BACK-TO-BACK DONCASTER NAPS: Daqman continued in top gear during St Leger week with two more feature-race winners including his nap, Gutaifan (WON 7-4), which followed Thursday’s best-bet success with Gretchen (WON 5-1).
BETDAQ ROCKS WITH BIG VALUE: Turret Rocks (WON 7-2) was his fifth winner in three days at Doncaster when she won the May Hill Stakes, taken by Daqman at a superb 6.4 big-value BETDAQ offer.
WON 5-1 Gretchen (nap)
WON 7-2 Gannicus
WON 7-2 Turret Rocks
WON 11-4 Cotai Glory
WON 7-4 Gutaifan (nap)
HE’S HAD 82 FEATURE-RACE HITS: Daqman’s win with Gutaifan brought his score to 82-13 over his arch-rival for value, Pricewise of the Racing Post, who sets Daqman his feature-race targets again today in the 2.35 and 3.45 Doncaster – the Portland and the Leger – and the 3.45 Leopardstown.
EMOTIONLESS FOR NAPS HAT-TRICK CHAMPAGNE
2.00 Doncaster (Champagne Stakes) Great milers like Toronado have been launched in this, with Godolphin (Emotionless) and Team Hannon (Palawan) 3-3 in the last six runnings.
Emotionless is a big horse and has a big reputation but he won’t be a big price on his effortless win on the debut. Banker for a naps hat-trick.
After only two runs, Ibn Malik should confirm his Vintage Stakes position over Palawan, particularly if the ground eases, which won’t be a worry for Emotionless.
LUSTROUS SHOULD SHINE NOW DOWN IN CLASS
2.15 and 2.50 Chester Two previous winners, Marcret (2014) and Chosen Character (2012), line up in the 2.15, both within a pound of their winning mark, but they are on losing runs of 10 and 13 races respectively.
King Torus has twice been beaten less than a length at this level during the summer and the handicapper has kindly dropped him 2lb.
Gabrial’s Kaka is lower than he’s been for more than two years, 13lb lower in fact than his opening run of the season in the Lincoln, and his last 19 races have been in class 2 or higher.
Now take off Jack Garrity’s 3lb and add a plum draw in stall 4, and you can see that this course winner has a better chance than his 7.8 BETDAQ offer. Won’t mind rain.
The last time Sheikhzayedroad (2.50 race) was in a Listed race he won at Newmarket in these conditions. He’s had nine Group races since, if you include his Grade-1 success at Woodbine a year ago.
The case for Lustrous is very similar: a Listed winner last year who has struggled at the top in all the classy fillies’ Group races. This looks like her big chance. She’s certainly big value this morning (5.6 on BETDAQ).
BE LUCKY IN THE PORTLAND WITH 15.0 BULL’S-EYE
2.35 Doncaster (Ladbrokes Portland Handicap) Nine times out of 10 this goes to a horse aged four or five from the top half of the handicap, where lies class as well as speed.
Steps has finished second and third in the last two years, and his in-form trainer Roger Varian tries to give him a double boost this time around: a strong 3lb claim and first-time visor.
By contrast, the yards responsible for Robot Boy, Fast Track and Pipers Note are badly out of form. George Dryden beat nothing well at York, and has a penalty.
Suzi’s Connoisseur is often thereabouts but has a poor strike rate since his juvenile days (1-16). Good place efforts at York and Ascot by Highland Acclaim have put him high in the handicap.
The race is winnable for last year’s runner-up Bogart, down to only 90, if he is not inconvenienced by the low draw.
Michael Murphy’s claim brings Kimberella into the picture but the Charles Hills’ pair, B Fifty Two and Lucky Beggar, both have high draws, and look a formidable pair, one the form horse the other the stats horse.
Steps could well get a place without winning; B Fifty Two is unreliable, so the ones I’ll take on each side of the track are Lucky Beggar (stall 19) and Bogart (in 5), both around 15.0.
ST LEGER SECRET AGENT? THE NAME’S BONDI
3.45 Doncaster (Ladbrokes St Leger): Camelot (5-2 on), Sea Moon, Rewilding, Kite Wood, Frozen Fire, Honololu. What do they have in common?
Forgotten horses now – apart from Camelot – they were all beaten favourites in a bad run for St Leger punters between 2007 and 2012.
The market got back on track with Leading Light and Kingston Hill, and could land a favourites’ hat-trick, but this morning was undecided between Bondi beach and Storm The Stars, both 3.1 on BETDAQ as I write.
Even at this stage of the season not many Classic colts have had eight races, and it must count against Storm The Stars, placed in both English and Irish Derbys, not the only hard races since he launched his season on April 15.
And we’ve already had fair warning from Bondi Beach, only half a length behind him in the Great Voltigeur, that today, over an extra two furlongs plus, could be his day.
This son of Galileo did not see a racecourse until May and has only four outings on his CV, tenaciously winning the Curragh Cup (1m 6f) from stablemate Order Of St George, who has now been switched to tomorrow’s Irish St Leger.
My ABC Guide for the Doncaster version was published on Wednesday (see Archive, lightly touch the green Daqman icon).
PLEASCACH CAN FOIL CHAMPION PRINCIPALS
5.45 Leopardstown (Irish Champion Stakes): Three-year-olds had a spell of six wins out of seven (2004-10), interrupted only by Dylan Thomas’s back-to-back wins.
But older horses are three out of four since then, and the fate of the Classic generation today is down to the weather.
Cirrus Des Aigles wouldn’t mind rain but the handicapper rates him 9lb down on his great year of 2013, whereas Free Eagle has soared 18lb in only three starts since his return a year or so ago.
His success has been on firm ground but his Ascot Champion Stakes third on heavy suggests that he can cope with most surfaces.
The worry is that he’s a glass horse, racing only five times in his life. His one run this year was defeat at Royal Ascot of The Grey Gatsby, a consistent yardstick now for two generations.
I fancy Pleascach at a massive 17.0 on BETDAQ as I write. I picked her for the Irish 1,000, when she beat Found, and I think she would have remained unbeaten but the best-laid plans went awry.
The ground was, as ever, lightning fast at Royal Ascot when Curvy pipped her in the Ribblesdale (raced too freely), then she returned too soon, flopping in the Pretty Polly at the Curragh.
But the Yorkshire Oaks – with cut in the ground – saw her back to her best, when a game winner on the last day, reversing the form with Curvy.
With so much doubt about the front of the market, I could back her win and place this morning, looking for three chances of the place, but, ironically, if we lose a key contender, the eight places will diminish. It’s never easy.
BETDAQ BETS (staked to win 20 points except banker and bull’s-eye bets)
BANKER: BET 20pts win (SP nap) EMOTIONLESS (2.00 Doncaster)
BET 3pts win GABRIAL’S KAKA (2.15 Chester)
BULL’S-EYE BETS (to win 50): 3.3pts win on each BOGART and LUCKY BEGGAR (2.35 Doncaster)
BET 4.3pts win LUSTROUS (2.50 Chester)
BET 10pts win BONDI BEACH (3.45 Doncaster)
BET 1.25pts win and place PLEASCACH (5.45 Leopardstown)
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