DAQMAN LANDS BACK-TO-BACK NAPS: After scoring at Musselburgh on Monday, Daqman landed the right one at Leicester yesterday to make it back-to-back naps, no losers, this week:
WON 6-4 SANS SOUCI BAY (Tuesday)
WON 6-5 ALPHA DELPHINI (Monday)
Daqman’s nap today is at Punchestown for the track’s launch of the long Jumps season there, which reaches its climax in the Spring festival. But first he fancies a Frankie Dettori double at Nottingham.
SEE HOW THE (FIVE) CHAMPIONS WON: Saturday race by race, Daqman takes you through the five-star Ascot British Champions Day card, analysing stats and facts as a form template for winner-finding. Today, the Fillies and Mares.
BETDAQ BETTING THE BEST GUIDE
2.40 Ascot (Saturday) British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes Four of the last seven winners were drawn low and, significantly, two of the three successful from a high draw went across and took an early lead or headed the chasing pack to get a good position at the bend.
One of those was last year’s winner, Journey, who tried similar tactics the year before but was just run out of it by pace-chaser Simple Verse.
They came from stalls 11 and 12, and both were three-year-olds, who win this 55% of the time. If Journey were to win it again, it would be the first back-to-back victory in the race and only the second success for any horse older than four.
Sir Michael Stoute won it twice in three years with the same filly, Crystal Capella. She was beaten into second in the intervening season, so ended up 121 in the race.
Aidan O’Brien has never won it but one of his Sattrday quartet could flower: Hydrangea, Rhododendron, Wild Irish Rose or Seventh Heaven.
John Gosden, who trains Journey, also has Ribblesdale winner Coronet and Lancashire Oaks scorer The Black Princess left in.
No outright favourite has won but seven of the nine winners were close up in the BETDAQ market. The two shocks were both winning when the ground was very soft or heavy, which is unlikely this time around.
BY JUPITER! IT’S FRANKIE AGAIN
1.30 and 3.35 Nottingham Classics-entered Msayyan (1.30) should step up markedly on his Kempton debut for John Gosden and Frankie Dettori, who also team up with Jupiter Light (3.35), who was narrowly beaten at Sandown, first run after being gelded.
The winner at Sandown that day has since completed a hat-trick. Three-year-olds have won this six times in the decade, and Dettori is 2-2 in the race. Jupiter Light is 5.9 on BETDAQ this morning as I write.
2.00 and 4.40 Nottingham Henry Candy, who landed a treble at the weekend, saddles Blazing Tunder (2.00), who has been working well at home with the big-field Newmarket winner, Thrave, beaten only a head on the debut. It’s also first time out for Blazing Tunder but layers faced a barrage of inquiries early doors (7-1 in to 10-3 by 9.30 a.m.), with Candy’s grey also in to 4.5 on BETDAQ.
Imaginative, a fine son of Camelot, is also an intriguing debutant, but the quick return to the racecourse of Astrologist should see improvement after he ran too green on the Rowley Mile 11 days ago. A fascinating contest which clearly should throw up future winners.
The Candy team also saddles African Friend (4.40), who ran a fine second at Sandown recently, when you consider he lost a shoe. The BETDAQ 6.0 is reasonable this morning and is insurance for Blazing Tunder.
4.05 Nottingham This class-3 fillies’ handicap is the feature race of the Flat in England today. Melinoe has twice beaten St Marys and Fire Jet on softish ground and, as a CD winner, could be too good for Sepal at the difference in weights.
STANDING UP FOR CAMPEADOR
2.35 Punchestown (Coral Champions Club Hurdle) Hidden Cyclone won this eased down a year ago with The Game Changer, third at a respectful eight lengths, and again ridden by a 7lb claimer here in the hope of making up the leeway.
The Game Changer was back to form with back-to-back wins in the wet summer, chase and hurdles, and has now won 12 times and been placed 17.
His stablemate, Campeador, might have won the 2016 Fred Winter but for falling at the last, then did the same thing at Fairyhouse when just about to take a Grade A in the December, last time we saw him.
Campeador, still only five, should be able to wait on Hidden Cyclone and beat this small field.
3.45 Wetherby (Bobby Renton Chase) Bobby Renton trained Freebooter to win the Grand National and saddled placed horses Tudor Line and Glorious Twelfth before letting Red Rum slip through his fingers, sold because he had bad feet.
Philip Hobbs, who has had five winners in a week from 10 still standing, sends his French import, Ballotin, on a 400-mile round trip from Somerset, with his owner-rider, London businessman, David Maxwell, also making a significant journey north.
Though only six, Ballotin has won 11 races, four of them at Auteuil, has that ‘could be anything’ look about him and has always gone well fresh. Tempting 8.6 offers on BETDAQ early mouse.
4.10 Punchestown Before Petit Mouchoir was moved from Willie Mullins to Henry De Bromhead, who won this race last year with Some Plan, Willie said that the six-year-old was a ‘slick jumper’ and his chasing career could be looked forward to.
Well, today’s the day for the Leopardstown Ryanair and Irish Champion Hurdle winner. I’ve put him in my Daq Multiples.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 20 points)
BET 5.75pts win BLAZING TUNDER (2.00 Nottingham)
BET 12pts win (nap) CAMPEADOR (2.35 Punchestown)
BET 4pts win JUPITER LIGHT (3.35 Nottingham)
BET 2.5pts win and place BALLOTIN (3.45 Wetherby)
BET 7pts win MELINOE (4.05 Nottingham)
BET 4pts win AFRICAN FRIEND (4.40 Nottingham)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 3 x 3pts win doubles and 1pt win treble MSAYYAN (1.30 Nottingham), CAMPEADOR (2.35 Punchestown) and PETIT MOUCHOIR (4.10 Punchestown)
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