IRISH FLAT FINALE WITH DAQMAN 277 POINTS UP It’s the last day of the Flat in Ireland today and Daqman wants to follow up his Breeders Cup successes with Stormy Liberal (WON 6-1) and Game Winner (WON 5-4). The scores in the value challenge going to Naas (3.00) and Cork (3.15) are Daqman 87-25 over Pricewise (+112 to -165 to single-unit level stakes).
NOW WE’VE SEEN ONE OF THE ALL-TIME GREATS In an age of fillies and mares, Enable came out top of the world in America last night, and stamped herself one of the great racehorses of all time as Arc winner of the Breeders Cup.
UNABLE TO BELIEVE MAGIC ENABLE
We couldn’t believe it. That was me before the race, unable to take odds on Enable, and that was John Gosden as she passed the post to land the Breeders Cup. He knows her so well, yet looked absolutely amazed.
I had followed her in this column for eight successes, including four Oaks, a King George and two Arcs. But could she better Dancing Brave, Golden Horn and all those Arc winners who failed in America?
She could and she did. As with Sea Of Class at ParisLongchamp, she forced the best out of her nearest rival and still scored. This time it was Magical at Churchill Downs who raised her game.
Fillies, fillies everywhere and, with this second one-two against them, not a colt in sight to get the drop on them beyond a mile. Roaring Lion had run one too many in his heat on dirt.
But, at the mile, Expert Eye came good – what an appropriate name for his maestro trainer, Sir Michael Stoute – and enabled Frankie Dettori to land one of the great racing doubles.
LIMINI LET LOOSE BY 10lb CLAIMER
3.00 Naas (November Handicap) Low numbers do best in the draw (six out of the last seven between gates 1 and 8). Mixed yards, Jumps and Flat, do best of the trainers.
With Gordon Elliott such a formidable NH rival, Willie Mullins has played a big hand in the Flat marathons in England this year (he needs the money!) He’s had four of the first five home in the Ascot Stakes and had the first two in the Cesarewitch.
Down the field in the Cesarewitch was Limini, behind stablemate Uradel (second), to whom he was giving 8lb, but today’s 1m 6f is much more his game on the Flat, though he did run Uradel to threeparts of a length, giving 15lb, in one of the big handicaps at the Galway Festival. That was another Mullins one-two!
Today, with Conor McNamara’s 10lb claim (he can get down to 8st 10lb), Limini is a massive 24lb better with Uradel on the Galway form and 17lb on the Cesarewitch.
The stats say we also need one low drawn, and I go for Nessun Dorma (gate 6 at 12.5 on BETDAQ), who beat Limini (13.5) at levels in another race five days later at the Galway Festival, and was fourth at Navan recently in the big-field event won by Brazos from Davids Charm (both in high stalls today).
Trainer Mullins has eight chances of yet another one-two, and others are shorter prices, but Stratum seems to want it firm and Exchange Rate heavy
MULLINS MAKES A RARE SOLO RAID
3.15 Cork (Grand National) Now it’s Gordon Elliott with a team assault (four runners) and, conspicuously, Mullins with just the one runner, Minella Beau under Ruby Walsh.
Minella Beau is another who won at Galway but has to take a big step up in trip today. That’s why punters are shy as layers offer 9.4 in the BETDAQ orange.
That could be a big mistake. Mullins stepped up Our Monty a full mile when he won this race, gambled down to favourite in 2009.
The Gatechecker (9.8) travelled well and jumped well at Listowel and Limerick, and Elliott has Rogue Angel back in the National picture.
THE NAP: I’m hoping that Full Bore (2.20 Huntingdon) can pay for my big handicap bets. Always in the first two yet has still run green and can only improve.
DAQMAN’S BETS
2.20 Huntingdon (supernap)
BET 20pts win FULL BORE
3.00 Naas (win 50)
BULL’S-EYE BET 4.25pts win NESSUN DORMA
BULL’S-EYE BET 4pts win LIMINI
3.15 Cork (win 50)
BULL’S-EYE BET: 6pts win MINELLA BEAU
BULL’S-EYE BET: 5.75pts win THE GATECHECKER
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