50.0 AND 50-POINT BULL’S EYE: Daqman’s final-fling nap is in the last race of Royal Ascot’s sensational meeting. He tips a 50.0 shot in the Wokingham and he has a win-50 Bull’s-Eye Bet in the Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes.
‘SECONDITIS’ SEQUENCE: 22222: Daqman came second more times than England yesterday: Sunset Glow (2nd 7-1) bull’s-eye bet, Bold Sniper (2nd 2-1), Adelaide (2nd 6-5) nap, Lesstalk In Paris (2nd 15-2), Century (2nd 5-1).
IT’S DAQMAN 7, PRICEWISE 4: Pricewise scored one but Daqman got a return from Lesstalk In Paris (win and place at a big-value 13.5 on BETDAQ), so that their Royal Ascot score is now 7-4 to Daqman.
TURN AGAIN AND BET ON TOSCANINI
2.30 Royal Ascot (Chesham Stakes) Kool Kompany and War Envoy, whom Toscanini split at Naas, have not done much for the form at Royal Ascot this week.
But Toscanini and Dick Whittington were earlier placed behind the Coventry Stakes runner-up, Cappella Sansevero, and the key to the form is the change to firm ground.
Toscannini will love it, and his sire, Shamardal, has had three times as many two-year-old winners as any other whose sons and daughters run in this contest.
Expect Wesley Ward to be back with Sunset Glow, who led until the final 50 yards in the Albany yesterday. He wanted Kieren Fallon for Cordero in this, but has to make do with a chap called Ryan Moore, with Fallon claimed for Groor.
His own man, Victor Espinoza, rides Crown The Kitten, also tongue-tied and blinkered, but that’s what the Americans do to their two-year-olds.
Crown The Kitten was beaten two lengths by Sunset Glow over 5f at Belmont, but this is 7f so we don’t really know what to expect, though her sire, Kitten’s Joy, has got big-money spinners and Graded winners at a mile and 10f.
Dick Whittington’s sire, Rip Van Winkle, has got nothing of note so far, and his dam is related to sprinters. But expect more of this stallion, spoken of in glowing terms by Aidan O’Brien (well, he would, wouldn’t he!).
DAQMAN’S VERDICT: I punted big on Wesley Ward’s top two, Hootenanny and Sunset Glow, and they gave me breath-taking runs – and a profit – but I’ll stick to ‘sprinters only’ with him.
Between Dick Whittington and Toscanini, Ireland may well have this race sewn up. I could get 6.8 Tosca on BETDAQ this morning, with a saver on the Ballydoyle favourite. I used to live for my art.
STOUTE IS IN A DIFFERENT LEAGUE
3.05 Royal Ascot (Duke Of Edinburgh Stakes) Could this be a Sir Michael Stoute masterclass? He’s won this race three times in the decade, including with Notable Guest, hiked 11lb and seemingly set an impossible task from stall 15, in 2005.
No problem. This column celebrated, thanks to the Stoute expertise, a good gallop and the jockeyship of the best Flat-race pilot this century, Mick Kinane.
Now Stoute runs Arab Spring from gate 12, penalised a total of 19lb from a hat-trick, and with Stoute saying of him after victory at York only a month ago: ‘He has great rhythm and travelled superbly, but is still a big baby.’
It could be thumbs in mouth, sucking the dummy, like some other players this week who can blast one in from a penalty. Back of the net!
DAQMAN VERDICT: Elhaame (17.5 on BETDAQ this morning) has claims on his second over CD in a big field last September, while Groundbreaking and Hamelin are lightly-raced potential improvers.
But Arab Spring is a Group horse in a handicap, and a short handicap at that (there’s only an 11lb span, top to tail). Arab Spring is my final Bull’s-Eye Bet for Ascot at 4.1 this morning.
AFTER ARAB SPRING IT’S HILLSTAR
3.45 Royal Ascot (Hardwicke Stakes) Perhaps additional proof that Arab Spring is a Group horse in a handicap is that connections had more than a passing thought about the Hardwicke Stakes, in which Sir Michael Stoute instead runs Telescope and Hillstar.
Eye Of The Storm, beaten on his seasonal return in the Saval Beg, despite a weight of money and a first-time hood, drops even further down in trip from his third in the Long Distance Cup on today’s course last backend.
Ed Dunlop was back to form yesterday but his globetrotter, Joshua Tree, needs an easier surface. Pethers Moon had a great return, second in the Jockey Club Stakes (Group 2) to Gospel Choir, with Irish Derby winner, Trading Leather, in third.
Winner of the Jockey Club Stakes two years before that was Dandino, who loves it firm as a rock and won the American St Leger at Arlington last season.
Gospel Choir, himself, went on to win the Yorkshire Cup and we might even see him in the King George. He is, of course, trained by Stoute, so what doesn’t he know about Pethers Moon and co, as he lines up his two-pronged attack today.
Both Telescope and Hillstar are four-year-olds, and that age group is looking for seven consecutive wins in this.
Despite soft ground, Hillstar ran second in the Ormonde at Chester and the last three times he has had it firm, he won the King Edward V11 (Ascot Derby) at this meeting, was third in the King George and fourth at York in the Juddmonte International.
Telescope is rated only a pound behind him. Missing the Classics because of injury, he had his day in the Great Voltigeur (Group 2, firm) but ahs twice been run out of it by Noble Mission over shorter on the soft in Group 3 this year.
DAQMAN VERDICT: It’s Mr Ascot, Frankie Dettori, on Hillstar against Ryan Moore on Telescope. I think Hillstar has the better form on firm ground, yet is 6.0 to Telescope’s 3.3 on BETDAQ.
LONG-SHOT DARWIN FITTEST ON FIRM
4.25 Royal Ascot (Diamond Jubilee Stakes) No sign of a Black Caviar, no Aussie superstars; no Wesley Ward. It’s a handicap!
Not really, but after a 132-rated winner, best here are Slade Power 119 and Gordon Lord Byron 118.
Slade Power has won on firm, way back, but his British Champions Sprint win last backend was on the soft here, and Gordon Lord Byron likewise has no strong credentials for Ascot-fast ground
They will take no prisoners here, with Astaire, Montiridge, Es Que Love and Due Diligence likely to go hell for leather.
The 7f-1m horses, like Aljamaaheer, American Devil and Tawhid may be taken off their feet, though blinkers first time should sharpen Aljamaaheer, who was third in the Abernant, first try sprinting.
There’s another who wins over further who also has blistering pace at 6f. He’s trained Aidan O’Brien yet is 17.5 on BETDAQ this morning.
I’m talking about Darwin. He is a hard act to beat on firm ground, lightning fast at Belmont Park as a two-year-old, two seconds faster than average, despite a small field, at Naas a year ago, and –leading two out – going clear of Gordon Lord Byron at The Curragh (7f) in his very next race.
DAQMAN’S VERDICT: Whereas the pace they must set from the low draw could use up Astaire and, and flatten out the miler Montiridge, it will help the chasers Aljamaheer, Darwin and Slade Power.
Es Que Love and Due Diligence should take the high side along but are Listed at best and I can see a rare 1-2-3 on the stands’ side.
Diamond Jubilee order in: 1 Darwin, 2 Aljamaheer, 3 Slade Power.
50.0 BOB COULD BOOMERANG BACK
5.00 Royal Ascot (Wokingham Stakes) Back to the high stalls. Look in my columns (Daqman Archive) this week and check out the Buckingham Palace Stakes result yesterday (first eight by draw: 29, 21, 25, 30, 17, 18, 23, 28).
High numbers have won all the big-field straight-course races at the meeting, like clockwork. But it’s still a problem picking from the favoured far side: I would still have needed half a dozen goes to get 6f winner Louis The Pious home yesterday in a fast-run 7f handicap.
Only once in 40 years has a horse over the age of six won the Wokingham and he was following up success in the race the previous year.
So those in the favoured stalls (over 18), deleting the old boys, are Don’t Bother Me, Seeking Magic, Absolutely So, Boomerang Bob, Trinityelitedotcom, Alben Star, Baccarat and Rocky Ground.
Both Trinityelite and Absolutely So are improving rapidly, and they should beat Alben Star on Lingfield running in April, which pius them in front of Ninjago.
But – if he can translate AW form to turf – Rivellino (33.0 offers in stall 12) is the one from that race who needs a strong pace.
Rivellino, with William Buick an eye-catching booking, Nocturnal Affair and Lancelot Du Lac are the only Group-entered runners in today’s field.
I also fancy the Listed winners Boomerang Bob and Rocky Ground (12.0 on BETDAQ this morning, who finished strongly when getting up at Windsor and Roger Varian is in big-race-winning form.
Boomerang Bob, second in the Norfolk Stakes here, has been out of sorts, as 50.0 offers suggest but, if Barry Hills has turned the corner with him since taking over, he could be the surprise packet.
DAQMAN’S VERDICT: My Wokingham 1-2-3 is Rocky Ground 1, Rivellino 2, Boomerang Bob.
PIQUE SOUS THE FINAL-FLING NAP
5.35 Royal Ascot (Queen Alexandra Stakes) Tail-swisher Brass Ring and heavy-ground winner El Salvador don’t appeal, while Tiger Cliff dropped away at the business end of the Cesarewitch.
The ground will best suit Mubaraza and Pique Sous for Willie Mullins, whose Simenon won this and ran another good race in Leading Light’s Gold Cup. The vibes are that Pique Sous is a final-fling nap at this superb race meeting: 5.4 at time of writing.
In difficult times, there’s rarely a feast that everyone can join in, but Royal Ascot has been a pageant of superb racing for prince and punter. Those wearing shorts, whether on beach or football pitch, will wish they’d stayed at home.’
DAQMAN’S VERDICT: 102, 102, 101, 101, 103, 103. Those are the percentage totals of the probabilities as decimal odds in the BETDAQ orange race by race today. Incredible!
I warned you that the bookies would hit ‘130-140’ Total SP yesterday. They did, trying to get out on the last with an overround of 140%.
So, don’t be a miser (pique sous) when it comes to BETDAQ betting. The odds that the people exchange are well and truly on your side!
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 30 points unless stated)
BET 5pts win TOSCANINI and 2pts win (stakes saver) DICK WHITTINGTON (2.30 Royal Ascot)
BULL’S-EYE BET (to win 50 points): 16pts win ARAB SPRING and (to win 30) 1.8pts win and place ELHAAME (3.05 Royal Ascot)
BET 6pts win HILLSTAR and 2.5pts win (stakes saver) TELESCOPE (3.45 Royal Ascot)
BET 7pts win ALJAMAHEER and 1.8pts win and place DARWIN (4.25 Royal Ascot)
BET (win 30) 2.7pts win and place ROCKY GROUND, and (win 40) 1.2pts win and place RIVELLINO and 0.8pts win and place BOOMERANG BOB (5.00 Royal Ascot)
BET 6.8pts win (nap) PIQUE SOUS (5.35 Royal Ascot)
DAQMAN APOLOGY:
Says our man: ‘Somehow the banker stake and the word ‘nap’ were missing from the double-whammy of bets on Leading Light on Thursday (see Archive). I’m not going to blame ‘technical difficulties’ or ’editing errors’ and that sort of tosh. I made a mistake.
* Leading Light was best priced 2.2 (maybe I read it at 2.2-1 (x 25 = 50) but that doesn’t explain the missing words)’. Leading Light was 22.0 in running so I hope you had a 10 times better race than ever I aimed at. Sorry about the mistake.
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