DAQMAN’S LOOKING FOR A 400-POINT LEAD AT SANDOWN TONIGHT: Daqman analyses a very tricky Sandown card tonight, as he tries to fend off another value attack by Pricewise. On winners, Daqman is 26-10 ahead; on level-stakes, he leads +130.36 to -250.50, which is clear water by 380 points. On to the 400.
3-1 NAP IN THE WHITSUN CUP: Daqman’s up for the Cup with a 3-1 Whitsun-weekend nap in the last race of a top-class Coral-sponsored foursome. The racing at six meetings celebrates Ripon Cathedral, George Formby’s birthday, Brigadier Gerard and Joe Mercer!
CHOUX CHANCE AT BETDAQ VALUE
RANCH HAND TO ROUND THEM UP
WHICH ONE HAS THAT BIT EXTRA?
STOUTE HOLDS THEM TO RANSOM
CHOUX CHANCE AT BETDAQ VALUE
⭕ 6.15 Sandown (Coral National Stakes) Northern raiders have won this two-year-old Listed test three times in the last four years, through Karl Burke, Tim Easterby and Nigel Tinkler.
Today Bryan Smart, from Hambleton, North Yorkshire, saddles a colt by Kodiak – world record holder for winning juveniles – out of a dam who was a 5f winner as a two-year-old up to Group-2 level.
Smart has a 50% strike rate with two-year-olds this year, including with this one, Bond Chairman.
George Boughey (hat-trick scorer Navello), the season’s early trainer find at Newmarket, is striking at 53% with his youngsters, while Chipotle has already won the Royal Ascot Two-Year-Old Trial for Eve Johnson-Houghton and is 2-2, starting with the Brocklesby.
The placed horses in both races have failed since but the fourth horse in the Brocklesby has scored twice and is headed for the big Sales races.
Choux is related to middle-distance Group winners but has been fast enough on the soft to take a sprint already.
Little Earl’s runner-up in his Catterick win has returned to the track and made all since. Hotline Bling is not out of it and William Buick has been booked for firm-ground winner Fabiosa; can she act on the soft and take advantage of her 3lb allowance. I prefer Choux.
The race is a cracking support to tonight’s Group contests and I’ve no doubt there’s a Pattern scorer somewhere in the field.
BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE value 8.6 Choux, 9.4 Bond Chairman
⭕ RANCH HAND TO ROUND THEM UP
6.50 Sandown (Coral Henry II Stakes) A low draw is helpful even in small fields: six winners in a row have come from stalls 1, 2, 3, the race producing Dee Ex Bee (2019), three times second to Cup giant Stradivarius.
Big Orange (2017) went one better than that and won the 2017 Ascot Gold Cup after taking this trial.
Nayef Road, another three times place behind Stradivarius, had his best day in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood so Sandown should suit, though he’s never raced here before, and ran poorly in the Yorkshire Cup at the Dante meeting.
Ocean Wind is another bridesmaid: 222 since stepping out of handicaps, including runner-up to (you guessed it) Stradivarius in the Sagaro Stakes last month.
His Sagaro second was a good run and puts his rating up alongside Nayef Road but I just prefer Ranch Hand, if I ask myself: who would I want on my side in the future.
Ranch Hand failed in his first try at the Pattern, dropped back to 1m 4f and taking on John Porter winner Alaasy and St Leger star Logician. He looks well placed here, back to 2m, for a stable in form.
The filly Lismore is interesting, getting the allowance: 3-4 in lower grades before leaving Sir Mark Prescott for Cheltenham Festival maestro Henry De Bromhead.
BETDAQ value 5.6 Ranch Hand
WHICH ONE HAS THAT BIT EXTRA?
⭕ 7.25 Sandown (Coral Brigadier Gerard Stakes Stakes) to which ‘in memory of Joe Mercer’ has been added this year.’ Joe rode Brigadier Gerard to 17 wins from 18 starts.
Sangarius is still struggling with his problems but has been patched up again by Sir Michael Stoute: two wind ops and wears a tongue-tie.
He is half a stone clear of most in this race but just a pound in front of Extra Elusive on the official ratings.
Extra Elusive has found success elusive but has taken on star names like Elarqam, Addeybb, Mishriff and, most recently, Waldkonig, in the Gordon Richards Stakes over today’s course and distance.
There is collateral form which might help us: Extra Elusive beat Fox Chairman a length at Windsor (soft) last August, giving 3lb. That’s the horse Sangarius beat at Royal Ascot by a couple of lengths (soft; levels) the previous summer.
Elarqam gave 3lb and beat Extra Elusice a head here at Sandown in July, 2019; he had Sangarius more than six lengths behind in the Brigadier Gerard when it was run at Haydock last June, though clearly Sangarius didn’t run his race that day.
BETDAQ value 3.4 Extra Elusive
STOUTE HOLDS THEM TO RANSOM
⭕ 8.00 Sandown (Coral Whitsun Cup) Third in this in 2019, History Writer has his ground. So has Mustarrid, with Ian Williams hoping a tongue-tie
will help now he’s up in grade and up in the handicap (still holds Newbolt).
Dashing Roger’s being claimed off brings him down to within a pound of his last winning form.
Epic Endeavour is up an overall 17lb for 3-4, mostly at a lower level. But Sandown is Sir Michael Stoute’s favourite course, with a near-20% strike rate (190-962) and more than £5m in prizemoney won.
Ransom looks a typical Stoute late developer. One side of his pedigree is Kinman, the other goes back to the dam of Frankel, and he is expected to leave his AW prep races far behind.
BETDAQ value 3.9 Ransom
DAQMAN’S BETS
6.15 Sandown (win 10 each)
BET 2.25pts BOND CHAIRMAN
BET 1.25pts win CHOUX
6.50 Sandown (win 20)
BET 4.25pts win RANCH HAND
7.25 Sandown (win 10)
BET 4pts win EXTRA ELUSIVE
8.0 Sandown (win 20, nap)
BET 6.75pts win RANSOM
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.
