DAQMAN THREE FROM THREE FOR 116 POINTS: Three horses in seven winning bets and no losers! That was Daqman’s record yesterday when he followed up Monday’s 8-1 winner and 27-point profit with 116 points from three singles, three doubles and a treble. The unbeaten trio were:
WON 4-7 FATTSOTA (banker nap)
WON 11-4 HATTONS HILL
WON 5-2 ROYAL RUBY
FLAT COUNTDOWN: THE EARLY BIRDS: Today meet the Early Birds, winning horses and stables at this time last year and new ones plotted up for a quick start to the Flat season from Doncaster on Saturday and Sunday.
WEDNESDAY NAP: The flat countdown builds with three all-weather cards today but DAQMAN spots one over the jumps at Sedgefield for his best bet of the day.
EARLY BIRDS FOR THE FLAT SEASON
Birchwood (Richard Fahey)
Won on debut as a two-year-old. Expected to drop to Listed class in the 6f Cammidge Trophy on Saturday for the first time since he won at that level over 7f at Chester. Failed to make his mark at Group level.
Bravery (David O’Meara)
Fourth in the Irish 2,000 Guineas, but lost his way after. Now switched from Aidan O’Brien (see recent Daqman Archive) as a 100-rated handicapper.
Deauville (Aidan O’Brien)
Neck down in the Dante, didn’t take to the Epsom Derby track on soft but won a Grade 1 at Belmont before half-length third Arlington Million. After Dubai trip, Naas (April) and Curragh (May) dates depend on top of the ground.
Dream Castle (Saeed Bin Suroor)
Unraced Frankel three-year-old entered for a maiden at Doncaster on Sunday. The entries after that? English and Irish Guineas and the Irish Derby.
Faithful Promise (Mark Johnston)
Forward two-year-old who could try to land a Mark Johnston Brocklesby hat-trick on Saturday. Daughter of Acclamation, top overall sire numerically in 2016 and a whiz at getting precocious juveniles.
Flash Fire (Charlie Appleby)
Landed me the Victoria Cup at 20-1 at Ascot last May, fit from placed efforts at Meydan. Handicap winner and Group 2 placed in Dubai this time around, yet currently can revert to handicaps off only a 3lb higher mark.
Jack Hobbs (John Gosden)
Not only was it the patience and skills of John Gosden and his team that brought him victory in Meydan. Rain came just at the right time at the weekend. Easy ground requirement means Spring and autumn campaigning.
King Of Naples (James Fanshawe)
A winner at beginning and end (at Doncaster) of last season, rising from class 6 to class 4. He should enjoy the ease in the ground back on Town Moor on Sunday, and his yard is one run, one win, in the last two weeks.
Limato (Henry Candy)
Beaten favourite first time up in the Lockinge Stakes last May but now we know him as a speed merchant, winner of the July Cup (6f) and the Prix De La Foret (7f). Forget his flop at Meydan on rain-softened ground.
Lustrous Light (Ger Lyons)
With the big three of O’Brien, Bolger and Weld showing not a lot, Ger Lyons scooped the two big handicaps on Irish Flat opening day. A big baby last year, Lustrous Light has Group-3 dates at Naas and Navan in April.
Mirage Dancer (Sir M Stoute)
I will be discussing the Classics separately in See How They Run articles and with Classic Horses To Follow. But this Derby-entered son of Frankel didn’t see the track until October and so is one for educational early preps.
Nimr (Richard Fahey):
What was so impressive about Nimr’s success in the Lincoln Trial at Wolverhampton was the way he was ridden confidently from a bad draw, happy to run round them on the outside, and then take them with a gear change.
LITTLE MISS TROUBLE DOESN’T READ WELL
The flat is on the horizon and we very much move into flat mode on Wednesday with three all-weather cards with just Sedgefield flying the flag for the jumpers.
Even allowing for the post-Cheltenham factor, the jumps racing of late has done little to whet the appetite with small fields and long odds on favourites being commonplace. Not all the long odds on favourites have been winning though (see below).
Apart from a three runner race at 4.45pm, the fields have held up a little better at Sedgefield where good ground is forecast.
2.40 Sedgefield The 2.40 novice hurdle looks a good contest for the course with the last time out winners Hint Of Grey and Verona Opera taking on likely favourite Little Miss Poet who travels up from the Philip Hobbs stable in Somerset.
Both Miss Little Poet’s wins have come on soft ground and she was a catastrophic disappointment at Exeter last time out when turned over at 1/10. She travelled well that day but made numerous errors and only finished as close to Cascaye because that one idled on the run-in.
Cascaye has been beaten since at Chepstow so the form looks modest and I can’t really be in any mood to give Miss Little Poet another chance – even allowing for the fact that she is Richard Johnson’s only ride of the day. There are question marks over her temperament, jumping and ability to reproduce her winning form on better ground so as a project this Dragon is saying …. “I’m out”.
Preference is for Hint Of Grey who is penalised for her win at Fakenham last time out but encouragingly it did come on good ground and she did well to beat the odds on favourite Cesar Et Rosalie with the rest of the field well strung out.
Verona Opera won well on heavy ground at Ayr last time out but looking through her CV the suspicion is that she needs cut to show her best form.
3.20 Lingfield Spiritofedinburgh brings the most experience to the table but it would be a little disappointing if his form was good enough against some runners with good potential. He was well beaten on his only previous start here.
In contrast, Hajjam ran well here over today’s trip on his second start when third to Across Dubai and the 2/9 favourite Dubai Horizon in second. The form is probably quite decent and he should improve sufficiently to take this.
4.35 Southwell You can’t generally go far wrong supporting Simon Walker in these events and when he’s on the horse with the best recent form in the race the combination will be an automatic selection for many.
However, although Cosmic Tigress won at Wolverhampton last time out she is crucially having her first start on the Fibresand and I’m not willing to take short odds given that this surface is so vastly different.
Second favourite Rainbow Lad has never sparkled on this surface and is overlooked too in preference to Paris Bound who ran well enough here when an eight length second to the 83 rated Luv U Whatever. It was only a seller but Paris Bound looks likely to improve further and does at least handle the surface.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 7pts win (nap) HINT OF GREY (2.40 Sedgefield)
BET 6pts win HAJJAM (3.20 Lingfield)
BET 5pts win PARIS BOUND (4.35 Southwell)
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