GREAT WALL GOOD CALL FOR NAPS SEQUENCE: Daqman landed back-to-back naps when The Great Wall (WON 6-4) yesterday followed up his Monday supernap, taking his profit for the week on all selections to 29.42.
WON 6-4 THE GREAT WALL (Tuesday nap)
WON 4-7 CONSTRUCT (Monday supernap)
ECLIPSE BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS: ABC GUIDE: After rating the three-year-olds yesterday, Daqman relates their form to Saturday’s Coral Eclipse stats for an ABC guide to the intended Sandown runners.
MASAR SHARES ECLIPSE BILLING
2.10 Sandown, Saturday (Coral Eclipse ABC)
A Winner of a Group 1 (80%)
B Officially rated 119 to 126 (80%)
C Winner over 1m 2f or more (80%)
D Ran only two or three times that year (75%)
E Had raced in last 30 days (90%)
X Trainer in top form
ABCE Hawkbill
Lowest-rated winner of this race (110) in recent years when the ground was soft in 2016. Just failed in Germany and Woodbine, Canada, at this level last year.
Back to Group-1 form in the Sheema Classic (1m 4f) in March, beating Poet’s Word and Arc runner-up Cloth Of Stars. Trounced 10 lengths over very-fast-run 10 furlongs at Royal Ascot by Poet’s Word and Cracksman, after boiling over in the preliminaries, but now rated 122.
ABCE Masar
With Roaring Lion (third) and Saxon Warrior (fourth) struggling to get the trip, and Dee Ex Bee staying on with his usual one-pace, Masar went to the front a furlong out in the Epsom Derby and took control.
He was confirming Guineas form with Roaring Lion and turning a near-two-lengths deficit with Saxon Warrior at Newmarket into more than four lengths’ superiority at Epsom
ABDE Saxon Warrior
Newmarket 2,000 Guineas winner who was fourth in the Epsom Derby and third in the Curragh version.
It’s left connections wishing they’d gone straight for the 1m 2f double of Eclipse and International. Will he have a good week and be able to line up on Saturday?
ADE Happily
Has become a benchmark on his third in both English and Irish 1,000 Guineas and fourth in the French Oaks. Winner of the Moyglare and the Lagardere (fillies) last autumn, she can come back into her own when the going is soft.
CD Forest Ranger
A 7lb better horse than at this time last year when placed in the Pattern. Back-to-back success in the Spring, a Group 3 then another step up to a Group 2.
Beat 119-rated Deauville so maybe he deserves more than his 113. ‘I’ve had this in mind all year, deliberately swerving Ascot, and he’ll gallop right to the line,’ says trainer Richard Fahey.
CE Cliffs Of Moher
Second in the 2017 Epsom Derby but only fourth in the Eclipse and even further behind the Eclipse winner, Ulysses, in the York International.
Seemed back on the rails when winning a Group 2 at Naas in May but beaten in two subsequent Group-1 attempts and, on the last day, in a Group 2, was behind Poets Word in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot.
CE Rostropovich
One of five trained by Aidan O’Brien, making up half the field at this stage, if he’s recovered from five races in June. His sole success in that time has been a Listed but he was beaten only half a length in Latrobe’s Irish Derby.
CE Yucatan
Behind Cliffs Of Moher in May, and stone last at Epsom and Royal Ascot, but seemingly transformed by first-time blinkers to win a Group-3 at The Curragh last week. Still needs to find a stone.
CX Roaring Lion
Just has to win this Eclipse, which is made for him on form – he would have won the Derby at this trip – but has yet to take a Group 1 and is rated only 118; what’s more, that is the figure he started the season with.
So no obvious improvement since his Racing Post second to Saxon Warrior in October, despite being thereabouts in Guineas, Dante (won) and Derby.
It all goes to suggest that Saxon Warrior has gone backwards a little, and that the exposed three-year-olds are no great shakes (see Daqman Ratings yesterday).
DE Raymond Tusk
Imposing animal, off the track 14 months after winning a maiden last Spring which didn’t work out well. Beaten (joint) favourite on his reappearance on the July Course two weeks back.
Richard Hannon stable has had a lean season apart from the Newmarket 1,000 Guineas but that winner has since flopped in the Coronation Stakes.
EASTERBY FOR 30-MINUTE TREBLE
3.20 Thirsk Musselburgh specialist Royal Brave may be a couple of pounds too high in the handicap. Normal Equilibrium’s speciality is Chester, though at least he is on a winning mark.
Both have to give weight to likely improvers around half their age, of which Quayside and Canford Bay will have their followers.
But the one for me is Tim Easterby’s Suitcase ‘N’ Taxi. At Carlisle in June, he beat Mythical Spirit, who had just scored back-to-back success. The third horse had even better form: a hat-trick, all when heavily backed favourite.
On the last day, ‘Taxi’ was hailing a cab in the final furlong, stepped up in class and trip in a big field at York. Today’s race will suit much better: 4.5 BETDAQ offers taken.
3.30 Musselburgh Tim Easterby won’t have time to pack his suitcase, never mind order a taxi, before Our Charlie Brown (BETDAQ 6.4) runs at Edinburgh, with form figures on the Musselburgh course of 112, both wins coming over today’s 7f CD on firmish ground. Then it’s back to Thirsk, and a possible double on the card for the stable.
3.50 Thirsk Tim, who’s having a great time of it this season, has another good chance here with Orion’s Bow, despite 8.0 offers.
The Thirsk CD scorer is dropped in grade after 18 consecutive starts in class 2, and he’s 10lb lower now than for his last success a year ago.
As in the previous race, Tim’s got to give weight away to a three-year-old trained by Richard Fahey, name of Aljady (3.5 this morning).
At Redcar, Aljady turned over odds-on Worship who had run well in the closing stages of the 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket.
The Armed Man has won three times over this 6f at Thirsk but today has his toughest task to date, up in grade and up in weight.
DAQMAN’S BETS (each staked to win 20 points, except Orions Bow)
BET 5.75pts win SUITCASE ‘N’ TAXI (3.20 Thirsk)
BET 3.75pts win OUR CHARLIE BROWN (3.30 Musselburgh)
BET 8pts win (nap) ALJADY, and 1.25pt win and 7pts place (each to win 10) ORION’S BOW (3.50 Thirsk)
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.
