DAQMAN HAS MORE THAN DOUBLE THE PRICEWISE RETURNS: After a lack-lustre week from both contenders, Daqman is 53-26 up on Pricewise of the Racing Post in their value challenge, more than double his returns and 264 points clear to 10-point level stakes. They clash today in the Prix Maurice de Gheest extended sprint at Deauville. Daqman also discusses the sprint scene in his big-race wrap.
Today: Big sprint at Deauville; big outsiders at Galway, and a Chester NAP !
BIG-RACE WRAP: ENABLE FOR YORK
Another Oaks for Enable John Gosden said after her second King George he’d wait and see what the mare told him, before deciding whether she would go to York before her Arc de Triomphe hat-trick bid. She’s clearly said: ‘I’m fine and better to race than stand in my box.’
Enable will run in the all-age Yorkshire Oaks, which she won five lengths last season, win number five in her unbeaten sequence of 11. The runner-up, her stablemate, Coronet, is also engaged in the Yorkshire Oaks.
Group horse in a handicap Charlie Hills’ Khaadem surely booked his passage to join in the British Sprint Champions Series at Haydock in September when far superior to yesterday’s Stewards Cup party.
It was a tasty follow-up to the stable’s emotional King George sprint success with Battaash, likely for the Abbaye, second feature at the Arc meeting.
Battaash ran not far short of 50 mph (48.63) at Goodwood, passing the million-pound prizemoney mark.
He could clash with Juy Cup winner, Ten Sovereigns, in the Nunthorpe at York. July Cup second and fourth, Advertise, and Pretty Pollyanna meet again for the Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville today (see below).
King’s Advice proved ultra game in the 14-furlong Summer Handicap, which just happens to be the distance of the Ebor. Surely ante-post favourite.
John Gosden and Mark Johnston were Goodwood trainers par excellence, while P J McDonald was jockey of the week. What about Galway? Well, there’s still today to make a hit.
Seeing double and why not Remember all that stuff about horses shouldn’t run more than once at the same meeting? Poyle Vinnie, Goodwood head second at 33-1 on Tuesday, won the Stewards’ Sprint Consolation there yesterday by a neck at 20-1.
Yesterday’s Galway winners, Mr Everest and Great Trango, along with Friday scorer Mr Adjudicator, had all been unplaced there in the same race on Monday. Just like Enable, they told their respective trainers they were ready to produce their A game again.
Your move at Galway today Could that also apply today to Rovetta or Chess Grand Master (BETDAQ 17.5 and 22.0 respectively early mouse in the 2.45 today), who were in the same race on Monday as Mr Everest, Great Trango and Mr Adjudicator? Rovetta won twice at the Galway meeting last year.
FRANKIE’S ADVERTISE DRAW BOOST
2.47 Deauville (Prix Maurice de Gheest) Freddy Head, who landed a hat-trick in this (2011-13) with Moonlight Cloud, now has Polydream looking for back-to-back wins on the trail of the same treble if she can follow up her defeat of a 20-runner field last year, as a three-year-old, the same age Freddy launched Moonlight Cloud.
Polydream had the 2017 winner, Brando, more than six lengths behind in this a year ago, and Kevin Ryan’s seven-year-old now seems to need soft ground to show his old form. It’s a sunny day at Deauville.
Polydream has been on a slow burn this season but, if back at peak today, must fend off the three-year-old challengers, Advertise and Pretty Pollyanna, second and fourth to Ten Sovereigns in the July Cup (good to firm).
Advertise, Dewhurst runner-up to Too Darn Hot, was launched on the sprint-championship circuit this summer with instant success in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot (good to soft), when Ten Sovereigns was only fourth.
Ten Sovereigns’ stablemates Le Brivido and So Perfect line up on his behalf this afternoon. Le Brivido was fifth in the Diamond Jubilee, So Perfect fifth in the July Cup.
Don’t discount One Master: already a Group-1 winner at 7f in France, and third in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot, but more than a year and eight races since last racing over 6f. Polyanna was trapped in a pocket when behind him in the Foret at the Arc meeting.
After his sensational Goodwood, P J McDonald is over here in Normandy for the mount on Invincible Army, progressive but as yet not good enough to climb the last rung to Group 1. Can P J change all that; he’s 3-4 on him?
VERDICT: Today’s 6.5f is an odd distance but we know that it suits last year’s winner Polydream and the filly Pretty Pollyanna won the slightly-shorter Prix Morny as a two-year-old but was second in the Irish 1,000 Guineas at a mile.
The July Cup says that the three-year-olds will dominate, and Pretty Pollyanna has the best of the draw in stall 14.
There has been only one winner lower than 9 in the decade, with eight coming from 9 to 14, where we also find Advertise, Le Brivido and Spinning Memories. With Frankie Dettori’s current pizzazz, Advertise can prevail from Pretty Pollyanna.
SUNDAY SERMON AT CHESTER
2.00 Chester Considering the volume and quality of racing over the last week, Chester stage a pretty decent card on Sunday and punters can get off to a good start with Sermon in the opener.
The Tom Dascombe trained two-year-old all but won over course and distance last time out when pipped a nose and that might be a blessing in disguise for today’s debut in handicap company. If the nose verdict had swung the other way the handicapper might well have started him off on a higher mark than 80 and there are several ticks in the right boxes today.
✅ Handles the quirky Chester roundabout
✅ Handles give in the ground
✅ Is well drawn in stall two
✅ Trainer in great form with seven winners from last 29 runners
Dream Kart represent Mark Johnston but unusually for the stable is one that comes with a massive wealth warning. He’s been turned over twice at long odds-on (4/11 and 30/100) and his impressive Windsor success came on good to firm ground when he was on a going day and won by six lengths.
The Richard Hannon trained Shaman gets pole position of draw 1 and is the biggest danger. Her best form, by far, came on good to soft ground at Windsor (won by five lengths) but she has been well beaten on faster ground since and in much better company. To fancy her today you are really putting all your eggs in the Windsor basket which, given that’s just one start in five runs, might be a risky strategy.
3.10 Chester (Queensferry Stakes) A Listed race and Major Jumbo is well clear on official ratings and strong in the BETDAQ market.
He has a whole stack of decent placed efforts in Group and Listed company this year and may well prove hard to beat dropping in class with a good draw (3) and ground he likes.
But he was a beaten favourite in this race last year and I’d much rather play the BETDAQ place markets.
At similar odds to Major Jumbo in the win market, Angel Alexander can be backed 1-2-3 on the place. The big question mark with him though is the draw (9). He made all to win here last week on soft ground by six lengths when he had draw 1. It will be much harder today but given his current well-being I think the chance, for a place, is well worth taking.
5.20 Chester Dark Devil is only really a speculative offering but he has a nice pitch in two and is a full stone lower in the weights than when third in this race last year.
He has winning form and placed form on testing ground and wasn’t beaten far when sixth here last time out from a poor draw in 11.
DAQMAN’S BETS
2.00 Chester (win 10)
BET 7pts win (nap) SERMON
2.45 Galway (win 20)
BET 1.25pts win and place ROVETTA
BET 1pt win and place CHESS GRAND MASTER
2.47 Deauville (win 20)
BET 7pts win ADVERTISE
3.10 Chester (win 10)
BET 7.1pts place ANGEL ALEXANDER
5.20 Chester (win 20)
BET 4.75pts win DARK DEVIL
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