12-1 ASCOT WINNER WAS 16-1 BULL’S-EYE STRIKE FOR DAQMAN: Daqman yesterday hoisted his feature-race profits to 250 points in bull’s-eye bets and others placed in his value challenge to Pricewise, all thanks to Sir Busker (WON 12-1) from 16.0 on BETDAQ for Ascot. Daqman’s headline was: ‘Play 16.0 BETDAQ Bet Sir Busker.’
📈 Daqman 10, Pricewise 3 (profits +185.00 to +45.00)
📈 Bull’s-eye bets (profit 65.00)
📈 Daily naps 7-17 (profit +4.33)
📈 Lays 3-4 (profit 13.84)
Today’s Headlines
🔹 JIM CROWLEY LEADING DETTORI 4-1
🔹 TAKE TONIC WITH 50-1 TOM COLLINS
🔹 ANGEL IS LAID OUT FOR SAME RACE
🔹 KING FRANKIE’S BANKER OF THE DAY
🔹 HOT NEWS FROM THE BATTLEGROUND
🔹 TECHNICIAN TO FOIL STRADIVARIUS
🔹 SOUND PLAYS WINNING TUNE AGAIN
JIM CROWLEY LEADING DETTORI 4-1
Frankie tries another seven. Memories of Frankie Dettori’s 25,051-1 Magnificent Seven at Ascot in 1996, as he rides seven today. With BETDAQ morning offers, they are: Hypothetical (6.4), Crossed Baton (14.5), King Leonidas (3.75), Golden Flame (5.5), Stradivarius (1.76), Verboten (9.0) and Dubai Love (9.8).
But the week’s leader so far with four in two days is former champion Jim Crowley against just one for Dettori. Crowley’s rides today: Cepheus (20.0), Regal Reality (8.6), Malatham (7.0), Mekong (32.0), Khaloosy (9.5) and Huboor (18.0).
GOING: Good to Soft (from Good at the end of racing on Wednesday). DRAW: High numbers on the straight course nullified late yesterday by jockeys crowding toward the stands’ rail.
LEADING ASCOT TRAINERS (5 years +update): John Gosden 43, Aidan O’Brien 31, Charlie Appleby 23, Mark Johnston 21, Sir Michael Stoute 20.
JOCKEYS (5 years +update): Ryan Moore 42, Frankie Dettori 34, William Buick 32, James Doyle 24, Adam Kirby 20.
WINNERS THIS WEEK: TRAINERS: John Gosden 3, Charles Hills 2, Aidan O’Brien 2; one each Alan King, Andrew Balding, Owen Burrows, Richard Hannon, Roger Varian, William Knight, William Muir.
JOCKEYS: Jim Crowley 4, James Doyle 2, Ryan Moore 2; one each Andrea Atzeni, William Buick, Frankie Dettori, Martin Dwyer, Thore Hammer Hansen, Oisin Murphy.
TAKE TONIC WITH 50-1 TOM COLLINS
👑 1.15 Ascot (Golden Gates Handicap) Acquitted was given a good blow in front and was beaten only by Saturday’s St James’s Palace hopeful, Palace Pier, at Newcastle. Yashimi, third, will appreciate this step up in trip.
Dettori’s opening shot, Hypothetical, was favourite when fourth in the Classic Trial won by Berlin Tango and Pyledriver; not given a hard race.
Alan King, who won the Ascot Stakes on the opening day, has another fine chance here with Tritonic. Oisin Murphy won a usually sound two-year-old test with him in the autumn (Acquitted only fourth) and is back on board today.
The dark horse, trained by the canny David Elsworth, is Tom Collins, who beat a John Gosden favourite (won since) at Newmarket before getting buried in Group races. Rain would be a godsend.
Tom Collins, one of the bottomweights who gets 13lb from Hypothetical, was priced up at 50-1 in the BETDAQ Sportsbook and was on offer early mouse at 80.0 on the Exchange to a few pounds.
Stirred in with some Tritonic at 10.0, I had a tasty little cocktail for my early position in the hope of shaking down the market.
ANGEL IS LAID OUT FOR SAME RACE
👑 1.50 Ascot (Wolferton Stakes) STATS: John Gosden, who has won this four times in the decade, saddles both Crossed Baton (Dettori) and Dubai Warrior (Rob Havlin). Addeybb, winner of this last year, didn’t get the expected rain yesterday. Draw: high numbers best.
FORM: The plunge horse last night was Fox Tal, fourth to Magical and Addeybb in the Group-1 Middle-Distance Championship at Ascot in the autumn, but drawn 2 today. Regal Reality was only eighth (gelded since), and needs firm ground.
Rain would suit Sir Dragonet, beaten favourite three times – including in the Derby – since he won the Chester Vase last May.
Dubai Warrior (stall 3) has improved 11lb as he’s climbed through the ranks for a hat-trick completed on AW in the Winter Derby but this is just his second start on turf and, though he’s 8lb behind Dubai Warrior in the ratings, Dettori prefers Crossed Baton.
A combination of circumstances puts me off him: a penalty, tongue-tie and cheekpieces (after blinkers failed at Epsom) suggests that Frankie will have his work cut out.
Rain would also benefit Mountain Angel, winner first time out two years running, and hampered at two different stages in this when fifth last year. Laid out for the race and James Doyle booked.
Dark horse is Aloe Vera, well drawn in 14: off since last May when frustratingly too green to train but the in-form Ralph Beckett stable thinks the world of her.
VERDICT: The front of the market looks iffy, so I took 15.0 Mountain Angel and 24.0 Aloe Vera, expecting a surprise.
KING FRANKIE’S BANKER OF THE DAY
👑 2.25 Ascot (Jersey Stakes) Aidan O’Brien has won this twice recently and Monarch of Egypt didn’t get much of a run in the Irish 2,000 Guineas. Celestin was fourth in the French 2,000.
Richard Fahey has also won it twice in four years, and has nursed Ventura Lightning, Middleham Racing’s most expensive purchase. Molatham flopped on soft last autumn.
I rate them nearly horses alongside King Leonidas, a strong Kingman colt who is Frankie Dettori’s banker of the day at 3.8 on BETDAQ.
HOT NEWS FROM THE BATTLEGROUND
👑 3.00 Ascot (Chesham Stakes) STATS: Pinatubo (2019) and Churchill (2016), both champions of their generation, won this and gave the race some credence, bearing in mind that it was a 6f sprint before 1996.
FORM: It could certainly produce something special this year from a race between Battleground and Modern News. The market will tell you more later on.
But Modern News (BETDAQ 4.4. taken) is another Shamardal, the sire of the moment, including of Pinatubo. Won at Newmarket after rain.
Battleground is a War Front, first foal of Arc winner Found, which makes this race a head-to-head between Godolphin and the Ballydoyle ‘Lads’. Bright Devil is from a stable in form and the likely front-runner.
TECHNICIAN TO FOIL STRADIVARIUS
👑 3.35 Ascot (Gold Cup) STATS: Four-year-olds are six from eight. Only Yeats (2006-9) has won more than two since Sagaro (1975-7).
FORM: I drafted in Addeybb (he didn’t get his ground) and the improver Technician as Fortune Cookies because the forecast was soft ground. That could still happen and four-year-olds are overdue a win to stop the sequence of Stradivarius, who prefers firm.
He’s been beaten twice since his last gold, and all his cup wins in 2019 were at the main expense of Dee Ex Bee, who was beaten by Holdthasigreen and Call of The Wild in the Prix Du Cadran.
Technician then beat that pair in the Prix Royal-Oak on heavy ground, showing every sign of wanting today’s marathon trip. I took early 7.0 but 5.0 as I write.
SOUND PLAYS WINNING TUNE AGAIN
👑 4.10 Ascot (Britannia Handicap) STATS: Eight winners out of 10 have come from below 9st. Seven out of nine from double-figure stalls. Only one favourite scored, and there were winners at 20-1, 25-1 and 28-1.
FORM: Starcat was hampered when seventh in the 2,000 Guineas but the fifth, eighth and ninth, Jan Elcano, New World Tapestry and Kenzai Warrior did little for the form when all out of the first three in the Hampton Court Stakes yesterday
Verboten, who made headway only in the final 100 yards over 7f at Lingfield earlier this month, has 4lb in which to turn around a length defeat that day by Ziggle Pops over an extra furlong here. Kondratiev Wave (second) took them along that day. Amaysmont sixth.
The 4-1 favourite Finest Sound still looks well treated – 7lb well in under a penalty for trotting up at Haydock – but the stats say we need an outsider. Try Overwrite, who went clear with cut in the ground at Brighton in October, and has had a run back: got in as a reserve and I was just in time to grab 54.0 BETDAQ offers.
👑 4.40 African Dream is 20lb well in for the Sandringham Stakes.
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.15 Ascot (win 50 each, 10 place)
BULL’S-EYE BET: 5pts win TRITONIC
BULL’S-EYE BET: 1pt win and place TOM COLLINS
1.50 Ascot (win 30 each, place 8)
BET 2pts win MOUNTAIN ANGEL
BET 1.25pts win and place ALOE VERA
2.25 Ascot (win 20)
BET 7pts win KING LEONIDAS
3.00 Ascot (win 20)
BET 5.75pts win MODERN NEWS
3.35 Ascot Gold Cup (FORTUNE COOKIE)
BET 20pts win (nap) TECHNICIAN
4.10 Ascot (win 50, place 10, win 20)
BULL’S-EYE BET: 1pt win and place OVERDRIVE
BET 5pts win FINEST SOUND
4.40 Ascot (win 20)
BET 10pts win AFRICAN DREAM
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