11-1 DAQMAN: BETDAQ BETTER AT 16.5: Daqman yesterday landed another big-odds winner over Pricewise of the Racing Post but all BETDAQ backers were winners in that, yet again, the BETDAQ offer he took was a massive 40% better than SP:

WON 11-1 VISCOUNT BARFIELD (16.5 on BETDAQ)

HE NOW LEADS PRICEWISE 127 POINTS: That win sends Daqman 127 points clear of Pricewise with a returns lead of 34-8 in the challenge for value which hits one of its seasonal peaks with five days at Royal Ascot starting on Tuesday.

SEVEN CLASSIC WINNERS IN A ROW: But first Daqman tries to boost his collection of 2017 Classic winners, currently on seven for the season, in the French Oaks this afternoon.


SEVEN CLASSIC WINNERS IN A ROW

ON Daqman’s last visit to France, he found Brametot, winner of the French Derby and his seventh Classic winner inside little more than a month of ante-post punts, banker bets and tough betting decisions, which have helped towards hundreds of points of profit.

Here they are in time order, as Daqman goes for another French Classic today, the Oaks they call the Prix De Diane.

WON 6-4 CHURCHILL (Newmarket 2,000 Guineas banker)
WON 47-10 ALWAYS DREAMING (Kentucky Derby)
WON 9-1 WINTER (Newmarket 1,000 Guineas nap)
WON 4-9 CHURCHILL (Irish 2,000 top rating, multiples)
WON 8-13 WINTER (Irish 1,000 top rating, banker)
WON 6-1 ENABLE (Epsom Oaks, at 25.0 on BETDAQ)
WON 17-10 BRAMETOT (French Derby)


GREAT EIGHT THROUGH TERRAKOVA

3.05 Chantilly (Prix de Diane) The temperature on a cloudless day in Chantilly is expected to be 31 degrees, which normally suits England (Shutter Speed) and Ireland (Rhododendron) over the French.

In any case, seemingly just their unexposed Terrakova poses a threat and that’s on potential not form. She has won only at Group-3 level but, as a daughter of Galileo and Goldikova, ‘could be anything.’

What makes the race intriguing is that all three leading contenders in this Oaks will seemingly be best suited to the 1m 2f French Classic trip.

Rhododendron was outgunned for speed by Winter in the 1,000 Guineas and for stamina by Enable in the Epsom Oaks, in the one over a mile looking as though she needed further, in the other over 1m 4f clear of the remainder but getting nowhere at the line.

Shutter Speed showed the dash required to win the Musidora at a distance a few yards further than this 1m 2f but what she beat has not franked the form.

Her earlier defeat (on firmish ground at Newbury) of Raheen House and Enable looks more like it, albeit Raheen House was then swamped at Goodwood by Khalidi, who was only 14th in the Derby.

In the case of Enable – rated 84 at the time – the potential was there (not the form) and she raced up the equine charts to record a 122 in the Epsom Oaks.

Clearly Shutter Speed did not beat a 122 Enable at Newbury and it’s difficult to see why she should be such a short price. Both her trials were run in slow time.

In fact, the lesson of the Newbury race is that such as Enable can progress dramatically – though not normally by 38lb! – past the early season’s precocious winners.

At least Shutter Speed has been trained with today in mind. Rhododendron was trained for a 1m Guineas, then for a 1m 4f Oaks, now for a 1m 2f Oaks, and she has had to work hard in both her Classics so far.

Terrakova’s dam, Goldikova, also trained by Freddy Head, was one of the great milers, horse of the year in 2010. But she was half-sister to Galikova (1m 4f winner of the Vermeille) and there is every chance that a daughter of Galileo can step up markedly here.

The early-season form, which worries us in the case of Shutter Speed, has us guessing again here because Panthelia was runner-up to Terrakova on the last day.

And she was earlier beaten pointless by trainer-king Jean Claude Rouget with Onthemoonagain, more collateral form suggesting that they are both in front of Sistercharlie.

VERDICT: Shutter Speed and Terrakova are the fillies targeted at this race, and Terrekova the likely big improver. Though Rhododendron has the Classic form, is she tough enough and versatile enough to show that form a third time, rerouted from Newmarket to The Curragh to Chantilly?

Onthemoonagain is another exposed but likely to be in the at the finish, though there has been a virus in Pau and the Rouget yard has had horses in quarantine

Rhododendron did not accelerate quickly enough in either Guineas or Epsom Oaks, and could become the bridesmaid of the year!

Shutter Speed’s form is suspect (you can’t include a stablemate prepping in a slow-run race) and she is badly drawn in stall 14. Only one Diane winner since 2005 has won from stall 11 or higher.

Eleven of the last 14 Diane winners have been trained in France. So I take a chance on the home run with Terrakova at a BETDAQ price that covers a gamble (7.0 early mouse). 1 Terrakova, 2 Rhododendron.


BENGALI CAN CONFIRM NAVAN FORM

3.20 Cork (Munster Oaks) Aidan O’Brien, who has four in the line-up here, has landed a hat-trick in this, though none was favourite. Not a one.

Glamorous Aproach looks well exposed and Sea Swift seems to need some cut in the ground, so I shall side with the potential improver, Bengali, who had Key To My heart and Butterflies behind her at Navan: 5.2 offers on BETDAQ this morning.

3.45 Salisbury (Cathedral Stakes) The stats say: Team Hannon 4, Balding and Fahey one apiece, with only one winner over the age of five in 10 seasons.

Three-year-olds have won it twice, including one sent out by the Hannons, and Eqtiraan, who loves firm ground, is the only one in the race to come close in the ratings to Mr Lupton

Negatives? They can’t give Epsom Dash runner-up Dark Shot away this morning, despite 11.0, and Eqtiraan is also far too easy to back at 8.2. So it has to be Mr Lupton.

3.50 Cork Derby Of the four-year-olds, who have won every running of this, Sikandarabad looks harshly treated but is running over a suitable trip for the first time in his life. The worry is more the stable’s poor form than his top weight.

Nearly Famous and My Brother have won only their maidens. Spruce Meadows looks well exposed, and the one who beat him at The Curragh, Mawaany, needs to make for further improvement stepped up to a trip which is a worry on breeding.

I’ll try a filly, Zamira, who has Derby winners on both sides of her pedigree, and will like the top of the ground: 9.0 BETDAQ offers.

Happy birthday today to Ray Cochrane who rode her dam’s sire, Kahyasi to win at Epsom. I was not ‘on’ that day but I wish there were more jockeys as reliable as Ray was (and that’s my mortgage broker speaking).

DAQMAN’S BETS (staked to win 20 points)
BET 3.3pts win and place TERREKOVA (3.05 Chantilly)
BET 4.75pts win BENGALI (3.20 Cork)
BET 10pts win (nap) MR LUPTON (3.45 Salisbury)
BET 2.5pts win and place ZAMIRA (3.50 Cork)


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