I WANT A BIG-RACE FIVE-TIMER, SAYS DAQMAN: Daqman can’t wait for a nap hand of big-race successes, with the Cesarewitch meeting and then Ascot Champions Day as his final targets of the Flat season. He’s on a roll after the Ayr Gold Cup (Highland Colori WON 20-1), the Cambridgshire (Educate WON 8-1) and the Arc (Treve WON 4.8-1). Today he sets the scene.
HORSES TO FOLLOW >
LOOK OUT FOR ROCKALONG
There’s a month to go before the fat lady sings. And I believe we can carry on winning the big races until that day, November 7, signals the end of the Flat season after more fireworks from yours truly before the action is over.
Sure there have been casualties along the way: Ascription from my horses to follow had to be withdrawn from the Cambridgeshire, then Novellist from the Arc when I had 24-1. Gutted, but only temporarily.
The whole point of betting on BETDAQ is that we were able to come back and land both big prizes with rewarding odds on the day. Here’s more planning in the pipeline:
Rockalong I don’t think we’ve seen anything like this one’s ability. A big, bonny stable favourite, he’s half-brother to a Graded-class colt in America.
It’s Luca Cumani’s time of year, and he’s entered Rockalong for York over a mile on Friday, which seems significant. Rockalong faded over 10f on the soft on the same course in August but ran well returned to a mile at Newmarket. Needs genuinely good ground.
Mount Athos Talking of lucky Luca, I told you that some observers reckon Mount Athos has ‘not been at the races’ since strolling the Group-3 Ormonde Stakes in May, finishing behind the leaders at Royal Ascot and Goodwood.
Can he do in the Melboune Cup what Orfevre failed to do in the Arc? Mount Athos was one of the Cup’s unluckiest losers last year, laying too far out of his ground and finishing late.
Orfevre would have had his day of revenge on Sunday in a normal year. After all the criticism of the horse, he beat 15 others, with two Derby winners chasing him home. But it wasn’t a normal year. Five lengths in front of them was the phenomenon Treve.
Lieutenant Miller My Champion Stakes fancy, Intello, aimed at the Arc instead, was a creditable third. My Cesarewitch hope, Tac De Boistron, went for the French Gold Cup. But again we managed to get the big winner – indeed we napped Altano – and Tac De Boistron was second.
I shall need a replacement for the Cearewitch on Saturday and I can’t see Lieutenant Miller being out of the frame. That’s just the point about him: he’s been in the frame 10 times in a row (when completing) for Nicky Henderson.
Third in the Ascot Stakes, second in the Goodwood Stakes, he has scored on firm and on softish ground but won’t want it heavy. Plan A is to stake him for a place to cover my win bet, whatever that might be.
Rock Choir Rain on British Champions Day would be a blessing to this daughter of Pivotal, full sister to the massively-progressive Chorist. It’s simply a question of whether she’s yet ready for the big time. ‘She’ll be top class next year,’ says her trainer.
Hallelujah Five now, but hasn’t finished winning, because only 10 races in her life. A 50% win record and only once out of the frame. Look out for her on Saturday.
Toronado This one stays in my last lucky seven for the season. As ever Richard Hannon has an embarrassment of riches at a mile or so and where Toronado doesn’t go Olympic Glory will.
Hannon is almost half-a-million ahead of Aidan O’Brien in the trainers’ table and these two top-class horses could settle it.
But Ballydoyle threatens in the valuable two-year-old races, with Craftsman, Giovanni Boldini, Friendship, Great White Eagle, Michaelmas, Stubbs, War Command and Wilshire Boulevard choosing between this weekend’s big two, the Middle Park and the Dewhurst.
Australia But the Ballydoyle pick so far has to be Australia. To see their smart colt Orchestra slammed more than five lengths by Dermot Weld’s Free Eagle at Leopardstown was a lump in the throat at the time.
But Free Eagle was demolished – a la Treve – by Ballydoyle stablemate Australia on the same course a month ago.
Australia swept by in a couple of strides, beating Free Eagle six lengths in a manner befitting a son of Galileo and Ouija Board. This one misses Saturday’s Dewhurst for the Racing Post Trophy at the end of the month.
But Aidan O’Brien has an incredible 20 – yes 20- more engaged in the Racing Post race. Among those – maybe it’s Australia – will be one of the rivals for Treve next season.
That will be the Press banner for months to come: what can beat Treve? Maybe it’s as futile a search as ‘what could beat Frankel?’
TODAY’S RACING >
FENNELL BAY THE NAP
Can Hamelin stop the rot? Lady Cecil’s stunning sequence of success seems to have come to a halt, with five favourites among 15 consecutive losers in the last 12 days, including my nap, Alegra, yesterday.
Hamelin runs in his first handicap (3.40 Leicester) today but the Lordship Stud’s son of Cape Cross, has been hit pretty hard in the ratings for an easy maiden win at Kempton.
The handicapper’s 85 assessment is based directly on the subsequent success of the third horse that day. But that placed animal was trained Luca Cumani, whose Don Padeja (6.8 on BETDAQ this morning) returns to his winning trip and now gets 7lb from the Warren Place favourite.
Mark Johnston’s My History – only two runs so far – can be expected to improve on his Beverley win but this is something of an experiment stepping up in trip, and I would be surprised if he ‘did a Johnston’ (tried to make all).
Andrew Balding has had no fewer than 21 horses placed in the last fortnight, and Fortrose Academy (19.0 on BETDAQ in the 4.10) is worth a bit each way after a break on a track where the stable does well in handicaps.
The class-3 at Catterick (3.30) is a nursery, in which the handicapper might want to revise the rating for Johnston’s King Of Macedon. The one he beat at Ripon has since run a late-finishing close fifth in the (Listed) Two-Year-Old Trophy at Redcar.
King Of Macedon’s closest pursuer in the BETDAQ market today is Ventura Quest, black marked for hanging and holding his head awkwardly on his handicap debut.
But Richard Fahey has moved the vet in smartly and a quick snip may have solved Quest’s mental problems, as gelding so often does for young colts.
The last time I had a winner at Brighton, the old king was down there for a paddle, and the racing is all class 5 and 6 today.
At Wolverhampton (8.10), course-specialists Azrag and Royal Alcor are 10-12lb higher than their winning marks, while Lyric Street, Maria’s Choice and Wyborne have won only their maidens, and All The Winds, Colinca’s Lad, Ultmate and Sir Boss are pensionable age.
It’s a golden opportunity for Fennell Bay (6.0 on BETDAQ this morning), dropped down from a sequence of efforts in class 2 on turf to this lowly class-4 on AW, off a rating below his last four successes.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 3.4pts win DON PADEJA and 2pts win (stakes saver) HAMELIN (3.40 Leicester)
BET 5pts win VENTURA QUEST (3.30 Catterick)
BET 1.1pts win and place FORTROSE ACADEMY (4.10 Leicester)
BET 2.2pts win IVESTAR (5.30 Catterick)
BET 4pts win (nap) FENNELL BAY (8.10 Wolverhampton)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 3 x 1pt win doubles and 1pt win treble King Of Macedon (3.30 Catterick), Don Padeja (3.40 Leicester) and Fennel Bay (8.10 Wolverhampton)
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