BANKER AND 7-1 WIN IN HAUL OF FOUR: Two out of three on Monday, including his nap at 5-4, Daqman yesterday spread his bets around England, Ireland and France, scoring a winner at each of four venues, including a morning banker at better than even money on BETDAQ. His winners were:
WON 7-1 HAREBELL (Nottingham)
WON 17-10 TERRAKOVA (Saint-Cloud)
WON 4-5 OMRAN (Newcastle)
WON 10-11 DABULENA (banker nap, Gowran Park)
NAPS HAT-TRICK BID AT AYR: After his Derby ratings survey of the Classic colts yesterday, Daqman presents figures for the fillies but reckons the Oaks will be a small field. He bids for a third successive nap at Ayr.
DAQMAN RATINGS: OAKS ELEVEN
The premier league for the Oaks. But, with major strikers like Rhododendron and Enable, not many of this X1 are likely starters at Epsom.
As with the colts for the Derby yesterday, I have marked with a ^^ those fillies who, in my eyes, have the potential to improve considerably, witness their approach to the Classics and trials they’ve raced in so far.
^^110 Rhododendron Beat Hydrangea twice last season – easily in the Fillies Mile – showing big improvement the more she raced. Might have been closer in the Newmarket 1,000 Guineas but went down two lengths to Winter, after being short of room more than once.
^^110 Winter Big step forward to land 1,000 Guineas, and likely to run in the Irish version this weekend.
^^108 Enable I marked her down for late improvement as a daughter of Nathaniel, and this column got 25-1 for the Oaks before her third to Shutter Speed in the Nell Gwyn.
The pair were split by the colt Raheen House, hard trained for the race, and an excellent yardstick as he’d been a close fourth behind Rivet in the Racing Post Trophy. Enable went on to win the Cheshire Oaks.
108 Shutter Speed Surged clear at Newbury (see Enable) and handled a tough test on deep ground in the Musidora. Goes for the Prix de Diane (French Oaks)
106 Sobetsu Well behind Rhododendron in the Fillies’ Mile last autumn (firm) but huge step up to win the Prix Saint-Alary on very soft last Sunday week at Deauville. Expected to clash with Shutter Speed in the Diane.
105 Hydrangea See Rhododendron. Beat Winter when fresh in the Leopardstown 1,000 Guineas Trial (April) but, easy to back, failed to run her race behind the same filly in the Newmarket Guineas.
104 Alluringly Given quiet introductions in the autumn, she’s been a rapid improver this Spring, beating yesterday’s Gowran banker, Dabulena, easily at Tipperary and then was runner-up in the Cheshire Oaks to Enable. May wait for the Irish Oaks.
^^98 Horseplay Lightly raced winner of the Newmarket Pretty Polly, has a very strong work partner in Elbereth.
I hope Horseplay doesn’t use Elbereth up, because the six-year-old mare, second to Somehow in the Dahlia Stakes, is in our Fortune Cookies.
96 Coronet Winner of a Listed at Newmarket in October (good going), was nearly five lengths third to Sobetsu in the Prix Saint-Alary (soft).
96 Isabel De Urbina Ran up to Horseplay at Newmarket. Needs to improve but her trainer has won the Oaks twice.
^^94 Natavia Another Nathaniel. Her Newbury Fillies’ trial could be a useful race, with Aljezeera third and Gracious Diana – an easy maiden winner on the course – in fourth.
AYR TO KEMPTON: VARIAN THE WEDNESDAY MAN
5.20 Ayr (Rothesay Stakes, Listed) The mare Maleficent Queen won this in fine style last year but was in much better form coming into the race and her win in this completed a five-timer. She hasn’t won since and was tried over two miles at Ascot last time out. There was also give in the ground 12 months ago and she might not find today’s faster surface as ideal.
In any case, she faces a tough challenge in the shape of Nezwaah who makes her seasonal reappearance here for trainer Roger Varian. The filly was highly tried in her last start – finishing down the field in the EP Taylor Stakes at Woodbine but had previously run a blinder in a Listed race at Yarmouth to finish a close second to So Mi Dar who had previously bolted home in the Group 3 Musidora Stakes at York.
Sophie P scraped home to win a handicap here over a mile last time out and doesn’t look in this league but Pure Art ran a big race at Newmarket to finish third at 25/1 in a Listed event over this trip and might give the selection (and nap) most to do.
6.40 Kempton Varian can strike here too. Margherita hasn’t been beaten far in two starts to date at Kempton and Wolverhampton and looks to have an easier task in this.
She was slightly unlucky on debut over course and distance – she was carried left from the start but recovered and was staying on well.
She was third at Wolverhampton last time out and it looked a well above average race won by Vice Versa. The runner-up Jalela came out next time to win a Newmarket maiden in which the front two finished 10 lengths clear of the rest of the field.
The debutant Chatting has a good pedigree but the Hugo Palmer stable can’t buy a winner at present with just one winner from 25 in the last 14 days.
7.20 Southwell A small field for this novices’ hurdle but it looks reasonably competitive. It could be at the mercy of Irish Roe who won her first three bumpers and was then pitched in at the deep end with down the field runs in the champion bumpers at Cheltenham and Aintree. She did better at Aintree finishing seventh, beaten 10 lengths, and clearly has some class which can hopefully translate to hurdling.
Nicky Henderson runs Polly’s Pursuit who was 10 lengths behind Irish Rose at Aintree.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 9pts win (nap) NEZWAAH (5.20 Ayr)
BET 6pts win MARGHERITA (6.40 Kempton)
BET 6pts win IRISH ROE (7.20 Southwell)
Did you know that as well as checking the realtime prices on BETDAQ below – you can also log into your account and place your bets directly into BETDAQ from BETDAQ TIPS.
