DAQMAN LANDS 11-4 NAP: Daqman is on a winner a day this week, including an 11-4 nap. He is danger man to the layers at Epsom this afternoon, and has a best bet at Punchestown as the championship meeting opens.
WON 11-4 PARTY ISLAND (Monday nap)
WON 4-1 PERSUASION (Sunday)
NO REAL TRIAL BY A STREET
⭕ 2.40 Epsom (Blue Riband Derby Trial) The big pre-Derby tests are at Chester (the Vase) on Wednesday next, May 6, and Lingfield (Derby Trial), on Saturday week, May 9, with the Dante at York on Thursday, May 14.
No Blue Riband winner has scored in the real thing at Epsom since 2,000 Guineas star Blue Peter for Jack Jarvis in 1939, probably robbed of the Triple Crown when the St Leger had to be cancelled.
John Gosden’s Cracksman is best recent winner of today’s trial, subsequently third in the 2017 Epsom Derby and beaten only a neck in the Irish Derby before winning five in a row – three of them Group 1 – including the Champion Stakes.
Only one of the top three runners today has acquired an official rating, the 106 by Frankel’s son New Zealand, notable for awkward starts in his Group-level tests as a two-year-old.
Balzac’s granddaddy High Chaparral (127) was a Derby winner but his sire, Japan, who won the Juddmonte International, had a final rating of 115.
It’s tricky to assess Saxon Street, as he is the first foal of a Sea The Stars mare. His sire, Saxon Warrior, won the Guineas and his Derby career was fourth at Epsom and third at the Curragh.
GOOD CASE FOR DANGERMAN
⭕ 3.15 Epsom (City and Suburban Handicap) Punters love big handicaps and it’s a shame that today’s once great races at Epsom have been reduced to small prizes and small fields, while £2m bonuses are offered for a Triple Crown that can only happen if the Classics are reduced still further to play between big ownership syndicates.
You hear commentators on ITV not realising they are saying the same thing in reverse: how amazing it is when a small yard can ‘still’ land a big race. That word ‘still’ reveals the process of elimination.
Coincidentally, a similar process has been happening with London pubs, which were responsible for creating these two handicap classics, the City and Sub and the Great Met.
In the first of them Dangerman has performed on right-hand tracks, with his best form in July but it’s hard to lay him when his handlers are scoring at better than 30%.
It’s equally hard to accept that Sallaal can be rated a stone in front of him when his success has come at a mile and in small fields at Hamilton.
RELY ON BALDING TOP TEAM
⭕ 3.50 Epsom (Great Metropolitan Handicap) Asgard’s Captain attempts back-to-back wins, 6lb higher than when he kept up with the pace most of the way. Sing Us A Song has done best at 1m 2f, going right-handed.
Who’s got the Topteam? Why leading trainer Andrew Balding; his four-year-old of that name who has won three races from the front and looks well suited to Epsom under Oisin Murphy.
MARINE PUNCHESTOWN PICK
⭕ 6.05 Punchestown (Champion Chase): Cheltenham can leave its mark, even on a champion like Il Etait Temps and more so on a dodgy jumper, Majborough, so maybe the fresh horse, Marine Nationale, who won it last year, can land this Punchestown title back to back, as did Un De Sceaux (2018-19) and Energumene (2022-23).
DAQMAN’S BETS
on Betdaq Betting Exchange
3.15 Epsom (win 20)
BET 4.5pts win DANGERMAN
★ 3.50 Epsom (win 20, nap)
BET 8pts win TOPTEAM
6.05 Punchestown (win 20)
BET 8pts win MARINE NATIONALE
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