DAQMAN HAS AN EARLY BIRD FOR SATURDAY’S MILL REEF STAKES: Look out for Daqman’s previews and coverage of the Ayr Gold Cup meeting, starting tomorrow, but first he picks three two-year-olds for Newbury, including one for an early price in Saturday’s Mill Reef Stakes. They form part of his revised horses to follow but his Fortune Cookies list will appear next week.

TUESDAY TRIO: Three bets from DAQMAN on a quiet Tuesday. Dodging the non runners seems as hard as finding the winners but hopefully one winner will secure a profit on the day.


DHABAB FORM BOOSTED SKY HIGH

⚠️ HEADS UP Ayr will take the stage from Thursday until Saturday (see my countdown starting tomorrow) so attention will be turned away from Newbury and that might give us some value. I’m keen on three two–year-olds.

DHABAB I’m hoping to get an early offer about Dhabab in the Mill Reef Stakes (2.50 Saturday), now that the form has been raised on a pedestal.

Dhabab took the lead on the far side two out in the Superlative Stakes at the July Meeting but the centre ground was faster and so was Native Trail! The favourite, Dhabab was still only beaten by just a length and a half, though clearly a pace horse, and will be suited by the furlong drop back in trip for the Mill Reef.

Native Trail took the form to Group-1 level when he beat Point Lonsdale and one of Dhabab’s erstwhile Mill Reef opponents, Ebro River, in the National Stakes at The Curragh on Sunday.

SILK ROMANCE should pay for the weekend betting wallet when she lines up for the all-conquering Charlie Appleby at Newbury (1.45 Friday).

If she can follow up her all-the-way win at Newmarket three weeks back, we should be looking out for those she beat in that race: Stella Queen, Oheka and Thakrah.

JAZZ CLUB picked up £20,000 instead of the £200,000 I hoped for when only placed in the big Doncaster Sales race, and connections might be tempted to run him quickly in the Newbury nursery (2.20 Friday) off only 87, having run third at Doncaster, beaten only a length all told, giving 5lb to colts rated 95 and 97.

FORTUNE COOKIES: There are questions to be asked after only St Mark’s Basilica maintained the honour of the Fortune Cookies last week.

But, when I review the list next week for the autumn, I shall include Tim Easterby’s Count d’Orsay and Roger Varian’s highly-regarded Premier Power (lost fore shoe), after both ran well in the Portland at Doncaster.


HAT-TRICK QUEST

⭕ 4.20 Redcar The north east track has so far managed to avoid the rain and there looks to be bets in both divisions of the 1m 6f handicap that conclude the card.

Desert Quest can bring up the hat-trick in the 4.20. He’s proved himself a resolute stayer with wins over a similar trip at Nottingham and then at Hamilton last time out where he won going away over 1m 4f. The resulting 4lb hike looks fair enough and he should prove hard to beat in this company.

Contrebasse comes from Tim Easterby’s yard who have had 10 winners in the last fortnight but from the usual high sample size – 84 in this case. He looks a little short in the BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE market after disappointing at Thirsk last time and it’s now over two years since a win.

A bigger danger may come from the in-form Major Snugfit who was a winner at Catterick last week and can go well under the penalty and presumably will make the pace in the race.


GOOD TO OVERTHINK AT TIMES

⭕ 4.55 Redcar Mark Johnston reaches for the blinders for the first time with Overthink who still looks progressive. A winner over this trip at Catterick last month, he followed up with a close up fourth at Wolverhampton earlier this month over 2m so won’t lack anything in the stamina department.

He is preferred to the consistent John Berry trained mare Hidden Pearl who remains a maiden after 24 starts and tackles Redcar for the first time.

Spantik might be a bigger danger after his fourth at Ripon in what looked a tougher contest. He remains a maiden on the turf despite winning over hurdles and the all-weather. The current form of trainer Roger Fell (1-25 is also a concern.


MOTORIOUS TO MOTOR HOME

⭕ 7.20 Wolverhampton Motorious won with plenty in hand at Kempton on his handicap debut to suggest even his 8lb hike might not stop him. He recovered from a bump at the start to win going away by three and half lengths under Oisin Murphy.

He is still preferred to Echo Beach (up 4lb from Newcastle win in July) and Alphonse Karr (so far unproven over this trip).

DAQMAN’S BETS (all staked to win 10 points):
BET 4.4pts win DESERT QUEST (4.20 Redcar)
BET 5.0pts win (nap) OVERTHINK (4.55 Redcar)
BET 3.3pts win MOTORIOUS (7.20 Wolverhampton)


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.