on any going.
Landofhopeandglory, second in the Queens Vase and fourth in the Curragh Cuip, should bring his stamina into ;lay on the ground.
Parrthenius, around 20-1 this morning, had a brother who won this race in 2012 and he seems to have been trained with this in mind (beat El Loco last season).
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 20 points unless stated)
BET 1.5pts win and place MONACO SHOW (2.45 Chantilly)
BET 4pts win AINIPPE and 2pts win QUEEN CATRINE (3.10 Fairyhouse)
NAP BET (to win 30pts): 3.4pts win and place ZONDERLAND (3.15 Chantilly)
BET (to win 30) 6pts win WAI KEY STAR, and 1.5pt win and place PARTHENIUS (4.10 Hamburg)
£25 IN FREE BETS
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