FIVE DAQMAN HITS FOR 50 POINTS SATURDAY PROFIT: Daqman landed five winning bets (a lay and four winners at 15-2, 7-1, 11-2 and 5-1), three on the Ascot Shergar Cup card and two at Haydock yesterday for 50.90 profit on another successful Saturday of superb betting opportunities on BETDAQ.
12.5 AND 12.0 BETDAQ WINNERS: Feature of the day was yet more massive BETDAQ value. Daqman named David Livingston at 12.5 (WON 15-2) and Royal Skies at 12.0 (WON 7-1). He had three winners in a row at Ascot. Each value race (all 102-109% on BETDAQ) has the Total SP percentage at the end of the line:
WINNER: Betdaq Value 1 AHTOUG (WON 11-2) and 2 STEPS (2nd 11-4): SP 120%
WINNER: Place lay CHANCERY (unplaced 13-2): five lays up since July 12
WINNER: Betdaq Gold Value: ROYAL SKIES (WON 7-1): SP 117%
WINNER: Betdaq Value 1 DAVID LIVINGSTON (WON 15-2) and 2 TELESCOPE (2nd 4-9): SP 123%
WINNER: Betdaq Value STAR LAHIB (WON 5-1): SP 122%
FRENCH SEASIDE STAGE FOR THE MAGIC MILE: Today’s Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville, boosted to £278,732 for the winner, is the magic mile to best them all so far this season. Only Toronado is missing from this seaside parade of champions in Normandy.
How many more dream miles? We seem to have one every week, thus far revealing that the best three-year-olds have developed late this year and overtaken the Classic clan. But, starting today, they must move into the fast lane and try to pass the older horses.
Only 11 days ago, the second-season duo of Dawn Approach and Toronado set Glorious Goodwood alight in the Sussex Stakes. But today is the clash of the generations for which not two but five magic milers stand their ground, with Dawn Approach as the yardstick for the three-year-olds as we find which age group is to dominate the top end-of-season races.
Yesterday’s blood went to the older generation as Johnny Murtagh on David Livingston saw off the young second-season pretender Telescope.
Having gone banco on Telescope, the Ascot watering and a superb Murtagh saved my bacon with my 12.5 full-stakes saver in yet another ‘ride of the season’ from Johnny (almost matched, it must be said, by an opportunist maneouvre from Gerald Mosse on Royal Skies at Ascot).
After the truly-glorious Goodwood of Richard Hughes, and these two performances yesterday, it’s a case of follow that in a line-up today with so much argent to win and so much reputation to lose. Here are the big five with their riders.
THE FABULOUS FIVE: 2.45 Deauville (Prix Jacques Le Marois):
TOTALS: earnings of the 13 runners, £4,073,257; wins 56, Group 29.
2012: 1 Excelebration, 2 Cityscape, 3 Elusive Kate, 4 Moonlight Cloud
Declaration Of War (Ryan Moore) Ballydoyle is ahead of the game as usual, looking to next season via War Command and Tapestry in big two-year-old tests at The Curragh today, so Joseph O’Brien stays at home and Ryan Moore gets the ride on Declaration of War.
Too good for one of today’s rivals, Aljamaaheer, in the Queen Anne at Royal Ascot (Elusive Kate fourth, returning from injury), and runner-up to Al Kazeem in the Eclipse, he confirmed himself best colt of his generation at a mile when he gave 8lb weight for age to the star attractions, Toronado and Dawn Approach, forced to look on as they duelled for the Sussex Stakes.
Moonlight Cloud (Thierry Jarnet) Maybe it’s not this generation or the last, represented by Declaration Of War, that will succeed but the one before that, led by the mare Moonlight Cloud.
To get within a head of Black Caviar (2012 Diamond Jubilee) over 6f and to then beat Frankel’s old rival Farhh in the Prix Du Moulin (1m) proved all the hype from an ever-bullish trainer Freddie Head was justified.
But when Freddie said there was more to come this year, few listened, even after Moonlight Cloud won her opening race of the season five weeks ago.
The mare’s answer was scintillating: she took on the 6f July Cup winner Lethal Force and the 1m Prix De La Foret star Gordon Lord Byron and won the Prix Maurice De Gheest (7f) for the third successive year. It was in record time. And it was stunning.
Elusive Kate (William Buick) Though rated 6lb behind Moonlight Cloud in the Racing Post Ratings, she finished in front of that one in this race in 2012 behind Frankel’s regular rival, Excelebration.
On a Group-race tally alone (she’s won five, including three Group 1s), Kate has to be given high billing. Her two from two since her return at Royal Ascot seems to give her an even better chance than last year.
She got the better of 1,000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes winner Sky Lantern in a controversial fight for the Falmouth Stakes, then slammed Ireland’s four-times-Group-winner Duntle over today’s CD at Deauville on soft ground for the Prix Rothschild. She just had to have a go at this today, didn’t she.
Dawn Approach (Kevin Manning) Dawn Approach had his second coming as a miler, winning the Newmarket 2,000 Guineas and then pipping Toronado in the St James’ Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot to redeem a dud display in the Epsom Derby (eased, last of 12).
But the Toronado camp kept faith in their colt who had flopped in the Guineas (only fourth) and he came back under a stunning ride from Richard Hughes to take the Sussex Stakes off his old rival, with Declaration Of War a gallant third.
Intello (Olivier Peslier) Had he not been one of the sufferers in a typical roughhouse French 2,000 Guineas, Intello would be coming to this table unbeaten, the centrepiece of the feast.
The Galileo colt had taken two ordinary two-year-old races before sizing up the English by taking a Listed at Newmarket for his seasonal debut.
After that disaster at Longchamp in the Guineas, he then revealed his splendidly laid-back attitude when he was the main victim of delayed loading in the stalls at Chantilly for the French Derby.
Intello was in for a good eight minutes, which would have done for many of his age and inexperience but he stayed calm and stormed away with the 1m 2f race, showing speed and stamina, which will be a useful tool today. He followed up in a one-mile prep for the Marois, a Listed at Maisons.
DAQMAN’S VERDICT: I’ve left Aljamaaheer and Olympic Gold (deputising for Toronado) out of my list because, though one is consistent and the other could bounce back, I don’t think either can win, and even a place is asking a lot.
For instance, if they raced – just three horses – against Declaration of War, you’d have to vote for him on Eclipse and Sussex Stakes form. And even that doesn’t look good enough here.
Declaration Of War (third) has only a pound pull on Dawn Approach (second) for two-and-a-half lengths at that glorious Goodwood moment when Toronado swept by.
Moonlight Cloud was ridden to get the trip when fourth in this last year but proved a month later that she can perform at a mile when beating Farhh in the Prix Du Moulin after Farrh had twice run up to Frankel the previous month.
The third in 2012, Elusive Kate, has seemed better than ever this season but, in fact, has run officially 2lb below her highest rating of last year.
Dawn Approach has had a long season, since his Guineas success and all bar Toronado in that field have proved below Group-1 standard. Dawn Approach himself is up only 1lb.
Moonlight Cloud (only two runs this season) and Intello (only six in his life!) are the fresh horses, batting on the home wicket, and Intello is the potential improver.
When Moonlight Cloud scudded clear on this course a week ago, she was beating one like herself, Lethal Force, a sprinter but capable of winning the Hungerford over 7f.
There must be perfect cover if a mare is to conserve that turn of foot to give weight away to a younger colt who gets nearly 1m 3f (French Derby) and, therefore, has both speed and stamina but at Classic level.
ORDRE DE DAQMAN: 1 Intello, 2 Moonlight Cloud, 3 Dawn Approach
DAQMAN’S BETS
VALUE BET (win 30) 11pts win INTELLO and 5pts win (stakes saver) MOONLIGHT CLOUD (2.45 Deauville)
VALUE BANKER 20pts win WAR COMMAND (3.45 The Curragh)
VALUE BET (win 20) 14pts win SEA SIREN (4.15 The Curragh)
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