20-1 FINALE BY THE GIFTED MASTER OF TIPPING: Daqman landed the 20-1 winner with three bets in the Stewards Cup yesterday, completing a quartet of big races at Goodwood this week: the Goodwood Cup, King George V Stakes, Stewards Cup and Golden Mile.
His glorious winners were:
WON 20-1 GIFTED MASTER (Stewards Cup)
WON 13-2 ALFARRIS (first race of the meeting)
WON 5-1 SIR DANCEALOT (Lennox Stakes)
WON 9-2 SENIORITY (Golden Mile)
WON 6-5 MIRAGE DANCER (Glorious Stakes, nap)
WON 4-5 STRADIVARIUS (Goodwood Cup, supernap)
WON 8-11 BATTAASH (King George V Stakes)
DAQMAN IS 174 POINTS IN FRONT OF PRICEWISE: While others struggle for a level-stakes profit, Daqman has secured PLUS 88 points this season, compared to the MINUS 86 of Pricewise of the Racing Post in specified feature races. That puts him 174 points ahead of his value-seeking rival, with the scores 56-19. They clash in the 2.15 Deauville and the 3.55 Galway today,.
FREDDIE HEADS FOR ANOTHER DREAM
2.15 Deauville (Prix Maurice De Gheest) Will there be an equine Brexit this afternoon, Brando’s exit from Deauville with a second bag of this near-£200,000 extended sprint prize over 6.5 furlongs.
That would be half a million euros for two and a half minutes work. Messi and Ronaldo eat your heart out!
Stalls 9, 10, 11, 12 (two) and 14 (two) have won this in the decade, with Brando scoring from 12 last year.
Brando dwelt when runner-up in the July Stakes three weeks ago, when he had to give 6lb to the three-year-old winner, U S Navy Flag, with Fleet Review threeparts of a length third. The fourth horse won the Lennox Stakes (Group 2) this week.
Gate 2 is no help today and a slow start would be curtains. The draw (3) and the softish ground is a double inconvenience for last year’s Diamond Jubilee winner, The Tin Man.
A third negative – for Brando, too – is that only one horse has won this at the age of six in 27 years.
I long ago found my new kid on the block, City Light (drawn 11), who has been literally a leading light in my Fortune Cookies, winning the Lingfield AW Championship for this column at 8-1.
All ground comes the same to him, and he was just held in the Diamond Jubilee (The Tin Man) fourth, after being slowly away on the very fast ground. Another sluggish start would not be such an inconvenience from gate 11.
My man in the ‘herbe longue’ was impressed with City Light this week. Christophe Soumillon was ‘delighted’ by some work on the main training track at Deauville, while trainer Stephane Wattel feels he’s never had the horse better.
While the Classics season has been downbeat, sprinters have been to the fore. In fact, a record NINE second-season animals attack this prize.
The official ratings give you this order in for the three-year-olds-: Polydream 119 (notional), Efaadah 116 (notional), Sands Of Mali 114, Fleet Review 112, Wootton 112, James Garfield 111, Unfortunately 111, Coeur De Beaute 109, Actress 106, where ‘notional’ means the figure is my assessment from collateral form.
Inns Of Court, who has run second to both Efaadah and Polydream has the advantage of enough stamina to win at 7f but has to overcome stall 4.
In gate 8 today, Sands Of Mali flopped in the July Stakes but was beaten only half a length, finishing fast, in the Commonwealth Cup. All ground comes alike to him, and his stable won this with Garswood (2014).
VERDICT: City Light and Polydream have the best of the draw, if the stats are right, and just about the best form, though one false move and a sprinter gives a prize away.
It’s an amazing field, particularly where the youngsters are concerned. It only seems like yesterday (2011 in fact) that Freddie Head (Polydream today) produced a three-year-old, Moonlight Cloud, to win this, and he went on to complete a hat-trick in the race.
MAJOR CHANCE FROM THE ONE STALL
3.00 Chester (Queensferry Stakes) Another sprint but at a lower level, in which three-year-olds take on the established animals, like old Kimberella.
He won this last year and has a nice draw again but the ground is drying up against him, and at least one of the three-year-olds, Corinthia Knight will be up there with him from the ‘off.’
Third in big handicaps the last twice, Major Jumbo has to try the non-handicap stakes route now. He has the one stall, and could take advantage of the battle up front.
3.55 Galway (Ahonoora Handicap) Brian Ellison has won the last four years with Baraweez and Dream Walker (changed stables), who are very close together on form.
Aidan O’Brien went close with Bond Street earlier in.the week against the mighty Riven Light and, since Dream Walker was behind, may have the form edge here.
DAQMAN’S BETS (all to win 30)
2.15 Deauville
BET 6pts win CITY LIGHT
BET 6pts win POLYDREAM
3.00 Chester
BET 10pts win (nap) MAJOR JUMBO
3.55 Galway
BET 6pts win BOND STREET
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