COOKIES OWN THANKYOU TO ENABLE: CARRY ON DREAMING: As Daqman yet again celebrates the winning streak of Fortune Cookies’ first superstar, Enable, the horse newly launched on a dream sequence yesterday became the 70th winner for the horses-to-follow lists. As one becomes unbackable, a new star is born. The Cookies will line up next week for the St Leger and the fabulous Irish Champions meeting at two venues.
WON 5-2 DREAM OF DREAMS
WON 1-14 ENABLE
PARADE OF BIG NAMES IS A PUZZLE FOR PUNTERS IN PARIS: From one extreme to the other. One day we see Frankie Dettori blink back the tears as a 14-1 on shot wins her prep for Paris (‘the Arc is for her not me’), the next we have a conundrum of a Group 1, ‘impossible’ for the backer in a different way. Enable never let you down. In the Prix Du Moulin at Longchamp today, every runner is a star, but every one a let-down at some time or other.
PICK VICTOR FROM 6-PACK OF STARS
Going good to soft; sunny. Whereas in England and Ireland, you wonder which horses can cope with the rain, in France, where it’s usually ‘very soft’, it’s a case of which horses can cope without any?
But today’s big race in Paris has only two French defenders against a triple raid from Ireland and one from the ‘mobile home’ of Godolphin, who have stables in England and France.
⭕ 3.25 Longchamp (Prix Du Moulin, 1m) In checking out all six runners, we find that the ratings have them so close together, they are separated by only a couple of lengths in handicapping terms:
120 CIRCUS MAXIMUS (Aidan O’Brien): Beat Romanised a nose in this race last year on similar good to soft, drying ground after winning the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot (good).
Won the Queen Anne there this summer but only third at Deauville (heavy) in the Jacques Le Marois, with Persian King fourth and Romanised fifth.
120 PINATUBO (Charlie Appleby) Top rated of the three-year-olds (receive 4lb), ahead of Victor Ludorum and Siskin, but has dropped 8lb from his lofty perch as juvenile champion with six wins in a row (mainly good ground), including the Dewhurst at Newmarket and the National Stakes at the Curragh.
Third in the Guineas but back to winning form reverting to 7f in the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville. In between was beaten a length in the St James’s Palace Stakes by Palace Pier, who would go on to win the Jacques Le Marois (see Circus Maximus).
118 PERSIAN KING (Andre Fabre) Five wins in a row at two and three, culminating in the French Guineas on heavy, so his defeat in the Prix Jacques Le Marois was disappointing. Divided Circus Maximus and Romanised, third, fourth and fifth.
118 ROMANISED (Ken Condon) Irish 2,000 Guineas winner of 2018, and last year’s winner of the Jacques Le Marois (good), lost out to Circus Maximus in the Moulin last year by a nose. Has won only at Group-2 level since and was a moderate fifth in the Jacques Le Marois (heavy) this time around.
118 VICTOR LUDORUM (Andre Fabre) The French Pinatubo last year, after a hat-trick, completed in the Lagardere (very soft) at the Arc meeting. Won the French Guineas on good to soft from the benchmark The Summit, but neither could cope with Mishriff in the French Derby (good to soft) over further and Mishriff confirmed the form the last day.
116 SISKIN (Ger Lyons) Unbeaten run of five wins including Marble Hill, Railway and Phoenix juvenile tests until beaten favourite, dwelt, in the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood (third with Circus Maximus just ahead of him at the finish).
Verdict: First to go is Romanised, because older horses rarely win; with one or two exceptions (like Enable!) they are generally overtaken in the big events by the difference in age and weight.
Next, I’ll have to shuffle Pinatubo to the bottom of the pack. Reason this time: he clearly is a 7f horse in his second season, as he was aged two. He was a three-year-old when he was two and has stayed the same; though, in fact, dropped 8lb in the ratings.
Siskin has scored only one strike at today’s trip and the form of that race, the Irish Guineas, hasn’t worked out.
Though he has his ground today, Persian King doesn’t have form in the book against the best, since his French Derby defeat of 2019.
If you delete heavy ground and tricky tracks like Goodwood, Circus Maximus has unbeaten form over a mile in 2019-20 of 111 in Europe. Victor Ludorum comes out the same: 111.
The value at 9.6 this morning was Victor Ludorum who has his trip and ground today, and has the flamboyant Mickael Barzalona trying to outdo his rival Andre Fabre rider, Pierre-Charles Boudot (150 winners going into the meeting today). Expect a late swoop.
UK BETS START WITH STARMAN
⭕ 2.00 York (Listed Garrowby Stakes) Pick of the domestic action is on the Knavesmire with this Listed contest over six furlongs being the feature.
Last year’s winner Dakota Gold heads the BETDAQ market but he was completing a four-timer when winning this 12 months ago and isn’t coming into this year’s renewal with anything like that level of form.
He did win last time out but it was on soft ground at Beverley (Bullet) over five furlongs and I think he is opposable on better ground over today’s trip in what in any case looks a stronger race than last year.
Aristocratic Lady bids to do what Dakota Gold did last year – win this to make it four in a row and the Crisford’s horse has to be respected. She’s still got something to find form wise as the ratings suggest but she’s on the upgrade and stormed four lengths clear to win a class 3 at Haydock last time out. This is very much her specialist trip.
I prefer the chances though of Ed Walker’s Starman who is also up in class but may have the most scope having won both his starts and deserves a chance at some Black Type.
A winning debut on the all-weather in a workaday race at Lingfield was followed up with a good success at Doncaster over today’s trip where he stayed on far too strongly for the odds-on King’s Lynn.
He’s entered up for the Group 1 Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot next month and would need to win this pretty convincingly for that to remain a project but it might just illustrate how well he is thought of.
BOWLED OVER BY ATHERS
⭕ 2.30 York Athers looks the NAP on the card having gone firmly into my notebook when third to Albasheer on debut at Doncaster.
He was very green that day, especially at the start and in the end was no match for the front two but I think it was a well above Doncaster race – far better than the official class 5.
Albasheer bolted home and holds an entry for the Dewhurst whilst runner-up Alablaq has run well since.
The form has been boosted the most though by fourth placed Lost In Space who has won BOTH his races since at Lingfield and Newmarket. The fifth from the Doncaster race is also a subsequent winner.
In other words it looks pretty rock solid form and sets the bar at a decent level for the newcomers to shoot at. The market seems to think the Richard Fahey trained Carter Cowboy is the best of those but the trainer’s current form of 9-88 and York figures this season of 2-52 tempers enthusiasm.
GOING GREEN ENERGY
⭕ 3.40 York A speculative play here on Boma Green who ran well over C&D on debut and came back after a long absence to finish third at Chepstow last month. That should have put him right for this and he looks interesting with Hollie Doyle booked. He might just have more scope than some of this seasoned handicappers.
Nigel Tinkler’s Abstemious put in a good shift at Newmarket last time out when third and should be suited by the drop back in trip but his only career win came over course and distance here on soft ground and the trainer isn’t in the greatest of current form.
DAQMAN’S BETS
2.00 York (win 10)
BET 3.0pts win STARMAN
2.30 York (win 10)
BET 9.1pts win (nap) ATHERS
3.25 Longchamp (win 50)
BULL’S-EYE BET: 5.75pts win VICTOR LUDORUM
3,40 York (win 10 and place 10)
BET 1.8pts win, 7.9pts place BOMA GREEN
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