BANKER IN BACK-TO-BACK NAPS: It was shock Saturday but the day was redeemed when Daqman went for gold with a 30-point banker on the impressive Kodi Bear for back-to-back naps, starting with a 3-1 shot on Friday. Kodi Bear was also around 3-1 when top of the acceptors in Daqman’s ABC Guide to the race:
WON 3-1 Ghalib (nap)
WON 4-5 Kodi Bear (gold banker)
CAMBRIDGESHIRE VALUE CLASH: Daqman faces Pricewise in the Irish Cambridgeshire at the Curragh this afternoon, where he rates the three-year-olds outstanding. His nap is a daring decision at Goodwood.
DUVAL WON’T RECEIVE THE ORDER OF ST AIDAN…
No smoke without fire? In these times when racing writers turn out the same old drivel, only Claude Duval of The Sun outside the Racing Post can raise a headline which affects the industry and its followers.
The days are long gone when most papers can be bothered to cover the racecards themselves, for fear they underplay the latest billion-pound soccer signing, or that they won’t have the space to reveal the vital news that Rooney and Berbatov’s smoking used to enrage Sir Alex Ferguson.
I’m a bit behind the times there, but Nearly Honest Claudius is probably a bit ahead of himself in forecasting the demise of Aidan O’Brien.
Much revolves around the weight problems of Aidan’s son, Joseph O’Brien. He’s not exactly seen by some as the rock of Cashel in the absence of new signing, currently out injured, Ryan Moore.
But Joseph’s strike-rate is 22% on turf and 30% with two-year-olds, and he landed one of two Group-2 juvenile events at the Curragh for Tabor-Magnier-Smith on, ironically, a filly called Ballydoyle, when other regular pilots were down the field in a three-pronged O’Brien attack.
However, the following day, we were asked to draw a line through the Futurity flop of Shogun, who probably failed to act on the very soft ground but had the hecklers at Joseph’s throat again.
Shalaa is now where Shogun was supposed to be, most talked about two-year-old, after doing what Shogun couldn’t, winning in very soft ground to take a major trial, the Morny.
This season looked like a damp-squib finish for Ballydoyle, with Gleneagles the remaining flag-bearer, though Ladbrokes still like Found in the Arc (they go shortest of all at 14-1).
But then along came Order Of St George to win the Leger trial at the Curragh (ridden Seamie Heffernan), leaping to the front of the market for the final Classic at Doncaster.
And Ballydoyle’s win puts O’Brien in the driving seat for both Newmarket Guineas next Spring: she is favourite for the 1,000 and Air Force Blue for the 2,000 (ahead of Shalaa).
Claude Duval may have outstayed all the racing journalists I know – ‘born in 1643, highwayman of repute,’ says Google – and he still preserves plenty of dry powder in his musket, but O’Brien has the equine ammunition to win the day. Again.
CLEAR SKIES CAN SHOW UP JOSEPH ON MOON
2.35 The Curragh How High The Moon is sure to start favourite but this is not a race that Ballydoyle win, nor is it one for favourites: no outright market leader has scored.
In fact, O’Brien has lost this race with two odds-on shots, Dazzling and Spin, since 2007.
Seamie Heffernan rode ‘Moon’ to his debut win – the horse he beat having previously finished ninth to Shogun – but Joseph takes over today.
Main threat must be J P McManus’s Clear Skies, half-sister to Motivator and fourth to Shogun on her debut. A McManus victory here would carry quite a sting!
BETDAQ punters were typically spoiled this morning: they could take an early position on Clear Skies at a very tempting 8.4, and watch the market to maybe go Moon-raking later on. I shall record How High the Moon as my saver (just to cover the Clear Skies stakes).
4.20 The Curragh O’Brien drops Joseph’s mount Easter back from the mile-and-a-half of the Yorkshire Oaks to the trip which saw her beat Stellar Glow in the Hurry Harriet at Gowran.
Outstanding (Heffernan today) had beaten Stellar Glow and Easter (Heffernan that day) at Naas in June, but that was Easter’s first run after a break.
Easter is festooned with blinkers and tongue-tie, and Brooch tries the blinds after her Group-2 defeat her in July, with Bocca Baciata a short-head behind her.
That’s a line to Devonshire, who was in front of Bocca Baciata in a prestigious Curragh 1,000 Guineas won by Pleascach from Found.
Devonshire may look a bridesmaid on form but was back to form on the last day, just pipped by a colt, Algonquin, one of the improvers of the second half of the season.
PORTAGE COULD CARRY IT OFF FOR HALFORD
4.50 The Curragh (Irish Cambridgeshire) If Devonshire goes close in the Group 3, Algonquin will be shorter than the 9.0 I took on BETDAQ this morning.
Again here, favourites have a poor record: seven of the last eight winners have started at double-figure odds. All were from the bottom half of the handicap. But I’m going with the three-year-olds today to continue their run.
A gamble went astray in the Britannia at Royal Ascot on Portage but the Teofilo colt was back to form on that course when encountering cut in the ground, and looks solid today.
Portage’s trainer Mick Halford targets this race. He’s been second and third recently and won it in 2006 and 2010.
LAWMAN FILLY KILTARA SHOULD SHOOT TO FAME
3.05 Goodwood Mark Johnston’s eight-horse assault on Goodwood this week has brought just the one winner, Assault On Rome.
But my man in the long grass tells me that, of all the late season improvers, one for the ride is the Lawman filly Kiltara.
Without Pyjama Party, they’ve made Peterhof favourite but that one is hard to keep sound and we can always save on him later on if he is a warm order.
But he’s done nothing to warrant the step up in grade here, and it’s more interesting to see Kiltara take the leap from her maiden. I can see black type ahead for her.
4.15 Goodwood (Supreme Stakes) A very tricky puzzle of nearly horses. After the defection of Guineas third Ivawood, I can’t be with the remaining Hannon runner, Emell, with the yard striking at only 1-23, with its last four favourites all beaten.
Here Comes When should have an easier time than when fourth in the Sussex and it’s significant that this dual group-2 winner is returning to Goodwood. One for the Daq Multiples.
DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 20 points)
BET 2.7pts win CLEAR SKIES and 1.5pts win (stakes saver) HOW HIGH THE MOON (2.35 The Curragh)
BET 6pts win (nap) KILTARA (3.05 Goodwood)
BET 4pts win DEVONSHIRE (4.20 The Curragh)
BET 3pts win PORTAGE and 2.5pts win ALGONQUIN (4.50 The Curragh)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 5 x 1pt win doubles and 2 x 1pt win trebles Kiltara (3.05 Goodwood) and Here Comes When (4.15 Goodwood) with Portage and Algonquin (4.50 the Curragh)
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