RISING STARS IN THE GRAND PRIX: Storm The Stars today represents the Derbys of Golden Horn and Jack Hobbs in which he was placed. But is he destined to be the bridesmaid of this year’s Classic pack as smart improvers take him on in the Grand Prix de Paris today? It’s a Daqman v Pricewise race.
BIG VALUE IN THE BETDAQ ORANGE: Daqman found some tempting BETDAQ offers in the afternoon races at Bath and Beverley at 9.8, 8.4 and 6.6. His nap is a traveller to Thirsk tonight for a stable in hot form.
IT’S NO MYSTERY IF 9.8 OFFER SCORES AT BATH
2.50 Beverley The handicapper is taking a big risk, dropping multiple winner Tinsill 8lb since May, with the Nigel Tinkler stable now in much better form.
‘Tink’ employed Adrian Nicholls for the gelding’s last success, and he returns to do the steering on this CD winner: 6.6 offers in the BETDAQ orange, early mouse.
3.10 Bath Another trainer in form after a modest start to the season is Marcus Tregoning, and his Air of Mystery is wrongly priced at 9.8 in the orange. That’s tempting win and place in an eight-horse affair, with three chances for the place part.
After racing in Group 3, she was primed with a prep run at Newmarket for this handicap debut, a return to the track where she broke her maiden.
5.05 Beverley A third trainer who was rubbish in the Spring, and who has found his form in the summer, Ollie Pears – currently six out of eight in the frame – has triple CD winner Jacbequick back down in class and weighted below his last winning mark (claimed off, too!): 8.4 is a bonus.
6.10 Thirsk I still haven’t run out of stables just come to serious form after moderate seasons until high summer. Roger Varian takes Estikhraaj the 360-mile round trip on a solo mission to Thirsk.
Varian currently has superlative form figures of 21131441004211 and Estikhraaj wouldn’t have to be much to beat the bridesmaids Ella’s Honour and Stella Etoile. I took 3.4.
SILVERWARE TO SPRING GRAND PRIX SURPRISE
6.25 Longchamp (Grand Prix de Paris) The obvious winner is Storm The Stars, third in the Epsom Derby and second in The Curragh equivalent.
The snag is that he has run as many races as his three main rivals – Balios, Ampere and Archangel Raphael –added together! Can one of this unexposed trio overtake him now?
Andre Fabre is going for a hat-trick. He has won it 13 times in his career, including last year with the Prix Hocquart third, Gallante.
That puts Ampere ahead of the game, as he did better than that in the Hocquart – he won it – beating Ballydoyle’s Cape Clear Island, his second success from two starts since seeing a racecourse for the first time in April.
The Ballydoyle runner today, Archangel Raphael, is rated 5lb inferior to Cape Clear Island, which may be why Aidan O’Brien is trying to squeeze a bit more out of him with first-time blinkers.
O’Brien also has sight of Balios, since his Father Christmas ran third to that one in the King Edward V11 Stakes, the Ascot Derby (the runner-up has won a Group 3 since).
The official handicapper has Storm The Stars on 114, Balios on 111, and Archangel Raphael 101. The Racing Post ratings have Storm The Stars only third on 126 (in their overblown figures) behind Balios 128 and Silverware 127, with Raphael no archangel on only 106.
In fact, there’s nothing to choose between Silverware and Storm The Stars on a line through Epicuris. The well-backed Silverware was too fresh in the French Derby and so held on to and ‘buried’, which meant he got trapped on the rails, unable to find into his galloping stride.
Unbeaten until then, he still finished only about a length behind Cape Clear Island, and that puts him right on Ampere’s shoulder in this.
VERDICT: Storm The Stars should take this on form but has had two hard races in Derbys. The colt most likely to improve and win is Ampere. I can’t agree with the Post ratings for Balios but he is also on the upgrade.
The small field could set the race up for a surprise success for the strong galloper Silverware (certainly value at 13.0 in early exchanges).
If he can get into his powerful stride on this surface, he might outrun the pack playing for the famous Longchamp flying finish.
Incidentally, Ladbrokes were much shorter about Erupt than any other bookmaker. Only a Group-3 winner but unbeaten and yet another in the race likely to progress.
DAQMAN’S BETS (1 to 9 for strength; 10 is a banker)
BET 4pts win TINSILL (2.50 Beverley)
BET 2pts win and place AIR OF MYSTERY (3.10 Bath)
BET 3pts win JACBEQUICK (5.05 Beverley)
BET 8pts win (nap) ESTIKHRAAJ (6.10 Thirsk)
BET 5pts win AMPERE and 2pts win SILVERWARE (6.25 Longchamp)
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