BACK-TO-BACK NAPS UP AGAIN: After Daqman’s eighth banker out of 12 was landed on Sunday, Daqman backed up his success with a winning nap in the BETDAQ-sponsored races at Kempton yesterday, headlined ‘The Nap Can Power Home’. The two consecutive naps were:
WON 1-1 Jack Naylor (banker)
WON 2-1 Power Game (nap)
9-2 WIN IN DOUBLE WHAMMY: But Daqman’s coup of the day on the BETDAQ card can be seen in another Monday headline: ‘Trust Stoute With Family He Knows Well.’ Daqman opposed favourite, Gravity Flow, and the Stoute horse, Queen’s Trust (WON 9-2) flew clear of the field to give him a double whammy, winner and lay in the same race.
FIVE BETS SCORED ALL TOLD: But Daqman’s biggest price at the BETDAQ meeting was 6-1, as the full list of his five winning Kempton bets (in time order) reveals:
WIN: Teresar (WON 7-4)
WIN: Queen’s Trust (WON 9-2, from 6.6 on BETDAQ)
WIN LAY: Gravity Flow (2nd 5-4 favourite)
WIN: Return Ace (WON 6-1)
WIN: Power Game (WON 2-1, eight-point nap)
* TODAY: HOT SPOTS: Now check out Daqman’s preview of the big two-year-old tests this week. He sets the scene for each one and Hot Spots a key contender.
* TOMORROW: ABC: Look out for his famous ABC Guide on the Cambridgeshire. The last two big-race ABC headings have been:
KODI BEAR PUNTERS EXPECT CELEBRATION (Won 4-5)
LEGER SET TO BE BALLYDOYLE BEACH PARTY (Won 2-1)
TOP TESTS WILL ILLUMINATE 2016 CLASSIC SCENE
3.05 Newmarket, Friday (Rockfel Stakes) Two-year-old tests in the Pattern have their good years and bad years, but the Rockfel got a massive dual lift when Newmarket 1,000 Guineas winners, Speciosa and Finsceal Beo won in successive years, 2005-6.
Just The Judge (Irish 1,000 winner) and Lucida (Newmarket 1,000 runner-up) have kept the race on a high in the last three seasons.
HOT SPOT: How High the Moon. Look out this year for Diamondsandrubies’ full sister, How High The Moon (Aidan O’Brien), already a winner and second at The Curragh.
2.00 Newmarket, Saturday (Royal Lodge Stakes) Frankel (2010) restored some of the lost glamour of this once-great race, which went to Derby heroes St Paddy, Shirley Heights and Benny The Dip.
Elm Park, last year’s Royal Lodge winner, has been a Classic disappointment in 2015, but was back to form recently.
HOT SPOT: Foundation. After his tremendous year, all eyes are on the new breed at John Gosden’s stable, Shalaa (see below) and Foundation, another ranking high at Clarehaven. He will face the selected of nine that remain in the Royal Lodge for Aidan O’Brien, who has won the race three times in the decade.
2.35 Newmarket, Saturday (Cheveley Park Stakes) French raiders who won this, Natagora (2007) and Special Duty (2009), both went on to win the 1,000 Guineas.
HOT SPOT: Illuminate. Aidan O’Brien, whose Alice Springs is his sole representative, has never won this race. She has to overcome the Lowther Stakes one-two, Besharah and Lumiere. But more likely to do so is Illuminate, who has already beaten Besharah and is on a four-timer.
3.10 Newmarket, Saturday (Middle Park Stakes) Top sprinters, and the sires of top sprinters (Dark Angel 2007) win this.
Its winners have come from top tests like the Gimcrack and the Morny and, though that was when the Middle Park was run in mid-October, the same sources could apply this week.
HOT SPOT: Shalaa. Ajaya, winner of the Gimcrack from subsequent Mill Reef hero, Ribchester, may be a threat to Shalaa and Gutaifan, first and second in the Morny.
REASON IN LINE FOR BEVERLEY WIN
Today’s racing is not glamorous. There is very little quality to chose from and as such, I have just three selections, one for Beverley, Warwick and Kempton.
On the flat at Beverley, the pick is in the five furlong Conditions race at 3.00 with Paul Midgley’s Line of Reason appearing to have a good opportunity for another win.
Second over course and distance two runs back, he had done everything right up to 50 yards from the line when the classy Maarek collared him to win by a quarter of a length. A similar performance puts him well ahead of these.
Pipers Note is an improver though and he is the obvious danger to the jolly. He won a similar event over course and distance in June and he is unbeaten in three visits to the track.
Course form is an advantage in many cases but Lines of Reason may have too much. He’s officially rated 111, 9 higher than Pipers Note and with so many runs in better class races in the UK and beyond, he should have too much for his five rivals.
Over the sticks at Warwick, there is a competitive Handicap Chase at 4.10 over 3 miles and a furlong.
Highland Lodge is the best of these on paper and with so few runs under his belt it’s possible that he still holds some ability. He hasn’t run since December but he has run well fresh in the past. It’s likely though, that he would prefer softer ground and he may be vulnerable to an improver having not won for three years.
That improver could well be Belmount for the Twiston-Davies team. He won nicely last time at Ludlow when he stayed on well to win and he’s gone up 9lbs as a result. In a lot of cases, I would say that is a big rise (especially for a horses second run over fences) but this horse looked very much at home over the larger obstacles in Ludlow and 9lbs may not be enough to stop him in this one.
I wait until 8.10 at Kempton for my final selection.
Fly is a half sister to Seal of Approval and she heads the market. However, with only the one run behind her in a weak Lingfield Maiden on Heavy ground, it is very hard to gauge how good she is. It took her quite a while to get into top gear that day and I fear that things may happen a bit too quickly for her on the All weather this evening, despite the step up to a mile.
Song of Norway looks to be much better value and despite a six pound rise following a win at Brighton. She won that with some ease after travelling very strongly and then quickening away under a ‘hands and heels’ ride from Jim Crowley. The step up in trip shouldn’t be an issue and I think she should be able to add to her tally here.
DAQMAN’S BETS (Staked 1-9pts on strength, 10pts for a Banker)
BET 8pts win (nap) LINE OF REASON (3.00 Beverley)
BET 6pts win BELMOUNT (4.10 Warwick)
BET 6pts win SONG OF NORWAY (8.10 Kempton)
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