DETTORI IN ONE-MONTH CUP BAN: Daqman couldn’t find the winner of the Melboune Cup in Australia early this morning but managed to lay the losing favourite of a race marred by interference, costing Frankie Dettori and Jamie Spencer riding bans. Dettori was stood down for a month.
THAT’S SEVEN LAYS ON THE TROT: The race left Daqman on 104 winning feature-race bets for the season (Pricewise 21), with the challenge on again today in the Haldon Gold Cup (2.20 Exeter). Fame Game, only 13th at Flemington, was his seventh consecutive successful lay:
WIN Bathos (unplaced 4-1)
WIN Grendisar (4th 9-4 favourite)
WIN Zebstar, place lay (unplaced 12-1)
WIN Cameraman (2nd 9-4 favourite)
WIN Gleneagles (unplaced 9-4)
WIN Wild Storm (unplaced 5-2 favourite)
WIN Fame Game (unplaced 4-1 favourite)
THE NAP LANDS A GAMBLE AT KEMPTON: Daqman also landed his nap at Kempton Park yesterday with the gambled-on Brother Tedd (WON 11-8), who beat Silviniaco Conti over hurdles.
MAX WILL BE CUP DYNAMITE ANOTHER YEAR
Here’s where your money went. If you didn’t know before the race, this morning’s result made two things about the Melbourne Cup painfully clear.
If there’s no pace on, the stayer can’t win (the middle fractions were a dawdle as the field bunched up). And, if – as in Australia – horses rarely race beyond 1m 2f and 1m 4f then, when they step up to 2m, there’s going to be a turn-up.
It was a mixture of the two, with Prince Of Penzance producing a 100-1 triumph for Michelle Payne, first female jockey ever to take the race. So what happened to the might of England and Ireland?
2nd Max Dynamite Not Frankie’s finest hour. Or ‘not the luckiest’ as trainer Willie Mullins wisely opined. Failed to get a clear run, switched and cost Dettori a Mourinho-sized fine and one-month suspension for careless riding.
4th Trip To Paris Says jockey Tommy Berry: ‘He didn’t have the turn of foot off a slow pace. He needed an end-to-end gallop.’
5th Big Orange Jamie Spencer’s ride also attracted the Stewards’ attention and he was banned for 14 meetings. Come on you guys, you beat us Pommies in the race. You don’t have to beat us up afterwards!
ALSO RAN: Quest For More (9th): ‘You had to be handy in a slow race; hold-up horses had no chance,’ said trainer Roger Charlton. Bondi Beach (‘overwhelmed by the occasion’), Kingfisher (‘trapped behind the throng’), Snow Sky (‘badly hampered at a crucial stage’), Red Cadeaux pulled up, injured.
VERDICT: Max Dynamite had a terrific run and will be back next year (quote unquote Willie Mullins). My hoofnote: Take a pacemaker with you in 2016, Willie!
GOD’S OWN FOR BACK-TO-BACK WINS
2.20 Exeter (Haldon Hill Gold Cup) The Haldon hill is a good test for the climbing finishes at Cheltenham and Sandown. It has been won in recent years by Cue Card, Somersby and Gods Own, who tries for back-to-back wins this afternoon. Court Minstrel has been taken out so that has made the race even tighter.
Former Champion Chaser, Sire De Grugy, makes his seasonal reappearance today. I can’t help feeling though, that they could have found a slightly easier task for him than this. In previous years, he’s returned in a moderate Handicap Chase and been able to give weight away. Here he has to give weight all round to some decent Novice performers from last season, headed by God’s Own.
Vibrato Valtat was a good novice without being a top novice. He started out the season very strongly with wins at this meeting, a Sandown Grade 1, a Kempton Grade 2 and Warwick Grade 2. All against weaker fields and when stepped up at Cheltneham, Aintree and Sandown at the end of the season, he faltered.
God’s Own won this very well 12 months, when officially still a Novice, off a 5lb lower mark. Although without win since, his runs were more than respectable when chasing home the awesome Un De Sceaux at Cheltenham and running Sizing Granite close in Aintree.
His form when fresh is quite good generally and coming off a decent break will help.
Dunraven Storm and Third Intention are by no means ‘no hopers’ but it is hard to see them be able to turn over any of the top trio.
YAN IS WORTH A BANKER BET
1.50 Exeter Alan King introduces the exciting Yanworth over hurdles in a race that Paul Nicholls has had a tight grasp on in recent years.
Dan Skelton runs Welsh Shadow. A Wetherby Bumper winner that is nowhere near the form of Yanworth’s Bumper runs. He has a lot of potential, no doubt, and with the second from the aforementioned bumper winning yesterday, the form is obviously ok.
However, Yanworth, fourth in the Champion Bumper and second in a very good Listed Bumper, is the one to beat. This seems to be a nice race to start as they should go a good gallop. Ground won’t be an issue and it’s difficult to see beyond him.
2.50 Exeter Paul Nicholls unleashes Southfield Vic over fences today. This could prove tricky for him however.
Flintham, Native River and The Tourard Man were all very proficient over Hurdles last season and all are likely to improve over fences. The Tourard Man is the best suited of these by the trip having been third in the Pertemps at Cheltenham last March.
But can they beat a possible RSA Chase contender? I don’t think so.
Southfield Vic should have the most improvement going over the larger obstacles and Paul Nicholls is likely to have him well primed for this, despite his best days being ahead of him. He was the highest rated of these over Hurdles and I would expect the pecking order to stay that way over fences.
3.20 Exeter This is a race to make note of. Winners come from this race with 7 out of the 12 runners in last year’s renewal winning subsequently. This year may prove no different.
It is very competitive with Belount, Whats Left and Ziga Boy appearing to pose the main threats.
The one I like however, is Russe Blanc. First time out each season he has finished third following on from a debut win in 2011. He managed to win on his final start of last season in a Handicap Chase at Carlisle and while this is a slight step up, he shouldn’t be far away. He is a great each way bet.
3.50 Exeter Four favourites have won the last seven runnings of this race. Monbeg Gold can make it five from eight for my final bet of the day.
He steps up in trip to what may be his optimum trip today having been second in two Maidens, on ground that wouldn’t have been ideal. An impressive Irish Point-to-Point winner, he came to the UK with a lofty reputation and it’s only a matter time before he starts to fulfill it.
I also like Captainofindustry in the Place market. He’s lightly raced against good horses in Maiden Hurdles and, although, he was beaten easily last time, he stayed on well enough to suggest that the step up in trip will suit.
DAQMAN’S BETS (Staked 1-9pts on strength, 10pts for a Banker)
BANKER: BET 10pts win (nap) YANWORTH (1.50 Exeter)
BET 6pts win GODS OWN (2.20 Exeter)
BET 6pts win SOUTHFIELD VIC (2.50 Exeter)
BET 2pts win and place RUSSE BLANC (3.20 Exeter)
BET 4pts win MONBEG GOLD and 2pts place CAPTAINOFINDUSTRY (3.50 Exeter)
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