THE CHAMPIONS ANALYSED BY THE CHAMPION: It’s Champions Day on BETDAQ as analysed by the champion tipster! Daqman goes into Ascot 78-24 up on Pricewise of the Racing Post, with a profit of 103 points to single-unit stakes, alongside a Pricewise loss of 139. All this week Daqman has previewed the championship races:
- Past results of the stables: Tuesday Archive
- Going preferences: Wednesday Archive
- The Gosden Plan: Thursday and Friday Archives
11-2 WIN CONTINUES DAQMAN PROFITS TALLY: Daqman finished yesterday with a profit for the fourth time this week, when he made out a strong case for Alemaratalyoum (WON 11-2 from 7.8 offers taken on BETDAQ). His only other bet, doubled with his winner, was second at 11-4.
NOW HE TRIES TO MAKE HIS OWN HEADLINES: Says Daqman: ‘You don’t want me tipping the four Gosden stars. I’m trying to find some value in the opposition and make the headlines. You can always save on the big names or do several Daq Multiples.’
- FIRST FLAG FALL TO BALLYDOYLE
- SPEAK UP FOR 7.0 SPRINT PLACE
- SURFING BETDAQ FOR MORE 7.0
- DARING LAURENS IN LION’S DEN
- CAPRI IS SET TO PLAY CATCH-ME
FIRST FLAG FALL TO BALLYDOYLE
1.25 Ascot (Long Distance Cup) The favourite has won this only once; Ireland is 5-2 up; and Stradivarius has never won with ‘soft’ in the going return. All that’s against him but what can beat him?
Three-year-olds have never won the race in the seven years of Champions Day but, to be fair to them, they’ve hardly tried: just eight have taken part at generally easy odds of 4-1 (third), 13-2 (third), 9-1, 10-1 (third), 20-1, 25-1, 50-1 and 66-1.
Only one had a real chance and that was Stradivarius himself – the 4-1 shot who was third last year – beaten on, yes, soft ground, which made it difficult for him to accelerate in the closing stages.
Flag Of Honour, who usually leads but is supported tactically here by two stablemates in a six-horse race, has gone through the grades: Curragh Cup, Irish St Leger Trial and the Irish St Leger itself.
In the Classic, he beat Irish Derby winner Latrobe and Ebor runner-up Weekender, and was immediately talked of as a Cup horse for next year.
What’s worrying for me about Stradivarius is that his form is the same old, same old. After his third – with Torcedor second – last year, Torcedor was placed twice more against him, within a length in both this year’s Gold Cup and Goodwood Cup.
Third at Goodwood, and third again on the last day, in the Lonsdale at York, was Flag Of Honour’s old slugger of a stablemate, Idaho, a benchmark for Ballydoyle.
Thomas Hobson was behind Flag Of Honour in the Leger Trial and is worse off at the weights now. Desert Skyline has seen Stradivarius’ rear at the end of four consecutive races this term.
Daqman’s 1-2: Flag Of Honour 1, Stradivarius 2
SPEAK UP FOR 7.0 SPRINT PLACE
2.00 Ascot (Champions Sprint) Just one lonely favourite has won this, and also against The Tin Man is that only one winner in the decade (of this championship and the Diadem that preceded it) has been older than five.
Fast and furious Ascot is not a track for old legs, and The Tin Man himself was four when he won the race on a sound surface in 2016, albeit he bounced back to take the Haydock Sprint off Brando (also six) on heavy ground a month ago.
Harry Angel (0-5 here), who got upset in the stalls at Haydock, was only fourth in this race last year to yet another now aged six, Librissa Breeze. It’s unlikely to have dried out enough for Limato, who has avoided soft in his 25 races.
An improver who loves some cut is Son of Rest, beaten only half a length in the Group-1 Flying Five at The Curragh last month before splitting the Ayr Gold Cup prize, giving weight to his fellow dead-heater.
He was well behind Speak In Colours in August. Both have progressed to a similar rating, though I think it’s ‘Colours’ who is better than the bare form, after being kept away from the others in the bog at Haydock. It won’t be anything like that today: 25.0 offers.
Tasleet, second to Harry Angel in the 2017 Jubilee, and to Librissa Breeze in this last year, is the nearly horse who could finally come good, now equipped with tongue-tie and blinkers in a desperate effort to turn the tables: 9.8 BETDAQ
Daqman’s 1-2-3: Tasleet 1, Speak In Colours 2, The Tin Man 3
SURFING BETDAQ FOR MORE 7.0
2.40 Ascot (Champion Fillies And Mares) Kitesurf swerved the Arc for this, despite winning the top fillies’ trial for Longchamp, the Prix Vermeille.
Coronet, third last year and second to Arc runner-up Sea Of Class in the Yorkshire Oaks in August, should not be underestimated.
But the big threat to Lah Ti Dar seems to be the tactical tsunami of SIX Ballydoyle runners, attempting to swamp the favourite.
Aidan O’Brien knows that Lah Ti Dar has never won a Group race and that she was denied last time in the St Leger by a colt he trains, Kew Gardens.
Now he must make a Leger of it again by stringing them out with his pacemakers, but what of his own has the stamina to then go on and take the race?
Magical has never won beyond nine furlongs, and Hydrangea has been out of form all season, while Flattering and Sizzling are held by the dicing duo of Pilaster and God Given who were 1-1 at Goodwood and Doncaster.
Since the improver of the race is Kitesurf, and since she had God Given behind at Deauville, she is my choice at 7.2 and better than evens a place saver.
Daqman’s 1-2: Kitesurf 1, Lah Ti Dar 2
DARING LAURENS IN LION’S DEN
3.15 Ascot (Queen Elizabeth 11 Stakes) The day’s best race for favourites but you are asked to back the 1m 2f champion dropped down to a mile. ‘No problem,’ says jockey Oisin Murphy.
I hope for the sake of the Group-1 man of the moment in the weighing room that’s not a case of ‘famous last words.’
Like Stradivarius filling the form book with his Torcedor battles, Roaring Lion has also been beating the same horse (Saxon Warrior, Eclipse; Saxon Warrior, Irish Champion Stakes).
The O’Brien colt actually beat him in the Guineas but Roaring Lion was a mental mouse of a horse in those days and he has well and truly drawn the Saxon Warrior thorn since.
The dual French Group-1 winner Recoletos is well behind him in the ratings, giving him weight, and the form of Addeybb and Lord Glitters is Group 2 at best.
But this filly who won’t lie down, Laurens, keeps on defying the odds with immense courage. I’ll back her win (9.6) and place to cover my Roaring Lion (3.7) bet should he struggle to get to her at the trip.
Daqman’s 1-2-3: Roaring Lion 1, Laurens 2, Recoletos 3
CAPRI IS SET TO PLAY CATCH-ME
3.50 Ascot (Champion Stakes) Blinkers, once the rogue’s badge, are used much more skilfully these days to get an edge. But I’ve never been a Cracksman raver.
He slammed Poet’s Word on the soft in this last year but Poet’s Word (off 119) made him look a sweaty, fretty individual at Royal Ascot this year.
Now, my Word, the same stable has the 129-rated Crystal Ocean taking over the baton when, seemingly agreeing with me, the handicapper has dropped Cracksman to 125.
Talk about going down in trip as Roaring Lion tries to do, what about a St Leger winner, Capri (beat Crystal Ocean half a length), dropping back to 10 furlongs?
Well, he did it – and won- in the Spring, and his 7.6 gives me a nice BETDAQ win-and-place finale to the championship races. I think he’ll take a long lead and play catch-me. Is Cracksman still up to it?
Daqman’s 1-2: Capri 1, Cracksman 2
DAQMAN’S BETS
1.25 Ascot (win 30)
BET 10pts win (nap) FLAG OF HONOUR
2.00 Ascot (win 30, and win 50)
BET 3.5pts win TASLEET
BET 2pts win and place SPEAK IN COLOURS
2.40 Ascot (win 30)
BET 5pts win and place KITESURF
3.15 Ascot (win 20 for the wins and the place)
BET 7.5pts win ROARING LION
BET 2.25pts win and 10pts place LAURENS
3.50 Ascot (win 10, place win 10)
BET 1.5pts win 10pts place CAPRI
4.30 Ascot (win 20)
BET 3.5pts win RAISING SAND
BET 2.25pts win VIA VIA
DAQ MULTIPLES
Ascot 1pt yankee:
1.25 FLAG OF HONOUR, 2.40 LAH TI DAR,
3.15 ROARING LION and 3.50 CAPRI
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