YORKSHIRE CUP BANKER TODAY: It’s the final day at York and Daqman is hoping for a second winning banker with his bet in the Yorkshire Cup. He clashes with Pricewise (who got one back yesterday) in the 2.40 and 3.45, with the score this Flat season 27-6 to Daqman.
BETDAQ BIG VALUE TOMORROW: Look out tomorrow when Saturday-king Daqman takes his pick of seven venues in England and Ireland, with the main meetings at Newbury and Newmarket. He’ll be looking for big value on BETDAQ.
EPSOM DERBY? ELEMENTARY MY DEAR, GOSDEN!
First thoughts are best. After Golden Horn swept past the Dante field yesterday, the colt’s trainer, John Gosden, nominated his runner-up Jack Hobbs for the Kind Edward at Royal Ascot.
That was pretty clear indication that he wants to run Golden Horn in the Epsom Derby, not the French version over roughly the Dante distance.
Andrew Balding’s instant response after Elm Park had finished third was that improvement – it was the colt’s first run of the season – would get him ‘nearer’ next time. In other words, he’d not much confidence of beating the winner at Epsom.
Meanwhile, what on earth has happened at Ballydoyle? Can Aidan O’Brien be so wrong about a horse – correction, TWO horses – that a one-time Derby favourite (John F Kennedy) should tail off in the Dante and another (Ol’ Man River) finish last of those who took some part in the race? Both had already finished last in their previous start!
Ballydoyle still has 22 colts left in the Epsom Classic and the season smacks of throwing the pack in the air and hoping at least a picture card falls into place.
That an ace should drop from the blue now seems impossible. Giovanni Canaletto (rated only 99) would be last-chance saloon but has not been out this season.
Hold your horses, though! I see a dark’un lurking in the Derby list. A Galileo. Smith, Magnier, Tabor. Only 200-1.
Could it be that a colt called Sherlock Holmes will come to the rescue in the Case Of The Ballydoyle Flops and defeat the Golden Hound of the Gosdenvilles?
Or will he, too, have to go back to elementary school and try to earn a quote for next year’s Triumph Hurdle?
PANTHER CAN STILL POUNCE IN A TACTICAL CUP
2.10 York Nine times out of 10 punters get this about right, with one of the market’s top three winning, and the early-mouse favourite Delizia is from a yard striking at 23% with two-year-olds this year.
But it’s a truly shocking race for a Listed, with all six winners in the race coming out of class-5 maidens. Watch the BETDAQ orange for a mover (if an unlikely shaker!)
2.40 York Like yer man O’Brien, Sir Michael Stoute is not infallible, and seems to have taken Bragging back to the well too quickly yesterday.
The stable still has a poor overall strike-rate this season (9%), as it lines up Top Tug here in one of Sir Michael’s favourite races; he’s going for a hat-trick with four-year-olds, stepping Top Tug back up in trip, though his sole success as a three-year-old came at 1m 2f.
Ajman Bridge is another kept to 10 furlongs last season, with no hint in his pedigree that this two furlongs further will suit. But Cumani has switched him to this from a 1m 2f handicap earlier in the week.
CD winner in October, Old Town Boy is better off with the runner-up, Emeraldz, but not with the fourth horse home, Esteaming, who has an 11lb pull for a couple of lengths and is also a CD winner. Snag is that Esteaming is still 9lb higher than his last winning mark.
In fact, we seem to be in punishment park here, with Ajman Bridge (16lb), Duke Of Clarence (11lb), Great Hall (10lb), Totalize and Treasure The Ridge (both 8lb) all higher than for their last success.
So it is that I end up back at Freemason Lodge, trying to find positives about Top Tug; like he’s lightly raced and has had a run back; like he was continually switched in his run in his only start at 1m 4f; like he once beat the Breeders Cup runner-up, Toast of New York.
Duke Of Clarence, second last year, could place again without having the speed for this short trip; Great Hall is a quirky sort and hasn’t won for nearly two years.
3.15 York (Yorkshire Cup) John Gosden has dropped Romsdal’s sights and raised him back up in trip.
Following his John Porter defeat, he misses the Group-1 Coronation Cup at the Derby meeting to run in this Group 2 over the distance of the St Leger, in which he finished second.
Also placed in the Derby, he has plenty of class but is hard to get right. You’d think he would have done better in the John Porter after making all over 1m 2f at Kempton.
He’ll have to keep the pace down, and dictate from the front or, as happened in the Irish St Leger, Brown Panther will scoot past him. I’m sure Richard Kingscote will be alive to tactics today.
Snow Sky (rider dropped reins) was third when Romsdal was second at Doncaster in September, and there may not be much between them, if M Stoute can yet again improve one of his older horses here. But I can’t resist Brown Panther, and I don’t think the opposition can.
3.45 York Here we are again. Three-year-olds, of which we have precious little knowledge. Fillies, at that!
As Romsdal will need to do today, last year’s winner of this set a steady gallop out in front and kept on at 20-1. Other than that little shocker, the market usually knows the score.
This morning it speaks only for Yasmeen, Sperry and Realtra, with two of the three handled by that man Gosden again.
Doncaster winner on her return, Realtra’s rating really relies on her Lowther Stakes fourth on today’s course, but she was five-lengths remote of the first three.
John Gosden entered Sperry for the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot; no wonder he was pleased to win with her on the course in April.
But the trainer also has high hopes of Yasmeen. Winners have come out of her race at Newbury last month, and Gosden has since entered her for the Coronation Stakes, too.
It amounts to this: which one of the two Gosden fillies will make the most progress? The current form suggests Yasmeen’s the one, but we need to save on t’other (10 out of 10 for Yorkshire prose).
DAQMAN’S BETS (each to win 20 points, but the banker is maximum stakes at SP)
BET 4.5pts win TOP TUG and 1.2pts win (stakes saver) AJMAN BRIDGE (2.40 York)
BANKER: BET 20pts win (nap) BROWN PANTHER (3.15 York)
BET 9pts win YASMEEN and 2pts win (stakes saver) SPERRY (3.45 York)
BET 3pts win STRIDING OUT (4.10 Newmarket)
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