THE GOSDEN FILLY FOR THE OAKS: Today Daqman adds to his Early Birds list from the Classic trials seen so far, including those won by the plethora of John Gosden fillies (he picks one for the Oaks). The revised list will be published after a week-long return to top-line National Hunt racing.

THE BETDAQ CHAMPION HURDLE: Yes Tomorrow it’s back to the jumps with a preview of the five-day Punchestown festival (Tuesday-Saturday) . Features of next weekend will be the BETDAQ Champion Hurdle at Punchestown on Friday and the Sandown Gold Cup on Saturday


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Follow the John Gosden fillies. But which are best; which should be added to the Early Birds list. All four of Daban, Dabyah, Gracious Diana and Shutter Speed won their trials in an amazing burst of stable talent in only four days, and a fifth filly, Enable, though only placed, staked her claim on form potential and on breeding.

1,000 GUINEAS: Daban, a drifter in the market after being played down by Gosden before the Nell Gwyn Stakes, won it well enough.

But it may be significant that the placed horses were winner and placed in Group-3 races in the autumn.

And, if you look back at collateral form this year and last, you’ll find that, on lines through Unforgetable Filly, Urban Fox and Poet’s Vanity, there is very little between Daban and Dabyah. In fact, only a few pound covers them all.

If you now go to Rhododenron’s Fillies’ Mile success in October, you’ll find that Urban Fox was more than eight lengths behind in third that day. The implicaiton is that the recent results are only franking the form of Ballydoyle’s Galileo filly.

THE OAKS: Shutter Speed beat Enable into third over 1m 2f at Newbury, split by the Sea The Stars colt, Raheen House, the trio six lengths clear of the remainder.

Trainer Brian Meehan had been bullish about the colt before the race and no wonder: Raheen House had finished fourth, only about two lengths off Rivet in October’s Racing Post Trophy, the same Rivet who had been second in the Craven Stakes the day before the Newbury race.

But Shutter Speed had far too much finishing pace at the trip, won comfortably, and now goes for the Musidora at York.

Not bred for the Oaks trip, she is still likely to be good enough for the race, though the Eclipse trip would clearly suit her better.

I would expect Enable to overtake her in the longer term, perhaps even in the Oaks, with both sides of her pedigree screaming stamina.

Significantly, Enable goes to Chester for the Cheshire Oaks on the course where her sire, Nathaniel, came to prominence, beaten narrowly by Irish Derby winner Treasure Beach in the Vase.

Nathaniel was a late developer who went on to win the King George, shooting up 35lb in the ratings from that Chester run. Enable looks very much in the same ‘much more to come’ category.

Gracious Diana also won over 1m 2f at Newbury in a race which produced the Oaks winners of 2005 and 2011, and she comes back to the same course and distance in May for a black-type trial.

The trainer’s own assessment of the Clarehaven trio of fillies is: ‘Shutter Speed is the zippy one. Gracious Diana and Enable the stayers.’ For me, Enable is the one to follow.

EARLY BIRDS: Add to the list Eminent, Enable, Jalela, Mark of Approval, Midterm, Night Circus, Shutter Speed. Full list updated next week.


BANKER ST GEORGE TO THE RESCUE

2.15 and 3.55 Navan From the Rhododendren camp comes Could It be Love (2.15) in a race Aidan O’Brien has won twice in five years. She is a War Front, same sire as for his Whitecliffsofdover, whom he sent over to win last week’s Free Handicap.

O’Brien’s three winners of the 3.55 Salsabil Listed Stakes (in five seasons) haven’t done much afterwards, and the race’s best performer was Bocca Baciata (2015), Pretty Polly runner-up to Minding.

4.25 Navan (Vintage Crop Stakes) Yeats, Fame And Glory, Leading Light . Ballydoyle stayers dominate this, and Order Of St George already holds a victory over Twilight Payment in the Irish St Leger Trial when he had to give that one a massive three-year-olds’ allowance.

The weights parameter is narrowed right down to 6lb today, and Twilight Pyament has never won going left–handed.

Torcedor is the same age as ‘George’ and more than a stone behind him at the weights, while my ‘early bird’ Lustrous Light perseveres at this level, which suggests that he may be an ‘in-between horse’, too good for handicaps, not good enough for the Pattern.

We can hazard a pound place at 16.5 this morning, without doing too much harm to a banker bet on Order Of St George

The Press says that younger horses may overhaul the Ballydoyle stayer this season so he is risky today. I see that as a half-truth. My verdict is: younger horses may overhaul the Ballydoyle stayer this season, so all the more reason why he should want to pick up this early prize.

DAQMAN’S BETS
BET 10pts win GRAY DAY (3.00 Stratford)
BANKER: BET 20pts win (nap) ORDER OF ST GEORGE, and 1pt win and place LUSTROUS LIGHT (4.25 Navan)
BET 6pts win STRONGLY SUGGESTED (4.50 Wetherby)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 3 x 3pt win doubles and 1pt win treble GRAY DAY (3.00 Stratford), ORDER OF ST GEORGE (4.25 Navan), STRONGLY SUGGESTED (4.50 Wetherby)


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