WINNING CHANCES BY THE SCORE! There are 20 meetings in England and Ireland over the next three days, with Daqman determined to stick to the quality races wherever possible. They culminate in Saturday’s Hungerford meeting at Newbury.
FRENCH ACE RIDES AT SALISBURY: Today’s targets are at Salisbury, featuring three rides by Gerald Mosse, and Leopardstown tonight, which has the Group-3 Desmond Stakes and the two-year-old race which launched Free Eagle.
UNEXPOSED ZAMANI TO SCORE AT SALISBURY
2.25 Salisbury The cheaper the horse at auction, the more allowances for this race and, therefore, the lower the weight. Yet the ‘cheapos’ win time after time; in fact, seven of the last nine winners carried 8st 9lb or less.
And, eye-catchingly, the only two winning trainers with runners today, Jonathan Portman (Art Echo) and Roger Charlton (Bitter Orange), both saddle horses from on or below that stats ceiling.
By strange coincidence Bitter Orange made his debut in the Win Races With Jonathan Portman Maiden at Newbury in June!
Gerald Mosse (Bobby Wheeler) has the first of three rides at Salisbury this afternoon for Clive Cox, who has had a winning connection with the French rider, since 2009, most notably when Reckless Abandon took the top French juvenile races back to back, the Prix Morny and Prix Robert Papin (2012).
Later in the year, Mosse flew to Newmarket to successfully renew the partnership in the Middle Park Stakes.
His mount, Bobby Wheeler certainly has the pick of the form with a fifth in a Goodwood Maiden which has yielded a couple of winners. One of those, trained by Mark Johnston, finished sixth that day in Goodwood and is now rated 93. That run puts him well clear of anything here.
3.55 Salisbury Three-year-olds are unbeaten in this since 2005, and Cox and Mosse team up with a filly, Mikandy, who’s finished in the first four for nine consecutive starts (three of them wins).
Mikandy is now rated 80 and is likely to be vulnerable to an unexposed type and two of those are Zamani and Mill Springs.
The latter wasn’t beaten far by Gretchen in a Newmarket Maiden in May and went close next time at Chepstow before winning at the same track in June.
Zamani won a Brighton Maiden beating an odds on shot from the Hannon stable and did her job very professionally quickening nicely and staying well to score going away. That form has been franked since.
She ran well subsequently in Newmarket on her handicap debut only to find trouble in running but was probably beaten at the time. The step up in trip should help and she shows enough pace to suggest that she can improve on her mark of 78 and is taken to score in this one.
4.25 Salisbury (Sovereign Stakes) Gerald Mosse – on Kodi Bear – is no doubt here for the jockeys’ percentage for this Group 3.
I’ve yielded to the way the Classic generation has dominated in recent weeks but can they take this race, in which they have scored only three times in 15 years.
Kodi Bear, the Dewhurst runner-up, did not reappear until winning a Listed in June, but ran in snatches in the Group-1 Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly on the last day
This is a really intriguing race though but it looks to be on for the three year olds and Kodi Bear will be hard to beat.
Custom Cut, Tullius and Captain Cat are all getting on in years. Although in saying that, the first pair have claimed some good races this season. Moohaarib has age on his side but whether or not he’d be good enough to beat a likely improver like Kodi Bear is questionable despite dropping in grade. The same goes for Shifting Power who has to put a bad experience at Epsom behind him.
Kodi Bear’s form is rock solid and probably should have finished closer in the Prix Jean Prat which suggests that he is capable of holding his own at the top level. This is fantastic opportunity for him and will be tough to get by. Moohaarib is the main danger.
FOLLOW THE FAMOUS AT LEOPARDSTOWN
6.25 Leopardstown Progressive last season, Oor Jock won this race off a 4lb higher mark than today.
But that was on soft ground and he’s had no few than 23 starts since then without winning, albeit heartbreakingly second on five occasions.
It’s hard to see him being able to win this but I can see Pretty Famous winning.
This looks like being a good race and the top two (Captain Power and Ishebayorgrey) set a decent standard.
Pretty Famous appeared to be simply outstayed at Naas last time in her handicap debut and runs here off just 2lbs higher and the drop to six furlongs is a positive. Chris Hayes takes back over from Fran Berry.
6.55 Leopardstown Free Eagle, who is on course for the International at York next week, swooped to make a winning debut in this two years ago.
Now here’s his trainer, Dermot Weld, going for the same maiden with Monocle, who is related to Derby winner Workforce on both sides of his pedigree.
He is by the same sire as Workforce (Derby and Arc), and his dam is a half-sister to Workforce by Racing Post and St Leger hero Brian Boru and granddaughter of a Park Hill winner.
Unicorn was well backed in Galway to finish third behind an impressive winner, the Weld trained True Solitaire. The Ballydoyle charge was left with a lot to do and stayed on well to snatch third but wasn’t given the best chance. This looks a little easier and should be capable of holding off the Weld and Bolger runners.
7.25 Leopardstown (Desmond Stakes) Ger Lyons, successful with a three-year-old, Future Generation, in 2011, chose Convergence from two second-season animals which stood their ground at the five-day stage.
Convergence, seventh in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, won a Group 3 at Leopardstown in June, and is preferred by the trainer to Sacrificial.
Convergence has the highest rating of the three-year-olds, the two others rated with a stone and more to find on Cougar Mountain.
Cougar Mountain’s rating of 119 is probably slightly inflated after his Royal Ascot and Goodwood exploits behind Solow. In saying that, it’s hard to see any of these four getting passed him.
Convergence is the most likely danger but is maybe suited better by seven furlongs. Raydara has been running in some high quality races and did manage to beat Lucida in The Curragh last season but her two runs this season would suggest that she’s a good way off the O’Brien horse.
Cougar Mountain is taking a significant drop in class and this should be a good confidence booster for him.
DAQMAN’S BETS (Stakes 1-9pts on strength, 10pts for a Banker)
BET 6pts win BOBBY WHEELER (2.25 Salisbury)
BET 4pts win ZAMANI (3.55 Salisbury)
BET 6pts win KODI BEAR (4.25 Salisbury)
BET 2pts win and place PRETTY FAMOUS (6.25 Leopardstown)
BET 7pts win UNICORN (6.55 Leopardstown)
BET 8pts win (nap) COUGAR MOUNTAIN (7.25 Leopardstown)
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