TODAY: THE BIG-RACE HEADLINES: A great start to Chester put Daqman 13-7 ahead of Pricewise in their value challenge. His winner was Great Dame (WON 7-2) and he won again with a 10-1 place bet. More needed today from these headlines:
🔹 DRAGON ALL FIRED UP IN THE VASE
🔹 BIG WEIGHTS SLIP LETS IN GROWL
🔹 ROLL UP FOR THE O’BRIEN CIRCUS
🔹 REASONS FOR BACKING MORANDO
TOMORROW: THE CHESTER CUP ABC: First on the agenda tomorrow is the Chester Cup with Daqman’s ABC to the stats and facts, with its leaning towards the stalls bias. Has he found just the boy to take advantage?
DRAGON ALL FIRED UP IN THE VASE
Arise Sir Dragonet! He still needs to rise in stature – but not by very much – if he is to win the Derby. The attitude of this big imposing Ballydoyle colt was taking, and he devoured the ground, once given the office.
Very few three-year-olds have got going yet though, of course, the Epsom Derby is often won at York next week, with the Dante Stakes almost always a very strong guide.
The Dragon’s action is to pound the ground a bit, and a firm surface might not help, but he relaxes so well that I can see him cruising for most of the race in the Derby.
He goes into my Fortune Cookies as one to follow since, should Epsom go wrong, the Irish Derby beckons, with the likelihood of an easier surface.
I’m sticking with Hermosa in the Oaks so far. Mehdaayih was impressive in the Cheshire Oaks but it was soon obvious that Frankie Dettori wasn’t going to punish her stablemate Fanny Logan on the ground, and it was said that there isn’t much between them at home.
➡️ DRAW: Chester result by stall yesterday: 3, 6, 6, 8, 3, 4, 8
➡️ TRAINERS: David O’Meara form 11, Aidan O’Brien 021 John Gosden 310, David Evans 41, Ralph Beckett 201, Gary Moore 1
BIG WEIGHTS SLIP LETS IN GROWL
1.50 Chester Stalls 1 to 4 have won this sprint every year bar one in the decade but it was noticeable yesterday how they came in off the cutaway, leaving the middle of the track free for a passage from higher stalls.
None has carried as much weight as Copper Knight and Merhoob in the 10-year survey, and neither has won off his current rating. Copper Knight was clear favourite this morning but 13lb higher than when scoring at this meeting last year. Merhoob is 1-18 on turf. Camacho Chief is also high in the weights and has always needed a run back.
That old dog Growl is hard to win with, but he’s slid 19lb down the handicap, is happy on soft ground and caught a tartar at this meeting a year ago when the brilliant Kachy stole the race from the start. I took 11.5 Growl.
ROLL UP FOR THE O’BRIEN CIRCUS
2.25 Chester (Dee Stakes) Aidan O’Brien is 5-7 in this, with all five winners favourite, and has won it seven times overall. Both the penalised Mohawk and Circus Maximus are Derby entries.
Circus Maximus likes today’s ground and was only a length off Magna Grecia in the Futurity at Doncaster last backend. Mohawk won the Royal Lodge but was down the field in the Dewhurst.
Fox Chairman seems to have beaten handicappers at Newbury (‘beat nothing well’), and Living Legend is himself a handicap winner.
3.00 Chester No winner in the decade from a stall higher than seven. No winner yesterday from nine runners for Tom Dascombe (four runners in this).
In theory, that leaves the choice here from Lincoln Park, Forseti, Pacino and Woodside Wonder.
All three of Pacino (1-6 ), Forseti (1-5) and Woodside Wonder (1-9) have had just the one win each on turf, all on firm ground.
Lincoln Park looked more like his old self on the last day, and his ‘old self’ is exemplified by back-to-back success on the soft in the autumn. I found 6.6 offers in the BETDAQ orange this morning.
REASONS FOR BACKING MORANDO
3.35 Chester (Ormonde Stakes) St Leger winner Kew Gardens has not been at his best on soft ground, has not won first time out in his two seasons’ racing, and hasn’t scored before Royal Ascot which is his target again.
It seems the way of things that Donnacha O’Brien gets the best of the Ballydoyle rides (Magna Grecia, Sir Dragonet) but Kew Gardens’ stablemate Cypress Creek is also without form on the soft.
Morando has scored twice after a break, is happy on the ground and is officially only 3lb behind Kew Gardens under the conditions of the race. Could win this by default: 5.1 on BETDAQ this morning.
It could be a dodgy, tactical sort of race so I will merely cover the level stake of the Fortune Cookie’s horses, which is on Kew Gardens.
Magic Circle runs here instead of carrying lumps of weight in a repeat bid for the Chester Cup tomorrow, but Ian Williams (1-36) is out of form. Has won on soft.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.50 Chester (win 20)
BET 2pts win and place GROWL
2.25 Chester (supernap)
BET 20pts win CIRCUS MAXIMUS
3.00 Chester (win 30)
BET 5.25pts win LINCOLN PARK
3.35 Chester (win 20)
BET 5pts win MORANDO
4.35 Chester (win 20)
BET 5pts win at 7.0 LARIAT
FORTUNE COOKIES
3.35 Chester (level stakes)
BET 20pts win KEW GARDENS
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