STOUTE AIMS AT THE CUP WITH DART: Hats off to The Queen if Sir Michael Stoute, who trains her entire, Dartmouth, can again win the Yorkshire Cup today, a race he’s made his own prep race for top honours among his older horses. He’s a master at improving them.

DAQMAN BANKER TARGETS PRICEWISE: Daqman also needs some improvement at York. Pricewise got one back at him yesterday. He doesn’t like that, so he’s stepped up his stakes to win 30 points and found a banker. He leads Pricewise 23-7, and is 39 points ahead on a profit and loss basis.


PROMISE OF JOHNSTON FAITHFUL

2.20 York Jockeys warned yesterday that the going at York was worse than ever and ‘poached’ for this final day today. Main Desire may be vulnerable in such conditions.

The dam’s sire was a fast-ground sprinter in America, and Main Desire broke the track record at Nottingham. Any more rain and she wouldn’t even run.

The going is also a worry for Izzy Bizu and Maggies Angel, but Neola’s pedigree is steeped in soft-ground success, and she did it well at Nottingham on the last day. Heavily backed overnight and a 6.8 offer on BETDAQ this morning.

Faithful Promise (16.0) is by Acclamation, sire of super speedsters like Equiano and Marsha, mostly connected with a sound surface, but she has a touch of class, which could see her through.

She has been very green but turned the corner with a front-running (Johnston typical) performance on the last day. One lifeline to the going is that she is related to the very tough Tante Rose, who liked cut in the ground.


COME DANCING FOR BIG VALUE

2.55 York (Michael Seely Memorial) Sibilance could light your fire in a race which commemorates a racing journalist whose family became rich when they found a coal seam in their back garden. So don’t despair, come what May!

Sibilance is among three fillies separated by only 1.3 points in the BETDAQ market this morning, and her sire’s progeny do best on a soft surface.

In fact, offers about the first five in the BETDAQ orange were quite compacted. Yet, as ever, you had the amazing value of a 104% overround.

Tomyris may be a bit handy for this ground, but she and Dancing Breeze have Group-1 entries, while the rest of the field has no special targets to speak of.

Between the two, the choice must be Dancing Breeze (3.8 offers), a New Approach who should have no problems with the ground, and her maiden has turned out winners.

Baileys Showgirl has both sire and grand sire whose progeny yield a high-percentage of soft-heavy ground winners.

Peter Chapple-Hyam makes a rare appearance. He has a 40% strike rate with a low turnout of turf runners this year, one of them Classical Times, who has won on the firm but whose dam’s side has a strong penchant for soft ground: 9.8 on BETDAQ.

Mulhimatty’s ‘grandad’ is soft-ground-sire Pivotal, and On Her Toes has already scored on the soft. Another 104% orange.


DARTMOUTH ON STOUTE RECORD

3.30 York (Yorkshire Cup) Clever Cookie, who is capable of winning on his seasonal debut, took this race last year and his York form is 11001410 in the last three years.

Sir Michael Stoute has brought three young stayers here to win this since 2009, and Dartmouth won first time up last season and has scored in May two years running.

It’s a race packed with Group-1 entries but not Clever Cookie and not Dartmouth. Neither has won above today’s Group-2 level, whereas High Jinx and Simple Verse have both scored at the top of the range.

Simple Verse is the Classic (St Leger) winner among them but may need the run. It’s as tough a punting test as you’ll get with only four points between seven of them in the BETDAQ orange this morning

But in the end you have to go with Stoute, who has always used this race to test his middle-distance stayers and, as we all know, and as he confirms year on year, he can improve them as they get older.

Endless Time wins first time (Lancashire Oaks last term), loves the ground, is from a stable in form and, as runner-up in the top French staying races, is likely to extend Dartmouth.

4.05 York Soldier In Action should make this quite a test. Cymro wins first time. But the handicapper says that Gibbs Hill has improved a stone in just two races. And the market says Hill will go up again today!


CLEAR CHANCE OF A HAT-TRICK

1.30 Newbury Winners of this in the last three years were manning up to the job just a little bit too late to preserve their future standing at stud.

All three had recently been gelded, and you could say that they were snips at the prices (11-1, 20-1 and 25-1)!

Hisar and Mister Chow are geldings going in to this but Addeybb must be the vet’s tip. Though a 200,000-guinea yearling, he has been gelded before he’s even run.
As a Pivotal, he will love cut (!) in the ground: 11.5 offers but you must save on Top Mission.

2.35 Newbury Another possible hat-trick. Clear Spring has won this race for the last two years off 97 and 100, including on good to soft. He’s rated 95 today, 3lb better off with last year’s third, Dougan. I took 6.5.

DAQMAN’S BETS (each to win 30 points)

1.30 Newbury
BET 5pts win TOP MISSION
BET 2.75pts win and place ADDEYBB

2.20 York
BET 5pts win NEOLA
BET 2pt s win and place FAITHFUL PROMISE

2.35 Newbury
BET 6pts win CLEAR SPRING

2.55 York
BET 10pts win DANCING BREEZE
BET 3.4pts win and place CLASSICAL TIMES

3.30 York
BET 8pts win DARTMOUTH
BET 6pts win ENDLESS TIME

3.40 Newbury
BET 6pts win MUTOONDRESDASAHORSE

4.05 York
BANKER: BET 20pts win (nap) GIBBS HILL


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.

Bet via BETDAQ mobile below