YORK DAY 1: BIG VALUE ON BETDAQ: Daqman attacks the York markets with a BETDAQ-value start today at offers of 7.0, 8.2, 8.6, 9.1, 9.0, 10.0, 11.0, 15.0 and 23.0, among them two big-odds Fortune Cookies.
STARS LINE UP FOR INTERNATIONAL: The International has a star line-up of Derby winner, champion filly and Ascot-winning raider from the red-hot French stable of King George hero Goliath.
7/4 WINNING NAP: Daqman arrives at the Knavesmire via Wolverhampton and a winning nap in the 8.30 last night. Kinetic obliged at 7/4 to make it a winning York Eve.
JUNGLE 11.0 BETDAQ VALUE
⭕ 1.50 York This sprint handicap will tell us something about the draw: in previous years, eight winners out of nine came out of stalls 2 to 12, and the stands side scored just the once.
With such as Copper Knight and Democracy Dilemma likely pace horses, far-side fancies – if it remains on the firm side – are Shagraan, back to form at Goodwood; and Jm Jungle, just held when third last year. BETDAQ 8.6 and 11.0 respectively.
APPLEBY HAS RULING CLASS
⭕ 2.25 York (Acomb Stakes): Chaldean (2022 winner) went on to take the Dewhurst and the following year’s 2,000 Guineas for Andrew Balding, who now saddles Jouncy, son of Wootton Bassett (Almanzor, King Of Steel) out of a half-sister to Frankel.
Well entered up, including in the Dewhurst, but 23.0 on BETDAQ this morning to place behind even-money Ruling Court.
Favourites have a poor record in this but the market may be right that Ruling Court has the edge on The Lion In Winter, Aidan O’Brien’s 15th try at this prize without success but winner of the Curragh maiden that went to Henry Longfellow last year.
However, another Andrew Balding Guineas winner (2019 Kameko) had taken the Sandown maiden which was won for Charlie Appleby in July by Ruling Court (Justify out of a High Chapparal mare).
MILE MAY SPRING SURPRISE
⭕ 3.00 York (Great Voltigeur): Los Angeles won the Irish Derby by less than a length from the French Derby seventh Sunway.
He has to concede 2lb to the Queen’s Vase winner, Illinois, who was Grand Prix de Paris second to Sosie, the French Derby third.
Illinois might need further and softer, but there’s not much in it on that bare form, is there.
And Deira Mile, who gets 5lb from Los Angeles today, was only a length and a half behind that one when they were third and fourth in the Epsom Derby.
Deira Mile ran green at Epsom. He raced out of his ground and came from last place at Epsom, hanging a bit on those final gradients.
Trainer Owen Burrows, who has been striking at 50% during the summer, clearly feels that he needed more time and the 81-day holiday could bring a different horse to this line-up at 10.0 on BETDAQ
BECKETT BADGE OF HONOUR
⭕ 3.35 York (Juddmonte International): FORTUNE COOKIE Bluestocking has been switched from the Yorkshire Oaks to take on City of Troy here, giving him weight but backed to beat him this morning on BETDAQ.
So it is that trainer Ralph Beckett, who doesn’t like to be known purely as a trainer of top fillies, takes on the Derby and Eclipse winner with his top filly.
If he pulls it off, he is stuck with – and likely to love at last – the badge of honour he claims to loathe.
But it’s no two-horse race. The gelding Calandagan climbed the ranks to win the ‘Ascot Derby’ King Edward VII Stakes on firm (pictured below), after taking the Hocquart and the Noailles in the Springtime mud of Longchamp.
Calandagan is trained in France by Francis-Henri Graffard, who won the 1m 4f King George when Goliath stormed past Bluestocking, after her 1m 2f double, back to back at York and the Curragh.
Ambiente Friendly, runner-up in the Epsom Derby, third in the Curragh version, may be better suited to this drop in trip but that’s guesswork and the improver of the race must be Calandagan.
Only his yard compares with Aidan O’Brien’s as the one with 10f and 12f champion material. Not forgetting the very best trainer of fillies, Ralph Beckett!
Daqman’s 1-2-3 (with Betdaq Betting Exchange offers): 9.1 Calandagan, 9.0 Bluestocking, 2.4 City Of Troy.
THIS IS THE DAY FOR KNIGHT
⭕ 4.10 York: I marked down Knightswood in FORTUNE COOKIES for eye-catching preps for this, including when threeparts of a length, fifth, behind Great Bedwyn’s third at Goodwood, and now a pound better off.
Charlie Johnston, who trains Knightswood, took that race with Align The Stars, who has two dates at York this week, the Lonsdale (Group 2) Friday or Saturday’s Melrose Handicap.
Samui has been tonked 13lb by the handicapper for running away 17 lengths clear of old-timer Bold Approach at Killarney.
Bold Approach, only 1-22 on the Flat, and beaten a similar distance next time out (16 lengths), finished just in front of Nikhi and Almuhi in the Killarney contest.
Nikhi had been beaten a total of 54 lengths in three hurdle races, and Almuhi 33 lengths in the Ascot Stakes.
Divine Comedy is up a total of 17lb, improving from a class-4 handicap to run second of 20 in the Ascot Stakes.
Pat O’Donnell rates Extensio ‘a proper horse’ and has the Newmarket Cesarewitch as the target. He was third in the Cesarewitch Trial last September but had to miss the real thing. A drifter on BETDAQ this morning.
The 2023 winner of this, Forza Orta, is back for more but didn’t seem to respond to first-time cheekpieces when trailing in behind Great Bedwyn and Knightswood in that Goodwood race.
Daqman’s 1-2-3 (with BETDAQ offers): 8.2 Knightswood, 15.0 Extensio, 8.6 Divine Comedy
ARTAGNAN BIG-FIELD TALENT
⭕ 4.45 York Designer, winner of the fillies’ handicap for the last two years – including first run back in 2022 – goes for the hat-trick with a pound less than last year under apprentice Brandon Wilkie.
Designer has had a wind op and wears a tongue-tie to try to squeeze some more out of her. She has an indifferent stall (9), with high or low winning this so far.
The usual thing is to take one on each side but the opening race may help confirm where you want to be in the stalls.
⭕ 5.20 York Same again in this 6f nursery on past results: 2, 4, 5 three times, 6 have won; so have 12, 15 and 16.
I’m tempted to Artagnan, related to Group winners, and beat a big field in a similar event at Glorious Goodwood. BETDAQ 7.0
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.50 York (win 30)
BET 4pts win SHAGRAAN
BET 3pts win JM JUNGLE
2.25 York (win 25 total)
BET 1pt win and place JOUNCY
BET 10 to win 10 RULING COURT (nap)
3.00 York (win 20)
BET 2pts win DEIRA MILE
3.35 York
FORTUNE COOKIE
BET 20pts win BLUESTOCKING
BET 5pts to win 40 CALANDAGAN
4.10 York
FORTUNE COOKIE
BET 20pts win KNIGHTSWOOD
BET 2pts to win 30 EXTENSIO
5.20 York (win 30)
BET 5pts win ARTAGNAN
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