EIGHT ROYAL ASCOT RETURNS IN TWO DAYS: Four more returns on Wednesday after four on the opening day continued Daqman’s Royal Ascot romp over Pricewise of the Racing Post, taking the scores to 41-8 and extending the profits gap to 187 points.
Tuesday
WON 4-1 THOMAS HOBSON
WON 5-2 BARNEY ROY
WON 11-10 RIBCHESTER
3rd 12-1 DEAUVILLE (win and place)
Wednesday
WON 5-1 HEARTACHE
WON 5-2 QEMAH
4th 20-1 BALLET CONCERTO (win and place)
2nd 16-1 BLAIR HOUSE (win and place at 23.0 BETDAQ)
FIND THE LADY IN GOLD-CUP TREBLE BID: Daqman goes for a hat-trick today in the Ascot Gold Cup, which he’s won for the last two seasons through Trip To Paris (WON 12-1) and Order Of St George (WON 10-11). This time he bets that the colts will be beaten.
* Pricewise challenge today: 2.30, 3.05, 5.00 and 5.35.
TRUE BLUE VOTE AT BETDAQ 19.5
2.30 Royal Ascot (Norfolk Stakes)
STATS Favourites have bitten the dust in the last eight years but 4-1 to 8-1 covers five of the last six SPs. Trainers: Peter Chapple-Hyam 3, Aidan O’Brien 2. Draw: The three 5f races so far at this week’s meeting have gone to stalls 12, 18 and 20.
TURNKEY FORM The last six to score in the Norfolk had won on the last day, and were sons of established speed sires.
ANALYSIS Santry beat Consequences (soft) before that one won a good northern trial for this (firm).
Frozen Angel was unlucky not to catch previous winner Havana Grey at Sandown but Havana Grey may now have the best draw.
The grey, along with Cardship and McErin, are the potential pace horses, all three all drawn in double figures
VERDICT: McErin is a Wesley Ward but has been beaten. Cardsharp (15.0 on BETDAQ this morning, is a big, strong sort who scored on the tough sprint track at Beverley.
Those I fancy to come out of the pack to attack the front-runners on the favoured rail are Koditime (18.5) from yesterday’s Queen Mary winning stable, and another grey True Blue Moon (19.5), whose sire won the Railway and the Phoenix two-year-old tests on firm ground.
I’ll take three big prices but one of them must win to count against Pricewise’s two selections.
REVENGE FOR THE ULYSSES MIRAGE
3.05 Royal Ascot (Hampton Court Stakes)
STATS Sir Michael Stoute has won this twice since 2009, and has a tophatful of high hopes this afternoon. I napped him yesterday when Ulysses was ridden to win the big race as if the winning post was at the furlong pole, so inviting Highland Reel into battle. Not so smart and not so lucky, Jim.
TURNKEY FORM: For four years now, winners of two of their last three races have won this. That gives you only Gold Spinner and Irish Correspondent.
‘Nearly horses’ in the Classic trials do well in this. That gives you Bay Of Poets, Benbatl and Mirage Dancer.
ANALYSIS: Bay of Poets ran up to Derby second, Cliffs Of Moher, in the Dee Stakes at Chester, but I thought the fourth horse, Mirage Dancer, was one for the notebook.
Benbatl was second in the Dante and fifth in the Derby, while Orderofthegarter was fifth in the French 2,000 Guineas and sixth in the French Derby (Taj Mahal fourth, Bay of Poets seventh).
The winner of those French Classics was Brametot, whose Deauville Guineas runner-up, Le Brivido, won the Jersey Stakes here yesterday.
VERDICT: Orderofthegarter’s form is all with cut in the ground, leaving a doubt over today’s fast surface, but I note that, after four defeats on Taj Mahal, Ryan Moore switches to the Garter.
I expect Bay of Poets and Benbatl, will continue playing bridesmaid and I’ll stick with the Stoute plan: 5.5 Mirage Dancer.
MORE STOUTE MAGIC WITH MORI
3.40 Royal Ascot (Ribblesdale Stakes)
STATS This ‘Ascot Oaks’ goes to Classic ‘nearly horses’, fillies from secondary levels in the big yards, in the last six years five of them Irish.
ANALYSIS Twice placed behind super filly Enable (in the Cheshire and Epsom Oaks), Alluringly looks the part for Aidan O’Brien but the gap widened between Chester and Epsom
Coronet, from the Enable stable, has disappointedsbut may be better than the bare form. Mori was a ready winner of the Goodwood Height-of-Fashion trial from Coconut Crème.
VERDICT: I’m sticking with my Stoute plan, following his potential improvers today, so I am on Mori (3.15 on BETDAQ)
IT’S SIMPLE! CHAPTER AND VERSE..
4.20 Royal Ascot (Gold Cup)
STATS Trainers: Aidan O’Brien 7. Jockeys: Ryan Moore 2. Favourites: 7 out of 10. Age: Four-year-olds five in a row. A horse older than six winning the Gold Cup for the first time has not happened since 1923.
St Legers are the best recent guide.
TURNKEY FORM: Doncaster St Leger winner Harbour Law tries to do the double as Leading Light did in 2014. Order Of St George won the 2015 Irish St Leger before winning last year’s Gold Cup.
Simple Verse won the 2015 St Leger and last year’s fillies’ version, the Park Hill Stakes.
GOING: Big Orange, Sweet Selection and the 2015 Gold Cup winner, Trip To Paris, seem best suited by firm ground. Nearly Caught and Torcedor have never won with ‘firm’ in the going return.
ANALYSIS Order Of St George, who won his gold on soft ground, was beaten four times afterwards, albeit one of those races was the Arc, and the British Champions Long Distance Cup here at Ascot (only fourth) probably came too soon. But making excuses for champions is a quick way to empty your wallet.
Simple Verse, who finished just in front of him that day (2m), was staying on well, and she has been trained with today in mind.
If we look at top-of-the ground results, Sheikhzayedroad beat Quest For More, Simple Verse, Order Of St George and Nearly Caught in that British Champions race but had finished only third to Big Orange in the Goodwood Cup.
VERDICT: Order Of St George has not continued to perform like a dual winner of this, but the trip puts me off most of these, including front-runner Big Orange.
Sweet Selection could get the marathon distance on his Cesarewitch win but is officially more than a stone behind Order Of St George,.
I’m inclined to have a bit of win and place Simple Verse at 9.4 in the BETDAQ orange this morning, the win part covered by a saver on the favourite, with both figuring in my Daq Multiples.
HYDE AND SEEK A 34.0 WINNER..
5.00 Royal Ascot (Britannia Stakes)
STATS Winners at 10-1, 14-1, 20-1(twice), 28-1 and 33-1 in the decade sharpen the mind. Trainers: John Gosden 4, Sir Michael Stoute 2. Jockeys: Ryan Moore 2, Jamie Sp[encer 2.
Draw: 7 out of 9 have come out of stall 12 or higher. Weight: 6 out of 9 from 8st 11lb to 9st 1lb as they line up today.
GOING City Of Joy, Ronald R, Senator and Thomas Cranmer have all won two races on firmish ground.
ANALYSIS: Hyde Park has finished strongly in his two 7f races. I fancied Ronald R strongly but he’s been drawn in stall 1 and the colt he beat a head at Newmarket, Son of The Stars, has got 20.
Similarly Tricorn could turn around Chelmsford form with City of Joy at the revised weights but City of Joy has the high stall
I hope Maths Prize goes well for The Queen. I would feel sorry for anyone with more than limited intelligence who had to read out that apology for a two-year-plan.
VERDICT: It’s a massive cavalry charge so, as with the opener, I’ll take three against the field City of Joy (9.8), Ronald R (30.0) and Hyde Park (34.0)
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 30 points, unless otherwise stated)
2.30 Royal Ascot
BET 2pts win and place CARDSHARP
BET 1.6pts win and place KODITIME
BET 1.6pts win and place TRUE BLUE MOON
3.05 Royal Ascot
BET 6.6pts win (nap) MIRAGE DANCER
3.40 Royal Ascot
BET (to win 20) 10pts win MORI
4.20 Royal Ascot
BET 3.5pts win and place SIMPLE VERSE
BET 3.5pts win (stakes saver) ORDER OF ST GEORGE
5.00 Royal Ascot
BET 3.5pts win CITY OF JOY
BET 1pt win and place RONALD R
BET 1pt win and place HYDE PARK
5.35 Royal Ascot
BET 4pts win MASTER SINGER
BET 2pts win and place UTAH
DAQ MULTIPLES: 5 x 2pt win doubles and 2 x 1pt win trebles MIRAGE DANCER (3.05 Royal Ascot), MORI (3.40 Royal Ascot) , SIMPLE VERSE and ORDER OF ST GEORGE (4.20 Royal Ascot)
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