DAQMAN THE LIONHEART LANDS HIS THIRD NAP IN A WEEK: Winner-a-day Daqman has stepped up to TWO strikes on each of the last two days and landed his third nap in a week with Wild Lion, after Hey Teacher (WON 1-1) and Neenee’s Choice (WON 6-5).
Monday
WON 10-11 WILD LION (nap)
WON 2-1 TRIPLE JAYE
Sunday
WON 1-2 BAAEED (Order Of Australia 31-5 second; 16.0 on BETDAQ)
WON 11-10 GREAT AMBASSADOR (now Ayr Gold Cup favourite)
ST LEGER COUNTDOWN: Today Daqman makes an early attack on the latest odds-on big-race favourite (see yesterday’s column), with BETDAQ value in the St Leger. There will be a stats and ratings preview on Thursday.
FORTUNE COOKIES TODAY: Two-year-olds for Doncaster and The Curragh
FORTUNE COOKIES TOMORROW: Quartet of big-race bankers.
EMPEROR LEGER VALUE AT BETDAQ 7.5
⭕ ST LEGER COUNTDOWN: I priced up the St Leger as it stood last night, and I bagged something of the early punts against the now-odds-on Hurricane Lane (11-10 to 4-6). They were Mojo Star (14-1 to 15-2) and Ottoman Emperor (8-1 to 11-2).
Logician, the 2019 winner, showed us that Frankel could get a Leger winner, and Hurricane Lane has additional stamina on the dam’s side. But there is an improver in the race in Johnny Murtagh’s Ottoman Emperor.
Where Mojo Star, already slammed nine lengths by Hurricane Lane in the Irish Derby, had to drop OUT of the pattern to break his maiden a month back, Ottoman Emperor has been hiked 21lb in the ratings in three races, climbing INTO the pattern.
He has officially moved within 3lb of Derby second Mojo Star and I took 7.5 in the BETDAQ Sportsbook as value to skittle that rival and represent a potential strike in the Hurricane’s own lane.
GNAT ALLEY SET FOR NURSERY STING
FORTUNE COOKIES: Part 1: Two-year-old horses to follow. Of those listed below for this week, Jazz Club, Reach For The Moon, Point Lonsdale and Emily Dickinson are our best.
1.40 Doncaster, Thursday Gnat Alley has been well primed over the minimum for the step up by a furlong and a half for this Doncaster nursery.
2.10 Doncaster, Thursday Roger Varian has booked Ryan Moore for his Windsor winner, Jazz Club, in the £200,000 2-Y-O Sales race.
2.40 Doncaster, Thursday Forecast rain for later in the week would help Ed Walker’s 25-1 outsider Kawida, Haydock winner on soft, likely mount of Hollie Doyle.
2.20 Doncaster, Saturday The Solario winner, Reach For The Moon, is engaged in both the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster on Saturday and the Royal Lodge two weeks later at Newmarket.
3.30 The Curragh, Sunday Our two-year-old to follow, History, is one of Aidan O’Brien’s Moyglare entries among Cherub, Concert Hall, Cyclamen, Emily Dickinson, Heart To Heart, Kiss You Later, Lost, Lullaby, Prettiest, Tenebrism, The Algarve and Twinkle.
Ballydoyle’s acceptors will show something of the batting order at this time. Love and Minding were among four Moyglare winners saddled by O’Brien in the last decade.
4.05 The Curragh, Sunday: We upped Point Lonsdale from the two-year-old list to the Fortune Cookies proper. He is one of 11 Aidan O’Brien can choose from for the National Stakes: Anchorage, Glounthaune, Howth, Ivy League, Luxembourg, Sweden, Temple Of Artemis, The Entertainer, The Acropolis, United Nations.
Part 2: FORTUNE COOKIES main list tomorrow.
JUST RELY ON HUBERT
⭕ 4.05 Goodwood Another day of small fields across the country but some decent racing on offer on the South Downs including this class 2 handicap over two miles.
Just Hubert was second in this last year and 12 months later arrives in better form having won his last two races at Ascot and again over course and distance. Whilst the bulk of his better runs have come with give in the ground he does have winning form on good to firm and also goes well for today’s pilot Nicola Currie.
Themaxwecan was propping up the BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE market at 11am this morning and he is not only another C&D winner but also winner of this race two seasons ago off a 2lb higher mark.
Whilst it’s always dangerous to oppose a Mark Johnston trained runner at Goodwood, I do have concerns over his recent form which has seen him finish no closer than 7th in five starts – all at today’s class 2 level.
A bigger danger may come from Indigo Times who has a remarkable 7 from 11 career strike-rate. He popped up at 28/1 last time out at Newmarket with trainer David Simcock stating that ‘the gelding appreciated the firmer good to firm going today compared to good to soft last time out’. He gets his quick ground again and should go well.
ADDITIONAL ADDS UP
⭕ 4.35 Goodwood Additional has been given a chance by the handicapper who has kept him on 82 despite his big run at Lingfield in a valuable Racing League race last time out and he now takes a drop DOWN in class today.
He ran at Listed level earlier in this career and this looks well within his reach especially with champion Oisin Murphy back aboard.
Touchwood continues to run consistently well but this looks much tougher than his recent outing at Brighton where he finished second and the Mark Johnston trained Toussarok will also find things harder after his Chelmsford win last time out.
EAGLE TO SWOOP FOR GOLD MEDAL
⭕ 4.45 Windsor Olympic Eagle can continue the good winning run of trainer Clive Cox.
He was an unfancied 28/1 shot on debut at Salisbury but ran with great promise finishing third to Hierarchy and market leader Dark Swansong, a stablemate of Olympic Eagle. The winner franked the form by finishing third in the Group 3 Sirenia Stakes at Kempton recently.
There’s not much form on offer but that looks by far the best.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 10 points)
BET 3.9pts win JUST HUBERT (4.05 Goodwood)
BET 6.5pts win (nap) ADDITIONAL (4.35 Goodwood)
BET 4.0pts win OLYMPIC EAGLE (4.45 Windsor)
ANTE-POST (win 50)
St Leger Saturday
BET 7.5pts win OTTOMAN EMPEROR
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.
