9-2 WIN COMES FROM THE SHADOW: Daqman put in a strong finish across the cards at Ascot and Chester yesterday with Fresh (2nd 17-2 from BETDAQ 15.0) in the International, Bluestocking (2nd 9-2) in the King George, and Garfield Shadow (WON 9-2) at Chester, his staking plan almost squaring the day.
ANOTHER BIG POT FOR THE FRENCH: French trainer Francis-Henri Graffard, who stunned Royal Ascot by winning the £155k King Edward V11 Stakes (the ‘Ascot Derby’) with Calandagan, yesterday stole the £709k King George with Goliath.
TOMORROW: Goodwood-preview Fortune Cookies
GOLIATH NEW KING OF EUROPE
An eagle has landed. The giant Goliath swooped on racing royalty with an effortless 25-1 King George victory yesterday (pictured below), and created controversy twice over.
Francis-Henri Graffard and Christophe Soumillon can already claim Goliath to be king of Europe but cannot even take him to Longchamp for the Arc de Triomphe because the four-year-old is a gelding.
But he can go for the Breeders Cup Turf at Del Mar, which is likely to be his long-range target. So, potentially the king of the world but not of Europe.
Goliath’s sire, Adlerflug, which means Eagle Flight, got Torquator Tasso third to Alpinista in the 2022 Arc.
Goliath won the King George in a fast time of 2min 27sec with Rebel’s Romance, already big on the world stage, only third and dual Derby winner Auguste Rodin, who was last in 2023, again routed, beaten favourite but only fifth, 11 and a half lengths behind the winner.
A clearly pained Aidan O’Brien protested that, despite the race time, the Ascot going was soft (slow up to 4.46secs in all earlier races) and it had been ‘a worry’ first thing when the Ballydoyle team walked the course.
The returns for the rest of the day continued to clock slow (up to 5.19sec) so that the King George time was all the more remarkable.
Goliath’s previous major successes were in Listed and Group 3, both on soft.
He ran second in the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot over the same CD, when the ground was also returned ‘good to firm’ but with the race slow by 2.49sec.
Yesterday’s King George runner-up, Bluestocking, who has improved all season, is now a must for the Fortune Cookies, targeting the Yorkshire Oaks.
If she wins that like blue streak, we will see her in the Arc and in the Breeders Cup Filly and Mare.
HEADING INTO BATTLE
⭕ 1.50 Uttoxeter It’s another famine after the feast Sunday but partly excused this weekend with the action about to get underway on the Sussex Downs.
I’ll concentrate on the flat action at Pontefract this afternoon and an interesting battle over jumps between first time out winners Play Pretend and Battle Of Omdurman who head up the Betdaq Betting Exchange market.
Play Pretend looked a fortunate winner at Market Rasen and his 11 length winning margin can’t really be taken at face value. The favourite that day was travelling all over them before falling two out leaving Play Pretend to pick up the pieces. In fairness he did so well but also looked an awkward ride and was hanging left in the closing stages.
He looks vulnerable under the resulting penalty and preference is for Battle Of Omdurman who had placed form on the flat but already looks a better jumper judged on his debut success at Stratford earlier in the month where he stayed on nicely to beat Rogue King with the pair putting a sizeable distance between the rest of the field.
Battle Of Omdurman’s trainer Deborah Cole has won with her last two runners and unless any of the debutants are well above average can continue her good form here.
Turing might be the best of the newcomers given the significant morning weakness of the Alan King trained Advert Rules who was 0-6 on the flat.
MUCH THE EMBESTO
⭕ 3.12 Pontefract (Pomfret Stakes Listed) The feature really does look wide open with the seven strong field split by just 6lb on official ratings.
Roger Varian’s Embesto looks set to go off favourite given his significant drop in class. After making a six length winning debut at Yarmouth he followed up with a win at Doncaster and has performed with credit in much better company since.
After 200 day break he wasn’t at his best at Newmarket or Epsom but gave a clear signal to a return to his best form with a close up third in the Group 2 Summer Mile Stakes at Ascot last time out.
That form gives him an outstanding chance in this company – a race where most of his main rivals have a few questions to answer.
Flight Plan has been beaten an aggregate of 83 lengths in his last three races (* Daqman checks Pontefract hasn’t switched to a jumps card today!) and although back down in class will need the first time cheekpieces to work miracles based on recent form.
At much bigger odds Hi Royal looks a little over-priced. The leap of faith with him is to disregard his two latest runs in Group 1 company and look at his previous third in a Group 3 at Newmarket – his previous weaker efforts all came with give in the ground and at big odds will include him alongside the nap just in case today is bounceback day.
REASONS TO LOOK ELSEWHERE
⭕ 5.12 Pontefract Asmund dominates the market in the final six furlong handicap as he bids to follow up his Leicester success earlier in the month.
He’s up 3lb, now on good to firm ground as opposed to good to soft and trainer Declan Carroll is not in sparkling form. All adding up to enough reasons for Daqman to look elsewhere.
Vaunted undoubtedly is well handicapped if returning to her best form and not getting herself too far detached. She won here off a mark 15lb higher two years ago.
Flavius Titus is versatile ground wise and comes into this with arguably the best recent form.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.50 Uttoxeter (win 10)
BET 3.3pts win BATTLE OF OMDURMAN
3.12 Pontefract (staked as below)
BET 5.7pts win EMBESTO (win 10 nap)
BET 1.1pts win HI ROYAL (win 15)
5.12 Pontefract (both win 10)
BET 2.5pts win VAUNTED
BET 2.0pts win FLAVIUS TITUS
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