GAMBLE ALERT BUT HE WAS NO ANGEL! Magic Memories (WON evens) kept Daqman’s winners flowing yesterday after Life On The Rocks (WON 2-1, nap) on Tuesday but the memories of Wednesday are painful. Daqman expected his tip, Zilfee (WON 7-1), to be a short price, so didn’t stake it. Then he forecast Angel Of England to be gamble of the day. It was (5-1 to 9-4) but stayed at the back for most of the race at Hamilton.

ROYAL ASCOT ANTE-POST SERVICE: Daqman continues his race-by-race Royal Ascot guide seven days in advance, checking out next Thursday’s card. Stats and facts include top trainers, the draw, and Lays Logic on the favourites, with the ratings bands that contain the winners.

Betdaq Betting Exchange ante-post markets are online now.


ASCOT THURSDAY: FAVOURITES FLOP

🎩 2.30 Royal Ascot next Thursday (Norfolk Stakes, 5f)
AGE: 2yo only.
LAYS LOGIC (FAVOURITE): Not one winning favourite going back 15 years; not a one!
DRAW (10 years): 7, 8, 10, 2, 4, 9, 1, 10, 2, 5.
TRAINERS: Richard Fahey, Wesley Ward and Aidan O’Brien have each won twice.

🎩 3.05 Royal Ascot Thursday (King George V Handicap, 1m 4f)
AGE: 3yo only
LAYS LOGIC (FAVOURITE): No outright favourite has won in 14 years (two joint)
WEIGHT: 11 winners out of 14 carried 9st or lower.
DRAW: 12 out of 14 had a double-figure draw.
TRAINERS: Mark Johnston 5, Sir Michael Stoute 4, John Gosden 2

🎩 3.45 Royal Ascot Thursday (Ribblesdale Stakes, 1m 4f)
AGE: 3yo fillies
FAVOURITES: 2-10
DRAW: Eight in a row no higher than stall 6, but then two out of three from stalls 12 and 16. Back one each side.
TRAINERS: Where the King Edward V11 Stakes is the Ascot Derby, this is the Ascot Oaks:: John Gosden 4, Irish trainers 6 (including Aidan O’Brien 4)

🎩 4.25 Royal Ascot Thursday (Ascot Gold Cup, 2m 4f)
AGE: Only two winners aged seven or over: Invershin in 1929 and Yeats (won aged 5, 6, 7 and 8 from 2006-2009). Four-year-olds are 7-10.
FAVOURITES: 6-10, including one jt; only one winner with double-figure SP.
TRAINERS: Aidan O’Brien 8, Saeed Bin Suroor 5, Mark Johnston 4, John Gosden 4.

🎩 5.05 Royal Ascot Thursday (Britannia Handicap, 1m)
DRAW: 12 out of 14 from double-figure stalls.
WEIGHT: Nine winners out of 14 have carried less than 9st 1lb but three of the last four had 9st 2lb or 9st 3lb.
LAYS LOGIC (FAVOURITE): No favourite had scored in a decade until a 6-1 winner last year, and there were winners at 14-1, 18-1, 20-1, 25-1 and 28-1.
TRAINER: John Gosden 4, Mark Johnston 2, Sir Michael Stoute 2.

🎩 5.40 Royal Ascot Thursday (Hampton Court Stakes, 1m 2f)
AGE: 3yo only
FAVOURITES: 4 out of 12
DRAW: 11 out of 12 winners in single-figure stalls.
TRAINER (10 years): Aidan O’Brien 2, Sir Michael Stoute 2

🎩 6.15 Royal Ascot Thursday (Buckingham Palace Handicap, 7f)
KEY DRAW: Winners from high stalls in six out of eight years: 29, 11, 32, 29, 26, 31, 2, 24
WEIGHT: Nine out of 15 carried 9st or less but recent trend in five of last seven seasons: 9-8, 9-4, 9-3, 9-1, 9-10.
LAYS LOGIC (FAVOURITE): No favourite has scored in the last nine years; winners were 12-1 (twice), 14-1 (three times), 18-1, 25-1, 33-1, 50-1.
TRAINER: Richard Hannon has won two of the last four.


IN A GREAT FIGHT WITH BENACRE

⭕ 3.45 Nottingham today I remember Benacre scooting clear round the left-hander at Epsom and he looks primed to fire from the front again today, with a similar bend for James Doyle to wrong foot the rest of the field. A tasty 6.8 on BETDAQ this morning.

Benacre is down in grade after a long run in class-2 handicaps, starting with the Britannia last June, after going close in a Listed which made him favourite for a Group 2.

Yorkshire has been well backed every time he’s run but the 6f-7f winner tries a longer trip today. Sudden Ambush has been disappointing.

Great Blasket met defeat under a claimer here the last day after a hat-trick pushed his weight up 12lb.

Hollie Doyle takes over today; she got him home at Newmarket in the final strides, so could well be the challenger as Benacre tries to make his way home at Colwick Park.

⭕ 4.30 Newbury This class-3 over 7f produced a good one in second last year, 90-rated Popmaster. But, on the day, he couldn’t catch a young horse leniently handicapped.

He then had to take in, and win, a race at Ascot in July in order to get into the Bunbury Cup off 96; but he could finish only 14th of 15 in the Cup, the two races coming too close together.

Can they find a better route for Be Frank? He has not been punished in two runs this term, allowed to find his feet after nearly 300 days’ absence, and also targeting the Bunbury Cup.

Be Frank was third at Goodwood the last day behind Wild Tiger, whose performance just scrapes him into the Bunbury at No 20 off 98 but leaves Be Frank badly needing a weights rise.. Or two.

Will Henry Candy be tempted to ‘do a Popmaster’ and, if he wins today, try a similar follow-up strike to get Be Frank’s weight up to scratch for the big race? Let’s get today sorted first: 7.2 on Betdaq Betting Exchange.


STAR CHANCE FOR BIG-ODDS NAP

⭕ 5.05 Newbury Treacherous won this last year after an adventurous race out of gate 7 (carried left; behind near side; switched left two out). He’s 10 now and Oisin Murphy is called on to perform another miracle.

Dropped in grade, Kuwait City has Jim Crowley to do the steering. Their form together on firm ground is 2-2 but both wins were over 5f. His sire won seven at the minimum and failed to step up over the extra furlong in 19 attempts.

Consistent on AW, Sixties Chic has improved 10lb this year, and made the transition to turf the last day at Windsor, when Ormolulu was slowly away and finished eighth.

I give another chance to 11.0 BETDAQ bet Starproof. Beaten only two lengths in a big field at Ascot, after wind surgery and a long absence.

Bounced last time but Tom Marquand takes over with the stable now firing with six winners in five days at the races, three of them gambled on.

DAQMAN’S BETS

3.45 Nottingham (win 20, win 10)
BET 3.5pts win BENACRE
BET 3pts win GREAT BLASKET

4.30 Newbury (win 20)
BET 3.25pts win BE FRANK

5.05 Newbury (win 30, place nap)
BET 3pts win and place STARPROOF


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.

Did you know? DAQMAN’s tips are posted each and every day so he’s always on hand to help with your horse racing betting.


DAQMAN Boxing Day: KEMPTON SUPERNAP
DAQSTATS Boxing Day: KEMPTON NAP
DAQMAN: Christmas Briefing
THE STRIKER: Boxing Day Thursday Preview
THE EDGE Thurs: Australia v India 4th Test
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