HAT-TRICK OF NAPS FOR DAQMAN: With just five Flat (turf) racing days left of the 2014 season, Daqman is making them all count. Nabatean (WON 5-4) gave him a hat-trick of naps yesterday. He also headlined River Deep (WON 3-1).
THAT’S 18 BEST BETS UP OUT OF 26: In fact, it was hat-trick number six within his stunning sequence of 18 successful naps out of 26 (all in the first four). It has also contained 10 bankers up from 11. Here’s the sequence and the last three winners:
Naps form: 11111412313111141121132111
WON 100-30 PARSNIP PETE
WON 11-10 CHIDSWELL (banker)
WON 5-4 NABATEAN
SANTA ANITA GATES OPEN TOMORROW: Daqman checks out the draw for three of the top races in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup. They call the stalls ‘gates’ in America. So who are the gates open for at the big Santa Anita weekend, starting tomorrow?
DURHAM NATIONAL BULL’S EYE: Today Daqman targets a 50-point Bull’s Eye Bet (current profit 200 points) at the Durham National at Sedgefield. Check out his analysis.
DRAW SETS UP A DOUBLE FOR DANK
7.43 Santa Anita (Saturday) Breeders Cup Filly and Mare (Turf) Three-year-olds can win it but have to be tough, like Midday (2009) and Ouija Board (2004 and 2006), outstanding for England until last year.
Then along came Dank, the Arlington Beverley D winner to make it 6 from 15 for Europe. She has been trained specifically for this race again, not seen for 136 days but in the master’s hands, yet another late developer for Sir Michael Stoute.
Nicely drawn in 3, next door to Charles Hills’ Just The Judge (2) and with Ralph Beckett’s Secret Gesture in 5.
11.40 Santa Anita (Saturday) Breeders’ Cup Mile (Turf) Though a single-figure gate is quoted as best, winners have come from stalls 8 (twice), 9, 10 (three times) and 11 in the last decade. David Simcock has Trade Storm in 8. Freddie Head’s Anodin is in 9.
Winners usually follow on, but there will be a new champion this year, with no Wise Dan after his back-to-back wins in a race dominated by Freddie Head’s Goldikova three years running (2008-10).
12.35 Santa Anita (Saturday) Breeders’ Cup Classic (Dirt) Horses aged four and five have the best record. The last three-year-old to win (Raven’s Pass) was English-trained by John Gosden, with Jamie Osborne and Toast Of New York trying to emulate that on Saturday from gate 9.
The last 10 winners had all finished first or second in a Grade 1. The draw is significant. Gates 2, 4 and 5 have won five out of seven, stall 4 three times. Toast of New York’s Del Mar Classic conqueror, Shared Belief, will break from gate 6.
KNIGHT THE BEST MOVE IN NATIONAL
3.00 Sedgefield (Durham National) Lackamon won this last year for the Smiths just after they had triumphed in the Grand National proper at Aintree with Aurora’s Encore. The race moves in the programme to the autumn, which is not really the stable’s time of year.
The yard has had an expensive three wins from 42 runners so far, and its last nine horses to finish have been beaten a total of 314 lengths.
The claimer Daragh Bourke brings Lackamon’s weight down below the 2013 winning mark but his return at Wetherby a fortnight ago suggested that more than a few pounds off his back is needed. He trailed in a long way last, albeit prepping over hurdles for this.
Bit Of A Jig was also disappointing on his return and this looks tough alongside the lower-level novice chases he has won.
Ballybough Gorta (holds Kilbree Kid) requires Sean Bowen’s 7lb allowance to help, after a win at Cartmel in July proved costly to his mark. Speed Master’s 5lb claim also looks relevant, as the gelding is not yet out of the novice stage.
A much better run back came from Royale Knight over hurdles at Chepstow last month. The Scottish Borders National winner in December looked progressive when able to carry 12lb more into third in the Warwick Classic (Grade 3), and has his ground today.
Sun Cloud, winner of the North Yorkshire Grand National in January, needs soft-heavy ground to show the best of his ability.
And I can’t see anything down the handicap. They look like a bunch of losers, with the possible exception of Many Stars from the burgeoning Dan Skelton stable.
Many Stars likes the surface and is bred to go round twice (he’s won over 3m 2f over hurdles) but it’s a huge task for a six-year-old after only one chase start to date.
Front-runner Jurisdiction – goes well fresh and a winner on the course – is likely to take them along. Many Stars could place if he’s up to this tough test but Royale Knight is the stamina-laden improver, primed for the job, and with trainer Newland having a 50% strike rate on the course.
TRUST ‘PRINCE’ TO MAKE LATE SWOOP
3.50 Lingfield (Ladbrokes Handicap) It’s late in the year and horses aged three and four are maturing further, cracking on for their fourth and fifth birthdays. So it is that only one horse over the age of four has won this in nine seasons.
The 7f trip is a tricky one, an in-between and those who get it well on this course can overcome an outside draw: the last four double-figure fields have produced winners from stalls 9, 12 and 14 (twice).
In fact, front-runners Alejandro and Ifwecan, from lowish stalls 4 and 7, look highly likely to set this up for a late swoop from a high draw.
Passing Star and Red Refraction have been taken off their feet before by Ifwecan but Prince’s Trust won at Yarmouth with a smooth kick (held up in touch in midfield) from just such a position that could win this race today.
The lightly-raced improver was well behind Intransigent at Ascot but hated the soft surface and it is worth noting that he was 6-1 SP favourite that day, with Intransigent an outsider at 16-1.
Yet here we are early mouse this morning, with conditions reversed, but able to get 7.6 Prince’s Trust on BETDAQ and only 3.95 Intransigent.
THE NAP: Sharqeyih (1.20 Lingfield) can gobble up these minnows. Bred for the surface and ran an excellent debut at Newmarket, unlucky not to beat a big field.
Her nearest market rival, Alfajer, has had the form of her own Newmarket debut let down time and again since, while Faery Song is unlikely to be in their league and Krafty One is a debutante expected to need further.
DAQMAN’S BETS
BANKER: BET maximum stakes 20pts win (nap) SHARQEYIH (1.20 Lingfield)
BULL’S-EYE BET (to win 50 points): 12.5pts win ROYALE KNIGHT (3.00 Sedgefield)
BET (to win 20) 3pts win PRINCE’S TRUST (3.50 Lingfield)
DAQ MULTIPLES: 3 x 1pt win doubles and 1pt win treble the three above
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