14-1 NATIONAL WIN FOR DAQMAN: After a winning nap on Sunday in the Cork Oaks (Pretty Perfect WON 3-1), Daqman landed another big race in Ireland yesterday with Aranhill Chief (WON 14-1) in the Connaught National at Roscommon.
AFTER 50-1 AND 33-1 ON BETDAQ: ‘I’m always tempted by a National,’ said Daqman yesterday, and his record is second to none. Here are his National successes this year:
WON 33-1 Rule The World (Aintree 50.0 Betdaq)
WON 16-1 Rogue Angel (Fairyhouse 34.0 Betdaq)
WON 14-1 Aranhill Chief (Connaught National)
POT-OF-GOLD BET FOR 80 POINTS: If you bet in the BETDAQ orange, you are on a value overround (106% for the Ascot Stakes this morning). If you think a horse should be 12-1 in that race and you can get 20.0, you have more value., if you would normally stake 4 points or so for a win-50 Bull’s-Eye Bet at 12-1, keep your stake and back it at 20.0 for a third value bonus. That’s Daqman’s Pot-Of-Gold Bet today for 80-points profit.
LET BATTLE COMMENCE: MAY THE BEST MAN WIN: Daqman usually challenges Pricewise in these big events but it’s looking like another walk-over for Daqman this season, 35-15 up. Come on Pricewise, can’t you do better in the 2.35, 3.05, 3.40, 500 and 5.35 races.
ROYAL ASCOT FORTUNE COOKIES: Cotai Glory, Profitable (3.40 race), Awtaad (4.20).
OPENING DRAMA AT A RAIN-SOAKED ASCOT
Is The Queen a stick-in-the-mud? Commentators shuffle about in their willies and morning suits to give us a not-very-inspired guess as to the going; the jockeys walk the course, trying to tiptoe round on the good bits to find the best ground for their horses.
But we will know our fate at Ascot even earlier if the royal landau is replaced by a limousine in the traditional pre-meeting procession. It is now officially soft after 4mm of rain overnight; more forecast. Tyres inflated.
2.30 Royal Ascot (Queen Anne Stakes)
SOFT-GROUND WINNERS: A Shin Erwin, Belardo, Ervedya, Esoterique, Kodi Bear, Tepin
After nine wins on firm at home, A Shin Hikari (runs tomorrow) flew to Chantilly for a Group 1 last month and won 10 lengths on heavy ground.
One day later at Maisons, A Shin Erwin – running in this opener – also scored on unknown territory, ‘heavy’, albeit in a Listed.
Amazing Maria beat Ervedya on a sound surface at Deauvile 10 months ago, but Ervedya won three Group-1s, two of them on soft.
The biggest test of track versatility, however, is with another filly, Tepin, today. She is winner of eight races on fast and firm in the U.S., four of them Grade 1.
Who can topple the two fillies? Well four-year-olds have won six of the last eight Queen Annes and looking for an improver is likely to be most fruitful in that age group.
You might get a trade out of the scalded cat Barchan but he’s a class-4 winner 40lb behind the best of these, and clearly pacemaking for Belardo, who has won twice on soft ground, and seemingly set for an early dukl with Kodi Bear.
But that will be a big help to the 10-futlong horse, Endless Drama who is hardly exposed after only five races, including second to Gleanagles in last year’s Irish Guineas.
In his first run since, he got within a lregth and a neck of Belardo in the Lockinge in May.
VERDICT: This is a favourites race that usually goes to a star (Solow, Frankel, Goldikova) but star of France or America, or quick first blood for the marauding Japanese?
The straight track might find out Tepin. I shall oppose the fillies who rarely win this and dismiss A Shin Erwin as the pony in the box to give A Shin Hitari a friend on his travels.
I’m going for Endless Drama win and place at 7.0 in the BETDAQ orange this morning to reverse Lockinge form with Belardo off a strong pace.
MOKARRIS CAN DO IT FROM THE HIGH STALL
3.05 Royal Ascot (Coventry Stakes)
Joseph O’Brien (Lundy in stall 7) bids to dash the record bid for an eighth win by father Aidan (Caravaggio, drawn 13) and it raises the hare of a second debate at the meeting.
It’s one thing to sort on the ground another to know where the best draw is. Will it be soft right across the track or will one side get a bias? Which stalls will dominate the sprints?
One minute Simon Crisford can’t stop talking about Mokarris (in gate 14); the next he goes schtum for fear of tempting fate. It’s the Frankel Syndrome that happens to a stable star; you simply can’t believe it.
So how good is Mokarris? That’s the silly question that will only get an answer in the race. Winners are usually drawn middle to high but we have very little to go on regarding the ground. That’s the trouble with two-year-olds.
VERDICT: We have very little form to go on, and anything might happen, draw and going wise, so Caravaggio is too short at 3.2. They can’t give away the American, Silvetoni (34.0 on BETDAQ as I write), and I’ll have a bit of win and plsce Mokarris at 10.0.
WAADY VALUE AT 14.0 BUT DRAW A WORRY
3.40 Royal Ascot (Kings Stand Stakes)
SOFT-GROUND WINNERS: Move In Time, Pearl Secret, Waady
I’ve stood by Cotai Glory, expecting the sun to shine on him. He needs a sound surface, which he got at Haydock, but still didn’t look fully wound up when following home Take Cover. The stable has Magical Memory in the Diamond Jubilee on Saturday
Just one three-year-old (Equiano, trsined by Charlie’s dad, Barry) and one four-year-old Scenic Blast has won in the decade.
But, going back to the good old bad old days, they used to win it all the time! Only one older than four managed to score in the 20 years up to 1993. So what’s changed?
Well the race was a domestic sprint – even downgraded to Group 2 in 1988 – until part of the new intertnational Global Sprint Challenge, back at Group 1, from 2008.
Nothing younger than five has won it since (Profitable is only four) and seven winners from 2003 have come from outside these islands (but Acapulco waits for the Commonwealth Cup in the hope that the ground dries out, and Mongolian Sunday brings the same fast-firm form from the U.S.)
VERDICT: The money is for Mecca’s Angel, who suddenly stepped up two grades to beat Acapulco in the Nunthorpe but was beaten by Profitable at Haydock.
Until we know better, we must lean towards a low draw, according to the stats, and ther Angel is in 5, with Profitable in 8.
But I need one on the other side for insurance and 14.0 BETDAQ offer Waady – only 10 races in his life – has twice been close up to Profitable, learning all the time. Profitable at 5.9 already has 20 points win in the Fortune Cookies wallet.
GUINEAS WINNER AWTAAD A GOLD BANKER
4.20 Royal Ascot (St James’s Palace Stakes)
Gold banker Awtaad. I was very impressed with him in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and after an ounce-by-ounce ratings test of the top three-year-olds, he came out number one in my list last week.
No worries about the ground. Has already trounced Galileo Gold, the Newmarket Guineas winner and I have him 5lb in front of The Gurkha, though official ratings have them run a dead-heat this afternoon.
How can that be when Galileo Gold beat First Seleection eight and a halflengths before The Gurkha beat the same colt five and a half in the French Guineas.
CHAT UP BETDAQ LAYERS FOR A 20.0 PUNT
5.00 Royal Ascot (Ascot Stakes)
SOFT-GROUND WINNERS: Chartbreaker, Le Maitre Chat, Mirsaale, Montaly, Penglai Pavilion, Qewy, Sempre Medici, Totalize.
Only Pique Sous (Willie Mullins) and No heretic (Nicky Henderson) have won beyond 2m, and NH trainers have won this for the last six seasons.
It’s my belief, that 20.0 BETDAQ bet Le Maitre Chat, only two lengths down in the Cesarewitch, and also close up to Eshtiaal and No Heretic over 2m and 2m 2f, will relish this 2m 4f on the soft.
Penglai Pavilion (23.0) loves the ground and Godolphin have prepared him for this race.
DAQMAN’S ROYAL ASCOT BETS
BET (to win 30 points) 5pts win and place ENDLESS DRAMA (2.30)
BET (to win 30) 3pts win and place MOKARRIS (3.05)
BET (to win 50) 3.8pts win and place WAADY; and Fortune Cookies bets COTAI GLORY and PROFITABLE (3.40)
GOLD BANKER: BET 30pts win (nap) AWTAAD and Fortune Cookie bet AWTAAD (4.20)
POT-OF-GOLD BET: 4pts win and place LE MAITRE CHAT plus (win 30) 1.4pts win snd place PENGLAI PAVILION (5.00)
BET (to win 30) 2pts win and place on each at 15.0 BATTAASH and PEDESTAL (5.35)
£25 IN FREE BETS
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