DAQMAN STRIKES FORM FOR ASCOT: 17.0 AND 9.0 VALUE HITS: Give Daqman quality racing and he’ll give you quality winners. He won more than 50 points on one horse, Firmament (WON 14-1), in a big handicap at York yesterday, then had a one-two in the next at Sandown before landing his nap at Hexham, yet again revealing the value in BETDAQ morning offers.
WON 14-1 FIRMAMENT (17.0 BETDAQ taken; 53.25 points profit)
WON 5-1 HISTORY WRITER (9.0 BETDAQ)
(2nd 10-1 Baltic Baron paid 54-1 forecast with Coral-Ladbrokes)
WON 2-1 DARLING MISS (nap)
NOW HE LEADS PRICEWISE 29-16 AND GOES 110 POINTS CLEAR: Daqman went further clear of Pricewise in races the Racing Post tipster selects for value bets and he now leads 29-16, going 110 points ahead to 10-point level stakes.
➡️ Look out for a full Royal Ascot service, starting tomorrow after today’s Classic action at Chantilly.
STALLONE LOOKS SOLID AS A ROCKY
1.55 Salisbury Interesting to see Stallone make a very quick reappearance under a penalty after his win three days ago at Nottingham in what looked a much better race than this.
He relished the heavy ground that day and with better weather on the horizon trainer Richard Spencer clearly fancies his chances of making some hay while the sun DOESN’T shine.
His apprentice jockey (in a race where whips are carried but cannot be used) has a very satisfactory career record of 6 wins from 47 rides with a further 6 placed.
Market leader is Alicia Darcy who hardly set the world alight with her 6th in a Beverley seller last time out for which she was also set off at top of the market.
HOOF NOTE: The omens are good. STALLONE is in STALL ONE !!
ASTONISHED WIN NO SURPRISE
2.10 Doncaster A couple of odds-on favs on the Doncaster card – notably Sea Of Faith in the 3.20 who looks to have a very straightforward task.
In the 2.10 though the lightly raced Astonished looks worthy of support. She makes her turf debut here having done well on the all-weather – notably at Kempton last time out when fourth to Bacacarat in a Class 4. She would have been closer if not for meeting interference and is preferred to Wufud who was a good second at Goodwood last time out but on good to firm ground.
NOW FOR 23.0 FRENCH OAKS SHOCK
3.05 Chantilly (Prix de Diane) Only two drawn in double figures have won this in the decade. Chantilly has a two-kilometre straight, the longest of any French track, and one wide drawn needs to race prominently and take control of the race like Laurens, last year’s winner from gate 12.
The favourite, Saint-Alary scorer, Siyarafina (stall 16), is a hold-up filly and more likely to smash the draw bias is Frankie Dettori on Enable’s half-sister, Entitle (out of 13).
Dettori’s victory in this race for John Gosden four years ago was from a wide (15) stall when he burst through and edged over to the rail.
Entitle was behind in the Musidora due to greenness (she was still quite backward in the early Spring) but responded to Dettori’s bid to steal the race in the final furlong and went down only a neck to Nausha, who had the benefit of an outing.
It will be close again because Nausha now has another advantage, a low draw (in 4). She is one of the Kingman stock going great guns this season, out of a Galileo mare.
Channel (7), Ebony (3) and Grand Glory (8) are close together collaterally after trials in lower grade, and Siyarafina looks well ahead of the French collaterally.
Etoile (6) won the Cleopatre, a Group-3 prep for this, but Platane, who beat her a neck in April, was only 10th of 11 to Siyarafina in the Saint-Alary.
There are then three camps: one which says that Commes, well drawn today in 5, can reverse earlier form when beaten by Siyarafina. Another which says that Commes’ subsequent second in the French 1,000 Guineas serves to boost the form of Siyarafina.
A third which says that Imperial Charm’s length-and-a-half third in the Saint-Alary and two lengths fourth in the Guineas confirms that there is nothing to choose between them. Comme c’est difficile!
VERDICT: I can’t back Siyarafina at such short prices. The Saint-Alary doesn’t have a good record in this, and she is drawn widest of all.
Jean-Claude Rouget, the Aidan O’Brien of France, who has won this four times in the decade, has four runners, the best of which for breeding and stamina is the unexposed outsider, Cartiem (23.0) from stall 2, and the best on form the fast-finishing Guineas runner-up Commes (6.0).
Entitle (17.0) can reverse Musidora form with Nausha with Frankie to steer her free of trouble. I’ll back the two outsiders with Commes as stakes saver. That gives me a 1-2-3: 1 Entitle 2 Commes 3 Cartiem
….AND ALL THAT JAZZ
4.10 Salisbury (Cathedral Stakes, Listed) Just the six runners go to post for the feature race of the day and the soft ground looks to have come at just the right time for Snazzy Jazzy.
The Clive Cox trained runner won the Ayr Silver Cup last season when it was heavy ground and was probably in need of the start, after a 220 day break, when finishing a creditable third to Safe Voyage at Haydock in the John Of Gaunt Stakes first time up this season when it was again heavy ground.
Archers Dream is two wins from two starts and she would have won further than the official four and a half lengths last time out at Yarmouth if not for being eased down. She remains progressive but has yet to prove herself at this level, or on the ground – so two big question marks to answer for the current second favourite.
There are also big question marks over the going for Emaraaty Ana who is a big class dropper having struggled in both the English and Irish 2,000 Guineas but is totally unproven on the surface – his Group 2 Gimcrack win at York last year came on good to firm ground.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.55 Salisbury (win 20)
BET 8.3pts win STALLONE
2.10 Doncaster (win 20)
BET 6.2pts win ASTONISHED
3.05 Chantilly (win 30, win 10 places)
BET 1.85pts win and 3pts place ENTITLE
BET 1.35pts win and 2pts place CARTIEM
SAVER (all stakes) 1.5pts win COMMES
4.10 Salisbury (win 20)
BET 10pts win (nap) SNAZZY JAZZY
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