EAGLE-EYED DAQMAN SWOOPS FOR TWO WINNERS OUT OF THREE: Daqman, whose three a day landed a 33-1 treble on Monday, had two winners out of three yesterday, two from two at Catterick, including his nap:
✔️ WON 8-11 AQUAMAN (nap)
✔️ WON 13-8 WISE EAGLE
FOUR WINNING NAPS UP OUT OF SIX INCLUDING HIS SUPERNAP: Aquaman was his fourth winning nap in the last six days, and he tries for a fifth in a week in the 3.50 Beverley today
✔️ WON 8-11 AQUAMAN (Wednesday)
✔️ WON 7-4 SISKANY (Monday)
✔️ WON 1-2 BROOME (Saturday supernap)
✔️ WON 4-5 TASFEEQ (Friday)
THE KEY RACES AND RATINGS FOR THE FIRST COLTS CLASSIC: Daqman yesterday revealed the clues to quality in the 1,000 Guineas. Now here’s his ‘see how they won’ special on the first colt’s Classic: Top Mark’s For The 2,000 Guineas.
TOP MARK’S FOR THE 2,000 GUINEAS
⭕ 3.40 Newmarket, May 1 (2,000 Guineas) The Futurity at Doncaster (formerly the Racing Post Trophy) heads the key races for the 2,000 Guineas.
The last three Guineas winners, Saxon Warrior, Magna Grecia and Kameko all won it; Camelot (2011) before that.
The Dewhurst runs the Futurity close: Churchill (2017) won it; Dawn Approach (2013) and Frankel (2011) won it.
Ireland’s best test is the National Stakes, partly responsible for producing Guineas winners Dawn Approach, Gleneagles (2015) and Churchill. The Curragh Futurity was also won by Gleaneagles and Churchill.
The 2,000 winners in the decade went to post with the following ratings: 126, 119, 124, 109, 124, 110, 122, 119, 113, 118. This year’s key-race candidates in ratings order:
120 St Mark’s Basilica (Aidan O’Brien) Third in the National Stakes and won the Dewhurst; moderate strike rate (2-5)
118 Wembley (Aidan O’Brien) Second in the National Stakes and in the Dewhurst; in fact, four times second; poor strike rate (1-6)
117 Thunder Moon (Joseph O’Brien) 2 out of 3, winning the National Stakes and third in the Dewhurst.
116 Lucky Vega (Jessica Harrington) Won Phoenix Stakes; National Stakes fifth and second in the Middle Park; moderate 2-5 strike rate
116 Mac Swiney (Jim Bolger) Winner of the Curragh Futurity and the Futurity at Doncaster (3-6).
114 One Ruler (Charlie Appleby) Second in the Futurity at Doncaster (2-5)
113+ Chindit (Richard Hannon) 4-5: won Champagne, 9th Dewhurst. But this year won the Greenham. +To be updated
113 Devilwala (Ralph Beckett) Fourth in the Dewhurst; fourth in the Craven Stakes (1-6)
112 Battleground (Aidan O’Brien) Won Chesham, 2nd Breeders Cup Juvenile (2-4).
112+ Master Of The Seas (Charlie Appleby) 4th National Stakes, and this year won the Craven Stakes (3-5). +To be updated.
BOY’S TO BLOCK HENDERSON TOUR
It’s all over now. But what’s not been mentioned (and is closer to the punter’s heart) is that, in landing 148 winners against champion Brian Hughes’s 140, Harry Skelton has broken the profits barrier: a champion of the people!
His 22% strike rate is hot, of course; but how on earth has he managed to ride 662 horses and finish in plus, if only marginally, to a £1 level stake. That’s despite trainer Dan Skelton’s three-figure loss.
Any punter who had a record like Harry’s could very easily manipulate the outcome with a staking plan and make a decent living.
Also overlooked has been Paul Nicholls’ personal best of 171 winners in a season (at 25% strike rate).
Despite their colossal Cheltenham, the combined earnings of Henry de Bromhead and Willie Mullins from runners in England are only a few thousand in front of Nicholls’ solo total of £2,317,000. Nicky Henderson, Nigel Twiston-Davies, Alan King and, particularly, Colin Tizzard, had moderate seasons by their standards.
⭕ 2.55 Perth This is Nicky Henderson’s bogey track. His 8-65 is his lowest return on any Jumps-only racecourse (12%). He has missed strike badly there with 20 placed second or third.
Both Henderson raiders were winners last time out, Pistol Whipped (2.55) at Plumpton and, in the 3.30, Steal A March (owned by The Queen) at Exeter.
Pistol Whipped was winning the Sussex Champion Chase, dominating a small field in slow, slow time, deliberately set by Nico De Boinville. Can he do it again – can he steal a march? – or will the canny Scots catch him at it?
All four wins by Boy’s On Tour have been at this track, and both Defi Sacre and Niven are usually thereabouts.
Delire d’Estruval, winner of the Silver Bowl at Kempton (class 2) under Daryl last season, has gone sour recently in Graded contests.
Lucinda Rusell, who saddles Boy’s On Tour, was in terrific form for Scotland at Ayr last week, winning the Coral Scottish Grand National.
BETDAQ value 9.8 Boy’s On Tour
HUGHES STILL TOP OF THE CHARTS
⭕ 3.30 Perth One of Daqman’s great moments at Cheltenham was when Flooring Porter took the Stayer’s Hurdle at 12-1 for Gavin Cromwell.
While England has seen the rise and rise of the Skeltons, Cromwell’s revolt against the high-flyers of Irish trainers continues to delight the punter.
He’s booked Brian Hughes for the ride on Top of The Charts, returning to hurdles after a break, which he did at the start of last season, winning two out of two.
BETDAQ value 11.0 Top of The Charts
⭕ 3.50 Beverley Firm ground; 1m 2f at Beverley. Puckle made all in those conditions last year and, facing mainly older horses here, is with trainer-in-form Mark Johnston, whose young bloods have been in peak form.
Four of the stable’s three-year-olds and two four-olds have won in the last fortnight, five of them making virtually all, including one who dwelt at the start but was quickly pushed up to dominate.
The BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE market this morning had Puckle 2.84 ahead of Royal Mirage, another CD winner, but with the steadier of 10st 1lb and from a stable with only four winners in 53 runners in the fortnight, and which usually comes good at the York May meeting.
Qawamees overall record of 1-23 suggests there is no percentage in taking 4.7, and I shall make Puckle the nap.
DAQMAN’S BETS
2.55 Perth (win 20)
BET 2.25pt win BOY’S ON TOUR
3.30 Perth (win 20, place win 10)
BET 2pts win and 4pts place TOP OF THE CHARTS
3.50 Beverley (win 12)
BET 6.5pts win PUCKLE (nap)
What are points? Points facilitate a staking plan, which is the secret to creating profit. One point is whatever you choose: a pound, a euro, or whatever ….
Start with a bank and decide how much you can afford to lose over a period of time, and determine the size of your bets accordingly. Daqman makes this variation every day.
