O’BRIEN TO HAVE ONLY ONE RUNNER IN SATURDAY’S DERBY: Aidan O’Brien, who usually covers a Classic race from all positions in the field, has put just ONE colt in to bat for the Epsom Derby on Saturday. Read all about it, and where his four other contenders will run instead. Daqman reports.
CORONATION CUP GUIDE Daqman’s horse-by-horse survey of the big three Epsom races of the weekend is completed with the Coronation Cup.
WOULDN’T YOU LIKE TO BE ON THE MEDITERRANEAN! One of the Ballydoyle five withdrawn from the Derby now runs at Leopardstown this afternoon and rates Daqman’s nap of the day. Headlines:
BALLET SEEN AS DERBY SHOO-IN
TIGHT AT THE TOP OF CUP RATINGS
PERRY CAN WIN CLASH OF THE DAY
I’D LIKE TO BE ON MEDITERRANEAN
BIG MONEY ALREADY FOR BROWN
BALLET SEEN AS A DERBY SHOO-IN
Layers had to be on their toes last night as the Derby took a new turn. Bolshoi Ballet could even start a shade of odds on after Aidan O’Brien announced that the colt will be his ONLY Derby runner on Saturday.
High Definition, who clearly needed his Dante run badly at York and wants more time, will wait until the Irish Derby, he said.
Bolshoi Ballet is unbeaten this year, two out of two, in the Ballysax and the Leopardstown Derby Trial, which he turned into a procession.
In the absence of High Definition, Frankie Dettori switches to John Leeper, the Ed Dunlop colt named after his father.
O’Brien’s Van Gogh now joins St Mark’s Basilica in Sunday’s French Derby; The Mediterranean takes in the Nikinsky Stakes at Leopardstown today; Sir Lamorack goes for the King Edward V11 Stakes at Royal Ascot and Kryptos for the Queen’s Vase.
Today Daqman completes his guides to the major races at Epsom of the next two days:
OAKS ABC in Daqman Tuesday
DERBY ABC in Daqman Wednesday
CORONATION CUP below
TIGHT AT THE TOP OF CUP RATINGS
⭕ 3.10 Epsom, Friday (Coral Coronation Cup) All easy so far! Now the first Fortune Cookie of the season, Al Aasy, is likely to be hot favourite in his first Group 1 tomorrow. But is it a done thing? Here’s how they stand on the ratings and form, with four horses within 4lb of each other:
120 JAPAN Ormonde Stakes at Chester a month ago was his first success in seven starts since his Group-1 hat-trick at Ascot, Longchamp and York. All four wins were on good to soft (Aidan O’Brien).
119 AL AASY Has climbed exactly two stone in the last year; four out of five including 2-2 at Newbury this season, both Group 3, one of them the John Porter Stakes (William Haggas).
119 MOGUL Solid but 10lb short of top class until a Group-1 breakthrough in September when winning the Grand Prix De Paris. Looks second string on this year’s form but a year younger than stablemate Japan (Aidan O’Brien).
117 PYLEDRIVER Group-2 double in 2020 in the King Edward V11 ‘Ascot Derby’ and the Great Voltigeur Stakes at York. Dropped a couple of pounds in the ratings after comfortably beaten by Sir Ron Priestley in the Jockey Club Stakes at Newmarket on May 1, and Sir Ron himself has been docked a pound for his defeat in the Yorkshire Cup (William Muir).
113 ALBAFLORA Grey filly who gets the allowances and has Frankie Dettori up but needs a big step forward on Listed win (soft) at Ascot last month (Ralph Beckett).
113 ALPINISTA Another Listed-only winner but shot up 16lb after runner-up to Love in the Yorkshire Oaks last August and gamely won on her return at Goodwood (Sir Mark Prescott)
109 HIGHLAND CHIEF Chesham third to Pinatubo and winner of a handicap in successive years at Royal Ascot. Narrow second to Mogul at Goodwood but much further behind the same horse in the Grand Prix de Paris and runner-up to Pyledriver in the Great Voltigeur. Not seen this year (Paul and Oliver Cole).
PERRY CAN WIN CLASH OF THE DAY
⭕ 3.05 Leopardstown today A fascinating clash of the generations as Sinawann – placed in four Group races, winning one here – preps for the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.
But barking at his heels, in receipt of a stone, is the highly-regarded three-year-old, Ebeneezer Perry, whose trainer, Ger Lyons, is currently in peak form with 3-5.
Colin Keane admitted a real liking for this one after only having to push him out in a big-field mile maiden run in very good time here at Leopardstown three weeks back.
BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE 3.9 Sinawann, 7.6 Eberneezer Perry
⭕ 3.40 Leopardstown The Frankel six-year-old Juyush improved a ton over the winter and is now ready to translate that from AW Dundalk to Leopardstown turf, where his run back in April was a promising sixth, running on well in a big field over shorter.
Shane Crosse is 4-7 this year for Sarah Lynam, including the third leg of the Juyush hat-trick.
BETDAQ value 8.4 Juyush
I’D LIKE TO BE ON MEDITERRANEAN
⭕ 4.50 Leopardstown (Nijinsky Stakes) The race is named after Nijinsky the only horse to win the Triple Crown in the last 66 years.
Just so that we don’t get carried away too easily, I’m reminding you – and myself – as the age of Bolshoi Ballet may now be upon us that the turf dancer supreme had this level of ability:
In the same year (1970) Nijinsky won the Gladness Stakes, 2,000 Guineas, Epsom Derby, Irish Derby, King George and St Leger.
Nijinsky was trained by Vincent O’Brien. Now here’s Aidan saddling The Mediterranean in the commemorative race his stable has been placed in eight years out of nine, three of them winners.
Fernando Vichi has been around six lengths behind Bolshoi Ballet in two races on today’s course this year, and his stable is out of form (Donnacha O’Brien 0-11).
The Mediterranean was strong in the finish in winning his maiden here in May and was still in the Derby until last night’s announcement from Ballydoyle.
BETDAQ value 3.1 The Mediterranean
BIG MONEY ALREADY FOR BROWN
⭕ 7.00 Chelmsford Richard Kingscote has struck up a 100% partnership with Newmarket trainer Martin Smith through 2-2 on Aleatoric, a tricky ride best known as a two-miler these days.
Scudamore seemed anchored by his 10lb rise on the last day for winning a slow-run race at Southwell.
Maybe it’s a chance for Big Brown, who came in for sustained support last night from 14-1 in to 9-2, leaping threequarters of a mile in trip with the smart Marco Ghiani booked.
Marco claims 3lb so that, overall, Big Brown has plummeted 19lb after five races this year.
BETDAQ value 6.8 Big Brown
DAQMAN’S BETS
3.05 Leopardstown (win 20, win 10)
BET 3pts win each SINAWANN
and EBERNEEZER PERRY
3.40 Leopardstown (win 20)
BET 2.75pts win JUYUSH
4.50 Leopardstown (win-20 nap)
BET 10pts win THE MEDITERRANEAN
7.00 Chelmsford (win 30)
BET 5pts win BIG BROWN
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.
