DAQMAN PUTS UP BEST BET AT 5-1: Daqman was beaten a neck for a fourth winning nap in four days yesterday but hopes to be back on the right road with a 5-1 best bet today.
BIGGEST NIGHT OUT THIS SEASON: The bull’s-eye nap is part of the biggest night of the season in British racing on the finest viewing track in England at Sandown Park. Good hunting; good punting!
CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER
⭕ 6.35 Sandown (National Stakes) Though only one outright favourite has scored in 10 years, with just one exception SPs have been a maximum of 5-1. Stalls 1-4 won seven times.
First Legion (stall 2), a €50,000 foal, ws sold for 10 times that amount as a two-year-old. Half-brother to Lady Of Spain (current record 4-4).
But Karl Burke’s two-year-olds have been striking at 36% this year and Clear Force (7), related to the very fast Group-1 sprinter Pipalong, made all backed down to long-odds-on at Ripon. Entered in big-field auction races later on.
ON THE ROAD TO TOP STAYER?
⭕ 7.05 Sandown (Henry 11 Stakes) Won last year by subsequent Gold Cup third and Doncaster Cup winner, Sweet Wlliam, and two years earlier by Quickthorn who would capture a Goodwood Cup in 2023.
But these two were five-year-olds and there’s just one of that age group running today against a quartet of old boys.
He’s Burdett Road whose long-distance success has been confined to hurdles but pretty good ones at that: the Triumph Hurdle Trial of 2023 and the Greatwood of last November, both at Cheltenham.
Trawlerman was the British Champions Long Distance Champion of 2023, beating Kyprios (Coltrane well behind), but has given way to that one at Ascot twice since.
Officially 7lb up on Burdett Road (Flat form) but that one can be upgraded twice that amount on his 150 hurdles rating and is BETDAQ value at 6.1 as I write.
OMBUDSMAN HARD TO OPPOSE
⭕ 7.35 Sandown (Brigadier Gerard Stakes) Low numbers favoured (stalls 2, 3, 4 are 6-10) around the snaking right-hand bend.
And Almaquam (out of the one stall today) was short of room, third, trying to win the Gordon Richards Stakes here in April, held up by William Buick. Can Oisin Murphy do better?
Buick rides Military Order, who so liked the turning track at Southwell that he beat a previous winner of this, Lord North, last Spring. But he has a military outpost in gate 10.
The improver, well drawn out of 4, is the unbeaten in four starts Ombudsman, who last summer stepped up from novice to Listed winner at Deauville and finally picked up a 114 rating, driven out to take a Group 3 at Longchamp.
His entire career was concentrated in 10 weeks from a July Course debut win in June 24 last year, odds on every time for the hat-trick which followed. It’s hard to know what he is but even harder to oppose him.
Enfjaar has won first run back for the last two seasons and the same Roger Varian stable fields Jackknife, impressive at Epsom, in the 8.05 Heron (Listed) Stakes.
Betdaq Betting Exchange (7.35 Sandown) 3.5 Ombudsman, 8.3 Enfjaar; (8.05 Sandown) 9.3 Jackknife.
FILLY GETS OCEANS OF PRAISE
⭕ 8.40 Sandown (Whitsun Cup) A gamble went astray on Crack Shot in this race last year when the 16-5 favourite flopped on soft ground after scoring at Newmarket.
Firm going was blamed first run back this term, when William Buick was called in at the same Newmarket meeting. Yet Buick is back on board in the renewed Whitsun Cup bid today. Even the Fibonacci sequence can’t crack that one.
First run for a new trainer, Hickory turned up at 22-1 at Ascot. So maybe the answer to this puzzle is Golden Ocean.
Golden Ocean is unexposed and showed a lot of promise in Ireland, with bouquets like this one: ‘A beautiful old-fashioned filly out of a three-time Group-1 winner.’
First run for David Menuisier today with Oisin Murphy booked. BETDAQ offers of 8.7 taken.
DAQMAN’S BETS on Betdaq Betting Exchange
6.35 Sandown (win 15)
BET 10pts win CLEAR FORCE
★ 7.05 Sandown (win-50 bull’s-eye nap)
BET 10pts win BURDETT ROAD
7.35 Sandown (win 15)
BET 6pts win OMBUDSMAN
BET 2pts win ENFJAAR
8.05 Sandown (win 15)
BET 2pts win JACKKNIFE
8.40 Sandown (win-50 bull’s-eye bet)
BET 6.5pts win GOLDEN OCEAN
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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.
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